Senin, 17 Februari 2020

Did Xi Jinping know about the coronavirus outbreak earlier than first suggested? - CNN

Officials in Hubei, the province at the center of the outbreak, were blamed for downplaying -- and potentially even deliberately covering up -- the severity of the virus, ignoring evidence that it spread from person-to-person until it was too late.
Against this tale of irresponsibility there was another story being told in China, one of a competent central government which had been denied the full picture by local officials, and once it understood the true ramifications stepped in to take drastic action to stop the virus' spread.
And indeed, there was a major shift on January 20, when Chinese President Xi Jinping commented publicly for the first time on the virus, and ordered "resolute efforts" to control the outbreak. Speaking alongside Xi in Beijing a week later, World Health Organization (WHO) director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the "seriousness with which China is taking this outbreak," and thanked Beijing for its "transparency."
Over the weekend, however, a transcript of an internal Communist Party speech appeared to throw doubt on this narrative, revealing Xi knew about and was directing the response to the virus on January 7 -- almost two weeks before he commented on it publicly.
The revelation raises major questions about whether it was the central government, not authorities in Hubei, who dithered on their response, allowing the virus to spread through the country and eventually the world.
It also underlines the difficulty in maintaining Xi's image -- carefully cultivated by state media -- as an almost omniscient ruler who oversees, and is aware of everything that is happening in the country. With criticism growing of the failure to contain the coronavirus, both at home and abroad, Beijing was faced with either choosing to admit that Xi was ignorant of the true nature of the crisis until almost a month into it, or that he was aware of it and involved in the response.
By choosing the latter option, however, no matter how much blame can be placed onto provincial officials for failing to "implement" Xi's instructions, the government is admitting that ultimate responsibility for the outbreak lies with the man at the center.
In the transcript of the speech, published Saturday by the official Communist Party journal Qiushi, Xi "issued requirements for the prevention and control of the new coronavirus" during a meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's most powerful decision making body on January 7.
He gave further instructions on January 20 and two days later, when he "explicitly requested Hubei province to implement comprehensive and strict control over the outflow of people" -- essentially placing the province on lockdown.
"I have, at all times, monitored the spread of the epidemic and the progress in prevention and control work, and continue to give oral orders and instructions," Xi is reported to have said.
It is the 13-day period between January 7 and 20 that is most crucial, not least because it is when officials in Hubei held two key provincial Party meetings and Wuhan invited more than 40,000 families to attend a mass banquet in an attempt to set a world record. It's also when officials in both Wuhan and Hubei appeared to downplay the outbreak, an assessment that was repeated by state officials: Wang Guangfa, head of a team of researchers sent from Beijing to investigate the situation, said on January 11 that it was under control.
Wang, like others on the front line during the initial outbreak, was subsequently diagnosed with the virus.
Provincial officials have faced intense criticism for their handling of the crisis during this period, coming as it did in the run up to the Lunar New Year travel period, in which hundreds of millions of people criss-cross the country. Passenger screening was not put in place in Wuhan -- itself a major international and domestic travel hub -- until January 14 and further restrictions over a week later.
Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang later admitted that the city's "warnings were not sufficient," and offered to resign.
"We understand that the public is unsatisfied with our information disclosure. On one hand, we failed to disclose relevant information in a timely manner; on the other, we did not make sufficient use of valid information to improve our work," Zhou said in an interview with state broadcaster CCTV. "As for the late disclosure, I hope the public can understand that it's an infectious disease, and relevant information should be released according to the law. As a local government, we can only disclose information after being authorized."
Zhou's reference to being authorized to release information was initially seen as something of an attempt to cover his own back, by pushing some of the responsibility onto his superiors. But if Xi was directing the response at this point, then Zhou may have indeed been waiting for guidance from Beijing before he did anything, and any blame for his inaction may lie elsewhere.

Xi at the center

Wu Qiang, a Beijing-based political analyst who specializes in analyzing Xi's speeches, described the recently published address as "unprecedented" during an interview with the South China Morning Post. "It sounds like he is defending and explaining how he has done everything in his capacity to lead epidemic prevention," said Wu.
In recent weeks, there has been an apparent effort to push any blame for the crisis onto provincial officials, who either misled Beijing or failed to implement the Party leadership's instructions. This was exemplified by China's ambassador to the US, Cui Tiankai, who said in an interview with NPR on Saturday that "you cannot talk in very general terms 'the government' (in China)."
"Sometimes government at a particular level makes some mistakes. This is possible. This is, I think it is all natural all over the world," he said. "But you cannot say the whole government in China is making a mistake. This is not true."
This was already something of an awkward narrative for Xi, who has amassed more power than any Chinese leader since Mao Zedong and severely ramped up internal discipline within the Communist Party. By emphasizing his personal involvement in the response from an early stage, Xi has potentially undermined that narrative even further -- you can't blame local officials for their failures, and then reveal you were watching them the entire time.
Ultimately, however, the awkwardness of sharing some of the blame with Hubei officials might be preferable than admitting that Xi and those around him were potentially unaware or ill informed about what was really going on.

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2020-02-17 07:27:00Z
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Minggu, 16 Februari 2020

Bomb cyclone storm rips across UK, spawns most flood warnings, alerts in England 'than any other day on rec... - Fox News

An explosive winter storm roared across Britain on Sunday, packing high winds and heavy rain that prompted a record number of flood warnings in England.

The Met Office, Britain's meteorological service, said Storm Dennis was expected to dump 5 1/2 inches of rain in south Wales before gradually easing.

The weather service issued a rare "red warning" for life-threatening flooding in that region. Numerous rescues were reported throughout the area.

The storm was dubbed a "bomb cyclone" after rapidly intensifying near Iceland Friday before slamming Britain over the weekend.

SURFERS CATCH LARGE WAVES FROM MAJOR EUROPE STORM UNDER BRIDGE IN ENGLAND

Bomb cyclones drop some 24 millibars (or atmospheric pressure) over a 24-hour span, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A typical range in millibars is around 10 to 15.

The National Weather Service Ocean Prediction Center said Storm Dennis deepened by 40 millibars in 24 hours, becoming one of the five strongest non-tropical cyclones on record in the North Atlantic.

As the storm system punished the U.K., flood warnings were in place Sunday from northern Scotland to southwest England.

Powerful waves break on the shoreline around the small port of Porthleven, south west England, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020.

Powerful waves break on the shoreline around the small port of Porthleven, south west England, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

John Curtin, director of flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, tweeted Sunday that there were 594 flood warnings and alerts in effect in England -- more "than any other day on record."

That number reached 600 later in the day, Sky News reported.

The fourth named storm of Europe's winter season has already been blamed for the deaths of two men, who were pulled Saturday from the water in separate searches off England's southeastern coast. Another man died Sunday after falling into the River Tawe in south Wales, according to police.

torm Dennis roared across Britain on Sunday, lashing towns and cities with high winds and dumping so much rain that authorities urged residents to protect themselves from flooding.

torm Dennis roared across Britain on Sunday, lashing towns and cities with high winds and dumping so much rain that authorities urged residents to protect themselves from flooding. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

Wales appeared to be bearing the brunt of the two-day storm after a month's amount of rain fell in just 48 hours. Major incidents were declared by emergency services in south Wales and parts of England as police and firefighters worked to rescue people trapped after rivers burst their banks, Reuters reported.

An ambulance, left, and a vehicle are submerged after flooding in Nantgarw, Wales, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020.

An ambulance, left, and a vehicle are submerged after flooding in Nantgarw, Wales, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

“Agencies are continuing to deal with multiple floods and landslides, and have been required to evacuate residents from houses,” South Wales Police said in a statement.“Some communities have been cutoff as a result, but emergency service workers are working tirelessly to put measures in place to ensure the safety of residents."

MAJOR WINTER STORM IN EUROPE LEAVES SEVERAL DEAD, CREATES WIDESPREAD TRAVEL DISRUPTIONS

The Met Office said the highest wind gust recorded was 91 mph at Aberdaron in north Wales on Saturday. A total of 6.1 inches of rain fell at Crai Reservoir in the Welsh county of Powys over 48 hours.

A member of the public is rescued after flooding in Nantgarw, Wales, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020.

A member of the public is rescued after flooding in Nantgarw, Wales, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

Flood warnings could remain in place for a while since much of Britain is still saturated from last week's Storm Ciara, which left eight people dead across Europe.

Powerful waves break on the shoreline around the small port of Porthleven, south west England, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020.

Powerful waves break on the shoreline around the small port of Porthleven, south west England, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

“Whilst the heaviest rain has cleared from Northern Ireland and Scotland, England and Wales will continue to see heavy rain on Sunday, with a risk of severe flooding in places,'' said Andy Page, the Met Office's chief meteorologist.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE WEATHER COVERAGE FROM FOX NEWS

Hundreds of flights were canceled due to high winds, while train service was disrupted by flooding, affecting tens of thousands of passengers as British families leave for the mid-winter school break.

People watch waves and rough seas pound against the harbor wall at Porthcawl in Wales, as Storm Dennis sweeps across the country, Saturday Feb. 15, 2020.

People watch waves and rough seas pound against the harbor wall at Porthcawl in Wales, as Storm Dennis sweeps across the country, Saturday Feb. 15, 2020. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

On Saturday, about 75 British army personnel and 70 reservists were deployed to communities in the flooded Calder Valley region of West Yorkshire, constructing flood barriers and repairing damaged flood defenses.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2020-02-16 16:49:37Z
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Storm Dennis strikes UK sparking flood warnings and evacuations - CNN

Storm Dennis has seen flood warnings across large parts of the country as the storm picked up Saturday and lasted into Sunday.
There were wind gusts as high as 91mph (146km/h) and more than half a month's worth of rainfall in some areas, according to a tweet from the Met Office.
Residents in South Wales were evacuated by emergency services.
More heavy rain and "very strong winds" are forecast through Sunday, said the UK's official weather forecaster.
By early Sunday morning there were 198 flood warnings in place across the country, reports PA Media, which mean immediate action must be taken. There were also a further 326 flood alerts, which warn the public to be prepared.
South Wales is one of the worst-hit areas and the situation is said to be "life-threatening." The Met Office has issued a red warning after heavy rainfall raised the risk of flooding.
More intense windstorms and floods heading to UK and Europe this weekend
"The forecast is for very significant levels of rain, especially in the eastern valleys of South Wales," said Jeremy Parr, head of flood and incident risk management for Natural Resources Wales.
"Impacts could be severe overnight, and everyone should take the warnings extremely seriously."
Storm Ciara causes travel disruptions in Europe
High winds are also possible on Sunday in Belgium, Denmark, France and Germany.
British Airways and easyJet grounded flights for safety reasons, with the budget airline confirming 230 cancellations on Saturday, according to PA.
Last weekend Storm Ciara caused hundreds of flights across Europe to be canceled, with two of Europe's busiest airports -- Frankfurt, Germany, and Amsterdam, Netherlands -- each grounding more than 100 flights due to the storm.

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2020-02-16 15:59:00Z
52780606533146

Storm Dennis strikes UK sparking flood warnings and evacuations - CNN

Storm Dennis has seen flood warnings across large parts of the country as the storm picked up Saturday and lasted into Sunday.
There were wind gusts as high as 91mph (146km/h) and more than half a month's worth of rainfall in some areas, according to a tweet from the Met Office.
Residents in South Wales were evacuated by emergency services.
More heavy rain and "very strong winds" are forecast through Sunday, said the UK's official weather forecaster.
By early Sunday morning there were 198 flood warnings in place across the country, reports PA Media, which mean immediate action must be taken. There were also a further 326 flood alerts, which warn the public to be prepared.
South Wales is one of the worst-hit areas and the situation is said to be "life-threatening." The Met Office has issued a red warning after heavy rainfall raised the risk of flooding.
More intense windstorms and floods heading to UK and Europe this weekend
"The forecast is for very significant levels of rain, especially in the eastern valleys of South Wales," said Jeremy Parr, head of flood and incident risk management for Natural Resources Wales.
"Impacts could be severe overnight, and everyone should take the warnings extremely seriously."
Storm Ciara causes travel disruptions in Europe
High winds are also possible on Sunday in Belgium, Denmark, France and Germany.
British Airways and easyJet grounded flights for safety reasons, with the budget airline confirming 230 cancellations on Saturday, according to PA.
Last weekend Storm Ciara caused hundreds of flights across Europe to be canceled, with two of Europe's busiest airports -- Frankfurt, Germany, and Amsterdam, Netherlands -- each grounding more than 100 flights due to the storm.

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2020-02-16 15:44:00Z
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Wuhan coronavirus has killed over twice as many people as SARS - Quartz

From our Obsession

Because China

Even small changes in China have global effects.

The Wuhan coronavirus has now killed at least 1,665 people within mainland China, health commission spokesman Mi Feng said today (link in Chinese). That brings the death toll from Covid-19, as it’s officially called, to more than double that of the 2003 SARS epidemic. Meanwhile over 69,000 have been infected worldwide, eight times the number 17 years ago.

Additionally four other deaths have been recorded outside mainland China. Hong Kong, Japan, and the Philippines have each recorded one fatality from the virus, and the first reported death outside of Asia was that of an 80-year-old Chinese tourist who died yesterday (Feb. 15) at a hospital in Paris. The patient was one of 12 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in France. Four people there have recovered, while seven are still hospitalized.

Last week, a US citizen in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak and capital of Hubei province, became the first confirmed non-Chinese national to die of the coronavirus.

It’s still too soon to say how deadly Covid-19 is, though one troubling aspect is that infected people appear capable of spreading the disease before showing any symptoms, and the incubation period is up to 14 days.

Last month China took the unprecedented step of putting the entire city of Wuhan (population about 11 million) under quarantine and imposing travel restrictions on at least a dozen other cities in Hubei province—though local officials told the Associated Press that at least 5 million people had already left Wuhan for the Lunar New Year holiday before the borders were sealed.

A large majority of the confirmed Covid-19 cases are in and around Hubei province, but at least 25 countries outside China have recorded cases of their own. International health officials are focused on keeping the virus from spreading outside of China. But an unlikely culprit has cast doubt on the plausibility of this scenario: cruise ships, at least four of which have been impacted by the outbreak. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “cruise ship travel presents a unique combination of health concerns” because passengers from all over the world spend extended periods of time in semi-enclosed spaces that “can facilitate the spread of person-to-person, foodborne, or waterborne diseases.”

The Diamond Princess cruise ship is currently quarantined in Japan, with at least 355 confirmed cases of Covid-19 onboard. The United States, Canada, and Hong Kong have said that they will evacuate their citizens and fly them home. Meanwhile, hundreds of passengers disembarked in Cambodia a few days ago from the Westerdam—a cruise ship that had been kept at sea for two weeks over coronavirus fears but was believed to be virus-free—and were then allowed to fly home.

The release of the cruise ship passengers and their subsequent flights out of Cambodia could make it “more and more difficult to make sure this outbreak is contained only within China,” Eyal Leshem, director of the Center for Travel Medicine and Tropical Diseases at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel, told the New York Times.

At least one Westerdam passenger, an 83-year-old American woman who flew from Cambodia to Kuala Lumpur, has this weekend tested positive twice for the coronavirus, according to Malaysian health officials.

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2020-02-16 14:19:00Z
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US to fly home citizens in coronavirus quarantine aboard Diamond Princess cruise ship - Fox News

The U.S. State Department is sending chartered planes to Japan Sunday night to evacuate the nearly 400 Americans who remain quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship amid an outbreak of the coronavirus aboard.

PENTAGON TO EXTEND AVAILABILITY OF 4 MILITARY BASES TO HELP WITH CORONAVIRUS EFFORTS: OFFICIAL

About 380 Americans are aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has docked at Yokohama, a port city southwest of Tokyo. Passengers and crew have been subjected to a 14-day quarantine aboard the ship that’s expected to end Wednesday. So far, 285 people from the ship have tested positive for the new virus that began in China, after 67 new cases were found Saturday.

It was unclear how many people in total are aboard the ship and how many American citizens aboard have tested positive for the coronavirus.

On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo sent a letter to American citizens aboard the ship informing them the State Department was sending chartered flights that will depart Yokohama to the United States on Sunday. The embassy required a response by 10:00 a.m. Tokyo time.

“The U.S. government’s top priority is the welfare and safety of U.S. citizens,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. “The U.S. Embassy has been in continual contact with American passengers on the Diamond Princess since the quarantine began in Japan, and U.S. health experts have been working closely with Carnival Cruise Lines and the government of Japan to assess the unique circumstances on the Diamond Princess.”

A bus leaves a port where the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship is docked Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, in Yokohama, near Tokyo. A viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 67,000 people globally. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A bus leaves a port where the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship is docked Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, in Yokohama, near Tokyo. A viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 67,000 people globally. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)


“To fulfill our government’s responsibilities to U.S. citizens under our rules and practices, as well as to reduce the burden on the Japanese health care system, the U.S. government recommends, out of an abundance of caution, that U.S. citizens disembark and return to the United States for further monitoring.”

Passengers who opt to take the chartered aircraft will be subjected to a second 14-day quarantine in the United States at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Calif., or Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas.  Health authorities will screen all passengers from the ship prior to allowing them to board the chartered flights. No symptomatic or infected passengers will be allowed to board.

“We are working with our Japanese partners to ensure that any symptomatic passengers receive the required care in Japan if they cannot board the flight,” the State Department spokesperson said. “Should passengers choose not to return on this charter flight, they will be unable to return to the United States for a period of time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make a final determination on this matter.” 

"These charter flights are the only opportunity for eligible passengers to fly to the United States until March 4, 2020, at the earliest,” the letter said. “This date is 14 days after the remaining passengers are expected to depart the ship on February 19.”

One of the American passengers, Matthew Smith, who has been tweeting aboard the ship, including photos of the food passengers have been given, expressed disappointment at what he called “a monkey wrench” the American government was throwing into the quarantine aboard the ship.

Smith complained about having to begin a new 14-day quarantine even though he was due to get off the ship next week.

"OK, so here's the thing: As long as the official plan by Japanese health officials is to release those of us who are still healthy from quarantine in just under four days, why would I want to interfere with that by taking up an offer from U.S. officials to fly us back to Travis?" he said on Twitter.

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A woman from Utah was one of the American citizens aboard the Diamond Princess who tested positive for the coronavirus.

Jerri Jorgensen and her husband Mark were tested last week aboard the ship. Jerri was forced to disembark when she tested positive and was placed in isolation at a Japanese hospital, Fox 13 Salt Lake City reported. Mark meanwhile will be leaving Jerri behind and will be boarding the State Department plane back to U.S., where he’s to be placed under the second 14-day quarantine in either California or Texas.

A second American from Utah, John Haering, also tested positive for coronavirus aboard the Diamond Princess last week and was evacuated to a Japanese hospital for additional monitoring.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2020-02-16 13:50:28Z
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New coronavirus cases fall in China | TheHill - The Hill

Health officials in China said on Sunday that the number of new cases of coronavirus had dropped, crediting a campaign to stop the spread of the deadly illness.

The country's National Health Commission reported 2,009 new cases and 142 new deaths, according to Reuters, which added that 2,641 new cases and 143 deaths were reported in China on Saturday.

“The effect of the coronavirus controls is appearing,” commission spokesman Mi Feng reportedly said.

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Mi also said that critical cases fell from 32.4 percent late last month to 21.6 percent on Saturday, Reuters noted.

The virus, which is believed to have originated in an open-air market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has now infected more than 69,000 people worldwide, the World Health Organization said on Sunday, according to The Associated Press.

The majority -- 68,500 cases and 1,665 deaths -- has been reported in mainland China.

Taiwan on Sunday also reported its first death from the virus, Reuters reported. 

Officials said a man in his sixties who suffered from diabetes and hepatitis B had died. He had not traveled abroad recently, they added.

Fifteen cases have been reported in the U.S., the AP noted, adding that one U.S. citizen has died in China.

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2020-02-16 12:55:17Z
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