oann--2020-01-28--U.S., Canada warn against China travel as virus spreads, markets slide

SHANGHAI ( Reuters ) – The United States warned against travel to China on Monday and Canada issued a more narrow travel warning as a spreading coronavirus outbreak has killed 81 people , stranded tens of millions during the biggest holiday of the year and rattled global markets .
Global stocks fell , oil prices hit three-month lows , and China ’ s yuan dipped to its weakest in 2020 as investors fretted about damage to the world ’ s second-biggest economy from travel bans and an extended Lunar New Year holiday .
U.S. President Donald Trump offered China whatever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. State Department said Americans should “ reconsider ” visiting all of China due to the new virus .
Canada , which has two confirmed cases of the virus and is investigating 19 more potential cases , warned its citizens to avoid travel to China ’ s Hubei province , at the heart of the outbreak .
Authorities in that Chinese province are taking increasing flak from the public over their initial response to the virus .
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the city of Wuhan , epicentre of the outbreak , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Visiting Wuhan in blue protective suit and mask , Li praised medics , said 2,500 more workers would join them in the next two days , and visited the site of a new hospital to be built in days .
The most senior leader to visit Wuhan since the outbreak , Li was shown on state TV leading medical workers in chants of “ Wuhan jiayou !
” – an exhortation to keep their strength up .
On China ’ s heavily censored social media , officials have faced mounting anger over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have originated from a market where wildlife was sold illegally .
Some criticised the governor of Hubei province , of which Wuhan is the capital , after he corrected himself twice during a news conference over the number of face masks being produced .
“ If he can mess up the data multiple times , no wonder the disease has spread so severely , ” said one user of the Weibo social media platform .
In rare public self-criticism , Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang said the city ’ s management of the crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicated he was willing to resign .
Latest official figures put the total number of confirmed cases in China at 2,835 , about half in Hubei .
Some experts suspect a much higher number .
The number of deaths in Hubei climbed to 76 from 56 , officials said , with five fatalities elsewhere in China including the first in Beijing .
The central Chinese city of 11 million people is in virtual lockdown and much of Hubei , home to nearly 60 million people , is under travel curbs .
Elsewhere in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questioning about their movements .
“ Hubei people are getting discriminated against , ” a Wuhan resident complained on Weibo .
Cases linked to people who travelled from Wuhan have been confirmed in a dozen countries , from Japan to the United States , where authorities said they had 110 people under investigation in 26 states .
Sri Lanka was the latest to confirm a case .
Investors are worried about the impact on travel , tourism and broader economic activity .
The consensus is that in the short term , economic output @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and extend the week-long New Year holiday – when millions traditionally travel by rail , road and plane – by three days to limit spread of the virus .
Asian and European shares tumbled , with Japan ’ s Nikkei average sliding 2 % , its biggest one-day fall in five months .
Demand spiked for safe-haven assets such as the Japanese yen and Treasury notes .
European stocks fell more than 2 % .
The U.S. S & P 500 closed down nearly 1.6 % .
“ China is the biggest driver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have started in a worse place , ” said Alec Young , FTSE Russell ’ s managing director of global markets research .
During the 2002-2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ) , which originated in China and killed nearly 800 people globally , air passenger demand in Asia plunged 45 % .
The travel industry is more reliant on Chinese travellers now .
Chinese-ruled Hong Kong , which has had eight cases , banned entry to people who had visited Hubei recently .
Some European tour operators cancelled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world worked on repatriating nationals .
Officially known as 2019-nCoV , the newly identified coronavirus can cause pneumonia , but it is still too early to know just how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads .
“ What we know about this virus it that transmission occurs through human contact but we are speaking of close contact , i.e .
less than a meter , ” said Jerome Salomon , a senior official with France ’ s health ministry .
“ Crossing someone ( infected ) in the street poses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when you spend a little time near that person and becomes higher when you spend a lot of time near that person .
”


oann--2020-01-28--China vows to beat ‘devil’ virus as countries rush to evacuate citizens

BEIJING ( Reuters ) – President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that China was sure of defeating a “ devil ” coronavirus that has killed 106 people , but international alarm was rising as the outbreak spread across the world .
The United States said it was expanding screening of arrivals from China from five to 20 airports and would consider imposing further travel curbs .
“ All options for dealing with infectious disease spread have to be on the table , including travel restrictions , ” said U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar .
From France to Japan , governments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – scene of anti-China unrest for months – planned to suspend rail and ferry links with the mainland .
Among countries pulling nationals out of Wuhan , the central Chinese city of 11 million where the outbreak started , the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said a chartered plane would pick up its consular staff on Wednesday .
The European Commission said it would help fund two aircraft to fly EU citizens home , with 250 French nationals leaving on the first flight .
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Xi met @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese and foreigners in areas affected by the virus and possible evacuation alternatives , a WHO spokesman said .
“ The virus is a devil and we can not let the devil hide , ” state television quoted Xi as saying .
“ China will strengthen international cooperation and welcomes the WHO participation in virus prevention … China is confident of winning the battle against the virus.
” The UN agency said later that China had agreed that the WHO can send a team of international experts “ as soon as possible ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guide the global response .
Investors are fretting about the impact of the crisis on the world ’ s second-biggest economy , though stock markets rebounded on Tuesday following a sharp sell-off the previous day .
United Airlines said it was suspending some flights between the United States and China for a week from Feb. 1 due to a “ significant decline in demand ” , while Facebook Inc and other global companies restricted employee travel to the country .
The flu-like virus has spread overseas , but none of the 106 deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six were in Wuhan , where the virus emerged last month , probably from illegally traded wildlife .
However , cases in Germany , Vietnam , Taiwan and Japan where the virus has spread person-to-person – as opposed to a visitor from China arriving – have heightened concern .
“ The reported human-to-human transmission in Germany and Japan is unsurprising to see , ” said Michael Head , senior research fellow in global health at Britain ’ s University of Southampton .
“ We will continue to see further similar cases outside of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this stage that onwards transmission will be limited , so there will likely not be too many cases for example across Europe , and on a much lesser scale than we are seeing in China.
” Chinese-ruled Hong Kong said high-speed rail services to the mainland would be suspended from midnight on Thursday , while the number of flights would be halved .
Chinese authorities later said they would stop issuing travel permits for mainland tourists to visit Hong Kong and neighbouring Macau .
Britain advised against all but essential travel to mainland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Thailand confirmed six more infections among visitors from China , taking its tally to 14 , the highest outside China .
France had a fourth confirmed case , an elderly Chinese tourist who was said to be in a serious condition .
Wuhan is under virtual quarantine , with a lockdown on transport and bans on gatherings .
Tens of millions in Hubei province , of which Wuhan is the capital , live under some form of travel curb .
The number of confirmed cases in China surged to 4,515 as of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government said .
Communist Party-ruled China has been eager to show it is transparent over this outbreak , after initially covering up the extent of the 2002-03 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ) that killed about 800 people globally .
Known as “ 2019-nCoV ” , the newly identified coronavirus can cause pneumonia and , like other respiratory infections , it spreads between people in droplets from coughs and sneezes .
It is too early to know what its death rate will be , since there are likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undetected .
It has an incubation of between one and 14 days .
A WHO panel of 16 independent experts twice last week declined to declare an international emergency .
Confirmation of any sustained human-to-human spread of the virus outside of China , as well as any documented deaths , would bolster the case for reconsidering .
Tedros can reconvene the panel on very short notice as needed , the WHO said .

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oann--2020-01-29--Japan, U.S. pull nationals from China as virus toll jumps

BEIJING/SHANGHAI ( Reuters ) – The United States and Japan evacuated their nationals from a quarantined city while British Airways suspended flights to mainland China as deaths from a fast-spreading new virus leapt to 132 and the first cases emerged in the Middle East .
Beijing ’ s pledge to slay the “ devil ” coronavirus has won the trust of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) but confirmation of another 1,459 cases – taking the total to 5,974 in China – only fueled public alarm around the world .
Deaths from the flu-like virus also rose by 26 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the central province of Hubei , the capital of which is Wuhan , where the virus emerged last month in a live wild animal market .
In many Chinese cities , streets were largely deserted with the few who ventured out wearing masks .
Starbucks stores in Beijing required people to have temperatures taken and posted notices saying it was a state requirement to wear masks inside .
“ It ’ s my first time here in Asia , I feel very unlucky , ” said Brazilian tourist Amanda Lee , 23 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I couldn ’ t even see the places I wanted , like the Great Wall.
” There was relief , however , among those evacuated from Hubei province , home to about 60 million people and under virtual lockdown .
“ I was extremely worried that I was stuck there , ” said Takeo Aoyama , who arrived in Tokyo on a chartered plane carrying 206 Japanese out of Wuhan , with more flights planned .
Two of the Japanese evacuated had symptoms of pneumonia but coronavirus had not been confirmed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heavily on the world ’ s second-biggest economy .
Companies are curbing travel to China , and airlines are cutting flights , with British Airways one of the biggest names in aviation to do so .
The gambling hub of Macau was virtually a ghost town , while malls and shopping centers in Asian capitals were bare .
Sectors from mining to luxury goods have been shaken .
nL4N29X1RH ] Hong Kong stocks took a beating on the first day of trading after the Lunar New Year break .
Casino and financial stocks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lower to a seven-month trough .
Regional markets , however , arrested their slide , with stocks in Japan , Australia , South Korea and India steady or firmer and currencies mostly stable .
“ In our view , the worst is yet to come , ” securities firm Nomura said , warning of a severe , near-term blow to China ’ s economy .
But in what could be a major step towards taming the disease , scientists in Australia said they had developed a lab-grown version of the coronavirus , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A U.S. government official told Reuters a U.S. charter plane had left Wuhan .
It had 220 people aboard , a U.S. diplomatic source added , with 50 diplomats and contractors among them .
Australia said it would help some citizens leave and then quarantine them on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean , best known for housing asylum seekers .
U.S. officials said the White House was weighing whether to suspend flights to China .
It was holding daily meetings on the outbreak and monitoring China-U.S. flights as a likely source of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , though it had decided against suspending air traffic for the time being .
The number of cases in China now exceeds its tally of 5,327 infected with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ) coronavirus that killed about 800 people globally in 2002 and 2003 .
While some experts believe the new strain , known as “ 2019-nCoV ” , is not as deadly as SARS , alarm has grown over its rapid spread and many unknown attributes , such as how lethal it is .
Like other respiratory infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coughs and sneezes , with an incubation time between one and 14 days .
There are signs it may spread before symptoms show .
Wuhan , with a population of 11 million , is racing to build two dedicated hospitals with 2,600 beds for victims , the official People ’ s Daily said .
About 60 cases , but no deaths , have been reported in 15 other countries , including the United States , France and Singapore .
Airports around the world are screening passengers from China .
In the first known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United Arab Emirates ( UAE ) diagnosed four members of a Chinese family who arrived from Wuhan with the coronavirus .


oann--2020-01-30--Trump could be acquitted in impeachment trial as early as Friday: U.S. Senator

WASHINGTON ( Reuters ) – A Democratic push to force Republicans to accept witnesses at Donald Trump ’ s impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate appeared to be flagging on Wednesday , raising the possibility the president could be acquitted as early as Friday .
As senators spent the day posing questions to both the Trump legal team and the Democratic managers of the trial , the White House objected to the planned publication of a book by former national security adviser John Bolton , who is said to have depicted Trump as playing a central role in pressuring Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S .
Senator John Barrasso , the No .
3 Republican in seniority , said it was possible the trial could end on Friday without Democrats achieving their goal of having witnesses called to testify .
“ The momentum is clearly in the direction of moving to final judgment on Friday .
That vote will be Friday .
We still have a couple members who said they want to listen to the answers to questions , but that ’ s where the momentum is , ” Barrasso said .
Asked when Friday the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate over witnesses and move to either acquit or convict Trump , Barrasso said probably Friday afternoon or late that day .
Other Republican senators were predicting a similar outcome in conversations with reporters during breaks in the trial on Wednesday .
They said some of their colleagues still wanted to hear answers to their questions through Thursday , however .
Democrats have sought to persuade at least four Republican senators to vote with them in favor of witnesses to assure a majority vote in the Republican-led 100-seat Senate .
The Democratic-led House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impeachment in December .
While the Senate is expected to acquit Trump and leave him in office no matter what happens , allowing witnesses such as Bolton could inflict political damage on the president as he seeks re-election on Nov. 3 .
Bolton , who left the White House in September after several sharp disagreements with Trump over the direction of foreign policy , was again a central figure on Wednesday .
The New York Times has reported that Bolton wrote in his book that the president told him he wanted to freeze @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ukraine until Kiev pursued investigations into Democrats , including Biden and the former vice president ’ s son Hunter .
A letter from the White House National Security Council to Bolton ’ s attorney said that based on a preliminary review , the manuscript appeared to contain “ significant amounts of classified information.
” Some material was deemed top secret and could “ cause exceptionally grave harm to the national security , ” according to the letter , which was dated Jan. 23 .
“ Under federal law and the nondisclosure agreements your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to classified information , the manuscript may not be published or otherwise disclosed without the deletion of this classified information , ” the letter said .
The manuscript was submitted to the White House for pre-publication review , a process that civil libertarians have said gives the government too much power to censor speech .
Democrats believe Bolton , a Republican foreign policy hawk , could help them solidify their case against the president and want to call him and a small number of other officials to testify .
Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the idea of having any witnesses .
Bolton ’ s allegations go to the heart of the impeachment charges .
Democrats have said Trump abused his power by using the security aid – passed by Congress to help Ukraine battle Russia-backed separatists – as leverage to get a foreign power to smear a political rival .
Trump ’ s legal team has argued that the evidence supporting that allegation is based on hearsay .
A Bolton spokeswoman had no comment on the White House letter .
Neither his publisher nor lawyer immediately responded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from office would take a two-thirds majority .
There are 53 Republican senators and none has publicly advocated removal .
Trump lashed out at Bolton on Twitter on Wednesday , saying Bolton “ couldn ’ t get approved for the Ambassador to the U.N. years ago , couldn ’ t get approved for anything since , ‘ begged ’ me for a non Senate approved job ” and added that “ if I listened to him , we would be in World War Six by now.
” Trump added that Bolton “ goes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ untrue book .
All Classified National Security .
Who would do this ?
” Trump has said he fired Bolton .
Bolton , who served as a temporary “ recess appointee ” as American ambassador to the United Nations under Republican former President George W. Bush , has said he quit .
Responding to a question by top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer , lead House prosecutor Adam Schiff said there would be no way to have a fair trial without witnesses .
“ And when you have a witness as plainly relevant as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the most serious and most egregious of the president ’ s misconduct , who has volunteered to come and testify – to turn him away , to look the other way , I think is deeply at odds with being an impartial juror , ” Schiff said .


oann--2020-01-30--China virus deaths rise to 170 as hit to global economy looms

BEIJING ( Reuters ) – Hundreds of foreign evacuees from the Chinese city of Wuhan entered quarantine on Thursday as deaths from a fast-spreading virus rose to 170 and markets shuddered at the impact of an inevitable big hit to the world ’ s No .
2 economy .
All eyes were on the World Health Organization ( WHO ) , which has held off declaring the flu-like coronavirus a global emergency but was to reconsider that later in the day .
Such a declaration would trigger tighter containment and information-sharing guidelines , but may disappoint Beijing , which had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” virus .
It could also potentially spook markets further .
“ The fear is that they ( the WHO ) might raise the alarm bells … so people are taking money off the table , ” said Chris Weston , head of research at Melbourne brokerage Pepperstone .
The day after a state economist forecast the crisis would lop a percentage point off China ’ s first quarter growth , global stocks tumbled , the yuan hit its lowest this year , oil prices slid again and safe haven assets like gold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an illegal wildlife market in the central city of Wuhan , has now claimed 170 lives and infected 7,711 people in China , latest official data showed .
Almost all the deaths have been in Hubei province – of which Wuhan is the capital – where 60 million people are now living under virtual lockdown , staying inside their homes and only venturing out with masks on .
“ Canteens are not open .
Most of the shops are closed .
We can not go out and buy food , ” Si @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Myanmar trapped in Wuhan , told online news outlet the Democratic Voice of Burma .
“ Honestly , I have one big potato and three packs of instant noodles and some rice , ” he said .
Myanmar plans a special flight to get the students out within three days .
As other countries fly citizens out , cut flights and corporate travel , and heighten screening , another 105 cases have emerged in at least 16 places from Japan to the United States .
An Italian cruise ship ’ s 6,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were held on two Chinese travelers suspected of having the coronavirus .
The crisis has stoked a wave of anti-China sentiment around the globe , from shops barring Chinese tourists to online mockery and surprise checks on foreign workers .
Australia , South Korea , Singapore , New Zealand and Indonesia were quarantining evacuees for at least two weeks , though the United States and Japan planned shorter , voluntary isolation .
Three Japanese , from 206 evacuated on Wednesday , were infected , and worryingly two of them had not shown symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flight included nine people showing fever or coughing symptoms , broadcaster NHK said .
India was the latest nation to report a case , a student of Wuhan University .
And South Koreans protested at facilities earmarked as quarantine centers , throwing eggs at a minister .
“ The weapons that will protect us from the new coronavirus are not fear and aversion , but trust and cooperation , ” said South Korean President Moon Jae-in as Seoul prepared to evacuate the first of about 700 citizens from Wuhan .
In the corporate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Sweden ’ s IKEA were the latest big names to close China operations .
Samsung Electronics said it had extended holiday closure for some Chinese production facilities .
Airlines to suspend flights to China include British Airways , Lufthansa , Air Canada and American Airlines .
Air France cabin crew unions were demanding the same , sources said , though the company has already allowed pilots and crew to opt out of China flights .
Fuelling concern over the damage to productivity , thousands of Chinese factory workers on Lunar New Year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work next week , due to extensive travel restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the virus .
Global policymakers are anxious , with China taking center stage at U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell ’ s news conference on Wednesday .
“ China ’ s economy is very important in the global economy now , and when China ’ s economy slows down we do feel that – not as much though as countries that are near China , or that trade more actively with China , like some of the Western @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Streets in many Chinese cities were largely deserted and tourist attractions shut .
Starbucks coffee shops were requiring temperature checks and masks .
Cases of human-to-human transmission outside China are of particular concern to medics , but it is too early to determine how lethal the coronavirus is , as there are likely to be many cases of milder infections going undetected .
It has an incubation time of between one and 14 days .
Chinese National Health Commission Minister Ma Xiaowei said this week the virus was infectious during incubation , unlike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , another virus that emerged from China and killed about 800 people in 2002 and 2003 .
The global cost from SARS was estimated at $ 33 billion , or 0.1 % of world GDP in 2003 .
Many economists fear the impact on global growth could be bigger this time than from SARS as China now accounts for a larger share of the world economy .


oann--2020-02-07--Death of doctor who sounded coronavirus alarm sparks anger at government

BEIJING/SHANGHAI ( Reuters ) – A Chinese doctor who was reprimanded for warning against a “ SARS-like ” coronavirus before it was officially recognised died of the virus on Friday , triggering a wave of mourning in China and rare online expressions of anger towards the government .
The death of Li Wenliang , 34 , came as Chinese President Xi Jinping assured the United States that China was doing all it could to contain the virus .
The death toll in mainland China reached 637 on Friday , with a total to 31,211 cases , World Health Organization chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ For the last two days there had been fewer reported infections in China , which is good news , but we caution against reading too much into that , ” he told the WHO Executive Board .
“ The numbers could go up again.
” U.S. President Donald Trump , after speaking to Xi by phone , said China was showing “ great discipline ” in tackling the virus .
“ Nothing is easy , but he will be successful , especially as the weather starts to warm & the virus hopefully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trump said on Twitter .
“ …We are working closely with China to help !
” Ophthalmologist Li was among eight people reprimanded by police in the city of Wuhan , the epicentre of the flu-like contagion in central Hubei province , for spreading “ illegal and false ” information .
Li ’ s social media warnings of a new “ SARS-like ” coronavirus – a reference to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome , which killed almost 800 people around the world in 2002-2003 after originating in China – angered police .
China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SARS .
Li was forced to sign a letter on Jan. 3 , saying he had “ severely disrupted social order ” and was threatened with charges .
A selfie of him lying on a hospital bed this week wearing an oxygen respirator and holding up his Chinese identification card was shared widely online .
“ We deeply mourn the death of Wuhan doctor Li Wenliang … After all-effort rescue , Li passed away , ” the ruling Communist Party ’ s People ’ s Daily said on Twitter .
“ Wuhan indeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hu Xijin , editor of the government-backed Global Times tabloid , said on social media .
“ Wuhan and Hubei officials also owe a solemn apology to the people of Hubei and this country.
” Li ’ s death was a “ tragic reminder ” of how China ’ s preoccupation with maintaining stability drives it to suppress vital information , Nicholas Bequelin , Southeast Asia regional director for Amnesty International said .
“ China must learn the lesson from Li ’ s case and adopt a rights-respecting approach to combating the epidemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus to SARS and MERS : https : //tmsnrt.rs/2GK6YVK Some media described Li as a hero “ willing to speak the truth ” but there were signs that discussion of his death was being censored .
The topics “ the Wuhan government owes doctor Li Wenliang an apology ” and “ we want free speech ” briefly trended on Weibo late on Thursday , but yielded no search results on Friday .
The virus has spread around the world , with 320 cases in 27 countries and regions outside mainland China , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Two deaths have been reported outside mainland China , in Hong Kong and the Philippines , but how deadly and contagious the virus is remains unclear , prompting countries to quarantine hundreds of people and cut travel links with China .
There were 41 new cases among about 3,700 people quarantined in a cruise ship moored off Japan , taking the total on board to 61 .
Chinese-ruled Hong Kong quarantined for a third day a cruise ship with 3,600 on board after three people who had been on the vessel proved infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not linked to previous infections or travel to China , prompting it to raise its alert to orange , the level it reached during the SARS outbreak in 2003 .
China has sealed off cities , cancelled flights and closed factories , cutting supply lines to global businesses , so that Beijing resembles a ghost town , with main thoroughfares and tourist spots almost deserted .
The majority of U.S. firms with operations in China expect the outbreak to cut revenue this year , and some are accelerating plans to shift their supply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a poll by Shanghai ’ s American Chamber of Commerce .
The ramifications are being widely felt .
China ’ s central bank vowed further support for its economy , with the outbreak expected to knock two percentage points , or more , off its first-quarter growth , from 6 % , analysts said .
Chinese stocks had their worst week since May , while elsewhere in Asia , financial markets slipped after several days of gains .
As Trump praised China ’ s discipline , the head of the Beijing Municipal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told reporters that people deliberately concealing contacts or refusing to go into isolation could be punished with death .


oann--2020-02-10--Irish nationalists Sinn Fein demand place in government after strong election showing

DUBLIN/CORK , Ireland ( Reuters ) – Irish nationalists Sinn Fein demanded on Sunday to be part of the next Irish government after the left-wing party secured the most votes in an election that leader Mary Lou McDonald described as a ballot-box “ revolution ” .
The former political wing of the Irish Republican Army , which has recast itself as the main left-wing party , secured 24.5 % of first-preference votes , almost doubling its share from the last election in 2016 .
That put it ahead of the center-right Fianna Fail on 22.2 % and the Fine Gael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20.9 % in an election analysts described as a seismic shift away from Ireland ’ s century-old , center-right duopoly .
“ I think it is fair to say that this election has been historic .
It is something of a revolution in the ballot box , ” McDonald told reporters after arriving at her election count to a huge ovation from party supporters .
But her party appeared set to fall behind at least one of its rivals in terms of seat numbers after the surge caught even it off guard and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is unlikely to be more than a junior partner in government as a result .
The final results will not be known until Monday or later .
It took the parties 10 weeks to form a government in 2016 .
Sinn Fein ’ s ultimate goal is reuniting British-run Northern Ireland with Ireland and has said a condition for any coalition is the immediate preparations for a unity referendum it would push London to hold within five years .
She said Sinn Fein would talk to all parties about forming a government and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do the same .
“ I do not accept the exclusion or talk of excluding our party , a party that represents now a quarter of the electorate , and I think that is fundamentally undemocratic , ” she said .
Fine Gael and Fianna Fail , which have between them led every government since the 1922 foundation of the state , ruled out a coalition with Sinn Fein before the election .
But although Varadkar reiterated his rejection because of “ principle and policy ” , Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin declined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coalition with Sinn Fein , saying only that there were significant incompatibilities on policy .
“ Our policies and our principles have not changed overnight , ” he said .
“ But what is important is that the country comes first.
” Some of his senior lawmakers disagreed strongly , however , with the idea of such a coalition .
Sinn Fein has moved on from the long leadership of Gerry Adams , the face of the IRA ’ s war against British rule in Northern Ireland – a conflict in which some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peace deal .
Irish tricolor flags were flown at a Dublin count center as Sinn Fein supporters were led in a chorus of the Irish rebel song “ Come Out Ye Black and Tans ” by a lawmaker jailed for possession of explosives in 1981 .
Opponents of Sinn Fein say its high-spending promises and pledge to increase taxes on the wealthy would discourage foreign multinationals that employ one-in-10 Irish workers .
But some parties have praised detailed policies such as a proposed rent freeze and the large-scale building of houses by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of housing , the key election issue .
Varadkar ’ s Fine Gael , in power since 2011 , were not certain to have more seats than Sinn Fein , the 41-year-old premier said .
Fine Gael ’ s focus on the fastest-growing economy in the European Union and success in negotiating a Brexit deal that avoided a “ hard border ” with Northern Ireland – with border checks reinstated – failed to capture the imagination of voters more focused on issues such as health and housing .
Varadkar said he would talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forming a government .
The option of another minority government led by either Fine Gael or Fianna Fail or a first coalition between the two parties also remains .
“ It ’ s not going to be easy to put a government together , for anyone , ” said Foreign Minister Simon Coveney of Fine Gael .


oann--2020-02-10--South Korea’s ‘Parasite’ beats Hollywood greats to make Oscar history

LOS ANGELES ( Reuters ) – “ Parasite , ” a dark social satire from South Korea , won the Oscar for best picture on Sunday , making history as the first film in a language other than English to claim the movie industry ’ s highest honor .
“ Parasite , ” about the gap between rich and poor in modern Seoul , won a total of four Oscars , including best director and original screenplay for Bong Joon Ho and best international feature film .
No film had ever won both international feature film and best picture at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outcome for a film that played with subtitles in the United States , beating movies by major studios and Hollywood veterans such as Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino .
The win also came at the end of an awards season that had been criticized for lack of diversity .
Instead , the Oscars stage was crowded with South Korean actors and filmmakers , who mostly spoke to the audience through an interpreter .
“ I am speechless , ” said Kwak Sin Ae , one of “ Parasite ” ‘ s co-producers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ happen .
We are so happy .
I feel like a very opportune moment in history is happening right now.
” When Bong got his first Oscar of the night – for best original screenplay – he gazed at the golden statuette in amazement .
He later paid tribute to his four fellow director nominees , saying , “ I would like to get a Texas chainsaw and split the Oscar into five and share it with all of you.
” The ceremony , held without an official host , was peppered with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of women from the directing category and the list of 20 acting nominees that included just one person of color .
“ I thought there was something missing this year , ” quipped comedian Steve Martin , opening the show with Chris Rock .
PHOENIX GIVES THANKS FOR SECOND CHANCE The acting Oscars went as expected .
Joaquin Phoenix won best actor for playing a failing clown who finds fame through violence in the dark comic-book tale “ Joker , ” and Renee Zellweger was named best actress for her performance as an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Judy.
” Phoenix , a strict vegan , gave a long , impassioned acceptance speech about climate change and animal rights but concluded on a personal note .
“ I ’ ve been a scoundrel in my life .
I ’ ve been selfish , cruel at times and hard to work with , and I ’ m grateful that so many people in this room have given me a second chance , ” he said .
World War One movie “ 1917 , ” from Universal Pictures , had been seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just three of its 10 nominations .
They came for its stunning “ one-shot ” feel cinematography , for visual effects and for sound mixing .
Tarantino ’ s sentimental ode to Tinseltown , “ Once Upon a Time in Hollywood , ” brought the first acting Oscar for Brad Pitt , who played a supporting role as a laid-back stunt man .
Laura Dern took the supporting actress Oscar , her first Academy Award , for playing a ruthless divorce lawyer in “ Marriage Story.
” But Netflix movie “ The Irishman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Scorsese that had 10 Oscar nominations and starred Hollywood veterans Robert De Niro , Al Pacino and Joe Pesci – came away empty-handed .
Music played a large part in the ceremony , with a surprise performance by rapper Eminem of his 2003 Oscar-winning song “ Lose Yourself ” from the movie “ 8 Mile.
” Elton John won best original song for “ ( I ’ m Gon na ) Love Me Again ” from his biopic “ Rocketman , ” which he performed at Sunday night ’ s ceremony .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ won five Grammys last month , sang the Beatles hit ballad “ Yesterday ” for the in memoriam segment .
“ American Factory , ” about the decline of manufacturing jobs in the industrial Midwest from former U.S. President Barack and first lady Michelle Obama ’ s new production company , won the Oscar for best documentary .


oann--2020-02-11--Coronavirus deaths in China top 1,000 as investors seek safety in gold, dollars

BEIJING/GENEVA ( Reuters ) – The death toll in China climbed above 1,000 , as the World Health Organization ( WHO ) cautioned that the spread of cases outside of China could be “ the spark that becomes a bigger fire ” and said the human race must not let the epidemic get out of control .
Hubei province , the epicenter out the outbreak , reported 103 deaths on Monday – the most in any single day – after 91 deaths on Sunday .
But the 2,097 new cases was down from the previous day , when there were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time new cases have fallen .
Hubei reported 2,841 cases on Feb. 7 and 2,147 the next day .
There are now over 42,000 confirmed cases in China as well as 319 cases in 24 other countries , including one death , according to WHO and Chinese health officials .
The Diamond Princess cruise ship with 3,700 passengers and crew on board remained quarantined in the Japanese port of Yokohama , with 65 more cases detected , taking the number of confirmed cases from the Carnival Corp-owned < CCL.N > vessel to 135 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and treatments , the WHO says 168 labs globally have the right technology to diagnose the virus .
Companies have been struggling to find clinical virus samples needed to validate the diagnostic tests they have developed .
Worries about the coronavirus kept investors on edge with safe-havens like gold rising and the dollar hitting a four-month high against the euro on Monday .
In Europe , shares in car companies < .SXAP > exposed to China slumped , while prices of oil , iron ore and copper fell on worries over weaker Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Street rose on optimism for corporate earnings and the economy , with the Nasdaq hitting a record high .
[ MKTS/GLOB ] British Airways canceled all its flights to mainland China until the end of March .
Wu Fan , vice-dean of Shanghai Fudan University Medical school , said there was hope of a turning point in the outbreak .
But WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday there had been “ concerning instances ” of transmission from people who had not been to China .
“ It could be the spark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva .
An advance team of international WHO experts arrived in China to investigate the outbreak .
Its death toll has now surpassed that of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ) , which killed hundreds worldwide in 2002/2003 .
Chinese cities have become virtual ghost towns after Communist Party rulers ordered lockdowns , canceled flights and closed factories and schools .
Ten extra days had been added to the Lunar New Year holidays that had been due to finish at the end of January to help slow the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , many workplaces remained closed as people worked from home .
Graphic : Comparing new coronavirus to SARS and MERS – https : //graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-VIRUS-COMPARISON/0100B5BY3CY/index.html Few commuters braved the morning rush-hour on one of Beijing ’ s busiest subway lines .
All wore masks .
One Beijing government official , Zhang Gewho , said it would be harder to curb the spread of the virus as people returned to work .
“ The capacity of communities and flow of people will greatly increase the difficulty , ” he said .
Hubei , the province @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the outbreak , remains in virtual lockdown , with its train stations and airports shut and roads sealed .
China ’ s central bank has taken steps to support the economy , including reducing interest rates and flushing the market with liquidity , and will also now provide special funds for banks to lend to businesses .
President Xi Jinping said the government would prevent large-scale layoffs , Chinese state television reported .
Xi was shown on television inspecting the work of community leaders in Beijing and wearing a mask as he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would strive to meet economic and social targets for the year .
One senior economist has said growth may slow to 5 % or less in the first quarter .
More than 300 Chinese firms including Meituan Dianping < 3690.HK > , China ’ s largest food delivery company , and smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp < 1810.HK > were seeking loans totaling at least 57.4 billion yuan ( $ 8.2 billion ) , banking sources said .
E-commerce firm Alibaba < BABA.N > said its affiliate , Ant Financial ’ s MYBank unit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 2.86 billion ) in loans to companies in China , with preferential terms for Hubei firms .
Apple ’ s < AAPL.O > biggest iPhone maker , Foxconn , won approval to resume production in the eastern central Chinese city of Zhengzhou , but only 10 % of the workforce managed to return , a source said .
Foxconn , formally Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd < 2317.TW > , won approval to resume partial production in the southern city of Shenzhen from Tuesday .
A prolonged and widespread coronavirus outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tourism , retail and exports , an International Monetary Fund official said .
Canada said the outbreak will hit tourism and its oil industry .


oann--2020-02-12--New coronavirus cases lowest since Jan. 31 in China province at outbreak’s epicenter

GUANGZHOU , China/GENEVA ( Reuters ) – The coronavirus outbreak in China may be over by April , the country ’ s senior medical adviser said on Tuesday , and the latest numbers of new cases may further feed that optimism .
Hubei , the province at the epicenter of the outbreak that has been under virtual lockdown , reported 94 people died and there were 1,068 new coronavirus cases as of Tuesday .
That is down from a peak of over 3,000 new cases on Feb. 4 , and the lowest number of new infections since 1,347 were reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in China have surpassed 1,100 and the World Health Organization ( WHO ) warned of a global threat potentially worse than terrorism .
The world must “ wake up and consider this enemy virus as public enemy number one , ” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters , adding the first vaccine was 18 months away .
China ’ s foremost medical adviser on the outbreak , Zhong Nanshan , said numbers of new cases were falling in some provinces and forecast the epidemic would peak this month .
“ I hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over in something like April , ” Zhong , an epidemiologist who played a role in combating an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ) in 2003 , told Reuters .
World stocks , which had seen rounds of sell-offs over the coronarvirus ’ impact on China ’ s economy and its ripple effects , surged to record highs on Zhong ’ s comments .
The Dow industrials , S & P 500 and Nasdaq all hit new peaks .
[ MKTS/GLOB ] Even if the epidemic ends soon , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s economy , as companies began laying off workers and other firms said they would need loans running into billions of dollars to stay afloat .
Supply chains for car manufacturers to smartphone makers have broken down .
Total cases of the new coronavirus in China have now surpassed 44,000 , according to the WHO and Chinese health officials .
Statistics from China indicate about 2 % of people infected with the new virus have died , many of them elderly or with prior medical conditions .
But the spread of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has already caused widespread disruption .
St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said China ’ s economy was expected to “ slow noticeably ” in the first quarter and anyone pricing assets should for now consider the “ tail risk ” that the outbreak could get worse .
But Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said the financial spillover from the outbreak looked containable , though it was still early to judge the economic impact .
The WHO ’ s Tedros was less sanguine about the virus , now officially named @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for virus , D for disease and 19 for the year it emerged .
World health organizations wanted a name that did not refer to a location or animal .
“ To be honest a virus is more powerful in creating political , social and economic upheaval than any terrorist attack , ” he said .
“ It ’ s the worst enemy you can imagine.
” The impact of travel curbs , lockdowns and production suspensions is being felt increasingly on China ’ s economy .
JPMorgan analysts downgraded forecasts for Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rystad Energy predicted the outbreak would cut growth in global oil demand by a quarter this year .
Cisco Systems Inc < CSCO.O > , Facebook Inc < FB.O > , AT & T < T.N > and Sprint Corp < S.N > became the latest U.S. technology companies to pull out of an international telecoms conference in Barcelona because of the outbreak .
The organizer of the event , the telecom industry ’ s biggest annual gathering , will discuss whether to cancel it , an industry source said .
Inside China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bank loans totaling 57.4 billion yuan ( $ 8.2 billion ) to help cope with the disruption , banking sources said .
Graphic : Comparing new coronavirus to SARS and MERS – https : //graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-VIRUS-COMPARISON/0100B5BY3CY/index.html Chinese firm Xinchao Media said on Monday it had laid off 500 people , or just over a tenth of its workforce , and restaurant chain Xibei said it was worried about how to pay its roughly 20,000 workers .
Hubei , where the flu-like virus emerged in China from a wildlife market in the provincial capital of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its stations and airports shut and roads blocked .
With public anger rising , Hubei ’ s government dismissed the provincial health commission ’ s Communist Party boss , Zhang Jin , and director Liu Yingzi , state media said .
Washington , whose travel restrictions have offended Beijing , authorized the voluntary departure of U.S. government employees and family members from Chinese-ruled Hong Kong “ out of an abundance of caution , ” the State Department said .
Dr. Anne Schuchat , an official from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoped the first group of Americans evacuated from Wuhan could be released from their quarantine on Tuesday .
Off Japan ’ s port of Yokohama , the Diamond Princess cruise ship with 3,700 passengers and crew remained quarantined , with the number of confirmed cases at 135 – the largest single cluster of cases outside China .
Thailand said it had barred passengers from getting off another ship , Holland America Line ’ s MS Westerdam , though no confirmed infections have been found on board .


oann--2020-02-14--China reports big rise in coronavirus deaths, WHO sees no ‘tip of iceberg’

BEIJING/TOKYO ( Reuters ) – The Chinese province at the center of the coronavirus outbreak reported a record rise in deaths and thousands more infections using a broader definition on Thursday , while Japan became the third place outside mainland China to suffer a fatality .
The epidemic has given China ’ s ruling Communist Party one of its sternest challenges in years , constrained the world ’ s second largest economy and triggered a purge of provincial bureaucrats .
With China ’ s streets , restaurants and flower markets bare , a miserable Valentine ’ s Day was expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus death – a woman in her 80s living in Kanagawa prefecture near Tokyo – adding to two previous fatalities in Hong Kong and the Philippines .
For all related coverage on the outbreak , click : https : //www.reuters.com/live-events/coronavirus-6-id2921484 For related Reuters graphics on the new coronavirus , click : https : //tmsnrt.rs/2GVwIyw Japan is one of the worst affected of more than two dozen other countries and territories that have seen hundreds of infections from the flu-like sickness .
The Japanese woman fell ill in January but only later showed symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus confirmed after her death and the contagion route under investigation , the health minister said .
However , the big jump in China ’ s reported cases reflects a decision by authorities there to reclassify a backlog of suspected cases by using patients ’ chest images , and is not necessarily the “ tip of an iceberg ” of a wider epidemic , a top World Health Organization official said on Thursday .
Mike Ryan , head of WHO ’ s health emergencies program , said that more than 14,000 new cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a change to include results from quicker computerized tomography ( CT ) scans that reveal lung infections , rather than relying just on laboratory tests to confirm cases .
“ We ’ ve seen this spike in the number of cases reported in China , but this does not represent a significant change in the trajectory of the outbreak , ” Ryan told a briefing in Geneva .
The biggest cluster of infections outside China is on a cruise liner now quarantined off a Japanese port and a further 44 cases were reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total to 219 .
But authorities said some elderly people would finally to be allowed to disembark on Friday .
“ Outside the cases on the Diamond Princess cruise ship we are not seeing a dramatic increase in transmission outside China , ” the WHO ’ s Ryan said .
He added that the main U.N. health agency expected the rest of a special WHO team to arrive in China over the coming weekend to investigative the epicenter of the epidemic .
U.S. President Donald Trump praised China over its response and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I think they ’ ve handled it professionally , and I think they ’ re extremely capable , ” Trump said in a podcast broadcast on iHeart Radio .
But Trump ’ s top White House economic adviser , Larry Kudlow , was more critical .
“ We ’ re a little disappointed in the lack of transparency coming from the Chinese , these numbers are jumping around… there was some surprise , ” he told reporters .
In central China ’ s Hubei province , officials said 242 people died on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the flu-like virus emerged in the provincial capital Wuhan in December .
The rise , following a forecast earlier this week by China ’ s senior medical adviser that the epidemic might end there by April , halted a global stocks rally .
[ MKTS/GLOB ] But it appeared largely due to the change in methodology .
Hubei had previously only allowed infections to be confirmed by RNA tests , which can take days .
RNA , or ribonucleic acid , carries genetic information allowing identification of viruses .
But it has also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Hubei health commission said , to pinpoint and isolate cases faster .
As a result , another 14,840 new cases were reported in the province on Thursday , up from 2,015 new cases nationwide a day earlier .
But excluding cases confirmed using the new methods , the number of new cases rose by only 1,508 .
About 60,000 people have been infected in total , the vast majority of them in China .
The outbreak , believed to have emerged from a Wuhan market where wildlife was traded illegally , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Provincial Communist Party boss Jiang Chaoliang was fired as secretary of the Hubei Provincial Committee , and Ma Guoqiang removed as party chief in Wuhan , state media said .
They were the two highest-profile officials to be axed since the outbreak .
Chinese scientists are testing two antiviral drugs and preliminary results are weeks away , although WHO chiefs have cautioned a vaccine could take 18 months .
While the Princess Diamond cruise liner remained in quarantine , another luxury liner , the MS Westerdam , was finally allowed to dock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Japan , the Philippines , Taiwan and Thailand over fears that one of its 1,455 passengers and 802 crew might have the virus – even though none had tested positive .
The Westerdam ’ s passengers clapped and cheered on their arrival at sunset .


oann--2020-02-14--Beijing quarantines returning residents as China struggles to pick up economy

BEIJING ( Reuters ) – People returning to the Chinese capital Beijing from extended holidays on Friday were ordered to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine to help prevent spread of the new coronavirus , as hard-hit Hubei province reported more than 2,400 new cases .
The official Beijing Daily newspaper said people failing to obey would be punished but it was not immediately clear how that would be enforced , or whether the restrictions would apply to non-residents of Beijing or foreigners arriving from abroad .
“ From now on , all those who have returned to Beijing should stay at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 14 days after arriving , ” read the notice from Beijing ’ s virus prevention working group cited by the Beijing Daily .
“ Those who refuse to accept home or centralized observation and other prevention and control measures will be held accountable under law , ” it said .
Stricter containment measures were planned elsewhere as well .
Honghu city in Hubei province imposed a “ wartime ” lock-down beginning on Friday , with strict management of entry into housing compounds and villages , according to an official social media account of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CCTV reported .
Hubei officials said there were 2,420 new cases on Friday and 139 more deaths .
A top Chinese official , in an interview with Reuters , acknowledged that coronavirus was a huge challenge , but defended Beijing ’ s management of the epidemic and lashed out at the “ overreaction ” of some countries .
State Councillor Wang Yi , who also serves as China ’ s foreign minister , said China has taken decisive measures to fight the epidemic , many going beyond international health regulations and World Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Through our efforts the epidemic is overall under control , ” he said .
China is struggling to get the world ’ s second largest economy going after the annual Lunar New Year holiday , which was extended by 10 days to help contain the highly contagious virus .
Including the latest numbers from Hubei at the epicenter of the outbreak , the total number of cases in mainland China now exceeds 66,000 , with more than 1,500 deaths .
The figures show no sign that the outbreak is nearing a peak , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expert at the Center for International Security Studies at the University of Sydney .
With 500 million people already affected by movement and travel restrictions , President Xi Jinping warned top officials last week that efforts to contain the virus had gone too far and were threatening the economy , sources said .
In Beijing and the business hub Shanghai , streets and subways remain largely deserted with many shops and restaurants empty or shut .
Government employee Jin Yang , 28 , made it to his Beijing office and found it “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ banned in favor of boxed meals eaten at desks .
Meetings are held online , not in person .
Employees must wear masks all day and report their temperature twice a day as fever is one of the virus ’ main symptoms .
Outside mainland China , there have been nearly 450 cases in some 24 countries and territories , and three deaths .
Japan confirmed its first coronavirus death on Thursday .
One person has died in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines .
Wuhan , the central Chinese city of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has been hardest hit by the virus .
With all public transport , taxis and ride-hailing services shut down in the city , volunteer drivers are responding to requests on ad hoc messaging groups to ferry medical staff and others in vital jobs to and from work , risking their own health .
Others work round the clock to find accommodation for medical workers in hotels that have volunteered rooms .
Graphic : Comparing new coronavirus to SARS and MERS – https : //graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-VIRUS-COMPARISON/0100B5BY3CY/index.html “ Everyone in our group has such a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 53-year-old Chen Hui , who runs one of the ad hoc ride services .
The virus is killing around 2 % of those infected , but has spread faster than other respiratory viruses that emerged this century .
A WHO-led joint mission with China will start its outbreak investigation work this weekend , focusing on how the new coronavirus is spreading and its severity , WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said .
The mission will also seek more details on how , where and when the more than 1,700 healthworkers infected contracted the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The mission will also look into what “ information is needed so that the world can use this window of opportunity to prepare health systems and workers for possible outbreaks , ” Tedros said .
Economists polled by Reuters said China ’ s economic downturn would be short-lived if the outbreak was contained , but expected this quarter would show China ’ s slowest growth rate since the global financial crisis .
The Chinese carmakers ’ association said auto sales in China were likely to slide more than 10 % in the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ epidemic .
Vietnam has imposed a 20-day quarantine on Son Loi , a rural community outside Hanoi where 11 of the country ’ s 16 coronavirus cases are located , two local officials said .
The virus is taking its toll on the $ 46 billion global ocean cruise industry .
The biggest cluster of infections outside China has been on a cruise liner quarantined in a Japanese port , with 218 people on board infected and taken to hospital .
On Friday , some passengers were allowed to disembark to complete their @ @ @ @


oann--2020-02-18--Coronavirus cases in China’s Hubei fall for second day, Apple and markets feel impact

BEIJING/GENEVA ( Reuters ) – New coronavirus cases in the Chinese province at the epicenter of the outbreak fell for a second straight day , but deaths rose after the World Health Organization had cautioned there was not yet enough data to know if the epidemic had slowed .
Hubei reported 1,693 new cases as of Tuesday , down from 1,807 the previous day and the lowest number in the province since Feb. 11 .
But deaths rose by 132 , up from 93 the previous day .
The latest figures bring the total number of cases in China to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The head of a leading hospital in China ’ s central city of Wuhan , where the virus is believed to have originated , died of the disease , becoming one of the most prominent victims since the novel virus first appeared at the end of last year .
Illustrating the impact of the outbreak on worldwide growth and corporate profits , oil prices tumbled and equity markets slid after Apple Inc < AAPL.O > issued a revenue warning due to the disruption the disease is causing to global supply chains .
World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Chinese data “ appears to show a decline in new cases ” but any apparent trend “ must be interpreted very cautiously.
” Outside China , there have been 827 cases of the disease , known as COVID-19 , and five deaths , according to a Reuters count based on official statements .
More than half of those cases have been on a cruise ship quarantined off Japan .
Tedros said there had been 92 cases of human-to-human spread of the coronavirus in 12 countries outside China .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus except in specific circumstances like the Diamond Princess cruise ship , ” he said .
Russia , however , was taking no chances .
Starting on Thursday , it will suspend entry of many Chinese citizens .
By the end of this week , the WHO said , 40 countries in Africa and 29 in the Americas are due to have the ability to detect COVID-19 .
“ Many of these countries have been sending samples to other countries for testing , waiting several days for results .
Now they can do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tedros said .
China says figures indicating a slowdown in new cases in recent days show that aggressive steps it has taken to curb travel and commerce are slowing the spread of the disease beyond central Hubei province and its capital , Wuhan .
The WHO ’ s Mike Ryan said China had success with “ putting out the fire ” first in Hubei and ensuring that people returning to Beijing from the Lunar New Year holiday are monitored .
“ Right now , the strategic and tactical approach in China is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers appear encouraging , said Mark Woolhouse , a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at Britain ’ s University of Edinburgh , who described himself as cautious .
Chinese state television said Liu Zhiming , the director of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital , died on Tuesday , the seventh health worker to fall victim .
The hospital was designated solely for treating virus-infected patients .
Despite global concerns about the economic impact of the disease , China ’ s ambassador to the European Union said on Tuesday this would be “ limited , short-term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough resources to step in if needed .
Chinese state television quoted President Xi Jinping as saying China could still meet its economic growth target for 2020 despite the epidemic .
Economists are warning of potential mass layoffs in China later this year if the virus is not contained soon .
“ The employment situation is OK in the first quarter , but if the virus is not contained by end-March , then from the second quarter , we ’ ll see a big round of layoffs , ” said Dan Wang , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( EIU ) .
Job losses could run as high as 4.5 million , he forecast .
Britain ’ s biggest carmaker , Jaguar Land Rover , has flown Chinese parts in suitcases to Britain to maintain production and could run out after two weeks because of the coronavirus .
Components made in China are used in millions of vehicles assembled around the world , and Hubei province is a major hub for vehicle parts production and shipments .
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the economy there was in an emergency situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disrupted demand for South Korean goods .
Singapore announced a $ 4.5 billion financial package to help contain the outbreak in the city-state and weather its economic impact .
Japan , where the economy was already shrinking and the epidemic has created fears of recession , the spread of the virus has prompted Tokyo to put limits on public crowds while some companies are telling employees to work from home .


oann--2020-02-20--Coronavirus fears create ghost town in South Korea after church ‘super-spreader’

SEOUL/BEIJING ( Reuters ) – The streets of South Korea ’ s fourth-largest city were abandoned on Thursday , with residents holed up indoors after dozens of people caught the new coronavirus in what authorities described as a “ super-spreading event ” at a church .
The deserted shopping malls and cinemas of Daegu , a city of 2.5 million people , became one of the most striking images outside China of an outbreak that international authorities are trying stop from becoming a global pandemic .
New research suggesting the virus is more contagious than previously thought added to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus has killed more than 2,100 people and infected nearly 75,000 , officials changed their methodology for reporting infections , creating new doubt about data they have cited as evidence their containment strategy is working .
U.S. stocks fell on Thursday and gold prices hit their highest in seven years as investors sought safe havens over worries about the coronavirus ’ economic impact .
[ MKTS/GLOB ] U.S. manufacturers are scrambling for alternative sources as supply chains in China , the workshop of the world , dry up .
“ If you look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if China suffers , everyone in the world will suffer as well , ” China ’ s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva , Chen Xu , told reporters .
Online site for coronavirus news – https : //www.reuters.com/live-events/coronavirus-6-id2921484 In South Korea , Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin told residents to stay indoors after 90 people who worshipped at one church showed symptoms and dozens of new cases were confirmed .
The church had been attended by a 61-year-old woman who tested positive , known as “ Patient 31.
” South Korea ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described the outbreak there as a “ super-spreading event.
” “ We are in an unprecedented crisis , ” Kwon told reporters , adding that all members of the church would be tested .
“ We ’ ve asked them to stay at home isolated from their families.
” Describing the abandoned streets , resident Kim Geun-woo , 28 , told Reuters by telephone : “ It ’ s like someone dropped a bomb in the middle of the city .
It looks like a zombie apocalypse.
” South Korea now has 104 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and reported its first death .
In China , officials have been pointing to evidence that new cases are declining as proof they are succeeding in keeping the virus largely contained to Hubei province and its capital , Wuhan , where the virus initially emerged .
“ We are encouraged by this trend but this is no time for complacency , ” World Health Organization ( WHO ) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a briefing in Geneva .
Some 25 other countries have reported 1,076 cases to the WHO , including five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
As a result , Kuwait Airways has suspended flights to Iran .
Iranian health officials urged all religious gatherings to be suspended in Qom , news agency ISNA said on Thursday , after two more people tested positive for the coronavirus in the holy city , where two died of it this week .
BEIJING MAY BE NEXT HOT SPOT Japan reported the deaths of two elderly passengers from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship on Thursday , the first fatalities from aboard the ship where more than 630 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside China .
Japan , due to host the Olympics in July , began allowing passengers who test negative to leave and hundreds disembarked on Wednesday and Thursday .
China ’ s Global Times newspaper reported 36 new cases at one Beijing hospital as of Thursday , a sharp increase from nine cases two weeks earlier .
It said this had led “ many to fear a potential explosion of infection numbers in the capital.
” China has imposed severe controls in Wuhan , a city of 11 million people , to halt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has taken urgent steps to keep the overall economy from crashing .
On Thursday , its central bank cut a borrowing rate , while the authorities extended an order for businesses in Wuhan to shut down until March 11 .
Schools in the city , which had been due to re-open on Friday , will also stay shut .
“ The economic and social impact of course is obvious , to what extent I can not pre-judge .
It is safe to say the cost will be very much , ” said China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that masks , protective gear and respiratory machines are needed .
Revisions to China ’ s methodology for confirming cases have raised doubts about its data .
Under the latest methodology , which excludes cases identified by chest X-rays , China reported fewer than 400 new cases over the past day , less than a quarter of the number it had been finding in recent days under the previous broader method .


oann--2020-02-22--Wells Fargo to pay $3 billion to U.S., admits pressuring workers in fake-accounts scandal

WASHINGTON ( Reuters ) – Wells Fargo & Co < WFC.N > has agreed to pay $ 3 billion to resolve criminal and civil probes into fraudulent sales practices and has admitted to pressuring employees in a fake-accounts scandal , U.S. officials said on Friday , wrapping up one of the last major investigations looming over the bank .
Wells Fargo will pay the penalties to the U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission and enter into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement during which the San Francisco-based bank will continue to cooperate with any ongoing government investigations , Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the deal , Wells Fargo admitted that between 2002 and 2016 it pressured employees to meet “ unrealistic sales goals that led thousands of employees to provide millions of accounts or products to customers under false pretenses or without consent , often by creating false records or misusing customers ’ identities , ” the department said in a statement .
In a statement , Charles Scharf , Wells Fargo ’ s new chief executive , described the past conduct as “ reprehensible.
” Wells Fargo is the fourth-largest U.S. lender .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at multiple levels within the bank .
Simply put , Wells Fargo traded its hard-earned reputation for short-term profits , and harmed untold numbers of customers along the way , ” Nick Hanna , U.S. attorney for the Central District of California , said in a statement .
Top managers within Wells Fargo ’ s Community Bank division were aware of the “ unlawful and unethical ” practices as early as 2002 , and many of the practices were referred to as “ gaming ” within the bank , the Justice Department said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminal liability regarding Wells Fargo ’ s fake-accounts scandal .
About $ 500 million of the penalties will go to the SEC to be distributed to investors to settle charges that the bank committed fraud by misleading investors about its sales practices , an SEC official said on a call with reporters about the resolutions settlement .
Settling the multi-agency investigation marked an important milestone for Scharf , who joined the company from BNY Mellon in September shortly after the third anniversary of the scandal .
“ We are committing all necessary resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again , while also driving Wells Fargo forward , ” Scharf said .
Watchdog group Public Citizen criticized the deal , saying it does not go far enough .
“ Any resolution for Wells Fargo ’ s massive , management-directed misconduct must hold individuals to account .
We know many of the crimes , and we know that real executives , not some ghost in a machine , committed them , ” said Bartlett Naylor , a financial policy advocate with the Washington-based group .
The deal does not preclude civil or criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told reporters .
U.S .
Senator Elizabeth Warren , who is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election , wrote on Twitter , “ This is a small step in the right direction , but it ’ s not a substitute for holding senior executives individually accountable – and bringing criminal charges against them if the evidence justifies it.
” The probe examined activities in Wells Fargo ’ s community bank unit , with Justice Department citing pressure coming from the division ’ s leadership @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a U.S. bank regulator charged several former Wells Fargo executives for their roles in the scandal .
That included a settlement with former CEO John Stumpf and civil charges against Carrie Tolstedt , former head of the community bank unit .
“ Ms .
Tolstedt acted appropriately and in good faith at all times , and the effort to scapegoat her is both unfair and unfounded , ” her lawyer Enu Mainigi said on Friday .
The Justice Department inquiry was seen by analysts and investors as a key hurdle the bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on its growth strategy , which includes convincing the Federal Reserve to remove an unprecedented growth restriction placed on Wells Fargo ’ s balance sheet until it proves it has fixed its risk management and controls .
Wells Fargo had already paid out more than $ 4 billion in fines and penalties related to the scandal since 2016 .
Internal and external probes have uncovered issues in each of Wells Fargo ’ s major business lines , including wealth management and the commercial bank .
The U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wells Fargo ’ s conduct next month .
Over the past three years , Wells Fargo has taken various steps to fix its issues and rebuild trust with customers , investors and regulators .
They include changes to its board , centralizing risk teams and hiring an external chief executive .
However , ongoing reputation issues and unresolved legal matters have weighed on the bank ’ s stock price and profitability , which have lagged peers since 2016 .


oann--2020-02-22--New coronavirus cases fall in China, but WHO concerned by global spread

BEIJING ( Reuters ) – China reported a sharp fall in new deaths and cases of the coronavirus on Saturday , but world health officials warned it was too early to make predictions about the outbreak as new infections continued to rise in other countries .
Chinese authorities said the mainland had 397 new confirmed cases on Friday , down from 889 a day earlier .
The numbers surged elsewhere , though , with outbreaks worsening in South Korea , Iran , Italy and Lebanon .
In South Korea , authorities said on Saturday the number of new infections had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tally could rise significantly as more than 1,000 people who attended a church at the center of the outbreak reported flu-like symptoms .
The World Health Organization welcomed the reported decline in new Chinese cases , but said it was concerned about the number of new infections elsewhere with no clear link to China such as travel history or contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 , as the disease caused by the virus is known .
“ Our biggest concern continues to be the potential for COVID-19 to spread in countries with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said .
The U.N. agency is calling for $ 675 million to support most vulnerable countries , he said , adding 13 countries in Africa are seen as a priority because of their links to China .
In total , China has reported 75,569 cases to the WHO , and 2,239 deaths , Tedros said .
According to available data , the disease remains mild in 80 % of patients , and severe or critical in 20 % .
The virus has been fatal in 2 % of reported cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 26 countries and territories outside mainland China , killing more than a dozen people , according to a Reuters tally .
The latest Chinese figures showed only 31 of the new cases on Friday were outside of the virus epicenter of Hubei province , the lowest number since the National Health Commission started compiling nationwide data a month ago .
But new , albeit isolated findings about the coronavirus could complicate efforts to thwart it , including the Hubei government ’ s announcement on Saturday that an elderly man took 27 days to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presumed 14-day incubation period .
That follows Chinese scientists reporting that a woman from Wuhan had traveled 400 miles ( 675 km ) and infected five relatives without showing signs of infection .
State television showed the arrival in Wuhan of the “ blue whale ” on Saturday , the first of seven river cruise ships it is bringing in to house medical workers , tens of thousands of which have been sent to Hubei to contain the virus .
In Italy , the worst-affected country in Europe , the virus has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a woman in their 70s – and infected another 51 mostly in the north .
Some 50,000 residents in Codogno , southwest of Milan , and nearby towns have been advised to remain indoors .
Public gatherings including Sunday masses and football matches have been suspended , and schools and shops have been closed down .
Iran , which had no reported cases earlier this week , on Saturday announced the detection of 10 new cases of coronavirus and two more deaths , appearing to bring the number of infections to 29 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Japan , which confirmed 14 new cases on Saturday , faces growing questions about whether it is doing enough to contain its outbreak and whether the virus could disrupt this year ’ s Tokyo Olympics .
Organizers postponed the start of training for volunteers as a precaution .
The potential economic impact of the outbreak , which has caused massive disruption to businesses in China , overshadowed a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Saudi Arabia .
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva , presenting the fund ’ s outlook to central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the virus would likely lower China ’ s economic growth this year to 5.6 % , down 0.4 percentage points from its January outlook , and shave 0.1 percentage points from global growth .
Asian policymakers sought to soothe investors ’ fears over the outbreak , which has roiled global markets , with equities sliding on Friday .
Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said the yen ’ s recent declines were largely driven by a strong dollar , shrugging off some market views that the virus epidemic is triggering an outflow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ central bank officials , meanwhile , played down worries about the potential damage to the world ’ s second-largest economy , saying the country ’ s financial system and currency were resilient .
Chen Yulu , a deputy governor of the People ’ s Bank of China , said policymakers had plenty of tools to support the economy , and were confident of winning the war against the epidemic .
“ We believe that after this epidemic is over , pent-up demand for consumption and investment will be fully released , and China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Chen told state TV .


oann--2020-02-22--Sanders heads to big win in Nevada caucuses, Biden in second place

LAS VEGAS ( Reuters ) – Bernie Sanders appeared headed to a decisive victory in the Democratic presidential caucuses in Nevada on Saturday , and early returns showed Joe Biden landing a second-place finish that would give his struggling campaign new hope .
Fox News projected Sanders as the winner in Nevada , where scattered early returns showed him opening up a dominating lead with about 5 % of votes in .
Sanders , a U.S. senator from Vermont , will gain fresh momentum for his front-running candidacy in the Democratic White House race with the win in Nevada , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polls showed was strong support for a government-run Medicare for All healthcare plan like the one he has proposed .
Biden , the former vice president , had been in desperate need of a strong showing after poor finishes in the first two contests in Iowa and New Hampshire .
Biden was a distant second to Sanders , but ahead of former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend , Indiana , in third .
Senator Elizabeth Warren was fourth in scattered results in Nevada , where voters poured into more than 250 sites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a Democratic challenger to President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election .
In the final result of a caucus at the famed Bellagio hotel on the Las Vegas strip , Sanders finished with 76 votes , Biden had 45 and no other candidate ended with a vote .
Workers at the hotel , who are members of the Culinary Workers Union , streamed out of the caucus after backing Sanders despite their leadership expressing reservations about his healthcare plan .
“ I went for Bernie .
I ’ m not big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things he ’ s going for : student loan debt , schools , free healthcare , ” said Aleiza Smith , 22 , a housekeeper at the Bellagio .
An entrance poll by the Edison Research agency showed six in 10 Nevada voters at the caucuses backed the Medicare for All proposal , a version of which is also supported by Warren .
Six out of 10 caucus-goers want someone who can beat Trump more than someone who agrees with them on major issues , according to the poll .
Sanders , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the top of opinion polls nationally and in Nevada after strong performances in the first two nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire earlier this month .
The Nevada caucuses came a day after news broke that Sanders had been briefed by U.S. officials that Russia was trying to help his campaign as part of an effort to interfere with the 2020 presidential election .
The poll showed Sanders leading in Nevada with Hispanics , union families , and white college-educated women .
Around 54 % of Latino voters said they backed him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women and 34 % of those who have a union member in their families supported him .
While Sanders ’ rivals will try to blunt his momentum in the caucuses , they each face significant challenges of their own .
Biden and Warren are looking to jump-start struggling campaigns after poor finishes in the first two states , while former Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar are hoping to prove they can appeal to Nevada ’ s more diverse electorate .
On Friday evening , Sanders spoke to about 2,000 people in Las Vegas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take on “ the corporate elite ” and the “ whole damn 1 % ” .
Trump , who lost Nevada to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 , tweeted on Saturday that he expected to win in Nevada in the general election in November and alluded to the reports that a Russian disinformation effort was supporting Sanders .
Four days of early voting in Nevada this week drew more than 75,000 Democrats , more than half first-time voters , putting the party in position to surpass the turnout record of 118,000 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidacy electrified the party .
After days of delay and mistrust caused by a technical meltdown during the Iowa caucuses , Nevada Democratic Party officials said in a memo to campaigns on Friday that a telephone hotline many volunteers “ were already familiar with ” would be the main method of reporting precinct caucus results , not digital tools .
Precinct chairs will also text a photo of their caucus reporting sheet as part of efforts to strengthen the processes .
At a Democratic debate in Nevada on Wednesday , candidates launched scathing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former mayor of New York City , who has been rising in the polls on the back of a self-funded advertising blitz but is not competing in Nevada .
Warren ’ s campaign said on Saturday it had raised $ 14 million ahead of the caucuses , double a target it had set after a lackluster performance in New Hampshire , and fueled by donations following her fiery debate barrage aimed at Bloomberg .
The next primary will be on Feb. 29 in South Carolina , followed by the Super Tuesday contests in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than one-third of the pledged delegates who will help select a Democratic nominee .
Nevada is the first nominating state with a diverse population after contests in predominantly white Iowa and New Hampshire .


oann--2020-02-23--Sanders wins decisively in Nevada, Biden headed for second-place finish

LAS VEGAS ( Reuters ) – Bernie Sanders strengthened his front-runner position for the Democratic presidential nomination with a decisive victory in the Nevada caucuses on Saturday , while Joe Biden was on track for a second-place finish that would give his struggling campaign new hope .
A self-described democratic socialist , Sanders was backed by a diverse coalition of young and middle-aged voters , Latinos , union members and white college-educated women for the win in Nevada , according to Edison Research , showing signs of expanding support for his surging campaign beyond his longstanding core .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coalition that is going to not only win in Nevada , it ’ s going to sweep the country , ” Sanders , a U.S. senator from Vermont , told cheering supporters in San Antonio , Texas .
Biden , a former vice president , appeared to score a badly needed strong finish after poor showings in the first two contests in Iowa and New Hampshire for the party ’ s nomination to face Republican President Donald Trump in the November election .
Sanders ’ triumph in the first racially diverse state suggests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice , including his signature pledge to provide universal healthcare for all Americans , is resonating with a broader coalition of Democratic voters .
For Biden and other moderates who argue that Sanders is too liberal to beat Trump and who have been trying to blunt his momentum , however , the job has become much harder .
Sanders had 47 % of the county convention delegates in Nevada with 50 % of the precincts reported .
Biden was a distant second to Sanders with 19 % , but ahead of former Mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in third place with 15 % .
“ The press is ready to declare people dead quickly , but we ’ re alive and we ’ re coming back and we ’ re gon na win , ” Biden told supporters in Las Vegas on Saturday night .
Senator Elizabeth Warren , who had been looking to jump-start her campaign after poor finishes in the first two states , was again trailing in a disappointing fourth with more than 10 % in Nevada , where voters poured into more than 250 sites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and activist billionaire Tom Steyer were well back at around 4 % .
Buttigieg cautioned Democrats about nominating Sanders , portraying him as an ideologue .
“ We can prioritize either ideological purity or inclusive victory .
We can either call people names online or we can call them into our movement .
We can either tighten a narrow and hardcore base or open the tent to a new , broad , big-hearted American coalition , ” Buttigieg told supporters in Las Vegas .
Despite another poor showing in Nevada , Warren said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support from an aggressive debate performance on Wednesday – which came too late to affect early voting in the state .
“ We have a lot of states to go , and right now I can feel the momentum , ” Warren said at a rally in Seattle .
The race now begins to broaden across the country , with the next primary on Feb. 29 in South Carolina , followed by the Super Tuesday contests in 14 states on March 3 that pick more than one-third of the pledged delegates who will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , vice president under former President Barack Obama , is counting on a strong showing in South Carolina , which has a large bloc of black voters .
In Nevada , entrance polls showed Biden led among African Americans with 36 % , followed by Sanders with 27 % .
The Super Tuesday states will bring former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg , who has not been competing in the four early voting states but has been rising in opinion polls , into the race .
“ The Nevada results reinforce the reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanders on pace to amass an insurmountable delegate lead , ” Bloomberg campaign manager Kevin Sheekey said in a statement .
On Twitter , Trump appeared to be enjoying the Democratic race .
“ Looks like Crazy Bernie is doing well in the Great State of Nevada .
Biden & the rest look weak , & no way Mini Mike , ” Trump wrote , the last a reference to Bloomberg .
Nevada caucus officials and voters at multiple sites on Saturday reported voting rules confusion , calculation glitches and delays in reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues that plagued Iowa ’ s caucuses earlier this month .
[ L2N2AM07S ] After a technical meltdown delayed results in Iowa , state officials promised a revised reporting system using a telephone hotline and photos of caucus reporting sheets would ensure a smoother process .
Nevertheless , precinct chairs at some caucuses experienced long waits on the phone lines .
In the final result of a caucus at the famed Bellagio hotel on the Las Vegas strip , Sanders finished with 76 votes , Biden had 45 and no other candidate ended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hotel , who are members of the Culinary Workers Union , streamed out of the caucus after backing Sanders despite their leadership expressing reservations about his healthcare plan .
“ I went for Bernie .
I ’ m not big into politics , but I like the things he ’ s going for : student loan debt , schools , free healthcare , ” said Aleiza Smith , 22 , a housekeeper at the Bellagio .
Sanders was aided in Nevada by strong support from the six in 10 voters who said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Edison entrance poll showed .
It showed that Sanders led across all age groups except for those older than 65 .
Around 54 % of Latino voters said they backed him , while 24 % of college-educated white women and 34 % of those who have a union member in their families supported him .


oann--2020-02-23--Concern over coronavirus spread as cases jump in South Korea, Italy and Iran

SEOUL/SHANGHAI ( Reuters ) – International concern about the spread of coronavirus outside China grew on Sunday with sharp rises in infections in South Korea , Italy and Iran .
The government in Seoul put the country on high alert after the number of infections surged over 600 with six deaths .
A focal point was a church in the southeastern city of Daegu , where a 61-year-old member of the congregation with no recent record of overseas travel tested positive for the virus .
In Italy , officials said a third person infected with the flu-like virus had died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to above 150 from just three before Friday .
Authorities sealed off the worst affected towns and banned public gatherings in much of the north , including halting the carnival in Venice , where there were two cases , to try to contain the biggest outbreak in Europe .
“ I was surprised by this explosion of cases , ” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told state broadcaster RAI , warning that the numbers would likely rise in the coming days .
“ We will do everything we can to contain the contagion.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out how the virus started .
“ If we can not find ‘ patient zero ’ then it means the virus is even more ubiquitous than we thought , ” said Luca Zaia , the regional governor of the wealthy Veneto region .
Almost a dozen towns in Lombardy and Veneto with a combined population of some 50,000 have effectively been placed under quarantine .
The European Union said it had confidence in the Italian authorities .
“ We share concern for possible contagion ( but ) there is no need to panic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Affairs Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni told reporters .
Iran , which announced its first two cases on Wednesday , said it had confirmed 43 cases and eight deaths , with most of the infections in the Shi ’ ite Muslim holy city of Qom .
Saudi Arabia , Kuwait , Iraq , Turkey and Afghanistan imposed travel and immigration restrictions on the Islamic Republic .
The virus has killed 2,442 people in China , which has reported 76,936 cases , and has slammed the brakes on the world ’ s second largest economy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries and territories , with a death toll of around two dozen , according to a Reuters tally .
“ Despite the continuing decline in reported cases from China , the last two days have seen extremely concerning developments elsewhere in the world , ” said Paul Hunter , professor of medicine at Britain ’ s University of East Anglia .
The World Health Organization ( WHO ) said on Saturday it was worried by the detection of infections without a clear link to China .
For a graphic on tracking the novel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which has seen the vast majority of cases , reported 648 new infections .
But only 18 were outside of Hubei province , the lowest number outside the epicenter since authorities began publishing data a month ago and locked down large parts of the country .
“ At present , the epidemic situation is still severe and complex , and prevention and control work is in the most difficult and critical stage , ” President Xi Jinping said .
State run television urged people to avoid complacency , drawing attention to people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without wearing masks .
In South Korea , Catholic churches in Daegu and Gwangju have suspended services and other gatherings , while churches elsewhere saw declines in attendance on Sunday , especially among the elderly .
“ If the situation gets worse , I think we ’ ll need to take more measures , ” said Song Gi-young , 53 , wearing a face mask at church .
South Korea ’ s president said raising the disease alert to the highest level , allowing authorities to send extra resources to Daegu city and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special care zones ” on Friday .
Health officials reported 169 new infections , bringing the total to 602 .
The potential economic impact of the disease was prominent at a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Riyadh .
The International Monetary Fund ’ s chief said China ’ s 2020 growth would likely be lower at 5.6 % , down 0.4 percentage points from its January outlook , with 0.1 percentage points shaved from global growth .
Xi highlighted the importance of fighting the epidemic in the capital Beijing , which has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China to be quarantined at home for 14 days .
He said it would have a relatively big , but short-term impact on the economy and that Beijing would step up policy adjustments to help cushion the blow .
In Japan , where the government is facing growing questions about whether it is doing enough to counter the virus , authorities had confirmed 773 cases by early Sunday evening .
Most of them were from a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo , the Diamond Princess .
A third passenger , a Japanese man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
British authorities said four people evacuated from the ship had tested positive for the virus after being flown to Britain .


oann--2020-02-28--Turkey says it will let refugees into Europe after its troops killed in Syria

OUTSIDE SARAQEB , Syria/ANKARA ( Reuters ) – Refugees in Turkey headed toward European frontiers on Friday after an official said the borders had been thrown open , a response to the escalating war in Syria where 33 Turkish soldiers were killed by Russian-backed Syrian government troops .
Moscow and Ankara traded blame over Thursday ’ s strike in northwest Syria , the deadliest attack on Turkish forces in nearly 30 years .
The U.N. Security Council called an emergency meeting to avert open conflict between Russia and NATO member Turkey .
U.S. President Donald Trump , in a phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condemned the attack and reaffirmed Washington ’ s support for Ankara ’ s efforts to avert a humanitarian disaster in Syria , a White House spokesman said .
The two leaders also said Syria and Russia must halt their offensives in northwest Syria , spokesman Judd Deere said .
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described it as “ one of the most alarming moments ” of the nine-year-old Syrian war .
“ The most pressing need is an immediate ceasefire before the situation gets entirely out of control , ” Guterres told reporters in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contacts with those involved , I have had one simple message : step back from the edge of escalation.
” Turkey ’ s neighbors Greece and Bulgaria , both European Union member states , vowed not to admit the migrants and reinforced their borders following Ankara ’ s threat to reopen the frontier .
It was closed under an accord between Turkey and the European Union that halted the 2015-16 migration crisis when more than a million people crossed into Europe by foot .
As news of Thursday ’ s strike emerged , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government had decided , effective immediately , not to stop Syrian refugees from reaching Europe “ by land or sea , ” and that police and border guards had been stood down .
“ All refugees , including Syrians , are now welcome to cross into the European Union , ” said the official , who spoke on condition of anonymity .
Within hours hundreds of migrants , some wearing face masks in an apparent attempt to guard against the coronavirus outbreak sweeping the world , began arriving on the European frontier in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heard about it on the television , ” said Afghan migrant Sahin Nebizade , 16 , in a group packed into taxis on the outskirts of Istanbul .
At the Pazarkule border post with Greece , scores of migrants faced barbed wire fences and smoke grenades .
Some stuck in the no-man ’ s land between the two countries tried to return to the Turkish side , only to be turned back by Turkish authorities .
Hamid Muhammed , who carried a young girl , said he was turned away by Greek police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ European governments to open this gate , ” he said .
Greece ’ s prime minister said no unauthorized crossing would be allowed .
His Bulgarian counterpart said the prospect of a new migration crisis was even more of a threat as European countries struggle to respond to the coronavirus .
The EU said that Ankara had made no formal announcement of any change in policy at the border .
Inside Syria there was ample evidence of the renewed fighting that has caused perhaps the worst humanitarian crisis of the conflict .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inside Syria near the Turkish border in desperate winter conditions .
Turkey , already home to 3.7 million Syrian refugees , says it can not take more .
Reuters journalists at the front line saw huge clouds of white smoke as government forces struck the town of Saraqeb , an important crossroads captured by rebels this week in a rare push-back against the government ’ s advance .
Rebel fighters sped down highways in pick-up trucks mounted with artillery .
In the provincial capital Idlib , wounded fighters in jeans and camouflage jackets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s civil war has worsened dramatically in recent months despite largely vanishing from Western countries ’ agendas .
Government forces , backed by Russian air power , have launched a major assault to capture the northwest , the last remaining territory held by rebels backed by Turkey .
With diplomacy sponsored by Ankara and Moscow in tatters , Turkey has come closer than ever to direct confrontation with Russia on the battlefield .
Turkey ’ s Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Friday .
The Kremlin said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrangement to avert clashes .
Turkey said they agreed to meet as soon as possible .
The return of refugees to the frontier was a reminder of Western Europe ’ s biggest migration since World War Two : the 2015-2016 crisis when 4,000 people drowned trying to reach Greece before Turkey shut the border in return for EU cash .
“ At a time when we are imposing stricter border monitoring over the coronavirus , imagine if we have an inflow of hundreds of thousands of migrants , ” Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afford that.
” Turkey , long the main ally of rebels battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ’ s forces , has recently sent thousands of troops and military hardware into Idlib .
Thursday ’ s air strike , which Turkey ’ s defense minister said occurred despite coordination with Russia , was the worst on Turkey ’ s military since a 1993 attack by Kurdish separatists .