Friday, 31 January 2020

Thai holiday over, Chinese visitors fly home to Wuhan

The holiday was over for almost 80 Chinese visitors to Thailand. Wuhan has been under tight lockdown as Chinese authorities seek to contain further spread of the virus. The virus outbreak has attached a measure of fear and loathing to the city's name, as was demonstrated Friday when another group of Chinese tourists at the airport was asked whether they were the ones waiting for the flight to Wuhan. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines...

The U.S. Interior Department Grounds All of Its Chinese-Made Drones

If it was made in China—or uses Chinese parts—it ain't flying. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2GDpJt...

Delta, American, and United just suspended all China flights, a red flag as the unprecedented coronavirus wreaks havoc on the airline industry

Demand has plummeted because of the coronavirus outbreak, putting airline profits and China's economy at risk. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/36MARP...

Remain in Mexico: 80% of migrants in Trump policy are victims of violence

Asylum seekers sent to Mexico to wait US court hearings under Trump scheme routinely targeted for abduction, survey findsA staggering 80% of asylum seekers sent to Mexico to await US court hearings report being victims of violence, according a survey by Doctors Without Borders (MSF).In one month – October – three-quarters of asylum seekers seen by MSF physicians in Nuevo Laredo reported having been kidnapped for ransom, according to the figures released...

What’s Impeachable? Nothing, Republicans Seem to Say

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Get Jonathan Bernstein’s newsletter every morning in your inbox. Click here to subscribe.The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump moved to questions from senators on Wednesday. It wasn’t an encouraging day.The president’s lawyers moved closer than ever to simply embracing the idea that the president can do whatever he wants. Alan Dershowitz even went so far as to argue that since presidents always think that their...

U.S. declares coronavirus public health emergency after imposing quarantines

The Trump administration, while insisting the risk to Americans from coronavirus is low, nevertheless declared a public health emergency on Friday and announced the extraordinary step of barring entry to the United States of foreign nationals who have traveled to China. In addition, starting on Sunday U.S. citizens who have traveled within the past two weeks to China's Hubei Province - epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic - will be subject to a...

7,000 People Trapped on Mediterranean Cruise in Italy Over Suspected Coronavirus Case

ROME—More than 7,000 people were quarantined on an Italian cruise ship in the Mediterranean port of Civitavecchia outside of Rome after a Chinese woman from Hong Kong came down with a fever and symptoms that mimic the coronavirus. Initial tests seemed to exclude the deadly virus, according to Italian media, but passengers were expected to be kept onboard overnight as a precaution. A second round of tests late Thursday completely excluded contagion,...

Alibaba billionaire Jack Ma, China's richest man, pledged $14.5 million to fight the coronavirus

The money will be donated through Ma's charitable foundation, which will use it to help medical research efforts and disease prevention. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/318gYS...

Trump impeachment: John Bolton defends officials who testified against president in inquiry

A former top Trump official has defended leading witnesses who have testified against the US president in his impeachment inquiry, according to local media.John Bolton reportedly said the ex-members of the Trump administration “acted in the best interest of the country as they saw it” as Democrats push to hear his own testimony. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2GINtg...

U.S. envoy warns Palestinians against raising opposition to U.S. peace plan at U.N.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will speak in the U.N. Security Council in the next two weeks about the plan, Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour said on Wednesday, adding that he hoped the 15-member council would also vote on a draft resolution on the issue. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/37O502...

'We are free': Flag-waving Britons cheer in Brexit

Singing patriotic songs and waving Union Jacks, thousands of Britons flocked to a muddy patch of grass outside parliament on a damp Friday night to toast their moment of history: Britain's departure from the European Union. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/31isN...

Pakistan: No immediate plans to evacuate citizens from China

A top Pakistani health official said Thursday that Islamabad had no immediate plan to evacuate any of some 30,000 nationals living in China to study and work, despite the new coronavirus that surfaced there. Zafar Mirza, who advises Prime Minister Imran Khan on health issues, told a news conference that so far only four Pakistani students in China have been diagnosed with the new virus and their conditions are listed as stable. China has been largely...

Last train to Europe: all aboard the Eurostar as Britain bids goodbye

On the last train to Europe before Britain left the EU on Friday evening, passengers leaving London expressed sorrow, optimism and anger, reflecting the emotions of a nation conflicted ahead its great leap into the unknown. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2S8yT...

Photos of stores in Wuhan show what life is like under the coronavirus lockdown

The quarantine and fears of coronavirus have made Wuhan a ghost city. Residents only occasionally go out to stock up on supplies. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2S7kPL...

Former Belgian-Nicaraguan political prisoner calls for probe into Ortega government

Nicaragua's best known former political prisoner, Amaya Coppens, is calling for international organizations to investigate alleged abuses by the government of President Daniel Ortega. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/36O3c...

Mayor Pete’s South Bend Awarded No Major Contracts to Black-Owned Firms for Three Years

DES MOINES, Iowa—Of the many pledges that Pete Buttigieg has made in his as-yet unfruitful quest to earn the support of black voters, his guarantee that a quarter out of every federal contracting dollar will be awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses is one of his most ambitious. “Look at what it would be like if we were co-investing in promising businesses led by black entrepreneurs, start-ups and other kinds of businesses that have...

Hungary to build more prisons to tackle overcrowding, halt inmates' lawsuits

Hungary will begin an ambitious prison-building program in an attempt to stem a tide of costly lawsuits by inmates complaining of overcrowding and inhumane conditions, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday. Orban accused "business-savvy lawyers" of exploiting the conditions to launch 12,000 lawsuits against the Hungarian state for breaking EU prison standards, leading to penalties of 10 billion forints ($33 million) in total. Orban, who has...

UPDATE 1-Future U.S.-UK trade deal needs labor, climate protections, enforcement -U.S. lawmaker

A future U.S.-UK trade agreement must incorporate strong provisions on worker rights, environmental protection, and enforcement to ensure bipartisan support, U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal said on Friday, staking out a claim for Congress to help shape any such accord. from Reuters: Company News https://ift.tt/391g24r via IFT...

WRAPUP 3-Exxon, Chevron results augur tough year ahead, shares drop

Weaker crude oil and gas prices drove quarterly results sharply lower at Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp, pushing down shares at the two largest U.S. oil producers and signaling a weak start to the new year. from Reuters: Company News https://ift.tt/2S6kYhU via IFT...

UPDATE 4-Athletics-Nike prototype Vaporfly shoe banned but current version going to Olympics

* World Athletics bans newest version of Nike road shoe for elites from Reuters: Company News https://ift.tt/31ex7W1 via IFT...

Trump impeachment: Failed witnesses vote paves way for acquittal

Bid to call witnesses in the Trump impeachment trial fails, setting up a likely acquittal next week. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/36Hff...

UPDATE 1-Trump signs executive order aimed at preventing sales of counterfeit goods from overseas

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday aimed at preventing counterfeit products from abroad from being sold to U.S. citizens who shop online using Amazon.com, Walmart.com or other ecommerce websites, the White House said. from Reuters: Company News https://ift.tt/31ebQf1 via IFT...

The Papers: 'Make leave not war' and 'what next?'

Saturday's newspapers mark a "moment of history" as Britain leaves the European Union after 47 years. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2OgfG...

Thursday, 30 January 2020

Dispute between players in Ukraine affair exposes a recent rift.

By BY BEN PROTESS AND NICOLE HONG from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2tbiL...

Amgen 2020 outlook falls short of Street estimates; shares slump

Amgen Inc on Thursday forecast 2020 earnings well short of Wall Street estimates, sending shares of the largest U.S. biotechnology company down 2.5%. from Reuters: Business News https://ift.tt/2S72jm3 via IFT...

Pilots, flight attendants demand flights to China stop as virus fear mount worldwide

Pilots and flight attendants are demanding airlines stop flights to China as health officials declare a global emergency over the rapidly spreading coronavirus, with American Airlines' pilots filing a lawsuit seeking an immediate halt. from Reuters: Business News https://ift.tt/2u8dK4X via IFT...