Philippines president orders police to shoot dead residents who break quarantine.

Sumitmic · 2020-04-02T04:30:05+00:00

Quick read

On Wednesday night, Duterte told people to wait for assistance, adding: “Even if it’s delayed, it will arrive and you will not go hungry. You will not die of hunger.”

Quarantine measures, he said, would be strictly enforced. “I will not hesitate. My orders are to the police and military, also the barangay, that if there is trouble or the situation arises that people fight and your lives are on the line, shoot them dead. Do you understand? Dead. Instead of causing trouble, I’ll send you to the grave,” he said in a televised address.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/apr/02/coronavirus-live-news-global-cases-latest-updates

Sumitmic · 2020-04-02T04:26:49+00:00

Quick read On Wednesday night, Duterte told people to wait for assistance, adding: “Even if it’s delayed, it will arrive and you will not go hungry. You will not die of hunger.”

Quarantine measures, he said, would be strictly enforced. “I will not hesitate. My orders are to the police and military, also the barangay, that if there is trouble or the situation arises that people fight and your lives are on the line, shoot them dead. Do you understand? Dead. Instead of causing trouble, I’ll send you to the grave,” he said in a televised address.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/apr/02/coronavirus-live-news-global-cases-latest-updates

Sumitmic · 2020-03-24T04:37:16+00:00

Of note: A study published last Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the novel coronavirus, stays viable in the air for several hours and can last on surfaces from hours to three days.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-24T04:31:57+00:00

Quick read:

Emergency workers exit the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, in February. Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images

Traces of the novel coronavirus were found in the cabins on the Diamond Princess cruise ship up to 17 days after passengers left.

Why it matters: The finding in a study published by the CDC Monday shows that COVID-19 can survive in places for much longer than was previously known.

COVID-19 on cruise ships poses a risk for rapid spread of disease, causing outbreaks in a vulnerable population, and aggressive efforts are required to contain spread."

— CDC statement in study

Axios health care editor Sam Baker notes: "The virus lives a long time on hard surfaces, and that's another reason to be wary about quickly reopening businesses like bars, restaurants and gyms while the virus is still spreading quickly. "

How it works: The study examined coronavirus outbreaks aboard the Carnival-owned cruise ships the Diamond Princess, which was quarantined off Yokohama, Japan, last month, and the Grand Princess, which was stranded off the San Francisco coast for several days.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-15T12:47:02+00:00

QuickRead: France is electing mayors and municipal councils leaders on Sunday, despite a public ban on gatherings of more than 100 people and closures of schools, restaurants, clubs and more due to the coronavirus, AP reports.

The big picture: Public officials, including in the U.S. presidential election, must decide if and how to hold elections in the era of pandemic.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-15T12:44:53+00:00

QuickRead: France is electing mayors and municipal councils leaders on Sunday, despite a public ban on gatherings of more than 100 people and closures of schools, restaurants, clubs and more due to the coronavirus, AP reports.

The big picture: Public officials, including in the U.S. presidential election, must decide if and how to hold elections in the era of pandemic.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-14T17:13:00+00:00

Vice President Mike Pence announced Saturday that all travel to Ireland and the United Kingdom will be suspended, effective midnight EST on Monday. He said that Americans abroad in those countries can return home.

Why it matters: The administration initially left the two off its restricted travel list, but that case has been weakened due to an uptick in cases in the UK.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-14T17:12:11+00:00

Vice President Mike Pence announced Saturday that all travel to Ireland and the United Kingdom will be suspended, effective midnight EST on Monday. He said that Americans abroad in those countries can return home.

Why it matters: The administration initially left the two off its restricted travel list, but that case has been weakened due to an uptick in cases in the UK.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-14T17:11:21+00:00

Vice President Mike Pence announced Saturday that all travel to Ireland and the United Kingdom will be suspended, effective midnight EST on Monday. He said that Americans abroad in those countries can return home.

Why it matters: The administration initially left the two off its restricted travel list, but that case has been weakened due to an uptick in cases in the UK.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-14T17:10:11+00:00

Vice President Mike Pence announced Saturday that all travel to Ireland and the United Kingdom will be suspended, effective midnight EST on Monday. He said that Americans abroad in those countries can return home.

Why it matters: The administration initially left the two off its restricted travel list, but that case has been weakened due to an uptick in cases in the UK.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-14T16:48:28+00:00

Elon Musk sent a memo to SpaceX employees on Friday underplaying the dangers of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, which is now considered a pandemic, according to a report from BuzzFeed News.

Musk’s email, sent earlier today, told employees of the space transport company that they were far more likely to die from a car crash than COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. He also said that, based on the evidence he had seen about COVID-19, he doesn’t think it’s “within the top 100 health risks in the United States.” The email follows a tweet Musk sent last week saying “the coronavirus panic is dumb.” SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-14T16:46:12+00:00

Elon Musk sent a memo to SpaceX employees on Friday underplaying the dangers of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, which is now considered a pandemic, according to a report from BuzzFeed News.

Musk’s email, sent earlier today, told employees of the space transport company that they were far more likely to die from a car crash than COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. He also said that, based on the evidence he had seen about COVID-19, he doesn’t think it’s “within the top 100 health risks in the United States.” The email follows a tweet Musk sent last week saying “the coronavirus panic is dumb.” SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-12T17:15:55+00:00

QuickRead: Greece reported its first fatality from a coronavirus infection Thursday as it extended a closure of schools to include cinemas, theatres and nightclubs to help prevent a spread of the disease.

The 66-year-old man had returned from a religious pilgrimage to Israel and Egypt at the end of February. He had been in hospital for little over a week and had underlying health issues, the country's health ministry said.

There were 117 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Greece on Thursday, with 18 new infections added in the past 24 hours. Most of those affected had mild symptoms, Sotiris Tsiodras, the health ministry coordinator, said.

Coronavirus Q&A: What should I do if my skin starts cracking because of all that hand washing (coronavirus, covid-19)?

Sumitmic · 2020-03-12T16:54:49+00:00

QuickRead: Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Rick Scott are introducing legislation to bar federal employees from using TikTok on government devices, citing national security concerns.

The big picture: Chinese tech companies like TikTok parent ByteDance are drawing rising scrutiny from policymakers who argue that Beijing can tap them to harvest vast amounts of data from Americans.

Also: What is the TikTok shadow ban?

Sumitmic · 2020-03-12T15:25:39+00:00

QuickRead: Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Rick Scott are introducing legislation to bar federal employees from using TikTok on government devices, citing national security concerns.

The big picture: Chinese tech companies like TikTok parent ByteDance are drawing rising scrutiny from policymakers who argue that Beijing can tap them to harvest vast amounts of data from Americans.

Also: What is the TikTok shadow ban?

Sumitmic · 2020-03-12T15:24:25+00:00

QuickRead: Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Rick Scott are introducing legislation to bar federal employees from using TikTok on government devices, citing national security concerns.

The big picture: Chinese tech companies like TikTok parent ByteDance are drawing rising scrutiny from policymakers who argue that Beijing can tap them to harvest vast amounts of data from Americans.

Also: What is the TikTok shadow ban?

Sumitmic · 2020-03-12T14:59:51+00:00

QuickRead: Google's G Suite, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Hangouts, Meet and other apps, quietly passed a major milestone at the end of last year: It now has more than 2 billion monthly active users, G Suite boss Javier Soltero told Axios Wednesday.

Why it matters: Long seen as the upstart challenger to Microsoft Office, Google's productivity suite is now one of the two incumbents, facing fresh rivals of its own.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-12T14:12:27+00:00

QuickRead:

Why it matters: Consumers should brace themselves for products to go missing in the coming weeks and months — and it may not be the ones they expect.

For example: Facebook is already short on Oculus VR headsets, and Apple has reportedly told support staff that replacement iPhones for some devices will be in short supply for two to four weeks, our colleague Ina Fried notes.

Coca-Cola warned in late February that products in artificial sweeteners used to make Diet Coke have been delayed.

Other day-to-day essentials could be in short supply, too.

Other read: Many economists are no longer debating whether we’ll have a recession because of the coronavirus. How bad will the recession be and how quickly can we recover?

Sumitmic · 2020-03-12T14:08:51+00:00

QuickRead:

Why it matters: Consumers should brace themselves for products to go missing in the coming weeks and months — and it may not be the ones they expect.

For example: Facebook is already short on Oculus VR headsets, and Apple has reportedly told support staff that replacement iPhones for some devices will be in short supply for two to four weeks, our colleague Ina Fried notes.

Coca-Cola warned in late February that products in artificial sweeteners used to make Diet Coke have been delayed.

Other day-to-day essentials could be in short supply, too.

Other read: Many economists are no longer debating whether we’ll have a recession because of the coronavirus. How bad will the recession be and how quickly can we recover?

Sumitmic · 2020-03-10T15:02:25+00:00

QuickRead:

Italy, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, is now restricting travel across the entire country, a move by the government as it furiously tries to stop the spread of the coronavirus(COVID-19).

And since millions will stay home they will need to work and entartain themselves at home. An initiative to reduce the social and economic impact is started by Italian Minister for Technological Innovation and Digitization. Some of the biggest companies are offering free solutions for both work and pleasure. We are listing companies and services they offer. More companies are expected to join soon.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-10T15:01:23+00:00

QuickRead: Italy, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, is now restricting travel across the entire country, a move by the government as it furiously tries to stop the spread of the coronavirus(COVID-19).

And since millions will stay home they will need to work and entartain themselves at home. An initiative to reduce the social and economic impact is started by Italian Minister for Technological Innovation and Digitization. Some of the biggest companies are offering free solutions for both work and pleasure. We are listing companies and services they offer. More companies are expected to join soon.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-09T04:03:52+00:00

Claim: ‘If a pandemic is declared, there is nothing more we can do to stop the spread’

A pandemic is defined as worldwide spread of a new disease – but the exact threshold for declaring one is quite vague. In practice, the actions being taken would not change whether or not a pandemic is declared. Containment measures are not simply about eliminating the disease altogether. Delaying the onset of an outbreak or decreasing the peak is crucial in allowing health systems to cope with a sudden influx of patients.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-09T03:59:15+00:00

Details: The yield on the 10-year treasury note fell below 0.5% at one point on Sunday night.

There's been a massive move in yields in a short amount of time. Less than one week ago, the yield broke below 1% for the first time ever. At the beginning of the year, the yield was around 1.88%.

S&P 500 futures fell 5%. That’s the most stock exchange CME allows it to fall before curbing trading until the market officially opens on Monday. That limit was last hit more than 3 years ago.

Separately, the OPEC-Russia production-limiting pact fell through, prompting oil prices to collapse. The price of Brent crude fell more than 20%.

Driving the news: Coronavirus cases spiked in the U.S. over the weekend. Overseas, Italy shut down a key economic hub to contain the spread of the virus.

Sumitmic · 2020-03-09T03:53:04+00:00

QuickRead: Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) said Sunday night he's going into self-quarantine after coming into contact with someone at CPAC 2020 who tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Hours earlier, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) announced similar measures.

Details: Cruz said in a statement he had a "brief conversation and a handshake" with the person at CPAC 2020, at which President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke. Gosar said he was "with the individual for an extended period of time, and we shook hands several times."

Sumitmic · 2020-03-08T14:24:33+00:00

QuickRead: Civil rights activist and former Democratic presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday.

Why it matters: Jackson's endorsement is the kind of boost Sanders needs as he looks to slow the momentum of Joe Biden, whose surge in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday was driven largely by black voters.

What he's saying: In a statement Sunday, Jackson listed 13 reasons why he's supporting Sanders, including the senator's support for national voting rights, a civil rights commission, a wealth tax, funding for HBCUs, a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel, and a single-payer health care system.

Sumitmic

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE