Tibetans demand China disclose fate of boy taken away in '95

May 18, 2020

BEIJING (AP) — Tibet’s self-declared government-in-exile marked the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of a boy named as Tibetan Buddhism’s second highest figure by calling on China on Sunday to account for his whereabouts.

The Tibetan parliament in northern India, known as the Kashag, said the boy named the 11th Panchen Lama who was taken away at age 6 along with his family in 1995 continued to be recognized as the sole legitimate holder of his title.

China, which claims Tibet as its own territory, named another boy, Gyaltsen Norbu, to the position and he is believed to live under close government control in mainland China and is rarely seen in public.

“China’s abduction of the Panchen Lama and forcible denial of his religious identity and right to practice in his monastery is not only a violation of religious freedom but also a gross violation of human rights,” the Kashag statement said.

“If China’s claim that Tibetans in Tibet enjoy religious freedom is to be considered true, then China must provide verifiable information on the well-being and whereabouts of the 11th Panchen Lama” along with others, the statement said.

The dispute mainly focuses on political power and the arcane rituals for naming a new Panchen Lama, believed to be the reincarnation of his predecessor. The Dalai Lama, who fled into exile following an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, named the original Panchen, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, with the help of Tibetan lamas trained in reading portents and signs.

China claims the reincarnate can only be chosen by pulling lots from a golden urn, a method it used to pick its own candidate under strict control of the officially atheistic ruling Communist Party. Traditionally, the Panchen Lama has served as teacher and aide to the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s highest leader who is now 84 and accused by Beijing of seeking independence for Tibet. Beijing claims the Himalayan territory has been part of China for centuries, but many Tibetans say they were largely independent for most of that time.

Tibet’s capital Lhasa has seen a massive influx of Chinese migrants and the entire region is under a heavy security lockdown, tightened considerably since bloody anti-government protests in 2008 that spread through many Tibetan areas in western China.

Despite appeals from the United Nations and foreign governments and organizations, China has never provided any solid information on the condition or location of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family, saying only that they were being looked after and did not wish to have contact with the outside world.

The 10th Panchen Lama was imprisoned by China and died under what some consider suspicious circumstances in 1989 after making speeches calling for greater religious and social freedoms for Tibetans.

Japan plunges into recession as US states start opening up

May 18, 2020

NEW YORK (AP) — Japan’s economy plunged into recession in the first quarter as the coronavirus pandemic squelched business activity, while leaders in the U.S. and Europe are weighing the risks and rewards of lifting COVID-19 restrictions knowing that a vaccine could take years to develop.

India, meanwhile, recorded its biggest single-day surge with 5,242 new cases and 157 deaths, taking the country’s infection tally to more than 96,000, the most in Asia. The country has now 3,029 fatalities due to COVID-19.

China, which reported just seven new cases on Monday, maintained tighter social distancing rules in parts of the northeastern province of Jilin after a cluster of cases of unknown origin turned up in the area. Two of the new cases were in Jilin and residents were being required to show certificates of health, including a recent negative nucleic acid test, if they wished to leave Jilin city, the province's second-largest metropolis, state media reported.

In other parts of the country, restrictions have been gradually lifted and many in Beijing, where no cases have been reported in weeks, have stopped wearing masks outdoors, although most establishments still require they do so when indoors and on public transport. Despite reopening moves, central government petition offices in Beijing, where people come from across the country to register complaints, will remain closed for the time being.

Japan's Cabinet Office reported Monday a drop of 3.4% annual pace in seasonally adjusted real gross domestic product, and fears are growing that worse times may lie ahead. Japan is extremely vulnerable to repercussions from the pandemic given its dependence on trade with both China and the U.S.

In hard-hit Italy, Premier Giuseppe Conte acceded to a push by regional leaders to allow restaurants, bars and beach facilities to reopen Monday, weeks ahead of an earlier timetable. “We are confronting this risk, and we need to accept it, otherwise we would never be able to relaunch,” Conte said.

That came as governments worldwide and many U.S. states struggle with restarting economies battered by the pandemic. In the U.S., images of crowded bars, beaches and boardwalks suggested some weren’t heeding warnings to safely enjoy reopened spaces while limiting the risks of spreading infection.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was hospitalized last month with COVID-19, speculated Sunday that a vaccine may not be developed at all, despite the huge global effort to produce one. “There remains a very long way to go, and I must be frank that a vaccine might not come to fruition,” Johnson wrote in Sunday's edition of the Mail newspaper.

Health experts say the world could be months, if not years, away from having a vaccine available to everyone, and they have warned that easing restrictions too quickly could cause the virus to rebound.

President Donald Trump, by contrast, promised Americans a speedy return to normalcy that sounded far more optimistic than most experts say is realistic. “We’re looking at vaccines, we’re looking at cures and we are very, very far down the line,” he said while calling into a charity golf tournament broadcast Sunday on NBC.

One of Trump’s top economic advisers, Peter Navarro, also criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s early response to the coronavirus outbreak, saying it “let the country down” after initial delays with testing.

With 36 million newly unemployed in the U.S. alone, economic pressures are building even as authorities acknowledge that reopening risks setting off new waves of infections and deaths. Many states have lifted stay-at-home orders and other restrictions, allowing some types of businesses to reopen.

The coronavirus has infected over 4.7 million people and killed more than 315,000 worldwide, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University that experts say under counts the true toll of the pandemic. The U.S. has reported over 89,000 dead and Europe has seen at least 160,000 deaths.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and lead to death. Paula Walborsky, a 74-year-old retired attorney in Tallahassee, Florida, has resisted the temptation to get her hair done and turned down dinner invitations from close friends. But when one of her city’s public swimming pools reopened by appointment, she decided to test the waters.

“I was so excited to be back in the water, and it just felt wonderful,” Walborsky said. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo got tested for the coronavirus on live television Sunday. Any New Yorkers experiencing flu-like symptoms or those returning to work can now get tested, he said.

“Well, how do you know what the spread of the virus is? Testing, testing, testing,” Cuomo said. The Los Angeles Police Department wants to test everyone its officers arrest to determine whether they are infected with the coronavirus, while businesses that defy Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order could face a misdemeanor under emergency rules his administration has filed.

South Korea reported 15 new coronavirus cases and one more death, but just two new cases were reported in the Seoul metropolitan area, where tens of thousands were tested in recent weeks after health officials discovered dozens of infections linked to club goers.

The surge in infections in India comes a day after the federal government extended a nationwide lockdown to May 31 but eased some restrictions to restore economic activity, and as hundreds of thousands of migrant workers head to India’s villages, which have weaker health infrastructure.

Next door, in the Pakistan-administered portion of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, all relaxations in lockdown measures are to be revoked from Monday night after two dozen more people tested positive for coronavirus.

In the Philippines, crowds returned to shopping malls in the capital, Manila, after a two-month lockdown was partially relaxed over the weekend. In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro greeted hundreds of supporters — and joined some in performing pushups — who gathered before the presidential offices Sunday to back his open-the-economy drive even as the coronavirus sweeps across the country.

On the treatment front, Oregon health officials say hospitals will be provided with an experimental drug that has shown some promise combating the virus. The Oregon Health Authority said Sunday that the state has received enough doses of remdesivir to treat all patients who met the medical criteria for using the drug as of Saturday.

Recent early results for the drug suggested it could help patients recover from the coronavirus faster, although longer-term data is still needed to confirm any benefits.

Kunzelman reported from Silver Spring, Maryland. Associated Press writers Bobby Caina Calvan in Tallahassee, Florida, Michael R. Sisak in New York and others around the world contributed.

Relief and worry as Bavarian brewery reopens to guests

May 17, 2020

ALTOETTING, Germany (AP) — The Graminger Weissbraeu brewery, which has been in the same family for a century, is preparing to welcome guests back to its restaurant for the first time in two months — with new rules and fears for the future.

Bavaria, one of the last German states to start reopening the hospitality sector as the country gradually eases its coronavirus restrictions, is letting restaurants serve guests outside starting Monday and inside a week later.

Birgit Detter is one of three sisters who run the business just outside Altoetting, a popular tourist and Catholic pilgrimage site east of Munich, together with their parents. During the coronavirus lockdown, the Weisses Braeuhaus restaurant started offering takeout food and the brewery was able to sell some beer to shops, but “overall it's nowhere near enough,” Detter says. The brewery produces 200,000 liters (52,800 gallons) of beer per year, but is suffering from the restaurant closure and the cancellation of a local festival in June.

It’s a relief to reopen the beer garden and then the restaurant for guests, but the new social distancing conditions are “very difficult,” she says. “I am afraid that in the long term it won't work, because the revenue just isn't there — I think the guests will come, but significantly fewer than before,” she said.

Among the conditions imposed by state authorities, tables have to be 1.5 meters (5 feet) apart — reducing the number of guests — and servers have to wear face masks, a difficult requirement for hours on end in warm weather.

“The danger will be that we have significantly less revenue but need more employees to fulfill all the conditions, and of course it would be difficult then to keep it up for long,” Detter says.

Turkey's senior citizens allowed out for second Sunday

May 17, 2020

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s senior citizens were allowed to leave their homes for a second time as the country continues to ease some coronavirus restrictions. People above 65 —the age group most at risk of developing serious COVID-19 symptoms— can be outside for six hours Sunday, but their lockdown on other days continues. The health minister urged them to wear masks and practice social distancing.

Turkey has instituted partial lockdowns with people above 65 and under 20, who are ordered to stay at home. The measure towards senior citizens came into force on March 21 and were relaxed for the first time last week.

Children and teenagers were also allowed out this week on different days for several hours. The latest statistics by the health ministry put confirmed infections at 148,067 and the death toll at 4,096.

Trump's emergency powers worry some senators, legal experts

May 17, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — The day he declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency, President Donald Trump made a cryptic offhand remark. “I have the right to do a lot of things that people don’t even know about," he said at the White House.

Trump wasn’t just crowing. Dozens of statutory authorities become available to any president when national emergencies are declared. They are rarely used, but Trump last month stunned legal experts and others when he claimed — mistakenly — that he has “total” authority over governors in easing COVID-19 guidelines.

That prompted 10 senators to look into how sweeping Trump believes his emergency powers are. They have asked to see this administration's Presidential Emergency Action Documents, or PEADs. The little-known, classified documents are essentially planning papers.

The documents don’t give a president authority beyond what's in the Constitution. But they outline what powers a president believes that the Constitution gives him to deal with national emergencies. The senators think the documents would provide them a window into how this White House interprets presidential emergency powers.

“Somebody needs to look at these things,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said in a telephone interview. “This is a case where the president can declare an emergency and then say, ‘Because there’s an emergency, I can do this, this and this.’"

King, seven Democrats and one Republican sent a letter late last month to acting national intelligence director Richard Grenell asking to be briefed on any existing PEADs. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., wrote a similar letter to Attorney General William Barr and White House counsel Pat Cipollone.

“The concern is that there could be actions taken that would violate individual rights under the Constitution," such as limiting due process, unreasonable search and seizure and holding individuals without cause, King said.

“I’m merely speculating. It may be that we get these documents and there’s nothing untoward in their checks and balances and everything is above board and reasonable.'' Joshua Geltzer, visiting professor of law at Georgetown University, said there is a push to take a look at these documents because there is rising distrust for the Trump administration's legal interpretations in a way he hasn't seen in his lifetime.

The most publicized example was Trump’s decision last year to declare the security situation along the U.S.-Mexico border a national emergency. That decision allowed him to take up to $3.6 billion from military construction projects to finance wall construction beyond the miles that lawmakers had been willing to fund. Trump’s move skirted the authority of Congress, which by law has the power to spend money in the nation’s wallet.

“I worry about other things he might call an emergency,” Geltzer said. “I think around the election itself in November — that’s where there seems to be a lot of potential for mischief with this president.”

The lawmakers made their request just days after Trump made his startling claim on April 13 that he had the authority to force states to reopen for business amid the pandemic. “When somebody’s the president of the United States, the authority is total,” Trump said, causing a backlash from some governors and legal experts. Trump later tweeted that while some people say it's the governors, not the president's decision, "Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect.”

Trump later backtracked on his claim of “total" authority and agreed that states have the upper hand in deciding when to end their lockdowns. But it was just the latest from a president who has been stretching existing statutory authorities “to, if not beyond, their breaking point," said Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas.

Questions about Trump's PEADs went unanswered by the Justice Department, National Security Council and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of a national security program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, said PEADs have not been subject to congressional oversight for decades. She estimates that there are 50 to 60 of these documents, which include draft proclamations, executive orders and proposed legislation that could be swiftly introduced to “assert broad presidential authority” in national emergencies.

She said the Eisenhower administration had PEADs outlining how it might respond to a possible Soviet nuclear attack. According to the Brennan Center, PEADs issued up through the 1970s included detention of U.S. citizens suspected of being subversives, warrantless searches and seizures and the imposition of martial law.

“A Department of Justice memorandum from the Lyndon B. Johnson administration discusses a presidential emergency action document that would impose censorship on news sent abroad,” Goitein wrote in an op-ed with lawyer Andrew Boyle published last month in The New York Times.

"The memo notes that while no ‘express statutory authority’ exists for such a measure, ‘it can be argued that these actions would be legal in the aftermath of a devastating nuclear attack based on the president’s constitutional powers to preserve the national security.”’

Goitein said she especially worries about any orders having to do with military deployment, including martial law. “You can imagine a situation where he (Trump) engineers a crisis that leads to domestic violence, which then becomes a pretext for martial law,” said Goitein, who insists she's simply playing out worst-case scenarios.

She said she wonders if there is a PEAD outlining steps the president could take to respond to a serious cyberattack. Would the president aggressively interpret telecommunications law and flip an internet kill switch, or restrain domestic internet traffic? she asks.

Bobby Chesney, associate dean at the University of Texas School of Law, said some fears might be exaggerated because while Trump makes off-the-cuff assertions of authority far beyond past presidents, he doesn't necessarily follow up with action.

Says Chesney: “His actions don’t match the rhetoric always — or even often.

Restaurants and racing can resume, but new rules abound

May 17, 2020

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Restaurants can reopen in New Orleans, a city famous for its cuisine, but they must take reservations and limit the number of diners. Auto and horse racing tracks in New York can resume competitions but without spectators.

Officials cautiously eased more restrictions Saturday on eateries, shops and outdoor venues as they tried to restart economies without triggering a surge in new coronavirus infections. But the reopenings came with new rules designed to curb the spread of the disease — another indication that the familiar ways of dining out or watching sporting events are gone for now.

Public health experts warn that the pandemic, which has killed more than 88,000 people in the U.S. and 300,000 worldwide, could pick up again if precautions are not taken or officials move too quickly to get people back to work.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said horse racing tracks and the Watkins Glen International auto track can reopen with “no crowds, no fans.” He also said he could envision a return of Major League Baseball in New York, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, also without spectators.

“If it works economically, that would be great,” he said. The governor has let large parts of upstate New York start reopening by allowing certain businesses such as construction to operate under safety guidelines. But most residents — particularly in hard-hit areas closer to New York City — remain under tight restrictions as communities try to reduce infection rates and amass enough testing and tracing to reopen in coming weeks or months.

Cuomo also announced that residents of suburban Westchester and Suffolk counties, two of the nation’s early hot spots, will again be eligible for elective surgeries and ambulatory care. New York’s ban on all nonessential gatherings is still in effect.

New Orleans took its first steps to loosen restrictions that have been in place for two months, one day after the rest of Louisiana did the same. The city is restricting buildings to 25% of capacity, like the rest of the state, but also requires restaurants, nail salons and other businesses to take customers by reservation. The city has capped the number of people allowed in houses of worship and movie theaters at fewer than 100.

Malls and retail stores can reopen, but casinos, video poker, live entertainment and bars are still closed. Some restaurateurs decided to try reopening. Others planned to stick to takeout or stay closed all together.

Kirk Estopinal, one of the owners of Cane & Table in the French Quarter, planned to open Saturday. Guests are supposed to order their food when they make a reservation online and are asked to wear masks. Cleaning will be stepped up, and bathrooms cleaned after every use.

“We’re going to trial run what it is to operate in the new normal,” he said. “We’re looking at a restaurant experience that is almost touch-less for our guests.” Jennifer Weishaupt, chief executive of the Ruby Slipper Cafe, said the company reopened in New Orleans, Metairie and Baton Rouge. Business was not as busy as anticipated, possibly because of bad weather.

"We had some folks standing in line before we opened at 8 a.m., which was really great,” Weishaupt said. “We’re cautiously optimistic,” she added. “We’ve had a steady stream of customers, and we’ve seen a lot of regulars and it’s been nice to reconnect with them.”

In California, more parks and hiking trails welcomed visitors again in a second phase of reopening in which businesses deemed lower risk are allowed to operate with retailers offering curbside pickup.

Similar steps took place around the world as infections declined in many cities and countries. Australians went out to eat for the first time in weeks Saturday, but the reopening of restaurants, pubs and cafes came with distancing and capacity rules and a warning: Don't overdo it.

“The message is, yes, appreciate all the efforts, appreciate the opportunity to release some of those measures, but let’s not have a party, let’s not go to town,” said Tony Bartone, president of the Australian Medical Association.

Germany's top soccer league resumed season play with what fans call “ghost games,” with no spectators in the stands and players warned to keep their emotions in check and desist from spitting, handshakes and hugging.

In New Zealand, even Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her fiance, Clarke Gayford, were initially turned away for brunch by a restaurant in the capital, Wellington, because it was too full under coronavirus guidelines.

There was a happy ending: A spot freed up, and staff chased down the street to call the couple back. Italy’s tourism industry is focused firmly on June 3, when both regional and international borders reopen, allowing the first prospect of tourists since Europe’s first lockdown went into place in early March. In tourist-reliant Venice, occupancy of the city’s 50,000 hotel beds has hovered around zero ever since.

“Venice lives on tourism, period,’’ said Claudio Scarpa, head of the city’s hotel association. ’’All the economic structures that operate in the city, including the port, are tied to tourism.” France was also cautious, calling for a coordinated European effort on opening. At the same time, officials could make decisions "that protect the French” regarding countries “where the virus is still active,” Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said Saturday.

As hundreds of beaches reopened, Castaner warned that the government would not hesitate to close them again if rules are not respected. Local authorities were charged with deciding which beaches would reopen as part of a staggered plan to end a strict two-month lockdown that began March 17. Under the rules, beachgoers can take a dip but may not sunbathe or picnic. Social distancing must be maintained, and groups must be limited to 10 people.

"The virus is still there,” Castaner said. “It moves around with our movements.” In Milan, Italy's financial capital, 3,400 restaurants planned to open Monday, along with 4,800 bars, 2,900 hairdressers, 2,200 clothing stores and 700 shoe shops.

"After a long period at home, we will all want to go out and have a good coffee in a bar, eat a pizza in a pizzeria, buy a pair of jeans or go to the hairdressers," Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said Saturday in a Facebook video.

Many restaurant owners complained that the rules for reopening were unclear and that the entire sector — including suppliers and food producers — was suffering. Dozens protested outside Milan's main train station and called for an abolition of taxes and more help.

In England, officials and tourism boards discouraged people from visiting popular spots like beaches or parks on the first weekend since the lockdown was eased. Stricter rules remain place in other parts of the U.K., and English daytrippers have been warned against crossing into Scotland or Wales.

Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he would ask Parliament for what he hopes will be the last extension of a state of emergency to battle the pandemic, until around late June. The country is slowly scaling back confinement measures, but tourism, which accounts for 12% of GDP, looks set to lose its critical summer season.

“Spain needs tourism," Sánchez said. "But tourism needs security. It needs health guarantees.”

Villeneuve reported from Albany, New York. Associated Press journalists from around the world contributed to this story.