Germany yesterday unveiled a plan for reopening, as Europe’s largest economy tries to get the wheels turning after weeks of shutdown, while US President Donald Trump on Tuesday made his first major foray out of the White House since the COVID-19 lockdown began, pushing for the US economy to reopen.
“We can’t keep our country closed for the next five years,” Trump said on a trip to a mask factory in Arizona on Tuesday, as he conceded that some people would be “badly affected.”
In a sign that his administration no longer considers the pandemic its top priority, the White House is set to disband the emergency task force handling the country’s outbreak.
“I think we’re starting to look at the Memorial Day [May 25] window, early June window” for shutting it down, US Vice President Mike Pence said.
However, highlighting the challenges involved, New York’s subway system closed for the first time in its history on Tuesday night for disinfection, as authorities try to balance functionality with health and safety.
The US remains the worst-hit country with more than 71,000 deaths. It recorded 2,333 more fatalities in the 24 hours to Tuesday evening, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker, twice as many as the day before.
The relentless march of the virus continued as Latin America logged its 15,000th death and Britain passed Italy as the country with the world’s second-highest number of deaths.
However, elsewhere in Europe, hard-hit Spain and France reported a leveling off of figures, offering hope of an end to a pandemic that has overwhelmed healthcare systems and shattered economies.
Germany is eyeing an almost complete return to normality this month, with plans to send all pupils back to school and restart top-flight soccer, a draft agreement seen by reporters said.
The Bundesliga would become the first of Europe’s top five leagues to restart, a prospect German Minister of Health Jens Spahn said could make the competition an “export hit.”
With about 165,000 cases and 7,000 deaths, Germany has so far been able to prevent the scenes of dire overcrowding in its hospitals that have been seen elsewhere in Europe.
The restrictions imposed globally to curb the spread of the virus have gutted national economies, with the EU yesterday forecasting that the eurozone economy would contract by a staggering 7.7 percent this year, and saying the wreckage from the COVID-19 outbreak could endanger the single currency.
Calling it a “recession of historic proportions,” the EU executive said that the 19-member single currency zone would rebound by 6.3 percent in 2021, but in a recovery that would be felt unevenly across the continent.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COVETED PRIZE: The US president would be a peace prize laureate should he persuade Xi Jinping to abandon military aggression against Taiwan, William Lai said US President Donald Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize should he be able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to abandon the use of force against Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) told a conservative US radio show and podcast in an interview. The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer, despite the absence of formal ties, but since Trump took office earlier this year he has not announced any new arms sales to the nation. Trump could meet Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Lai, speaking on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
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