france24--2020-04-22--Spectre of second wave haunts Italy as government mulls path out of lockdown

Businesses in Milan and other northern cities hard hit by Covid-19 have been pushing for Italy 's lockdown to be lifted .
The European country worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic is approaching a fateful decision on how to start lifting a nearly two-month-long lockdown on May 4 , with experts warning that Italians must learn to “ coexist ” with the virus for months to come .
Italy ’ s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is a man under siege , his advisers , allies and rivals pulling him left , right and centre as he prepares to make the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
By the end of this week , the leader of Italy ’ s unruly coalition government will announce a plan to gradually lift the stringent lockdown measures that have been in place for seven traumatic weeks since March 10 .
In what the Italian press has described as “ phase 2 ” of the pandemic , Italy will reopen in line with “ serious scientific policy ” , Conte assured in a Facebook post on Tuesday , stressing that the country will not surrender its policy of “ maximum caution ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say , let 's open everything .
Right away , ” he wrote .
“ But such a decision would be irresponsible ( ... ) and would jeopardise all the efforts that we 've made until now.
” Instead , the “ easing of measures must take place on the basis of a well-structured and articulated plan , ” Conte added .
“ A reasonable expectation is that we will apply it from May 4.
” When the prime minister details that plan later this week , governments around the world will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charts its way out of weeks of lockdown after having been hit earlier and harder than others in the West .
Earlier this month , the head of the country ’ s top health agency likened Italy to a “ pilot programme ” for other nations as they grapple with the various stages of the pandemic .
“ There are no studies or literature on this , ” Silvio Brusaferro , the director of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità , told a news conference .
“ We are looking into scenarios that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resemble Italy .
Other nations are looking at us as a pilot programme.
” In fact , several European countries have slowly started to ease restrictions this week , with Germany , Austria , Denmark and the Czech Republic among those allowing certain businesses to reopen .
But none of them has been hit anywhere near as hard as Italy or been forced into such stringent lockdowns .
‘ The virus is still among us ’ With 25,000 confirmed deaths from Covid-19 , Italy has suffered the greatest number of fatalities in Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the United States .
After weeks of depressingly high daily tolls , more recent figures have shown that the lockdown measures are producing the desired results .
The number of people officially being treated for Covid-19 – either at home or in hospital – is now falling in every region , including worst-hit Lombardy .
The rate for new daily infections is down to a low of just 1.5 percent .
However , the upturn on the health front contrasts sharply with the increasingly dire forecasts for Italy ’ s economy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shutdown .
With economic anxiety mounting , Conte 's advisers have sensed Italians ' eagerness to get going , especially as other European nations are starting to gradually open up .
But they also know the public will not be as forgiving should the virus hit back harder .
While the first wave caught most governments by surprise , there will be no such excuses in the event of a second wave .
`` We must not run into hasty decisions , '' Domenico Arcuri , the prime minister 's coronavirus commissioner , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is still among us — not quite as strong , but it is still there . ''
And while the safety of Italians is paramount , Conte will know his own political future is at stake , writes the Corriere della Sera .
The newspaper notes that the prime minister ’ s ratings have enjoyed a bump during the lockdown , while his main rival and erstwhile ally Matteo Salvini , of the hard-right Lega , has foundered .
But things could change very quickly once the reality of Italy ’ s looming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s “ promises of help clash with the state ’ s meagre resources and the many bureaucratic hurdles that render them inaccessible ” .
As he mulls Italy ’ s path out of lockdown , Conte is being pushed into erring on the side of caution by top doctors , while also being asked to think more about the economic toll by big business leaders and some regional chiefs .
Health experts have warned that premature lockdown exits could set off a second pandemic wave , in turn leading to more shutdowns and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more weeks or months could potentially avert that cost .
But many Italian businesses warn that they will not be able to stand idle much longer .
The pressure is strongest in the country ’ s industrious north , where factories are pushing hard to lift a lockdown they resisted in the first place , with catastrophic consequences .
Whether an economic catastrophe can be averted is likely to hinge on Conte 's campaign for a comprehensive economic rescue from the European Union , says Maurizio Cotta , a professor of political science @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So far , the lack of solidarity from Europe – whether real or perceived – has helped stir patriotic sentiment and unite the country behind Conte , ” Cotta told FRANCE 24 .
“ But in the longer run , the fate of Italy and its government will depend in large part on the decisions that are made in Brussels.
” Italy is pushing the bloc to put aside its misgivings and start issuing a form of joint debt dubbed `` coronabonds '' .
It hopes that the pooled instruments could lead to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brussels that his government can use to rebuild the economy once the pandemic subsides .
But Italy 's push has run into entrenched opposition from northern countries , chief among them Germany and the Netherlands .
Conte told lawmakers this week that he would accept `` no compromises '' at a teleconference that EU leaders have scheduled for Thursday .
`` The EU and the eurozone can not afford to repeat the same mistakes they made in the 2008 financial crisis , when it was not possible to offer a joint response , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Either we all win , or we all lose . ''
Conte could just as well have been referring to his fractious governing coalition and Italy ’ s regional administrations , some of which have been at loggerheads with Rome since the start of the coronavirus crisis .
“ Most regions are now run by the [ right-wing ] opposition and therefore have little loyalty and affinity with the central government , ” Cotta explained , noting that some business leaders have exploited these differences to try to speed up the exit from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other hand , is keen for all of Italy to follow the same roadmap , ” he added .
“ Some regions could open up faster than others , but Rome is wary of losing control over ‘ phase 2 ’ .
” The prime minister has convened a task force of health experts and leading economists to weigh the possible costs and benefits of gradually lifting Italy ’ s lockdown .
According to Italian daily La Repubblica , the task force has not excluded the possibility that some leading export sectors where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as the car , fashion and design industries , may start opening as early as next week – though May 4 remains the preferred date .
On the other hand , highly exposed businesses such as non-essential shops , bars and restaurants are likely to remain shut at least until May 18 .
Confinement rules will also be extended for vulnerable elderly populations , who may be restricted to leaving their homes only at given hours .
Museums , cinemas and theatres will open at a later stage and with special distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , though open-air sites such as archaelogical parks could open as early as mid-May .
Conte has warned that face masks will remain mandatory “ until a vaccine is available ” .
Provided they carry one , people will no longer be restricted in how far they walk , exercise and journey from their homes as of May 4 – though a ban on inter-regional travel is likely to remain in place until June .
Looking ahead to the summer holidays , seaside resorts will be allowed to resume business provided they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s notoriously overcrowded beaches .
But there will be no going to clubs for the foreseeable future , with tourism officials warning that “ dance floors will be the last to reopen ” .
Generally speaking , Italians will have to rethink the way they go about their daily lives , says Brusaferro , the senior health official .
“ The keyword will be ‘ coexistence ’ with the virus , ” he explained in an interview with the Corriere della Sera on Sunday , warning that only a vaccine can defeat Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the virus means redesigning our lives , ” he added .
“ There can be no more ‘ rush hours ’ in our daily routine .
We must forget about packed streets and crowded transport .
”

The European country worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic is approaching a fateful decision on how to start lifting a nearly two-month-long lockdown on May 4, with experts warning that Italians must learn to “coexist” with the virus for months to come.
Businesses in Milan and other northern cities hard hit by Covid-19 have been pushing for Italy's lockdown to be lifted.
Advertising Read more
Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is a man under siege, his advisers, allies and rivals pulling him left, right and centre as he prepares to make the most important call of his political career.
By the end of this week, the leader of Italy’s unruly coalition government will announce a plan to gradually lift the stringent lockdown measures that have been in place for seven traumatic weeks since March 10.
In what the Italian press has described as “phase 2” of the pandemic, Italy will reopen in line with “serious scientific policy”, Conte assured in a Facebook post on Tuesday, stressing that the country will not surrender its policy of “maximum caution”.
“I would like to be able to say, let's open everything. Right away,” he wrote. “But such a decision would be irresponsible (...) and would jeopardise all the efforts that we've made until now.” Instead, the “easing of measures must take place on the basis of a well-structured and articulated plan,” Conte added. “A reasonable expectation is that we will apply it from May 4.”
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte wears a face mask as he attends a session of the lower house of parliament in Rome on April 21, 2020. © Remo Casilli, REUTERS
When the prime minister details that plan later this week, governments around the world will be looking closely to see how Italy charts its way out of weeks of lockdown after having been hit earlier and harder than others in the West.
Earlier this month, the head of the country’s top health agency likened Italy to a “pilot programme” for other nations as they grapple with the various stages of the pandemic.
“There are no studies or literature on this,” Silvio Brusaferro, the director of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, told a news conference. “We are looking into scenarios that have never been taken before by countries that resemble Italy. Other nations are looking at us as a pilot programme.”
In fact, several European countries have slowly started to ease restrictions this week, with Germany, Austria, Denmark and the Czech Republic among those allowing certain businesses to reopen.
But none of them has been hit anywhere near as hard as Italy or been forced into such stringent lockdowns.
‘The virus is still among us’
With 25,000 confirmed deaths from Covid-19, Italy has suffered the greatest number of fatalities in Europe. Globally, it is second only to the United States.
After weeks of depressingly high daily tolls, more recent figures have shown that the lockdown measures are producing the desired results. The number of people officially being treated for Covid-19 – either at home or in hospital – is now falling in every region, including worst-hit Lombardy. The rate for new daily infections is down to a low of just 1.5 percent.
However, the upturn on the health front contrasts sharply with the increasingly dire forecasts for Italy’s economy, crippled by more than seven weeks of shutdown.
>> ‘Never give up’: volunteers raise hospital, and spirits, in Italy's virus-wracked Bergamo
With economic anxiety mounting, Conte's advisers have sensed Italians' eagerness to get going, especially as other European nations are starting to gradually open up. But they also know the public will not be as forgiving should the virus hit back harder. While the first wave caught most governments by surprise, there will be no such excuses in the event of a second wave.
"We must not run into hasty decisions," Domenico Arcuri, the prime minister's coronavirus commissioner, cautioned on Tuesday. "The virus is still among us — not quite as strong, but it is still there."
And while the safety of Italians is paramount, Conte will know his own political future is at stake, writes the Corriere della Sera.
The newspaper notes that the prime minister’s ratings have enjoyed a bump during the lockdown, while his main rival and erstwhile ally Matteo Salvini, of the hard-right Lega, has foundered. But things could change very quickly once the reality of Italy’s looming economic cataclysm sinks in and Conte’s “promises of help clash with the state’s meagre resources and the many bureaucratic hurdles that render them inaccessible”.
Tug of war
As he mulls Italy’s path out of lockdown, Conte is being pushed into erring on the side of caution by top doctors, while also being asked to think more about the economic toll by big business leaders and some regional chiefs.
Health experts have warned that premature lockdown exits could set off a second pandemic wave, in turn leading to more shutdowns and greater economic pain. Waiting a few more weeks or months could potentially avert that cost.
But many Italian businesses warn that they will not be able to stand idle much longer. The pressure is strongest in the country’s industrious north, where factories are pushing hard to lift a lockdown they resisted in the first place, with catastrophic consequences.
Whether an economic catastrophe can be averted is likely to hinge on Conte's campaign for a comprehensive economic rescue from the European Union, says Maurizio Cotta, a professor of political science at the University of Siena.
“So far, the lack of solidarity from Europe – whether real or perceived – has helped stir patriotic sentiment and unite the country behind Conte,” Cotta told FRANCE 24. “But in the longer run, the fate of Italy and its government will depend in large part on the decisions that are made in Brussels.”
Italy is pushing the bloc to put aside its misgivings and start issuing a form of joint debt dubbed "coronabonds". It hopes that the pooled instruments could lead to either low-interest loans or outright grants from Brussels that his government can use to rebuild the economy once the pandemic subsides.
But Italy's push has run into entrenched opposition from northern countries, chief among them Germany and the Netherlands.
Conte told lawmakers this week that he would accept "no compromises" at a teleconference that EU leaders have scheduled for Thursday.
"The EU and the eurozone cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes they made in the 2008 financial crisis, when it was not possible to offer a joint response," he said, adding: "Either we all win, or we all lose."
‘Redesigning our lives’
Conte could just as well have been referring to his fractious governing coalition and Italy’s regional administrations, some of which have been at loggerheads with Rome since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
“Most regions are now run by the [right-wing] opposition and therefore have little loyalty and affinity with the central government,” Cotta explained, noting that some business leaders have exploited these differences to try to speed up the exit from lockdown.
“Conte, on the other hand, is keen for all of Italy to follow the same roadmap,” he added. “Some regions could open up faster than others, but Rome is wary of losing control over ‘phase 2’.”
The prime minister has convened a task force of health experts and leading economists to weigh the possible costs and benefits of gradually lifting Italy’s lockdown.
According to Italian daily La Repubblica, the task force has not excluded the possibility that some leading export sectors where the risk of infection is lowest, such as the car, fashion and design industries, may start opening as early as next week – though May 4 remains the preferred date.
On the other hand, highly exposed businesses such as non-essential shops, bars and restaurants are likely to remain shut at least until May 18. Confinement rules will also be extended for vulnerable elderly populations, who may be restricted to leaving their homes only at given hours.
Museums, cinemas and theatres will open at a later stage and with special distancing rules to ensure the audience is spread out, though open-air sites such as archaelogical parks could open as early as mid-May.
Conte has warned that face masks will remain mandatory “until a vaccine is available”. Provided they carry one, people will no longer be restricted in how far they walk, exercise and journey from their homes as of May 4 – though a ban on inter-regional travel is likely to remain in place until June.
Looking ahead to the summer holidays, seaside resorts will be allowed to resume business provided they can guarantee social distancing on Italy’s notoriously overcrowded beaches. But there will be no going to clubs for the foreseeable future, with tourism officials warning that “dance floors will be the last to reopen”.
Generally speaking, Italians will have to rethink the way they go about their daily lives, says Brusaferro, the senior health official.
“The keyword will be ‘coexistence’ with the virus,” he explained in an interview with the Corriere della Sera on Sunday, warning that only a vaccine can defeat Covid-19 in the long run.
“Coexisting with the virus means redesigning our lives,” he added. “There can be no more ‘rush hours’ in our daily routine. We must forget about packed streets and crowded transport.”
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe


france24--2020-04-22--Covid-19: France records 544 new deaths as hospital cases continue week-long decline

Patient Kouyate , 69 , practices rehabilitation exercises with physiotherapist Christophe Passot after spending 21 days in the Intensive Care Unit for coronavirus disease at the Centre Cardiologique du Nord in Saint-Denis near Paris , France , April 22 , 2020 .
France on Wednesday reported 544 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours , as the number of people in hospital and intensive care continued to decline .
The daily tally – 336 deaths in hospital and 2018 in nursing homes – brought France 's total Covid-19 death toll to 21,340 , top health official Jérôme Salomon told reporters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ country after Italy , Spain and the USA to surpass the 20,000-fatality mark .
The country has however seen a steady decline in the number of patients in hospital and intensive care units ( ICUs ) .
According to the figures published by health authorities , the number of patients in hospital has declined for nine consecutive days , and the number in ICUs for 14 consecutive days .
France has been under virtual lockdown for five weeks and is due to start lifting some confinement measures on May 11 .
Prime Minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the gradual exit from lockdown in May , due to start with the reopening of schools , would not allow people to move around or interact as before , especially without any vaccine against the virus .
`` It wo n't be a return to normal life , '' Philippe said , adding that as France introduces more testing , people with coronavirus would have to remain isolated at home or in hotels laid on by the government .
Five weeks into France ’ s lockdown , tensions over heavy-handed enforcement have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s working-class suburbs .
Speaking on Wednesday , Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said French police will not shy away from enforcing a coronavirus lockdown in the banlieues ( suburbs ) .
His statement came even as the motorcyclist whose run-in with officers sparked the clashes has appealed for calm .
Stringent restrictions on public movement ordered by President Emmanuel Macron to tackle the epidemic have exacerbated deep-seated social tensions in the deprived , low-income neighbourhoods that ring the capital .
Violence first flared on Saturday after the rider hurtled into the open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required surgery to his leg .
Some local residents alleged that officers deliberately opened the door into his path , and police have said an investigation is under way .
Castaner said those who flouted the lockdown were putting themselves at risk and promised to punish those who attacked the police .
“ We will make sure the lockdown is respected everywhere , ” Castaner said at a senate hearing on Wednesday .

France on Wednesday reported 544 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours, as the number of people in hospital and intensive care continued to decline.
Patient Kouyate, 69, practices rehabilitation exercises with physiotherapist Christophe Passot after spending 21 days in the Intensive Care Unit for coronavirus disease at the Centre Cardiologique du Nord in Saint-Denis near Paris, France, April 22, 2020.
Advertising Read more
The daily tally – 336 deaths in hospital and 2018 in nursing homes – brought France's total Covid-19 death toll to 21,340, top health official Jérôme Salomon told reporters.
On Monday, France became the fourth country after Italy, Spain and the USA to surpass the 20,000-fatality mark. The country has however seen a steady decline in the number of patients in hospital and intensive care units (ICUs). According to the figures published by health authorities, the number of patients in hospital has declined for nine consecutive days, and the number in ICUs for 14 consecutive days.
France has been under virtual lockdown for five weeks and is due to start lifting some confinement measures on May 11.
Prime Minister Édouard Philippe told a news conference Sunday that the gradual exit from lockdown in May, due to start with the reopening of schools, would not allow people to move around or interact as before, especially without any vaccine against the virus.
"It won't be a return to normal life," Philippe said, adding that as France introduces more testing, people with coronavirus would have to remain isolated at home or in hotels laid on by the government.
Lockdown enforcement to continue in suburbs
Five weeks into France’s lockdown, tensions over heavy-handed enforcement have boiled over in some of the capital’s working-class suburbs.
Speaking on Wednesday, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said French police will not shy away from enforcing a coronavirus lockdown in the banlieues (suburbs). His statement came even as the motorcyclist whose run-in with officers sparked the clashes has appealed for calm.
Stringent restrictions on public movement ordered by President Emmanuel Macron to tackle the epidemic have exacerbated deep-seated social tensions in the deprived, low-income neighbourhoods that ring the capital.
>> Violence flares in tense Paris suburbs as heavy-handed lockdown stirs ‘explosive cocktail’
Violence first flared on Saturday after the rider hurtled into the open door of an unmarked police car and required surgery to his leg. Some local residents alleged that officers deliberately opened the door into his path, and police have said an investigation is under way.
Castaner said those who flouted the lockdown were putting themselves at risk and promised to punish those who attacked the police.
“We will make sure the lockdown is respected everywhere,” Castaner said at a senate hearing on Wednesday.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS and AFP)
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe


france24--2020-04-22--Dozens die in clashes across Afghanistan as US struggles to broker Taliban cease-fire

Newly freed Taliban prisoners wait for a process at Bagram prison , north of Kabul , Afghanistan April 8 , 2020 .
Picture taken April 8 , 2020 .
Clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban militants killed dozens nationwide over the past 24 hours , authorities said on Wednesday , even as the United States tries to broker peace talks between the warring sides .
Eight security force members were killed in a Taliban attack on a checkpoint at the Mes Aynak Copper Mine in eastern Logar province on Tuesday evening , Abdul Qadeer Mutfi , a spokesman for Afghanistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a tweet .
The insurgent group also attacked several checkpoints in northern Sar-e-Pul province , provincial governor spokesman Zabihullah Amani said , killing 11 Afghan security force members , wounding 19 and resulting in one being captured by the Taliban .
Attacks are threatening to derail a fragile peace process , with the Taliban rejecting the Afghan government ’ s repeated calls for a ceasefire as the country also attempts to deal with a growing coronavirus outbreak and prisoner exchanges to take place with an eye to formal peace talks .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the signing of a troop withdrawal agreement with the United States in February , the Taliban resumed attacks on Afghan forces , though it has held back on attacking foreign forces .
The United States and other foreign powers have called for the militant group to reduce its attacks , with the commander of U.S. forces this month meeting the Taliban leadership in Qatar over the issue .
The White House said U.S. President Donald Trump and Qatari leader Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani agreed in a phone call on Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence in Afghanistan .
The two leaders also agreed on the importance of continuing discussions on prisoner releases in Afghanistan , the White House added in a statement .
The Afghan Ministry of Interior said in a tweet that a clearance operation in Logar had resulted in 20 Taliban fighters being killed .
In southern Kandahar province , clashes in three districts killed four Afghan security force members and 31 Taliban fighters , according to a provincial police statement .
A roadside blast also killed at least four civilians in central Ghazni province @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement , accusing the Taliban of planting a bomb .
A Taliban spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment .
The group has not made any public claim of responsibility for Tuesday ’ s attacks .

Clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban militants killed dozens nationwide over the past 24 hours, authorities said on Wednesday, even as the United States tries to broker peace talks between the warring sides.
Newly freed Taliban prisoners wait for a process at Bagram prison, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 8, 2020. Picture taken April 8, 2020.
Advertising Read more
Eight security force members were killed in a Taliban attack on a checkpoint at the Mes Aynak Copper Mine in eastern Logar province on Tuesday evening, Abdul Qadeer Mutfi, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Mine and Petroleum Ministry, said in a tweet.
The insurgent group also attacked several checkpoints in northern Sar-e-Pul province, provincial governor spokesman Zabihullah Amani said, killing 11 Afghan security force members, wounding 19 and resulting in one being captured by the Taliban.
Attacks are threatening to derail a fragile peace process, with the Taliban rejecting the Afghan government’s repeated calls for a ceasefire as the country also attempts to deal with a growing coronavirus outbreak and prisoner exchanges to take place with an eye to formal peace talks.
After a week-long reduction in violence leading up to the signing of a troop withdrawal agreement with the United States in February, the Taliban resumed attacks on Afghan forces, though it has held back on attacking foreign forces.
The United States and other foreign powers have called for the militant group to reduce its attacks, with the commander of U.S. forces this month meeting the Taliban leadership in Qatar over the issue.
The White House said U.S. President Donald Trump and Qatari leader Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani agreed in a phone call on Wednesday on the importance of the Taliban reducing violence in Afghanistan.
The two leaders also agreed on the importance of continuing discussions on prisoner releases in Afghanistan, the White House added in a statement.
The Afghan Ministry of Interior said in a tweet that a clearance operation in Logar had resulted in 20 Taliban fighters being killed.
In southern Kandahar province, clashes in three districts killed four Afghan security force members and 31 Taliban fighters, according to a provincial police statement.
A roadside blast also killed at least four civilians in central Ghazni province late Tuesday night, the Interior Ministry said in a statement, accusing the Taliban of planting a bomb.
A Taliban spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. The group has not made any public claim of responsibility for Tuesday’s attacks.
(REUTERS)
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe


france24--2020-04-22--UK opposition grills Johnson's govt in first parliament session under lockdown

Britain 's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab speaking during Prime Minister 's Question time ( PMQs ) in the House of Commons in London , UK , on April 22 , 2020 .
The British government came under sustained pressure over all aspects of its coronavirus response on Wednesday as members of parliament got their first major opportunity in a month to hold it to account .
With the latest hospital death toll from the virus rising to 16,272 in England alone and persistent reports of a lack of protective equipment for staff in hospitals and care homes , stand-in leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions .
“ Something ’ s going wrong , ” opposition leader Keir Starmer said during the weekly Prime Minister ’ s Questions session , where Raab was deputising for Boris Johnson who is recovering from Covid-19 at his country residence .
“ And there ’ s a pattern emerging here .
We were slow into lockdown , slow on testing , slow on protective equipment , and are slow to take up these offers ( to supply equipment ) from British firms , ” said Starmer , the new leader of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of imposing stringent controls seen elsewhere in Europe as the coronavirus spread , but he later closed down the country when projections showed a quarter of a million people could die in the United Kingdom .
He faced a call for an independent inquiry into his and the government ’ s handling of the outbreak after ministers struggled to explain shocking death rates , limited testing and reported shortages of protective kit in the places where they are most needed .
“ Will the government commit itself now , for the future , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this crisis has been handled ?
” said Ed Davey , leader of the Liberal Democrats , a smaller opposition party .
“ I have to say I won ’ t take up his offer of committing to a public inquiry .
I think that there are definitely lessons to be learned and when we get through this crisis it will be important that we take stock , ” he said .
In a novel , hybrid approach that broke with 700 years of parliamentary protocol , some members of parliament were present @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from one another , while others participated via video link .
On the issue of reported shortages of protective equipment , Raab made a limited concession that more needed to be done .
“ We ’ ve delivered 1 billion items of personal protective equipment and tens of millions have been distributed via the devolved administrations ( of Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland ) , ” he said .
“ We recognise though that we have got to strive even harder in this incredibly difficult and competitive international environment to source the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was confident it would meet its target of carrying out 100,000 tests a day for the coronavirus by the end of the month .
Current capacity stands at 40,000 a day , he said , but the actual number of tests carried out daily has hovered around the 20,000 mark .

The British government came under sustained pressure over all aspects of its coronavirus response on Wednesday as members of parliament got their first major opportunity in a month to hold it to account.
Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab speaking during Prime Minister's Question time (PMQs) in the House of Commons in London, UK, on April 22, 2020.
Advertising Read more
With the latest hospital death toll from the virus rising to 16,272 in England alone and persistent reports of a lack of protective equipment for staff in hospitals and care homes, stand-in leader Dominic Raab faced a barrage of tough questions.
“Something’s going wrong,” opposition leader Keir Starmer said during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session, where Raab was deputising for Boris Johnson who is recovering from Covid-19 at his country residence.
“And there’s a pattern emerging here. We were slow into lockdown, slow on testing, slow on protective equipment, and are slow to take up these offers (to supply equipment) from British firms,” said Starmer, the new leader of the Labour Party.
Johnson initially stopped short of imposing stringent controls seen elsewhere in Europe as the coronavirus spread, but he later closed down the country when projections showed a quarter of a million people could die in the United Kingdom.
All week I’ve heard from the frontline, from care workers, who
are frankly desperate for tests for their residents and for themselves.
Why isn't the Government using all the tests available every day? #PMQs pic.twitter.com/W18K4Dl8zp — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) April 22, 2020
He faced a call for an independent inquiry into his and the government’s handling of the outbreak after ministers struggled to explain shocking death rates, limited testing and reported shortages of protective kit in the places where they are most needed.
“Will the government commit itself now, for the future, to an independent judge-led inquiry into how this crisis has been handled?” said Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, a smaller opposition party.
Raab rejected his call.
05:16
“I have to say I won’t take up his offer of committing to a public inquiry. I think that there are definitely lessons to be learned and when we get through this crisis it will be important that we take stock,” he said.
In a novel, hybrid approach that broke with 700 years of parliamentary protocol, some members of parliament were present in the chamber, at safe distances from one another, while others participated via video link.
"The House is meeting today in exceptional and unprecedented circumstances."
Watch today's statement from the Speaker here: https://t.co/iBRiKQrrzG pic.twitter.com/Rhurwlfnj1 — UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) April 21, 2020
On the issue of reported shortages of protective equipment, Raab made a limited concession that more needed to be done.
“We’ve delivered 1 billion items of personal protective equipment and tens of millions have been distributed via the devolved administrations (of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland),” he said.
“We recognise though that we have got to strive even harder in this incredibly difficult and competitive international environment to source the equipment.”
Raab also said the government was confident it would meet its target of carrying out 100,000 tests a day for the coronavirus by the end of the month. Current capacity stands at 40,000 a day, he said, but the actual number of tests carried out daily has hovered around the 20,000 mark.
(REUTERS)
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe


france24--2020-04-22--European Central Bank agrees to accept ‘junk’ bonds to keep economies afloat

European Central Bank governors agreed Wednesday that banks could put up so-called “ junk ” bonds as collateral when borrowing from the Frankfurt institution , in case eurozone governments and firms see their credit ratings downgraded as they grapple with the coronavirus pandemic .
“ Marketable assets and issuers of these assets ... that met the minimum credit quality requirements on 7 April 2020 ... will continue to be eligible in the case of rating downgrades , ” the ECB said in a statement , in a process it referred to as “ grandfathering ” .
The ECB has already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requirements for collateral “ to ensure that banks have sufficient assets that they can mobilise as collateral ... and to continue providing funding to the euro area economy , ” the statement said .
As well as massively expanding its so-called “ quantitative easing ” ( QE ) bond-buying programme to 1.1 trillion euros ( $ 1.2 trillion ) this year , the ECB is offering banks access to vast amounts of cash via low-interest loans .
The aim is to keep credit flowing to the real economy to cushion the financial blow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to access that liquidity , banks must still put up collateral , often in the shape of government or other debt on their books .
Normally , that debt must be rated above a certain level by private-sector ratings agency like Moody ’ s or Standard and Poor ’ s ( S & P ) .
If government or other debt is downgraded to junk status , that could rule it out as collateral – hobbling banks ’ ability to keep lending and potentially forcing them to sell the debt , further dragging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of collateral will now be “ grandfathered ” , effectively disregarding possible downgrades until September 2021 .
In doing so , the ECB ’ s governing council aims to avoid such “ procyclical ” effects on upcoming rounds of its low-interest loan scheme , known as TLTRO .
In future , “ the ECB may decide , if and when necessary , to take additional measures to further mitigate the impact of rating downgrades , ” the central bank said .
A source close to the ECB told AFP that this could be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bonds eligible for purchase under its QE scheme .
News that governors would be discussing junk bonds “ has ‘ Italy ’ written all over it , ” ING analysts wrote ahead of a telephone conference late Wednesday .
An S & P review later this week means “ there is a risk Italian debt could start its slide to junk status , ” the bank experts warned , adding that large amounts of corporate debt could also be downgraded .

European Central Bank governors agreed Wednesday that banks could put up so-called “junk” bonds as collateral when borrowing from the Frankfurt institution, in case eurozone governments and firms see their credit ratings downgraded as they grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
Advertising Read more
“Marketable assets and issuers of these assets... that met the minimum credit quality requirements on 7 April 2020 ... will continue to be eligible in the case of rating downgrades,” the ECB said in a statement, in a process it referred to as “grandfathering”.
The ECB has already taken a series of measures easing the requirements for collateral “to ensure that banks have sufficient assets that they can mobilise as collateral ... and to continue providing funding to the euro area economy,” the statement said.
As well as massively expanding its so-called “quantitative easing” (QE) bond-buying programme to 1.1 trillion euros ($1.2 trillion) this year, the ECB is offering banks access to vast amounts of cash via low-interest loans.
The aim is to keep credit flowing to the real economy to cushion the financial blow from coronavirus-fighting shutdowns.
But in order to access that liquidity, banks must still put up collateral, often in the shape of government or other debt on their books.
Normally, that debt must be rated above a certain level by private-sector ratings agency like Moody’s or Standard and Poor’s (S&P).
If government or other debt is downgraded to junk status, that could rule it out as collateral – hobbling banks’ ability to keep lending and potentially forcing them to sell the debt, further dragging down economic activity.
But the eligibility of collateral will now be “grandfathered”, effectively disregarding possible downgrades until September 2021.
In doing so, the ECB’s governing council aims to avoid such “procyclical” effects on upcoming rounds of its low-interest loan scheme, known as TLTRO.
The ECB protects Italy from rating downgrades all the way down to BB- https://t.co/b3pyEmX02Z — JohannesBorgen (@jeuasommenulle) April 22, 2020
In future, “the ECB may decide, if and when necessary, to take additional measures to further mitigate the impact of rating downgrades,” the central bank said.
A source close to the ECB told AFP that this could be a veiled reference to making some junk bonds eligible for purchase under its QE scheme.
News that governors would be discussing junk bonds “has ‘Italy’ written all over it,” ING analysts wrote ahead of a telephone conference late Wednesday.
An S&P review later this week means “there is a risk Italian debt could start its slide to junk status,” the bank experts warned, adding that large amounts of corporate debt could also be downgraded.
(AFP)
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe


france24--2020-04-22--How the #FilmYourHospital movement is spreading lies about Covid-19

Videos with the hashtag # FilmYourHospital have been published on social media over the past few weeks .
The videos @ @ @ @ @ and wards in hospitals across the United States and elsewhere in the world .
They @ @ @ @ @ hospitals are proof that the Covid-19 pandemic is either exaggerated or invented.But the people filming @ @ @ @ @ the intense activity inside an emergency care unit , nor the people dying from the @ @ @ @ @ a lie across social networks , but are putting others in danger by encouraging people @ @ @ @ @ and so potentially catch what can be a fatal illness.To date , there have been @ @ @ @ @ of Covid-19 worldwide , and over 175,000 deaths .
In the United States over 37,000 @ @ @ @ @ novel coronavirus .
The country accounts for a quarter of all deaths worldwide .

DEBUNKED
On the left, a man falsely claims that the Covid-19 pandemic is a lie. On the right, a protest against lockdown measures in Colorado, USA.
Advertising Read more
Videos with the hashtag #FilmYourHospital have been published on social media over the past few weeks. The videos show empty and echoing corridors and wards in hospitals across the United States and elsewhere in the world. They think that empty rooms in hospitals are proof that the Covid-19 pandemic is either exaggerated or invented.
But the people filming these videos haven't seen the intense activity inside an emergency care unit, nor the people dying from the virus.
The videos not only spread a lie across social networks, but are putting others in danger by encouraging people to come out of lockdown and so potentially catch what can be a fatal illness.
To date, there have been over 2.5 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide, and over 175,000 deaths. In the United States over 37,000 people have died from the novel coronavirus. The country accounts for a quarter of all deaths worldwide.
Watch our video report below:


france24--2020-04-22--Isolated ultra-Orthodox Jews at epicentre of Jerusalem’s Covid-19 outbreak

Israeli police officers are often verbally or physically abused when they enter the ultra-orthodox neighbourhood in Jerusalem to ensure the population there respects the government ’ s lockdown rules .
Jerusalem ’ s isolated ultra-Orthodox community is at the epicentre of the city ’ s coronavirus outbreak , but the traditional Jewish laws its population abides by means that the government ’ s confinement measures have had little effect so far .
The Israeli police officers who try to enforce the rules are often verbally and physically assaulted .
FRANCE 24 reports .
Barriers , ribbons , and in some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mea Shearim district has been cordoned off as a “ red zone ” , or a hotspot , for the city ’ s coronavirus outbreak .
The neighbourhood is an enclave of sorts , where Jerusalem ’ s ultra-Orthodox community lives by its own traditional rules .
Here , people listen to their rabbis rather than the state of Israel .
And few are seen wearing facemasks or gloves to protect themselves against the coronavirus .
The rate of infection in the area is currently up to eight times higher than in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the communities are very isolated , they do n't have televisions , or iPhones .
So what is happening is that our unit are speaking to the rabbis and making sure that the rabbis get the message through to the community , ” Israeli police officer Micky Rosenfeld says .
But entering the district is a challenge in itself .
Police officers are not welcomed by inhabitants , and they often face both verbal and physical abuse .
“ [ If ] they recognise someone in blue uniform , they could possibly stone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he drives into the neighbourhood .
To watch the full report , please click on the player above .

Jerusalem’s isolated ultra-Orthodox community is at the epicentre of the city’s coronavirus outbreak, but the traditional Jewish laws its population abides by means that the government’s confinement measures have had little effect so far. The Israeli police officers who try to enforce the rules are often verbally and physically assaulted. FRANCE 24 reports.
Israeli police officers are often verbally or physically abused when they enter the ultra-orthodox neighbourhood in Jerusalem to ensure the population there respects the government’s lockdown rules.
Advertising Read more
Barriers, ribbons, and in some areas even padlocks: Jerusalem’s Mea Shearim district has been cordoned off as a “red zone”, or a hotspot, for the city’s coronavirus outbreak.
The neighbourhood is an enclave of sorts, where Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox community lives by its own traditional rules. Here, people listen to their rabbis rather than the state of Israel. And few are seen wearing facemasks or gloves to protect themselves against the coronavirus. The rate of infection in the area is currently up to eight times higher than in the rest of Israel.
“People inside the communities are very isolated, they don't have televisions, or iPhones. So what is happening is that our unit are speaking to the rabbis and making sure that the rabbis get the message through to the community,” Israeli police officer Micky Rosenfeld says.
But entering the district is a challenge in itself. Police officers are not welcomed by inhabitants, and they often face both verbal and physical abuse.
“[If] they recognise someone in blue uniform, they could possibly stone the car,” Rosenfeld explains as he drives into the neighbourhood.
To watch the full report, please click on the player above.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe


france24--2020-04-23--Covid-19: 'If there was a severe outbreak in Syria, there would be a bloodbath'

A Syrian man , wearing a protective face mask to protect against the coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) pandemic , rides his motorcycle down a street near the Old City of the capital Damascus on April 14 , 2020 .
While the Covid-19 pandemic has killed more than 180,000 people worldwide and infected more than 2.5 million , Syria has officially reported relatively few cases .
If the epidemic were to worsen there , the death toll would be all the higher as the country , still under international sanctions , lacks basic medical equipment .
Nine years of war have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on March 6 , the fighting gave way to a new invisible enemy : the coronavirus .
Covid-19 has already achieved a strong foothold in the region , particularly in nieghbouring Iran .
But it appears to have spared the Syrians , at least for the moment .
According to official figures published by the Syrian Ministry of Health on April 19 , Syria has only recorded 42 cases of Covid-19 , three deaths and six recoveries .
In March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go into lockdown , Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad closed borders , schools , restaurants and restricted the movement of people between provinces in order to prevent the spread of the virus .
Roughly 100 people are currently tested every day , mostly in Damascus .
But the number tested is far too few , according to Dr. Nabil Antaki , a gastroenterologist in Aleppo and founder of the Maristes Bleus d ’ Alep ( Blue Marists of Aleppo ) , an association that has been helping the most destitute in the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The doctor , who never abandoned Syria despite the war , fears that the Covid-19 epidemic could result in `` a bloodbath '' in a country where 83 percent of the population lives in poverty and where the economy has been drained by international sanctions .
France 24 - Has Syria been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic ?
Dr Nabil Antaki - There have been 39 cases reported in Syria to date .
Three people have died , others are cured , others are still in quarantine .
The majority of these cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and there have been a few cases in Homs ( a city in the west of Syria ) .
The diagnosed cases were all concentrated in the same neighbourhood or village .
They were completely quarantined .
There are no reported cases in Aleppo .
Many people doubt the veracity of these figures and believe that the authorities are hiding the truth .
But I do n't think they are .
They have nothing to gain from this because no one would blame the government if there are more cases .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are simply not reported because they have not been formally diagnosed .
As in other countries , we do n't test everyone , only the really sick people .
Someone with an asymptomatic coronavirus or with very few symptoms is not tested with PCR ( a nasal swab used to determine if the patient is currently infected with the coronavirus ) .
Everything is centralised in Damascus in the laboratory of the ministry of health .
Samples are taken in the other cities and sent there .
In the beginning , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WHO has provided thousands , so now we are able to test more people .
Are you in lockdown like much of the world ?
The government ’ s response measures have developed in several stages .
About a month ago , schools , universities , public places and gardens , restaurants were all closed .
A week later , there was a ban on opening boutiques such as hairdressing salons and all shops were closed apart from food shops and pharmacies .
The following week , a curfew was imposed from 6 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the authorities allowed small shops to reopen in rotation .
Two weeks ago , travel was banned from one town to another , including within the same region .
On April 19 , they announced two days to travel between towns , probably because Ramadan starts on Friday and families have to be reunited .
People had been caught off guard by the lockdown and had not been able to return home .
Do you have any masks , hydroalcoholic gel ?
Are the hospitals prepared to receive serious cases ?
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Emmanuel Macron 's speech promising enough masks for May 11 in France , I burst out laughing because a country like Syria , after 9 years of war and suffocated by international sanctions , we already have enough !
As for the hydroalcoholic solutions , these are made locally .
There were already a few companies that used to make them for hospitals .
With the arrival of the virus , they have increased their production .
On the other hand , if we experience a crisis as serious as in Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't have enough intensive care beds and ventilators .
When there is an epidemic , out of every 100 patients , 10 will need to be hospitalised and between 5 to 6 will need ventilators .
If there were 1,000 cases of Covid-19 in Aleppo , that would mean between 50 to 100 people would need a ventilator .
And we don ’ t have 100 in public or private hospitals .
The WHO has provided some and the Pope offered about 10 to Syria last week .
But if there were a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bloodbath .
People would die for lack of ICU beds and ventilators .
We do n't have enough equipment to handle the heavy cases .
The real problem here is prevention : people put on their masks , use disinfectant solutions , but there is no social distancing .
In the Middle East , people like to stick together .
Even if everything is closed , they are side by side in front of bakeries and shops .
They ca n't manage to apply this rule .
I tell them , `` There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and using gel if you 're standing next to each other '' .
How are patients with a positive diagnosis treated ?
Do you use hydroxychloroquine ?
There is no accepted protocol .
The department of health has given several options to doctors treating Covid-19 , including French Professor Raoult 's suggestion and an anti-viral currently in vogue in the United States .
The rest is supportive treatment with oxygen and a ventilator .
When we started hearing about Professor Raoult 's ideas , many people went to pharmacies to buy plaquenil ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bought enough to treat four people , just in case .
But I do n't know if I will use them , given the ongoing controversy .
What about the camps for internally displaced people and refugees ?
Should we be concerned about the spread of the virus there ?
So far , there are no recorded cases .
The Maristes bleus are running a Kurdish refugee camp 20 miles outside Aleppo .
Two years ago , they fled the region of Afrin in northern Syria when the Turkish army arrived .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm in charge of the camp 's medical team and we have n't found any cases .
When we distribute food and health kits , people stand three metres apart .
We take our precautions .
How is the security situation now ?
Is there still fighting , especially near Aleppo ?
On February 16 , the Syrian army launched an offensive to liberate part of Idleb province .
It took control of the main motorway linking Aleppo to the rest of Syria and liberated the western suburbs of Aleppo , which were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups .
These groups had continued to bombard Aleppo every day , even after the liberation of the eastern neighbourhoods three years ago .
When the Syrian army did this , the people of Aleppo rejoiced .
After years of war , they could finally sleep without fear of a shell falling , and they could also use the motorway that links Homs , Damascus and even Lebanon .
The next day , a civilian plane landed in Aleppo for the first time in eight years .
But then there was a counter-offensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkish air force and drones .
They regained control of the motorway and some areas liberated by the Syrian army .
At the end of February , negotiations between Russia and Turkey led to a ceasefire agreement .
The rebels withdrew from the motorway and , since the beginning of March , there has been no more fighting in Syria .
The situation is completely frozen .
No bullets have been fired since March 1 .
And , with the Covid-19 crisis , young people are no longer being called up for military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif , when he was visiting Damascus last Monday , called for the lifting of sanctions against Syria and Iran .
Do you hope to be listened to ?
I have been fighting for the lifting of sanctions for years .
They are unjust , illegal .
For us , it is a crime against humanity as defined by the Geneva Convention .
It is a collective punishment inflicted on a civilian population .
It does not concern the leaders of the country , but the 23 million Syrian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make financial transactions .
A month ago , together with a collective of European NGOs , we sent a letter to the French , American , British and German foreign ministers telling them that the sanctions should be lifted .
With the Covid-19 crisis , there are additional reasons and we reiterated these messages to western governments .
Sanctions are not going to speed up a peace process , they are not going to bring down the government .
These sanctions only serve to hurt the civilian population of Syria .
This article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ French .

While the Covid-19 pandemic has killed more than 180,000 people worldwide and infected more than 2.5 million, Syria has officially reported relatively few cases. If the epidemic were to worsen there, the death toll would be all the higher as the country, still under international sanctions, lacks basic medical equipment.
A Syrian man, wearing a protective face mask to protect against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, rides his motorcycle down a street near the Old City of the capital Damascus on April 14, 2020.
Advertising Read more
Nine years of war have left Syria battered. Although a ceasefire was reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on March 6, the fighting gave way to a new invisible enemy: the coronavirus.
Covid-19 has already achieved a strong foothold in the region, particularly in nieghbouring Iran. But it appears to have spared the Syrians, at least for the moment. According to official figures published by the Syrian Ministry of Health on April 19, Syria has only recorded 42 cases of Covid-19, three deaths and six recoveries.
In March, as the whole world was beginning to go into lockdown, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad closed borders, schools, restaurants and restricted the movement of people between provinces in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
Roughly 100 people are currently tested every day, mostly in Damascus. But the number tested is far too few, according to Dr. Nabil Antaki, a gastroenterologist in Aleppo and founder of the Maristes Bleus d’Alep (Blue Marists of Aleppo), an association that has been helping the most destitute in the former economic capital of Syria since 2012.
The doctor, who never abandoned Syria despite the war, fears that the Covid-19 epidemic could result in "a bloodbath" in a country where 83 percent of the population lives in poverty and where the economy has been drained by international sanctions.
France 24 - Has Syria been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic?
Dr Nabil Antaki - There have been 39 cases reported in Syria to date. Three people have died, others are cured, others are still in quarantine. The majority of these cases are in Damascus and its suburbs, and there have been a few cases in Homs (a city in the west of Syria). The diagnosed cases were all concentrated in the same neighbourhood or village. They were completely quarantined. There are no reported cases in Aleppo.
Many people doubt the veracity of these figures and believe that the authorities are hiding the truth. But I don't think they are. They have nothing to gain from this because no one would blame the government if there are more cases. However, I do think there are more but they are simply not reported because they have not been formally diagnosed. As in other countries, we don't test everyone, only the really sick people. Someone with an asymptomatic coronavirus or with very few symptoms is not tested with PCR (a nasal swab used to determine if the patient is currently infected with the coronavirus). Everything is centralised in Damascus in the laboratory of the ministry of health. Samples are taken in the other cities and sent there. In the beginning, there were only 300 tests. But the WHO has provided thousands, so now we are able to test more people.
Are you in lockdown like much of the world?
The government’s response measures have developed in several stages. About a month ago, schools, universities, public places and gardens, restaurants were all closed. A week later, there was a ban on opening boutiques such as hairdressing salons and all shops were closed apart from food shops and pharmacies. The following week, a curfew was imposed from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. On April 20, the authorities allowed small shops to reopen in rotation. Two weeks ago, travel was banned from one town to another, including within the same region. On April 19, they announced two days to travel between towns, probably because Ramadan starts on Friday and families have to be reunited. People had been caught off guard by the lockdown and had not been able to return home.
Do you have any masks, hydroalcoholic gel? Are the hospitals prepared to receive serious cases?
There are enough masks. When I listened to Emmanuel Macron's speech promising enough masks for May 11 in France, I burst out laughing because a country like Syria, after 9 years of war and suffocated by international sanctions, we already have enough! As for the hydroalcoholic solutions, these are made locally. There were already a few companies that used to make them for hospitals. With the arrival of the virus, they have increased their production. On the other hand, if we experience a crisis as serious as in Europe or the United States, we don't have enough intensive care beds and ventilators. When there is an epidemic, out of every 100 patients, 10 will need to be hospitalised and between 5 to 6 will need ventilators. If there were 1,000 cases of Covid-19 in Aleppo, that would mean between 50 to 100 people would need a ventilator. And we don’t have 100 in public or private hospitals. The WHO has provided some and the Pope offered about 10 to Syria last week. But if there were a severe outbreak, there would be a bloodbath. People would die for lack of ICU beds and ventilators. We don't have enough equipment to handle the heavy cases.
The real problem here is prevention: people put on their masks, use disinfectant solutions, but there is no social distancing. In the Middle East, people like to stick together. Even if everything is closed, they are side by side in front of bakeries and shops. They can't manage to apply this rule. I tell them, "There's no point in putting masks on and using gel if you're standing next to each other".
How are patients with a positive diagnosis treated? Do you use hydroxychloroquine?
There is no accepted protocol. The department of health has given several options to doctors treating Covid-19, including French Professor Raoult's suggestion and an anti-viral currently in vogue in the United States. The rest is supportive treatment with oxygen and a ventilator. When we started hearing about Professor Raoult's ideas, many people went to pharmacies to buy plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) and azithromycin. I also bought enough to treat four people, just in case. But I don't know if I will use them, given the ongoing controversy.
What about the camps for internally displaced people and refugees? Should we be concerned about the spread of the virus there?
So far, there are no recorded cases. The Maristes bleus are running a Kurdish refugee camp 20 miles outside Aleppo. Two years ago, they fled the region of Afrin in northern Syria when the Turkish army arrived. We go there twice a week. I'm in charge of the camp's medical team and we haven't found any cases. When we distribute food and health kits, people stand three metres apart. We take our precautions.
How is the security situation now? Is there still fighting, especially near Aleppo?
On February 16, the Syrian army launched an offensive to liberate part of Idleb province. It took control of the main motorway linking Aleppo to the rest of Syria and liberated the western suburbs of Aleppo, which were still under the control of armed rebel groups. These groups had continued to bombard Aleppo every day, even after the liberation of the eastern neighbourhoods three years ago. When the Syrian army did this, the people of Aleppo rejoiced. After years of war, they could finally sleep without fear of a shell falling, and they could also use the motorway that links Homs, Damascus and even Lebanon. The next day, a civilian plane landed in Aleppo for the first time in eight years. But then there was a counter-offensive by armed rebel groups supported by the Turkish air force and drones. They regained control of the motorway and some areas liberated by the Syrian army.
At the end of February, negotiations between Russia and Turkey led to a ceasefire agreement. The rebels withdrew from the motorway and, since the beginning of March, there has been no more fighting in Syria. The situation is completely frozen. No bullets have been fired since March 1. And, with the Covid-19 crisis, young people are no longer being called up for military service.
President Bashar Al-Assad and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, when he was visiting Damascus last Monday, called for the lifting of sanctions against Syria and Iran. Do you hope to be listened to?
I have been fighting for the lifting of sanctions for years. They are unjust, illegal. For us, it is a crime against humanity as defined by the Geneva Convention. It is a collective punishment inflicted on a civilian population. It does not concern the leaders of the country, but the 23 million Syrian citizens who cannot import anything or make financial transactions.
A month ago, together with a collective of European NGOs, we sent a letter to the French, American, British and German foreign ministers telling them that the sanctions should be lifted. With the Covid-19 crisis, there are additional reasons and we reiterated these messages to western governments. Sanctions are not going to speed up a peace process, they are not going to bring down the government. These sanctions only serve to hurt the civilian population of Syria.
This article has been translated from the original in French.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe


france24--2020-04-23--Retail outlets in France could open May 11, but not bars and restaurants

The French government wants all retail outlets other than restaurants and bars to be able to reopen once a nationwide lockdown is lifted on May 11 , Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday .
The government has said that not all businesses will be able to go back to work immediately once the lockdown , in place since mid-March to rein in the coronavirus outbreak , ends .
`` We want all retailers to be able to open on May 11 in the same way out of fairness , '' Le Maire told France Info radio , adding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that would be possible nationwide or only region by region .
`` I would only set aside restaurants , bars and cafes , '' he said .
The retail sector is among the hardest hit by the government-imposed closure of non-essential activities in place since mid March .
The lockdown is still cutting economic activity by 35 % more than a month since it was imposed , despite a slight pick-up in the industrial and construction sectors , the INSEE official statistics agency said .
Setting those two sectors aside , the estimate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any momentum .
France has suffered the world 's fourth-highest reported coronavirus death toll at more than 20,000 , with more than 158,000 infections .

The French government wants all retail outlets other than restaurants and bars to be able to reopen once a nationwide lockdown is lifted on May 11, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday.
Advertising Read more
The government has said that not all businesses will be able to go back to work immediately once the lockdown, in place since mid-March to rein in the coronavirus outbreak, ends.
"We want all retailers to be able to open on May 11 in the same way out of fairness," Le Maire told France Info radio, adding that it remained to be seen whether that would be possible nationwide or only region by region.
"I would only set aside restaurants, bars and cafes," he said.
The retail sector is among the hardest hit by the government-imposed closure of non-essential activities in place since mid March.
The lockdown is still cutting economic activity by 35% more than a month since it was imposed, despite a slight pick-up in the industrial and construction sectors, the INSEE official statistics agency said.
Setting those two sectors aside, the estimate suggests that activity has yet to regain any momentum.
France has suffered the world's fourth-highest reported coronavirus death toll at more than 20,000, with more than 158,000 infections.
(REUTERS)
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe


france24--2020-04-23--UN chief warns that coronavirus poses a risk to human rights

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday that the coronavirus pandemic is “ a human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis.
” The U.N. chief said in a video message that there is discrimination in the delivery of public services to tackle COVID-19 and there are “ structural inequalities that impede access to them.
” Guterres said the pandemic has also seen “ disproportionate effects on certain communities , the rise of hate speech , the targeting of vulnerable groups , and the risks of heavy-handed security responses undermining the health response.
” He warned that with “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a push back against human rights in some countries , the crisis can provide a pretext to adopt repressive measures for purposes unrelated to the pandemic.
” In February , Guterres issued a call to action to countries , businesses and people to help renew and revive human rights across the globe , laying out a seven-point plan amid concerns about climate change , conflict and repression .
“ As I said then , human rights can not be an afterthought in times of crisis — and we now face the biggest international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The secretary-general said he was releasing a report Thursday on how human rights must guide the response to the virus and recovery from the pandemic .
Neither he nor the report name any countries or parties responsible for human rights violations .
Guterres said governments must be “ transparent , responsive and accountable , ” and stressed that press freedom , civil society organizations , the private sector and “ civic space ” are essential .
The report said governments also need to take action to mitigate the worst impacts of COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basic services and family life .
Guterres said any emergency measures — including states of emergency — must be “ legal , proportionate , necessary and non-discriminatory , have a specific focus and duration , and take the least intrusive approach possible to protect public health.
” “ Emergency powers may be needed but broad executive powers , swiftly granted with minimal oversight , carry risks , ” the report warned .
“ Heavy-handed security responses undermine the health response and can exacerbate existing threats to peace and security or create new ones.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is proportionate to the immediate threat and protects human rights .
“ The message is clear : People — and their rights — must be front and center , ” Guterres said .

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday that the coronavirus pandemic is “a human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis.”
Advertising Read more
The U.N. chief said in a video message that there is discrimination in the delivery of public services to tackle COVID-19 and there are “structural inequalities that impede access to them.”
Guterres said the pandemic has also seen “disproportionate effects on certain communities, the rise of hate speech, the targeting of vulnerable groups, and the risks of heavy-handed security responses undermining the health response.”
He warned that with “rising ethno-nationalism, populism, authoritarianism and a push back against human rights in some countries, the crisis can provide a pretext to adopt repressive measures for purposes unrelated to the pandemic.”
In February, Guterres issued a call to action to countries, businesses and people to help renew and revive human rights across the globe, laying out a seven-point plan amid concerns about climate change, conflict and repression.
“As I said then, human rights cannot be an afterthought in times of crisis — and we now face the biggest international crisis in generations," he said.
The secretary-general said he was releasing a report Thursday on how human rights must guide the response to the virus and recovery from the pandemic. Neither he nor the report name any countries or parties responsible for human rights violations.
Guterres said governments must be “transparent, responsive and accountable,” and stressed that press freedom, civil society organizations, the private sector and “civic space” are essential.
The report said governments also need to take action to mitigate the worst impacts of COVID-19 on jobs, livelihoods, access to basic services and family life.
Guterres said any emergency measures — including states of emergency — must be “legal, proportionate, necessary and non-discriminatory, have a specific focus and duration, and take the least intrusive approach possible to protect public health.”
“Emergency powers may be needed but broad executive powers, swiftly granted with minimal oversight, carry risks,” the report warned. “Heavy-handed security responses undermine the health response and can exacerbate existing threats to peace and security or create new ones.”
The report said the best response is proportionate to the immediate threat and protects human rights.
“The message is clear: People — and their rights — must be front and center,” Guterres said.
(AP)
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe


france24--2020-04-23--French interior minister says violence in Paris suburbs unlikely to spread

French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Thursday that he did not think that this week 's outbreak of violent clashes in French housing estates would result in scenes similar to the 2005 riots that broke out throughout the country .
`` We are not in this sort of scenario , '' Castaner told BFM TV .
Stringent restrictions on public movements ordered by President Emmanuel Macron to tackle the coronavirus have exacerbated tensions in the low-income neighbourhoods around the capital , with clashes having broken out this week .
Castaner pointed to `` the effect of the lockdown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young people '' .
`` They are small groups who think it would be fun to attack the police force , to burn rubbish bins .
It 's not fun , it 's dangerous to begin with for themselves '' .
The minister also stressed the `` hardship , ( ... ) the poverty in which they live with their relatives and which can provoke anger '' .
He said the police were `` systematically '' intervening but that the government also had a duty to `` support these young people '' .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ suburbs , have been experiencing tension since a biker 's accident on Saturday evening in Villeneuve-la-Garenne ( Hauts-de-Seine ) involving the police .
Last night , according to the Paris police prefecture , `` sporadic incidents '' took place mainly in the Hauts-de-Seine .
In total in the Paris prefecture zone , the police carried out 13 arrests , 11 of which were in the Hauts-de-Seine .

French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Thursday that he did not think that this week's outbreak of violent clashes in French housing estates would result in scenes similar to the 2005 riots that broke out throughout the country.
Advertising Read more
"We are not in this sort of scenario," Castaner told BFM TV.
Stringent restrictions on public movements ordered by President Emmanuel Macron to tackle the coronavirus have exacerbated tensions in the low-income neighbourhoods around the capital, with clashes having broken out this week.
Castaner pointed to "the effect of the lockdown, the harshness of the lockdown for these young people".
"They are small groups who think it would be fun to attack the police force, to burn rubbish bins. It's not fun, it's dangerous to begin with for themselves".
The minister also stressed the "hardship, (...) the poverty in which they live with their relatives and which can provoke anger".
He said the police were "systematically" intervening but that the government also had a duty to " support these young people".
Several towns, mainly in the Paris suburbs, have been experiencing tension since a biker's accident on Saturday evening in Villeneuve-la-Garenne (Hauts-de-Seine) involving the police.
Last night, according to the Paris police prefecture, "sporadic incidents" took place mainly in the Hauts-de-Seine. In total in the Paris prefecture zone, the police carried out 13 arrests, 11 of which were in the Hauts-de-Seine.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe


france24--2020-04-23--After many lonely weeks, France’s elderly permitted nursing home visits

For her first authorized visit in more than six weeks with her 80-year-old mother , Sabrina Deliry prepared a selection of their favorite tunes , among them Edith Piaf ’ s “ La Vie en Rose.
” Later , at the Paris nursing home where the mother has been agonizing in the solitude of her room , feeling imprisoned and miserable without the sun on her cheeks , the breeze in her hair or her daughter 's tender hugs , they listened to the French songbird together .
“ When he takes me in his arms , ” Piaf wailed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sit 1 meter ( 3 feet ) apart , unable to hug or hold each other during their half-hour visit in the home 's fenced-off small garden , the words rang like a cruel joke .
When might Sabrina get to take Patricia , her mother , in her arms again ?
No one can say for sure .
Likely no time soon .
Even before many businesses rumble back to life or schoolyards bustle again , France started to allow tightly regulated nursing home visits this week , puncturing a strict no-visitors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ongoing tidal wave of coronavirus deaths among elderly nursing home residents .
For some , seeing their parents again brought joy and relief .
“ I know how important it is for her , '' Christopher Cronenberger said after seeing his 87-year-old mother , Germaine , with a broad table and red-and-white plastic tape in between .
“ We do have the telephone and my mother is still lucid .
We speak by telephone every day .
I knew things were okay but visual contact is better , ” he said .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bittersweet : Better than nothing , but nowhere close to being enough .
After all , how can a few minutes , sat across a table in face masks , make up for so many days apart ?
Sabrina and Patricia were on the phone to each other minutes after they said goodbye with blown air kisses and the mother trundled back alone to her room in her motorized wheelchair , giving a final wave .
`` Stopping us from seeing our children is a crime , ” she said .
“ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our children to us.
” The visit , she said , “ makes me want to live again.
” But the next can not come soon enough .
“ We are in prison , '' Patricia said .
As the virus raced through Europe , the hardest-hit countries — Italy , Spain , Britain , France — banned nursing home visits to protect the elderly , who are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus .
From Belgium to Turkey , several other countries did the same .
While the virus causes mild to moderate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much more severe illness in older people and those with health problems .
Nursing homes have been hard hit around the world .
In France , more than one-third of the over 21,300 deaths reported have occurred in care homes .
The emotional toll of cutting off the homes has been immense and largely untold because the suffering has been taking place behind sealed-shut nursing home doors .
For residents ' families , the only news some have had from the inside has been in dribs and drabs , in written updates from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are being allowed again , a fuller picture of the agony is starting to emerge .
French President Emmanuel Macron has taken notice .
He led the push in March to seal off homes before the rest of the country , pleading publicly for people to stop visiting their elderly relatives before he ordered France into a nationwide lockdown from March 17 .
This week , Macron retweeted a painful-to-watch interview with a 96-year-old nursing home resident , Jeanne Pault , complaining tearfully about being stuck in her room , deprived of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her husband and family .
“ I 'm locked in here all day .
It 's not a life , '' she said .
“ My neighbor has n't got the virus .
Neither have I .
We could see each other from time to time , chat a little.
” In his tweet , Macron wrote : “ Madame , your pain overwhelms us all .
For you , for all of our elders in retirement homes or establishments , visits by loved ones are now allowed .
Always with one priority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families , fury is mounting with the death toll .
Some are filing legal complaints accusing care homes of neglect and endangering lives .
Sabrina is among those who believes that nursing homes were sealed off not to protect residents but to prevent families from knowing what was happening inside .
“ It sickens me , ” she said .
“ Those are our parents behind those walls , my mother , our fathers .
They have no right to deprive us of them like that.
” She worries that Patricia , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , will be even more diminished physically by weeks of being confined to her room .
“ I 'm going to fight , ” she promised her mother in the phone call after their meeting .
“ Put bluntly , you have just two choices : either die from COVID or end up like vegetables .
”

For her first authorized visit in more than six weeks with her 80-year-old mother, Sabrina Deliry prepared a selection of their favorite tunes, among them Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose.”
Advertising Read more
Later, at the Paris nursing home where the mother has been agonizing in the solitude of her room, feeling imprisoned and miserable without the sun on her cheeks, the breeze in her hair or her daughter's tender hugs, they listened to the French songbird together.
“When he takes me in his arms,” Piaf wailed.
With mother and daughter forced to sit 1 meter (3 feet) apart, unable to hug or hold each other during their half-hour visit in the home's fenced-off small garden, the words rang like a cruel joke.
When might Sabrina get to take Patricia, her mother, in her arms again? No one can say for sure. Likely no time soon.
Even before many businesses rumble back to life or schoolyards bustle again, France started to allow tightly regulated nursing home visits this week, puncturing a strict no-visitors lockdown that still failed to prevent an ongoing tidal wave of coronavirus deaths among elderly nursing home residents.
For some, seeing their parents again brought joy and relief.
“I know how important it is for her," Christopher Cronenberger said after seeing his 87-year-old mother, Germaine, with a broad table and red-and-white plastic tape in between.
“We do have the telephone and my mother is still lucid. We speak by telephone every day. I knew things were okay but visual contact is better,” he said.
But for others, the visits are proving bittersweet: Better than nothing, but nowhere close to being enough. After all, how can a few minutes, sat across a table in face masks, make up for so many days apart?
Sabrina and Patricia were on the phone to each other minutes after they said goodbye with blown air kisses and the mother trundled back alone to her room in her motorized wheelchair, giving a final wave.
"Stopping us from seeing our children is a crime,” she said. “They wait for us to die before sending our children to us.”
The visit, she said, “makes me want to live again.”
But the next cannot come soon enough.
“We are in prison," Patricia said.
As the virus raced through Europe, the hardest-hit countries — Italy, Spain, Britain, France — banned nursing home visits to protect the elderly, who are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. From Belgium to Turkey, several other countries did the same.
While the virus causes mild to moderate symptoms for many, it can trigger much more severe illness in older people and those with health problems. Nursing homes have been hard hit around the world. In France, more than one-third of the over 21,300 deaths reported have occurred in care homes.
The emotional toll of cutting off the homes has been immense and largely untold because the suffering has been taking place behind sealed-shut nursing home doors. For residents' families, the only news some have had from the inside has been in dribs and drabs, in written updates from care home directors.
Now that visits are being allowed again, a fuller picture of the agony is starting to emerge.
French President Emmanuel Macron has taken notice. He led the push in March to seal off homes before the rest of the country, pleading publicly for people to stop visiting their elderly relatives before he ordered France into a nationwide lockdown from March 17.
This week, Macron retweeted a painful-to-watch interview with a 96-year-old nursing home resident, Jeanne Pault, complaining tearfully about being stuck in her room, deprived of the daily visits she used to get from her husband and family.
“I'm locked in here all day. It's not a life," she said. “My neighbor hasn't got the virus. Neither have I. We could see each other from time to time, chat a little.”
In his tweet, Macron wrote: “Madame, your pain overwhelms us all. For you, for all of our elders in retirement homes or establishments, visits by loved ones are now allowed. Always with one priority: to protect you.”
But among families, fury is mounting with the death toll. Some are filing legal complaints accusing care homes of neglect and endangering lives.
Sabrina is among those who believes that nursing homes were sealed off not to protect residents but to prevent families from knowing what was happening inside.
“It sickens me,” she said. “Those are our parents behind those walls, my mother, our fathers. They have no right to deprive us of them like that.”
She worries that Patricia, a retired hairdresser who has suffered a stroke, will be even more diminished physically by weeks of being confined to her room.
“I'm going to fight,” she promised her mother in the phone call after their meeting. “Put bluntly, you have just two choices: either die from COVID or end up like vegetables.”
(AP)
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe


france24--2020-04-23--Germany, UK begin human trials of experimental Covid-19 vaccines

FILE PHOTO : The headquarters of biopharmaceutical company BioNTech are seen in Mainz , Germany July 31 , 2018 .
The race to develop an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus gathered pace this week , as clinical trials on humans were approved in Germany and launched in the UK .
Though there are now around 150 development projects worldwide , the German and British plans are among only five clinical trials on humans which have been approved across the globe .
In Britain , volunteers in a trial at the University of Oxford are set to be given on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine based on a virus found in chimpanzees .
Meanwhile on Wednesday , German regulatory body PEI green-lighted the country 's first trials on human volunteers for a vaccine developed by German firm Biontech and US giant Pfizer .
The Oxford trial , run by the university 's Jenner Institute , will involve 510 volunteers aged between 18 and 55 in the first phase .
Research director Professor Sarah Gilbert estimated that it has around an 80 percent chance of being successful .
The institute aims to develop a million doses of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distribute it as quickly as possible after approval .
The Oxford trial is part of a nationwide effort in the UK which since Friday has been spearheaded by a government taskforce .
In Germany , meanwhile , the PEI said its approval of the Biontech trial marked a `` significant step '' in making a vaccine `` available as soon as possible '' .
In the first phase , it will see `` 200 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 55 years '' vaccinated with variants of the vaccine , while the second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who belonged to high-risk groups .
On Wednesday , Biontech CEO Ugur Sahin told a press conference that tests would begin `` at the end of April '' .
He added that the firm expected to have collected first data by `` the end of June or beginning of July '' .
Biontech also said that they and Pfizer hoped to gain regulatory approval soon to test the same vaccine candidate in the US .
The PEI meanwhile claimed that `` further clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine candidates will start in Germany in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are currently no approved vaccines or medication for the COVID-19 disease , which has killed more than 170,000 people worldwide and infected more than two million .
Experts estimate that it will take at least 12 to 18 months to develop a new vaccine .
Last week , UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a vaccine was the only thing to return `` normalcy '' to the world , and called for development projects to be accelerated .
A UN resolution adopted on Monday , meanwhile , called for `` equitable , efficient and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might be developed .
Aside from Biontech and Oxford , three other clinical trials on humans have been approved worldwide since mid-March , with Chinese and US developers among the first to move .
Beijing approved the first trial for a vaccine developed by the military-backed Academy of Military Medical Sciences and Hong Kong-listed biotech firm CanSino Bio on March 16 .
That day the US drug developer Moderna said it had begun human tests for their vaccine with the US National Institutes of Health .
Another US lab , San Diego-based Inovio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on April 6 .
Yet while Biontech hailed what it called a `` global development program '' on Wednesday , the search for a vaccine has also been a cause of friction between countries .
Last month a newspaper report alleged that the US had attempted to buy exclusive rights to vaccine research being carried out by CureVac , another German firm .
Though CureVac and US officials dismissed it as unfounded , the newspaper report caused outrage in Berlin , and prompted Economy Minister Peter Altmaier to declare that `` Germany is @ @ @ @ @

The race to develop an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus gathered pace this week, as clinical trials on humans were approved in Germany and launched in the UK.
FILE PHOTO: The headquarters of biopharmaceutical company BioNTech are seen in Mainz, Germany July 31, 2018.
Advertising Read more
Though there are now around 150 development projects worldwide, the German and British plans are among only five clinical trials on humans which have been approved across the globe.
In Britain, volunteers in a trial at the University of Oxford are set to be given on Thursday the first dose of a potential vaccine based on a virus found in chimpanzees.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, German regulatory body PEI green-lighted the country's first trials on human volunteers for a vaccine developed by German firm Biontech and US giant Pfizer.
The Oxford trial, run by the university's Jenner Institute, will involve 510 volunteers aged between 18 and 55 in the first phase.
Research director Professor Sarah Gilbert estimated that it has around an 80 percent chance of being successful. The institute aims to develop a million doses of the vaccine by September, so as to distribute it as quickly as possible after approval.
The Oxford trial is part of a nationwide effort in the UK which since Friday has been spearheaded by a government taskforce.
In Germany, meanwhile, the PEI said its approval of the Biontech trial marked a "significant step" in making a vaccine "available as soon as possible".
In the first phase, it will see "200 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 55 years" vaccinated with variants of the vaccine, while the second phase could see the inclusion of volunteers who belonged to high-risk groups.
On Wednesday, Biontech CEO Ugur Sahin told a press conference that tests would begin "at the end of April". He added that the firm expected to have collected first data by "the end of June or beginning of July".
Biontech also said that they and Pfizer hoped to gain regulatory approval soon to test the same vaccine candidate in the US.
The PEI meanwhile claimed that "further clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine candidates will start in Germany in the next few months".
'Normalcy'
There are currently no approved vaccines or medication for the COVID-19 disease, which has killed more than 170,000 people worldwide and infected more than two million. Experts estimate that it will take at least 12 to 18 months to develop a new vaccine.
Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a vaccine was the only thing to return "normalcy" to the world, and called for development projects to be accelerated.
A UN resolution adopted on Monday, meanwhile, called for "equitable, efficient and timely" access to any vaccine that might be developed.
Aside from Biontech and Oxford, three other clinical trials on humans have been approved worldwide since mid-March, with Chinese and US developers among the first to move.
Beijing approved the first trial for a vaccine developed by the military-backed Academy of Military Medical Sciences and Hong Kong-listed biotech firm CanSino Bio on March 16.
That day the US drug developer Moderna said it had begun human tests for their vaccine with the US National Institutes of Health.
Another US lab, San Diego-based Inovio Pharmaceuticals, began first phase human trials on April 6.
Yet while Biontech hailed what it called a "global development program" on Wednesday, the search for a vaccine has also been a cause of friction between countries.
Last month a newspaper report alleged that the US had attempted to buy exclusive rights to vaccine research being carried out by CureVac, another German firm.
Though CureVac and US officials dismissed it as unfounded, the newspaper report caused outrage in Berlin, and prompted Economy Minister Peter Altmaier to declare that "Germany is not for sale".
(AFP)
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe


france24--2020-04-22--Trump signs order to suspend immigration to US for 60 days

U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington , U.S. , April 22 , 2020 .
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an order to temporarily block some foreigners from permanent residence in the United States , saying he was doing so in order to protect American workers during the coronavirus pandemic .
The order is to last for 60 days and then will be reviewed and possibly extended .
Some critics saw Republican Trump 's announcement as a move to take advantage of the coronavirus crisis to implement a long-sought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Nov. 3 election .
`` In order to protect our great American workers I have just signed an executive order temporarily suspending immigration into the United States .
This will ensure that unemployed Americans of all backgrounds will be first in line for jobs as our economy reopens , '' Trump said at his daily news conference about the coronavirus at the White House .
He also said it will `` preserve our healthcare resources for American patients '' afflicted by the coronavirus .
White House lawyers worked all day to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prompting some officials to say the signing might have to wait for Thursday .
But aides described Trump as eager to sign the document .
Trump won the White House in 2016 in part on a promise to crack down on immigration and has made the issue central to his presidency .
But many of his major moves trying to curb immigration have been challenged in court and legal experts said this executive order could also face lawsuits .
One U.S. Department of Homeland Security official who requested anonymity said the order would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residence from outside the United States , not those already in the country seeking to adjust their status .
Trump said the order initially would last for 60 days and could be renewed for the same period or longer , and that a second immigration-focused order was under consideration .
A person familiar with the internal debate at the White House said Trump and his advisers had discussed the executive order over the weekend and that the move was directed at his electoral base .
`` He 's wanted this all along , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now under this pandemic he can absolutely do it . ''

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an order to temporarily block some foreigners from permanent residence in the United States, saying he was doing so in order to protect American workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 22, 2020.
Advertising Read more
The order is to last for 60 days and then will be reviewed and possibly extended. Some critics saw Republican Trump's announcement as a move to take advantage of the coronavirus crisis to implement a long-sought policy goal of barring more immigrants ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
"In order to protect our great American workers I have just signed an executive order temporarily suspending immigration into the United States. This will ensure that unemployed Americans of all backgrounds will be first in line for jobs as our economy reopens," Trump said at his daily news conference about the coronavirus at the White House.
He also said it will "preserve our healthcare resources for American patients" afflicted by the coronavirus.
White House lawyers worked all day to craft the language for the order, prompting some officials to say the signing might have to wait for Thursday. But aides described Trump as eager to sign the document.
Trump won the White House in 2016 in part on a promise to crack down on immigration and has made the issue central to his presidency. But many of his major moves trying to curb immigration have been challenged in court and legal experts said this executive order could also face lawsuits.
One U.S. Department of Homeland Security official who requested anonymity said the order would only apply to people applying for permanent residence from outside the United States, not those already in the country seeking to adjust their status.
Trump said the order initially would last for 60 days and could be renewed for the same period or longer, and that a second immigration-focused order was under consideration.
A person familiar with the internal debate at the White House said Trump and his advisers had discussed the executive order over the weekend and that the move was directed at his electoral base.
"He's wanted this all along," the person said. "But now under this pandemic he can absolutely do it."
(REUTERS)
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe