| What has Joe Biden's coronavirus advisory group been doing? Posted: 24 Apr 2020 06:33 AM PDT  While the committee by design has more of a behind-the-scenes role, as Biden's campaign is forced online, the question going forward may be whether he's disadvantaged by having such an inward-focused public health group, particularly while the White House he's running against is so outward facing.
|
| China 'sought to block EU report that claimed it was spreading coronavirus disinformation' Posted: 24 Apr 2020 07:03 PM PDT  China sought to block a European Union report alleging that Beijing was spreading disinformation about the coronavirus outbreak, according to four sources and diplomatic correspondence reviewed by Reuters. The report was eventually released, albeit just before the start of the weekend Europe time and with some criticism of the Chinese government rearranged or removed, a sign of the balancing act Brussels is trying to pull off as the coronavirus outbreak scrambles international relations. The Chinese Mission to the EU was not immediately available for comment and China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to faxed questions about the exchange. An EU spokeswoman said "we never comment on content or alleged content of internal diplomatic contacts and communication with our partners from another countries." Another EU official said the disinformation report had been published as usual and denied any of it had been watered down. Four diplomatic sources told Reuters that the report had initially been slated for release on April 21, but was delayed after Chinese officials picked up on a Politico news report that previewed its findings. A senior Chinese official contacted European officials in Beijing the same day to tell them that, "if the report is as described and it is released today it will be very bad for cooperation", according to EU diplomatic correspondence reviewed by Reuters. READ MORE: How China is rewriting the coronavirus narrative to distract from mistakes at home Will the coronavirus crisis tear the European Union apart? Donald Trump warns of consequences if China was knowingly responsible for coronavirus Trump's top diplomat claims China not sharing Covid-19 sample with world scientists The correspondence quoted senior Chinese foreign ministry official Yang Xiaoguang as saying that publishing the report would make Beijing "very angry" and accused European officials of trying to please "someone else" - something the EU diplomats understood to be a reference to Washington. The four sources said the report had been delayed as a result, and a comparison of the internal version of the report obtained by Reuters and the final version published late on Friday showed several differences. For example, on the first page of the internal report shared with EU governments on April 20, the EU's foreign policy arm said: "China has continued to run a global disinformation campaign to deflect blame for the outbreak of the pandemic and improve its international image. Both overt and covert tactics have been observed." The public summary posted on Friday to the bloc's disinformation portal, euvsdisinfo.eu, attributed the disinformation to "state-backed sources from various governments, including Russia and – to a lesser extent – China". The public summary did note "significant evidence of covert Chinese operations on social media", but the reference was left to the final six paragraphs of the document. Disinformation about the coronavirus outbreak is emerging as a flashpoint between the United States and China, and officials on both sides have traded allegations of hiding information about the pandemic.
|
| What's open and closed this weekend: Beaches, parks and trails in Southern California Posted: 23 Apr 2020 12:17 PM PDT  As the pandemic battle evolves, much public property is still off-limits but some is open for locals
|
| Pelosi says Republicans reject science and governance Posted: 24 Apr 2020 10:09 AM PDT  In a press conference on Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized President Trump's suggestion that disinfectant could be used to treat the coronavirus, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's comments that bankruptcy could be an option for states and local governments trying to finance their response to the pandemic. Pelosi said it shows how "Republicans reject science and reject governance."
|
| Nations back UN plan to speed wide rollout of COVID response Posted: 24 Apr 2020 08:45 AM PDT |
| Hubble Turns 30: How the Famous Space Telescope Went From Idea to Launch Posted: 24 Apr 2020 09:14 AM PDT |
| Chris Wallace Dismisses Barr’s Threats Against Lockdown Orders: ‘Talk on a Talk Radio Show’ Posted: 24 Apr 2020 09:56 AM PDT  Fox News anchor Chris Wallace scoffed at Attorney General William Barr's recent threats to take legal action against some states over their coronavirus shutdowns, claiming on Friday that the attorney general's warnings were nothing more than "talk on a talk radio show."In a recent interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Barr groused that many states' stay-at-home orders amid the pandemic have been "disturbingly close to house arrest" and that the Justice Department may need to take legal action against governors."We're looking carefully at a number of these rules that are being put into place," Barr said on Tuesday. "And if we think one goes too far, we initially try to jawbone the governors into rolling them back or adjusting them. And if they're not and people bring lawsuits, we file statement of interest and side with the plaintiffs."Suddenly, Singapore's Coronavirus Cases Skyrocketed. Here's Why.Appearing on Fox News' America's Newsroom, Wallace was asked by fellow anchor Sandra Smith to react to Barr's comments, with Smith noting that the attorney general feels that the lockdowns are "infringing on our federal constitutional rights.""I think it's not going to happen," Wallace declared. "I think it's talk on a talk radio show and I wonder about the attorney general engaging in that kind of talk.""It's legally suspect, because if you look at when the president talk about 'I have total authority to reopen the states,' a lot of constitutional scholars on both the left and right noted that under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, the states have all the powers that are not specifically given to the federal government," he added.Pointing out that state and local governments "close things down for public safety all the time," the Fox News Sunday host said there was a "real legal issue there" before further noting that President Donald Trump has also offered guidelines calling for a gradual reopening for states."That's why Governor Kemp in Georgia has run afoul," Wallace concluded. "The idea that the Attorney General of the United States is going to get involved with a lawsuit in an individual state that perhaps goes against the president's guidelines and goes against the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution? I don't see that happening."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
|
| Re-Opening Politics, North Korea’s Future Draw Scrutiny: Weekend Reads Posted: 25 Apr 2020 05:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- How and when to ease lockdowns to fight the coronavirus — along with government efforts to ramp up testing capacity — were the key questions across the globe this week as the pandemic spread.In the U.S., small bands of protesters — driven by the social-media tactics of a coalition of gun-rights activists and far-right groups — staged demonstrations over government-ordered closures of businesses and schools, particularly in Democratic-led states. Elsewhere the impact of the virus on the world's poorest people is coming into focus. And uncertainty swirled around the state of Kim Jong Un's health after reports the North Korean leader was in critical condition following cardiovascular surgery. Dig deeper into these and other topics with the latest edition of Weekend Reads. Patchwork Approach to Reopening States Reveals a Red-Blue DivideAs Amanda Hurley reports, the gap between how Republican- and Democratic-controlled states seek to ease social distacing measures and restart their economies will likely grow wider as the pandemic grinds on.Inside the Dystopian, Post-Lockdown World of WuhanThe first epicenter is coming back to life, but not as anyone knew it. Sharon Chen and Matthew Campbell — with the help of Claire Che and Sarah Chen — tell what it's like for some of the millions of people in Wuhan trying to come to grips with the economic and social fallout from the worst pandemic in a century.The Week Coronavirus Got Away From Boris Johnson's GovernmentBritain had time. Academics, disease specialists and critics say the prime minister wasted it. Alex Morales, Suzi Ring, Robert Hutton and James Paton take you inside a critical week in March. Kim Jong Un Has Put North Korea in Position to Outlast His ReignWhatever the state of Kim's health, he's already put North Korea in its strongest position to resist U.S. pressure in decades. Eight years after Kim filled the power vacuum left by the death of his reclusive father, Kim Jong Il, North Korea is more secure and less isolated. Jihye Lee and Jon Herskovitz explain why that matters right now. Workers Who Make the World's Clothes Are Facing Abject PovertyRozina Begum is worried that she and her husband and two children will starve. Rozina — along with 300 other workers at the Ultimate Fashions plant on the outskirts of Bangladesh's capital lost their jobs March 25. She's one of the millions of people who are on the lowest rung of a global supply chain that has been shattered by the virus, Marvin G. Perez and Arun Devnath report. Virus Care Disruptions Raise Infant Death Risk in Poor NationsThe Covid-19 pandemic has the potential to reverse years of progress in reducing maternal and child mortality worldwide by impairing access to medical care in poorer countries. Anne Pollak takes a closer look. Hope Turns to Doubt, Then Gunfire, as Saudi Megacity EmergesWhen Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled plans for Neom, a futuristic megacity on the Red Sea coast, residents rejoiced. Jobs and investment would surely accompany the $500 billion development at the center of the young leader's plan to transform his conservative kingdom. But that optimism has faded. Vivian Nereim explores why. High-Seas Energy Fight Off Malaysia Draws U.S., Chinese WarshipsMalaysia's push to explore energy blocks off its coast has turned into a five-nation face-off involving U.S. and Chinese warships. That's raised the risk of a direct confrontation as broader tensions grow between the world's biggest economies, Philip J. Heijmans reports.Religious Group's Mass Gatherings Spark Asian Virus ClustersA conservative religious group's gatherings have emerged as virus hotspots in Malaysia, India and now Pakistan, with authorities tracking people who attended an event with as many as 70,000 worshipers. Faseeh Mangi has more.Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.And finally … Sushen Dang, 26, and his fiancee, Keerti Narang, dreamed of making their wedding an affair to remember — but not like this. Instead of hundreds of guests descending on a wildlife resort for a multi-day revelry with cocktail parties and elaborate feasts, the couple got married over the video conferencing app Zoom amid a stringent national lockdown. It's just one example of how India's $70-billion wedding industry has skidded to a stop in the midst of peak marriage season. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Trump ties coronavirus outbreak to Democratic state leadership, potentially jeopardizing federal aid Posted: 23 Apr 2020 06:26 PM PDT  President Trump suggested that there was a correlation between Democratic leadership of states and the scope of the coronavirus outbreak in those states.
|
| Saudi Arabia bans flogging as a punishment after human rights activist dies in detention Posted: 25 Apr 2020 04:32 AM PDT  Saudi Arabia has abolished flogging as a punishment, the state human rights commission said on Saturday hailing a "major step forward" in the reform programme launched by the king and his powerful son, days after a human rights activist died in custody. Court-ordered floggings in Saudi Arabia - sometimes extending to hundreds of lashes - have long drawn condemnation from human rights groups. But they say the headline legal reforms overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have brought no let-up in the conservative Islamic kingdom's crushing of dissent, including through the use of the death penalty. The state human rights commission said that the latest reform, which was reported by Saudi media including the pro-government Okaz newspaper, would ensure that no more convicts were sentenced to flogging. "This decision guarantees that convicts who would previously have been sentenced to the lash will from now on receive fines or prison terms instead," its chairman, Awad al-Awad, said.
|
| China to prosecute Belizean citizen for alleged meddling in Hong Kong: media Posted: 23 Apr 2020 09:03 PM PDT |
| Fox News' Sean Hannity says Americans 'dying to get back to work,' but polls say otherwise Posted: 23 Apr 2020 11:05 AM PDT  Fox News host Sean Hannity said that Americans are "dying to get back to work" on both his talk radio and television shows on Wednesday, despite evidence pointing to the contrary.The comment was made while Mr Hannity was discussing pockets of anti-lockdown protests organised by far-right Facebook groups.
|
| Coronavirus: US death toll passes 50,000 in world's deadliest outbreak Posted: 24 Apr 2020 07:54 PM PDT  A grim milestone is passed by the world's deadliest outbreak, although US mortality rate is comparatively low.
|
| 4 men confine woman in her home to rob her of stimulus check, police say Posted: 23 Apr 2020 04:12 PM PDT  The woman whose house was broken into told police the suspects were aware she had received her check and intended to rob her.
|
| DR Congo police arrest sect leader after deadly raid Posted: 24 Apr 2020 09:59 PM PDT  The self-styled prophet of a separatist sect blamed for deadly attacks in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been arrested in a raid on his home in Kinshasa involving hundreds of security forces. "Mission accomplished," a police tweet said, after troops stormed the home of former MP Ne Muanda Nsemi, who heads the Bundu Dia Kongo (BDK) sect, following an hours-long siege on Friday. A police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said several BDK members were found in the house and added that an undisclosed number of people had died in the raid.
|
| Trump floats treating coronavirus patients with light and disinfectants Posted: 23 Apr 2020 05:00 PM PDT  At an unusually contentious briefing Thursday of the coronavirus task force, President Trump floated the idea that people infected with COVID-19 might be treated using injections of disinfectant and applications of ultraviolet light.
|
| Casting aside its precedents, Supreme Court moves inexorably toward abortion rights Posted: 24 Apr 2020 02:00 AM PDT  A more conservative court is increasingly willing to reverse the work of its predecessors. And no issue hangs in the balance more than abortion.
|
| Slovakia lifts coronavirus quarantine from a Roma settlement Posted: 25 Apr 2020 07:11 AM PDT |
| Carnival and Norwegian cruise ships are scrambling to get stranded ship workers home by sailing them to different countries as the CDC refuses to let crew disembark in the US Posted: 24 Apr 2020 01:29 PM PDT  Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line are adopting plans to get their crew members back home.
|
| Coronavirus: China rejects call for probe into origins of disease Posted: 24 Apr 2020 12:59 PM PDT  Beijing's deputy ambassador to the UK tells the BBC the demands are politically motivated.
|
| Two transgender women found burned to death in Puerto Rico Posted: 25 Apr 2020 07:02 AM PDT  Their killings would be the third and fourth against transgender people in the last two months.
|
| New York man and girlfriend quarantining in Mexico are shot and killed Posted: 24 Apr 2020 06:42 AM PDT  Police said at least 20 gunshots were fired at the couple's car as they were driving down a street in Juarez.
|
| Turkey’s Late Response to Coronavirus Overshadows Ramadan Posted: 23 Apr 2020 08:59 PM PDT |
| Trump claims his dangerous disinfectant claims were meant 'sarcastically', as US coronavirus death toll passes 50,000 Posted: 24 Apr 2020 09:37 AM PDT  After promoting the idea that both sunlight and injecting disinfectant could help tackle Covid-19, Donald Trump claimed his comments were sarcastic."I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters ... to see what would happen," the president said on Friday as he signed another coronavirus relief bill into law. He had faced a torrent of ridicule for his comments, which were directed at doctors on his coronavirus taskforce, not at reporters.
|
| China sent team and medical experts to advise on North Korea’s Kim Posted: 25 Apr 2020 07:49 AM PDT  China has sent a team to North Korea, including medical experts, to advise on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to three people familiar with the situation.
|
| Explainer: How the U.S. is handling immigration enforcement during the coronavirus crisis Posted: 24 Apr 2020 01:14 PM PDT  U.S. President Donald Trump made a hardline immigration agenda central to his 2020 re-election campaign and his administration has pushed ahead with a wide-ranging crackdown even as the United States has become the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak worldwide. While U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has dialed back arrest operations and agreed to review cases of some at-risk immigrants in custody, it is still detaining tens of thousands and proceeding with deportation flights. Pro-immigrant advocates have called for detainees - particularly low-level offenders - to be released from custody given the risks of contracting the virus inside.
|
| There’s evidence that kids stuck in quarantine may experience higher levels of depression and anxiety Posted: 24 Apr 2020 03:26 PM PDT  A new study found that 23% of kids in Wuhan, China reported feeling depressed and 19% reported feeling anxious, which higher than previous reports.
|
| 12 rangers among 17 killed in attack in DR Congo's Virunga park Posted: 24 Apr 2020 02:47 PM PDT  At least 17 people, including 12 rangers were killed on Friday in an attack in Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the restive east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, an official said. It said that civilians were the apparent target of the attack. Virunga is a UNESCO-listed site which is spread over 7,800 square kilometres (3,000 square miles) over the borders of DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.
|
| Hong Kong bookstore under attack in China reopens in Taiwan Posted: 25 Apr 2020 01:32 AM PDT  The part-owner of a Hong Kong bookstore specializing in texts critical of China's leaders reopened his shop in Taiwan on Saturday after fleeing Hong Kong due to legal troubles, saying he was grateful for the chance to make China's Communist rulers "less than happy." The opening and accompanying news conference came days after Lam Wing-kee was splattered with red paint by a masked man while sitting alone at a coffee shop in Taiwan. Lam suffered no serious physical injuries and showed little sign of the attack other than a red tint to his hair.
|
| Singapore's richest man is getting $1 billion richer each month from selling ventilators Posted: 23 Apr 2020 08:59 PM PDT  Li Xiting is now worth $13.5 billion. Averaged out, his fortune has been increasing by about $37.7 million every 24 hours.
|
| Grocery stores are portioning flour from industrial bags to deal with demand Posted: 24 Apr 2020 09:55 PM PDT  Baking has become a favorite hobby of homebound, stir-crazy Americans.
|
| Michigan conservatives hail protest success – and set sights on Trump's re-election Posted: 25 Apr 2020 05:32 AM PDT  Protesters backed by rightwing donors believe their growing movement can 'dwarf the Tea Party' and keep Trump in the White HouseIt started with a Zoom call.Five members of the Michigan Conservative Coalition – a rightwing non-profit with ties to the Trump administration – decided they needed to do something to protest against Michigan's stay-at-home order, designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.Over a video chat in mid-April, they conceived a "gridlock" protest outside Michigan's state capitol. It led to thousands of people blocking streets with their cars and hundreds assembling, in contravention of social distancing guidelines.The rally had a bigger impact than they could have imagined. Promoted by wealthy rightwing groups, pushed by Fox News, and tacitly endorsed by Donald Trump, the Michigan protest has sparked copycat rallies across the US with further protests planned, and is spiraling into a movement which one conservative activist said could "dwarf the Tea Party"."We were blown away," said Meshawn Maddock, a co-founder of the Michigan Conservative Coalition and a member of the advisory board for Women for Trump – an official arm of Trump's re-election campaign."We've organized some pretty big things, but I don't think Michigan … I don't know that the nation has seen anything like what just happened."The rally was also supported by the Michigan Freedom Fund – which has received more than half a million dollars from the family of Trump's education secretary, Betsy DeVos – but soon even bigger groups were jumping on board, each with their own rightwing agendas to promote.FreedomWorks, a conservative special interest group which pushed the Tea Party movement, opposed Barack Obama's healthcare reforms, and has downplayed climate change, has directed resources to the movement. The group now hopes to turn the anti-lockdown protests into a movement which could help re-elect Trump in November.The Tea Party Patriots, another group forged amid the Tea Party movement of 2009, has also weighed in, promoting the rallies to its 3 million members nationwide, while a group of gun-enthusiast activist brothers bought up webpages in an effort to further the movement's aims.The Tea Party supported lower taxes, but was also accused of representing a racist reaction to the election of the first black president. It is also a prime example of "astroturfing" – where corporations jumped on to an activist group presented as a grassroots movement. It had some undoubted success, particularly in electing a number of extremely rightwing Republicans to office during the midterm elections, but some of those behind the current protests say this movement could eclipse it."This movement that's starting right now has the potential to even dwarf the size of Tea Party," said Noah Wall, the vice-president of advocacy at FreedomWorks."The Tea Party was started in response to excessive government spending and bailouts in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. This is affecting Americans across the board. You don't have to have an opinion on government spending to not want to be forced to stay at home and not be able to work."Wall stressed that activists are organizing the protests, but FreedomWorks is pulling out all the stops to help them do so. The organization has set up an online "planning guide" for people to hold anti-stay-at-home rallies, complete with printable rally signs and tips on promoting the events online.Meanwhile, it has promoted the events to its 5 million members through emails and social media posts.The influence of rightwing groups has rarely been made clear to the aggrieved Americans heading out to the protests.Maddock and her Michigan Conservative Coalition co-founder Marian Sheridan claimed the Michigan rally was bipartisan, despite scores of protesters waving Trump 2020 campaign signs and sporting Maga hats. Others paraded Confederate flags.Sheridan is the grassroots vice-chair of the Michigan Republican party, and said although this wasn't an official Republican protest, "I'm sure that the party supports this"."There were lots of our legislators at the rally," Sheridan pointed out.Tony Daunt, the executive director of the DeVos-backed Michigan Freedom Fund, downplayed the group's involvement in the rally – saying it was limited to spending $250 to advertise the event – but he did attend the protest."The rally was, I think, a huge success," Daunt said.Daunt and the Michigan Conservative Coalition said they had supported Governor Gretchen Whitmer's initial stay-at-home order until she introduced stricter measures on 10 April, including limiting the number of people allowed in stores.Polls show a majority of Michiganders support Whitmer's handling of the crisis. More than 2,800 people have died from coronavirus in the state – the third highest tally in the US – with African Americans accounting for 40% of the deaths.Despite minorities having been most affected by coronavirus in the state, the Michigan crowd appeared to be majority white.Fox News covered the Michigan event throughout the day, with hosts including Laura Ingraham and Jeanine Pirro – neither of whom have risked abandoning social distancing to attend a protest – championing the effort.Fox News's bombardment of anti-lockdown messaging soon reached a particularly influential audience member. "Liberate Michigan!" Trump tweeted two days after the Michigan protest, minutes after another favorable report by Fox News. On Sunday, he denied the protesters had put people at risk."They've got cabin fever," Trump told reporters at a White House briefing. "They want their lives back. These people love our country. They want to get back to work."As Trump and Fox News, plus other rightwing outlets, cheered the Michiganders, plans for rallies in other states began to emerge. Since the Michigan effort, protests have taken place in Maryland, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Virginia – a rally organized, in part, by a Virginia gun rights group.Other protests, promoted by FreedomWorks and Tea Party Patriots, are planned in Alaska, Delaware and Kansas.Jenny Beth Martin, honorary chairman of Tea Party Patriots, stressed that the protests had not been organized by the top of the organization, but by Tea Party Patriots activists in different states."They let us know about reopen events that are happening in their own state," Martin said. "As long as the event is listing that the social distancing guidelines must be followed then we are sharing the event with our supporters in the geographic area by email."That possibly underplays the Tea Party Patriots' influence, given it has 3 million supporters and hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers. Wall, at FreedomWorks, was also keen to stress it did not organize events, but the organization's ability to reach its 5 million members is hardly a small matter in promoting the events.In any case, the protests and the fawning news coverage by the rightwing media serve as a handy shot in the arm for less-publicized work both organizations are doing behind the scenes.FreedomWorks and Tea Party Patriots have joined with the American Legislative Exchange Council, a controversial rightwing network that pushes policies by creating model legislation, to create a "Save Our Country" coalition, which is quietly lobbying Trump to reopen the economy. The protests are likely to help them make their case – potentially having consequences that far outweigh the few thousand who have turned out to defy stay-at-home orders.In the meantime, FreedomWorks is hoping to turn the rallies into a force in electoral politics, another avenue the original organizers did not conceive."We train activists on how to influence elections. Any new members who are interested we will absolutely be providing training and resources for them to get involved and be able to affect the elections," Wall said."What's happening in the coming weeks will absolutely affect the November elections."
|
| A New Wave of Anti-Muslim Anger Threatens India’s Virus Fight Posted: 23 Apr 2020 02:00 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The newspaper advertisement placed last week by a cancer hospital in India's most populous state didn't mince words: any Muslim patients seeking treatment must prove they didn't have Covid-19.The privately owned Valentis Cancer Hospital in Uttar Pradesh state apologized a day later "for hurting religious sentiments." But the message written in black and white crystallized for many the increased hostility against India's Muslim minority as coronavirus infections surge across the country.Attacks on Muslims, including farmers driven out of villages and others beaten by angry mobs, have been reported across the country -- from rural hamlets to the cities of New Delhi and Mumbai, prompted by a lethal mix of WhatsApp messages accusing them of deliberately spreading the virus. Hashtags like "corona jihad" and "corona terror" have been trending on social media, prompting a backlash from Gulf states where millions of Indians work.The rising discrimination threatens to hurt India's status in Muslim-majority countries and inflame longstanding religious tensions in the Hindu-dominated nation of 1.3 billion people. Divisions already began to harden last year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government passed a citizenship bill discriminating against Muslims, sparking nationwide protests in recent months that have left scores dead.What's worse, the upswing in discrimination against Muslims now threatens to complicate India's fight against Covid-19. On Thursday, the country reported 21,797 infections and 681 deaths.Frightened MuslimsIn India's business capital Mumbai, where the sprawling Dharavi slum has become the country's worst-hit virus hotspot, authorities say Muslims are afraid to self-report."There is a lot fear in the Muslim community and they are not telling us facts," said Kiran Dighavkar, an assistant commissioner at the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, the main civic authority for the city. "The hate towards the community seems to have increased because other people feel they are spreading the virus. Because of this it has become unsafe for our staff to visit some areas and we have to take police with us."At another hotspot in Noida, a suburb on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi, authorities were taking to social media to flag fake news and rumors."It takes a lot of time," said Ankur Agarwal, a police officer in Noida. "We have to monitor the social media, we need to build our intelligence as compared to totally focusing on Covid operations and ensuring the lockdown."Modi so far hasn't commented directly on the simmering sectarian tensions, but said in a tweet earlier this month that "Covid-19 does not see race, religion, color, caste, language or borders before striking."One of his cabinet members, Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, said Tuesday that authorities were working to protect the safety and well-being all citizens. "India is heaven for minorities and Muslims," Naqvi said at a briefing. "Their social, religious and economic rights are secured in India more than any other country."'Deep Concern'Yet the world is expressing alarm. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which has in the past criticized India's treatment of its minorities, on April 14 raised concerns about the "continued scapegoating and attacks on Muslims in India due to false rumors over the spread of coronavirus, often accompanied by dangerous rhetoric by politicians."The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which calls itself "the collective voice of the Muslim world," expressed "deep concern" on Sunday over "rising anti-Muslim sentiments" in India.In the United Arab Emirates some of the more viciously worded posts by Indian migrants prompted some to get fired from their jobs, and also drew the attention of a member of the ruling family. Last week Princess Hend Al Qassimi responded to a now-deleted tweet, saying "your ridicule will not go unnoticed." India's ambassador to the UAE condemned the hate speech.Although Gulf states are condemning the anti-Muslim sentiment in India, falling oil prices and a downturn in the global economy will limit any deeper rift, according to Harsh Pant, professor of international relations at Kings College, London."India retains leverage vis-a-vis these countries as it is one of the largest importers of oil," he said. "Gulf countries are impacted not only by the coronavirus but also by the decline in oil demand."Religious GatheringThe new wave of rumors and anger directed against India's 200 million Muslims started in the last week of March when details began to emerge of thousands, including visitors from Indonesia and Malaysia, gathering at the headquarters of the Tabligh-e-Jamaat -- a conservative Muslim sect -- in the crowded lanes of Delhi's Nizamuddin area.Hundreds of members tested positive for the virus after authorities evacuated the building. Cases sprouted across the nation as many left Delhi and traveled back to their homes. Some 25,000 members and their contacts were traced and quarantined across more than a dozen Indian states.For more than a week, the federal government listed the infections connected to the Muslim gathering separately at their daily media briefings, which fanned the flames further. On April 8, the health ministry issued a statement asking that no community be targeted, but it did little to rein in the anger.Mohammed Shamim and his family were among those targeted. The vitriol built steadily after he began driving minivans full of fresh fruit and vegetables far into the villages of Uttar Pradesh when India announced a strict nationwide lockdown on March 25. Hindu villagers began to heckle them and asked others not to do business with them."Then more people began harassing us saying, 'you Muslims are spreading this illness, we don't want you people coming to this village." he said. 'People who had bought vegetables from us were told to return them."While India has seen a continued marginalization of its Muslim minority since Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party swept to power in 2014, over the past year it's accelerated and become more violent. In the last week of February, before the country began to see a steady uptick in Covid-19 cases, three days of anti-Muslim violence in a part of the Indian capital left more than 50 people dead.Now Shamim and his family are too frightened to go back into the villages."Things are bad enough with this virus," he said over the telephone. "We don't want anything bad to happen to us."For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| U.S. warship heads to port after coronavirus outbreak Posted: 24 Apr 2020 07:45 AM PDT  At least 18 sailors aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer have tested positive for the new coronavirus, U.S. officials said on Friday, dealing another blow to the military as it faces fallout over its handling of an outbreak on an aircraft carrier last month. The Navy confirmed a Reuters report on the outbreak aboard the Kidd, a destroyer that was on a counter-narcotics mission, and said the number of those infected with the virus on the vessel was expected to rise. A Navy spokesman said the Kidd was currently operating in the Pacific.
|
| Meghan McCain asks if George and Kellyanne Conway's 'gross' feuding is their 'kink' Posted: 24 Apr 2020 10:32 AM PDT  Meghan McCain has criticised Kellyanne Conway's marriage, saying that she and her husband shouldn't disagree in public.Ms Conway is a counsellor to president Donald Trump and one of his most high-profile advisors, but her husband, George Conway III, an attorney, often publicly criticises the president.
|
| Coronavirus pandemic exposes rather than heals America's divisions Posted: 23 Apr 2020 04:22 PM PDT  Analysis: A pandemic in an election year is a recipe for partisan animosity not national unity.
|
| Retailer charged with hoarding, price gouging on sanitizer Posted: 25 Apr 2020 08:49 AM PDT  Federal prosecutors charged a New York retailer on Friday with hoarding tons of disposable masks, surgical gowns and hand sanitizer in a Long Island warehouse and selling the items at huge price markups.
|
| The Latest: Turkey's death toll from virus reaches 2,706 Posted: 24 Apr 2020 10:53 PM PDT  Turkey's health ministry has documented 106 new deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 2,706. Minister Fahrettin Koca shared daily figures Saturday, showing 2,861 new confirmed cases. The total number of confirmed infections has reached 107,773.
|
| Why has Spain been hit so hard by the coronavirus pandemic? Posted: 25 Apr 2020 12:11 AM PDT  In Spain, one of the hardest-hit countries in the pandemic, the coronavirus spread quickly and widely without being detected, especially among the elderly, experts told AFP. While they stressed it was too early to carry out a detailed analysis, the experts pointed to the country's sociable lifestyle and close ties between young and older family members as significant factors in the virus's spread. While Spain has the world's highest coronavirus death toll per capita after Belgium, its mortality rate -- the percentage of infected patients who die -- stands at 10.4 percent, below other hard-hit nations like Italy, France and Britain.
|
| White House claims it's the media that's being irresponsible after Trump floats idea of injecting disinfectants Posted: 24 Apr 2020 07:57 AM PDT  The White House on Friday complained about "negative headlines" and accused the media of being irresponsible as President Trump was widely condemned by medical experts for floating the idea of injecting disinfectants to treat COVID-19.Trump during a briefing on Thursday wondered about whether disinfectants could be used to treat the coronavirus, asking if there's "a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning, because you can see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it'd be interesting to check that. So that you're going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me."After experts slammed the comments as "irresponsible" and "dangerous" while noting the obvious that people should not inject themselves with disinfectants in an attempt to treat the coronavirus, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany in a statement Friday said Trump has "repeatedly said that Americans should consult with medical doctors regarding coronavirus treatment." McEnany added, "Leave it to the media to irresponsibly take President Trump out of context and run with negative headlines." In addition to pushback from experts, Trump's comments also forced the makers of Lysol to release an unusual statement clarifying that "under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body." Dr. Hilary Jones of Good Morning Britain also noted that injecting a disinfectant into the human body "is not only toxic and highly poisonous but would do no good whatsoever."More stories from theweek.com The president is unwell An alarming number of Americans believe a coronavirus vaccine exists and is being withheld Judge orders ICE, ORR to speed up release of migrant children during pandemic
|
| Poland’s Lockdown Election Is a Farce, Supreme Court Chief Says Posted: 23 Apr 2020 08:00 PM PDT |
| U.S. warship sails through Taiwan Strait, second time in a month Posted: 23 Apr 2020 05:18 PM PDT |
| B-1 Returns to Pacific in 'Dynamic Force Employment' Posted: 24 Apr 2020 02:58 PM PDT  The U.S. Air Force this week flew a B-1B Lancer to the Pacific as part of its new unpredictable deployment experiment.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment