WASHINGTON: Coronavirus deaths have surged past 150,000 worldwide with nearly a quarter of them in the United States, where President Donald Trump lent his support to protesters rallying against lockdown orders.
Evidence is mounting that social distancing successfully slowed the pandemic after more than half of humanity — 4.5 billion people — were confined to their homes.
Governments around the world are now grappling with when and how to ease lockdowns that have crippled the global economy, even as the COVID-19 death toll climbs further in hard-hit countries.
Demonstrators in three US states staged public rallies this week to demand an end to the restrictions, with the largest protest in Michigan attracting 3,000 people — some of whom were armed.
Trump has largely left decisions on easing lockdowns to state officials even as he laid out guidelines for a staged reopening of the national economy.
But his call to “liberate” Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia in a series of tweets Friday were quickly rebuked by the Democratic leaders of all three states.
“I do not have time to involve myself in Twitter wars,” said Virginia governor Ralph Northam.
The United States accounts for nearly a third of the 2.25 million coronavirus infections reported globally.
It has also recorded over 37,000 deaths, more than any other nation, followed by Italy, Spain and France which have all been ravaged by their own outbreaks.
Many countries are testing only the most serious cases and the number of confirmed global cases is likely only a fraction of the true total.
Virtually no corner of the world has been left untouched, with deaths in Africa passing 1,000.
Nigeria announced the death of President Muhammadu Buhari’s top aide on Saturday, the highest-profile person to succumb to the virus in Africa’s most populous nation.
Meanwhile, many of the world’s 260 million Orthodox Christians are preparing to mark Easter without attending church services.
The Russian Orthodox Church has asked the faithful to celebrate at home, even though many places or worship will remain open. Services in Turkey will be closed to the public and broadcast on the Internet.
In Zimbabwe, celebrations and mass rallies to mark the country’s 40th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule were canceled.
And Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II will not mark her birthday on Tuesday with a traditional gun salute.
China sharply raised its death toll to 4,636 on Friday after adding another 1,290 fatalities for the city of Wuhan, where the respiratory disease first emerged late last year.
Trump, who has angrily shot back at claims he reacted too slowly to the virus threat, has accused Beijing of downplaying the impact of the virus within its borders.
“It is far higher than that and far higher than the US, not even close!” he tweeted.
Trump did not offer evidence to back the claim, but pressure has mounted in recent days on Beijing to come clean over its handling of the initial outbreak.
Leaders in France and Britain have also questioned China’s management of the crisis but Beijing hit back, saying it had not concealed information about the illness.
Signs that the outbreak could be easing in parts of Europe prompted Switzerland, Denmark and Finland to begin reopening shops and schools this week.
Germany’s health minister said Friday that the virus was “under control after 3,400 deaths in his country, which is now beginning the delicate task of lifting some restrictions without triggering a secondary outbreak.
Some small shops will be allowed to reopen Monday, and some children will return to school within weeks.
Parts of Italy also began emerging from lockdown, with Venice residents strolling around quiet canals.
But Spain, where the death toll topped 20,000 on Saturday, has extended its strict lockdown, while Japan, Britain and Mexico have all expanded their current movement restrictions.
Signs of the economic carnage wrought by the pandemic are mounting, with China reporting its first contraction in GDP since at least the early 1990s after several decades of breakneck growth.
The Trump administration pledged another $19 billion in relief for farmers reeling from a massive jolt to the agricultural markets with schools and restaurants shuttered across the country.
Part of the funds will be used to buy up surplus dairy products and produce that farmers have been destroying, unable to get it to consumers or food processors.
“Having to dump milk and plow under vegetables ready to market is not only financially distressing, but it’s heartbreaking as well to those who produce them,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said.
African state leaders and global financial bodies warned Friday that the continent needed tens of billions of dollars in additional funds to fight the outbreak.
The IMF also warned the virus could spark another “lost decade” in Latin America and backed debt moratoriums to free up spending for the region’s fragile economies.
Trump endorses lockdown protests as world coronavirus cases hit 2.25 million
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Trump endorses lockdown protests as world coronavirus cases hit 2.25 million
- Evidence is mounting that social distancing successfully slowed the pandemic after more than half of humanity — 4.5 billion people — were confined to their homes
- The United States accounts for nearly a third of the 2.25 million coronavirus infections reported globally
Mayor of opposition Istanbul stronghold arrested over bid-rigging claims
ISTANBUL: The mayor of one of Turkiye’s opposition strongholds was arrested Monday as part of a bid-rigging investigation, prosecutors in Istanbul said.
Riza Akpolat, who heads Besiktas municipality on the city’s European side, was detained at his summer house in Edremit on Turkiye’s west coast, private news agency DHA reported.
Besiktas has long been under the control of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP. It is one of the city’s main entertainment centers and home to the famous soccer club of the same name.
“A criminal organization … organized the tender processes by bribing mayors and senior executives of municipalities and ensuring that their own companies were awarded the tenders,” the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
CHP Chairman Ozgur Ozel described the arrest as “a new link in the chain of lawlessness in the politicized justice system” and vowed to stand by Akpolat.
The CHP mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, said the dawn raid on Akpolat’s home was part of an attempt to influence public opinion.
“The procedure of those who do not have legal intentions cannot be legal,” he said.
The prosecutor’s office said a three-month investigation led to arrest warrants for 47 people, including Akpolat and Ahmet Ozer, the CHP mayor of Istanbul’s Esenyurt district.
Ozer has been behind bars since October as part of a separate investigation into his alleged connections to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.
The tender-rigging scheme was allegedly led by a man named Aziz Ihsan Aktas, prosecutors said. He and 24 other suspects were detained on charges of establishing and running a criminal organization, being members of a criminal organization, bribery, bid-rigging, violating tax laws and asset laundering.
Police set up barriers around Besiktas municipal offices while Akpolat’s office was searched and checked staff IDs before allowing workers to enter.
Akpolat, 42, was elected Besiktas mayor in 2019 with nearly three-quarters of the vote, having previously run unsuccessfully for parliament on the CHP ticket.
Along with other municipal officers, he was detained on charges of membership in a criminal organization, bid-rigging, bribery and unjust acquisition of property.
Since opposition parties successfully won control of major cities across Turkiye in 2019 — and retained them in last year’s local elections — local officials have often been arrested and removed from office. Members of the pro-Kurdish party have been the main targets over alleged ties to the PKK.
Two co-mayors from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM, were jailed Monday pending trial on terrorism-related charges. A government-appointed trustee was placed to run the Akdeniz municipality in Mersin on Turkiye’s south coast.
Iran, European powers to hold nuclear talks ahead of Trump return
- The talks come as Iran’s nuclear program received renewed focus in light of Trump’s imminent return to the White House on January 20
GENEVA: Iran is set to hold nuclear talks with France, Britain and Germany on Monday, just a week before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
They are the second round of talks over Iran’s nuclear program in less than two months, following a discreet meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland, in November between Tehran and the three European powers, known as the E3.
“These are not negotiations,” the German foreign ministry told AFP. Iran has similarly emphasized that the talks are merely “consultations.”
The talks, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, will cover a “wide range of topics,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said during a weekly press briefing.
“The primary objective of these talks is to remove the sanctions” on Iran, he noted, adding that Iran was also “listening to the... topics that the opposite parties want to raise.”
On Thursday, France’s foreign ministry said the meeting was a sign that the E3 countries “are continuing to work toward a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear program, the progress of which is extremely problematic.”
The talks come as Iran’s nuclear program received renewed focus in light of Trump’s imminent return to the White House on January 20.
During his first term, Trump had pursued a policy of “maximum pressure,” withdrawing the US from a landmark nuclear deal which imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.
Tehran adhered to the deal until Washington’s withdrawal, but then began rolling back its commitments.
Efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear pact have since faltered and European officials have repeatedly expressed frustrations over Tehran’s non-compliance.
’Breaking point’
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron said the acceleration of Iran’s nuclear program is “bringing us very close to the breaking point.” Iran later blasted the comments as “baseless” and “deceitful.”
In December, Britain, Germany and France accused Tehran of growing its stockpile of high enriched uranium to “unprecedented levels” without “any credible civilian justification.”
“We reiterate our determination to use all diplomatic tools to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, including using snapback if necessary,” they added.
The snapback mechanism — part of the 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)-- allows signatories to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran in cases of the “significant non-performance” of commitments.
The option to trigger the mechanism expires in October this year, adding urgency to the ongoing diplomatic efforts.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog says Iran has increased its manufacturing of enriched uranium such that it is the only non-nuclear weapons state to possess uranium enriched to 60 percent.
That level is well on the way to the 90 percent required for an atomic bomb.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop atomic weapons.
It has also repeatedly expressed willingness to revive the deal.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, who took office in July, has favored reviving that agreement and called for ending his country’s isolation.
In a recent interview with China’s CCTV, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi also expressed willingness “to engage in constructive negotiations.”
“The formula that we believe in is the same as the previous JCPOA formula, namely, building trust on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions,” he added.
Brazil startup partners with agro firm to reforest degraded Amazon land
- Deal marks first time re.green restores farmer-owned land
- Reforestation business booming in Brazil ahead of COP30
SAO PAULO: Private equity-backed reforestation startup re.green has signed a partnership with Agro Penido to restore 600 hectares (1,482 acres) of land owned by the Brazilian agribusiness firm with native species from the Amazon rainforest, it said on Monday.
Their partnership is the latest deal for the nascent reforestation business in Brazil, home to most of the world’s largest rainforest and host of the COP30 UN climate summit this year in the Amazonian city of Belem.
Local startups including re.green, AXA-backed Mombak and Biomas — a firm established by Suzano, Santander, Vale, Marfrig, Rabobank and Itau — have been working to buy land or partner with local farmers to restore areas of the Amazon.
Turning degraded land into forests can generate carbon credits, which companies buy to offset their greenhouse gas emissions voluntarily or through regulated markets like the one Brazil has recently written into law.
Firms such as Alphabet’s unit Google, Microsoft , Facebook owner Meta and McLaren Racing have recently purchased carbon credits from Brazilian projects.
The new re.green deal represents the first time it is partnering to restore farmer-owned land, Chief Executive Thiago Picolo told Reuters, noting the firm has already bought 13,000 hectares from ranchers.
“Buying land is an important model, but we always knew that for re.green to reach the size it wants we would have to partner with landowners and involve them in this business,” Picolo said.
Re.green is backed by Brazilian billionaire Joao Moreira Salles and asset managers including Lanx Capital, Principia, Dynamo and Gavea Investimentos, which was founded by former Brazilian central bank governor Arminio Fraga.
Salles and Fraga are both on the board of re.green, whose goal is to restore 1 million hectares of land in Brazil, an area twice the size of Delaware. It announced a deal with Microsoft in May to restore 15,000 hectares in the Amazon.
The deal with Agro Penido covers areas near the Xingu Indigenous Park in Mato Grosso, Brazil’s largest grain-producing state. Picolo said re.green plans to restore forests in less productive parts of Agro Penido’s farms, some of which may yield lumber in addition to carbon credits.
Picolo said the first phase of their partnership has the potential to produce some 300,000 carbon credits over the next few decades, each representing the removal of a metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere.
He said re.green can sell its reforestation-based credits at a premium, fetching some $50 to $100 in private deals.
Scientists consider the Amazon’s protection vital to curbing climate change because of the vast amount of climate-warming carbon dioxide its trees absorb. Some critics complain the offsets allow polluters to avoid reducing their emissions.
Agro Penido, which has a separate joint venture with grains powerhouse SLC Agricola, currently has nearly 40,000 hectares producing soybeans, corn and cotton, which it aims to expand to 65,000 hectares by 2027/28.
“This is a start,” said Caio Penido, one of the owners, about the re.green deal. He added they would now evaluate other areas owned by the firm, noting it was possible for the project to double its scope to 1,200 hectares. (Reporting by Gabriel Araujo Editing by Brad Haynes and Diane Craft)
Tens of thousands take holy dip in India as Maha Kumbh festival begins
- Held every 12 years, the Maha Kumbh Mela attracts more than 400 million visitors, both Indians and tourists
- The event offers a test in crowd management for authorities in the world’s most populous country
PRAYAGRAJ, India: Tens of thousands of Hindus seeking absolution of their sins immersed themselves on Monday in freezing waters at the confluence of sacred rivers, as India began a six-week festival expected to draw the world’s largest gathering of humanity.
Held every 12 years, the Maha Kumbh Mela or Great Pitcher Festival, as the religious event in the city of Prayagraj in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh is called, attracts more than 400 million visitors, both Indians and tourists.
As many as 40,000 police officers are on guard to provide security and help manage the crowds, while surveillance cameras equipped with artificial intelligence AI capabilities will ensure continuous monitoring.
“It is our festival,” said ascetic Hazari Lala Mishra, who immersed himself before sunrise, which is considered an auspicious time. “(It is) the only festival for hermits and monks, and we wait for it desperately.”
Authorities expect Monday’s first ritual dip to draw more than 2.5 million visitors, followed by a “royal bath” on Tuesday reserved for ascetics, in the belief that it absolves them of sin and confers salvation from the cycle of life and death.
Amid public warnings to walk in lines without halting anywhere, droves of marchers headed for bathing positions to await sunrise at the confluence of the three holy rivers, the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical, invisible Saraswati.
Advancing toward the waters’ edge in the winter morning fog, they chanted invocations such as “Har Har Mahadev” and “Jai Ganga Maiyya” in praise of the Hindu deities Lord Shiva and Mother Ganga, who personifies India’s holiest river.
“I am excited but now scared because I didn’t expect this crowd,” said Priyanka Rajput, a fashion model from Delhi, the capital, who accompanied her mother. “This is my first Kumbh and I came here only because my mother is very spiritual.”
The Kumbh originates in a Hindu tradition that the god Vishnu, known as the Preserver, wrested away from demons a golden pitcher that held the nectar of immortality.
In a 12-day celestial fight for its possession, four drops of the nectar fell to earth, in the cities of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik, where the festival is held every three years in rotation.
The Kumbh held once in 12 years in this cycle has the prefix ‘maha’ (great) as its timing renders it more auspicious and it attracts the largest crowds.
CROWD MANAGEMENT
A showcase mix of religion, spirituality and tourism like no other in India, the event offers a test in crowd management for authorities in the world’s most populous country who must balance arrangements for millions while retaining its sanctity.
A temporary city sprawling over 4,000 hectares (9,990 acres) has sprung up along the river banks with 150,000 tents to house the visitors, and is equipped with 3,000 kitchens, 145,000 restrooms and 99 parking lots.
Authorities are also installing as many as 450,000 new electricity connections, with the Kumbh expected to consume more power than 100,000 urban apartments require in a month.
Indian Railways has added 98 trains to make 3,300 trips carrying festival visitors, in addition to regular services to Prayagraj.
Uttar Pradesh is governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which hopes a successful Kumbh Mela will burnish its efforts to reclaim and glorify India’s religious and cultural symbols.
That has been a plank for the party’s Hindu base promised since Modi swept to power nationwide in 2014.
“The Maha Kumbh embodies India’s timeless spiritual heritage and celebrates faith and harmony,” Modi said in a post on X.
US, Japanese, Philippine leaders discussed China’s behavior in South China Sea, White House says
- The three leaders discussed trilateral maritime security and economic cooperation
- Manila said the three countries agreed to further strengthen their ties
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Sunday met virtually with his counterparts from Japan and the Philippines to advance cooperation among the three countries, the White House said.
The three leaders discussed trilateral maritime security and economic cooperation, and China’s “dangerous and unlawful behavior in the South China Sea,” it said in a statement.
“The three leaders agreed on the importance of continued coordination to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Biden spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. late on Sunday, a week before Biden leaves office and hands power to President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20.
Manila said the three countries, which met for a trilateral summit in Washington in April, agreed to further strengthen their ties in the face of growing tensions in regional waters.
The South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, has been plagued by rising tensions for years. China claims almost the entire South China Sea despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration found Beijing’s sweeping claims had no legal basis.
The US has increased its security engagements with the Philippines under Marcos, securing expanded access to Philippine bases.
The White House statement made no mention of any discussion about Nippon Steel’s planned acquisition of US Steel, which Biden blocked on Jan. 3 citing national security concerns.
Japan’s foreign ministry said Ishiba asked Biden to allay concerns in the Japanese and US business communities over the decision, noting that cooperation among allies and like-minded countries was indispensable for establishing resilient supply chains.
The White House had no immediate comment on the reported discussion.
