Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange say they will file papers Wednesday to have him released on bail because he is at risk of contracting coronavirus. Assange is being held at a London-area prison as he fights extradition to the United States, where he has been charged with espionage for obtaining classified government documents from former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning and publishing them on his website. The documents were secret diplomatic cables and military files related to the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.   Health experts say the prisoners are particularly vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 because of overcrowded conditions.   Assange has been imprisoned since he was evicted from the Ecuadorian embassy last April, where he had sought refuge to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he was wanted for questioning in a sexual assault case. 
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The long-awaited trial of a former U.S. Marine facing charges of espionage got under way in Moscow on Monday — with U.S. officials accusing Russia of providing no evidence in a spy case that has proved an added irritant to already troubled relations between the two countries.  Paul Whelan, 50, was arrested by FSB security agents in late December 2018 after allegedly accepting classified materials on a computer thumb drive in a central Moscow hotel.  Whelan has repeatedly denied those charges, insisting he was in Moscow for a friend’s wedding and had accepted the drive from a Russian acquaintance without ever knowing or viewing its contents. The former Marine, who in addition to U.S. citizenship holds passports from the U.K., Canada and Ireland, also says he’s been mistreated and denied medical treatment while in detention — an assertion that U.S. officials have backed repeatedly and did so again Monday. U.S. Ambassador to Russia John J. Sullivan joined his counterparts from the U.K. and Ireland at the courtroom Monday, where the presiding judge allowed them to speak with Whelan briefly before closing the hearing to the public — a standard practice in Russian-led “top secret” espionage cases. “It’s a sad day for me as an American and a U.S. ambassador, in these circumstances, to come and see a citizen of my country held in such circumstances, with serious health problems unaddressed, with no evidence that’s been produced to justify his incarceration for well over a year, and his inability to communicate with his family despite repeated requests by him and by me to the Russian government,” said Sullivan, in a statement afterward to the press. “I am hoping that, as this process moves forward, we see a fair and transparent judicial process,” Sullivan added. “Every person, every citizen, of every country in the world, deserves that.” In turn, Russia’s foreign ministry has accused Whelan of feigning illness — part of what the ministry says is Whelan’s playbook training as a U.S. intelligence officer after being caught “red-handed” by Russia’s security services. If convicted on existing charges, Whelan faces the possibility of 10-20 years in prison.U.S. ambassador to Russia John Sullivan speaks with journalists after his meeting with Paul Whelan, a U.S. national arrested and accused of espionage, outside a detention centre in Moscow, Russia January 30, 2020.COVID-19, witnesses, and ‘a goat rodeo’ The Whelan trial proved one of the rare court proceedings currently in session in Russia, after the country’s high court postponed most judicial work last week out of fear of the spread of the coronavirus. Whelan’s Russian lawyers, Olga Karla and Vladimir Zherebenkov, said that — barring unforeseen delays because of the contagion — the closed trial would last about a month in which they promised to mount a vigorous defense. Speaking to reporters, Zherebenkov said he planned to call at least a dozen witnesses, all of them Russians with whom Whelan had been in contact during multiple visits to the Russian Federation in recent years. Whelan’s legal team also indicated they planned to call embassy officials to the stand, a move they assured would prove Whelan’s innocence of the spy charges. “We’ll interrogate the embassies to prove that Whelan physically could not be an agent as a citizen of four different countries,” said Zherebenkov, in comments carried by the Interfax News Agency. “It’s simply not possible,” he added. Yet, throughout the run-up to Monday’s hearing, Zherebenkov has repeatedly acknowledged that politics may play a larger role than material evidence in resolving the case. Last December, the lawyer publicly floated the idea of including Whelan in a wider prisoner swap between Russia and the West. “Paul is a citizen of four countries. None of them has asked to organize his exchange yet,” noted Zherebenkov before pleading: “Take the initiative gentlemen!” Meanwhile, Whelan has called on U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene on his behalf, asking the American leader “to tweet your intentions” about a case that Whelan has colorfully labeled “the Moscow goat rodeo.” 
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Turkish security forces detained five elected Kurdish mayors Monday in anti-terror raids, a move that was condemned by human rights groups, as Turkey is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic. The mayors are members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which swiftly attacked the detentions. “We reject with hatred this vile attempt that does not shy away from showing enmity against Kurds, even in these difficult days when the whole world is battling an epidemic,” said Mithat Sancar, co-leader of the HDP.  Co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party Mithat Sancar waves as he attends the 4th Ordinary Peoples’ Democratic Party congress in Ankara on Feb. 23, 2020.Sancar told reporters Monday that security forces seized municipal offices in the city of Batman and in the towns of Egil, Silvan, Lice and Ergani. Local media broadcast images of public workers locked out of their workplaces.  The HDP said the municipalities were in the forefront of trying to contain the virus.  The detentions occurred across Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast, the center of a decades-long war by the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) against the Turkish state. The government accuses the HDP of providing logistic and tacit support to the PKK through its network of mayors, a charge the party denies. In an ongoing crackdown, over 30 elected HDP mayors have been removed from office under anti-terror legislation and replaced with government-appointed trustees.  But with Turkey facing a health emergency over the coronavirus, the latest detentions are drawing widespread criticism. “In the midst of this coronavirus pandemic, the interior minister is intent on hounding the HDP by removing the mayors of the Southeast and therefore depriving thousands of voters of their choice,” said Emma Sinclair-Webb, Turkey researcher for the New York-based Human Rights Watch.   “The grounds of imprisonment are very vague assertions, scant evidence,” Sinclair-Webb said. “Much of the evidence is based on secret witnesses. There is a pattern of complete misuse of the charge of terrorism against people. There is no proof.” Sezgin Tanrikulu of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) speaks to journalists in Istanbul, Oct. 9, 2018.”In fear of Allah, in this period, we need unity and to work,” said Sezgin Tanrikulu, deputy leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). Neither the ruling AKP or state officials have so far commented on the detentions. 
The latest crackdown on the HDP comes as the AKP indicated it was considering a mass release of prisoners. Turkey’s prison population has more than doubled since ongoing crackdowns on the country’s pro-Kurdish movement, and in the aftermath of the 2016 failed coup. Earlier this month, national and international human rights groups called for action to ease prison overcrowding, given fears over COVID-19. “We are extremely concerned about Turkish prisons, because they are very overcrowded. The prison population is almost 300,000, which is very high for a country the size of Turkey,” Sinclair-Webb said. “There are a lot of worries of access to medical help in prisons at the best of the times, let alone the worst of times.”  Silivri Prison complex is pictured in Silivri near Istanbul, June 24, 2019. Mehmet Mus, deputy parliamentary head of the AKP, confirmed his party was looking into legal steps to ease the prison population.  “The government has accelerated an important plan to provide early parole for some prisoners,” Sinclair-Webb said. “Now, that is welcome.”  She added, “But the government has so far said they will exempt prisoners charged under terrorism charges and crimes against the state. (In) reality, that includes many journalists, mayors, politicians and human rights defenders.” According to international media watchdogs, Turkey is one of the biggest jailers of journalists in the world. A local newspaper editor in the Kocaeli province was detained by police over the weekend for reporting on the coronavirus. He was released after questioning.  Police have also held several people for social media posts about the coronavirus. The government insists it is determined to prevent people from spreading panic. On Sunday, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that nine people had died from COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths to 30. The number of confirmed cases rose from 289 to 1,236.   Turkish authorities stepped up restrictions to contain the virus. In a presidential decree issued Sunday, some civil servant workers were allowed to work at home. Turkey’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu delivers a speech in Ankara, Oct. 3, 2019.Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu stepped up pressure on medical product manufacturers and accused some companies of hoarding.   “Some of the manufacturers stockpile the masks. We warned them again on Sunday night to sign contracts with the Ministry of Health,” he said.  Soylu announced Sunday that the first raids on manufacturers had begun and that authorities will seize mask-producing factories if they don’t agree to sell to the state. On Monday, banking hours were restricted. Istanbul’s world-renowned Grand Bazaar was temporarily closed. All entertainment venues, including restaurants and cinemas, are closed, along with schools and universities. Prayers are no longer held in mosques.   
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Turkish officials are threatening to seize factories where face masks are produced if the companies running them do not agree to sell their products to the government.Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told Turkish state-run media Monday the companies must stop hoarding their stock and sign contracts with the health ministry or they will be seized. He was quoted as saying the government would pay a fair price for the face masks.Soylu said the government Sunday carried out simultaneous raids on depots of some local producers that were stockpiling the protective masks.The actions come as Turkey’s death toll from the virus increased by nine to 30 on Sunday, with 1,256 confirmed cases after a surge in the last two weeks. Soylu says Turkey currently has quarantined about 10,750 people.The country has closed about 165,000 businesses, called for citizens to practice social distancing and issued a full curfew for people over 65 to fight the spread of the virus. 
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel has gone into quarantine after being informed that a doctor who administered a vaccine to her has tested positive for the new coronavirus.Merkel, 65, was informed about the doctor’s test shortly after holding a news conference Sunday announcing new measures to curb the spread of the virus, her spokesman Steffen Seibert said.He said that Merkel had received a precautionary vaccine Friday against pneumococcal infection.For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever or coughing. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. About 93,800 people have recovered, mostly in China.Seibert said in a statement that Merkel would undergo “regular tests” in the coming days and continue with her work from home for the time being.Merkel had earlier expressed her gratitude to Germans who were following the rules on social distancing, saying it was important to remain at least 1.5 meters (about five feet) apart to reduce the likelihood of infection.Merkel on Sunday thanked “the overwhelming majority” of Germans who were following rules on social distancing to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.“I know that it means sacrifice,” she said, citing the economic and social costs that the lockdown is having. “I’m moved by the fact that so many are abiding by these rules. This way we show care for older and sick people, because the virus is most dangerous to them. In short: we are saving lives with this.”Merkel said the lockdown had already affected her profoudly, too.“My life has also fundamentally changed and now consists largely of phone calls and video conferences,” she said.The development illustrated how even world leaders aren’t free from the risk of infection.“With a certain distance the risk of infections is reduced almost to zero,” Merkel told reporters. “Whether you are half a meter apart or 1.5 meters apart makes a huge difference.”Seconds later, she was informed that her doctor had tested positive for COVID-19.
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The troubles of opera superstar Placido Domingo continue to mount.The 79-year-old Domingo announced Sunday he has tested positive for the coronavirus.He said in a Facebook post it is his “moral duty” to reveal that he has the illness.The tenor says he and his family are in self-quarantine, adding that except for a fever and a cough, he feels fine.   “I beg everyone to be extremely careful, follow the basic guidelines by washing your hands frequently, keeping at least a 6 foot distance from others, doing everything you can to stop the virus from spreading and please above all stay home if you can!” he said, adding that he hopes everyone can return to their regular daily routines very soon.Domingo’s career as one of the world’s premier opera stars was derailed last year when a number of women accused him of sexual misconduct during his time as a director with the Washington National Opera and the Los Angeles Opera, a company he helped found.  Domingo initially denied the charges but apologized to his accusers after an investigation by the L.A. company concluded last month that their accusations were credible.  “I respect that these women finally felt comfortable enough to speak out, and I want them to know that I am truly sorry,” he said. 
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Britons have been urged to not visit their mother’s Sunday as the country celebrates Mother’s Day amid a worsening coronavirus outbreak. “If your mother is elderly or vulnerable, then I am afraid all the statistics show that she is much more likely to die from coronavirus,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an address to the nation Sunday. “This time, the best thing is to ring her, video call her, Skype her, but to avoid any unnecessary physical contact or proximity.” Cases of the novel coronavirus topped 5,000 in Britain over the weekend, with over 200 reported deaths. A Downing street source told the BBC that the prime minister was expected to Skype his own mother Sunday. London Mayor Sadiq Khan also appealed to Britons to stay home Sunday. “I love my mum. That’s why this mother’s day I’m picking up the phone and calling her — not visiting as I usually do,” Khan wrote on Twitter. I love my mum. That’s why this mother’s day I’m picking up the phone and calling her – not visiting as I usually do. Stay home and stay safe. https://t.co/9cOJQNNqYY#mothersday#coronavirus#covid19— Mayor of London (gov.uk/coronavirus) (@MayorofLondon) March 22, 2020Johnson warned in a speech Saturday that unless Britons immediately put forth a “heroic and collective national effort to slow the spread” of the virus, that Britain’s National Health Service will soon be overwhelmed. Many Britons took to social media Sunday to post about how they would wish their mothers a happy Mother’s Day without risking exposing them to the virus. It’s #MothersDay tomorrow in the UK but #MamaKhan is in self isolation Me: Ma, I won’t be visiting tomorrow as it’s too risky Mum: OkayMe: So I’ll phone to wish you a Happy Mother’s DayMum: And I presume you WILL leave my presents on the doorstep?Me:😳#CoronaCrisisuk— Dr Amir Khan GP (@DrAmirKhanGP) March 21, 2020  Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums in the world.As my mum is classed as high risk I’ll be getting her the best gift ever this year. Social distancing to give her the best chance of getting through this virus. 💪 pic.twitter.com/OdI9DEWKXi— Dave Z Photography (@DaveZ_uk) March 22, 2020 #SubtweetSocialDistancing I miss my mum, it’s Mother’s Day today here in the UK and I can’t go and see her or give her her flowers personally😢💐— Rushy🕊🌹 (@rushna24) March 22, 2020
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Europe is now the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak as the virus continues to spread. New cases in China, where the outbreak began, have started to decline. A view of an empty street, in Rome, March 21, 2020. Mayors of many towns in Italy are asking for ever more stringent measures on citizens’ movements to help contain the surging infections of the coronavirus.All nonessential businesses in hard-hit Italy have been ordered to close as the country battles the COVID-19 pandemic.  “It is the most difficult crisis in our postwar period,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said. Italy recorded nearly 800 deaths from the virus Saturday.  There are 53,578 confirmed cases of the virus in Italy, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.  Cuba has deployed a group of doctors and nurses to help Italy combat the virus.   The European Union Commission has reassured Italy that the country’s debt will not keep it from borrowing money to deal with the virus. In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera newspaper, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said, “What we all understand is that no member state can face this threat alone.  The virus has no borders and the European Union is stronger when we show full solidarity.” Beds are prepared for coronavirus patients at a military hospital set up at the IFEMA conference centre in Madrid, Spain, March 21, 2020.Spain, meanwhile, is bracing as it anticipates the impact from the virus.  “The worst is yet to come,” the government said Saturday.  Spanish officials have warned that the situation could soon overcome the country’s health care system. Spain began a 15-day state of emergency more than a week ago, allowing only essential outings.   Spain has 25,496 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins. Germany, another hard-hit country with more than 22,000 cases, is trying to increase the number of intensive care beds, which now total 28,000, by establishing temporary hospitals in hotels, rehabilitation clinics and other facilities. Britain has shut down dining establishments, bars and other leisure businesses in its efforts to bring a halt to the virus. Elsewhere in the world
In Africa, cases have emerged in Angola, Eritrea, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the country’s residents to self-isolate Sunday and millions complied, rendering India’s usually jam-packed thoroughfares nearly empty.    Modi asked for the 14-hour lockdown to give workers a chance to sanitize public spaces. Malaysia has called in the army to help police enforce a two-week travel ban.   Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Sunday there was “90% compliance, but 10% is not a small number.” Gaza reported its first two virus cases Saturday.  Officials say the two are in quarantine.  Situation in the US Millions of Americans are under orders from their state and local governments to stay home, venturing out only for essential needs, including trips to pharmacies, supermarkets, and gas stations, and for solo exercise. U.S. lawmakers are attempting to create legislation that could deliver direct payments to workers and businesses affected by the crisis.    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted an emergency authorization to Cepheid, a U.S. company, to use its rapid coronavirus tests. The tests, which produce results in 45 minutes, initially will be made available to hospital and emergency rooms, and then to “patient care settings” such as doctor’s offices. The company plans to begin selling the tests at the end of March. 
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Young German adults hold “corona parties” and cough toward older people. A Spanish man leashes a goat to go for a walk to skirt confinement orders. From France to Florida to Australia, kitesurfers, college students and others crowd beaches.Their defiance of lockdown mandates and scientific advice to fight the coronavirus pandemic has prompted crackdowns by authorities on people trying to escape cabin fever brought on by virus restrictions. In some cases, the virus rebels resist — threatening police as officials express outrage over public gatherings that could spread the virus.“Some consider they’re little heroes when they break the rules,” said French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner. “Well, no. You’re an imbecile, and especially a threat to yourself.”People ride their bikes along a bike bath near the pier, March 21, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif. California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statewide stay at home order for Californians in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.‘You’re not Superman’After days of noncompliance by people refusing to stay home and venture out only for essential tasks, France on Friday sent security forces into train stations to prevent people from traveling to their vacation homes, potentially carrying the virus to the countryside or beaches where medical facilities are less robust.The popular Paris walkway along the Seine River was closed and a nightly curfew was imposed in the French Mediterranean city of Nice by Mayor Christian Estrosi, who is infected with the virus.Florida’s governor closed all of the state’s beaches after images of rowdy spring break college crowds appeared on TV for days amid the rising global death toll, which surpassed 13,000 Sunday. Australia closed Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach after police were outraged at pictures of the crowds.New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday that people from 18-to-49 account for more than half of the state’s coronavirus cases, warning them “you’re not Superman, and you’re not Superwoman.”Many people were not complying with social distancing recommendations to stay away from each other in New York City’s vast city park network ahead of a ban on congregating in groups that goes into effect Sunday night, Cuomo said.“You can wind up hurting someone who you love, or hurting someone wholly inadvertently. Social distancing works, and you need social distancing everywhere,” Cuomo warned.China’s exampleAs new coronavirus cases in China dropped to zero several days in a row, the chief medical officer for the International Clinic of Wuhan was alarmed at those elsewhere refusing to follow rules to contain the virus. Dr. Philippe Klein said people should look to China’s confinement of tens of millions as an example to emulate “with courage, with patience, with solidarity.”“I exhort you, the French, to apply the rules in our way,” said Klein, who is French.Worldwide, over 307,000 people have been infected. For most, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. But it can cause more severe illness in others, especially older adults and people with existing health conditions. Some 92,000 people have recovered, mostly in China, where the virus first struck late last year.A woman wears a face mask to protect against coronavirus infection as she shops at an IKEA store in Beijing, March 21, 2020.Who are the virus rebels?The virus rebels tend to range from restless teens to wealthy adults who can travel to their getaway homes. Even in Italy, where the virus death toll soared beyond China’s last week, authorities are still trying to rein in people from going outside for fresh air, sun and visits with friends to escape walled-in lives.French farmers markets where people congregate to shop for food have posed a special challenge for police trying to keep people apart from each other at the recommended 2 meters (6 feet), along with neglected urban housing projects where distrust and disobedience of authorities runs deep.In Clichy-Sous-Bois, a Paris suburb where nationwide riots triggered by police harassment allegations erupted in 2005, a person bit a police officer trying to enforce confinement rules, said Linda Kebbab, a police union spokesperson. And a large crowd threatened to spit on officers who had planned to disperse them in the southeastern city of Lyon but left instead, she said.In the southern German state of Bavaria, Gov. Markus Soeder lamented that “there are still corona parties, there are young people who cough at older people and shout corona for fun and, above all, there are an incredible number of groups being formed.”A police officer wearing a face mask patrols the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, as Nice’s mayor said Friday he will be closing a part of it as part of measures to fight the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak spread in France, March 20, 2020.Spain enforces from aboveNational police in Spain, which has the second-highest number of coronavirus infections in Europe after Italy, are using helicopters to spot groups of people meeting up outdoors. Then agents are sent in to break up the gatherings.Spanish police have also taken to highlighting examples on social media of what people should not do in public during the country’s state of emergency. In the southeastern Murcia region, they posted video of police stopping a person waddling outside in a full-body dinosaur costume and tweeted that pets can be taken for brief walks by owners but that “having a Tyrannosaurus Rex complex is not” allowed.And in Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia, police posted a picture of a man walking a goat on a leash, apparently trying to take advantage of the pet walking exception.France now has 100,000 security personnel on the streets who are issuing fines amid a new national “Stay Home” mantra and warnings by officials that the country’s two-week lockdown could be extended if the country’s infection rate keeps rising. France on Sunday had nearly 15,000 infections.In Greece, Prime Minister Kyriakos tried to convince people to say home, warning citizens that future virus prevention measures depend “on our behavior.”But after Florida’s governor shut down the state’s famed beaches, some businesses were still trying to draw in tourists, including Clearwater Mega Bite Shark Boat, a 40-foot (12-meter) vessel with a bow shaped like a shark’s snout that cruises the Gulf of Mexico off Florida’s western coast.The boat can carry 50 passengers but the owner was limiting trips to 10 to comply with federal advice. Only four people signed up for a Saturday trip, said an employee named Chase who answered the phone but declined to give his last name.“Normally we’d be packed this weekend,” he said.
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A strong earthquake shook Croatia and its capital Sunday, causing widespread damage and panic. One death as been reported.The European seismological agency, EMSC, said the earthquake measured 5.3 and struck a wide area north of the capital, Zagreb, at 6:23 a.m. local time Sunday. The epicenter was 7 kilometers (4 miles) north of Zagreb at the depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).One person was reported killed in Zagreb. A 15-year-old was found in a collapsed building, according to the head of Zagreb Emergency Medicine Institute.Many buildings cracked in Zagreb and walls and rooftops were damaged. Downtown streets were littered with debris. Concrete slabs fell on cars and chimneys landed in front of entrances.A car is crushed by falling debris after an earthquake in Zagreb, Croatia, March 22, 2020.Inside homes, residents shared photos of belongings falling off shelves, broken bottles and glass. Officials said there were injuries, but gave no other immediate details. The earthquake struck amid a partial lockdown of the capital because of the spread of the coronavirus. People were told to avoid public areas, such as parks and public squares, but had no choice as they ran out of their apartments. Up to five people keeping a safe social distance are allowed to be together. Zagreb’s iconic cathedral was also damaged with the top of one of its two spires collapsing. The cathedral was rebuilt after it toppled in the 1880 earthquake.Power was cut as people ran out of their homes. Several fires were also reported. At least two other tremors were recorded later.
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Like many Parisians who could, I fled the capital on Day One of the coronavirus lockdown. Green space, even a garden, sounded a whole lot better than being stuck in a small apartment for weeks and maybe more.  As people packed train stations, desperate to join family in the countryside, I headed out by bike to the Paris suburb of Neuilly Plaisance. My boyfriend and cats awaited. So did a garden sprouting spring flowers.  I crossed a deserted capital. Gone were the tourists, the aggressive motorbikes, the insouciant teens on skateboards, the families toting tots and baguettes — the cocktail of daily life here.  Homeless people wandered empty sidewalks. A few joggers coasted down carless streets — although tougher government guidelines issued since are further limiting our movements to just a few blocks.  A man rides his bicycle along an empty street in Paris, on March 20, 2020 as a strict lockdown comes into effect to stop the spread of the COVID-19 in the country.I biked through the Bois de Vincennes where, in normal times, strollers and prostitutes peacefully coexist. Both were absent. Then I pedaled along the Marne River, teeming with birds clearly enjoying the absence of humans.  The government has issued strict coronavirus rules. No going out without an authorization that fits a few narrow criteria: to buy essentials like medication or food; to go to a doctor; to take a brief stroll or run. Violators risk a hefty, $140-plus fine.  As a journalist, I am lucky. I can go out for reporting, which is considered a “vital” activity. Even so, most days are spent at home.  Cruelly, the weather under lockdown has been spectacular. After weeks of rain, sunny day has followed sunny day.  And this being France, with a healthy history of flouting authority, people quickly learned to stretch the new restrictions. Police have already handed out thousands of fines.  Still, many French are following orders, sobered by President Emmanuel Macron’s warning of this invisible, deadly enemy. They wait in snaking lines in front of supermarkets and still-open boulangeries — the daily baguette considered as vital as water.  They stay home, trying to juggle tending to out-of-school kids with working remotely. They remain hooked to the news, with the ever-growing coronavirus cases and deaths reported.  We are lucky; we are together, still healthy, with no extra demands beyond a pair of hungry cats. We have a pile of books to read. My boyfriend, a sports doctor, has decided to use his shortened work days to learn electric guitar. Friends and family are setting up Skype and Zoom sessions to stay in touch.  French President Emmanuel Macron attends a meeting at the emergency crisis center of the Interior Ministry in Paris, March 20, 2020.“Relearn what is essential,” Macron urged the nation as he announced the lockdown March 16, advising French to use their time in confinement to tighten bonds and explore new subjects.  Maybe we will emerge a kinder, wiser nation — although this is also a nation of skeptics.  Still, at 8 p.m. precisely, French are increasingly throwing open their windows to applaud the country’s overstretched health workers.Now there are “balcony concerts.” Last night, we, too, cracked open a window. And down the silent suburban street came the sound of clapping.   Inhabitants applaud to pay tribute to medical staff as France faces an aggressive progression of the coronavirus in Paris, March 20, 2020. 
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Russia is very likely behind a disinformation campaign on coronavirus in the Western media, intended to fuel panic and discord among allies, experts tell VOA. The European Union has accused Moscow of pushing fake news online in English, Spanish, Italian, German and French, using “contradictory, confusing and malicious reports” to make it harder for the bloc leaders to communicate its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reuters news agency reported Wednesday that the European External Action Service issued a nine-page internal document March 16 saying that  “the overarching aim of Kremlin disinformation is to aggravate the public health crisis in Western countries … in line with the Kremlin’s broader strategy of attempting to subvert European societies.”  The document, seen by Reuters, says an EU database has recorded almost 80 cases of disinformation about coronavirus since January 22, some of them claiming that coronavirus was a U.S. biological weapon. FILE – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskova in Moscow, March 31, 2015.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov promptly denied the accusation citing a lack of specific examples.   “We’re talking again about some unfounded allegations, which in the current situation are probably the result of an anti-Russian obsession,” he said.   But Russia analysts tell VOA that the Russian government is using every means possible to use the coronavirus crisis to its advantage as part of its information warfare against the West.  Russia has reported less than 200 confirmed COVID-19 cases and no deaths, compared with about 80,000 cases and about 3,500 deaths in Europe. “The Russian media is using these numbers to praise the Russian government and personally President Vladimir Putin for allegedly preventing the coronavirus from spreading fast in Russia,” said political analyst and historian Peter Eltsov, author of the new book The Long Telegram 2.0: A Neo-Kennanite Approach to Russia. Eltsov said the Russian media also claim that even China is handling the crisis better than the European Union and the United States. “Some talk shows even spread conspiracy theories, claiming that the U.S. government has invented and is testing coronavirus as means of biological warfare.“ Eltsov says the goal of this propaganda is to sow chaos and dissension in the EU, NATO and the United States. “On many occasions, Putin emphasized that Russia needs a new security architecture in Europe. As European countries are cordoning themselves, he may see it as an opportunity to put his plans in action.” U.S. Congress has found indisputable evidence that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election, and many officials say there is no doubt that Moscow plans to do so again in this year’s election. FILE – French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Dec. 9, 2019.During a joint 2017 press conference in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron asked Putin publicly to stop the fake news against him generated by the Sputnik news agency and RT television network.   Klaus Larres, professor of international affairs at the University of North Carolina, noted that Russia has used every opportunity it has had to weaken Europe, notably during the 1973 oil crisis and 2008 global financial crisis. “It is hardly surprising that some Russian state actors are attempting to exploit the coronavirus crisis through conspiracy theories disseminated on the internet,” he told VOA.  Larres said EU members must not allow being drawn into competition over masks and ventilators as part of an effort to have the spirit of Europe crushed. Instead they must share information and join forces to end the coronavirus crisis, he said.   
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Two former close allies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have formed new political parties, a move that could threaten his hold on power.  The two parties are calling for a more democratic Turkey but, as Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, they are likely to face formidable challenges.
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The Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged reported no new homegrown cases Thursday, while the death toll in Italy was poised to overtake China’s in a stark illustration of how the crisis has pivoted toward Europe and the U.S.
The outbreak spread to at least one European head of state, 62-year-old Prince Albert II of the tiny principality of Monaco. The palace announced that he had tested positive for the virus but was continuing to work from his office and was being treated by doctors from Princess Grace Hospital, named after his American actress mother.
In the U.S., Congress rushed to pass a $1 trillion emergency package to shore up the sinking economy and help households pull through the crisis, with the first of two possible rounds of relief checks consisting of payments of $1,000 per adult and $500 for each child.
The worldwide death toll crept toward 10,000 as the total number of infections topped 220,000, including nearly 85,000 people who have recovered.  
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe pleaded with people to keep their distance from one another to avoid spreading the virus, even as the crisis pushed them to seek comfort.
“When you love someone, you should avoid taking them in your arms,” he said in Parliament. “It’s counterintuitive, and it’s painful. The psychological consequences, the way we are living, are very disturbing — but it’s what we must do.”Here’s a breakdown of the potentiality of contagion based on your greeting of choice.Italy, a country of 60 million, registered 2,978 deaths Wednesday after 475 more people died. Italy was likely to overtake China’s 3,249 dead — in a land of 1.4 billion — upon the release of Thursday’s figures.
The American death toll rose to 149, primarily elderly people.
Health authorities have cited a variety of reasons for Italy’s high toll, key among them its large population of elderly people, who are particularly susceptible to serious complications from the virus. Italy has the world’s second-oldest population, and the vast majority of its dead — 87% — were over 70.
Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit, a virologist at Germany’s Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, said Italy’s high death rate could be explained in part by the almost total breakdown of the health system in some areas.
“That’s what happens when the health system collapses,” he said.
On a visit to the northern city of Milan, the head of a Chinese Red Cross delegation helping advise Italy said he was shocked to see so many people walking around, using public transportation and eating out.  
Sun Shuopeng said Wuhan saw infections peak only after a month of a strictly enforced lockdown.
“Right now we need to stop all economic activity and we need to stop the mobility of people,” he said. “All people should be staying at home in quarantine.”
Aside from the elderly and the sick, most people have mild or moderate symptoms, like a fever or cough, and most recover in a matter of weeks.
Spain has been the hardest-hit European country after Italy, and in Madrid a four-star hotel began operating as a makeshift hospital for coronavirus patients.  
The director of the group that runs the Ayre GH Colon hotel tweeted: “365 rooms more to help win the war.” The Madrid Hotel Business Association said it has placed 40 hotels with room for 9,000 people at the service of the Madrid region, which has near half of Spain’s 17,000 or so cases.
In London, home to almost 9 million, the government urged people to stay off public transportation as authorities considered imposing tougher travel restrictions.  
The British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s reserved the first hour of shopping for vulnerable customers, one of many such efforts around the world.
Jim Gibson, 72, of London, said he found most of his groceries there in a “relatively trauma-free” experience. But he fretted that he hadn’t been able to get the medicine he needed for his wife and himself, and expressed concerns that Britain’s government had been too slow in ramping up testing.
“You can’t go on ignoring World Health Organization guidelines — if they’re wrong, who the hell is right?” he said. “Let’s have no shilly-shallying.”
Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief negotiator for its future relationship with Britain after Brexit, said he had been infected with the coronavirus.
“For all those affected already, and for all those currently in isolation, we will get through this together,” the 69-year-old Barnier tweeted.
Thursday marked the first time since Jan. 20 that the Chinese city of Wuhan showed no new locally transmitted cases, a rare glimmer of hope and perhaps a lesson in the strict measures needed to contain the virus.
Wuhan, which has been under a strict lockdown since January, once was the place where thousands lay sick or dying in hurriedly constructed hospitals. But Chinese authorities said all 34 new cases recorded over the previous day had come from abroad.
“Today, we have seen the dawn after so many days of hard effort,” said Jiao Yahui, a senior inspector at the National Health Commission.
European stock markets were up only slightly after losses in Asia despite a massive 750 billion-euro stimulus package announced overnight by the European Central Bank.  
Wall Street was calm in early trading by the standards of the past few days, when traders — weighing the increasing likelihood of a recession against the huge economic support pledged by global authorities — have caused wild swings.  
With wide swaths of the U.S. economy grinding to a halt, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits surged by 70,000 last week, more than economists expected.  
The U.S. Federal Reserve unveiled measures to support money-market funds and borrowing as investors worldwide rush to build up dollars and cash.  
Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler, along with Honda and Toyota, announced on Wednesday that they would close all of their factories in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The shutdown of Detroit’s Big Three alone will idle about 150,000 workers.
More borders closed, leaving tens of thousands of tourists wondering how they would get home. In the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand shut out tourists, while Fiji reported its first virus case, a worrying development in a region with poor healthcare.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei planned to pardon 10,000 more prisoners — including an unknown number of political detainees— to combat the virus. The country, where more than 1,100 people have already died, previously freed 85,000 prisoners on temporary leave.  
In Austria, the province of Tyrol put 279 municipalities under quarantine because of a large number of infections, barring people from leaving towns or villages except to go to work.
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The prime minister in the Netherlands has offered reassurances amid the global coronavirus outbreak: telling citizens on Thursday there is no shortage of toilet paper.
 
“Yes, I have enough,” Mark Rutte told a shopper in an informal exchange while visiting a supermarket to show support for workers. “They have it (on shelves) again.”
 
“But there’s enough in the whole country for the coming 10 years,” he said. “We can all poop for 10 years.”
 
Dutch supermarkets shelves have mostly refilled following a stockpiling episode last week. 
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The Olympic flame is set to arrive in Japan from Greece even as the opening of the Tokyo Games in four months is in doubt with more voices calling for the event to be postponed or canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The flame will touch down Friday aboard a white aircraft painted with the inscription “Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay” along its side, and “Hope Lights Our Way” stenciled near the tail section. Staff members of Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways and runway crew wave as they see off the ‘Tokyo 2020 Go’ aircraft, before it departs for Greece, at Haneda international airport in Tokyo, Japan, March 18, 2020.Everything about the arrival ceremony at the Matsushima air base in northern Japan will be subdued. The flame is to be greeted by a few dignitaries, saluted by a flyover from an aerial acrobatic team — if weather permits — and then used to ignite a cauldron. The burning vessel will be displayed in three northern prefectures before the official relay begins on March 26 from Fukushima prefecture, which was devastated nine years ago by an earthquake, tsunami and the meltdown of three nuclear reactors. Thousands of people from the region are still in temporary housing and life has not returned to normal for many. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hopes to use the Olympics  to crown his run as Japan’s longest serving premier, and many suggest he may not be around if the games are put off and the economy slumps. Taro Aso, the Japanese finance minister and former prime minister, characterized the Tokyo Games as the “cursed Olympics” when speaking on Wednesday in a parliamentary committee. Aso was born in 1940, the year Tokyo was to hold its first Olympics, which were called off because of World War II. FILE – Japan’s Finance Minister Taro Aso speaks during a news conference in the sidelines of the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Washington, Oct. 18, 2019.”This isn’t a phrase that the press could like to hear, but it’s true,” said Aso, who was a member of Japan’s shooting team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Aso pointed out that even as the situation in Japan and Asia improves, it’s worse globally. “We certainly hope to have a situation where everyone can at least come to Japan feeling safe and happy.” Aso said. “But the question is how we do that. It is something that Japan alone cannot achieve, and I don’t have an answer to this.” Getting the flame to Japan represents a small victory for the International Olympic Committee and local organizers, who maintain the Olympics will open as scheduled on July 24 and be followed by the Paralympics on Aug. 25. Even if they don’t, the burning flame could be used as a symbol — particularly if the games are eventually delayed — and a rallying point for the Japanese public. In a conference call on Wednesday, IOC president Thomas Bach got support for holding course, but is also getting push back from athletes who can’t train, are confused about the qualification process, and worry about their health. Critics are also complaining about the unfairness of qualifying, which might give some athletes advantages over others. An IOC member, four-time Olympic hockey gold medalist Hayley Wickenheiser, has broken publicly with Bach. “I think the IOC insisting this will move ahead, with such conviction, is insensitive and irresponsible given the state of humanity,” said Wickenheiser, who is training to be a physician. “Keep them safe. Call it off,” Matthew Pinsent, a four-time Olympic champion rower and former IOC member, wrote on Twitter. The four-month torch relay could be fraught with problems, particularly for sponsors Coca-Cola and Toyota, which have invested millions for the publicity.  The torch relay tradition dates from Adolph Hitler’s 1936 Berlin Olympics. Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou, center, lights the torch of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, held by Greek shooting Olympic champion Anna Korakaki, left, during the flame lighting ceremony at the closed Ancient Olympia site in southern Greece.The torch relay in Greece, following the symbolic lighting on March 12, was stopped during the second day and did not resume because of large crowds. The flame was handed over, by proxy, to Tokyo organizers in Athens on Thursday in a bare-bones version of the usual elaborate ceremony in the stadium where the first modern games were staged in 1896. The 80,000-seat marble stadium was empty apart from a handful of officials and participants. The Japanese delegation was absent because of travel restrictions and Tokyo organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori delivered a speech by video from Japan. But his message was upbeat. “Tokyo 2020 commits to be in readiness for the games as planned,” Mori said. “I hereby pledge that on 24 July this flame will be lit at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.” Tokyo organizers have stripped most of the festivities from the relay, and have asked roadside crowds to be “restrained” and keep their distance from others. If that does not happen, organizers say they could stop the relay, or delay it.   
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As lockdown becomes the new norm in Europe, people in France — the EU’s third largest economy — discuss their experiences during the coronavirus pandemic.Busy avenues like the Champs Elysées are not buzzing these days in the French capital. Since Monday at noon local time, French citizens have been ordered to remain home and self-quarantine to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Many are teleworking and taking care of their children, since the schools are closed, too. This is the case for Isabelle Garcia, a lawyer with two toddlers. “The current situation is quite difficult. My husband and I are both teleworking, but (our) son’s school is closed. So is my daughter’s day care. We are waking up early while they’re still asleep. And when the children are awake, I work for an hour when my husband looks after them, and we rotate. It is quite tiring and hard work, but we are making the best of it and trying to do everything we can to get through it, I think, like anybody else,” she said.The French government put the whole country in lockdown, but no curfew has been implemented. People must stay home as much as they can, but they can go outside to grocery shop, see a doctor, walk the dog, or if they cannot telework. Police can fine people up to $150 if they do not have a valid excuse to be outside. A man runs in front of the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, March 18, 2020.Philippe Offroy is a sales manager in Lyon, in east-central France. He had to leave Italy, where he was working in one of the main coronavirus clusters when troubles occurred. He is now stuck in his own country. He said that he has no dog or any animal to walk outside, so he has no valid excuse to go outside his house. Unlike Italy or Spain, the government does not ban all sports activities, as long as you are not in a group and stay close to your home. So, there is this option to breathe a little bit, said Offroy. Some, like Jonathan Peterschmitt, are seeing this lockdown as another quarantine. He tested positive with the coronavirus two weeks ago in Mulhouse Suburb, a town close to Germany. After two weeks of self-quarantine, he is undergoing another long waiting period at home. “I do not go outside now, because I am waiting to have zero symptoms to be sure I am not any threat to anybody. My wife and my kids are very well, but because we are experiencing another quarantine, we have to be extra careful not to meet anybody and stay away from other people.”French authorities may extend the current lockdown after the initial first two weeks.  
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Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated a nationwide vote on constitutional amendments that would open the door to extending his power might face delays because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, which has affected Russia little but ravaged other parts of the globe.“I really am counting on people to show up on April 22 and support the changes,” Putin said in a Wednesday speech that was meant to mark the sixth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula but touched on the vote set for next month.“Although, if there will be problems connected to this well-known coronavirus, then the law allows us to calmly … move it to a later period,” he said. “If the epidemiological situation allows, we’ll hold the national vote. If not, then we’ll postpone a bit.”At the heart of the issue: a controversial referendum over reforms that, among other measures, would allow the Russian leader to retain his post and compete in future presidential elections when his current term ends in 2024.Russian chess players forgo a handshake for an elbow bump as they take part in the Candidates Tournament, organized by the International Chess Federation, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, March 18, 2020.Yet the move — widely seen as an effort to legitimize Putin’s hold over Russian political life well into the next decade — has run into an unexpected foe in the form of a pandemic that demands social distancing and thinning of crowds to avoid mass contagion.Critics say the growing dissonance between government efforts to respond to the virus and the Kremlin’s rush to push through with the vote has revealed the constitutional reforms as nothing short of an orchestrated coup.“The left hand is closing everything, and the right is demanding 24 hours a day, is demanding we come to the booth and vote,” said Matvei Ganapolsky, a commentator on Echo of Moscow radio and vocal critic of the referendum.Few reported infectionsThus far, Russia has been spared the brunt of coronavirus infection — a move government officials have chalked up to smart policies but critics worry may reflect underreporting.A government task force on Wednesday reported 33 new infections in Russia over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 147, with no confirmed deaths.“It’s well-known to us that viruses know no government borders,” Putin said in addressing his cabinet Tuesday at the Kremlin. “Despite the potential high risks … the situation is, on the whole, under control.”Yet scientists continued to question how it was that Russia, the world’s largest country by land mass, had so few cases when it shares borders with coronavirus-ravaged neighbors in China and Europe.A view shows empty shelves in the meat department of a supermarket amid coronavirus concerns in Moscow, Russia, March 18, 2020.For weeks, rumors have circulated of Russian authorities reclassifying coronavirus cases as flu or pneumonia to prevent public panic.Yet Passengers check their smartphones as they wait in an empty hall inside Sheremetyevo international airport outside Moscow, March 18, 2020. Russian authorities are taking strong steps to try to prevent the spread of coronavirus.Moscow’s city government announced its vast transportation network of trains and buses would undergo daily disinfection. Meanwhile, increasing numbers of offices and government services encouraged employees to take time off or work from home.Russia’s Orthodox Church introduced measures aimed at containing the spread of infection, including instructing followers to refrain from the common practice of kissing icons. In a related move, the Moscow Patriarch issued an order for priests to discourage worshippers from kissing their hands.The U.S. Embassy in Moscow announced it was temporarily cutting back on visa and other services out of concern for its American and Russian staff.There were reports of consumer runs on meat, pantry items and other key supplies.Yet, on social media, users mostly swapped ideas — and jokes — on how to spend the coming weeks quarantined in Russia’s traditionally small, cramped apartments.“It’s not so bad to sit under quarantine, only there’s one thing I don’t get: why does one packet of buckwheat hold 2,082 kernels and another 2,947?” asked one user in a widely shared tweet joking about a staple grain of the Russian diet.Очень полезно сидеть на карантине, одно не понятно – почему в одной пачке гречки 2082 штучек гречки, а во второй 2947?— натурал – дезертир (@PapaPozdnyakov) March 17, 2020His point? He, like many others around the world, was now at home with plenty of time to kill.
 
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 After closing their external borders to help slow the spread of coronavirus, European countries are now scrambling to reduce the economic fallout of COVID-19, even as experts say more needs to be done.Rescue packages and fiscal stimulus measures — even the possibility in France of nationalizing some struggling companies—European governments are looking for ways to calm coronavirus-spooked businesses and citizens.Analysts said the European Union’s second-largest economy, France, is taking the most dramatic steps so far. Addressing the nation this week, French President Emmanuel Macron said no company would risk collapse. His government has announced a roughly $50-billion financial relief package, along with another 300 million in loans for small businesses.French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a television address, Monday, March 16, 2020 in Ciboure, southwestern France. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms.And while most of France is in lockdown, with people only allowed to go out for key necessities, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire urged companies and workers allowed to keep running to show up for work. He has also not ruled out nationalizing some strategic companies, if needed, to save them.Europe’s largest economy, Germany, promised a so-called “bazooka” of measures, including at least 550 billion dollars in loan guarantees for its companies. Spain has announced a 220 billion-dollar financial rescue package. Italy, Europe’s hardest-hit country so far, has announced a 27 billion-dollar rescue package for businesses an individuals—which analysts say is not enough.The EU’s internal market Commissioner Thierry Breton told BFM TV the coronavirus pandemic will push the EU into a recession this year, hitting the bloc’s economy by up to 2.5%. He said world governments must work together to find solutions.That was also the message from European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who noted coronavirus lockdowns and other health measures were battering the bloc’s economy.”Now we have to do our utmost to protect our people and to protect our economies.,” she said.The Commission is looking for ways to ease cross border trade, but the bloc has yet to agree on a joint economic plan.The European Central Bank, or ECB, did announce some new stimulus measures last week, but did not lower interest rates. Similarly, members of the eurozone currency union have yet to come up with the “very large policy response” that Eurogroup head Mario Centeno is promising.Analyst Gunther Wolff of the Brussels-based Bruegel think tank says now is the time for the ECB and eurogroup to be bold, and announce big fiscal and monetary measures. He says they are technically, physically and economically feasible, and they are needed. But, he adds, it is unclear whether they will be politically acceptable.
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Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize has moved to protect its customers over 65 years of age — the age group most at risk from the coronavirus epidemic — by reserving the first hour after its shops open only for elderly shoppers.The decision has applied since Tuesday in more than 700 of the company’s shops in Belgium as well as its Stop&Shop chain in the United States.”I came here to shop for some groceries to have enough at home so I don’t have to run around too much because I think it’s too dangerous,” Henri, a 71-year old wearing a mask over his nose and mouth, told Reuters as he was leaving the shop.Despite the especially reserved time there were still lines of elderly shoppers waiting to enter shops on Wednesday because of a restriction that only 150 people can be in a Delhaize supermarket at any given time, to limit the risk of infection.”We chose the first hour of operation of the shops, from 0800 to 0900, to give the elderly customers access to all produce in the store and because the premises have just been cleaned,” Delhaize spokeswoman Karima Ghozzi told Reuters.She said that although there were temporary shortages of certain products in Delhaize shops, they did not stem from the lack of merchandise, but from insufficient staff to unload trucks and replenish shelves quickly enough.”We have enough of everything. We are asking customers to shop for groceries normally, rather than buy dozens of items of the same product to stock up,” she said. 
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After months of bickering over new competitions, talks of closed  super leagues and complaints of greed by elite clubs, football’s leaders have buried their differences to tackle the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
 
On Tuesday, UEFA agreed to delay its flagship Euro 2020 competition for one year to allow domestic leagues to complete their seasons, once football resumes, and FIFA in turn recommended postponing its new Club World Cup from 2021.
 
“It was a relatively short call, probably the most united front of opinion I have seen in European football so far,” said Jonas Baer-Hoffmann, general secretary of the global players’ union FIFPRO, after a video conference with UEFA and representatives of clubs and leagues.
 
“It was a very cordial conversation — not at all tense or contentious.”
 
That could not be said of recent encounters involving football’s various stakeholders.
 
Only two weeks ago, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin told his organization’s annual congress that “no football administrator, no matter the size of the ego, should think we are the stars of the game. We are only the guardians of the game.”
 
He didn’t mention any names but FIFA president Gianni Infantino, whose efforts to create the Club World Cup have not gone down well with UEFA, was sitting in the front row.
 
Last year, UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA), proposed a reform of the Champions League which would have turned it into semi-closed competition from 2024 onwards.
 
The proposal was eventually dropped amid widespread opposition led by Europe’s domestic leagues.
 
In December, the Financial Times and New York Times reported that discussions led by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had taken place over the possibility of setting up a super league featuring the world’s richest clubs split into two divisions. Ceferin said the idea was “far-fetched” and “insane.”
 
Such reports of breakaways have become commonplace over the years as the financial gap grows between a handful of elite clubs and the rest.
 
Only two weeks ago, Andrea Agnelli, president of Serie A champions Juventus, questioned the right of smaller rivals Atalanta to take part in the Champions League because the club lacked “international history.”
 
FIFA’s ambitions for a 24-team Club World Cup have themselves been seen as an attempt to muscle in the lucrative club game and reduce financial dependency on the World Cup.
 
But the tone was very different on Tuesday.
 
“It is at times like these, that the football community needs to show responsibility, unity, solidarity and altruism,” said Ceferin, while Baer-Hoffmann recognized that UEFA had taken a “significant hit” with its decision to postpone Euro 2020.
 
“Finding appropriate and fair solutions at global level is imperative,” added Infantino, who also proposed a fund to help those in football affected by the pandemic. “We need to think of all those around the world potentially impacted by our decisions.”
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Wednesday brought new restrictions on movement in Malaysia, as well as the start of a European Union ban on entry to foreigners as governments seek to control the spread of the novel coronavirus. Malaysia has more than 500 confirmed cases and will be under a partial lockdown for two weeks. In Saudi Arabia, officials on Wednesday told private sector businesses to have all their employees telework if possible, and for those who have to physically be present to take steps to keep their distance from each other. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared a “human biosecurity emergency” Wednesday, clearing the way for the government to impose curfews and quarantines. Other countries have already taken those steps to halt public life. Italy, Spain and France are currently under severe bans on movement as they deal with some of the highest number of cases in the world. In Brazil, where there are more than 300 cases, the agency that overseas parks has announced closures in accordance with health official guidance for people to avoid crowds.  The ban includes the famous Christ The Redeemer statue that overlooks Rio de Janeiro. Brazil reported its first coronavirus death on Tuesday. A cleaner works on the disinfection of a subway train as a measure against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, March 17, 2020.The virus has reached 159 countries, with more than 185,000 confirmed cases and 7,500 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Kyrgyzstan was the latest to report its first case Wednesday.  It has already closed its borders to foreigners. China was the first to report a case of the COVID-19 virus and has been the hardest hit with more than 82,000 cases.  But the situation there has been steadily improving in recent weeks, and the city of Wuhan, the center of the outbreak, reported a single new case on Wednesday. The virus has been blamed for 100 deaths in the United States where officials are urging people to avoid being in groups larger than 10. About 7 million people in the San Francisco area have been told to shelter in place.  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he will decide by Thursday whether to institute a similar order for the country’s most populous city. Late Tuesday, the governors of two states – California and Kansas – announced that public schools may have to stay closed until the fall. 
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CureVac, the German biotech firm at the center of an argument over alleged U.S. attempts to gain access to an experimental coronavirus vaccine it is developing, denied Tuesday it had received U.S. offers for the company or its assets.European Union leaders said they would discuss Tuesday via videoconference how to prevent hostile U.S. takeovers of EU-based research firms at the forefront of developing drugs and vaccines against the coronavirus, officials said.Media reports that Washington had tried to gain access to the vaccine stirred a political backlash in Germany, with economy minister Peter Altmaier and interior minister Horst Seehofer voicing support for keeping CureVac German.The U.S. overture was first reported by Welt am Sonntag and confirmed to Reuters by German government sources. However, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, said on Twitter that the German newspaper report was wrong.No offerCureVac on Tuesday sought to play down any U.S. move.“There was and is no offer from the U.S. neither with regard to taking over the company nor to have manufacturing slots reserved exclusively,” CureVac’s acting Chief Executive Franz-Werner Haas told journalists in a conference call, adding that its scientists had also not been lured to relocate.The Tuebingen-based company, which is backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has said it hopes to have an experimental vaccine ready by June or July and to then seek the go-ahead from regulators for testing on humans.If successful in clinical trials, the group would be ready to produce up to 10 million doses in one production cycle that typically lasts several weeks. More than one dose may be required to immunize a person.Output could rise to a billion dosages in a single production cycle, said CureVac’s Chief Production Officer Florian von der Muelbe, at a new manufacturing site that the company is planning to build with financial support from the EU.Others racing to deliver a vaccine include Johnson & Johnson’s , Moderna Inc. and BioNTech.Co-founder rejects ideaCureVac did say here earlier this month that its CEO at the time, Daniel Menichella, met U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and pharmaceutical companies to discuss a vaccine.SAP co-founder Dietmar Hopp, who owns a more than 80% stake in CureVac, was quoted as saying Monday that he had also weighed in against a U.S. approach.Hopp, who is also the owner of German first-division soccer team Hoffenheim, was asked about U.S. interest in exclusive rights to the CureVac vaccine under development by German sports broadcaster Sport1.“He (Trump) spoke to the company and I was told about it immediately and was asked what I made of it and I knew immediately this was out of the question,” he was quoted as saying on Sport1’s website.Hopp and officials representing him were not immediately available to comment.He had said in a statement Sunday he was not selling and wanted CureVac to develop a vaccine to “help people not just regionally but in solidarity across the world.”
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A British court has found the younger brother of Manchester bomber Salman Abedi guilty of the murders of 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in May of 2017. The brother, Hashem Abedi, was in Libya during Salman Abedi’s suicide bombing, but was involved in planning the attack and manufacturing the explosive. Hashem Abedi was convicted of 22 counts of murder, one of attempted murder and one of conspiracy to cause an explosion at the Old Bailey Court in London Tuesday. During a six-week, trial prosecutors said Hashem Abedi “encouraged and helped his brother” Salman Abedi, knowing that he “planned to commit an atrocity.” The Abedi brothers grew up in Manchester with their parents, who had fled the regime of Libya’s longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi. They had returned several years ago after Gadhafi had been killed in the Arab Spring uprising. The brothers traveled to Libya in April 2017 and Hashem Abedi stayed there. Salman Abedi returned to Britain in May and on May 22 entered the concert venue and detonated a device he had created with his brother, killing himself and 22 other people. Hundreds of concert-goers were also injured.   Hashem Abedi did not appear in court Tuesday and had declined to give evidence. Prosecutors presented evidence that Hashem Abedi obtained chemicals, metal drums and other components for home-made explosives. Witnesses gave testimony suggesting that the Abedi brothers developed an extremist mind set. 
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