Month: November 2020

(Xinhua)15:24, July 02, 2020

WASHINGTON, July 1 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is all for masks in efforts to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, but added that he hasnt had to wear one.

Im all for masks. I think masks are good, Trump told Fox Business, adding that he would wear a face covering if he were in a tight situation with other people.

The president said that he hasnt had to wear a mask because people around him have been tested for the coronavirus.

Asked whether he would wear a mask publicly, Trump said: I mean, Id have no problem. Actually, I had a mask on. I sort of liked the way I looked.

Trump has been under growing pressure from both Republicans and Democrats to set an example for the country by wearing a face mask amid the currently surging U.S. coronavirus caseload.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that wearing a mask cannot be stigmatized, caling for wearing one in public amid the pandemic.

Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday on CBS News that the White House was trying to defer to governors and other local officials on wearing a mask.

Also on Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said a federal mandate to wear masks in public was long overdue and faulted the president for not setting an example by wearing one in public himself.

(Xinhua)16:00, July 02, 2020

BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) — Countries around the world are facing varied COVID-19 situations as continuing fight and stronger responses from the international community are urged to tackle related challenges.

In the United States, where the national COVID-19 tally is approaching 2.7 million, some states continue to record daily case spikes as many have either paused or partially reversed their staged reopenings.

In Texas, one of the four states worst hit by a coronavirus resurgence, a record 8,076 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Wednesday, and mayors are asking the state to scale back local reopening.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted on the day: I and the mayors of other cities have sent a letter to Governor (Greg) Abbott asking to roll back capacity at gyms and bowling alleys.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday the city will postpone indoor dining indefinitely as several U.S. states have seen soaring new COVID-19 cases related to restaurants and bars, saying, We cannot go ahead at this point in time with indoor dining in New York City.

Anthony Fauci, the U.S. governments top infectious-diseases expert, said on Tuesday the United States is not in total control of the pandemic, warning: I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around.

U.S. economists and officials have warned a nationwide virus resurgence is threatening to derail the nascent economic recovery in the United States.

In South America which is in the winter season, Chile on Wednesday reported its total COVID-19 cases have increased to 282,043, with 5,753 deaths.

In Brazil, the death toll rose to 60,632 on Wednesday, out of a national caseload of 1,448,753 including 46,712 new cases reported in the past 24 hours.

In Israel, certain neighborhoods in the central city of Lod and in the coastal city of Ashdod were on Wednesday declared as restricted areas over high morbidity rates.

In China, which is forging ahead with economic resumption, the health authority said it received reports of three newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland on Wednesday, of which one was domestically transmitted and recorded in Beijing.

With 303 confirmed cases so far, including four newly reported ones, Myanmar on Wednesday announced that the 2020 general elections will be held on Nov. 8 this year, without delay.

In Tokyo, the metropolitan government on Wednesday confirmed 67 new COVID-19 infections, marking the sixth straight day on which daily cases in the Japanese capital topped 50 and the highest number since the state of emergency was lifted in late May. Downtown nighttime entertainment spots in Tokyo have seen clusters of cases emerge.

In the meantime, the novel coronavirus proves to still demand more and more understanding by mankind.

On Wednesday, the Nepali government highlighted a high number of infections in children under 18, which represents an alarming 14.67 percent of the national tally that rose to 14,046 on Wednesday.

As many as 2,061 children below the age of 18 years have been infected with the novel coronavirus, health ministry spokesperson Jageshwor Gautam told a regular press briefing.

In Denmark, a third mink herd has been confirmed to be infected with COVID-19, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration said in a press release on Wednesday.

Following a massive round of testing on Monday of the animals on the farm in Hjorring municipality of North Jutland, 356 km northwest of Copenhagen, more than half of the 10,000-strong mink herd tested positive.

CONTINUING FIGHT

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday in a speech to the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament, that Germany took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union from Croatia for the next six months in a difficult time due to COVID-19.

Of course, our presidency will be marked by the coronavirus pandemic, the efforts to contain it and to deal with its consequences, said Merkel, stressing that the European Council had agreed that special solutions are needed.

The United Nations (UN) Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution on COVID-19, demanding a general and immediate cessation of hostilities in all situations on its agenda.

Resolution 2532, which won the unanimous support of the 15 members of the council, calls on all parties to armed conflicts to engage immediately in a durable humanitarian pause for at least 90 consecutive days, in order to enable the safe, unhindered and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance, provisions of related services by impartial humanitarian actors, and medical evacuations.

The resolution requests the UN secretary-general to help ensure that all relevant parts of the UN system accelerate their response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a particular emphasis on countries in need, including those in situations of armed conflict or affected by humanitarian crises.

Zhang Jun, Chinas permanent representative to the UN, called the resolutions adoption a victory of multilateralism and reiterated Chinas support to the secretary-generals appeal for a global cease-fire and the UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan.

Also on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the financial needs of countries, particularly low- and middle-income countries, in their response to COVID-19.

As we craft a comprehensive global response, action on finance must be central. If countries lack the financial means to fight the pandemic and invest in recovery, we face a health catastrophe and a painfully slow global recovery, he told a roundtable on Rebirthing the Global Economy to Deliver Sustainable Development.

(CGTN)08:33, June 30, 2020

Anthony Fauci (File Photo/Xinhua)

In his effort to praise the New York government, head of the U.S. CDC Anthony Fauci said the coronavirus that plagued the NYC came from Europe instead of China.

Everybody was looking at China and it came from Europe, he told WNYC on Tuesday.

The COVID-19 outbreak swept the world one continent after another. It first hit China, then Europe, the U.S. and now Latin America.

The U.S. government did notice the outbreak in China and took some actions to prevent travel from the country. But when the epicenter shifted to Europe, the Americans didnt limit traveling fast enough. Thats one of the reasons why the NYC was hit so hard.

In China, coronavirus cases with European origins are also creating new troubles. The recently discovered cases in Beijing came, according to initial investigations, from Europe.

But simply blaming the Europeans is not a great attitude toward the pandemic. The human race has a more important job to do 鈥?to stop the spread of the COVID-19. And the Europeans are definitely taking their part in the fight with the pandemic.

Fauci praised New York governor and NYC mayor for their great job reducing new coronavirus infections. Its more important to find out what theyve done well than blaming them for acting slow.

(Xinhua)08:48, June 30, 2020

WASHINGTON, June 29 (Xinhua) — It is of vital importance to strengthen global cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 at a critical moment when confirmed cases worldwide have surpassed 10 million, a leading expert told Xinhua on Monday.

Xi Chen, a professor at Yale School of Public Health and president of the China Health Policy and Management Society, said COVID-19 infections around the world are continuously rising since its outbreak, with countries including the United States seeing daily spikes recently.

As grim as the situation is, the pandemic has spread to every corner of the world in every season, Chen told Xinhua in an interview.

Global confirmed COVID-19 cases topped 10,268,000 as of Monday evening, with the death toll reaching 504,200, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

More than 2,581,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States with fatalities surpassing 126,000, according to the tally.

Chen said many countries have adopted public health measures to contain the spread of the virus since its outbreak. However, the efforts may weaken as the world enters economic recession.

We are experiencing globalization without global governance, which has exposed the vulnerability of human beings in the face of major infectious diseases like COVID-19, Chen said.

He called for enhanced global cooperation in fighting the pandemic in four main areas — tracking and detecting the virus, timely reporting to international organizations, sharing scientific information, and sharing experience in COVID-19 prevention and control.

Chen spoke positively of Chinas experience in containing the spread of COVID-19. China has done a very good job in early detection, early report, early isolation, and early treatment. This should serve as a principle for other countries in fighting the pandemic, Chen said.

Meanwhile, the social distancing measures and mask wearing practices in China and other east Asian countries have effectively slowed the spread of the virus, he added.

He praised Chinas aid to less developed countries in their fight against COVID-19 in terms of providing related materials and equipment.

China has played a crucial role in COVID-19 vaccine and therapy development, and will continue to play an important part in the fair and effective distribution of vaccines and therapies in the future, Chen said.

(Xinhua)09:13, June 30, 2020

TEHRAN, June 29 (Xinhua) — Iran has filed a case with the Interpol to arrest a number of U.S. political and military officials who were involved in the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in January, Tehran Prosecutor General Ali Qasi Mehr said on Monday.

Qasi Mehr said that the list of 36 U.S. individuals, including President Donald Trump, has been availed to the Interpol.

These people have been accused of murder and terrorist acts against the Iranian senior commander, he was quoted as saying.

A U.S. airstrike on January 3 killed Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Irans Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, along with an Iraqi militia commander, near Baghdad International Airport.

(Xinhua)10:00, June 30, 2020

MOSCOW, June 29 (Xinhua) — The Kremlin on Monday denied a New York Times report alleging that Russia offered bounties for killing U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

Once again, we can only express regret that one of the largest, reputable and high-quality world media outlets have been increasingly publishing elaborate hoaxes in recent years, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily briefing.

On Friday, the New York Times published a report, saying that according to U.S. intelligence officials, a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan — including targeting American troops.

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday that Intel just reported to me that they did not find this info credible, and therefore did not report it to me or @VP. Possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax.

By QuanjiaoWang (Peoples Daily Online)17:13, June 30, 2020

SYDNEY, June 30 (People’s Daily Online) Koalas could be extinct in Australias New South Wales (NSW) state before 2050 without urgent action, according a report by State Parliament.

The report from the legislative council of NSW Parliament investigating koala populations and habitat was released today.

The committee foundthat the official government estimate of 36,000 koalas contained in the NSW Koala Strategy is outdatedand unreliable.

According to the report, at least 5,000 koalas were lost in the devastating2019-2020bushfires.

The ongoing destruction of koala habitat through the clearing of land for agriculture, development, mining and forestry has severely impacted most koala populations in the state over many decades.

In addition, many koala populations were suffering through drought conditions that had plagued NSW for years, exacerbated by climate change.

Committee Chairwoman Cate Faehrmann said: “it was deeply distressing but extremely important for committee members to agree to the finding that koalas will become extinct in NSW before 2050 without urgent government intervention.”

The committee listed 16 findings and 42 recommendations in the report.

“The only way our childrens grandchildren will see a koala in the wild in NSW will be if the government acts upon the committees recommendations”, Faehrmann added.

(Xinhua)09:07, July 01, 2020

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) — China on Tuesday urged some U.S. politicians to immediately stop smearing China and interfering in Chinas internal affairs by creating rumors under the pretext of Xinjiang.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks in response to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeos statement over Chinas Xinjiang policy.

The Chinese government equally protects the legitimate rights and interests of people of all ethnic groups, including ethnic minorities, Zhao said.

From 1978 to 2018, the population of Uygurs in Xinjiang grew from 5.55 million to 11.68 million, registering a 2.1 times increase and accounting for about 46.8 percent of the total population of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the spokesperson said.

Zhao said ethnic minorities in the United States have long been suffering from bullying, exclusion and wide, systemic discrimination in economic, cultural, social and other aspects, citing examples from the killing of Indians through the Westward Expansion to the death of African American George Floyd.

We urge U.S. politicians like Pompeo to reject bias and double standards, face up to the issue of racial discrimination at home, spend more time and energy on improving human rights conditions at home, and immediately stop smearing China and interfering in Chinas internal affairs by creating rumors under the pretext of Xinjiang, Zhao added.

(Xinhua)09:34, July 01, 2020

OTTAWA, June 30 (Xinhua) — Air Canada announced on Tuesday that it is indefinitely suspending service of 30 domestic routes and closing eight stations at regional airports across the country.

These structural changes to Air Canadas domestic regional network are being made as a result of continuing weak demand for both business and leisure travel due to COVID-19 and provincial and federal government-imposed travel restrictions and border closures, which are diminishing prospects for a near-to-mid-term recovery, Canadas largest airline said in a news release.

Most of the route suspensions will occur in the provinces of The Maritimes, Ontario and Quebec, with a handful of closures affecting western routes between Saskatchewan and Ottawa.

It said the airline industry will need a minimum of three years to fully recover, therefore other changes to its services and schedule, and further suspensions will be considered in the coming weeks to reduce its cost.

Air Canada reported a net loss of 1.05 billion Canadian dollars (about 774 million U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it has laid off 20,000 people.