The France defender has been in isolation since Thursday after a relative was taken to hospital with respiratory problems
Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy has confirmed members of his family have tested negative for coronavirus.
The full-back was forced into self-isolation on Thursday after a scare involving a family member who was taken to hospital with symptoms of the disease.
A City spokesperson told Goal: “The club is aware that a family member of a senior men’s team player is in hospital with symptoms of a respiratory illness.
“He has undergone tests at hospital one of which is for Covid-19. Until the results are known, the player in question is self-isolating as a precaution.”
While he is still waiting for test results to return Mendy took to Instagram on Saturday to reveal that some of those close to him have received good news.
And he called on potential sufferers to be “responsible” in order to help stop the spread of the illness, which has brought several European leagues including the Premier League to a halt.
“Good morning, everyone. First of all, I would like to thank you for your numerous messages of support following the news about my quarantine,” he wrote on the social network, accompanied by a link pointing readers to the World Health Organisation’s advice on the subject.
“Today, the results were negative for those around me, but it is important that everyone takes their responsibilities in this delicate period, to protect you but above all to protect the weakest in the face of the epidemic.
“I therefore invite you to follow the instructions given by the WHO in order to stop the spread of the virus as quickly as possible and to get back to normal. Take care of yourself and your beloved ones.”
City had been scheduled to play Burnley this weekend, with Premier League fixtures confirmed as going ahead as recently as Thursday.
Following cases such as Mendy’s, however, and positive tests for Arsenal manager – and Pep Guardiola’s ex-assistant at City – Mikel Arteta and Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi, the top flight back-tracked on its earlier resolution and abandoned the weekend’s games.
To date all big five European leagues have been halted, while UEFA has also suspended the playing of both the Champions League and Europa League in the wake of the pandemic.
Barroso ‘disappointed’ at Argentina’s decision to nationalise oil company.
José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, has said that he is “seriously disappointed” by Argentina’s decision to nationalise the oil company YPF, in which Spanish firm Repsol has a majority stake.
The Commission has threatened to use “all options available” and pledged its full support to Spain over the issue.
“We emphasise the need for mutually agreed solutions which do not harm the business environment,” Barroso said after talks in Berlin with Germany’s new president, Joachim Gauck.
“I am seriously disappointed about yesterday’s announcement,” he said, adding that he expected the authorities in Argentina to “uphold their international commitments and obligations”, including bilateral agreements between Spain and Argentina on the protection of investments.
Repsol has said that it will demand compensation over its 57% stake in YPF, with some observers estimating that it could seek up to €8 billion. “These acts will not remain unpunished,” said Antonia Brufau, the firm’s executive chairman.
Repsol accused Argentina of pursuing the nationalisation to cover up the country’s economic and social problems. Brufau said the company would seek international arbitration.
The Commission said it had already told Argentina’s government about its dissatisfaction with the move, which, a Commission spokeswoman said, sent a “very negative message” to international investors. She said the Commission feared that the decision could seriously harm the business environment in Argentina, which would create “legal insecurity” for Repsol and other EU firms. Karel de Gucht, the European commissioner for trade, is to send a letter to Argentina’s trade minister outlining his concerns.
The spokeswoman said that the Commission was looking at “all options available” but did not say what these would be. The Commission has cancelled an EU-Argentina joint committee, which was to take place on Thursday and Friday (19-20 April).
The nationalisation was announced on Monday (16 April) at a meeting between Argentina’s president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and her cabinet and provincial governors.
a dû comparaître pour une agression sous l’emprise de l’alcool durant un spectacle pour enfants. Elle vient d’être condamnée.
Amy Winehouse vient de trinquer pour pas
, même si elle a, une nouvelle fois, poussé le bouchon un peu loin. La chanteuse qui ouvre plus la bouche pour se rincer le gosier que pour faire des vocalise vient d’être condamnée ce mercredi en Angleterre à s’acquitter de 185 livres sterling. L’équivalent de 215 euros pour des dommages et intérêts à un directeur de théâtre qu’elle avait agressé parce qu’il la trouvait trop saoule pour assister à un spectacle de Noël pour les enfants.
Mais ce n’est pas avec ce petit chèque qu’Amy Wihenouse paiera son ardoise à la société. La « femme soul » a dû aussi avaler l’amère pilule d’une mise à l’épreuve de deux ans. « Si vous commettez un autre délit, c’est avec sévérité et doublement que vous serez punie, sévèrement et doublement », l’a avertie le juge Peter Crabte, du tribunal de Milton Keynes, dans le nord de la capitale britannique.
Pour limiter la casse, Amy Winehouse avait plaidé coupable de troubles à l’ordre public et d’agression pendant la représentation de « Cendrillon » au théâtre de Milton Keynes le 19 décembre. Et au lieu de consulter ses bonnes fées avant de débarquer dans le spectacle pour enfants, Amy avait préféré les verres aux pantoufles de vair. On estime à cinq vodka-cocas son petit apéro de ce soir-là. Sans préciser la taille des récipients et le pourcentage de… coca.
Inutile de préciser qu’elle ne s’est pas très bien tenue pendant la soirée où elle aurait selon l’avocat de l’accusation, Julian Vickery, « élevé la voix », et été tellement agitée que des spectateurs lui ont demandé de se calmer. Ce que le directeur du théâtre, Richard Pound a également fait, lui refusant une nouvelle vodka en lui conseillant de boire de l’eau et de quitter les lieux…
Ce qui a fait déborder de rage Amy Winehouse qui aurait insulté, tiré par les cheveux et injurié le pauvre directeur, d’aucuns évoquant même un coup de genou dans les parties intimes de ce gentil monsieur…
Selon un rapport médical, la chanteuse essaie depuis de se soigner de son alcoolisme. Pourvu qu’elle ne se mette pas au sport, parce que là, elle risque de devenir franchement dangereuse.
J.-F.T.
Mercredi 20 janvier 2010
Suivez l’actu Gala sur nos comptes Twitter et Facebook
Il y avait du beau monde, jeudi soir sur le tapis rouge de l’avant-première de Nine. Dont Miss France 2010, qui nous a fait l’amitié de nous adresser quelques mots. Elle revient sur ses deux mois de règne, emballée…
Petite robe fleurie, caban noir pour affronter la fraîcheur des Champs Elysées, Malika Ménard a illuminé le tapis rouge de son sourire radieux, et sans escorte s’il vous plaît. Après le défilé
, où elle était venue soutenir sa copine Chloé Mortaud, c’est à l’avant-première de Nine, le dernier film-spectacle de Rob Marshall, que nous l’avons croisée. «Ravie d’aller au cinéma», elle a croisé des stars comme
,
, et Daniel Day Lewis. Mais la carrière de comédienne ne lui fait pas du tout envie. Malika préfère profiter de son règne pour se faire des contacts dans le milieu du journalisme: «Je l’avais annoncé dès le début, c’est mon ambition.»
En deux mois, elle a d’ailleurs «fait pas mal de médias, pour se faire connaître », et surtout, elle est allée à la rencontre des Français. «Ça se passe super bien. Il y a toujours beaucoup de monde. On fait beaucoup de séances de dédicaces et de galas avec Geneviève. Les retours sont très positifs.» Le plus important pour elle, c’est de s’engager pendant toute cette parenthèse Miss France, notamment auprès des enfants, dans le cadre de l’association Rêve qu’elle parraine.
Comme elle nous l’a également confié, l’un de ses «meilleurs souvenirs» reste le shooting photo pour Gala , quelques heures après avoir été sacrée Miss France. Un bel hommage de la part de la reine de beauté.
The EU will be in crisis mode for years to come and muddling through is the most promising approach.
Following the escalation of the eurozone crisis and decisions taken at the last European Council, especially EU leaders’ commitment to embark on the road “towards a genuine economic and monetary union”, it is high time to ask what comes next. Whatever the final outcome, the current crisis will fundamentally shape the future of European integration.
In a worst-case scenario, Europe’s sovereign-debt crisis could cause the eurozone to implode, with immediate negative effects for the EU itself. Fortunately, this scenario still seems rather unlikely – as EU countries inside and outside the eurozone seem keen to avoid the enormous economic, financial, political, and social fall-out that such a scenario implies. But the danger of a fundamental disintegration has increased over time, and such an outcome cannot be excluded.
At the same time, it seems unlikely that member states will be ready and able to make one giant leap towards a ‘United States of Europe’ – that is, a genuine federal entity in which countries agree to surrender national sovereignty on an unprecedented scale.
The record since 2010 suggests that ‘muddling through’ will remain the EU’s dominant approach for the foreseeable future. But the increasingly existential pressures on the common currency and the constant scrutiny by markets and citizens will require bold policy responses that go well beyond the lowest common denominator.
At the end of the day, ‘ambitious muddling through’ will most likely lead to a higher degree of sui generis economic and fiscal integration (especially among eurozone countries), including binding synchronisation of national budgets, greater economic co-ordination, and eventually also some limited form of debt mutualisation. In other words, resolving the crisis will require ‘more Europe’, though the final outcome is impossible to predict, as it will result from a complex process aimed at reconciling divergent and opposing positions both within the EU and among eurozone countries.
The EU’s leaders have asked Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, to develop, in close collaboration with the presidents of the European Commission, the Eurogroup, and the European Central Bank (ECB), a roadmap to achieve a ‘genuine economic and monetary union’. The final report, due to be delivered in December, should identify which additional steps can be taken on the basis of the existing EU treaties, and which measures require treaty amendments.
Treaty change
Given the urgency of the crisis, some of the more immediate steps towards a higher level of economic and fiscal integration, which are not enforceable under the current EU treaties, might require additional intergovernmental arrangements outside the EU’s treaty framework. Such an approach should not be a goal in itself, but it might be a necessary evil to avert the danger of a euro implosion.
But, in order to regain institutional coherence, legal certainty, and democratic accountability, core elements of the ‘fiscal compact’ and any other future agreements between EU governments should be incorporated into the Union’s primary body of law as soon as possible. Moving towards a genuine economic and monetary union will also require more fundamental institutional reforms. This process cannot be limited to governments, but will also have to involve the European Parliament and national parliaments in the framework of yet another European convention.
A higher level of economic, fiscal, and political integration will also compel the amendment of national constitutions. Ratification of a new EU treaty and the adaptation of national constitutions would inevitably require referenda in a number of countries. Given Dutch and French voters’ rejection of the EU’s constitutional treaty in 2005, and European citizens’ increasing frustration with the Union and its crisis management, the outcome would be highly uncertain. But it is a risk that must be taken. Indeed, the danger of a euro implosion or a potential exit from the common currency may prove to be sufficiently strong arguments to persuade a majority of Europeans to vote ‘Yes’.
The ‘ambitious muddling through’ scenario will be long, bumpy, and sometimes risky, and will probably end at a destination that looks very different from today’s expectations. But, before the EU embarks on that inevitable and uncertain journey, its institutions and member states (actively supported by the ECB) must fashion a safety-net that can protect the euro and the Union itself from hitting the ground face first when the going gets rough in the coming years.
After all, the debt crisis is likely to continue to generate immediate economic, fiscal, and market pressures. But the EU and its members will also increasingly have to cope with the collateral damage caused by the crisis – its unintended and unexpected consequences at the European and national levels.
That damage includes increasing nationalism and anti-euro/EU populism, mounting social challenges in many member states, a growing ‘democratic deficit’ there and in the EU, a poisoned atmosphere among EU countries, and the lack of proactive, stable leadership coalitions pushing in the same direction. All of this could lead to a standstill, which, in the current environment, would be tantamount to going backwards, threatening not only European integration’s future prospects, but also its past accomplishments.
Under these circumstances, ‘ambitious muddling through’ is both the most likely and the most promising scenario. It will not be easy, and it will not allow time for complacency, given that the EU is most likely to remain in crisis mode for some time to come. But it is probably the only way to keep Europe moving forward.
Happy Thursday and welcome back to On The Money, where we’re hoping to see a lot more dog pictures online if many of you are going to be working from home this much. I’m Sylvan Lane, and here’s your nightly guide to everything affecting your bills, bank account and bottom line.
See something I missed? Let me know at slane@thehill.com or tweet me @SylvanLane. And if you like your newsletter, you can subscribe to it here: http://bit.ly/1NxxW2N.
Write us with tips, suggestions and news: slane@thehill.com, njagoda@thehill.com and nelis@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @SylvanLane, @NJagoda and @NivElis.
THE BIG DEAL– Stocks suffer worst losses since 1987 crash amid coronavirus panic: Stocks cratered Thursday as the escalating coronavirus pandemic and lingering questions about President TrumpDonald John TrumpThe Hill’s Morning Report — Coronavirus tests a partisan Washington The Memo: Virus crisis upends political world Bill to protect children online ensnared in encryption fight MORE‘s response drove the worst day of losses for Wall Street since the 1987 crash.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed with a loss of 2,352 points, dropping 10 percent for its steepest loss by percentage since falling 22.6 percent on Oct. 19, 1987–known as “Black Monday.”
The Dow’s Thursday losses also exceeded its 7.87-percent plunge on Oct. 15, 2008, the day the House voted down the financial sector bailout bill, which was the index’s most recent record for the steepest single-day drop by percentage.
The S&P 500 fell 9.5 percent to join the Dow in bear market territory — a 20 percent decline from a stock or index’s 52-week peak. The Nasdaq composite also dropped 9.4 percent, bear market territory.
Thursday’s record-breaking losses come amid increasing panic over the humanitarian and economic toll of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
Public health and government officials are urging Americans to adopt social distancing practices to avoid a sharp increase in confirmed U.S. coronavirus cases, which exceeded 1,000 on Wednesday and has claimed more than 30 lives in the U.S.
The market rebounded slightly after the Federal Reserve announced it would offer $1.5 trillion in short-term loans meant to stabilize financial markets, but sunk again as lawmakers struggled to strike a deal on an economic rescue plan.
I’ve got more on the brutal day for the financial system here.
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What drove the losses:
The steep drop came after a series of events highlighted the degree to which U.S. life and spending will slow down because of the coronavirus. The NBA and NHL suspended their seasons, the NCAA cancelled its popular basketball tournaments and several states and municipalities said no events with more than 1,000 people should go forward.
Stocks futures also plummeted after President Trump’s remarks from the Oval Office on Wednesday night, in which he also announced travel restrictions on European travel to the U.S., and extended those losses into Thursday morning.
Wall Street clamors for stimulus: Stocks tanked throughout Thursday as Trump and lawmakers negotiated over a bill to boost the government’s virus mitigation efforts and shore up economic protections for the most vulnerable Americans.
“Nothing happened overnight to soothe investors. In fact, you could argue things seem even more grim this morning,” wrote JJ Kinahan, chief market strategist at TD Ameritrade, in a Friday research note. “The travel ban and so many big events closing or being limited in scope seem to have ratcheted up worries about a recession.”
The Democratic-led House was set to vote on a bill Thursday evening with the hopes of forcing the Senate into action before a previously scheduled congressional recess.
The Democratic bill included provisions to ensure paid sick leave for all workers, expand unemployment insurance, guarantee free coronavirus testing and expand federal food assistance for low-income families and children.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellOvernight Health Care — Presented by Philip Morris International — Why canceling events makes sense amid coronavirus | Ohio official says 100K people in state may have virus | Latest on talks over economic plan | Trump weighs emergency declaration On The Money: Stocks suffer worst losses since 1987 crash amid coronavirus panic | Wall Street clamors for stimulus | Pelosi open to tweaking virus bill but won’t wait long for GOP Stocks suffer worst losses since 1987 crash amid coronavirus panic MORE (R-Ky.) dashed hopes of easy passage Thursday, denouncing the Democratic offering as an “ideological wish list” and canceling the Senate’s planned break, pushing the House to do the same.
LEADING THE DAY
Pelosi: Democrats open to tweaking virus bill, but won’t wait long for GOP backing:
Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiThe Hill’s Morning Report — Coronavirus tests a partisan Washington The Memo: Virus crisis upends political world Coronavirus shakes up K Street MORE (D-Calif.) said Thursday that Democrats are open to amending their legislation to stimulate the economy amid the coronavirus turmoil, but warned that she won’t wait for Republicans to get on board.
“I don’t want to stick around because they don’t want to agree to language,” Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol.
“Everybody could have a complaint about this or that,” she added. “Save it for another day.”
The remarks both highlight the significant leverage the majority House Democrats have in the coronavirus debate and signal that Pelosi is not backing down from her initial plan to pass a relief bill through the House and then recess the lower chamber, putting enormous pressure on the Senate to act.
The Hill’s Mike Lillis fills us in here.
Pelosi has been negotiating the second round of coronavirus relief with Treasury Secretary Steven MnuchinSteven Terner MnuchinPelosi: House ‘close’ to striking deal with Trump on coronavirus response package Overnight Health Care — Presented by Philip Morris International — Why canceling events makes sense amid coronavirus | Ohio official says 100K people in state may have virus | Latest on talks over economic plan | Trump weighs emergency declaration On The Money: Stocks suffer worst losses since 1987 crash amid coronavirus panic | Wall Street clamors for stimulus | Pelosi open to tweaking virus bill but won’t wait long for GOP MORE for much of the week in search of a bipartisan deal that can move through the Republican-controlled Senate.
The pair spoke again by phone Thursday morning, with Mnuchin suggesting amendments to the Democrats’ proposal. As a sign that an agreement is in reach, Pelosi characterized those changes as “all very reasonable.”
But GOP leaders on Capitol Hill are balking at the Democrats’ bill, largely over provisions to expand paid leave for workers affected by the coronavirus — a benefit long-opposed by business-friendly Republicans in Congress.
Trump weighing potential emergency declaration for coronavirus: While lawmakers squabble over a deal, President Trump is weighing whether to declare a national emergency over the coronavirus, which would free up additional resources to combat the rapidly spreading disease.
The president indicated to reporters that using an emergency declaration under the Stafford Act was under consideration, but would not say definitively whether he would sign it on Thursday.
Asked if he planned to declare a national emergency on Thursday, Trump deflected.
Trump can declare a national emergency or a major disaster declaration under the Stafford Act, which would enable the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to mobilize additional resources and funding to fight the coronavirus.
The president also said Wednesday he would use executive orders to offer financial relief to individuals and small businesses impacted by the fallout over the disease.
The Hill’s Brett Samuels explains here.
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GOOD TO KNOW
The number of American claims for jobless benefits has dropped by 4,000 for a second week in a row, showing that the effects of the coronavirus may not have yet reached the labor market.
Even so, consumer confidence has plummeted alongside increasing fears about the spread of the coronavirus, according to new figures released Thursday.
Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee introduced eight bills Thursday intended to finance economic relief during the coronavirus slowdown.
The Pentagon on Thursday said it hopes to reevaluate its decision to award a $10 billion cloud-computing contract to Microsoft over Amazon, court documents filed late Thursday show.
The surprising announcement is only the latest twist in a years-long saga over the lucrative contract, and it could signal a potential victory for Amazon, which is suing to halt or overhaul the contract after it was awarded to Microsoft last year.
Amazon claims the process was improperly influenced by President TrumpDonald John TrumpThe Hill’s Morning Report — Coronavirus tests a partisan Washington The Memo: Virus crisis upends political world Bill to protect children online ensnared in encryption fight MORE, who publicly and privately indicated that he did not want the contract to go to Amazon, which is owned by a frequent target of the president’s criticism, Jeff BezosJeffrey (Jeff) Preston BezosHillicon Valley: Barr offers principles to prevent online child exploitation | Facebook removes misleading Trump census ads | House passes bill banning TSA use of TikTok Markey questions Amazon on price gouging due to coronavirus Hillicon Valley: Lawmakers seek 5G rivals to Huawei | Amazon, eBay grilled over online counterfeits | Judge tosses Gabbard lawsuit against Google | GOP senator introduces bill banning TikTok on government devices MORE.
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In the U.S. Court of Federal Claims filings on Thursday, the Pentagon asked a federal judge for “120 days to reconsider certain aspects of the challenged agency decision.”
“DoD does not intend to conduct discussions with offerors or to accept proposal revisions with respect to any aspect of the solicitation other than price scenario,” the filing reads.
In a statement, an Amazon Web Services spokesman celebrated the decision. “We are pleased that the DoD has acknowledged ‘substantial and legitimate’ issues that affected the JEDI award decision, and that corrective action is necessary,” the spokesperson said.
The Court of Federal Claims case has attracted significant attention over Amazon’s inflammatory allegations about Trump, who reportedly said he wanted to “screw Amazon” by keeping the contract away from his rival’s company. Amazon has asked the court to depose Trump as well as Defense Secretary Mark EsperMark EsperUS retaliates with missile strikes in Iraq Overnight Defense: Pentagon confirms Iran behind recent rocket attack | Esper says ‘all options on the table’ | Military restricts service member travel over coronavirus Graham warns of ‘aggressive’ response to Iran-backed rocket attack that killed US troops MORE and former Defense Secretary James MattisJames Norman MattisDemocrats press FEC pick to recuse himself from Trump matters Trump insists Taliban wants to ‘make a deal’ after surge in violence in Afghanistan Fed chief issues stark warning to Congress on deficits MORE.
But the bulk of Amazon’s argument relies on the technical details of the deal, as the tech giant claims the Pentagon unfairly changed how it was evaluating the award at the eleventh hour.
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The Pentagon says it wants to reassess the technical details around its original evaluation, particularly around pricing.
“A remand here is in the interests of justice because it will provide the agency with an opportunity to reconsider the award decision at issue in light of AWS’s allegations, this Court’s opinion, and any new information gathered during the proposed remand,” the filing reads.
The cloud-computing contract, called Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI), is currently on hold after the Court of Federal Claims judge ordered the Pentagon to halt work on it until the case is resolved.
Industry watchers were stunned by the Pentagon’s decision to award the contract to Microsoft last October, pointing out that Amazon seemed to be best-positioned to take on the task given its substantial work with the CIA. But Microsoft is also a popular cloud-computing partner for the federal government and the Pentagon has maintained that the company was simply best-equipped to create the DOD’s cloud infrastructure.
Microsoft has maintained that the Pentagon made the right decision.
Google said Friday evening that a tool from life sciences division Verily to determine if a test for the coronavirus is warranted is in its “early stages,” despite President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump faces toughest crisis of presidency in coronavirus House passes bill to help prop up economy from coronavirus White House physician: Trump doesn’t require test after exposure to 2 people with coronavirus MORE‘s announcement that the application is nearly completed.
“We are developing a tool to help triage individuals for Covid-19 testing. Verily is in the early stages of development, and planning to roll testing out in the Bay Area, with the hope of expanding more broadly over time,” Google Communications said in a statement posted to its public affairs Twitter account.
“We appreciate the support of government officials and industry partners and thank the Google engineers who have volunteered to be part of this effort,” the statement continued.
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The statement contradicted an announcement Trump made at the White House on Friday afternoon detailing various measures the administration is taking to combat the coronavirus.
“I want to thank Google. Google is helping to develop a website that’s going to be very quickly done, unlike websites of the past, to determine whether a test is warranted and to facilitate testing at a nearby convenient location,” the president told reporters, adding that Google has “1,700 engineers working on this right now.”
When asked for clarification, a White House official told The Hill that the administration is indeed working with Google to craft a tool to determine if a test is needed and a nearby location to get one.
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“We expect to have more details in the days ahead,” the official said.
The conflicting remarks come as the White House scrambles to curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus, which has so far killed more than 40 people in the U.S.
Trump declared a national emergency on Friday, which freed up billions of dollars to help fight the pandemic.
The administration is also negotiating a stimulus package deal with Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiTrump faces toughest crisis of presidency in coronavirus House passes bill to help prop up economy from coronavirus Second Mar-a-Lago guest tests positive for coronavirus MORE (D-Calif.) to help blunt the economic impacts of the virus.
A spokesman for the Chinese government on Thursday promoted a conspiracy theory that the coronavirus was brought to the city of Wuhan by the U.S. military.
“It might be US Army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan,” said Zhao Lijian, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Business Insider reported.
The comment, an alternate explanation Beijing is pushing amid global criticism of the country’s failure to mitigate the virus, comes as the Chinese government has increasingly disputed widespread international reporting that the virus was first detected in Wuhan.
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The conspiracy theory, which has recently gained steam in China, instead suggests the virus was brought to the country in 2019 by U.S. athletes participating in the Military World Games that were held in Wuhan.
Zhao pointed to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield’s acknowledgement in congressional testimony Wednesday that some Americans who appeared to have died from the flu may have died from the virus due to a lack of testing.
“What are the names of the hospitals? It might be US Army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe us an explanation!” Zhao said in a series of tweets.
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Redfield did not say the virus had originated in the U.S. in his remarks before Congress.
In comments at the Heritage Foundation on Wednesday, White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien described China’s response to the virus as a cover up, saying Beijing’s response had cost the international community months that could have been used to prepare for the coronavirus.
“Unfortunately, rather than use best practices, this outbreak in Wuhan was covered up,” O’Brien said Wednesday. “There’s lots of open source reporting from Chinese nationals that the doctors involved were either silenced or put in isolation … so the word of this virus could not get out.”
In the meantime, several Republican lawmakers have referred to the illness as the “Chinese virus” or the “Wuhan virus.”
Redfield has pushed back against that characterization, as has Rep. Grace MengGrace MengChina, pushing conspiracy theory, accuses US Army of bringing coronavirus to Wuhan CDC chief says it’s wrong to call COVID-19 a ‘Chinese virus’ Asian Pacific American Caucus vice chair ‘shocked and dismayed’ GOP leader referred to ‘Chinese coronavirus’ MORE (D-N.Y.), the vice chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. She said such terminology only “reinforces the disparaging and negative stereotypes of Asian Americans.”
Delta Air Lines is drastically cutting back on flights amid the coronavirus pandemic, sidelining 300 of its planes.
In an internal memo to employees, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said that the move was “the largest capacity reduction in Delta’s history” including after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
“Demand for travel is declining at an accelerated pace daily, driving an unprecedented revenue impact. Cancellations are rising dramatically with net bookings now negative for travel over the next four weeks,” Bastian said in the memo. “To put that in perspective, we’re currently seeing more cancellations than new bookings over the next month.”
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With multiple countries, including the United States, imposing tight travel restrictions because of the spread of the virus, airline companies have been hit hard.
Notably, Delta will stop all flights to continental Europe for the next 30 days, though it will continue service to London. On Wednesday, President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump faces toughest crisis of presidency in coronavirus House passes bill to help prop up economy from coronavirus White House physician: Trump doesn’t require test after exposure to 2 people with coronavirus MORE announced a ban on travel from all European countries except for the U.K.
Additionally, Delta is implementing an immediate hiring freeze and offering voluntary short-term, unpaid leave for employees. Bastian is forgoing his salary for the next six months in an attempt to stem the hemorrhaging of money from the company.
More than 135,000 worldwide have been infected by COVID-19. In the U.S., there have been more than 1,700 cases of the virus with at least 40 deaths. Dozens of states and Washington, D.C., have issued emergency declarations and several states have canceled K-12 schools for the coming weeks.