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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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A Trump administration official said Sunday that illegal border crossings have dropped by half as the strictest U.S.-Mexico border policies yet went into place amid the coronavirus pandemic, but there was confusion about how it was all working.  
Anyone caught crossing the border illegally is to be immediately returned back to Mexico or Canada, according to the new restrictions based on an order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Friday. According to Mark Morgan, the acting head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the decision applies to all migrants.  
“We’re not going to take you into our custody,” he said Saturday evening on Fox News. “We don’t know anything about you. You have no documents, we’re not going to take you into our facilities and expose you to CBP personnel and the American people as well as immigrants,” he said.  
But Mexican officials have said they would only take people from Mexico and Central America and only those who are encountered straight away — not people already in custody. Officials later said the elderly and minors won’t be taken back and that they expected to take in about 100 per day. 
“If people who are not Mexican or Central American are returned to us, Mexico would not accept them,” Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Friday in Spanish. “The United States will take care of that.”  
The majority of people crossing the border are from Central America, but not all. For example, there were some 6,000 Brazilians and nearly 1,200 Chinese who arrived between January and February this year, according to Customs and Border Protection data.  
But it’s not entirely clear what happens to those people. Morgan said the migrants should be “expeditiously” returned to the country they came from.  
CDC on Friday issued an order in effect for 30 days that bars anyone coming illegally in part because migrants are held in close quarters and there isn’t enough proper staffing or space to keep them at a safe distance and to screen for the illness. Plus, migrants who are suspected of having COVID-19 are sent to local hospitals, possibly further infecting others, the CDC warned.  
The borders remain open, according to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, but only to facilitate trade; the U.S. has about $3 billion per day with Canada and Mexico. Tourists and shoppers were asked to stay home.  
Wolf said Sunday on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that the number of migrants crossing illegally had plummeted, but it was important to “keep supply chains open,” but to do it in a careful and considerate way that would “limit the introduction and spread of the virus.”  
Meanwhile, there was growing concern on the Mexican side of the border that the number of migrants stranded there would only increase, with shelters already at capacity.  
“We have 300 people in the shelter and we can no longer take it. We have been a week without the United States asking for people and if they don’t ask, we are going to be overcrowded,” said Héctor Joaquín Silva, director of the Senda de Reynosa shelter, which borders McAllen, Texas.
Silva said he hasn’t accepted more migrants and has kept the shelter in quarantine to avoid infections but that migrants continue to arrive in Reynosa.  
Meanwhile, in the U.S., immigrant advocates filed a lawsuit in Washington D.C. requesting the immediate release of migrant families from detention facilities over concerns of inadequate care and an environment ripe for an outbreak. They say the country’s three detention centers where families are held — Berks in Pennsylvania, and Karnes and Dilley in Texas — have failed to take adequate measures to protect families from COVID-19.  
Immigration enforcement has  wide latitude on when to release migrants. Earlier this year, Homeland Security officials said they would detain families as long as possible in an effort to discourage migrants from crossing the border. Most families are held 20 days.  
“The families who are detained in these detention centers facilities have no criminal history and do not pose any threat whatsoever to public safety and are not a flight risk — they all came to the United States to seek asylum and are actively pursuing the right to remain in the United States,” the advocacy groups wrote.
ICE has said it is working to contain any spread of the virus in its detention facilities. The agency did not comment on the lawsuit. Immigration courts are still operating, but with scattered closures and delays in some hearings.  
For most people, the new  coronavirus  causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. More than 300,000 have been infected worldwide.  
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
Curbing immigration has been a signature policy of Trump’s, and he’s tried to block asylum seekers before but failed after courts ruled against him. On Sunday, a text from his re-election campaign read: “Pres. Trump is making your safety his #1 priority. That’s why we’re closing BORDERS to illegals.”
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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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Air Canada is laying off more than 5,000 flight attendants as the country’s largest airline cuts routes amid plunging demand. The Montreal-based carrier is laying off about 3,600 employees, plus 1,549 flight attendants at its low-cost subsidiary Rouge, according to Wesley Lesosky, head of the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The layoffs will take effect by April and affect roughly 60% of flight attendants. Air Canada says it will suspend most of its international and U.S. flights by March 31. The carrier says employees will be returned to active duty status once flights resume.
The United Arab Emirates is suspending passenger transits through Dubai, the world’s busiest international airport, for two weeks to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Suspending transit through Dubai, which connects Europe with Asia and Australia, will affect travelers around the world.
Low-cost airline Eastar Jet has become the first South Korean carrier to shut down all flights as demand plunges. The company says it will temporarily suspend its domestic flights from Tuesday to April 25. Other budget South Korean carriers including Air Seoul, Air Busan and T’Way Air operate only domestic flights after suspending their international services.Heavy Industry: Airbus is canceling a planned dividend payment and lining up 15 billion euros ($16 billion) in new credit to give the European aircraft giant more cash to weather the crisis. Airbus The plane maker is withdrawing the proposed 2019 dividend payment of 1.8 euros ($1.9) per share will save the company 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion). Airbus is also making pension savings and says it has significant liquidity to cope with the crisis. It had shut several plants last week to adapt them to safer health conditions.
Royal Dutch Shell will reduce its operating costs by between $3 billion to $4 billion for the next 12 months to adapt to the virus outbreak crisis and plunging oil prices. The company is also reducing capital expenditure to a maximum of $20 billion, down from its previous expectation of $25 billion.Financial Markets: U.S. futures are down more than 3% after shares fell in Europe and Asia as shutdowns aimed at containing the coronavirus pandemic expanded around the globe.  
Stocks fell in Paris, Frankfurt and London after a brutal session in Asia on Monday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index was the outlier, gaining 2.0% after the International Olympic Committee and Japanese officials indicated they are considering postponing the Tokyo Games, due to begin in July.
U.S. futures slipped after work on more stimulus for the U.S. economy hit snags in the U.S. Senate. Top-level negotiations between Congress and the White House continued after the Senate voted against advancing the nearly $2 trillion economic rescue package.  Supermarkets: President Emmanuel Macron urged employees to keep working in French supermarkets and some other businesses deemed essential amid a spreading shutdown imposed to fight the coronavirus.
“We need to keep the country running,” Macron said.
Finance minister Bruno Le Maire said Friday the whole supply chain for the food industry must be guaranteed after France shut down this week all restaurants, cafes, cinemas and retail shops that are deemed nonessential. Many employees are working from home. Businesses that are allowed to remain open must enforce rules about social distancing, washing hands and disinfection.
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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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Five months after Hurricane Dorian devastated Marsh Harbour, Abaco, the sounds of children giggling and running echo through the once eerily silent island air.The children play on an unpaved driveway that runs alongside the New Haitian Mission Baptist Church. The church stands as one of the few remaining buildings after the monster Category 5 storm tore through the tiny Bahamian island. For the community, it’s a sanctuary and home to those who lost everything.A handful of families who settled at the church after Dorian washed away their homes take refuge between rows of beige tents.Keline, 9, separates herself from the others and flips through some vocabulary workbooks, sounding the words out as she reads.”Be — be — beee — “Keline and the other children haven’t attended school since September 1, when Hurricane Dorian wiped out all the schools in Marsh Harbour. The only schools still operating on the island are privately run.FILE – Two Haitian migrants sit as one stands amid the ruins of a home destroyed by Hurricane Dorian in Abaco, Bahamas, Sept. 28, 2019.Her family came here from Haiti for a better life, but the family’s poor and can’t afford private school. Keline’s dad, Lucner, is heartbroken that Keline cannot attend school. She’s a vivacious learner and reader. Some days, she begs him to go back. She wants to become a nurse and take care of her family. He knows how much potential she has, and that’s what hurts him the most.Lucner asked Fresh Take Florida to only use his first name out of fear of retribution. He worries his work visa will not be renewed and his family could be deported.Weeks after the storm, the Ministry of Education ordered residents to come to Nassau to enroll in schools there and in Freeport. Those families who could made the trip, but Lucner stayed in Marsh Harbour hoping that schools there would eventually open. His work is in Marsh Harbour. He didn’t want to uproot his family. They waited for months, but no schools reopened. Lucner eventually tried taking Keline to Nassau to enroll, but the ministry told him it was too late; she would have to wait until next year. Keline can be quiet sometimes, and in those moments, she thinks about her old life. When she thinks about the storm, she wants to cry. “I didn’t want to die. And I scared to die, because I don’t know where I going,” she said. But other times, missing school pulls her out of her shell to play teacher in the yard with the other kids. She drags a crate along the rocky dirt path and plops in front of the children. FILE – People walk next to a shattered and water-filled coffin that lies exposed to the elements in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, at the cemetery in Mclean’s Town, Grand Bahama, Bahamas, Sept. 13, 2019.She lectures with authority. “Here, color this,” she demands. “It’s time to sing your ABCs,” she says, “You need to practice.” “I don’t want to,” the other kids whine. They want to play. Keline knows most kids don’t think about their future, they’re focused on games. But she isn’t like the other kids — she thinks about it all the time. What will she become? How will she get there? Lucner and Keline can’t return to their home in “The Mudd,” a former shantytown on the northeast side of Marsh Harbour, home to the poorest of the poor, many of them undocumented Haitian immigrants. The land was obtained from squatter’s rights that allowed the Haitians to first move in the 1970s. It was one of the first areas targeted by the government for cleanup.The government scraped The Mudd clean of all remnants of life and fenced it off so no one could build on it.A Bahamas coroners team carries a body out of The Mudd neighborhood in the Marsh Harbor area of Abaco Island in the Bahamas in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, Sept. 9, 2019.Many Haitians immigrated to the Bahamas to escape the oppressive regime of President Jean-Claude Duvalier in Haiti and began pursuing agricultural jobs in the area. They moved mostly into shantytowns with poorly constructed homes and illegal electricity prone to fires. By 2018, Abaco’s shantytowns had grown to more than 900 residences, according to a government report.There was growing animosity and disdain toward Haitians living in The Mudd. Before the storm hit, the government of the Bahamas already had plans to relocate all shantytown residents, according to Lesley Johnson from the Bahamas Disaster Reconstruction Authority. Tensions were high. Many Haitians lived in fear of deportation.Some Abaco residents say the government used the storm as an excuse to clear The Mudd and move out the immigrants. In their eyes, clearing The Mudd was prioritized over rebuilding schools and infrastructure.Now, those who used to live in The Mudd have nowhere to live.Johnson said as long as the Haitians are coming in legally, they won’t face discrimination.Lucner has legal status from a work permit, but he still lives in fear. The renewal is never guaranteed, and they currently live in limbo — in a tent outside the church.Peering out from the shade of her tent, Keline thinks of the future. A life as a nurse, caring for her family and others. She wants to see what her family is like years later and how they’re doing, where they might be living.She dreams of college, but for now her school is in the dirt with her books, and she is the teacher.This story was produced by Mackenzie Behm of Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing twin challenges from former key allies as discontent grows over a sluggish economy and deteriorating human rights. Earlier this month, Ali Babacan launched the Deva Party, which means remedy. The party’s message is of greater rights, democracy and gender equality.  Ali Babacan once a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launches Deva Party, promising a new Turkey of greater freedoms and rights. (Courtesy of Deva Party)Babacan, once Turkey’s economic czar presiding over the country’s most prosperous years, was among Erdogan’s closest allies. Now Babacan is seeking to end Erdogan’s nearly two-decade-long iron grip on power. Gender equality is an important principle, with the party employing a 30% quota for women to hold positions in the party.  “The main purpose of this party is democracy, freedom and equality. So, this is what I believe, the freedom of speech, gender equality,” said Sanem Oktar, the founder of Kagider, which is Turkey’s Women’s Entrepreneurs Association, and one of Deva’s founders. Oktar says she was drawn into politics and Deva because of the critical moment Turkey is facing. Sanem Oktar is one of the founders of the Deva Party, she believes the party message of rights, democracy and gender equality will resonate within Turkish society. (Dorian Jones/VOA)”Every 20 years the society needs to change,” Oktar added. “I feel that Turkey was a little boy who wears a T-shirt. But the T-shirt does not fit the boy right now; we need a bigger T-shirt right now, for more freedom, more equality. That is what society is looking for right now.” Since the 2016 botched military takeover, tens of thousands of people remain imprisoned while hundreds of thousands of others have lost their jobs in a post-coup crackdown, which continues to this day. According to international rights groups, Turkey remains among the world’s worst jailer of journalists. Erdogan defends the crackdown, maintaining that Turkish democracy still faces threats from followers of U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed for the coup attempt. Gulen denies the accusations. Former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, challenges his former ally President Erdogan, launching Gelecek Party (Photo courtesy of Gelecek Party)Disillusionment over Erdogan’s rule saw his former prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, launch the Future Party, or Gelecek Partisi, in December. Davutoglu is seeking to court the religious base of Erdogan’s ruling AKP. The Future Party commercials on social media rely heavily on the corrupt-free image of Davutoglu, a potent image given the persistent rumors of massive graft haunting Erdogan’s years in power.  Erdogan’s increasing centralizing of power around himself and close family, analysts say, has weakened the once inclusive coalition of views that made the ruling AKP an unstoppable political force. Sociologist Mesut Yegen, says President Erdogan centralizing of power, offers an opportunity to new parities. Dorian Jones/VOA)”Those who are running AKP Party are not composed of, do not represent the diversity of the conservatives, even the religious people in Turkey,” said sociologist Mesut Yegen. “That means those who are about to build this new party will basically tell the Turkish people that, ‘OK, we need a kind of much more diverse and much more inclusive conservative-liberal party,’ ” added Yegen. One of the main factors widely cited as why Erdogan has remained in power for nearly two decades is that he has prevented the emergence of an alternative center-right political party.  A decade ago, another close Erdogan ally, Abdullatif Sener, left AKP and formed the Turkey Party, citing disillusionment over alleged widespread government corruption.  The party didn’t last long. Businesses of party donors received visits by tax officials, members lost their jobs, and the party collapsed. Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
Retiree Kasim questions whether former close allies of Erdogan can offer a new alternative for Turkey. (Dorian Jones/VOA)The same study saw an even more significant surge in support over the same period for freedom of speech, from 43% to 65%, which was the most significant increase in all the countries surveyed by Pew. “The Pew findings indicate even middle-class AKP voters wish for a kinder, gentler Turkey, which Erdogan refuses to deliver,” said analyst Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners. “Whether Erdogan becoming increasingly at odds with the constituency will shake Turkey’s fragile equilibrium is a question we shall see with Mr. Babacan,” added Yesilada. But given Babacan’s and Davutoglu’s critical roles in Erdogan’s government, convincing voters they can deliver a new vision is likely to be challenging. Istanbul’s Uskudar district once a stronghold of Erdogan support has declined, amid concerns over economy and declining rights, but voters appear skeptical whether parties led by Erdogan’s former allies offer a way forward. (Dorian Jones/VOA)Istanbul’s Uskudar district was once a stronghold of Erdogan, but recent local polls show a significant drop in support for the ruling AKP. However, there appears to be hesitation toward the new party leaders. “If you look at the founders of these two parties, they both come from the same party,” said Kasim, a retiree. “One was the former prime minister with his Syria politics, and because of him, we are still over our head with the Syria trouble,” he added. “The other was the minister in charge of the economy who had said, ‘We don’t need to produce anything as a country,’ and agreed with everything that went on.” “I don’t think they will have any chance,” said Omer, a student. “That’s what I think. Nobody should forget where the leaders of these new parties came from. They are all the same.” Overcoming skepticism and voter apathy are widely seen as key for these new challengers to Erdogan, although opinion polls do indicate strong support for the idea of new political parties. The next elections in Turkey are not due until 2023, but there are expectations of an early vote. 
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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Friday that June would likely be the most critical month for the coronavirus outbreak in the country, as he criticized state governors for taking extreme measures that were slowing the economy.Brazil’s two biggest cities, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and their surrounding states have moved to slow the outbreak by restricting gatherings at malls and beaches and in public transportation.The epidemic represents a serious political risk for the far-right populist Bolsonaro, who has taken criticism for his early handling of the outbreak. He initially labeled it a “fantasy.”Approval of Bolsonaro’s government fell to a record low this week, a poll released by brokerage XP Investimentos showed Friday. Just 30% of those surveyed rated his administration “good” or “great,” compared with 36% calling it “bad” or “awful.”Bolsonaro, who was already struggling to resuscitate a weak economy, made clear on Friday that he was concerned about the economic impact of the virus, with Brazil’s currency and stock market among the world’s biggest losers over the past two weeks.The president also looked to defuse a diplomatic spat with No. 1 trading partner China that began when his son, lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, blasted the Asian country for how it handled the initial outbreak of the virus.”There is no problem with China,” Bolsonaro told reporters outside his official residence. He said he might reach out to China to get equipment for fighting the outbreak. “If I have to call the Chinese president, I’ll call. No problem,” he said. 
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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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The president of Argentina says the South American nation is going into a mandatory quarantine for 11 days, in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.Speaking to the nation in a televised address Thursday, President Alberto Fernández said everyone must stay home, starting at midnight Friday, local time, until midnight March 31. Fernández said people making trips to buy groceries, and other necessities are exempt.The president said those who are unable to explain why they are on the street will face reprimands provided by the penal code.“It is time for us to understand that we are caring for the health of Argentines. We have now dictated this measure trying to make the effects on the economy as least harmful as possible,” Fernández said, explaining the new directive.Ahead of Friday’s lockdown, long lines of people converged on supermarkets and pharmacies to stock up on supplies.So far, Argentina has at least 128 confirmed infections, and three people have died with the virus. Argentina had previously closed its borders to non-residents, suspended flights and shut down schools, all in an effort to stop the spread of virus.
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The coronavirus pandemic has now arrived in Haiti.President Jovenel Moise on Thursday confirmed the country’s first two cases of the deadly disease in a national address that was simultaneously streamed live on Facebook.“I want to let the nation know that according to test results we received from the national laboratory this afternoon while we were holding an emergency ministers’ council meeting, we have confirmed the first two cases of coronavirus in the nation,” Moise said. “The government is appealing for calm,” he added.It is unclear who the confirmed cases are.  This week, a state university professor in Limonade, in northern Haiti, experienced flulike symptoms after returning from a trip to the United States. He self-quarantined and was tested for coronavirus after alerting the university administrator and local public health officials. Over the weekend, a foreign female who had returned to Haiti after a trip to her native country where coronavirus has spread and had experienced flulike symptoms tested negative for the virus.New emergency measuresA statement sent to VOA Creole lists emergency measures the government plans to enact to stem the spread of the virus in a nation struggling to regain its footing after months of anti-government protests.The emergency measures include an 8 p.m. curfew, school closures, factory closures, and a limit of 10 people for social gatherings.As of midnight Thursday, the country’s ports, airports and borders will be closed. Merchandise will still be able to cross the Haiti-Dominican Republic border after being screened on both sides.The government also announced plans to sanction anyone selling medicine, health products or food on the black market.Reaction across the nationVOA Creole reporters in the town of Mirebalais in the south and in the capital, Port au Prince, said people are panicked. Businesses quickly shuttered. In the Delmas neighborhood of the capital, people scrambled to fill up on gas and stock up on food items, and then ran home.“People look visibly scared,” the reporters said.Supermarkets in the affluent suburb of Petionville were crowded soon after the presidential announcement ended with people buying food and other essential items.Haiti Public Health Minister Marie Greta Roy Clément briefs reporters on the latest Coronavirus measures, March 12, 2020 in Port au Prince, Haiti. (Renan Toussaint / VOA Creole)Health workers concernedVOA Creole spoke to doctors and nurses at the country’s state-run hospital in Port-au-Prince earlier this month who feared their institution was not ready to handle coronavirus cases.“It’s sad to say this but the hospital receives a lot of patients daily and we are not — I repeat — we are not ready, as far as I know, to diagnose a person who has the coronavirus,” a doctor said, adding that the hospital doesn’t even have the test to determine if someone is infected. Public Health Minister Marie Greta Roy Clement told VOA the national laboratory would handle all coronavirus cases.Residents of Port-au-Prince and the suburb of Petionville VOA spoke to earlier this week also expressed fear of the pandemic and had little or false information about it and how to protect themselves.Clement said her ministry was rolling out a nationwide campaign to train health workers and inform the public on best practices to stay healthy.Yves Manuel, Florence Lisene in Port-au-Prince, Yvan Martin Jasmin in Cape Haitian, and Jean Collegue in Mirebalais contributed to this report.
 
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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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The United States and Canada are closing their borders to “to all nonessential traffic,” U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday. Trump tweeted that the decision was reached “by mutual consent.”  The announcement comes as countries around the world ramp up measures to shield their citizens from COVID-19, which was first reported in Wuhan, China. Earlier, Trump’s decision to stop European Union visitors from traveling to the United States was condemned by the EU on the grounds that it was done unilaterally and without prior consultation. Trump and Trudeau made clear the border closing would not affect bilateral trade or the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which was ratified in Canada last week. The treaty, an update of the North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA, had been ratified earlier in the U.S. and Mexico.  A truck crosses the Blue Water Bridge into Port Huron, Mich., from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, March 18, 2020.’We’re family’ Before the border closed, over 400,000 people traveled between the two countries “every single day,” Acting Ambassador of Canada to the United States Kirsten Hillman told VOA. Daily cross-border trade, she said, totaled $2.5 billion.  As she sees it, “We’re more than neighbors, more than allies for defense and security purposes. We’re partners, but we’re family – sometimes figuratively, often literally.”  Speaking about the trade agreement passed by the Canadian Parliament last week, Hillman described the trilateral trade agreement, known in Canada as CUSMA, as “critical to the long-term stability and predictability of Canada-U.S. relations.”  “It is a high-standard agreement that promotes shared prosperity for our workers, farmers and businesses,” Hillman stated, adding that “new provisions, such as the auto rules of origin, will encourage production and sourcing within the U.S. and North America in general.” The Canadian envoy also said that helping strengthen middle-class individuals and families in both countries, creating good, well-paying jobs, is a crucial component of the trade deal. Passage of the legislation in Canada, known as C-4, required that certain Canadian laws and regulations be amended to conform with the country’s obligations under the agreement.  Describing the lengthy process that the legislation took, Hillman tweeted that it was “a long road to get here but well, well worth the journey!” After a phone call with Trump on Wednesday, Trudeau issued a statement highlighting the continuity in bilateral ties following the border closing.  While “travelers will no longer be permitted to cross the border for recreation and tourism,” Trudeau’s statement said, it noted that the two sides agreed “that essential travel will continue and recognized that it is critical we preserve supply chains between both countries.” These supply chains “ensure that food,FILE – Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou leaves her home to appear for a hearing in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Sept. 30, 2019.’Complicated challenge’ Prior to the border being closed in response to the infectious disease outbreak and the trilateral trade deal, news that dominated Canada-U.S. relations appeared to center on cases involving Beijing. In December 2018, Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, at the time the chief financial officer for tech giant Huawei, at the request of the United States. Within weeks, China detained and later officially arrested two Canadians – one a former diplomat, and the other an international consultant, both on espionage charges.  China also arrested and handed out a death sentence to a third Canadian allegedly involved in drug smuggling while in China. These acts by Chinese authorities are widely seen as retaliation against Canada’s arrest of Meng. Meng is out on bail and lives under house arrest in a luxury mansion in Vancouver, awaiting further judicial deliberations on the extradition request from the United States.Speaking about Meng, Hillman said, “The process in our courts to proceed with the extradition hearing to determine whether or not Ms. Meng will be extradited pursuant to the U.S. request is under way. We expect it to continue on for several months, in accordance with our judicial process.” VOA learned that Michael Kovrig, one of two Canadians accused of engaging in espionage and in Chinese custody, was allowed to speak by phone last week with his seriously ill father for the first time since he was detained by Chinese authorities in 2018. Until then, he and the other two Canadian citizens, Michael Spavor and Robert Schellenberg, were denied any contact with their families. They are visited once a month by the Canadian ambassador to China, Hillman said.  “We’re concerned about their arbitrary detention. We’re seeking to have their situation under which they’re held improved. We’re constantly, at all levels, speaking to Chinese authorities about trying to improve the conditions under which they’re being held,” Hillman said. Asked if there’s anything the United States can do to help Canada on this issue, Hillman said “the U.S. government, from President Trump on down through all of his cabinet members and officials, as well as Capitol Hill, have been incredibly supportive.” But she acknowledged the challenge was “complicated,” saying Canada is “happy for the partnership that we have with the U.S. in trying to think of ways to solve this problem.” Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne addresses the media in London, Jan. 16, 2020.Following the coronavirus outbreak in China, several hundred Canadian citizens were flown back to their home country. Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has said publicly that he raised the cases of the detained Canadians during talks with his Chinese counterpart as evacuations were being arranged. According to Hillman, “there have been modest improvement” in the conditions under which the Canadian citizens are held in China, adding, “We would like to see much more.”  Gaining the release of Spavor and Kovrig, and obtaining leniency for Schellenberg, are Canada’s top priority, Hillman and other officials said.  All of them “are doing as best as can be expected under these circumstances,” Hillman said. “They’re resilient people who are trying to cope with the situation in which they find themselves. But it’s very difficult.” Since the coronavirus outbreak, Canada has sent over 16 tons of personal protective equipment to China on humanitarian grounds “to assist those on the front lines fighting against the coronavirus,” Hillman told VOA.  Those supplies include face masks, protective clothing, medical goggles, gloves, face shields and respiratory equipment. “We stand ready to help in any way we can,” she said, adding that Canada also has offered financial support to the World Health Organization. 
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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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Peru is banning the use of private vehicles, beginning Thursday, in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra said the latest restrictions were initiated after officials discovered new cases among young people who were infected while traveling at night to social gatherings.A new curfew, which began Wednesday at 8 p.m. local time, bans the use of private cars until 5 a.m.The president also announced that the sports center used during last year’s Pan American Games will serve as a treatment facility for those with the virus who are not in serious condition.The most seriously ill patients will be treated at a newly built hospital in eastern Lima.Vizcarra said people will have access to water even if they cannot pay.Peru’s Ministry of Heath said there are at least 145 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country.Vizcarra said more than 300 people are being tested for the virus each day.Worldwide, more than 200,000 people have been infected and more than 8,800 have died. Over 84,000 have recovered, most of them in China.
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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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