france24--2020-05-02--White House blocks virus expert Fauci from testifying to Congress on govt's Covid-19 response

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci turns the podium over to U.S. President Donald Trump during the coronavirus response daily briefing at the White House in Washington , U.S. , April 10 , 2020 .
Top U.S. health official Anthony Fauci will not testify next week to a congressional committee examining the Trump administration 's response to the coronavirus pandemic , the White House said on Friday , calling it `` counterproductive '' to have individuals involved in the response testify .
The White House issued an emailed statement after a spokesman for the House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the panel had been informed by Trump administration officials that Fauci had been blocked from testifying .
`` While the Trump administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19 , including safely opening up America again and expediting vaccine development , it is counter-productive to have the very individuals involved in those efforts appearing at congressional hearings , '' White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement .
`` We are committed to working with Congress to offer testimony at the appropriate time . ''
Fauci 's testimony was being sought for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subcommittee that oversees health programs , said spokesman Evan Hollander .
The Washington Post first reported that Fauci would not testify .
Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , has been one of the leading medical experts helping to guide the U.S. response to the highly contagious virus that has swept across the United States .
Trump has repeatedly clashed with the Democratic-controlled House over its moves to investigate his actions or those of his administration .
In recent days , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigations into Trump 's handling of the coronavirus outbreak , which has killed tens of thousands of Americans .
Democrats have criticized Trump , saying he has failed to develop a comprehensive and effective plan for testing Americans for the coronavirus and tracing contacts of those who are infected by the virus that causes the sometimes fatal COVID-19 respiratory disease .
Fauci , 79 , has had a respectful but sometimes complicated relationship with Trump .
The well-regarded doctor has at times corrected or contradicted the president at White House briefings or in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time required to develop a vaccine and the likelihood that the coronavirus will return in the fall .
Trump has occasionally shown exasperation with Fauci but ultimately has followed , largely , the advice that he and Dr. Deborah Birx , the White House ’ s coronavirus task force coordinator , have provided on responding to the pandemic .
Last month , the White House said Trump was not firing Fauci despite his retweet of a supporter ’ s # FireFauci message .
At the time , White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remains a trusted adviser to President Trump . ''
Aides to Fauci were not immediately available to comment on the House committee 's desire to have him testify .

Top U.S. health official Anthony Fauci will not testify next week to a congressional committee examining the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic, the White House said on Friday, calling it "counterproductive" to have individuals involved in the response testify.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci turns the podium over to U.S. President Donald Trump during the coronavirus response daily briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 10, 2020.
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The White House issued an emailed statement after a spokesman for the House of Representatives committee holding the hearing said the panel had been informed by Trump administration officials that Fauci had been blocked from testifying.
"While the Trump administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19, including safely opening up America again and expediting vaccine development, it is counter-productive to have the very individuals involved in those efforts appearing at congressional hearings," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. "We are committed to working with Congress to offer testimony at the appropriate time."
Fauci's testimony was being sought for a May 6 hearing by a House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees health programs, said spokesman Evan Hollander. The Washington Post first reported that Fauci would not testify.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been one of the leading medical experts helping to guide the U.S. response to the highly contagious virus that has swept across the United States.
Trump has repeatedly clashed with the Democratic-controlled House over its moves to investigate his actions or those of his administration.
In recent days, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer have urged wide-ranging investigations into Trump's handling of the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed tens of thousands of Americans.
Democrats have criticized Trump, saying he has failed to develop a comprehensive and effective plan for testing Americans for the coronavirus and tracing contacts of those who are infected by the virus that causes the sometimes fatal COVID-19 respiratory disease.
Fauci, 79, has had a respectful but sometimes complicated relationship with Trump.
The well-regarded doctor has at times corrected or contradicted the president at White House briefings or in press interviews on issues such as the time required to develop a vaccine and the likelihood that the coronavirus will return in the fall.
Trump has occasionally shown exasperation with Fauci but ultimately has followed, largely, the advice that he and Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus task force coordinator, have provided on responding to the pandemic.
Last month, the White House said Trump was not firing Fauci despite his retweet of a supporter’s #FireFauci message.
Sorry Fake News, it’s all on tape. I banned China long before people spoke up. Thank you @OANN https://t.co/d40JQkUZg5 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2020
At the time, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said: "Dr. Fauci has been and remains a trusted adviser to President Trump."
Aides to Fauci were not immediately available to comment on the House committee's desire to have him testify.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-02--Venezuela prison riot leaves dozens dead

A riot erupted at a prison in central Venezuela on Friday , killing at least 40 people and injuring 50 more , including a National Guard officer who was wounded by an explosion and the warden , who suffered a knife wound , authorities said .
The upheaval at the Llanos Penitentiary Center started with an inmate protest demanding that their relatives be allowed to deliver them food and then an armed confrontation broke out between inmates and guards , lawmaker María Beatriz Martínez told The Associated Press .
The National Guard officer was injured by a grenade explosion , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an early report prepared by the town 's security forces .
The prison is located in the city of Guanare , 450 kilometers ( 280 miles ) south-west of the capital of Caracas .
Venezuela 's minister of penitentiary services , Iris Varela , confirmed the riot , telling the local newspaper Ultimas Noticias that a group of inmates attacked officers standing guard outside the prison .
The warden was injured by at least one inmate wielding a knife , Varela said .
A once-wealthy oil nation , Venezuela is gripped by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence is common in the nation that has had nearly 5 million residents flee in recent years as public services crumble .
Venezuela has roughly 30 prisons and 500 jails that can hold an estimated 110,000 inmates .
Human rights officials say the prisons are violent and badly overcrowded , with gangs that traffic weapons and drugs in control .
According to the human rights group Venezuelan Prison Observatory , the Guanare prison was built to hold 750 inmates but is jammed beyond capacity with 2,500 inmates .
A similar riot occurred a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state of Portuguese , where 29 inmates died at a police jail that housed several hundred detainees .
Violence broke out when armed inmates objected to officers entering the jail .

A riot erupted at a prison in central Venezuela on Friday, killing at least 40 people and injuring 50 more, including a National Guard officer who was wounded by an explosion and the warden, who suffered a knife wound, authorities said.
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The upheaval at the Llanos Penitentiary Center started with an inmate protest demanding that their relatives be allowed to deliver them food and then an armed confrontation broke out between inmates and guards, lawmaker María Beatriz Martínez told The Associated Press.
The National Guard officer was injured by a grenade explosion, said Martínez, who had access to an early report prepared by the town's security forces. The prison is located in the city of Guanare, 450 kilometers (280 miles) south-west of the capital of Caracas.
Venezuela's minister of penitentiary services, Iris Varela, confirmed the riot, telling the local newspaper Ultimas Noticias that a group of inmates attacked officers standing guard outside the prison.
The warden was injured by at least one inmate wielding a knife, Varela said.
A once-wealthy oil nation, Venezuela is gripped by a deepening political and economic crisis. Street violence is common in the nation that has had nearly 5 million residents flee in recent years as public services crumble.
Venezuela has roughly 30 prisons and 500 jails that can hold an estimated 110,000 inmates. Human rights officials say the prisons are violent and badly overcrowded, with gangs that traffic weapons and drugs in control.
According to the human rights group Venezuelan Prison Observatory, the Guanare prison was built to hold 750 inmates but is jammed beyond capacity with 2,500 inmates.
A similar riot occurred a year ago in a nearby jail also in the state of Portuguese, where 29 inmates died at a police jail that housed several hundred detainees. Violence broke out when armed inmates objected to officers entering the jail.
(AP)
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france24--2020-05-02--US protests against Covid-19 lockdowns spread to liberal bastion California

A man wearing a facemask walks past another standing with a US flag during a demonstration against stay-at-home orders near Los Angeles City Hall on May 1 , 2020 , amid the novel coronavirus pandemic .
Protesters marched in several cities across California on Friday demanding the easing of restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak and denouncing Governor Gavin Newsom 's decision to shut down some beaches .
The protests were taking place in at least 11 cities , including the capital Sacramento as well as San Francisco , Los Angeles and San Diego .
Some of the demonstrators waved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Freedom is Essential , '' `` Trump 2020 , '' or `` Gruesome Newsom , '' while voicing anger at stay-at-home rules put in place to slow the spread of the virus .
Most of the protesters , many of them chanting `` Open California '' and `` Freedom '' or ringing cowbells , did not wear face coverings or follow social distancing guidelines .
In Huntington Beach , about 35 miles ( 55 kilometers ) south of Los Angeles , several thousand people rallied to denounce Newsom 's order to shut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avoid a repeat of last weekend when crowds flocked to the shoreline .
`` It was the straw that broke the camel 's back , '' protester Monica Beilhard fumed , referring to the beach shutdown .
`` It was uncalled for , unnecessary and people out here are making that known , '' she added .
`` And we 're also very much saying enough is enough , we have the right to work ... and it 's time for the governor to allow the healthy to be able to get back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and nearby towns have vowed to fight the beach closure order by taking the matter to court .
`` We believe the governor 's order is unconstitutional , vague and ambiguous , '' said Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates .
`` He does n't have a rational basis for this .
What he seeks is a remedy to something that was n't a problem in the first place . ''
But a judge in Orange County , where Huntington Beach is located , late Friday refused to issue a temporary restraining order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearing on the matter for May 11 .
In downtown Los Angeles , tensions flared as hundreds marched in front of City Hall to demand an end to the stay-at-home order as counter protesters waved signs that said `` humanity first '' while insisting the lockdown was necessary to save lives .
`` The virus is no worse than the flu , '' Janet Gibson told AFP .
`` The sick need to stay quarantined .
They need to take care of themselves .
But let the healthy work .
Let the healthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ali Taylor , another protester , said the lockdown went against what the United States stands for .
`` We 're Americans , we 're free , we know how to take care of ourselves , '' she said .
`` We want our beaches and parks opened up , we want to be able to live free lives , and he ( Newsom ) is keeping us at home . ''
Newsom , who like other governors across the country is facing mounting pressure to lift restrictions , especially as the weather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bow to pressure and insists that his actions are driven by public health concerns .
He told journalists at his Friday news conference that he empathized with protesters but urged them to continue to obey the stay-at-home order .
He also appealed to them to wear masks and practice social distancing while demonstrating .
`` This disease does n't know if you 're a protester -- Democrat , Republican or if you support the election of one candidate or the ouster of another , '' he said .
`` It just knows one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Just protect yourself , protect your family ... and the people you 're protesting with . ''
California has registered more than 50,000 cases of coronavirus so far with more than 2,100 deaths , a fatality rate deemed modest given it is the most populous state in the country with nearly 40 million people .
Nationwide , the virus has killed more than 64,000 people .

Protesters marched in several cities across California on Friday demanding the easing of restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak and denouncing Governor Gavin Newsom's decision to shut down some beaches.
A man wearing a facemask walks past another standing with a US flag during a demonstration against stay-at-home orders near Los Angeles City Hall on May 1, 2020, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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The protests were taking place in at least 11 cities, including the capital Sacramento as well as San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.
Some of the demonstrators waved American flags and carried signs that read "Freedom is Essential," "Trump 2020," or "Gruesome Newsom," while voicing anger at stay-at-home rules put in place to slow the spread of the virus.
Most of the protesters, many of them chanting "Open California" and "Freedom" or ringing cowbells, did not wear face coverings or follow social distancing guidelines.
In Huntington Beach, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Los Angeles, several thousand people rallied to denounce Newsom's order to shut local beaches beginning Friday in order to avoid a repeat of last weekend when crowds flocked to the shoreline.
"It was the straw that broke the camel's back," protester Monica Beilhard fumed, referring to the beach shutdown.
"It was uncalled for, unnecessary and people out here are making that known," she added. "And we're also very much saying enough is enough, we have the right to work... and it's time for the governor to allow the healthy to be able to get back to business.
'We're Americans'
Officials in Huntington Beach and nearby towns have vowed to fight the beach closure order by taking the matter to court.
"We believe the governor's order is unconstitutional, vague and ambiguous," said Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates. "He doesn't have a rational basis for this. What he seeks is a remedy to something that wasn't a problem in the first place."
But a judge in Orange County, where Huntington Beach is located, late Friday refused to issue a temporary restraining order against Newsom's decision and scheduled a hearing on the matter for May 11.
In downtown Los Angeles, tensions flared as hundreds marched in front of City Hall to demand an end to the stay-at-home order as counter protesters waved signs that said "humanity first" while insisting the lockdown was necessary to save lives.
"The virus is no worse than the flu," Janet Gibson told AFP. "The sick need to stay quarantined. They need to take care of themselves. But let the healthy work. Let the healthy go out and be social."
Ali Taylor, another protester, said the lockdown went against what the United States stands for.
"We're Americans, we're free, we know how to take care of ourselves," she said. "We want our beaches and parks opened up, we want to be able to live free lives, and he (Newsom) is keeping us at home."
Newsom, who like other governors across the country is facing mounting pressure to lift restrictions, especially as the weather warms up, has vowed not to bow to pressure and insists that his actions are driven by public health concerns.
He told journalists at his Friday news conference that he empathized with protesters but urged them to continue to obey the stay-at-home order.
He also appealed to them to wear masks and practice social distancing while demonstrating.
"This disease doesn't know if you're a protester -- Democrat, Republican or if you support the election of one candidate or the ouster of another," he said. "It just knows one thing, and that is its host.
"Just protect yourself, protect your family... and the people you're protesting with."
California has registered more than 50,000 cases of coronavirus so far with more than 2,100 deaths, a fatality rate deemed modest given it is the most populous state in the country with nearly 40 million people.
Nationwide, the virus has killed more than 64,000 people.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-05-02--Judge rules against US women's football team in equal pay case

USA players ( Back row , From L ) United States ' midfielder Sam Mewis , United States ' forward Alex Morgan , United States ' goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher , United States ' defender Becky Sauerbrunn , United States ' midfielder Rose Lavelle and United States ' forward Tobin Heath ( Front row , From L ) United States ' defender Abby Dahlkemper , United States ' defender Kelley O'Hara , United States ' forward Megan Rapinoe , United States ' midfielder Julie Ertz and United States ' defender Crystal Dunn pose for the team photo prior to the France @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between USA and the Netherlands , on July 7 , 2019 , at the Lyon Stadium in Lyon , central-eastern France .
The US women 's football team 's claims for equal pay were dismissed by a court on Friday , handing a victory to the United States Soccer Federation .
Judge R. Gary Klausner of the United States District Court for the Central District of California threw out players ' claims that they were under paid in comparison with the men 's national team but allowed complaints of unfair medical , travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The WNT ( Women 's National Team ) has been paid more on both a cumulative and an average per-game basis than the MNT ( Men 's National Team ) over the class period , '' the court said in its summary judgment .
The judge , however , also ruled that players ' claims they do not receive equal treatment as the men when it comes to travel , training , housing and other areas could proceed .
The trial date is set for June 16 .
Molly Levinson , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they plan to appeal the decision .
`` We are shocked and disappointed , '' said Levinson .
`` We will not give up our hard work for equal pay .
`` We are confident in our case and steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that girls and women who play this sport will not be valued as lesser just because of their gender . ''
U.S. Soccer released a statement Friday saying it wanted to work with the team to `` chart a positive path forward to grow the game both here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' `` U.S. Soccer has long been the world leader for the women ’ s game on and off the field and we are committed to continuing that work , '' the federation said .
Players had been seeking $ 66 million in damages under the Equal Pay Act .
The women 's national team beat Netherlands to claim its fourth World Cup title last summer , as the stadium rang with chants of , `` Equal Pay , Equal Pay , '' catapulting its players into the spotlight .
Team co-captain Megan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in a livestreamed event tweeted : `` We will never stop fighting for EQUALITY . ''
Forward Tobin Heath wrote on social media : `` This team never gives up and we 're not going to start now . ''
The U.S national team 's long-running feud with U.S. Soccer has been a very public and bitter battle with athletes and celebrities , from Billie Jean King to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rallying around the women 's cause .
Last month U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro resigned over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women possess less ability than men when it comes to soccer .
The language prompted an on-field protest by players , who wore their warmup jerseys inside out to obscure the U.S. Soccer logo prior to a game , and a critical response from several of the team 's commercial sponsors .

The US women's football team's claims for equal pay were dismissed by a court on Friday, handing a victory to the United States Soccer Federation.
USA players (Back row, From L) United States' midfielder Sam Mewis, United States' forward Alex Morgan, United States' goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, United States' defender Becky Sauerbrunn, United States' midfielder Rose Lavelle and United States' forward Tobin Heath (Front row, From L) United States' defender Abby Dahlkemper, United States' defender Kelley O'Hara, United States' forward Megan Rapinoe, United States' midfielder Julie Ertz and United States' defender Crystal Dunn pose for the team photo prior to the France 2019 Womens World Cup football final match between USA and the Netherlands, on July 7, 2019, at the Lyon Stadium in Lyon, central-eastern France.
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Judge R. Gary Klausner of the United States District Court for the Central District of California threw out players' claims that they were under paid in comparison with the men's national team but allowed complaints of unfair medical, travel and training to proceed to trial.
"The WNT (Women's National Team) has been paid more on both a cumulative and an average per-game basis than the MNT (Men's National Team) over the class period," the court said in its summary judgment.
The judge, however, also ruled that players' claims they do not receive equal treatment as the men when it comes to travel, training, housing and other areas could proceed.
The trial date is set for June 16.
Molly Levinson, a spokeswoman for the players, said that they plan to appeal the decision.
"We are shocked and disappointed," said Levinson. "We will not give up our hard work for equal pay.
"We are confident in our case and steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that girls and women who play this sport will not be valued as lesser just because of their gender."
U.S. Soccer released a statement Friday saying it wanted to work with the team to "chart a positive path forward to grow the game both here at home and around the world."
"U.S. Soccer has long been the world leader for the women’s game on and off the field and we are committed to continuing that work," the federation said.
Players had been seeking $66 million in damages under the Equal Pay Act.
The women's national team beat Netherlands to claim its fourth World Cup title last summer, as the stadium rang with chants of, "Equal Pay, Equal Pay," catapulting its players into the spotlight.
Team co-captain Megan Rapinoe, who on Thursday appeared with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in a livestreamed event tweeted: "We will never stop fighting for EQUALITY."
Forward Tobin Heath wrote on social media: "This team never gives up and we're not going to start now."
The U.S national team's long-running feud with U.S. Soccer has been a very public and bitter battle with athletes and celebrities, from Billie Jean King to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rallying around the women's cause.
Last month U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro resigned over language used in a court filing suggesting women possess less ability than men when it comes to soccer.
The language prompted an on-field protest by players, who wore their warmup jerseys inside out to obscure the U.S. Soccer logo prior to a game, and a critical response from several of the team's commercial sponsors.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-02--Faced with the Covid-19 crisis, the Italian mafia sees business opportunities

FILE PHOTO : Demonstrators hold banners reading `` Camorra worth nothing '' as they march in the southern city of Naples March 21 , 2009 .
Italy ’ s mafia has worked out how to profit from the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic crash .
From offering opportunistic social aid and usurious loans to new business investments , the mafia is all set to exploit the vulnerable .
This is not the first time that mafia families have identified an easy business opportunity .
In 1980 , an earthquake struck Naples and the Campania region , killing almost 2,700 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mafia , the Camorra , quickly developed their construction enterprise and secured much of the reconstruction work .
In 2009 , the former director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ) , Antonio Maria Costa , said he had evidence that money from criminal organisations had been the only liquid investment capital used by Italian banks during the financial crash .
Now , more than a decade later , in an article published in La Repubblica in March , journalist Roberto Saviano warns that this new coronavirus crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' .
At the start of April , Italian police seized half a million euros in cash hidden in a van driven by people linked to the Calabrese arm of the mafia called 'Ndrangheta .
The van was coming from Eastern Europe when it was stopped at Italy ’ s northern border , according to the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano .
`` This is a very important case .
In general , a lot of drugs are seized but rarely money , and even less often do we have money that has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Fabrice Rizzoli , a specialist in serious crime and author of `` La Mafia de A à Z '' ( The Mafia from A to Z ) , told FRANCE 24 .
`` This means that the families are trying to bring in aid for the population . ''
> > Read also , After Gomorrah : The Naples housing estate hoping to erase its mafia past Faced with a dramatic increase in people on the poverty line , the Italian government announced the distribution of €400 million in shopping vouchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that requests for food aid from charity organisations such as Caritas increased by 30 % in March , according to AFP .
At the same time , the authorities and several media outlets noted that mafia groups started distributing their own food baskets to families facing financial difficulties .
Some considered this both a strategy of recruitment and of social consensus .
It coincided , too , with a number of key mafia bosses being allowed to exchange their prison cells for house arrest , thereby returning to the territories they controlled .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the brother of Cosa Nostra 's boss , Giuseppe Cusimano , was spotted distributing food through a charity close to the cartel .
> > Read also , Covid-19 : Mafia buying food for Italy 's poor to exert more control '' It is hard to know exactly how much of this goes on , '' said Rizzoli , who explains that such largesse buys loyalty .
`` In return , the mafia asks for 'services ' : to hide weapons or a fugitive , to employ a cousin , to display @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a competitor ... '' Statistics released by the Interior Ministry at the end of April showed a 66 % drop in crime compared to the same period last year .
However , another figure was on the rise : money-lending was up 9.1 % .
The lockdown and the resulting economic catastrophe has put many small businesses at risk of bankruptcy .
`` Banks tend to lend little to SMEs ( small and medium enterprises ) .
They must then turn to more shadowy operations and the mafia offers them fresh , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Champeyrache , a lecturer at the University of Paris 8 , a mafia specialist and author of `` La Face cachée de l'économie '' ( The Hidden Face of the Economy ) explained to FRANCE 24 .
`` In normal times , the rates for this kind of money-lending are extremely difficult to pay back , '' said Champeyrache .
`` Today , the crisis is enormous , so there 's a real demand for money .
And , during Covid-19 , rates will be more reasonable in order to get as many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thumb . ''
According to Amedeo Scaramella , of the San Giuseppe Foundation Moscato organisation , which fights against such loans , the mafia traps borrowers by then raising interest by up to 300 % .
Old business and new deals Though Europe has tightened controls at its borders and nations imposed lockdowns , the drugs business has hardly been impacted -- at least not in the wholesale market .
`` Retail trade may be more limited now , but cocaine and heroin production has not stopped , ” said Champeyrache .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the drug market before lockdown .
Consumers and mafias had made provisions.
” At the end of March , the son of an infamous leader of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta was arrested when he was discovered digging up half a ton of cocaine in a garden .
The police noticed him because he was not respecting the lockdown regulations .
Historically , Italian mafias have also invested heavily in areas of legal activity , an example being healthcare .
In 2010 , an investigation by the Anti-Mafia Commission brought down the director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chiriaco .
It was revealed that he was the representative of the 'Ndrangheta in this Lombardy city .
`` Criminal families infiltrate the health service by providing services legally through cleaning , laundry , security and equipment businesses , '' Rizzoli said .
`` In these times of Covid-19 , it is important for hospitals to get supplies wherever they can , it is an emergency .
It may later be discovered that some suppliers are linked to the mafia . ''
In an article in Elle , Italian author Roberto Saviano expanded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have invested in the most profitable business of the moment - trade in masks , gloves and hydroalcoholic gel . ''
Experts all agree on one point : Italy ’ s criminal organisations will benefit the most from the recovery .
`` By distributing food baskets , by finding a way to enter the homes of poor families , the mafia is not just looking to recruit .
It is also giving people directions on how they should vote , and these will be at least in part respected , '' says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reinforces its main activity : securing tenders .
`` As soon as there are calls for tenders in the building and public works sector , at least in southern Italy , the mafia tries to win them through their legal companies , '' said Champeyrache .
According to Saviano , Italian criminal organizations will also take advantage of bankrupt sectors to invest in new markets .
`` Who might possibly buy up the tourist resorts on the Côte d'Azur or the Costa del Sol that have been destroyed by the 2020 tourism crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an editorial in the German newspaper Die Welt , journalist Christoph B. Schiltz called on Chancellor Angela Merkel to `` stand firm '' in her refusal of a distribution of ‘ corona bonds ’ by the European Union .
He insisted they would result in money from Brussels raining down into the wallets of the Italian mafia .
Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio described this stance as `` shameful and unacceptable '' .
Rizzoli confirmed that `` the mafia will try as much as possible to torpedo public aid '' .
Last January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Tortorici , Sicily , which had embezzled €10 million of European funds earmarked for agriculture .
`` These incidents happen outside Italy too , '' he said .
In Corsica , suspicions of fraud involving agricultural aid had been estimated at €36 million between 2015 and 2019 .
The anti-corruption association Anticor has filed a complaint .
Similarly , journalist and mafia specialist Petra Reski has been warning for many years about Calabrian networks at work in Germany .
She believes the German justice system is ill-equipped to combat them .
Italy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-mafia defence system is the most sophisticated in the world .
Unlike France or Germany , Italy has three major institutional bodies dedicated to the fight against criminal organisations .
These are within the justice system , the ministry of the interior and the parliament .
`` In Italy it 's an offence to be associated with the mafia , but not in other European countries , '' said Champeyrache .
Adopted in 1982 , this measure makes it possible to arrest those who are hiding behind the crime and also high-ranking officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` The interior ministry takes the fight against the mafia ’ s embezzlement of public money very seriously , '' said Champeyrache .
She says the coronavirus crisis and lockdown have not slowed down the Italian justice system .
She does warn that Europe ’ s lack of engagement only serves to bolster the mafia in their aim to become part of the establishment .
“ If Brussels does n't help Italy in times of crisis , it will enable the mafia to continue to build their societal legitimacy . ''
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ French .

Italy’s mafia has worked out how to profit from the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic crash. From offering opportunistic social aid and usurious loans to new business investments, the mafia is all set to exploit the vulnerable.
FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators hold banners reading "Camorra worth nothing" as they march in the southern city of Naples March 21, 2009.
Advertising Read more
This is not the first time that mafia families have identified an easy business opportunity. In 1980, an earthquake struck Naples and the Campania region, killing almost 2,700 people. The Neapolitan arm of the mafia, the Camorra, quickly developed their construction enterprise and secured much of the reconstruction work.
In 2009, the former director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa, said he had evidence that money from criminal organisations had been the only liquid investment capital used by Italian banks during the financial crash.
Now, more than a decade later, in an article published in La Repubblica in March, journalist Roberto Saviano warns that this new coronavirus crisis offers the mafia a "lucrative opportunity".
At the start of April, Italian police seized half a million euros in cash hidden in a van driven by people linked to the Calabrese arm of the mafia called 'Ndrangheta. The van was coming from Eastern Europe when it was stopped at Italy’s northern border, according to the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano.
"This is a very important case. In general, a lot of drugs are seized but rarely money, and even less often do we have money that has been stored outside and then repatriated to Italy,” Fabrice Rizzoli, a specialist in serious crime and author of "La Mafia de A à Z" (The Mafia from A to Z), told FRANCE 24. "This means that the families are trying to bring in aid for the population."
>> Read also, After Gomorrah: The Naples housing estate hoping to erase its mafia past
Food baskets and SME loans
Faced with a dramatic increase in people on the poverty line, the Italian government announced the distribution of €400 million in shopping vouchers. The Italian agricultural union Coldiretti reported that requests for food aid from charity organisations such as Caritas increased by 30% in March, according to AFP.
At the same time, the authorities and several media outlets noted that mafia groups started distributing their own food baskets to families facing financial difficulties. Some considered this both a strategy of recruitment and of social consensus. It coincided, too, with a number of key mafia bosses being allowed to exchange their prison cells for house arrest, thereby returning to the territories they controlled.
In the underprivileged ZEN district of Palermo, the brother of Cosa Nostra's boss, Giuseppe Cusimano, was spotted distributing food through a charity close to the cartel.
>> Read also, Covid-19: Mafia buying food for Italy's poor to exert more control
"It is hard to know exactly how much of this goes on," said Rizzoli, who explains that such largesse buys loyalty. "In return, the mafia asks for 'services': to hide weapons or a fugitive, to employ a cousin, to display the family’s mozzarella in place of a competitor..."
Statistics released by the Interior Ministry at the end of April showed a 66% drop in crime compared to the same period last year. However, another figure was on the rise: money-lending was up 9.1%.
The lockdown and the resulting economic catastrophe has put many small businesses at risk of bankruptcy. "Banks tend to lend little to SMEs (small and medium enterprises). They must then turn to more shadowy operations and the mafia offers them fresh, albeit dirty, money," Clotilde Champeyrache, a lecturer at the University of Paris 8, a mafia specialist and author of "La Face cachée de l'économie" (The Hidden Face of the Economy) explained to FRANCE 24.
"In normal times, the rates for this kind of money-lending are extremely difficult to pay back," said Champeyrache. "Today, the crisis is enormous, so there's a real demand for money. And, during Covid-19, rates will be more reasonable in order to get as many people as possible under the mafia's thumb."
According to Amedeo Scaramella, of the San Giuseppe Foundation Moscato organisation, which fights against such loans, the mafia traps borrowers by then raising interest by up to 300%.
Old business and new deals
Though Europe has tightened controls at its borders and nations imposed lockdowns, the drugs business has hardly been impacted -- at least not in the wholesale market.
"Retail trade may be more limited now, but cocaine and heroin production has not stopped,” said Champeyrache. “There seems to have been a boom in the drug market before lockdown. Consumers and mafias had made provisions.”
At the end of March, the son of an infamous leader of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta was arrested when he was discovered digging up half a ton of cocaine in a garden. The police noticed him because he was not respecting the lockdown regulations.
Historically, Italian mafias have also invested heavily in areas of legal activity, an example being healthcare. In 2010, an investigation by the Anti-Mafia Commission brought down the director of the Pavia health agency, Carlo Antonio Chiriaco. It was revealed that he was the representative of the 'Ndrangheta in this Lombardy city.
"Criminal families infiltrate the health service by providing services legally through cleaning, laundry, security and equipment businesses," Rizzoli said. "In these times of Covid-19, it is important for hospitals to get supplies wherever they can, it is an emergency. It may later be discovered that some suppliers are linked to the mafia."
In an article in Elle, Italian author Roberto Saviano expanded further. "The Camorra already seems to have invested in the most profitable business of the moment - trade in masks, gloves and hydroalcoholic gel."
Post-crisis: tenders and corona bonds...
Experts all agree on one point: Italy’s criminal organisations will benefit the most from the recovery.
"By distributing food baskets, by finding a way to enter the homes of poor families, the mafia is not just looking to recruit. It is also giving people directions on how they should vote, and these will be at least in part respected," says Rizzoli. In this way, it reinforces its main activity: securing tenders.
"As soon as there are calls for tenders in the building and public works sector, at least in southern Italy, the mafia tries to win them through their legal companies," said Champeyrache.
According to Saviano, Italian criminal organizations will also take advantage of bankrupt sectors to invest in new markets. "Who might possibly buy up the tourist resorts on the Côte d'Azur or the Costa del Sol that have been destroyed by the 2020 tourism crisis?" he asks ironically.
In an editorial in the German newspaper Die Welt, journalist Christoph B. Schiltz called on Chancellor Angela Merkel to "stand firm" in her refusal of a distribution of ‘corona bonds’ by the European Union. He insisted they would result in money from Brussels raining down into the wallets of the Italian mafia. Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio described this stance as "shameful and unacceptable".
Rizzoli confirmed that "the mafia will try as much as possible to torpedo public aid". Last January, Italian police dismantled a mafia network in Tortorici, Sicily, which had embezzled €10 million of European funds earmarked for agriculture.
"These incidents happen outside Italy too," he said. In Corsica, suspicions of fraud involving agricultural aid had been estimated at €36 million between 2015 and 2019. The anti-corruption association Anticor has filed a complaint.
Similarly, journalist and mafia specialist Petra Reski has been warning for many years about Calabrian networks at work in Germany. She believes the German justice system is ill-equipped to combat them.
Battle against the mafia
Italy is rife with organised crime. Its anti-mafia defence system is the most sophisticated in the world. Unlike France or Germany, Italy has three major institutional bodies dedicated to the fight against criminal organisations. These are within the justice system, the ministry of the interior and the parliament.
"In Italy it's an offence to be associated with the mafia, but not in other European countries," said Champeyrache. Adopted in 1982, this measure makes it possible to arrest those who are hiding behind the crime and also high-ranking officials who don't get their hands dirty.
"The interior ministry takes the fight against the mafia’s embezzlement of public money very seriously," said Champeyrache. She says the coronavirus crisis and lockdown have not slowed down the Italian justice system.
She does warn that Europe’s lack of engagement only serves to bolster the mafia in their aim to become part of the establishment. “If Brussels doesn't help Italy in times of crisis, it will enable the mafia to continue to build their societal legitimacy."
This article is translated from the original in French.
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france24--2020-05-02--France records lowest Covid-19 daily death toll since March 22

Medical staff tend to a patient infected with Covid-19 at the intensive care unit of the Lariboisiere Hospital in Paris on April 27 , 2020 .
The number of people who died of coronavirus infection in France increased by 166 to 24,760 on Saturday , the lowest daily increase since March 22 , government data showed .
Saturday 's daily tally of Covid-19 fatalities was markedly lower than the 218 recorded a day earlier .
Health Ministry officials said the number of people in intensive care units fell to 3,827 from 3,878 on Friday , down for a 24th consecutive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital with coronavirus also fell again to 25,827 from 25,887 , continuing an uninterrupted fall since more than two weeks .
France is set for an easing of restrictions on May 11 following a strict nationwide lockdown , which was imposed on March 17 .
However , the government has decided to extend a `` state of health emergency '' imposed to fight the coronavirus pandemic for two months until July 24 , Health Minister Olivier Véran said on Saturday .
A proposal to be put to parliament on Monday says plans this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which began on March 24 , would `` be premature '' and `` could see a risk of the outbreak '' intensifying .
`` We are going to have to live with the virus for a while , '' Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said after a cabinet meeting .
The bill also lays out the quarantine conditions for people coming to France from abroad .
Travellers to France , including French citizens returning home , will face a compulsory two-week quarantine and possible isolation when they arrive in the country to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health minister said .
In an address marking international Labour Day on Friday , French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the exit from lockdown would not signal a return to “ normal life ” .
`` There will be a recovery that will need to be reorganised , '' Macron said .
`` There will be several phases and May 11 will be one of them .
”

The number of people who died of coronavirus infection in France increased by 166 to 24,760 on Saturday, the lowest daily increase since March 22, government data showed.
Medical staff tend to a patient infected with Covid-19 at the intensive care unit of the Lariboisiere Hospital in Paris on April 27, 2020.
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Saturday's daily tally of Covid-19 fatalities was markedly lower than the 218 recorded a day earlier.
Health Ministry officials said the number of people in intensive care units fell to 3,827 from 3,878 on Friday, down for a 24th consecutive day.
The number of people in hospital with coronavirus also fell again to 25,827 from 25,887, continuing an uninterrupted fall since more than two weeks.
France is set for an easing of restrictions on May 11 following a strict nationwide lockdown, which was imposed on March 17.
However, the government has decided to extend a "state of health emergency" imposed to fight the coronavirus pandemic for two months until July 24, Health Minister Olivier Véran said on Saturday.
A proposal to be put to parliament on Monday says plans this month to lift the public health emergency, which began on March 24, would "be premature" and "could see a risk of the outbreak" intensifying.
"We are going to have to live with the virus for a while," Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said after a cabinet meeting.
The bill also lays out the quarantine conditions for people coming to France from abroad.
Travellers to France, including French citizens returning home, will face a compulsory two-week quarantine and possible isolation when they arrive in the country to help slow the spread of coronavirus, the health minister said.
In an address marking international Labour Day on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the exit from lockdown would not signal a return to “normal life”.
"There will be a recovery that will need to be reorganised," Macron said. "There will be several phases and May 11 will be one of them.”
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-02--Greece is beating Covid-19, but more economic pain beckons

Greece is beating Covid-19 , but more economic pain beckons Greece has recorded one of the lowest numbers of Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ success largely attributed to the discipline of its population under lockdown .
After a decade @ @ @ @ @ halved the country ’ s healthcare budget , the public is well aware that hospitals @ @ @ @ @ as they earn praise for their exemplary response to the pandemic , Greeks are fearful @ @ @ @ @ into an economic crisis as painful as the last .
Click on the player above @ @ @ @ @ Alexia Kefalas , Nathalie Savaricas and Serafim Yannopoulos .

Greece is beating Covid-19, but more economic pain beckons
01:48
Greece has recorded one of the lowest numbers of Covid-19 fatalities in Europe — a success largely attributed to the discipline of its population under lockdown. After a decade of financial crisis and austerity halved the country’s healthcare budget, the public is well aware that hospitals remain vulnerable. But even as they earn praise for their exemplary response to the pandemic, Greeks are fearful the country will slip back into an economic crisis as painful as the last. Click on the player above to watch the report by Alexia Kefalas, Nathalie Savaricas and Serafim Yannopoulos.


france24--2020-05-02--Travellers face quarantine as France extends health emergency

A Covid-19 patient is taken for a scan at a hospital in the Paris suburb of Stains .
France has decided to extend a `` state of health emergency '' imposed to fight the coronavirus pandemic for two months until July 24 , Health Minister Olivier Véran said on Saturday , adding that incoming travellers will face a two-week quarantine upon arrival .
A bill to be put to parliament on Monday says plans this month to lift the public health emergency , which began on March 24 , would `` be premature '' and `` could see a risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are going to have to perform a long-distance run , '' Véran told a news conference , saying he was aware that the French people had already been asked for `` colossal efforts '' in the fight against the virus .
The government 's draft bill also lays out the quarantine conditions for people coming to France from abroad .
Travellers to France , including French citizens returning home , will face a compulsory two-week quarantine and possible isolation when they arrive in the country to help slow the spread of coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference .
Véran said the duration and conditions of the quarantine would be defined in a decree to be published .
Decisions to isolate people would be scrutinised by judges to ensure they are justified and fair , he added .
It was not immediately clear whether the quarantine would only apply to people arriving from outside Europe 's open-border Schengen area , whether they would need to self-isolate at home or in hotels , and for how long the measures would be in place .
More than 24,700 people have died of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The country is preparing to ease restrictions on May 11 following a strict nationwide lockdown , which was imposed on March 17 .
In an address marking international Labour Day on Friday , French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the exit from lockdown would not signal a return to “ normal life ” .
`` There will be a recovery that will need to be reorganised , '' Macron said .
`` There will be several phases and May 11 will be one of them .
”

France has decided to extend a "state of health emergency" imposed to fight the coronavirus pandemic for two months until July 24, Health Minister Olivier Véran said on Saturday, adding that incoming travellers will face a two-week quarantine upon arrival.
A Covid-19 patient is taken for a scan at a hospital in the Paris suburb of Stains.
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A bill to be put to parliament on Monday says plans this month to lift the public health emergency, which began on March 24, would "be premature" and "could see a risk of the outbreak" intensifying.
"We are going to have to perform a long-distance run," Véran told a news conference, saying he was aware that the French people had already been asked for "colossal efforts" in the fight against the virus.
The government's draft bill also lays out the quarantine conditions for people coming to France from abroad.
Travellers to France, including French citizens returning home, will face a compulsory two-week quarantine and possible isolation when they arrive in the country to help slow the spread of coronavirus, the health minister told a news conference.
Véran said the duration and conditions of the quarantine would be defined in a decree to be published. Decisions to isolate people would be scrutinised by judges to ensure they are justified and fair, he added.
It was not immediately clear whether the quarantine would only apply to people arriving from outside Europe's open-border Schengen area, whether they would need to self-isolate at home or in hotels, and for how long the measures would be in place.
More than 24,700 people have died of the Covid-19 disease so far in France. The country is preparing to ease restrictions on May 11 following a strict nationwide lockdown, which was imposed on March 17.
In an address marking international Labour Day on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the exit from lockdown would not signal a return to “normal life”.
"There will be a recovery that will need to be reorganised," Macron said. "There will be several phases and May 11 will be one of them.”
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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france24--2020-05-02--Filmmaker who mocked Egypt's President Sisi dies in prison aged 22

The entrance to the Tora prison in the Egyptian capital Cairo , pictured in March 2020 .
An Egyptian filmmaker detained without trial for over two years for making a music video that mocked President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi died on Saturday at a maximum-security prison complex , two rights lawyers said .
Attorney Ahmed el-Khwaga said his 22-year-old client Shady Habash died in Cairo ’ s Tora Prison complex .
He said the cause of death was not immediately clear .
There was no immediate comment from the Interior Ministry , which oversees Egypt ’ s prison system .
Police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 after he directed a music video by Ramy Essam , an Egyptian musician exiled in Sweden .
The video featured a song that mocked the general-turned president , comparing him to a fruit date and condemning alleged government corruption .
Khaled Ali , a rights lawyer , said Habash should have been released two months ago after serving the maximum jail time during pending investigations .
Galal el-Behairy , who wrote the song performed in the video , was also arrested in 2018 after the video provoked the ire of the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with millions of views on YouTube .
El-Behairy was sentenced by an Egyptian military court to three years in prison after his conviction on charges of “ insulting security forces ” and “ disseminating false news.
” Following his death , Habash ’ s friends published a letter he wrote from prison in October in which he spoke of his despair .
“ Prison doesn ’ t kill , loneliness does , ” he wrote , describing what he called his struggle to “ stop yourself from going mad or dying slowly because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ room two years ago and forgotten.
” “ His psychological state was very bad , ” el-Khwaga said of Habash when he saw for the last time two months ago .
Habash ’ s death again trained a spotlight on the dangers of Egyptian prisons as el-Sissi escalates a crackdown on dissent .
Many inmates are serving time for crimes they insist they did not commit , or have not been charged at all .
According to rights groups , thousands are held in Egypt ’ s jails awaiting trial .
The death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Overcrowded prison cells could be breeding grounds for the spread of the virus , which causes the illness COVID-19 .
Egypt has around 6,200 confirmed cases and over 400 deaths .
Earlier this year , a US citizen who had gone on a hunger strike as part of a six-year battle against what he insisted was wrongful imprisonment , died in prison of heart failure .
Egyptian authorities said at the time they would investigate the death of Mustafa Kassem , 54 , an Egyptian-born auto parts dealer from Long Island , New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visit family in August 2013 when his lawyers say he was mistakenly swept up in a dragnet during the violent dispersal of an Islamist sit-in that killed hundreds of people .
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in a 2018 mass trial of over 700 defendants widely condemned by human rights groups .

An Egyptian filmmaker detained without trial for over two years for making a music video that mocked President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi died on Saturday at a maximum-security prison complex, two rights lawyers said.
The entrance to the Tora prison in the Egyptian capital Cairo, pictured in March 2020.
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Attorney Ahmed el-Khwaga said his 22-year-old client Shady Habash died in Cairo’s Tora Prison complex. He said the cause of death was not immediately clear.
There was no immediate comment from the Interior Ministry, which oversees Egypt’s prison system.
Police forces arrested the young filmmaker in March 2018 after he directed a music video by Ramy Essam, an Egyptian musician exiled in Sweden. The video featured a song that mocked the general-turned president, comparing him to a fruit date and condemning alleged government corruption.
Khaled Ali, a rights lawyer, said Habash should have been released two months ago after serving the maximum jail time during pending investigations.
Galal el-Behairy, who wrote the song performed in the video, was also arrested in 2018 after the video provoked the ire of the government when it went viral on social media with millions of views on YouTube.
El-Behairy was sentenced by an Egyptian military court to three years in prison after his conviction on charges of “insulting security forces” and “disseminating false news.”
In October 2019, @ShadyHabash wrote from prison “prison does not kill, but loneliness does. I need your support so I won’t die.” Shady Habash, 22 years old, died this morning in prison. #Egypt pic.twitter.com/AZVsCiV3Gl — The Big Pharaoh (@TheBigPharaoh) May 2, 2020
Following his death, Habash’s friends published a letter he wrote from prison in October in which he spoke of his despair. “Prison doesn’t kill, loneliness does,” he wrote, describing what he called his struggle to “stop yourself from going mad or dying slowly because you’ve been thrown in a room two years ago and forgotten.”
“His psychological state was very bad,” el-Khwaga said of Habash when he saw for the last time two months ago.
Habash’s death again trained a spotlight on the dangers of Egyptian prisons as el-Sissi escalates a crackdown on dissent. Many inmates are serving time for crimes they insist they did not commit, or have not been charged at all. According to rights groups, thousands are held in Egypt’s jails awaiting trial.
The death also comes amid the coronavirus pandemic. Overcrowded prison cells could be breeding grounds for the spread of the virus, which causes the illness COVID-19. Egypt has around 6,200 confirmed cases and over 400 deaths.
Earlier this year, a US citizen who had gone on a hunger strike as part of a six-year battle against what he insisted was wrongful imprisonment, died in prison of heart failure.
Egyptian authorities said at the time they would investigate the death of Mustafa Kassem, 54, an Egyptian-born auto parts dealer from Long Island, New York.
Kassem was in Cairo to visit family in August 2013 when his lawyers say he was mistakenly swept up in a dragnet during the violent dispersal of an Islamist sit-in that killed hundreds of people. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in a 2018 mass trial of over 700 defendants widely condemned by human rights groups.
(AP)
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france24--2020-05-02--Spaniards enjoy open-air exercise as country starts easing 49-day lockdown

Joggers , cyclists and surfers across Spain hurried out of their homes on Saturday , allowed to exercise outdoors for the first time in seven weeks as the government began easing tough coronavirus restrictions .
In Madrid , cyclists and skateboarders streamed along the city 's wide boulevards .
Barcelona 's beachside was packed with runners , while surfers and paddle-boarders were out enjoying the waves .
`` We are reaping the rewards of the sacrifices we have made during these long weeks , '' Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said , but stressed that as the country opens up people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsibility to minimize the risk of any resurgence .
`` Until we have a vaccine there will be new outbreaks .
The most important thing is making sure these outbreaks do not put pressure on our national health system , '' he told a news conference , adding it will be mandatory to wear masks on public transport from Monday .
Hit by one of the world 's worst COVID-19 outbreaks , Spain imposed a strict lockdown in March , confining most of the population to their homes for all but essential trips @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Charlotte Fraser-Prynne , 41 , a British government affairs consultant , was among the first to savour the new freedom to exercise - out for an early morning run near Madrid 's Retiro Park , which remains shut .
`` I have been looking forward to this for weeks .
I was joking with my friends that I would be the first out in Madrid , '' she said .
Health emergency chief Fernando Simon said parks would be opened `` when the time is right '' .
He told a news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easing was for people to exercise , not to socialise in groups .
As the rate of infection has fallen and hospitals have regained their footing , Sanchez 's government has shifted its focus towards gradually reopening the country and reviving a badly battered economy .
Sanchez said his government would approve a 16 billion euros ( $ 17.57 billion ) reconstruction fund to help regional authorities rebuild in the wake of the pandemic .
The prime minister announced a four-phase plan this week to return the country to what he termed `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of June .
Last weekend , children under 14 were allowed out for an hour a day of supervised activity .
'Little by little' Madrid resident Susana Piego , 52 , was out cycling in the city centre on Saturday .
`` The easing out plan is good , '' she said .
`` We have to go little by little , like the WHO says , so that there is not another spike , ” she said .
The World Health Organization said on Friday that countries must lift lockdowns gradually , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus jumps back .
Spain has recorded a coronavirus death toll of 25,100 , according to health ministry data on Saturday , and more than 216,582 cases .
In Barcelona , there were throngs of people outdoors on Saturday .
`` Here on the beach promenade there are as many people as in summer , '' said a publicist in the Catalan capital who gave her name only as Samara .
To avoid overcrowding as people get outside , the government has implemented a shift system , allocating different time slots to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by appointment , such as hairdressers , will be allowed to open from Monday .
Bars and restaurants will remain closed for at least another week .
The lockdown has hammered the economy and the government expects gross domestic product ( GDP ) to contract 9.2 % in 2020 .

Joggers, cyclists and surfers across Spain hurried out of their homes on Saturday, allowed to exercise outdoors for the first time in seven weeks as the government began easing tough coronavirus restrictions.
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In Madrid, cyclists and skateboarders streamed along the city's wide boulevards. Barcelona's beachside was packed with runners, while surfers and paddle-boarders were out enjoying the waves.
"We are reaping the rewards of the sacrifices we have made during these long weeks," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said, but stressed that as the country opens up people will need to show self-control and personal responsibility to minimize the risk of any resurgence.
"Until we have a vaccine there will be new outbreaks. The most important thing is making sure these outbreaks do not put pressure on our national health system," he told a news conference, adding it will be mandatory to wear masks on public transport from Monday.
Hit by one of the world's worst COVID-19 outbreaks, Spain imposed a strict lockdown in March, confining most of the population to their homes for all but essential trips. Sports and recreational walks were banned.
Charlotte Fraser-Prynne, 41, a British government affairs consultant, was among the first to savour the new freedom to exercise - out for an early morning run near Madrid's Retiro Park, which remains shut.
"I have been looking forward to this for weeks. I was joking with my friends that I would be the first out in Madrid," she said.
People doing exercise near Barcelona beach on in the first day since the Covid-19 lockdown measures, the Spain government allow people to do exercise and take a walk.#boniphoto pic.twitter.com/sKtqHdNxXC — Xavi Bonilla (@boniphoto_) May 2, 2020
Health emergency chief Fernando Simon said parks would be opened "when the time is right". He told a news conference that the idea behind the latest easing was for people to exercise, not to socialise in groups.
As the rate of infection has fallen and hospitals have regained their footing, Sanchez's government has shifted its focus towards gradually reopening the country and reviving a badly battered economy.
Sanchez said his government would approve a 16 billion euros ($17.57 billion) reconstruction fund to help regional authorities rebuild in the wake of the pandemic.
The prime minister announced a four-phase plan this week to return the country to what he termed "the new normality" by the end of June.
Last weekend, children under 14 were allowed out for an hour a day of supervised activity.
'Little by little'
Madrid resident Susana Piego, 52, was out cycling in the city centre on Saturday.
"The easing out plan is good," she said. "We have to go little by little, like the WHO says, so that there is not another spike,” she said.
The World Health Organization said on Friday that countries must lift lockdowns gradually, while being ready to restore restrictions if the virus jumps back.
Spain has recorded a coronavirus death toll of 25,100, according to health ministry data on Saturday, and more than 216,582 cases.
In Barcelona, there were throngs of people outdoors on Saturday.
"Here on the beach promenade there are as many people as in summer," said a publicist in the Catalan capital who gave her name only as Samara.
To avoid overcrowding as people get outside, the government has implemented a shift system, allocating different time slots to different age groups.
Businesses that operate by appointment, such as hairdressers, will be allowed to open from Monday. Bars and restaurants will remain closed for at least another week.
The lockdown has hammered the economy and the government expects gross domestic product (GDP) to contract 9.2% in 2020.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-02--Number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Europe tops 1.5 million

Italian anaesthesiologist Doctor Marino De Rosa takes care of a patient at the ICU of the Covid unit where he works at the San Filippo Neri hospital , in Rome , on April 29 , 2020 as the country faces a strict lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 ( the novel coronavirus ) .
- The difficulty of wearing long hours sterile coveralls that suffocate , the risk of contamination , the fear for oneself and for those close to you , but also the feeling of being useful .
Marino De Rosa is an anaesthesiologist in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Over 1.5 million cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Europe , just under half the worldwide total , according to an AFP tally at 0850 GMT on Saturday .
With at least 1,506,853 infections , including 140,260 deaths , Europe is the hardest-hit continent .
Across the world , 3,350,224 cases and 238,334 deaths have been recorded .
Spain , with 215,216 cases and 24,824 deaths , Italy with 207,428 cases and 28,236 deaths , Britain ( 177,454 and 27,510 ) , France ( 167,346 and 24,594 ) and Germany ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ European countries with official tolls over 150,000 .
The tallies , using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization ( WHO ) , probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections .
Many countries are testing only the most serious cases .

Over 1.5 million cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Europe, just under half the worldwide total, according to an AFP tally at 0850 GMT on Saturday.
Italian anaesthesiologist Doctor Marino De Rosa takes care of a patient at the ICU of the Covid unit where he works at the San Filippo Neri hospital, in Rome, on April 29, 2020 as the country faces a strict lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus). - The difficulty of wearing long hours sterile coveralls that suffocate, the risk of contamination, the fear for oneself and for those close to you, but also the feeling of being useful. Marino De Rosa is an anaesthesiologist in the COVID unit of an hospital in Rome.
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With at least 1,506,853 infections, including 140,260 deaths, Europe is the hardest-hit continent. Across the world, 3,350,224 cases and 238,334 deaths have been recorded.
Spain, with 215,216 cases and 24,824 deaths, Italy with 207,428 cases and 28,236 deaths, Britain (177,454 and 27,510), France (167,346 and 24,594) and Germany (161,703 and 6,575) are the five European countries with official tolls over 150,000.
The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. Many countries are testing only the most serious cases.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-05-02--Fashion designers sew medical gowns for New York hospital staff

When they saw pictures of health workers in their city struggling with a lack of protective gear , a trio @ @ @ @ @ York ’ s famed garment district stitched together a plan to help out.The designers , @ @ @ @ @ label Oscar de la Renta , launched their own line of hospital gowns for health @ @ @ @ @ — an initiative they 've called Garment District for Gowns.They teamed up with local seamstresses @ @ @ @ @ a week , a figure they hope to triple soon.FRANCE 24 's Jessica Le Masurier @ @ @ @ @

Fashion designers sew medical gowns for New York hospital staff
01:45
When they saw pictures of health workers in their city struggling with a lack of protective gear, a trio of fashion designers from New York’s famed garment district stitched together a plan to help out.The designers, who work for haute couture label Oscar de la Renta, launched their own line of hospital gowns for health workers on the Covid-19 frontline — an initiative they've called Garment District for Gowns.They teamed up with local seamstresses to produce almost 10,000 gowns a week, a figure they hope to triple soon.FRANCE 24's Jessica Le Masurier and Céline Bruneau report.


france24--2020-05-02--Beaumont re-elected World Rugby chief, calls for unity to tackle Covid-19 crisis

Bill Beaumont pictured with the Web Ellis trophy at a news conference in 2017 .
Bill Beaumont was re-elected as World Rugby chairman after beating Argentine Agustin Pichot in the first round of voting and has called for unity amid the COVID-19 pandemic , the sport 's governing body said on Saturday .
The Englishman prevailed by a 28-23 margin to secure a second consecutive four-year term .
Frenchman Bernard Laporte , who was running unopposed , was elected vice-chairman .
`` Now is not the time for celebration .
We have work to do , '' Beaumont said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 and must implement an appropriate return-to-rugby strategy that prioritises player welfare , while optimising any opportunity to return to international rugby this year in full collaboration with club competitions for the good of players , fans and the overall financial health of the sport . ''
Rugby , like most sports , has been on hold as the novel coronavirus spread across the world , casting doubt on whether the 2020 international calendar could be completed .
`` I am determined to ensure that the spirit of unity and solidarity that has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unprecedented global Covid-19 pandemic is the cornerstone of a new approach that will deliver a stronger , more sustainable game when we emerge with new enthusiasm , a renewed purpose and an exciting future , '' Beaumont added .
Former England and British & Irish Lions lock Beaumont , 68 , succeeded France 's Bernard Lapasset in 2016 .

Bill Beaumont was re-elected as World Rugby chairman after beating Argentine Agustin Pichot in the first round of voting and has called for unity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the sport's governing body said on Saturday.
Bill Beaumont pictured with the Web Ellis trophy at a news conference in 2017.
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The Englishman prevailed by a 28-23 margin to secure a second consecutive four-year term.
Frenchman Bernard Laporte, who was running unopposed, was elected vice-chairman.
"Now is not the time for celebration. We have work to do," Beaumont said in a statement.
I am honoured to have been re-elected as Chairman of World Rugby. I would like to thank my union and region colleagues, members of the global rugby family and, of course my family, for all their support. Bernard and I will be working for everyone in this great game.@WorldRugby — Sir Bill Beaumont (@BillBeaumont) May 2, 2020
"We are tackling Covid-19 and must implement an appropriate return-to-rugby strategy that prioritises player welfare, while optimising any opportunity to return to international rugby this year in full collaboration with club competitions for the good of players, fans and the overall financial health of the sport."
Rugby, like most sports, has been on hold as the novel coronavirus spread across the world, casting doubt on whether the 2020 international calendar could be completed.
"I am determined to ensure that the spirit of unity and solidarity that has characterised our work in response to an unprecedented global Covid-19 pandemic is the cornerstone of a new approach that will deliver a stronger, more sustainable game when we emerge with new enthusiasm, a renewed purpose and an exciting future," Beaumont added.
Former England and British & Irish Lions lock Beaumont, 68, succeeded France's Bernard Lapasset in 2016.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-03--Kim Jong Un is not believed to have had surgery, says S. Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the completion of a fertiliser plant , in a region north of the capital , Pyongyang , in this image released by North Korea 's Korean Central News Agency ( KCNA ) on May 2 , 2020 .
South Korea 's assessment is that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not have surgery , local news outlet Yonhap said , citing an unidentified senior official at presidential Blue House .
`` There were speculative reports that Chairman Kim underwent a surgery citing some difference to his walk , '' the official was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reasons to believe that there was no surgery , but can not disclose such details . ''
Rumours about Kim 's health have been swirling since his conspicuous no-show at April 15 celebrations for the birthday of his grandfather , the North 's founder -- the most important day in the country 's political calendar .
His absence triggered a series of fevered rumours and unconfirmed reports over his condition , while the United States and South Korea insisted they had no information to believe any of the conjecture was true .
North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smiling broadly and smoking a cigarette at what it said was the opening of a fertiliser factory on Friday .

South Korea's assessment is that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not have surgery, local news outlet Yonhap said, citing an unidentified senior official at presidential Blue House.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the completion of a fertiliser plant, in a region north of the capital, Pyongyang, in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 2, 2020.
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"There were speculative reports that Chairman Kim underwent a surgery citing some difference to his walk," the official was cited as saying.
"We have reasons to believe that there was no surgery, but cannot disclose such details."
Rumours about Kim's health have been swirling since his conspicuous no-show at April 15 celebrations for the birthday of his grandfather, the North's founder -- the most important day in the country's political calendar.
His absence triggered a series of fevered rumours and unconfirmed reports over his condition, while the United States and South Korea insisted they had no information to believe any of the conjecture was true.
North Korean state television showed Kim walking, smiling broadly and smoking a cigarette at what it said was the opening of a fertiliser factory on Friday.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS, AFP)
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france24--2020-05-03--S. Korea says troops exchange fire along N. Korean border

South Korean soldiers patrol along a barbed wire fence Demilitarized Zone ( DMZ ) separating North and South Korea , on the South Korean island of Ganghwa on April 23 , 2020 .
North and South Korean troops exchanged fire along their tense border on Sunday , the South ’ s military said , blaming North Korean soldiers for targeting a guard post .
The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said in a statement that North Korean troops fired several bullets at a South Korean guard post inside the heavily fortified border .
South Korea fired two rounds in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it said .
South Korea suffered no casualties , the military said .
It 's unknown whether North Korea had any casualties .
The North 's official Korean Central News Agency has n't reported about the incident .
It comes a day after North Korea broadcast images of leader Kim Jong Un reappearing in public after a 20-day absence amid intense speculation about his health .
KCNA said Kim attended Friday ’ s ceremony marking the completion of a fertilizer factory near Pyongyang along with senior officials .
State TV showed Kim smiling @ @ @ @ @ @

North and South Korean troops exchanged fire along their tense border on Sunday, the South’s military said, blaming North Korean soldiers for targeting a guard post.
South Korean soldiers patrol along a barbed wire fence Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea, on the South Korean island of Ganghwa on April 23, 2020.
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The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said in a statement that North Korean troops fired several bullets at a South Korean guard post inside the heavily fortified border. South Korea fired two rounds in response after issuing a warning broadcast, it said.
South Korea suffered no casualties, the military said. It's unknown whether North Korea had any casualties. The North's official Korean Central News Agency hasn't reported about the incident.
It comes a day after North Korea broadcast images of leader Kim Jong Un reappearing in public after a 20-day absence amid intense speculation about his health.
KCNA said Kim attended Friday’s ceremony marking the completion of a fertilizer factory near Pyongyang along with senior officials. State TV showed Kim smiling and walking around factory facilities.
(AP)
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france24--2020-05-03--Eiffel Tower lights up in 'Heroes Shine Bright' tribute to healthcare workers

Golden Statues at the Trocadero square near the Eiffel tower wears a protective mask during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) in Paris , France , May 2 , 2020 .
The Eiffel Tower joined other global landmarks Saturday in capping a sparkling tribute launched by the Empire State Building in New York to those battling the coronavirus .
At 8:00 pm ( 1800 GMT ) , when people in France have been clapping daily from windows and balconies to thank health-care workers , the Paris landmark lit up in `` sparkling white '' to hail `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic , '' said SETE , the company that manages the Eiffel Tower .
A half hour later , the lights on the 20th century Montparnasse Tower , another tall landmark in the French capital , transitioned from white to red `` to show its support even more intensively , like a beating heart , '' the company added .
The nine-day # HeroesShineBright initiative started on April 24 in New York and each night a different colour is used there to salute various groups including health care staff , transit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , SETE added .
Other landmarks that have supported the initiative are the Euromast in Rotterdam , 360 Chicago , the UAE 'S Burj Khalifa , the world 's tallest structure , the CN Tower in Toronto , the Macao tower in China , the Busan Tower in South Korea , the Ostankino TV Tower in Russia , the Tallinn TV Tower in Estonia and the OVNI Tower in Slovakia .

The Eiffel Tower joined other global landmarks Saturday in capping a sparkling tribute launched by the Empire State Building in New York to those battling the coronavirus.
Golden Statues at the Trocadero square near the Eiffel tower wears a protective mask during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Paris, France, May 2, 2020.
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At 8:00 pm (1800 GMT), when people in France have been clapping daily from windows and balconies to thank health-care workers, the Paris landmark lit up in "sparkling white" to hail "the unfailing courage of care workers confronting the coronavirus pandemic," said SETE, the company that manages the Eiffel Tower.
A half hour later, the lights on the 20th century Montparnasse Tower, another tall landmark in the French capital, transitioned from white to red "to show its support even more intensively, like a beating heart," the company added.
The nine-day #HeroesShineBright initiative started on April 24 in New York and each night a different colour is used there to salute various groups including health care staff, transit workers, and police or military personnel, SETE added.
Other landmarks that have supported the initiative are the Euromast in Rotterdam, 360 Chicago, the UAE'S Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest structure, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Macao tower in China, the Busan Tower in South Korea, the Ostankino TV Tower in Russia, the Tallinn TV Tower in Estonia and the OVNI Tower in Slovakia.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-05-03--Robots and cameras: China's sci-fi quarantine enforcement

A man wearing a protective mask walks under surveillance cameras in Shanghai , China , as the country is hit by a novel coronavirus outbreak , at the Pudong financial district in Shanghai , China February 28 , 2020 .
REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Robots delivering meals , ghostly figures in hazmat suits and cameras pointed at front doors : China 's methods to enforce coronavirus quarantines have looked like a sci-fi dystopia for legions of people .
Authorities have taken drastic steps to ensure that people do not break isolation rules after China largely tamed the virus that had paralysed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imported from abroad threatening to unravel China 's progress , travellers arriving from overseas have been required to stay home or in designated hotels for 14 days .
Beijing loosened the rule in the capital this week -- except for those arriving from abroad and Hubei , the province where the virus first surfaced late last year .
At one quarantine hotel in central Beijing , a guard sits at a desk on each floor to monitor all movements .
The solitude is broken by one of the few visitors allowed near the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivers water bottles , meals and packages to hotel guests .
The robot rides the elevator and navigates hallways on its own to minimise contact between guests and human staff .
When the robot arrives at its destination , it dials the landline phone in the room and informs the occupant in an eerie , childlike voice : `` Hello , this is your service robot .
Your order has arrived outside your room . ''
Its belly opens and the guest takes the delivery items before the robot turns and rolls away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ room to room daily reminding occupants , including an AFP journalist who had been in Hubei , to take their temperatures with the mercury thermometer provided at check-in , and to ask if any are experiencing symptoms .
People under home quarantine elsewhere in the city have had silent electronic alarms installed on their doors .
Officials put up a notice on each quarantined household 's door asking neighbours to keep an eye on the confined inhabitants .
In one Beijing residential compound , officials told AFP that people under home quarantine must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doors .
Friederike Boege , a German journalist , began her second quarantine in Beijing this year on Sunday after returning from Hubei 's capital Wuhan .
Her building 's management installed a camera in front of her door to monitor her movements .
`` It 's quite scary how you get used to such things , '' she told AFP .
`` Apart from the camera I do believe that the guards and the cleaner on the compound would denunciate me if I were to go out , '' Boege said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ after returning from a trip to Thailand , she was reported to building management by a cleaner for going downstairs to take out the trash .
Total isolation has become a temporary norm for those under strict quarantine , without even a single trip to the grocery store or walk to break up the monotony .
Joy Zhong , a 25-year-old media professional returning to Beijing from a work trip in the virus epicentre of Wuhan , spent three weeks without leaving a cramped room at another hotel in the Chinese capital .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ order their own food and were instead given standardised meals .
Friends were allowed to bring packages to the front desk , which were then left outside hotel rooms by staff who avoided direct contact with guests .
`` Spending 21 days in a row without seeing a single person , it felt like time was passing extremely slowly , '' Zhong told AFP .
Not all people under quarantine are as closely watched as those in Beijing , however .
Charlotte Poirot , a French teacher who arrived in China in late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreigners entering the country was introduced -- spent two weeks under quarantine at a hostel in the southeastern city Guangzhou .
She was confined alone in a 10-bunk room , with meals delivered to her door and medical personnel coming to check her temperature multiple times a day .
`` They never locked the door and the ( whole ) process was based on reliance , '' Poirot told AFP .
`` We all played the game without contesting . ''

Robots delivering meals, ghostly figures in hazmat suits and cameras pointed at front doors: China's methods to enforce coronavirus quarantines have looked like a sci-fi dystopia for legions of people.
A man wearing a protective mask walks under surveillance cameras in Shanghai, China, as the country is hit by a novel coronavirus outbreak, at the Pudong financial district in Shanghai, China February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo
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Authorities have taken drastic steps to ensure that people do not break isolation rules after China largely tamed the virus that had paralysed the country for months.
With cases imported from abroad threatening to unravel China's progress, travellers arriving from overseas have been required to stay home or in designated hotels for 14 days.
Beijing loosened the rule in the capital this week -- except for those arriving from abroad and Hubei, the province where the virus first surfaced late last year.
At one quarantine hotel in central Beijing, a guard sits at a desk on each floor to monitor all movements.
The solitude is broken by one of the few visitors allowed near the rooms: A three-foot-tall cylindrical robot that delivers water bottles, meals and packages to hotel guests.
The robot rides the elevator and navigates hallways on its own to minimise contact between guests and human staff.
When the robot arrives at its destination, it dials the landline phone in the room and informs the occupant in an eerie, childlike voice: "Hello, this is your service robot. Your order has arrived outside your room."
Its belly opens and the guest takes the delivery items before the robot turns and rolls away.
Doctors in hazmat suits go from room to room daily reminding occupants, including an AFP journalist who had been in Hubei, to take their temperatures with the mercury thermometer provided at check-in, and to ask if any are experiencing symptoms.
People under home quarantine elsewhere in the city have had silent electronic alarms installed on their doors.
Officials put up a notice on each quarantined household's door asking neighbours to keep an eye on the confined inhabitants.
In one Beijing residential compound, officials told AFP that people under home quarantine must inform community volunteers whenever they open their doors.
Friederike Boege, a German journalist, began her second quarantine in Beijing this year on Sunday after returning from Hubei's capital Wuhan.
Her building's management installed a camera in front of her door to monitor her movements.
"It's quite scary how you get used to such things," she told AFP.
"Apart from the camera I do believe that the guards and the cleaner on the compound would denunciate me if I were to go out," Boege said.
During her previous quarantine experience in March after returning from a trip to Thailand, she was reported to building management by a cleaner for going downstairs to take out the trash.
No human contact
Total isolation has become a temporary norm for those under strict quarantine, without even a single trip to the grocery store or walk to break up the monotony.
Joy Zhong, a 25-year-old media professional returning to Beijing from a work trip in the virus epicentre of Wuhan, spent three weeks without leaving a cramped room at another hotel in the Chinese capital.
There, guests were not allowed to order their own food and were instead given standardised meals.
Friends were allowed to bring packages to the front desk, which were then left outside hotel rooms by staff who avoided direct contact with guests.
"Spending 21 days in a row without seeing a single person, it felt like time was passing extremely slowly," Zhong told AFP.
Not all people under quarantine are as closely watched as those in Beijing, however.
Charlotte Poirot, a French teacher who arrived in China in late March -- just before a ban on foreigners entering the country was introduced -- spent two weeks under quarantine at a hostel in the southeastern city Guangzhou.
She was confined alone in a 10-bunk room, with meals delivered to her door and medical personnel coming to check her temperature multiple times a day.
"They never locked the door and the (whole) process was based on reliance," Poirot told AFP. "We all played the game without contesting."
(AFP)
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france24--2020-05-02--Number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Europe top 1.5 million


france24--2020-05-03--France records lowest Covid-19 daily death toll in six weeks

A statue wearing a protective mask at the Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower in Paris , pictured on May 2 , 2020 .
The number of people who died of coronavirus infection in France increased by 135 to 24,895 on Sunday , the lowest daily increase since March 22 , government data showed .
Sunday 's daily tally of Covid-19 fatalities marked another drop after the 166 recorded a day earlier .
Health Ministry officials said the number of people in intensive care units fell to 3,819 from 3,827 on Saturday , down for a 25th consecutive day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus also fell again to 25,815 from 25,827 , continuing an uninterrupted fall since more than two weeks .
Health officials have previously warned that on Sundays the data reporting from nursing homes is often delayed , leading to a catch-up during the week .
Care homes for the elderly have so far accounted for more than a third of all fatalities recorded in France since the start of the outbreak .
The country is set for an easing of restrictions on May 11 following a strict nationwide lockdown , which was imposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government has decided to extend a `` state of health emergency '' imposed to fight the coronavirus pandemic for two months until July 24 .
A proposal to be put to parliament on Monday says plans this month to lift the public health emergency , which began on March 24 , would `` be premature '' and `` could see a risk of the outbreak '' intensifying .
`` We are going to have to live with the virus for a while , '' Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said after a cabinet meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out the quarantine conditions for people coming to France from abroad , though there has been considerable confusion as to which travellers the restrictions will apply to .
France 's health minister initially said all travellers to France , including French citizens returning home , would face a compulsory two-week quarantine and possible isolation upon arrival .
However , the French presidency on Sunday said the quarantine rules would not apply to visitors coming from EU and Schengen countries , `` regardless of their nationality '' .
The presidency added that rules for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ French foreign ministry `` in the coming days '' .

The number of people who died of coronavirus infection in France increased by 135 to 24,895 on Sunday, the lowest daily increase since March 22, government data showed.
A statue wearing a protective mask at the Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, pictured on May 2, 2020.
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Sunday's daily tally of Covid-19 fatalities marked another drop after the 166 recorded a day earlier.
Health Ministry officials said the number of people in intensive care units fell to 3,819 from 3,827 on Saturday, down for a 25th consecutive day.
The number of people in hospital with coronavirus also fell again to 25,815 from 25,827, continuing an uninterrupted fall since more than two weeks.
Health officials have previously warned that on Sundays the data reporting from nursing homes is often delayed, leading to a catch-up during the week.
Care homes for the elderly have so far accounted for more than a third of all fatalities recorded in France since the start of the outbreak.
The country is set for an easing of restrictions on May 11 following a strict nationwide lockdown, which was imposed on March 17.
However, the government has decided to extend a "state of health emergency" imposed to fight the coronavirus pandemic for two months until July 24.
Quarantine confusion
A proposal to be put to parliament on Monday says plans this month to lift the public health emergency, which began on March 24, would "be premature" and "could see a risk of the outbreak" intensifying.
"We are going to have to live with the virus for a while," Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said after a cabinet meeting on Saturday.
The bill also lays out the quarantine conditions for people coming to France from abroad, though there has been considerable confusion as to which travellers the restrictions will apply to.
France's health minister initially said all travellers to France, including French citizens returning home, would face a compulsory two-week quarantine and possible isolation upon arrival.
However, the French presidency on Sunday said the quarantine rules would not apply to visitors coming from EU and Schengen countries, "regardless of their nationality".
The presidency added that rules for other travellers would be clarified by the French foreign ministry "in the coming days".
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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