Category: World

Many countries, including Germany, Britain and Australia, are blaming China for the spread of coronavirus

PTI

The World Health Organisation has praised China for handling the coronavirus pandemic and said that the countries need to learn from Wuhan on how the epicentre of the virus was bringing the society back to normal, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump likened the global health body to a public relations agency for Beijing.

Trump on Thursday said the WHO should be “ashamed” of itself, as he compared the UN’s health organ to a public relations agency for China amidst the coronavirus pandemic after it originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

The Trump administration has launched a probe into the role of the WHO on coronavirus, and has temporarily suspended the U.S.’ financial assistance to it.

Many countries, including Germany, Britain and Australia, are blaming China for the spread of coronavirus, that has killed over 2,35,000 people globally, including 64,000 Americans, and has infected 3.3 million.

Noting that there are zero COVID-19 cases in Wuhan, Maria van Kerkhove, the technical lead for the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme at a virtual press briefing in Geneva, said, “that’s very very welcome news to hear that there are no more severe cases, no more patients in Wuhan.”

“So congratulations on this achievement,” state-run Xinhua news agency quoted her as saying on Saturday.

“The world has learned from China and we need to continue to learn from Wuhan on how they are lifting those measures, how they are bringing society back to normal, or a new normal, in terms of how we’re going to live with this virus going forward,” she said.

Health officials in Wuhan, where the coronavirus emerged in December last year, said all COVID-19 cases were cleared from hospitals on Sunday.

The Hubei province and its capital Wuhan have not reported coronavirus cases for 28 consecutive days since April 4, the local health commission said on Saturday.

The central province also lowered its emergency level from highest to next level on Saturday.

The lowering of the emergency level shows a major breakthrough in Hubei’s prevention and control against COVID-19, Vice-Governor of Hubei Yang Yunyan told the media on Friday.

The province, however, reported 647 asymptomatic cases, which are under medical observation. Hubei has so far reported 68,128 confirmed COVID-19 cases in total, including 50,333 in Wuhan.

Amid criticism of under reporting of cases, Wuhan on April 17 revised its death toll by 50%, taking the number of fatalities to 3,869.

The death toll in China stood at 4,633 as of Thursday, with 82,874 overall confirmed cases.

As one of the China-WHO joint experts, who visited China in February for a field study, van Kerkhove said, “China has worked very hard to bring the outbreak under control.”

“I was there for two weeks and working directly with ministry officials, and officials from all different sectors, from hospitals, through communities, to really see what was put in place to bring those numbers down,” she said.

Van Kerkhove said she appreciated the “tireless efforts” of the people in Wuhan “not just the healthcare workers but the individuals who stayed in their homes, who adhered to the public health measures.”

“We take our hats off to you, and we thank you for your commitment and your service, and for sharing with us in the world what you’ve been able to do,” she said.

She also asked people in Wuhan to “remain vigilant,” in case new cases appear.

“I tested positive for coronavirus and quarantined myself in my house. I urge the entire nation to take preventive measures,” he wrote on Twitter on Thursday after he received his test report from the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad.

IANS

Pakistan’s National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and went into self-isolation, he confirmed in a tweet.

“I tested positive for coronavirus and quarantined myself in my house. I urge the entire nation to take preventive measures,” he wrote on Twitter on Thursday after he received his test report from the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad.

Mr. Qaiser’s brother, Abdul Wahid confirmed to The Express Tribune that the NA speaker’s son and daughter were also tested positive for the contagious disease and have been quarantined.

Earlier, Mr. Qaiser’s brother-in-law and sister were diagnosed with the disease.

In violation of the government’s policy of social distancing, Mr. Qaiser had reportedly hosted Iftar-dinner at his residence on Monday.

He has joined the list of politicians who have contracted the deadly disease that has so far infected 16,353 people and claimed 361 lives across the country.

Just three days ago, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail had also tested positive.

On April 21, Prime Minister Imran Khan was tested after Edhi Foundation Chairman Faisal Edhi, who met him a few days ago, was diagnosed positive for the respiratory illness.

Fortunately, the premier was reported negative a day after the test.

Intel officials ‘are examining whether the origins of the pandemic trace to an accident at a Chinese lab’

AP

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the new coronavirus was “not manmade or genetically modified” but say they are still examining whether the origins of the pandemic trace to contact with infected animals or an accident at a Chinese lab.

The statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the clearinghouse for the web of U.S. spy agencies, comes as President Donald Trump and his allies have touted the as-yet-unproven theory that an infectious disease lab in Wuhan, the epicentre of the Chinese outbreak, was the source of the global pandemic that has killed more than 220,000 worldwide.

In recent days, the Trump administration has sharpened his rhetoric on China, accusing the geopolitical foe and vital trading partner of failing to act swiftly enough to stop the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 or sound the alarm to the world about the outbreak.

“The Intelligence Community also concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified,” said the statement. “The IC will continue to rigorously examine emerging information and intelligence to determine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.”

Mr. Trump addressed the theory earlier this month, saying, “More and more, we’re hearing the story.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added: “The mere fact that we don’t know the answers — that China hasn’t shared the answers — I think is very, very telling.”

Mr. Pompeo also pressed China to let outside experts into the lab “so that we can determine precisely where this virus began.”

Scientists say the virus arose naturally in bats. Even so, Mr. Pompeo and others have pointed fingers at an institute that is run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It has done groundbreaking research tracing the likely origins of the SARS virus, finding new bat viruses and discovering how they could jump to people.

“We know that there is the Wuhan Institute of Virology just a handful of miles away from where the wet market was,” Mr. Pompeo said two weeks ago. The institute has an address 13 kilometers, from the market.

U.S. officials say the American Embassy in Beijing flagged concerns about potential safety issues at the lab in Wuhan in 2018, but have yet to find any evidence the virus originated there nearly two years later.

Purely fabricated

The Chinese government said on Thursday that any claims that the coronavirus was released from a laboratory are “unfounded and purely fabricated out of nothing.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang cited the institute’s director, Yuan Zhiming, as saying the lab strictly implements bio-security procedures that would prevent the release of any pathogen.

“I would like to point out again that the origin of the virus is a complex scientific issue, and it should be studied by scientists and professionals,” Mr. Geng said.

He also criticised U.S. politicians who have suggested China should be held accountable for the global pandemic, saying they should spend their time on “better controlling the epidemic situation at home”. But a government spokesman, Zhao Lijian, demonstrated that China was not above sowing confusion . He tweeted in March the falsehood that the virus might have come from the U.S. Army.

Mikhail Mishustin will continue to take part in drafting policies to shore up the Russian economy

AP

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin says he has tested positive for the new coronavirus and has told President Vladimir Putin he will self-isolate.

First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov will temporarily perform Mr. Mishustin’s duties, but the prime minister said on Thursday that he would stay in touch on key issues.

Sources, however, claimed that the move was unlikely to immediately affect the private sector which also is a major employer of expat workers from South Asia

Agencies

In a dramatic development which is being closely studied here, the Gulf monarchy of Oman has asked all state-owned companies to fire expat workers and replace them with local Omanis. The order shows that the “Omanisation” campaign, which was launched during the rule of Sultan Qaboos who passed away on January 10, has intensified. Sources, however, claimed that the move was unlikely to immediately affect the Omani private sector which also is a major employer of expat workers from South Asia.

The order was part of a financial guidelines issued by the government to state-owned companies on Wednesday which laid down the path of indigenisation of the Omani economy. According to some estimates, around a third of Oman’s 4.6 million residents are expatriates who work in state-owned and private sectors. There are at least 8,00,000 Indian workers in the kingdom and a part of them are likely to be impacted by the order. Though the order is limited to the state-owned companies, it is understood that in the long run, the private sector will be under pressure to follow the state sector.

Austerity measures

Oman has been implementing new austerity measures in the public sector during the last few months. The Finance Ministry of Oman had asked all state sector companies to avoid new projects this year and asked them to limit operational and administrative expenses in 2020 to 10%. These moves were partly necessary as Oman is among the worst affected by the ongoing global oil-price war.

Significantly, Wednesday’s order comes weeks after Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the salaries and well-being of the Indian community in Oman would be protected as the country dealt with the economic downturn which had resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oman has been a strategic partner of India, and a large number of local workers are from South Asia. Diplomatic sources said that the order was not connected with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic-related economic downturn in the Gulf. “It has been a part of a long-drawn plan to create more job opportunities for the Omani youth who are educated and are looking for employment at home,” said a source familiar with Oman’s official policies. He pointed out that the critical component of the decision was that it showed Oman was determined to go ahead with the indigenisation move.

Oman has been part of India’s international consultations on the pandemic and Mr. Modi spoke with the Sultan on April 7 to discuss the challenges posed by the pandemic to both the countries. The ruler of Oman had thanked Mr. Modi for India’s support to Omani citizens who are affected by the ongoing lockdown. Oman has been a steady economy despite the war in Yemen which is a neighbour and tension among the GCC member-states.

JEDDAH: Imam-e-Kaaba Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais assured Muslims that worshipers will soon return to the Grand Mosque in Makkah in Saudi Arabia to perform prayers, reported the Saudi Gazette.

‘Days would come (soon) when worshipers return to the Two Holy Mosques,’ said the head of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.

In a video that went viral on social media accounts, Sheikh Al-Sudais, said ‘Days (will come) when the sorrow will be driven away from the Islamic Ummah and we return to the Two Holy Mosques for tawaf (circumambulation around the Holy Ka’ba), sa’i (the ritual of hastening between the hills of Safa and Marwa) and praying at Al-Rawdah Sharif and greet the Prophet (peace be upon him).’.

He added that, ‘Things will return, God willing, as they were, as the State is keen on creating a sound and healthy environment.’

Meanwhile, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, in a statement posted on its official Twitter account also reassured Muslims that worshipers will return to Makkah and Madinah under the ‘wise leadership’ of King Salman.

Saudi Arabia partially lifted the curfew in all regions of the kingdom starting Sunday through Wednesday May 13 but a round-the-clock lockdown will be maintained in Makkah and in previously isolated neighbourhoods, where the highest number of infections have been recorded in recent days despite the city being sealed off.

There is fear that the coronavirus could flare up again after the economy is re-opened, forcing reopened businesses to shut down again.

AP

The U.S. economy began 2020 riding the crest of a record-long expansion with every expectation that its 11th year of growth would not be its last.

Then the economy screeched to a sudden halt. And now it’s in free-fall.

On Wednesday, the government will offer a glimpse of how dark the picture has grown and how much worse it could get as the coronavirus pandemic inflicts ruinous damage. The Commerce Department is expected to estimate that the gross domestic product, the broadest gauge of the economy, shrank at an annual rate of 5% or more in the January-March quarter.

That would be the sharpest quarterly drop in GDP since the Great Recession, which ended in 2009. And it would be the first quarterly contraction in six years.

And yet forecasters say that will be only a precursor of a far grimmer GDP report to come for the current April-June quarter, when business shutdowns and layoffs have struck with devastating force. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that GDP will plunge in the current quarter by a 40% annual rate. That would be, by a breathtaking margin, the bleakest quarter since such records were first compiled in 1947.

In just a few weeks, businesses across the country have shut down and laid off tens of millions of workers. Factories and stores are shuttered. Home sales are falling. Households are slashing spending. Consumer confidence is sinking.

As the economy slides into what looks like a severe recession, some economists are holding out hope that a recovery will arrive quickly and robustly once the health crisis has been solved – what some call a V-shaped recovery. Increasingly, though, analysts say they think the economy will struggle to regain its momentum even after the viral outbreak has subsided.

Many Americans, they suggest, could remain too fearful to travel, shop at stores or visit restaurants or movie theaters anywhere near as much as they used to. In addition, local and state officials may continue to limit, for health reasons, how many people may congregate in such places at any one time, thereby making it difficult for many businesses to survive. It’s why some economists say the damage from the downturn could persist far longer than some may assume.

“The recession will be worse than the one we went through from 2007 to 2009,” said Sung Won Sohn, economics and business professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, referring to the downturn that came to be called the Great Recession because it was the worst slump since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

There is also fear that the coronavirus could flare up again after the economy is re-opened, forcing reopened businesses to shut down again.

“The virus has done a lot of damage to the economy, and there is just so much uncertainty now,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics.

Zandi said he thought the economy could resume its growth in the July-September quarter before faltering in the final quarter of 2020 and then regaining its footing on a sustained basis in mid-2021 – assuming that a coronavirus vaccine is ready for use by then.

“I would characterize this period as going through quicksand until we get a vaccine,” Zandi said.

The Trump administration takes a rosier view. President Donald Trump told reporters this week that he expects a “big rise” in GDP in the third quarter, followed by an “incredible fourth quarter, and you’re going to have an incredible next year.”

The president is predicating his re-election campaign on the argument that he built a powerful economy over the past three years and can do so again after the health crisis has been resolved.

According to the U.S. National Archives, 58,220 American soldiers died in the Vietnam conflict, which began in 1955 and ended in 1975.

PTI

The number of people infected by the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. crossed the one million-mark on Tuesday, while the fatalities spiked to over 58,300, exceeding the number of American soldiers who lost their lives in the two-decade-long Vietnam War.

According to the U.S. National Archives, 58,220 American soldiers died in the Vietnam conflict, which began in 1955 and ended in 1975.

The U.S. became the first country in the world to have more than one million cases of coronavirus. It accounts for nearly one-third of the 3.1 million cases globally.

With 58,355 deaths so far, the U.S. also accounts for one-fourth of the over 213,000 global fatalities.

“We continue to pray for the victims as well as for those Americans who are grieving their lost ones and their loved ones. There’s never been anything like this. We suffer with one heart but we will prevail. We are coming back, and we’re coming back strong,” U.S. President Donald Trump said at the White House during his remarks on the Paycheck Protection Programme.

“Now that our experts believe the worst days of the pandemic are behind us, Americans are looking forward to the safe and rapid reopening of our country, he said.

“Throughout this ordeal, millions of hard-working Americans have been asked to really make tremendous, tremendous sacrifices. It is sacrifices like nobody thought would even be possible; nobody thought we would ever be talking about something like this,” Mr. Trump said.

Meanwhile, several States have initiated the process to reopen their economies. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom outlined the phased reopening of his State.

“We are not going back to the way things were until we get to immunity or a vaccine. We will base reopening plans on facts and data, not on ideology. Not what we want. Not what we hope,” he told reporters.

More than 1,800 people have died due to the coronavirus in California so far. Schools and colleges, Mr. Newsom said, could start in July-August.

California and Washington were among the first two states to impose stay-at-home order. Now more than 95% of the country’s 330 million population are under stay-at-home order.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has also announced first phase reopening of the State. Tennessee on Monday allowed reopening of restaurants and later this week retail outlets could resume their businesses.

Pennsylvania has announced three-phase reopening of the state beginning May 3.

States like South Carolina, Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio, have announced phased reopening of their economies. The state of Utah on Tuesday announced relax restrictions and offered a mask to its residents.

In New York — the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. — non-essential businesses are ordered to stay closed till May 15. New York along with other states, including New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, have announced to coordinate reopening.

Responding to questions, Mr. Trump said the U.S. has done more testing that any other country in the world.

“We’re doing more testing than any other country in the world by far…So, we’re going to show more cases because we’re doing much, much more testing, double than anybody else, he said.

Mr Trump said he relied on experts, who apparently went wrong on this.

“We were listening to experts and we always will listen to experts. But, the experts got it wrong. A lot of people got it wrong. And, a lot of people had no idea it would be this serious,” he said.

“I listened to experts. I’ll tell you what. I did something that the experts thought I shouldn’t have done. I closed down our country and our borders. I did a ban on China from coming in, other than US citizens, and we did very strong checks on even our US citizens,” Mr. Trump asserted.

The United States, he said, is opening up again. “I think it’s going to be very, very successful. I think that third quarter, it’s obviously a transition quarter, but I think it’s going to be okay, maybe better than okay. Then I think fourth-quarter will be great and I think next year is going to be a tremendous year for this country,” Mr. Trump said.

On that note we are not in haste to open the two Holy Mosques because all measures taken are for our well being: Imam Kaaba

LATEST UPDATE: 29TH APRIL 2020 – 6TH RAMADHAN 1441 pic.twitter.com/nPm1tQan2D

— 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 (@HaramainInfo) April 29, 2020

Masjid Al Haram & Masjid An Nabawi
Taraweeh & Tahajjud Schedule 1441 / 2020 pic.twitter.com/p0wPgPlITT

— 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 (@HaramainInfo) April 22, 2020