| I'm a postal worker. In the coronavirus pandemic, I am my customers' link to the world. Posted: 26 Apr 2020 05:00 AM PDT  A California postal worker talks about his interactions with customers during the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Ultraviolet light can be used against coronavirus — just not in the way Trump imagines Posted: 25 Apr 2020 02:00 AM PDT  Researchers have shown that ultraviolet light can be used to disinfect surfaces and kill viruses in ambient air in ways that could be used to reduce transmission in public spaces.
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| Democrats Eye Cold, Hard Cash In Next Stimulus Round Posted: 25 Apr 2020 03:00 AM PDT |
| Train likely belonging to North Korea's Kim seen at resort town: US monitor Posted: 26 Apr 2020 11:51 AM PDT  A train likely belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been spotted at a resort town in the country's east, satellite photos reviewed by a US-based think tank showed, as speculation persists over his health. The train was parked at a station reserved for the Kim family in Wonsan on April 21 and April 23, the respected 38North website said in a report published Saturday. 38North cautioned that the train's presence "does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health".
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| 'Extensive search' for missing soldier after keys, wallet found Posted: 25 Apr 2020 12:09 PM PDT  Vanessa Guillen, 20, was last seen Wednesday in a parking lot at Fort Hood in Texas.
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| Coronavirus: Ecuador 'victim' found alive in hospital mix-up Posted: 25 Apr 2020 02:40 PM PDT  Alba Maruri was wrongly declared to be dead, and someone else's ashes were sent to her family.
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| Tens of thousands descend on beaches amid California heat wave Posted: 26 Apr 2020 01:22 PM PDT  Lifeguards in Huntington and Newport Beach say more than 50,000 people flocked to their beaches Friday.
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| A top public health expert says US coronavirus pandemic is 'near the end of the beginning' as states are set to reopen Posted: 26 Apr 2020 08:51 AM PDT  Despite promising indicators of new cases and deaths from the virus, Tom Inglesby said that the US is "not out of the woods by any means."
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| Nearly 150 total coronavirus cases confirmed on cruise ship in Japan Posted: 24 Apr 2020 08:36 PM PDT  Nearly 150 cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed among crew members of an Italian cruise ship docked in Japan after health authorities finished testing everyone on board, an official said on Saturday. The Nagasaki prefecture official said 57 more crew had tested positive, bringing the total infections on board the Costa Atlantica to 148, roughly one quarter of the vessel's 623 crew members. Authorities began testing after one crew member tested positive for the virus earlier this week.
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| Trump: Postal Service must charge Amazon more, or won't receive loan Posted: 25 Apr 2020 07:39 AM PDT  President Trump said on Friday that he won't approve a $10 billion loan for the U.S. Postal Service unless it raises charges for Amazon and other big shippers to four to five times current rates.
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| GOP Gov. Hogan to Trump: Stop coronavirus 'misinformation,' saying 'whatever pops in your head' Posted: 26 Apr 2020 03:34 PM PDT  "I think when misinformation comes out or you just say something that pops in your head, it does send a wrong message," said Gov. Larry Hogan, R-Md.
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| Re-Opening Politics, North Korea’s Future Draw Scrutiny: Weekend Reads Posted: 25 Apr 2020 05:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- How and when to ease lockdowns to fight the coronavirus — along with government efforts to ramp up testing capacity — were the key questions across the globe this week as the pandemic spread.In the U.S., small bands of protesters — driven by the social-media tactics of a coalition of gun-rights activists and far-right groups — staged demonstrations over government-ordered closures of businesses and schools, particularly in Democratic-led states. Elsewhere the impact of the virus on the world's poorest people is coming into focus. And uncertainty swirled around the state of Kim Jong Un's health after reports the North Korean leader was in critical condition following cardiovascular surgery. Dig deeper into these and other topics with the latest edition of Weekend Reads. Patchwork Approach to Reopening States Reveals a Red-Blue DivideAs Amanda Hurley reports, the gap between how Republican- and Democratic-controlled states seek to ease social distacing measures and restart their economies will likely grow wider as the pandemic grinds on.Inside the Dystopian, Post-Lockdown World of WuhanThe first epicenter is coming back to life, but not as anyone knew it. Sharon Chen and Matthew Campbell — with the help of Claire Che and Sarah Chen — tell what it's like for some of the millions of people in Wuhan trying to come to grips with the economic and social fallout from the worst pandemic in a century.The Week Coronavirus Got Away From Boris Johnson's GovernmentBritain had time. Academics, disease specialists and critics say the prime minister wasted it. Alex Morales, Suzi Ring, Robert Hutton and James Paton take you inside a critical week in March. Kim Jong Un Has Put North Korea in Position to Outlast His ReignWhatever the state of Kim's health, he's already put North Korea in its strongest position to resist U.S. pressure in decades. Eight years after Kim filled the power vacuum left by the death of his reclusive father, Kim Jong Il, North Korea is more secure and less isolated. Jihye Lee and Jon Herskovitz explain why that matters right now. Workers Who Make the World's Clothes Are Facing Abject PovertyRozina Begum is worried that she and her husband and two children will starve. Rozina — along with 300 other workers at the Ultimate Fashions plant on the outskirts of Bangladesh's capital lost their jobs March 25. She's one of the millions of people who are on the lowest rung of a global supply chain that has been shattered by the virus, Marvin G. Perez and Arun Devnath report. Virus Care Disruptions Raise Infant Death Risk in Poor NationsThe Covid-19 pandemic has the potential to reverse years of progress in reducing maternal and child mortality worldwide by impairing access to medical care in poorer countries. Anne Pollak takes a closer look. Hope Turns to Doubt, Then Gunfire, as Saudi Megacity EmergesWhen Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled plans for Neom, a futuristic megacity on the Red Sea coast, residents rejoiced. Jobs and investment would surely accompany the $500 billion development at the center of the young leader's plan to transform his conservative kingdom. But that optimism has faded. Vivian Nereim explores why. High-Seas Energy Fight Off Malaysia Draws U.S., Chinese WarshipsMalaysia's push to explore energy blocks off its coast has turned into a five-nation face-off involving U.S. and Chinese warships. That's raised the risk of a direct confrontation as broader tensions grow between the world's biggest economies, Philip J. Heijmans reports.Religious Group's Mass Gatherings Spark Asian Virus ClustersA conservative religious group's gatherings have emerged as virus hotspots in Malaysia, India and now Pakistan, with authorities tracking people who attended an event with as many as 70,000 worshipers. Faseeh Mangi has more.Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.And finally … Sushen Dang, 26, and his fiancee, Keerti Narang, dreamed of making their wedding an affair to remember — but not like this. Instead of hundreds of guests descending on a wildlife resort for a multi-day revelry with cocktail parties and elaborate feasts, the couple got married over the video conferencing app Zoom amid a stringent national lockdown. It's just one example of how India's $70-billion wedding industry has skidded to a stop in the midst of peak marriage season. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Spanish flu-era diaries give Ohio family hope Posted: 26 Apr 2020 09:42 AM PDT  "While a global pandemic shuttering schools and businesses feels like new territory, many of our families still bear the scars of the 1918 influenza pandemic," Amy Patterson says.
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| Six new symptoms have been added to the CDC's COVID-19 list, including muscle pain, chills and headaches Posted: 25 Apr 2020 09:07 AM PDT  The CDC has added 6 new recognized symptoms to its list for COVID-19: sore throat, headache, chills, muscle pain, loss of smell or taste, and shaking.
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| Hong Kong protests: Jailed man gets judge's sympathy for stabbing Posted: 25 Apr 2020 07:49 AM PDT  The judge who jailed the man for the attack at an anti-government protest said he was a victim.
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| Saudi Arabia ends death penalty for minors and floggings Posted: 26 Apr 2020 08:11 AM PDT  Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered an end to the death penalty for crimes committed by minors, according to a statement Sunday by a top official. The decision comes on the heels of another ordering judges to end the practice of flogging, replacing it with jail time, fines or community service and bringing one of the kingdom's most controversial forms of public punishment to a close. King Salman's son and heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is seen as the force behind the kingdom's loosening of restrictions and its pivot away from ultraconservative interpretations of Islamic law known as Wahhabism, which many in the country still closely adhere to.
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| South Korean official says Kim Jong Un is 'alive and well' amid long public absence and rumors that he died or was in grave condition Posted: 26 Apr 2020 09:48 AM PDT  "Kim Jong Un is alive and well. He has been staying in the Wonsan area since April 13. No suspicious movements have so far been detected."
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| Russia at risk of spike in coronavirus cases during May holidays: official Posted: 26 Apr 2020 02:07 AM PDT  Russia could experience a spike in cases of the new coronavirus if people flout lockdown measures during public holidays scheduled for early May, a top health official said on Sunday. The number of coronavirus cases in Russia began rising sharply this month, reaching more than 80,000 on Sunday after a record 6,361 new cases were registered over the past day. Anna Popova, head of Russia's consumer health watchdog, said the country had so far avoided a spike in cases and could continue to do so "if only we do not give up during the holidays".
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| Oklahoma asks Trump to declare coronavirus an 'act of God' to help oil producers Posted: 26 Apr 2020 10:55 AM PDT |
| South Africa Plans Curfew From May 1 as It Slowly Lifts Lockdown Posted: 25 Apr 2020 03:58 AM PDT |
| El Paso Walmart shooting victim dies, raising death toll to 23 Posted: 26 Apr 2020 03:46 PM PDT  A hospital official said Guillermo "Memo" Garcia died after a nine-month fight.
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| Philip Kahn, 100, Dies; Spanish Flu Took His Twin a Century Ago Posted: 25 Apr 2020 07:21 AM PDT  Philip Kahn believed that history repeats itself, a truism that has hit home for his family in extraordinary fashion.His twin brother, Samuel, died as an infant during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-19. Now Kahn himself has died of the coronavirus. He was 100."He was a very healthy 100," Warren Zysman, one of his grandsons, said in a phone interview. "He watched the news, he was completely aware of the pandemic. When he started coughing, he knew he might have it, and he knew the irony of what was going on."Zysman added: "And he would say, 'Warren my boy, I told you history always repeats itself. We could have been much better prepared for this.'"Philip Kahn, a decorated World War II veteran, died April 17 at his home in Westbury, New York, on Long Island. "Tests confirmed he had COVID-19," his doctor, Sandeep Jauhar, a cardiologist in nearby New Hyde Park, wrote on Facebook."Lovely man, wry wit, a kind soul," Jauhar added. "His twin brother succumbed in a different pandemic, the Spanish flu ... 101 years ago."The chances of siblings dying a century apart in global pandemics seem beyond remote, but the Kahns are not the only ones. Selma Ryan, 96, who died of the virus in San Antonio, Texas, on April 14, lost her older sister, Esther, to the Spanish Flu 102 years earlier, according to News4SA, a local television station. The sisters never knew each other.Philip Felix Kahn did not know his brother either. The twins, whose father ran a bakery on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, were born Dec. 15, 1919, also in Manhattan, while the Spanish flu was still raging. The boys were just a few weeks old when Samuel died."He had this level of sadness about it because, while he was born a twin, he never got to experience being a twin," said Zysman, who is himself a twin."He always told me how hard the loss of his brother was for his parents," he added, "and that he carried this void with him his entire life."Kahn served in an Army aerial unit in the Pacific during World War II, participating in the Battle of Iwo Jima and later in firebombing raids over Japan. He also helped make aerial surveys after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He earned two Bronze Stars.After the war, he worked as an electrical foreman and helped build the World Trade Center and the first New York City blood bank. He was always active, enjoying swimming and dancing. He would even dance on roller skates.In addition to Zysman, Kahn is survived by his daughter, Lynn Zysman; five other grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.Zysman said that his grandfather loved to talk about the war and history, and that almost every story he told began with his brother, Samuel, and ended with the same point: It was important to learn from experience. Toward the end of his life he spoke often of Samuel.Zysman's wife, Dr. Corey Karlin-Zysman, who has been treating coronavirus patients around the clock at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, called the brothers "pandemic bookends."The Spanish Flu killed 50 million people worldwide; so far, the coronavirus has killed 191,000.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| Why has Spain been hit so hard by the coronavirus pandemic? Posted: 25 Apr 2020 12:11 AM PDT  In Spain, one of the hardest-hit countries in the pandemic, the coronavirus spread quickly and widely without being detected, especially among the elderly, experts told AFP. While they stressed it was too early to carry out a detailed analysis, the experts pointed to the country's sociable lifestyle and close ties between young and older family members as significant factors in the virus's spread. While Spain has the world's highest coronavirus death toll per capita after Belgium, its mortality rate -- the percentage of infected patients who die -- stands at 10.4 percent, below other hard-hit nations like Italy, France and Britain.
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| Woman in India gang-raped after being quarantined alone in school: Police Posted: 26 Apr 2020 08:59 AM PDT  A woman was allegedly gang-raped while being quarantined alone in a school amid India's strict coronavirus lockdown, a police official said.
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| Malaysia Sees 2.4 Billion Ringgit a Day of Losses From Lockdown Posted: 25 Apr 2020 07:12 AM PDT |
| California heat wave draws large crowds to beaches despite stay-at-home order Posted: 25 Apr 2020 06:30 PM PDT  "We've had very good compliance," a lifeguard said. "People are spreading out."
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| 'Like test dummies': As Colorado reopens, some see too much risk Posted: 26 Apr 2020 04:06 AM PDT  Royal Rose is reopening her Colorado tattoo studio next week after closing a month ago, not because she wants to but because the bills are piling up and she says she has no choice. "I would stay home if the government encouraged that, but they're not, they're saying 'Hey, the best thing to do is go back to work, even though it might be risky,'" said Rose, 39, sitting inside her salon in a wood-sided building on a leafy street in the farming and oil town of Greeley. Colorado is among the first wave of U.S. states beginning an experiment to reopen economies without the testing and contact-tracing infrastructure health experts say is needed to prevent a resurgence of the coronavirus, with lives in the balance.
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| Bangladesh garment factories reopen, defying virus lockdown Posted: 26 Apr 2020 05:13 PM PDT  Hundreds of Bangladesh's garment factories defied a nationwide coronavirus lockdown to reopen on Sunday, raising fears the industry's vulnerable and largely female workforce could be exposed to the contagion. Big-name international brands have cancelled or held up billions of dollars in orders due to the pandemic, crippling an industry that accounts for nearly all of the South Asian country's export earnings. Factories shut their doors in late March but some suppliers said they were now being pushed by retailers to fulfill outstanding export orders.
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| Body of murdered student tracked down using Apple's Find My Friends app Posted: 25 Apr 2020 11:50 AM PDT  The body of a nursing student who was strangled to death by her classmate was discovered by her friends after they used Apple's Find My Friends app to track her down.Binghampton University student Haley Anderson, 22, went missing in March 2018, and it later emerged she had been killed by Orlando Tercero, 23.
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| Trump says briefings 'not worth the effort' amid fallout from disinfectant comments Posted: 25 Apr 2020 03:26 PM PDT  The president remained behind closed doors after advisers reportedly warned him that the briefings were hurting his campaignAfter more than a month of near-daily White House coronavirus press briefings, Donald Trump stayed behind closed doors on Saturday after advisers reportedly warned the president that his appearances were hurting his campaign.Trump himself referenced his absence when he wrote on Twitter that the briefings are "not worth the time & effort". The president wrote the tweet on Saturday evening, when he would usually be taking the podium to address journalists.> What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately. They get record ratings, & the American people get nothing but Fake News. Not worth the time & effort!> > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 25, 2020"What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately," he wrote. "They get record ratings, & the American people get nothing but Fake News. Not worth the time & effort!"In recent weeks Trump has used the briefings to dole out unproven and debunked medical advice, suggesting that things like sunlight and an anti-malaria drug are cures to Covid-19, often causing his own medical experts to try to correct the record.But on Friday Trump surprised observers by taking no questions and stalking out of the room after an unusually short briefing of just 22 minutes. Some took the move as an acknowledgement from Trump himself that he may have taken things too far when he said on Thursday that disinfectant could be used to cure Covid-19.Those comments sparked shock and ridicule – and warnings from healthcare experts – and prompted Trump to make a ham-fisted attempt at a clawback when he later said he had made the remarks sarcastically – despite video proving he had not.While the press briefings are meant to give members of the coronavirus task force an opportunity to provide updates on the state of Covid-19 in the country, the attention around the briefings has been centered on Trump's use of the podium as his bully pulpit.The president has used the briefings as uncensored airtime, praising his administration for its response to the crisis while criticizing the media and Democrats for any negative comeback.Advisers close to the president told him to stop making appearances at the briefings unless special announcements needed to be made, according to multiple reports published Saturday morning. The advice comes as Trump trails Joe Biden in polls from swing states. Perhaps, his advisers believe, because his appearances are overkill."I told him it's not helping him," one adviser told Axios. "Seniors are scared. And the spectacle of him fighting with the press isn't what people want to see."Trump has reportedly been hesitant to end his briefing appearances, Axios reported, because he said they bring in good television ratings.The president has also used the briefings as an opportunity to rile up his base in a way that would typically be done at his rallies. Trump has criticized Democrats and attacked Biden, referring to him as "Sleepy Joe" during briefings, veering far away from the subject of Covid-19.It is unclear whether Trump can stay away from the podium, or whether his instincts as a reality television star will kick in and the show will go on."He's going to want to get media attention and control his message," Sam Nunberg, a political consultant who briefly worked on Trump's campaign in 2016, told Politico. "He is the only one who thinks he can do his message best, and that's just the reality. That's how he works."
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| Mexico returns Central Americans, empties migrant centers Posted: 26 Apr 2020 03:17 PM PDT |
| Coronavirus: Cuban doctors go to South Africa Posted: 26 Apr 2020 05:28 AM PDT  The medics are among 1,200 sent to countries that requested help from the communist state.
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| Could a 'controlled avalanche' stop the coronavirus faster, and with fewer deaths? Posted: 25 Apr 2020 02:21 PM PDT  Israeli scientists say they can mimic the effects of a vaccination campaign if certain people willingly get infected with the coronavirus and recover.
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| German Coronavirus Deaths Climb to 5,723 With 148 New Fatalities Posted: 24 Apr 2020 11:52 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The number of new coronavirus deaths and confirmed cases in Germany slowed, with fatalities dropping to the lowest in five days.Deaths rose by 148 to 5,723 in the 24 hours through Saturday morning, a smaller increase than Friday's daily rise of 260, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. There were 1,416 new cases, bringing the total to 154,545, the fourth-highest in Europe.With Spain, Italy and France, the hardest-hit countries in Europe, reporting their fewest deaths in weeks, European governments are considering ways to ease confinement measures that have crushed their economies. Germany has been spared the much higher number of fatalities seen elsewhere in Europe and globally."Testing is one of the keys to why we have been able to come through this crisis in relatively good shape until now," German Health Minister Jens Spahn said Friday on broadcaster ZDF. "We tested very widely from the start and therefore had a very early picture of the development in Germany."For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Judge: California can't require background checks for ammo Posted: 24 Apr 2020 11:07 PM PDT  "California's new ammunition background check law misfires," wrote U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez.
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| Saudi eases coronavirus curfews, keeps 24-hour curfew in Mecca Posted: 26 Apr 2020 02:16 AM PDT  Saudi Arabia eased curfews on Sunday across the country but kept 24-hour lockdowns in place in the city of Mecca and neighbourhoods previously put in isolation to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, state news agency SPA said. Outside Mecca and lockdown areas, curfews will be eased between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (0600-1400 GMT) until May 13.
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| A retired Kansas farmer had an extra N95 mask. He sent it to New York Gov. Cuomo. Posted: 25 Apr 2020 07:55 AM PDT  A Kansas farmer whose letter captured the attention of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo discusses why he sent an N95 mask.
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| Trump administration and Mitch McConnell hit with lawsuit over claims they denied stimulus checks to citizens married to 'unauthorized' immigrants Posted: 26 Apr 2020 07:26 AM PDT  There are around 1.2 million "unauthorized" US residents married to US citizens, the lawsuit alleges, citing the Migration Policy Institute.
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| White House could change virus briefings to limit Trump role Posted: 25 Apr 2020 07:36 AM PDT  For the first time, President Trump cut off his daily coronavirus task force briefing on Friday without taking any questions from reporters, and it may not be the last time.
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| Court: City must pay for claims police officers planted guns Posted: 25 Apr 2020 10:10 AM PDT |
| Coronavirus: The different approaches to lockdowns in Africa Posted: 26 Apr 2020 05:29 AM PDT  Countries have taken different routes in imposing restrictions - which ones are working against the virus?
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| No more bodies on the streets. But coronavirus batters Ecuador with disproportionate force Posted: 26 Apr 2020 10:00 AM PDT  Images of corpses in Ecuador stoked fear of the coronavirus' effect on developing nations. Infections have yet to peak elsewhere in Latin America.
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| Small businesses say they need more than 2 months of help to survive coronavirus crisis Posted: 26 Apr 2020 09:24 AM PDT  Strict restrictions on federal assistance could hinder their bid for long-term survival.
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