‘It always wins’: North Korea may declare COVID-19 victory
SEOUL, South Korea — It’s only been a month since North Korea acknowledged having a COVID-19 outbreak, after steadfastly denying any cases for more than two years. But already it may be preparing to declare victory.
According to state media, North Korea has avoided the mass deaths many expected in a nation with one of the world’s worst health care systems, little or no access to vaccines, and what outsiders see as a long record of ignoring the suffering of its people.
North Korea’s official virus numbers, experts believe, have as much to do with propaganda to boost leader Kim Jong Un as with a true picture of what’s happening in the country, and there’s widespread doubt about their accuracy.
What’s clear, though, is that the daily updates from state media make it appear inevitable that the nation will completely defeat a virus that has killed more than 6 million people around the world. According to the official tally, cases are plummeting, and, while 18 percent of the nation of 26 million people reportedly have had symptoms that outsiders strongly suspect were from COVID-19, less than 100 have died.
The South Korean government as well as some experts believe that North Korea may soon declare that it has beaten the virus. This will be linked, of course, to Kim’s strong and clever guidance.
MONTGOMERY, Ala — Standing in the sweltering summer heat on the steps of the Alabama Capitol earlier this month, Republican Senate candidate Mo Brooks was hailed by organizers of the Jan 6, 2021, rally in Washington for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and keep former President Donald Trump in power.
“I was proud to stand with Mo Brooks on that stage that day,” said Amy Kremer, chair of Women for America First. “Mo has the truth on his side.”
Less than 10 hours later, Trump returned the favor by snubbing the congressman — for a second time — and instead endorsing rival Katie Britt in Tuesday’s Republican runoff election for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Britt’s former boss, retiring GOP Sen. Richard Shelby.
Alabama is one of a handful of states holding contests Tuesday at the midpoint of a primary season that has been shaped by Trump’s effort to influence the GOP. In Virginia, Republicans are choosing between Trump-aligned congressional candidates to take on some of the most vulnerable Democrats in the fall. And in Georgia, Democrats will settle several close races, including deciding which Democrat will challenge Brad Raffensperger, the Republican secretary of state who overcame a Trump-backed challenge last month.
In Washington, D.C., meanwhile, Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser is seeking reelection amid concerns over homelessness and rising crime.
JERUSALEM — Israel’s outgoing coalition government will fast-track a bill this week to dissolve parliament, setting up the country for its fifth elections in three years, a Cabinet minister said Tuesday.
The development comes after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Monday that he would disband his alliance of eight ideologically diverse parties, a year after taking office, and send the country to the polls. A series of defections from his Yemina party had stripped the coalition of its majority in parliament.
Bennett cited the coalition’s failure earlier this month to extend a law that grants West Bank settlers special legal status as a main impetus for new elections. His key ally, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, will become the caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed in the aftermath of elections, which are expected to be held in October.
Welfare Minister Meir Cohen, a member of Lapid’s Yesh Atid party, told Israeli public broadcaster Kan that the coalition would bring the bill to a preliminary vote on Wednesday.
“We hope that within a week we will complete the process,” Cohen said. “The intention is to finish it as soon as possible and to go to elections.”
BOGOTA, Colombia — As Colombia’s voters put aside a longtime antipathy to leftists and chose one as their new president, they
also carved out another milestone — electing the country’s first Black vice president.
When former leftist rebel Gustavo Petro takes office as president on Aug. 7, a key player in his administration will be Francia Marquez, his running mate in Sunday’s runoff election.
Marquez is an environmental activist from La Toma, a remote village surrounded by mountains where she first organized campaigns against a hydroelectric project and then challenged wildcat gold miners who were invading collectively owned Afro-Colombian lands.
The politician has faced numerous death threats for her environmental work and has emerged as a powerful spokeswoman for Black Colombians and other marginalized communities.
“She’s completely different than any another person that’s ever had a vice presidency in Colombia,” said Gimena Sanchez, the Andes director for the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights group.
LONDON — Tens of thousands of railway workers walked off the job in Britain on Tuesday, bringing the train network to a crawl in the country’s biggest transit strike for three decades.
About 40,000 cleaners, signalers, maintenance workers and station staff were holding a 24-hour strike, with two more planned for Thursday and Saturday. Compounding the pain for commuters, London Underground subway services were also hit by a walkout on Tuesday.
The dispute centers on pay, working conditions and job security as Britain’s railways struggle to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Major stations were largely deserted on Tuesday morning, with only about 20 percent of passenger trains scheduled to run.
Nurse manager Priya Govender was at London Bridge station, struggling to get back to her home south of the city.