‘Tsunami of hate’ engulfing world
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday called for an "all-out effort" to end the "tsunami of hate and xenophobia" sparked by the novel coronavirus pandemic, as countries continue to ease restrictions.
"The pandemic continues to unleash a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scaremongering," Guterres said in a statement.
"Anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and in the streets. Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread and Covid-19-related anti-Muslim attacks have occurred."
According to Guterres, migrants and refugees have been "vilified as a source of the virus -- and then denied access to medical treatment."
Meanwhile, "contemptible memes have emerged suggesting" that older people, some of the most vulnerable to the virus, "are also the most expendable," he said.
Additionally, "journalists, whistleblowers, health professionals, aid workers and human rights defenders are being targeted simply for doing their jobs," Guterres said.
The UN chief appealed for "an all-out effort to end hate speech globally," and singled out educational institutions to help teach "digital literacy" to young people -- whom he called "captive and potentially despairing audiences."
Guterres also called on "the media, especially social media companies, to do much more to flag and... remove racist, misogynist and other harmful content."
GLOBAL CO-OP TO BEAT VIRUS
Germany marked the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe yesterday with a call for global cooperation to beat the coronavirus, as western economies prepared to brave still mounting death tolls with a return to normal business.
As the global epidemic cast a pall over sombre memorial events, Germany's President Frank-Wlter Steinmeier drew a parallel between the war and the new scourge that has already killed over 270,000 people around the world.
"For us Germans, 'never again' means 'never again alone'," Steinmeier said at a Berlin ceremony. "If we don't hold Europe together, including during and after this pandemic, then we are not living up to May 8.
"We want more, not less cooperation in the world -- also in the fight against the pandemic."
Far from bringing the world together, the epidemic that has infected 3.8 million and put much of the planet's social and economic life in lockdown has triggered a war of words between China, where the epidemic began, and the United States, where it is at its worst.
US President Donald Trump has dubbed the outbreak the "worst attack we've ever had" and blamed China for failing to stop its spread, suggesting that it may have escaped from a Chinese laboratory.
China rejects the charge, and America's allies are not convinced. According to German news weekly Der Spiegel, citing a leaked internal memo, Germany's defence ministry and spy agency see Trump's claim as a "calculated attempt to distract" from Washington's own failings.
Nevertheless, China yesterday said it would support a review led by the World Health Organization into the global response to the outbreak, albeit only "after the pandemic is over".
ECONOMIC COLLAPSE
In the meantime, while parts of Europe appeared to be over the hump of new infections and deaths, the toll in the United States showed no signs of slowing, and Brazil warned of chaos with the pandemic running out of control.
"Within about 30 days, there may start to be shortages on shelves and production may become disorganised, leading to a system of economic collapse, of social disorder," Brazil's economy minister Paulo Guedes said.
Brazil is Latin America's worst-affected nation, with more than 135,000 infections and 9,100 confirmed deaths, although experts say the true figures are much higher.
But far-right President Jair Bolsonaro opposes stay-at-home measures to slow the spread, saying they are unnecessarily damaging the economy.
Trump is also pushing for lockdowns to be lifted, as he tries to steady the economy ahead of November polls.
"This country can't stay closed and locked down for years," he said Thursday, as the US death toll topped 75,000.
Another 3.2 million people filed unemployment claims in the United States last week, bringing the total who have lost their jobs in the lockdown to 33.5 million.
Germany and France on Thursday reported major slumps in industrial production and Britain said its economic output would plummet by 14 percent this year.
Across Europe, many countries are now easing restrictions, with some shops and schools reopening, Italy allowing Catholics to soon attend mass, and Norway to open up pubs on June 1.
Denmark said yesterday it would allow cinemas, museums and zoos to open from June 8, as it also eased restrictions on group gatherings.
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to offer a roadmap out of lockdown on Sunday.
The easing has already begun in Germany, while France is due on Monday to start emerging from its lockdown, though Paris will remain restricted.
Russia had originally planned a huge military display to mark its May 9 Victory Day, but now only a flypast will take place over Red Square.
Most of Europe has seen significant drops in new infections, but cases are on the rise in Russia, with another 10,000 reported Thursday. Moscow's lockdown has been extended until May 31.
In Asia, life was creeping back to normal, with professional football set to kick off in South Korea later yesterday.
But goal celebrations, handshakes and even talking are out under stringent new safety guidelines designed to prevent contagion during games, which will be played behind closed doors.
South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks of Covid-19, but rapidly got a handle on the disease, with aggressive social distancing measures and widespread testing and tracing.
Hong Kong, which also acted quickly against the outbreak allowed gyms and bars to reopen yesterday, with some drinking spots serving their first customers at 12:01 am.
"I'm so happy. I've not been here for a long time," one customer gushed as he tucked into a much-anticipated drink shortly after midnight.
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