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Sean Hannity: Cuomo failed to prepare for coronavirus but keeps wrongly blaming Trump and others Despite the Trump administration taking bold and unprecedented action to deliver needed aid to the coronavirus-infected epicenter of New York, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo continues to deflect blame, lash out, and blame anyone and everyone but himself for his state's failure to properly prepare for a coming pandemic.
April 05, 2020 at 07:04AM
Saturday, April 4, 2020
Sean Hannity: Cuomo failed to prepare for coronavirus but keeps wrongly blaming Trump and others
Iraq Protesters Confront Security Forces as PM-designate Presents Agenda to Parliament
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Iraq Protesters Confront Security Forces as PM-designate Presents Agenda to Parliament
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Adnan Zurfi presented his agenda Saturday to Parliament as government security forces clashed with protesters defying a government-imposed curfew. More than a dozen Iraqi police reportedly were wounded when protesters in Nasiriya threw gasoline bombs at police, who were firing tear gas at them.
A long cortege of vehicles Saturday drove through the streets of the southern city, honking car horns to defy the curfew. Iraqi state TV had earlier showed security forces stopping vehicles and taking the temperatures of drivers to detect coronavirus cases.
Amateur video showed Iraqi security forces shooting at dozens of protesters, who appeared to play cat-and-mouse with them late Friday in the streets of Nasiriya. Protesters appeared to light fires and throw gasoline bombs in response to government fire and volleys of tear gas. Several dozen police and protesters reportedly were injured.
A young protester complained in an amateur video posted on social media that he had to wear a face mask to stop choking from the heavy rounds of tear gas being fired by security forces.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister-designate Adnan Zurfi presented his government's expected agenda Saturday to Parliament. It is not clear when Parliament will schedule a debate to approve the new government amid the chaos from the coronavirus crisis. Zurfi has until April 16 to form a new government and present it to parliament for approval.
Eight pro-Iranian Shi'ite political parties issued a statement Saturday in opposition to Zurfi, claiming he was the "candidate of the CIA." The same eight parties also threatened to attack U.S. forces in Iraq. U.S. coalition forces have handed over a number of bases to the Iraqi military in recent days.
Analysts on Arab media pointed out that Zurfi needed 156 votes in Parliament to win approval for his government. Despite opposition from large Shi'ite blocs, including the Fateh Alliance of Hadi al-Ameri and Dowlat al-Qanoun of former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, Zurfi appears to have scattered support from some Shi'ite members of parliament, and overwhelming support from Sunni and Kurdish parties.
Analyst Iyad al-Anbar told Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV that "the Shi'ite camp appears to be divided over Zurfi's nomination, despite the negative noises that they are making about him." He says Zurfi's nomination "may scrape through parliament if just 100 Shi'ite lawmakers support him, given the strong support for him by Sunni and Kurdish MPs."
Zurfi told Sky News Arabia that "Iraq is facing a catastrophe" due to falling global oil prices, "and that it may not be able to pay all government salaries due to the shortfall."
The government is also facing a major financial drain from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Most of the Iraqi budget comes from oil exports, and oil prices have been at historical lows.
April 05, 2020 at 02:35AM
All-Time Miami Hurricanes fantasy draft: Gaby Urrutia's team
All-Time Miami Hurricanes fantasy draft: Gaby Urrutia's team
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Steve Walsh led the Hurricanes to their second national championship in 1987 with a 20-14 win over Barry Switzer's 11-0 Oklahoma squad. In 1988, ...
April 05, 2020 at 12:22AM
European Youths' Team Championship
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European Youths' Team Championship
Derlinus: European Youths' Team Championship
==Results==
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Year!!Venue!!Location!!Winners!!Runners-up
|-
|2006||La Canada||Spain||||
|-
|2004||The Island GC||Ireland||||
|-
|2002||Gdansk G&CC||Poland||||
|-
|2000||Kilmarnock (Barassie) GC||Scotland||||
|-
|1998||Royal Waterloo GC||Belgium||||
|-
|1996||Madeira GC||Portugal||||
|-
|1994||Esbjerg GC||Denmark||||
|-
|1992||Helsinki||Finland||||
|-
|1990||I Roveri GC||Italy||||
|-
|1984||Hermitage||Ireland||||
|-
|1982||Racing Club de France||France||||
|-
|1981||Reykjavik||Iceland||||
|-
|1980||Dusseldorf||Germany||||
|-
|1979||Marianske Lazne||Czech Republic||||
|-
|1978||Pals GC||Spain||||
|-
|1977||Oslo||Norway||||
|-
|1976||Murhof||Austria||||
|-
|1975||Geneva||Switzerland||||
|-
|1974||Helsinki||Finland||||
|-
|1973||Silkeborg||Denmark||||
|-
|1972||Eindhoven||Netherlands||||
|-
|1971||St Cloud||France||||
|-
|1970||Grand-Ducal||Luxembourg||||
|-
|1969||Penina||Portugal||||
|-
|1968||Ryl Waterloo||Belgium||||
|-
|1967||Jonkoping||Sweden||||
|-
|1966||Kennemer||Netherlands||||
|-
|1965||Lido||Italy||||
|-
|1964||St Cloud||France||||
|-
|1963||Oslo||Norway||||
|-
|1962||Krefeld||Germany||||
|-
|1961||La Galea||Spain||||
|}
==Results summary==
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! Country !! Winner !! Runner-up
|-
| align=left|||7||9
|-
| align=left|||7||3
|-
| align=left|||4||1
|-
| align=left|||3||3
|-
| align=left|||3||1
|-
| align=left|||2||4
|-
| align=left|||2||3
|-
| align=left|||1||3
|-
| align=left|||1||3
|-
| align=left|||1||1
|-
| align=left|||1||–
|-
| align=left|||–||1
|-
!Total !!32!!32
|}
Source:<ref></ref>
==References==
==External links==
*[https://ift.tt/2UEW5fE European Golf Association: Full results]
[[Category:Amateur golf tournaments]]
[[Category:Team golf tournaments]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1961]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2006]]
April 05, 2020 at 01:21AM
Andy Puzder: As coronavirus increases unemployment, federal aid helps small businesses survive pandemic
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Andy Puzder: As coronavirus increases unemployment, federal aid helps small businesses survive pandemic Unfortunately, we know unemployment will go higher before it goes down again. Roughly 10 million workers have filed unemployment claims over just the past two weeks, as businesses all over the country curtailed operations to fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic,
April 04, 2020 at 06:00PM
Man's tiny picnic table for squirrels goes viral, prompts people in quarantine to build their own
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Man's tiny picnic table for squirrels goes viral, prompts people in quarantine to build their own Just because we're all at home isolating, doesn't mean nature is.
April 04, 2020 at 06:00PM
Students Give Online Learning Low Marks
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Students Give Online Learning Low Marks
The professor was trying to teach purine bases -- an element of a DNA molecule -- by drawing them on an online whiteboard.
The image students saw, instead, looked like the professor's toddler had seized the marker and whiteboard.
"How we are learning from online classes," deadpanned
ADVISORY: All online learning sessions will be suspended from April 3 to 14, 2020. Adjustments to the Academic Term and other guidelines on the conduct of classes will be announced through Blackboard Learn starting Monday, April 6, 2020. pic.twitter.com/8hz7qm76cK
— Malayan Colleges Laguna (MCL) (@MalayanLaguna) April 2, 2020
Haider, a student at Riphah International University in Faisalabad, Pakistan, on Twitter, adding the popular hashtag #We_Want_Semester_Break
How we learning from online classes.#We_Want_Semester_Breakpic.twitter.com/1aydkLxuXn
— Moazam Haider (@MoazamHaider1) April 2, 2020
It's pretty safe to say that some -- maybe many, maybe most -- students are not embracing the online learning that universities have substituted for the real thing during the COVID-19 pandemic that has shuttered classrooms.
Shahzaib Rizvi, an electrical engineering student at Indus University Karachi, posted a photo of a bridge being built over water, the two sides just meters apart from connecting.
But they're out of alignment.
"Engineers graduating from online classes," Rizvi wrote below a bridge meme that suggests calculations gone awry. #WeRejectOnlineClasses #We_Want_Semester_Break, he added.
Engineer's Graduating From Online Classes.😆 pic.twitter.com/NR9v9qb0hc
— Rizvi Tweets (@Shah_Rizvi97) April 3, 2020
"The transition to online classes is not going to be easy but the university's information technology department is very efficient and the quality of education will not be compromised but during this pandemic," said Hassan Muhammad Khan, chancellor of Riphah International University in Pakistan, in a video message sent to address students' complaints. "We have to adjust -- just like any other business."
Some students are calling for universities to end the online misery and suspend the semester until a better solution is found. Some, like Logan Stafford, say students are destined to fail in their studies because of online learning. Hence, the hashtag, #WeWantSemesterBreak and others like it.
"These online classes are not the answer to our education," lamented Stafford, a sophomore business management major at the University of Memphis in Tennessee in the United States.
"Pray for any college student that was already lost in a class. Now they're teaching themselves a material they already had no grasp on."
In mid-March, a survey of more than 2,500 students by the Supreme Student Council of the Malayan Colleges Laguna (@MCLkamalayan), Philippines, found that nearly 60 percent of online learners said they had an "unreliable internet connection" to sustain online classes.
Fifteen percent cited "a lack of usable devices," and more than 12 percent said they "had problems with the online learning platform."
Only 6.81 percent reported having "no problem."
Students there managed to persuade the administration, who announced that online learning would be suspended after "adjustments to the Academic Term and other guidelines on the conduct of classes …"
"I'm literally not going to learn one thing from these online classes. … Love worrying about my GPA during a global pandemic!" Stafford tweeted with the punctuating hashtag: #education.
StuDocu -- a Dutch company founded in 2013 by four students whose mission is "to empower everyone to excel in their studies by providing the best tools to students who want to study more efficiently" -- surveyed more than 2,000 university students in Italy, the Netherlands and the United States, all COVID-19 affected areas, to measure academic productivity.
Among American students, 32 percent said they felt distracted by "family members or pets, taking more breaks than usual, and general procrastination."
Half of the American students polled said they felt less productive, while 19 percent said they felt more productive than before COVID.
Dutch students said less time commuting to university (71 percent) made them more productive, adding that the experience was enhanced by eating home-cooked food.
U.S. students (53 percent) said they liked controlling the lighting and temperature in their environment and working on their own schedule (54 percent).
Which tools worked best for online learning among respondents? Moodle, Blackboard, Google Classroom, Brightspace, Canvas and Youtube, StuDocu said. In the U.S., students also used CourseHero, LinkedIn Learning and Coursera. Communication tools of preference between educators and peers included Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex and Google Hangouts.
Still, the Twitterverse protests.
Can quarantine be over so I don't have to do online classes anymore pic.twitter.com/hJ5r7oxD50
— anysa (@anysachan) April 2, 2020
"Can quarantine be over so I don't have to do online classes anymore?" tweeted Anysa, who kind of summed it up for everyone.
April 04, 2020 at 05:54PM
Can Eating Limes and Drinking Clorox Water Prevent You from Catching COVID-19?
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Can Eating Limes and Drinking Clorox Water Prevent You from Catching COVID-19?
As the coronavirus continues to spread in Haiti, some people are embracing traditional remedies as a way to prevent or cure the deadly virus. VOA talked to Haitians at an open-air market about what they believe can prevent them from being infected or perhaps even heal them.
"They say there's no cure for it, but we can eat limes and drink water with Clorox to stay alive," a female street merchant told VOA.
"I hear people say you should eat limes and eat certain leaves to stay healthy," a male street merchant said.
Haiti currently has 18 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with more than 400 people quarantined while they await test results, the public health ministry announced Friday.
VOA Creole asked Pierre Hugues Saint-Jean, president of the national Association of Pharmacists, if there's any validity to the traditional remedies being touted on the streets.
"There actually has been a debate about the virtues of certain plants. Some people say ginger, others say limes, some people are talking about aloe," Saint-Jean said. "Just because it's a plant doesn't mean it has no scientific validity. But you have to study the plant, isolate the active substances contained in the plant and then conduct (scientific) studies."
Saint-Jean said this kind of in-depth study can determine what preventive attributes the plant may hold that perhaps later could be used to treat illnesses.
Traditional cures are part of the Haitian culture and are widely used. Native tropical plants such as moringa, palma christi, verbena and aloe are routinely used to treat health ailments such as colds and flu. In fact, the health ministry has a special branch devoted to traditional medicine.
"If we talk about lime as a cure, I can tell you that limes have a lot of positive attributes. Limes have an abundance of vitamin C, which helps to reinforce the immune system," explained Cajuste Romel, vice president of the national pharmacists association.
Some people are taking drugs such as chloroquine, sold on the streets of Port-au-Prince, as a preventative measure. Chloroquine (phosphate) is an effective antimalarial drug, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Any pill I find being sold on the street (as a cure) I will buy it because I've got problems," a customer at an open-air market told VOA.
Saint-Jean said he understands why people believe the drug can cure them.
"Laboratory tests on chloroquine had some positive results on malaria, and recent tests have shown that it does have a level of success against the coronavirus, that's why researchers are studying," he said.
As of now, there is no cure for the highly contagious COVID-19, although researchers have begun searching for one. Health experts say a vaccine will not be available in 2020.
Romel told VOA that taking chloroquine preventatively is not a good idea.
"Chloroquine cannot prevent you from being infected with the coronavirus," he said. As for adding Clorox (bleach) to water, the pharmacist advised caution.
"Clorox is one of the best disinfectants that exist on Earth. It's not only efficient but also accessible," he told VOA. "But it worries me (to hear people are drinking it in water) because it's also toxic. That's why you have to be very careful about how much you are adding to the water you're drinking."
Romel said he hopes the government will include the proper proportion of Clorox to water in its coronavirus public advisories.
"Haitians think if they can smell the Clorox, then it's more effective," Romel noted. "The truth is the stronger the smell, the more toxic it is."
April 04, 2020 at 04:57PM
Mosara Garden
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Mosara Garden
Robert Prazeres: created page
== History ==
[[Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd al-Haqq|Abu Yusuf Ya'qub]], who founded [[Fes Jdid|Fes el-Jdid]] as a new [[Marinid Sultanate|Marinid]] royal city in 1276, had also wished to create a vast royal [[pleasure garden]], perhaps in emulation of those he might have admired in [[Granada]] (such as the [[Generalife]]); however, he died in 1286 before this could be accomplished.<ref name=":3">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref name=":2"></ref> His son and successor, [[Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr|Abu Ya'qub Yusuf]], carried out the work instead in 1287.<ref name=":2" /> He enlisted an [[Al-Andalus|Andalusian]] engineer, Ibn al-Hajj from [[Seville]], to help create a vast garden to the north of Fes el-Jdid, along with the water distribution infrastructure required to maintain it.<ref name=":0"></ref><ref name=":2" /> Among these works was a famous and enormous [[noria]] which raised water from the ''[[Oued Fes]]'' (Fes River) up to an aqueduct that then ran north from [[Bab Dekkakin]] to [[Bab Segma]]. The garden and its structures came to be popularly called ''el-Mosara'', meaning "the marvel", due to the strong impression they made on visitors.<ref name=":12">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> The huge noria was frequently the subject of commentary by chroniclers and travelers in subsequent centuries.<ref name=":12" /><ref name="Le Tourneau 1949"></ref>
The gardens fell into ruin and eventually disappeared in subsequent centuries, most likely during the neglect of Fes throughout the [[Saadi dynasty|Saadian]] period (16th-17th centuries), but traces of its structures have survived to modern times.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> The most prominent remains are the octagonal towers of Bab Segma, once the entrance gate to the gardens, but some faint remains of the water basins are also documented.<ref name=":12" /> The site of the garden is now mostly occupied by the large Bab Segma Cemetery (probably dating from the time of [[Al-Rashid of Morocco|Moulay Rashid]]), inside of which the outline of some of the original basins can still be discerned.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":3" /> The noria reportedly disappeared in 1888, leaving only remains of its stone base.<ref name="Le Tourneau 1949" /> Some modern authors still identify the waterwheel on the western edge of the [[Jnan Sbil Gardens]] with the remains of the great Marinid noria.<ref name=":4">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref name=":0" /> However, other authors have rebuked this by observing that the Grand Noria would have been far larger and was likely located where the [[Dar al-Makina]] currently stands.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":3" />
== Description ==
The gardens covered 67 hectares to the north of Fes el-Jdid and the royal palace; an area comparable in size to the city itself.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> They were surrounded by their own walls which seem to have been simply a continuation of the outer wall of Fes el-Jdid (which was protected by double walls along most of its perimeter, though the outer wall was generally smaller and less heavily fortified than the inner wall).<ref name=":12" /> A gate known as Bab Segma, with two massive octagonal towers, acted as an entrance to the gardens on their eastern side, not far from Bab Dekkakin and the northern entrance of the city.<ref name=":12" />
The creation and maintenance of the gardens required the diversion of water from the Oued Fes river which flowed along the north edge of Fes el-Jdid. The water was raised into an [[Aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]] via a huge [[noria]] ([[Water wheel|waterwheel]]) measuring 26 metres in diameter and 2 metres wide.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":12" /><ref name="Le Tourneau 1949" /> The noria, sometimes referred to as the "Grand Noria", was located next to [[Bab Dekkakin]].<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":0" /> Its enormous wheel was made of wood, probably covered in [[copper]], and held up on a stone base.<ref name=":0" /> From Bab Dekkakin, the aqueduct then carried the water to Bab Segma further north, and from there it was carried further into three large square basins spread across the gardens.<ref name=":12" /><ref name="Le Tourneau 1949" /> Also located inside the gardens was a ''[[Musalla|msalla]]'', an open-air prayer area, known as the Msalla of the Sultan or the Msalla of Bab Segma.<ref name="Le Tourneau 1949" />
== References ==
April 04, 2020 at 04:15PM
Foreign policy of Indira Gandhi
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Foreign policy of Indira Gandhi
25 Cents FC:
===Non-aligned Movement===
[[File:Indira Gandhi & Nicolae Ceauşescu.jpg|thumb|Gandhi with [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] in 1969]]
In the early 1980s under Gandhi, India attempted to reassert its prominent role in the [[Non-Aligned Movement]] by focusing on the relationship between disarmament and economic development. By appealing to the economic grievances of [[Developing country|developing countries]], Gandhi and her successors exercised a moderating influence on the Non-aligned movement, diverting it from some of the [[Cold War]] issues that marred the controversial 1979 Havana meeting where Cuban leader [[Fidel Castro]] attempted to steer the movement towards the Soviet Union.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)}}</ref> Although hosting the 1983 summit at Delhi boosted Indian prestige within the movement, its close relations with the [[Soviet Union]] and its pro-Soviet positions on [[Afghanistan]] and [[Cambodia]] limited its influence.Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2) Gandhi boosted the NAM summit in New Delhi in 1967 to strengthen the unity and co-operation among Afro-Asian countries.
===Indo-US===
When Indira came to power in 1966, Lyndon Johnson was the US president. At that time, India was reliant on US for food aid. Indira resented the US policy of food aid as a tool in forcing India to adopt policies favored by the US. She also resolutely refused to sign the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons|NPT]] (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons). Relations with US strained badly under President [[Richard Nixon]] and his favoring of Pakistan during the Bangladesh liberation war. Nixon despised Indira politically and personally.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)}}</ref> Indira met President [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1981 for the first time at the [[North–South Summit]] held to discuss global poverty. Indira had been described to him as an 'Ogre' but he found her charming and easy to work with and they formed a close working relationship during her premiership in the 1980s.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)}}</ref>
===Soviet Union===
The relationship between India and the [[Soviet Union]] deepened during Gandhi's rule. The main reason was the perceived bias of United States and [[China]], the rivals of USSR, towards [[Pakistan]]. The support of the Soviets with arms supplies and casting of veto at United Nations helped in winning and consolidating the victory over Pakistan in the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. Prior to the war Indira signed a treaty of friendship with the Soviets. The Soviets were not happy with the 1974 nuclear test conducted by India but did not support further action because of the ensuing Cold War with the United States. Indira was not happy with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan but once again calculations involving relations with Pakistan and China kept from criticizing the Soviet Union harshly. The Soviets became the main arms supplier during the Indira years by offering cheap credit and transactions in rupees rather than in dollars. The easy trade deals also applied to non-military goods. Under Indira by the early 1980s the Soviets became the largest trading partner of India.<ref name="British Academic Press">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
===South Asia===
In early 1971, disputed elections in [[Pakistan]] led the then [[East Pakistan]] to declare independence as [[Bangladesh]]. Repression and violence by the Pakistani army led 10 million refugees to cross border in to India over the coming months.<ref name="ahsgjxajtu0c244">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)}}</ref> Finally in December 1971, Gandhi directly intervened in the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|conflict]] to liberate [[Bangladesh]]. India emerged victorious in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|resulting conflict]] to become the dominant power of South Asia.<ref></ref> India had signed a [[Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation|treaty]] with the Soviet Union promising mutual assistance in the case of war,<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)}}</ref> while Pakistan received active support from the United States during the conflict.<ref name="NixonWitchBBC">[https://ift.tt/2JnlMxx Nixon's dislike of 'witch' Indira, BBC News, 29 June 2005]. BBC News (29 June 2005). Retrieved on 18 June 2011.</ref> U.S. President [[Richard Nixon]] disliked Gandhi personally, referring to her as a "witch" and "clever fox" in his private communication with Secretary of State [[Henry Kissinger]].<ref> South Asia Nixon's dislike of 'witch' Indira|website=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=19 July 2017|date=29 June 2005}}</ref> Nixon later wrote of the war: "[Gandhi] suckered [America]. Suckered us.....this woman suckered us.".<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> Relations with the U.S. became distant as Gandhi developed closer ties with the Soviet Union after the war. The latter grew to become India's largest trading partner and its biggest arms supplier for much of Gandhi's premiership.<ref></ref> India's new hegemonic position as articulated under the "Indira Doctrine" led to attempts to bring the [[Himalayan states]] under the Indian sphere of influence.<ref></ref> [[Nepal]] and [[Bhutan]] remained aligned with India, while in 1975, after years of building up support, Gandhi incorporated [[Sikkim]] into India, after [[1975 Sikkimese monarchy referendum|a referendum]] in which a majority of Sikkimese voted to join India.<ref>}}</ref> This was denounced as a "despicable act" by China.<ref></ref>
[[File:Jacqueline Kennedy and Indira Gandhi.jpg|thumb|Indira Gandhi with [[Jacqueline Kennedy]] in New Delhi, 1962]]
India [[Indo-Bangla Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace|maintained close ties]] with neighbouring [[Bangladesh]] (formerly [[East Pakistan]]) following the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|Liberation War]]. Prime Minister [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]] recognized Gandhi's contributions to the independence of Bangladesh. However, Mujibur Rahman's pro-India policies antagonised many in Bangladeshi politics and the military, who feared that Bangladesh had become a client state of India.<ref name="Nair"></ref><ref name="MK">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> The [[Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman|Assassination of Mujibur Rahman]] in 1975 led to the establishment of Islamist military regimes that sought to distance the country from India.<ref name="IB"></ref> Gandhi's relationship with the military regimes was strained, due to her alleged support of anti-Islamist leftist guerrilla forces in Bangladesh.<ref name="IB" /> Generally, however, there was a rapprochement between Gandhi and the Bangladeshi regimes, although issues such as border disputes and the [[Farakka Barrage|Farakka Dam]] remained an irritant in bilateral ties.<ref></ref> In 2011, the Government of Bangladesh conferred its highest state award posthumously on Gandhi for her "outstanding contribution" to the country's independence.<ref name="Gandhi1971">[https://ift.tt/3dTqq1D Former PM Indira Gandhi honoured with Bangladesh's highest award, The Economic Times, 25 July 2011]. The Economic Times (25 July 2011). Retrieved on 25 December 2012.</ref>
Gandhi's approach to dealing with Sri Lanka's [[Sri Lankan Civil War|ethnic problems]] was initially accommodating. She enjoyed cordial relations with Prime Minister [[Sirimavo Bandaranaike]]. In 1974, India ceded the tiny islet of [[Katchatheevu]] to Sri Lanka in order to save Bandaranaike's socialist government from a political disaster.<ref name="Suryanarayan"></ref> However, relations soured over Sri Lanka's turn away from socialism under [[J. R. Jayewardene]], whom Gandhi despised as a "western puppet." India under Gandhi was alleged to have supported [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|LTTE]] militants in the 1980s to put pressure on Jayewardene to abide by Indian interests.<ref name="sndayt"></ref> Nevertheless, Gandhi rejected demands to invade Sri Lanka in the aftermath of [[Black July|Black July 1983]], an anti-Tamil pogrom carried out by Sinhalese mobs.<ref name="Bandarage"></ref> Gandhi made a statement emphasizing that she stood for the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka, although she also stated that India cannot "remain a silent spectator to any injustice done to the Tamil community."<ref name="Bandarage"/><ref name="Dissanayaka"></ref>
India's relationship with Pakistan remained strained following the [[Simla Agreement|Shimla Accord]] in 1972. Gandhi's [[Smiling Buddha|authorization of the detonation of a nuclear device]] at Pokhran in 1974 was viewed by Pakistani leader [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] as an attempt to intimidate Pakistan into accepting India's hegemony in the subcontinent. However, in May 1976, Gandhi and Bhutto both agreed to reopen diplomatic establishments and normalize relations.<ref name="Grover"></ref> Following the rise to power of General [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq]] in Pakistan in 1978, India's relations with its neighbour reached a nadir. Gandhi accused General Zia of supporting [[Khalistan movement|Khalistani]] militants in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]].<ref name="Grover"/> Military hostilities recommenced in 1984 following Gandhi's authorization of [[Operation Meghdoot]].<ref name=Kapur></ref> India was victorious in the resulting [[Siachen conflict]] against Pakistan.<ref name=Kapur/>
In order to keep the Soviet Union and the United States out of South Asia, Mrs Gandhi was instrumental in establishing the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ([[South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation|SAARC]]) in 1983<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)}}</ref>
==See also==
[[List of state visits made by Indira Gandhi]]
==References==
April 04, 2020 at 04:12PM
China’s Coronavirus Foreign Aid Expands Influence, Shifts Blame
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China's Coronavirus Foreign Aid Expands Influence, Shifts Blame
As Spain and Italy began reeling from rapidly rising coronavirus infections and outbreaks grew in other countries last month, China stepped in with testing kits, protective gear and other medical aid critical for fighting the disease.
Several European countries, desperate for help, welcomed the aid, even though some of it turned out to be faulty.
China manufactures much of the world's medical protective gear. That equipment, as well as testing kits and the experience its doctors have had in fighting COVID-19, is desperately appreciated by countries facing their own medical crises, Robert Daly, a China analyst at the Wilson Center, said.
China's positive public diplomacy based on public goods, especially in the developing or less developed world, is probably going to accrue to China's soft power benefit, Daly said.
U.S. President Donald Trump, asked this week by VOA about the Chinese assistance, said he welcomed it.
"We have 151 countries right now that are under siege by the virus," he told reporters Wednesday. "And if China can help them, I'm all for it. I'm for all of us helping everybody."
But the outreach is also seen as a key part of Beijing's plan to avoid blame for a pandemic whose origins in China remain unexplained, and where many continue to doubt the official health and economic figures released by the government.
In recent weeks, Chinese officials have promoted a false narrative that the U.S. military brought the coronavirus to China.
Beijing's accusations, and China's lack of transparency about the outbreak, may be starting to carry a political cost with countries now struggling with a health and economic disaster.
Dan Runde, a China analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said the foreign aid cannot make up for Beijing's baseless accusations, the outbreak's murky origins and the government's continuing unwillingness to explain how bad it has gotten at home.
"China is an arsonist who's now trying to turn around and put out the fire that it started. And do we really want them to get the credit for that?" Runde said.
China said the outbreak began in a seafood market in Wuhan, probably when the virus jumped from an infected bat to a human. However, there has not been conclusive evidence that the virus came from the market. As the outbreak grew, China detained whistleblowers, censored media coverage and then publicly changed the criteria numerous times for who qualified as infected, hindering researchers who were trying to model how the outbreak could behave in their own countries.
Chinese censorship, US inaction
Even critics of the Chinese government's response to the outbreak say that it's difficult to blame Beijing for the lack of preparation by other countries as weeks went by while the virus made its way around the world.
"China did cover up in a characteristically paranoid way," analyst Daly said. "We know that it is spreading disinformation, propaganda, and locking up critics. All true.
"However, the critique of the Trump administration implies that had China been perfectly transparent, the United States would have been perfectly strategic in its response. And we know that not to be true."
The president maintains his administration took the threat seriously, but opposition Democrats have been particularly critical, pointing to how Trump downplayed the virus' threat for weeks and at times called it a "hoax" before reversing his position and recommending people stay at home.
Critics say that shows the U.S. administration's response also has been politically driven — publicly shaming China, calling the coronavirus the "Wuhan virus" in an attempt to shift blame away from Washington's initially slow response.
Even though the U.S. is providing millions of dollars in aid to fight the deadly coronavirus worldwide, the White House is signaling that some protective equipment should not be sent abroad in order to prioritize the fight at home that is now the biggest in the world.
The Trump administration's focus on the needs of the United States fits well within the policies that the president ran on when he won the 2016 election.
"For the most part, the coronavirus has only exacerbated and accelerated a trend that had been well in place before," Daly said.
April 04, 2020 at 11:07AM
CNN's Jim Acosta blasted for 'mansplaining' after interrupting Dr. Birx to attack Trump
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CNN's Jim Acosta blasted for 'mansplaining' after interrupting Dr. Birx to attack Trump CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta was widely blasted for interrupting Dr. Deborah Birx during Friday's coronavirus briefing to attack President Trump.
April 04, 2020 at 09:47AM
Trump Administration Changes National Stockpile Definition
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Trump Administration Changes National Stockpile Definition
The Trump administration abruptly changed its description of the Strategic National Stockpile, the federal government's repository of life-saving medicines and supplies, to conform with President Donald Trump's insistence that it is only a short-term backup for states, not a commitment to ensure supplies get quickly to those who need them most during an emergency.
The change, reflected on government websites Friday, came a day after Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and White House senior adviser who has taken a larger role in the coronavirus response, offered a new argument about the stockpile.
After saying that states should use their own stockpiles first, Kushner said, "And the notion of the federal stockpile was it's supposed to be our stockpile. It's not supposed to be states' stockpiles that they then use."
Until Friday, the federal Health and Human Services website had reflected a markedly different approach to the stockpile. The "Strategic National Stockpile is the nation's largest supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies for use in a public health emergency severe enough to cause local supplies to run out," the website used to say, according to an archived search.
"When state, local, tribal, and territorial responders request federal assistance to support their response efforts, the stockpile ensures that the right medicines and supplies get to those who need them most during an emergency," the website had said.
But, according to data, the description changed Friday morning: "The Strategic National Stockpile's role is to supplement state and local supplies during public health emergencies. Many states have products stockpiled, as well. The supplies, medicines, and devices for life-saving care contained in the stockpile can be used as a short-term stopgap buffer when the immediate supply of adequate amounts of these materials may not be immediately available."
Officials at the agency said the change had been in the works for weeks, downplaying any connection to Kushner's comments. Kushner made his claim during his first appearance at the daily White House coronavirus task force briefing, a moment meant to highlight his growing role in managing the federal response to the pandemic, particularly in delivering vital supplies.
Trump has long insisted that the onus for battling the crisis lies with the states and that Washington is meant to play more of a supporting role. He has resisted calls to issue a national stay-at-home order and said that he didn't want to overly use the Defense Production Act, which allows him to mobilize private companies for the effort, because he believed the states should take the lead in obtaining supplies.
April 04, 2020 at 10:36AM
As COVID-19 Surges in NY, Javits Center Starts Taking Infected Patients
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As COVID-19 Surges in NY, Javits Center Starts Taking Infected Patients
Doctors in New York City's temporary hospital at the Javits Center will now treat coronavirus patients as the number of cases continues to surge, with the military saying Friday that it was considering opening the hospital ship Comfort to coronavirus patients as well.
The Javits Center was originally configured to treat more than 2,500 noncoronavirus patients in order to free up space in the city's hospitals for the massive influx of COVID-19 patients.
But New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asked the president to allow virus patients to be treated at the new site after more coronavirus beds were needed. More than 50,000 coronavirus cases are in New York City alone.
Equipment change
Lieutenant General Todd Semonite, the commander of the Army Corps of Engineers responsible for reconfiguring the Javits Center, told reporters at the Pentagon on Friday that adjustments needed to handle coronavirus patients did not require any "significant mechanical changes," but rather a change in the available medical equipment within the temporary hospital.
He added that the corps first learned that it could adapt massive convention centers for coronavirus patients "about a week ago" when it undertook projects in Detroit and Chicago.
The Army Corps of Engineers has transformed eight facilities across the country into temporary hospitals with 9,693 available beds. Semonite said the vast majority, more than 7,600, were for potential coronavirus patients.
Semonite added that his team had received requests to assess 750 facilities for potential temporary hospitals. When asked about the nation's next critical focus point, Semonite pointed to Florida.
Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said Friday that the military had not yet ruled out opening up the USNS Comfort to treating coronavirus patients in New York, which could put the ship's personnel and other patients at high risk for infection because it is not designed with segregated spaces needed to treat infectious diseases.
Need for deep cleaning of ship
"If we open it up to COVID patients, the likelihood of infection of their doctors goes up. We're aware of that risk and taking that into account. The likelihood of having to empty the ship out at some point and do an extensive deep clean that could take days or longer goes up, and therefore that may reduce our ability to assist," Hoffman said.
The Comfort docked in New York Harbor on Monday and was initially tasked with taking in noncoronavirus patients to free up local beds and medical personnel needed in New York's coronavirus fight.
Meanwhile, the captain of the USS Roosevelt aircraft carrier was cheered and applauded by his sailors as he left the ship Friday.
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that he had "lost confidence" in Captain Brett Crozier and was replacing him with Rear Admiral-select Carlos Sardiello, the ship's former captain.
"We require commanders with judgment, maturity and leadership composure under pressure to understand the ramifications of their actions within that larger dynamic strategic context," Modly said.
Earlier this week the Roosevelt's captain wrote a letter of concern to his superiors, urging them to take "decisive action" to prevent deaths from the coronavirus. The letter was later leaked to the press.
"We are not at war and therefore cannot allow a single sailor to perish as a result of this pandemic unnecessarily," Crozier wrote in the letter, first obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Hoffman said the military was evacuating about 2,700 of the nearly 5,000 sailors aboard the Roosevelt in an effort to clean the ship after a large COVID-19 outbreak. About 40% of the sailors have been tested so far, with 137 testing positive, he said.
As of early Friday, 1,648 coronavirus cases around the globe were related to the U.S. military — 978 service members, 306 civilians, 256 dependents and 108 contractors — the Pentagon said. There have been six DOD-related COVID-19 deaths, including one service member.
April 04, 2020 at 09:05AM
Friday, April 3, 2020
Russian Aid Mission to Italy Sets Off Press Coverage Dispute
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Russian Aid Mission to Italy Sets Off Press Coverage Dispute
Russian criticism of an Italian newspaper was "inappropriate," Italy's foreign and defense ministries said on Friday, in a case that has cast a cloud over Moscow's efforts to help Rome cope with the coronavirus crisis.
Russia has sent doctors, nurses and medical equipment to disease-stricken Italy in a goodwill operation that Moscow has dubbed "From Russia With Love."
While the Italian government has warmly thanked Russia, La Stampa, one of the country's oldest newspapers, has questioned the help. In one article it quoted anonymous political sources as saying 80% of the equipment was of little or no use.
It also suggested the activity could lead to a security breach because of the large number of military involved.
The spokesman of Russia's Defense Ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov, took to Facebook on Thursday to denounce the article, accusing La Stampa of besmirching a "noble mission," whipping up anti-Russian sentiment and spreading fake news.
He added that the paper should learn a Roman proverb: "He that diggeth a pit, shall fall into it."
The comment was widely denounced on Twitter by Italian journalists as a veiled threat on the life of the reporter who wrote the stories and an attack on press freedom.
Wading into the row on Friday, Italy's foreign and defense ministries issued a joint statement thanking Russia for its aid effort, but taking Konashenkov to task for his Facebook post.
'Sorry and surprised'
"In being grateful for this concrete manifestation of support, one cannot, at the same time, not condemn [Konashenkov's] inappropriate tone," the statement said.
"Freedom of expression and the right of criticism are fundamental values of our country, as is the right of reply," it added. "At this time of global emergency, the role of the free press to check and analyze remains more essential than ever."
There was no immediate comment from the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow.
La Stampa itself said it was "sorry and surprised" that its coverage of the Russian mission had upset Moscow, adding it hoped ties between the two nations would not be hurt by Konashenkov's "blatant disrespect" for the right to report.
As of Friday evening, Italy had registered almost 120,000 cases of coronavirus over the past six weeks and 14,681 deaths — more fatalities than any other country in the world. Russia had recorded 34 deaths and 4,149 infections.
The statement by the Italian ministries said the Russians had sent 32 health workers to Bergamo, the hardest-hit city in the country, where thousands have died of coronavirus.
Russian planes have also flown in, among other things, 150 ventilators, 330,000 masks, 1,000 protective suits, an analysis laboratory and three sanitization units, it added.
"Our country, the object of such solidarity, can only be grateful," the statement said.
April 04, 2020 at 07:57AM
'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic says he's 'ashamed' of past behavior in prison interview
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'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic says he's 'ashamed' of past behavior in prison interview Joe Exotic, the now-infamous subject of Netflix's latest viral sensation "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness," has spoken out for the first time since the docuseries swept over the country.
April 04, 2020 at 06:17AM
Nebraska Cloisters move online, open 34-week 'retreat' for those who can’t make in-person, silent one
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Nebraska Cloisters move online, open 34-week 'retreat' for those who can't make in-person, silent one The Cloisters on the Platte Foundation, which operates a 930-acre Ignatian retreat facility in Gretna, Nebraska, will offer a 34-week retreat-like program online
April 04, 2020 at 03:48AM
Russia Detains Activists Trying to Help Hospital Amid Virus
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Russia Detains Activists Trying to Help Hospital Amid Virus
An activist doctor who had criticized Russia's response to the coronavirus outbreak was forcibly detained as she and some of her colleagues tried to deliver protective gear to a hospital in need.
Dr. Anastasia Vasilyeva of the Alliance of Doctors union was trying to take more than 500 masks, sanitizers, hazmat suits, gloves and protective glasses to a hospital in the Novgorod region about 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) northwest of Moscow on Thursday when she and the others were stopped by police on a highway.
They were accused by police of violating self-isolation regulations, currently in place in many regions, including Moscow and Novgorod. The group was taken to a police station and held for hours, and the activists had to ask hospital workers to come to the station to pick up the gear.
After a night in custody, Vasilyeva appeared in court on charges of defying police orders. Two long court hearings later, she was ordered to pay fines totaling the equivalent of $20.
"It was not about the money for them, It was about breaking me," Vasilyeva said afterward. "But I'm even more convinced that we're doing the right thing, and we will definitely keep on doing it."
Stay-home order
Two weeks ago, Russia reported only a few hundred coronavirus cases and insisted the outbreak was under control. As the virus spread and more infections were reported this week, however, residents of Moscow and other cities were ordered to stay home.
On Friday, officials reported 4,149 cases in the country, four times more than a week ago. The government sought to reassure the public that Russia has everything it needs to fight the outbreak and even sent planeloads of protective gear and medical equipment to Italy, the U.S. and other countries. Still, hospitals across the country complained about shortages of equipment and supplies, and earlier this week, the union began a fundraising campaign to buy protective gear for hospitals.
Vasilyeva, who has become the most vocal critic of the Kremlin's response to the virus, accused authorities of playing down the scale of the outbreak and pressuring medics to work without sufficient protection.
"We realized that we can't just sit and watch; otherwise it is going to be too late," she said in a tweet Monday announcing the campaign.
After being released from the police station, Vasilyeva was almost immediately detained again and charged with defying police orders. Video posted on Twitter by activists shows a dozen police officers gathering around Vasilyeva and two of them dragging her into the station.
Assault accusation
According to Ivan Konovalov, spokesman of the Alliance of Doctors, Vasilyeva was physically assaulted in the process and even fainted briefly. "We thought we may run into some difficulties, but no one could even imagine anything like that," said Konovalov, who accompanied Vasilyeva to the Novgorod region.
The incident elicited outrage from other activists.
"Why are they harassing this person, because she brought masks for the doctors? Bastards," tweeted opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who supports the Alliance of Doctors and works closely with Vasilyeva.
Natalia Zviagina, Russia director of Amnesty International, said in a statement that "it is staggering that the Russian authorities appear to fear criticism more than the deadly COVID-19 pandemic."
"By keeping her behind bars, they expose their true motive — they are willing to punish health professionals who dare contradict the official Russian narrative and expose flaws in the public health system," Zviagina said.
With the outbreak dominating the agenda in Russia, anyone who criticizes the country's struggling health system becomes a thorn in the Kremlin's side, said Abbas Gallyamov, a former Kremlin speechwriter-turned-political analyst.
"The pressure will continue, because right now the most important political issue is on the table: How will the voters see the authorities after the crisis —as effective and acting in people's interests, or ineffective, out of touch with the people, and in need of being replaced?" Gallyamov said.
Doctors' unions say a shortage of protective equipment is one of the most pressing problems amid the outbreak. Konovalov said the Alliance of Doctors has gotten about 30 requests for protective gear from hospitals and medical facilities across Russia, and 100 more generic complaints about a lack of protective equipment.
Ambulance workers complain
Andrei Konoval, chairman of the Action medical union, echoed that sentiment.
"It is a serious problem that the authorities have started to solve, but not as fast as we want them to," Konoval said, adding that his union is getting complaints from ambulance workers, who are often the first to come in contact with potentially infected patients.
Russian authorities sought to put a good face on the crisis. The Health Ministry said the outbreak has so far taken a "fortunate" course, while the Defense Ministry said it was sending another 11 planes with medical specialists and equipment to Serbia, a close ally of Moscow.
In Moscow, which has the largest number of cases reported in the country, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill was driven around the city in a van carrying an icon, praying for the epidemic to end. Media reports said the motorcade caused traffic jams as it traveled around the capital.
April 04, 2020 at 03:30AM
Danish Royal Trade Monopoly in the Faroe Islands
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Danish Royal Trade Monopoly in the Faroe Islands
Tcr25: Article created to clear up red links
==History==
Beginning in 1662, the Danish nobleman [[Christoffer Gabel]] and his heirs held exclusive rights over the Faroe Islands, including trading rights, but in 1709 the Danish Royal Exchequer assumed control of the trade monopoly on behalf of [[Frederick IV of Denmark|King Frederick IV]].<ref name="IcelandTimes2016">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref name="Nuttall2005"></ref> The new royal trade monopoly worked to address local concerns that had lingered under the Gabels and worked to eliminate smuggling. <ref name="Wylie2015"></ref>
The monopoly was strict, and reportedly one could receive "severe punishment if he rowed out to a visiting Dutch ship to trade off some woolen socks against a handful of flour."<ref></ref>
Beginning in 1771, as the king adjusted the administration of the Faroes, the scope of the royal trade monopoly also changed. In 1774 it was combined with the [[Finnmark]] and [[Iceland]] trade, and in 1781 trade with [[Greenland]] was added to the monopoly. By 1791, however, the royal trade monopoly for the Faroe Islands was again made a standalone entity.<ref name="Wylie2015" />
From 1723 to 1777, the monopoly ran a profit for the king, but the market for exported Faroese stockings could not offset the rising price of imported grain and by 1789 Copenhagen was looking to abolish the royal trading monopoly.<ref name="Wylie2015" /> Faroese farmers successfully petitioned for the retention of the monopoly through 1796. However, broader European politics forestalled the abolishment of the monopoly.<ref name="Wylie2015" />
Initially, the monopoly operated a single store in [[Tórshavn]], but during the 1830s, it added additional stores in the villages of [[Vestmanna]], [[Tvøroyri]] and [[Klaksvík]].<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
Following signing of the [[Treaty of Kiel]], Denmark retained control of the Faroes and the royal trade monopoly continued to subsidize the Faroese economy, which remained heavily dependent upon wool exports. However by the time the [[Løgting]] was reestablished in 1851, rising Faroese national identity and a shift to fishing as the islands' prime commodity lead to the dissolution of the royal trade monopoly in 1856.<ref name="IcelandTimes2016" />
==References==
[[Category:History of the Faroe Islands]]
[[Category:1709 establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:1853 disestablishments in Europe]]
April 04, 2020 at 01:44AM
COVID-19 Cases Continue Chilling Climb Globally
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COVID-19 Cases Continue Chilling Climb Globally
The coronavirus continues its chilling spread around the world, infecting more than a million people.
The United States has more than 245,000 infected individuals, more than any other country.
The White House is expected to recommend Friday that people wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after initially saying masks were not necessary to halt the spread of the disease.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has already recommended New Yorkers wear a scarf, bandana, or some homemade covering over their mouths and noses – but not a surgical mask. He says those should be reserved for medical professionals.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is also asking people to cover their mouths in public.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert who advises President Donald Trump, told CNN Thursday night he did not understand why some U.S. states have not issued stay-at-home orders as the country battles the coronavirus.
"If you look at what's going on in this country, I just don't understand why we're not doing that," Fauci said.
Trump has been reluctant to issue a nationwide shelter-in-place order, leaving the decision instead to the individual states, even in the face of the growing number of deaths due to the virus.
About 30 states and the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) have ordered residents to stay home, traveling only for essential needs.
The U.S. State Department says on its website that "due to public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19," that it is only issuing passports to people with "a qualified life-or-death emergency." Those emergencies include serious illnesses, injuries, or death in the immediate family that require a person to travel outside the U.S. within 72 hours.
The U.S. health care system has been overwhelmed with patients as the supply of personal protection equipment for medical workers dwindles. Nurses and doctors are increasingly talking to news media about conditions in the hospitals.
One nurse told ABC News that she and her colleagues feel like "sheep going to slaughter" when they go to work.
Another told CNN that her hospital refused to test her for the virus. She said she was later tested by a friend at the hospital and she tested positive. The nurse said she had treated patients while trying to be tested.
A report on National Public Radio said it may take as long as 20 weeks for Americans who do not have direct deposit information on file with the Internal Revenue Service to receive their cash stimulus payments from the federal government's $2 trillion COVID-19 relief legislation.
COVID infections and its aftermath have caused more than 10 million people in the U.S. to file for unemployment compensation in two weeks.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) issued a warning Friday about the impact of COVID on the world's most vulnerable people. It said in a statement: "Victims of trafficking face exceptional danger as entrenched systems of exploitation are thrown into disarray and traffickers seek to maintain their revenue through greater violence or new forms of exploitation." The statement said the victims include not only women and girls, but also out-of-school children spending additional time online and people who have been forced into labor. The OSCE added, "In the case of trafficking for organ removal, one of the darkest and least addressed forms of trafficking, the impacts of COVID–19 are starting to raise alarm."
U.N. Special Rapporteurs on migrants, Felipe González Morales, and on trafficking in persons, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro issued a statement Friday about the regularization of migrants "whenever necessary, in view of facilitating their access to health services during the fight against the pandemic."
"No one should be left behind in this global fight against the pandemic. Governments must adopt measures ensuring every individual in the national territory, regardless of their migration status, is included and has access to health services in order to achieve successful containment of the COVID-19 pandemic," the U.N. experts said.
The World Bank has approved nearly $2 billion in funds for 25 of the world's poorest countries to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia will get most of the first payments. The money is specifically earmarked for critical medical supplies, including masks and ventilators.
World Bank President David Malpass says the institution could provide as much as $160 billion in such help over the next year.
India's lockdown of more than 1 billion people has left hundreds of millions homeless and without food, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to beg for their forgiveness.
In Brussels, NATO foreign ministers have tasked the alliance's top military officer, U.S. Air Force General Tod Wolters, "to coordinate the necessary military support to combat the crisis, to speed up and step up assistance."
Wolters will procure cargo planes and other aircraft to deliver medical supplies as well as surplus stocks across the 30-member bloc.
Portugal announced a ban on all commercial flights arriving at its airports and its citizens won't be allowed to visit other towns except for work.
The new restrictions take effect April 9 and are set to last five days.
"The virus doesn't travel by itself," Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Thursday. "This Easter period is a particularly critical time and that's why it is essential to restrict movement in the national territory."
The government is also pardoning inmates sentenced to two years or less to prevent a spread of the virus in jails.
Portugal has a little more than 9,000 confirmed cases.
Also Thursday, three anonymous Iraqi doctors involved in testing say the country has thousands of coronavirus cases – far more than the government's official count of 772.
Iraq's health ministry simply said the sources reporting what the doctors allege are "incorrect."
In Seattle, Washington, federal officials have proposed a $611,000 fine for the nursing home where 40 people died of coronavirus.
The Life Care Center was ground zero early in the U.S. outbreak.
Federal regulators say the facility had a number of serious problems including failing to quickly identify and properly treat residents during a spate of respiratory illnesses that turned out to have been caused by the coronavirus.
The nursing home has yet to respond to the proposed fine.
April 03, 2020 at 09:20PM
De Roma
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De Roma
Andreas Philopater: venue
'''De Roma''', originally '''Kinema Roma''', is an [[art deco]] cultural centre and performance venue in [[Borgerhout]], [[Antwerp]] (Belgium).
==History==
The building, designed by Alphonse Pauwels, was originally constructed in 1927 as a 2,000-seat cinema (the largest in Antwerp) with flats above.<ref name=inventaris></ref> The main entrance was remodelled in 1958 by the architect Rie Haan.<ref name=inventaris/> De Roma became a popular music venue in the 1970s, with big names from Britain and America performing there on European tours, but closed in 1982.
[[File:Concertaffiche Cliff Richard - The Shadows - Marvin Welch & Farrar 4-1-2014 14-37-57.59.jpg|180px|left|A poster for two 1971 performances in De Roma by [[Cliff Richard]] and [[The Shadows]] supported by [[Olivia Newton-John]]]]
The building was classified as a monument in 2002<ref name=inventaris/> and reopened as a cultural centre and performance venue on 15 May 2003 after initial restoration by volunteers.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> It was closed for three months in the summer of 2015 for further renovations which cost 2.8 million euros, financed by the region, the city, the district and a non-profit foundation, and were carried out with the aid of 400 volunteers.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> In 2016 the restoration was awarded the first annual prize for built heritage.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
==References==
==External links==
* Official website:
[[Category:Art Deco architecture in Belgium]]
April 03, 2020 at 09:17PM
Taiwan Moves to Compete with China's World Medical Diplomacy
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Taiwan Moves to Compete with China's World Medical Diplomacy
Taiwan, widely watched from abroad for controlling the spread of COVID-19, started this week spreading medical aid to much harder-hit countries in a campaign that could help it stand up politically against its powerful rival China.
The island's foreign ministry said Wednesday it would donate 10 million face masks to medical personnel in Europe, the United States and 15 small diplomatic allies. The ministry says it wants to share Taiwan's successes to date.
"My country's donation of 10 million face masks to help medical staff people in countries with severe outbreaks shows an enduring 'Taiwan can help' spirit and urges a strengthening of international cooperation," foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said.
"We've noticed that Taiwan's disease prevention deployments and experience have already received approval from the international community," Ou added.
The donation marks Taiwan's first "large-scale humanitarian assistance initiative," she said, following the virus outbreak that has hit 170 countries since being discovered more than three months ago in central China.
A longer-term flow of aid following efforts by China would make Taiwan look benevolent in multiple countries as long as officials in Taipei don't intentionally politicize it, analysts said. They cautioned, though, that the campaign probably won't earn Taiwan any new formal diplomatic recognition or get it into international agencies dominated by China's allies.
Taiwan's coronavirus caseload reached 348 on Friday. Unlike much of the world, the island government has ordered no lockdowns or forced closures. China has tamed a much larger caseload but is seen as the virus's source. Some suspect China of under-reporting its caseload, which officially stands at around 81,000.
"If we're interpreting [Taiwan's] message in an innocent way, then it should be applauded," said Yun Sun, East Asia Program senior associate at the Stimson Center think tank in Washington.
Taiwan, however, vies with the militarily and economically mightier China for international recognition. China claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan and uses its clout to make international bodies such as the World Health Organization block the island's participation.
Donors in China have sent hundreds of thousands of masks and virus test kits abroad. Its aid is at work now Italy, Japan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia and South Korea, to name just a few recipients. In a recent example, on Monday, the Chinese province of Heilongjiang donated 50,000 surgical masks to a prefecture in Japan, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
China has capacity to make about 116 million face masks daily compared to Taiwan's 10 million per day.
"If you just look at capacity, I think just for Taiwan to compete with mainland [China] it's not going to get there," Sun said. "But then again, does it mean that Taiwan should not even try? I think Taiwan should try and Taiwan should make a contribution."
Taiwan could shine as a nonpolitical donor as China bickers with the United States, the world's most heavily infected country, Sun said. Washington says China covered up the extent of its outbreak, while Beijing resents U.S. President Donald Trump for using the term "Chinese virus."
Taiwan has stepped up calls to let it into WHO since COVID-19 erupted but hasn't linked that ambition to mask donations. China normally blocks Taiwan's bids to get in.
Of those donations, the ministry says the United States will get 100,000 per week plus another 2 million for front line medical workers. Its diplomatic allies, mostly small and poor countries, will get another 1 million masks plus 84 thermal imaging devices such as forehead thermometers. Seven million masks will go to Europe.
"Most Americans probably haven't thought all that much about Taiwan's extraordinary achievements against COVID-19 to date," said Sean King, vice president of the Park Strategies political consultancy in New York.
"But the World Health Organization's refusal to constructively engage Taiwan, presumably at Beijing's behest, has garnered the island tremendous public sympathy in the United States," King said. "I'm sure Taipei's sending us these masks, in our time of need, will only further enhance Americans' already overwhelmingly positive views of Taiwan."
More medical diplomacy is taking shape.
U.S. and Taiwanese officials had agreed last month to work together on research and development of a vaccine. The Taiwanese university Academia Sinica is separately discussing with European Union officials ways they might cooperate on fighting COVID-19, the island's Central News Agency reported.
April 03, 2020 at 06:38PM
'It Only Takes One.' US General Shares COVID Lessons from South Korea Front Lines
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'It Only Takes One.' US General Shares COVID Lessons from South Korea Front Lines
"Go hard, go early."
That's the advice from Gen. Robert Abrams, the top U.S. general in South Korea, on how to combat the coronavirus.
"It'll seem like an overreaction. It'll seem a bit over the top…a week later, your community will understand, your unit will understand."
Abrams, who spoke to VOA and CNN in a joint interview Thursday in Seoul, commands approximately 28,000 U.S. troops in South Korea. It was effectively the first U.S. community to be on the front lines against the coronavirus. Its efforts so far to contain the outbreak provide important insights in the global fight against COVID-19.
Quick action
The most important lesson, according to Abrams, is to act immediately and decisively.
"You've got to attack this hard and fast from the very beginning," he said, "It's got a very, very high infectious rate."
Nowhere is that more evident than South Korea.
The country reported its first case on January 20. Cases remained relatively low for weeks, until a 61-year-old woman, the country's 31st confirmed case, attended religious services after contracting the virus.
Within a week, South Korea exploded with thousands of cases -- over half of which were linked to the religious group.
"It only takes one person," Abrams said, citing this case, South Korea's so-called Patient 31 case.
South Korea was able to quickly put out the cluster infection, thanks to its campaign of vigorous coronavirus testing, investigations to determine the path of infection and isolation of those involved.
So far, the U.S. military in South Korea has avoided its own "super spreader." As of Friday, only 16 individuals related to U.S. Forces Korea, including two armed services members, have tested positive for the virus.
Fighting complacency
With the number of new U.S. military-related infections picking up over the past week, though, Abrams has implemented strict new measures.
At Camp Humphreys, the biggest U.S. base in South Korea, life has changed dramatically. Gyms have been closed. Bus and taxi services are suspended. Lines sometimes form outside the commissary because only 100 people are allowed in the store at a time.
Last week, Abrams declared a public health emergency, which gave him greater authority to enforce restrictions among civilian employees, contractors, and service members' families. That move came after a U.S. contractor caught the virus after eating at a local restaurant in violation of rules.
"The fight now is really about…complacency and ensuring that every single person remains vigilant," Abrams said. "And it's difficult in a community, but what people need to understand about this enemy is that it only takes one person to not follow the guidance. That puts everyone else's health at risk. And it will be almost immediate."
Military readiness
Mission-related activities have also changed. Aircraft mechanics, for instance, have been separated into teams.
"So if a person on one team gets sick, it doesn't affect all the mechanics," Abrams said.
The same goes for air crews. Pilots now are paired up, rather than rotated, making it easier to track down infection paths, should the need arise, he said.
The measures could affect military readiness, especially if they last a long time, Abrams acknowledged. He said he is confident, though, of striking a balance between mission readiness and safety.
"We're still flying [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance flights]. We're still flying helicopters. We're still conducting routine training," he said. "It's required us to make some adjustments, but we're all capable of doing it."
The U.S. military must deal with the coronavirus while also keeping an eye on North Korea. That threat was highlighted last month, when North Korea tested a record number of short-range missiles.
Other challenges
Making things even trickier, the U.S. military this week furloughed over 4,000 local South Korean civilian employees, amid deadlocked military cost-sharing negotiations between Washington and Seoul.
"I've been burning up the phone lines and email late at night and early morning back to Washington," Abrams said of the cost-sharing talks, which are led on the U.S. side by the State Department.
Asked if the military is able to cope with the furloughs on top of the virus containment, all while remaining mission-ready, Abrams replied: "I don't have a choice. I have to deal with it...this is part of our duties and responsibilities."
Looking ahead
Nearly two months since the outbreak began in South Korea, the U.S. and much of the rest of the world are now learning the same lessons as those in South Korea.
One important final lesson is that even when it seems the virus has been contained, the battle isn't over.
"I'm not about flattening the curve," Abrams said. "I'm about squashing the curve."
April 03, 2020 at 05:53PM
Latest Iranian Plotting Worrisome, Not Surprising, US Officials Say
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Latest Iranian Plotting Worrisome, Not Surprising, US Officials Say
Recent intelligence suggesting Iranian-backed forces in Iraq are actively plotting to hit U.S. troops may have stirred a new war of words between Washington and Tehran on social media, but it has done little to shock U.S. defense officials.
U.S. President Donald Trump first shared word of the latest intelligence in a tweet Wednesday, warning of a "sneak attack."
Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2020
Later, he told White House reporters the intelligence was "very good," and that Iranian leaders would be wise to heed U.S. warnings.
"We're just saying, 'Don't do it. Don't do it,'" Trump said. "It would be a very bad thing for them if they did it."
While not commenting on the specific intelligence that led to Trump's tweet, current and former U.S. officials say the idea Tehran would use proxy forces to lash out at this time would be consistent with the Iranian regime's playbook.
Iran's official military has been "pretty effectively deterred," a U.S. defense official told VOA on condition of anonymity, pointing to a lull in missile attacks launched from Iranian soil and to Tehran's apparent decision to stop harassing ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The official, however, cautioned that U.S. strikes against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, like Kataib Hezbollah, have done little to lessen a "threat stream" from Iranian-backed militias that has been rising for weeks.
"The threat remains very high," U.S. Central Command's Gen. Kenneth McKenzie told reporters following a series of U.S. precision strikes last month against militia depots in Iraq housing advanced Iranian weapons.
"Tensions have actually not gone down," McKenzie cautioned at the time. "I still think they [Iran] are actively seeking ways to achieve destabilization."
And even without the guidance of former Iranian Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, who oversaw militia activity in Iraq until his death in a U.S. airstrike in January, Iran's proxies remain a dangerous tool for Soleimani's replacement, Ismail Qaani.
"Qaani may lack the iconic stature and relationship enjoyed by Qassem Soleimani, but this doesn't mean that the Quds Force won't continue to be effective," said Norman Roule, a former national intelligence manager for Iran in the Office of the Director for National Intelligence. "Qaani will draw upon the same cadre of experienced senior Quds Force officers – many of whom have deep experience in the region."
Some analysts add that, in just the past few weeks, Iranian-backed militias have become even bolder, seeking to draw attention to their activities.
"Iran's proxies in Iraq are making a show out of their preparations for war," said Katherine Lawlor, a Middle East research assistant at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.
As an example, Lawlor said Kataib Hezbollah last week claimed to have conducted "a large scale 'military exercise' in which thousands of its members purportedly practiced repelling U.S. air and ground assaults with live fire."
And just days after the March 12 airstrikes, U.S. officials blamed Kataib Hezbollah for launching a series of rocket attacks against Iraqi bases housing U.S. and coalition troops.
Kataib Hezbollah, while praising the rocket attacks, denied any involvement. But it has continued to taunt the U.S.
"This fool Trump, or one of his people, come out every other day with threats directed at the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, especially against Hezbollah Brigades," the group said in a statement Thursday. "We warn [the Trump administration] from being involved in any aggressive act against our patient people."
But the group promised U.S. forces preparing to leave would not be harmed.
"We assure that these forces will not be killed if their withdrawal continues from all over Iraq," the statement said.
U.S. military officials said they were aware of the statement but declined to comment.
Hours earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also pushed back against U.S. concerns, warning President Trump on Twitter, "Don't be mislead (sic) by usual warmongers" while adding Tehran "only acts in self-defense."
Don't be mislead by usual warmongers, AGAIN, @realDonaldTrump:
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) April 2, 2020
Iran has FRIENDS: No one can have MILLIONS of"proxies"
Unlike the US—which surreptitiously lies, cheats & assassinates—Iran only acts in self-defense. Openly
Iran starts no wars, but teaches lessons to those who do
Analysts, like Phillip Smyth at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, see such messaging as a ploy.
"They [Iran and its proxies] see an opportunity they can take advantage of because the Americans are kind of wrapping up into themselves," he said, noting the recent U.S. withdrawal from several smaller bases in Iraq as well as efforts to cope with the coronavirus pandemic at home.
"Historical events have shown us that they'll throw things out there like this and say, 'We're totally willing to negotiate,' but they don't really act on it," Smyth said.
Iran and its proxies may also see the U.S. as handcuffed by the political situation in Iraq, where Prime Minister-designate Adnan al-Zurfi, seen by some as relatively pro-American, is running out of time to form a government.
"Any U.S. strikes are probably going to doom that," said Gil Barndollar, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Defense Priorities. "The last thing we want to do is have a guy who is potentially sympathetic to U.S. interests and undermine his chance to lead the country through killing Iraqis, whether militiamen or even actually uniformed Iraqi police and army as has happened in past U.S. strikes."
April 03, 2020 at 12:23PM
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