Enlarge this image Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe leaves a news conference Monday in Tokyo, after lifting the country's nationwide state of emergency over the coronavirus. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe leaves a news conference Monday in Tokyo, after lifting the country's nationwide state of emergency over the coronavirus. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images Japan has completely lifted its nationwide state of emergency.The country's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, announced Monday that officials have loosened the coronavirus restrictions in the last five of the country's 47 prefectures: Tokyo and its surrounding regions, as well as the northern island of Hokkaido."We've set some of the most strict criteria in the world to lift the declaration," Abe told a news conference, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK, "and we concluded that prefectures across the country have met that standard."Japan implemented its state of emergency in Tokyo and nearby prefectures in mid-April and expanded the order less than two weeks later to include the entire country. Last month's announcements came amid a surge of new coronavirus cases in the country, which at one point topped 1,000 confirmed cases in a day — but those numbers have begun to taper in recent weeks, and government officials have been lifting the weeks-long state of emergency piecemeal. Now, new cases number in the dozens, at most."Recently, new infection cases have fallen below 50 for the entire nation," Abe said, "and what was once nearly 10,000 hospitalized cases — that has now fallen below 2,000."Abe attributed the positive developments to what he touted as the "Japanese model," which included the nationwide state of emergency declaration and rigorous standards for social distancing. He added that the decision to lift the remaining state of emergency orders does not change the recommendation from government health officials to avoid crowded spaces and close contact with others.The prime minister is also grappling with the controversy eddying around his pick for the Tokyo high public prosecutor's office, Hiromu Kurokawa, who, as a prosecutor, critics viewed as too close to Abe and who ultimately resigned last week after reports that Kurokawa violated coronavirus rules.On Monday, Abe said that while the weeks-long state of emergency is ending, officials expect residents to carry on largely as they have been even as businesses reopen."Our businesses and daily routines will be completely disrupted if we continue with strict curbs on social and economic activity," Abe said, according to NHK. "From now on, it's important to think about how we can conduct business and live our lives while still controlling the risk of infection."

(Reuters) - California’s utilities regulator has proposed an increased $2.14 billion fine on PG&E Corp for its role in causing the devastating 2017 and 2018 wildfires in Northern California. FILE PHOTO: PG&E works on power lines to repair damage caused by the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, U.S. November 21, 2018. REUTERS/Elijah NouvelageThe decision raises the penalty by $462 million and would be the largest ever imposed, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said. It would become final if PG&E agrees within 20 days, and will modify a multi-party settlement reached by the company with the CPUC and union representatives in December. The new settlement also requires that potential tax savings in excess of $500 million be applied to the benefit of PG&E’s customers, CPUC said. PG&E did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment but told local outlet San Francisco Chronicle that it was “disappointed” by the decision. The San-Francisco based utility filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January last year, citing potential liabilities in excess of $30 billion from major wildfires sparked by its equipment in 2017 and 2018. State fire investigators in May determined that PG&E transmission lines caused the deadliest and most destructive wildfire on record in California, the wind-driven Camp Fire that killed 85 people in and around the town of Paradise in 2018. Earlier this month, the company proposed an updated reorganization plan, aimed at addressing concerns raised by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who criticized its previous plan for lacking major changes to governance and tougher safety enforcement mechanisms mandated under a recent state wildfire statute. A U.S. bankruptcy judge in December approved PG&E’s $13.5 billion settlement with victims of Californian wildfires. The company needs to exit bankruptcy by June 30 to participate in a state-backed wildfire fund that would help reduce the threat to utilities from wildfires. Reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

PG&E Corp. PCG 1.54% on Friday detailed a planned shake-up of its board of directors as it reported a rise in quarterly earnings.The California utility said that only three of its 14 directors will remain on the board once it emerges from bankruptcy protection in coming months. The company had earlier agreed to overhaul its governance structure to secure the support of California Gov. Gavin Newsom for its plan to exit chapter 11.PG&E recorded first-quarter profits of $371 million, up from $136 million during the same period in 2019. The company filed for chapter 11 protection last year, citing billions of dollars in liability costs from a series of deadly wildfires in 2017 and 2018 that state officials said were sparked by the company’s electrical equipment. PG&E has agreed to settle claims from insurers, individual fire victims, cities and public agencies for more than $25 billion. It is now pushing to secure court and regulatory approval of its reorganization plan by June 30, as it must do to qualify for a California wildfire fund created to help the state’s investor-owned utilities handle liability costs stemming from future fires. More than 250,000 creditors are in the process of voting on the plan, including some 70,000 individuals and businesses that lost property and family members during the fires. They have until May 15 to vote. “We are close to emerging from bankruptcy. We’ve stabilized our operations, made significant structural and governance improvements across the business, and continued our work to reduce the risk of wildfire in our communities,” PG&E Chief Executive Bill Johnson said in a statement. PG&E last month announced that Mr. Johnson will step down on June 30. The company will appoint William “Bill” Smith, who joined the board of directors in October, as interim CEO. Mr. Smith retired as president of AT&T Technology Operations at AT&T Services, Inc. He spent more than 37 years with the telecommunications company and its predecessors. In addition to Mr. Smith, two other directors are set to remain on the board: Cheryl Campbell, who formerly worked at Minneapolis-based utility Xcel Energy Inc., and John Woolard, chief executive of Meridian Energy, an energy consulting and asset acquisition company. Other members, including former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member Nora Mead Brownell, will step down. The company didn’t announce their replacements. Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Japan’s deputy prime minister has said the Tokyo Olympics are “cursed”, as speculation mounts that the Games will have to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.Taro Aso, who has a history of making gaffes, told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday that the Olympics appeared to be blighted by world events every 40 years.Japan had planned to host the summer and winter Olympics in 1940, but the second world war forced the cancellation of both Games.Forty years later, many countries, including the US, China and Japan, boycotted the Moscow Olympics in protest at the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.“It’s a problem that’s happened every 40 years – it’s the cursed Olympics, and that’s a fact,” Aso said.As Japanese officials and International Olympic Committee again insisted the Games would go ahead as planned, it emerged that the Tokyo 2020 organising committee’s chief, Yoshiro Mori, had recently attended a meeting with a senior sports official who had since tested positive for the virus.Mori, a former prime minister, was at the same 10 March meeting, held to discuss last year’s Rugby World Cup, as the deputy head of the Japanese Olympic Committee, Kozo Tashima, who tested positive on Tuesday.Mori, who is 82 and has lung cancer, has not shown symptoms and does not meet the requirements for a test, an official from his office told Reuters.About 60 people attended the meeting, with Mori seated about 10 metres away from Tashima on the opposite side of the table, according to Jun Kusumoto, a spokesman for the Rugby World Cup organising committee. Health authorities have contacted other attendees who are thought to be at risk.“[Mori] goes to hospital three times a week for dialysis, so if he develops a fever or has other symptoms, a doctor will be able to test for it,” the official from Mori’s office said.The chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, told reporters that the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, had met Mori on Monday, but did not directly address a question about whether Abe would be tested.Aso, who doubles as finance minister, said holding the Games this summer would “not make sense” if other countries were unable to send their athletes.“As the prime minister said, it’s desirable to hold the Olympics in an environment where everyone feels safe and happy. But that’s not something Japan alone can decide.”Tokyo 2020 organisers said a little-known Japanese swimmer who competed in the 1996 Atlanta Games would receive the Olympic torch during a scaled-back handover ceremony in Athens later on Thursday.Naoko Imoto, who works in Greece for Unicef, had been approached by organisers after virus-related travel restrictions prevented a Japanese delegation from flying to Athens to receive the symbolic flame, which is due to arrive in Japan on Friday.“We decided yesterday that we felt it was necessary for a Japanese person to undertake this role,” the organising committee’s chief executive, Toshiro Muto, told reporters. Topics Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 Olympic Games Coronavirus outbreak Japan news

A little over a month ago, health experts were saying Japan risked becoming one of the world’s coronavirus “disaster zones”.Its government was already facing criticism over its decision to quarantine passengers and crew aboard the Diamond Princess cruise liner, and had been accused of underplaying the Covid-19 threat while it clung to the increasingly faint hope of hosting the Olympics this summer.Japan was testing too few people, critics said, opting instead to focus on clusters of cases rather than overburden its healthcare system with patients displaying no or only mild symptoms who, by law, had to be admitted to hospital. One of the world’s richest countries, they said, was bungling its response.But today, Japan can make a strong case for being another coronavirus success story, albeit one that has failed to resonate globally in the same way as those in South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan.So far, Japan – a country of 126 million people with one of the biggest elderly populations in the world – has confirmed 16,433 infections and 784 deaths, out of a global death toll of more than 300,000 people.In Tokyo, where almost 14 million people live, new cases have remained below 40 for more than a fortnight, with just five cases reported on two consecutive days this week. That compares with a peak of 206 new cases reported on 17 April. On Friday, the public broadcaster NHK reported just three new cases in the capital in the previous 24 hours.Achieving such low figures barely seemed possible in early April when, just as the number of cases began to rise sharply in Tokyo and other major cities, neighbouring South Korea – with its widely praised regime of testing, tracing and treating – was flattening the curve.On 7 April, the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, belatedly declared a state of emergency in the capital and other affected areas that was later expanded to include all 47 of the country’s prefectures.But Japan’s version of “lockdown” – requests to avoid unnecessary outings, work from home and observe social distancing – came across as a timid response to a situation that risked spiraling out of control. The dispatch of two reusable masks to every household was met with derision, as people posted photographs on social media of the small, and in some cases dirty, “Abenomasks” – a play on the leader’s economic policy dubbed “Abenomics”.Abe’s performance throughout the crisis has been uneven, according to Tobias Harris, an expert on Japanese politics at Teneo consultancy. “I think he has struggled to stay ahead of events since the beginning, has not communicated effectively, and has been poorly served by his lieutenants.”Japan has skirted a coronavirus surge with room to spare, after new cases slowed markedly when Abe, who does not have the legal powers to declare a European-style lockdown, called on people to beat the virus by avoiding the “three Cs”: confined and crowded spaces, and close human contact.The Abe administration has gained few political dividends for its response; instead, most plaudits have gone to the quiet determination shown by the public, armed with virus-challenging habits formed long before the pandemic.Masks are a common sight during the winter flu season, and in spring among people with hay fever. The custom of bowing rather than shaking hands or hugging, generally high standards of personal hygiene, and the removal of shoes when entering homes have all been held up as possible explanations for Japan’s low infection rate.Experts have pointed to universal healthcare, low obesity rates and expertise in treating pneumonia. More fanciful theories have gained traction – the consumption of foods, such as natto, that boost the immune system and, according to an unscientific experiment conducted by a TV network, the relatively low number of airborne droplets generated by spoken Japanese.“I don’t think the falling number of infections is due to government policies,” said Ryuji Koike, the assistant director of Tokyo Medical and Dental university hospital. “I think it looks like Japan is doing well thanks to things that can’t be measured, like daily habits and ‘Japanese behaviour’.”Personal habits and cultural traits, however, tell only part of the story. While Japan hesitated before imposing restrictions on overseas visitors, it was quick to recognise the dangers of mass gatherings.Museums, theatres, theme parks and other attractions have been closed for months. Japan’s professional football league suspended matches three weeks before 150,000 people attended the four-day Cheltenham horse racing festival in Britain.Rugby and baseball leagues followed suit, delaying the start of their seasons, while sumo authorities decided to hold the recent spring tournament without spectators for the first time in the sport’s history. Abe was criticised for calling for “unnecessary” school closures in early March, yet many other countries then did the same.Rob Fahey, a research associate at the Waseda Institute of Political Economy in Tokyo, believes declaring Japan’s ability to contain the outbreak a “mystery” ignores the role of individual and collective action.“Acknowledging this, however, requires looking beyond the usual set of policy actors and recognising that Japan’s response overall can still have been exemplary even if the performance of its central government left much to be desired,” Fahey wrote in the Tokyo Review this week.Japan’s incremental exit from the state of emergency continues. Last week, Abe ended the measure in 39 prefectures, adding another three this week. Tokyo and four other prefectures could join them as early as Monday, according to media reports.But experts are warning against complacency given that the low rates of testing may be distorting the extent of infections – a hazard recognised by the government’s own expert, Shigeru Omi, who admitted that nobody knows whether the true number of coronavirus cases “could be 10 times, 12 times or 20 times more than reported”.As Tokyo’s backstreet bars and restaurants started filling up again this week – with some staying open beyond the 8pm closing time requested by the city’s governor – Abe sought to balance cautious optimism with a dose of post-pandemic reality.The weeks ahead would not mark a return to the days before the outbreak, he said, but the “beginning of a challenge to create a ‘new normal’”.Agence France-Presse contributed to this report Topics Japan Coronavirus outbreak Asia Pacific features

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police fired rubber bullets and tear gas in running clashes with protesters late on Sunday amid chaotic scenes as anger over an extradition bill morphs into a fresh front against what many see as a broader erosion of freedoms by Beijing. Thousands of protesters descended on China’s representative office in the city, in a direct challenge to authorities in Beijing, just hours after the latest demonstrations to rock the Asian financial central. Millions have taken to the streets in the past two months in an unprecedented show of force against Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, triggering the worst social turmoil to rock the former British colony since it returned to Chinese rule 22 years ago. Black-clad activists, many wearing masks, defied police orders and marched beyond the official end-point of a rally that took place earlier in the day as they made their way toward the Liaison Office, in a direct challenge to authorities in Beijing. When asked whether the protesters would attempt to force entry into the building, one 30-year-old man dressed head to toe in black said “No”, as he mimicked a throat-slitting action. “That would be the death of Hong Kong,” he added. Some protesters pelted eggs at the walls of Beijing’s Liaison Office, while others spray-painted graffiti as they kept up pressure on the city’s beleaguered government to heed their calls for an independent inquiry into complaints of police brutality during recent demonstrations, among other demands. Hundreds of riot police faced off with protesters more than a kilometer from the Liaison Office, firing tear gas as police and ambulance sirens echoed through the chanting crowds. Local broadcaster RTHK and other local media reported police also fired rubber bullets. Police did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Activists had daubed graffiti on massive concrete pillars leading up to Beijing’s Liaison Office, with the words “Restore Hong Kong, Revolution of The Time”. The Hong Kong government said in a statement it strongly condemned the demonstrators’ “malicious encirclement” of the Liaison Office building, while a spokesman for the office expressed “severe condemnation” at the “radical demonstrators”. Sunday’s protest, which had proceeded peacefully along the police-mandated route, is the latest in a series of rallies that have plunged the Chinese-ruled city into political crisis. Some held up banners that said, “LIAR” and “No excuse Carrie Lame”. A poster plastered on a lamppost called for an “Investigation on police brutality”. More demonstrations are planned over the coming weekends, posing the greatest popular challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he took power in 2012. For Xi’s Communist Party in Beijing, stability is an overwhelming priority. At a train station in the New Territories district of Yuen Long, screams rang out as protesters who had attended the demonstration were attacked by men in white T-shirts, some armed with poles, as they arrived home. The turmoil comes at a delicate time for Beijing, which is grappling with a trade dispute with the United States, a faltering economy and tensions in the South China Sea. Recent images of police firing rubber bullets and tear gas near the city’s financial district as well as chaotic scenes of demonstrators storming the legislature were beamed live to the world - except in mainland China, where they were blocked from many social media sites. Earlier on Sunday, authorities used blue and white water-filled barriers to barricade government and police headquarters, while global bank HSBC, in a rare move, pulled down large metal barriers on the street level of its gleaming skyscraper building. While most of the rallies have passed off peacefully during the day, some have erupted into violence late at night when more radical protesters have clashed with police. The city’s police force has come under scrutiny after officers fired rubber bullets and tear gas last month to disperse demonstrators in some of the worst violence to roil Hong Kong in decades. The police are struggling to cope amid haphazard decision-making, worsening morale and anger among rank-and-file officers that they are taking the public heat for government unpopularity, serving and retired officers, politicians and security analysts told Reuters. Protest organizers said 430,000 attended Sunday’s rally. Police put the number at 138,000 at its peak. An anti-extradition bill demonstrator receives medical attention after riot police fire tear gas after a march to call for democratic reforms, in Hong Kong, China July 21, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuThe latest protest comes a day after tens of thousands gathered to voice support for the police, whom some have accused of using excessive force against activists, and demand an end to the violence. Sunday’s march focused on calls for the full withdrawal of the extradition bill, which would allow people to be extradited to mainland China for trial, and an independent investigation into complaints of police brutality. Other demands include charges against protesters to be dropped and universal suffrage. “I came back to Hong Kong this summer because of the protests,” said Mandy Ko, 27, who is originally from Hong Kong and now lives in Australia. “My spirit is still with Hong Kong people.” Activists formed human chains as they handed out supplies, including umbrellas, hard hats and even gas masks to protesters. A Reuters reporter received an AirDrop message that said “Be Water”, a strategy inspired by a maxim of home-grown martial arts legend Bruce Lee, that encourages protesters to be flexible and retreat strategically. Last weekend, two initially peaceful protests degenerated into running skirmishes between baton-wielding police and activists, resulting in scores of injuries and more than 40 arrests. Those fights followed larger outbreaks of violence in central Hong Kong last month, when police forced back activists with tear gas, rubber bullets and bean-bag rounds. Lam has apologized for the turmoil the extradition bill has caused and declared it “dead”. Opponents of the bill, which they fear could be used to silence dissent, say nothing short of its withdrawal will do. Under the terms of the handover from Britain in 1997, Hong Kong was allowed to retain extensive freedoms under a “one country, two systems” formula, including an independent judiciary and the right to protest. Slideshow (32 Images)But for many Hong Kong residents, the extradition bill is the latest step in a relentless march toward mainland control. The protests have at times paralyzed parts of the financial district, shut government offices and disrupted business operations across the city. Officials have also warned about the impact of the unrest on the economy. A commentary published in the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper on Sunday said: “If violence continues, it will inevitably deal a greater blow to Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.” China has condemned the violent protests as an “undisguised challenge” to the one country, two systems formula. Reporting by Greg Torode, Clare Jim, Marius Zaharia, Joel Flynn, Donny Kwok, Felix Tam, Twinnie Siu, Aleksander Solum in HONG KONG; Additional reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Dale Hudson and Louise HeavensOur Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

(Reuters) - A growing number of countries around the world are evacuating or planning to evacuate diplomatic staff and citizens from parts of China and a cruise ship in Japan hit by the new coronavirus. Following are some countries’ evacuation plans, and how they aim to manage the health risk from those who are returning. - A flight carrying 129 Canadians evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in quarantine near Tokyo landed in Ontario on Feb. 21. There were 256 Canadians on board the ship, of which 47 have tested positive. All repatriated passengers on the chartered flight had tested negative. - Canada, after evacuating 215 people earlier, flew back 185 citizens from Wuhan on Feb. 11. All evacuees are quarantined on the Trenton, Ontario, base for two weeks. - More than 150 Australians arrived home on Thursday to begin two weeks of quarantine after finally leaving the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan. - British passengers will be evacuated from the British-flagged Diamond Princess cruise ship and face another 14-day quarantine upon arrival in the UK. There were more than 70 British passengers on the cruise liner when cases of Covid-19 started to emerge. - Britain’s final evacuation flight from Wuhan, carrying more than 200 people, landed at a Royal Air Force base in central England on Feb. 9. A plane carrying 83 British and 27 European Union nationals from Wuhan landed in Britain at the end of January. - Six South Koreans and one Japanese spouse flew to South Korea on Wednesday morning on a chartered flight. - Taiwan plans this week to send a chartered flight, which could arrive as early as Friday afternoon, to evacuate its more than 20 citizens from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship, the Taiwan government said on Wednesday. It evacuated 247 of the estimated 500 Taiwanese stranded in Wuhan on Feb. 3. - Indonesia is “committed” to evacuating 74 of its nationals from the Diamond Princess cruise, a senior minister said on Thursday. Four Indonesians who were part of the crew on the cruise liner were infected with the coronavirus, according to a foreign ministry official. - Indonesia’s government flew 243 Indonesians from Hubei on Feb. 2 and placed them under quarantine at a military base on an island northwest of Borneo. - In central Ukraine residents protested the arrival of a plane carrying evacuees from Hubei on Thursday, despite official assurances there was no danger of infection. In addition to 45 Ukrainians, there were 27 citizens of Argentina on the plane, as well as citizens from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Kazakhstan, Costa Rica and other countries. - Bangladesh evacuated 312 people, mostly students, from the coronavirus epicenter of Wuhan on a special flight on Feb. 1, the foreign minister told media after they were brought back. - A plane load of New Zealanders, Australians and Pacific Islanders evacuated from Wuhan arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on Feb. 5, officials said. - Nepal on Feb. 16 evacuated 175 of its nationals from Wuhan. - The United States flew back on Feb. 17 over 300 Americans who had been stuck on a cruise ship affected by the coronavirus. They will face two more weeks of quarantine after spending the previous 14 days docked in Japan. - Hong Kong said on Feb. 15 it would send an aircraft to Japan to bring back passengers from a quarantined cruise ship, which has seen the most coronavirus infections outside of China. - The United States authorized the voluntary departure of its government employees and their family members from Hong Kong on Feb 11. On Feb. 6, two planes with about 300 passengers, mostly U.S. citizens, took off from Wuhan for the United States, the State Department said. - A second evacuation flight is bringing back another 174 Singaporeans and their family members from Wuhan to the city state on Feb. 9, Singapore’s foreign ministry said. - Thirty Filipinos returned to the Philippines on Feb. 9 from Wuhan, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. The returning passengers and a 10-member government team are quarantined for 14 days. - Uzbekistan has evacuated 251 people from China and quarantined them on arrival in Tashkent, the Central Asian nation’s state airline said on Feb. 6. - The 34 Brazilians evacuated from Wuhan landed in Brazil on Feb. 9, facing 18 days of quarantine. Passengers wait for transportation after leaving the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama Port, south of Tokyo, Japan, February 20, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon- Italy flew back 56 nationals from Wuhan to Rome on Feb. 3. The government said the group would spend two weeks in quarantine in a military hospital. - Saudi Arabia has evacuated 10 students from Wuhan, Saudi state television reported on Feb. 2. - South Korea evacuated 147 people on a third chartered flight from Wuhan that arrived on Feb. 12. The country flew 368 people on a charter flight that arrived on Jan. 31. Compiled by Aditya Soni, Milla Nissi, Sarah Morland and Uttaresh.V; Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

There are so many people running for president in the US, it is hard to keep track of who’s who. So let’s begin with a reminder that 37-year-old Pete Buttigieg, known as Mayor Pete by those who like him and Mayo Pete by those who don’t, is the “Smart Candidate”. He speaks eight languages; he taught himself Norwegian so he could read an author’s untranslated work; he plays piano; he loves Ulysses. “Imagining yourself in a book club with Pete Buttigieg [is] this election’s having a beer with George W Bush,” the New York Times recently opined.It is not clear whether Gwyneth Paltrow has been imagining herself in a book club with Buttigieg, but the actor certainly fancies the well-read wunderkind for president. She will be co-hosting a fundraiser for the candidate on 9 May; tickets start at $250; $2,800 gets you a picture with the man himself. Knowing Paltrow, you might even get a Buttigieg-branded vagina egg to go home with.Paltrow’s fundraiser is not necessarily a boon for Buttigieg’s brand. There has been dismay that the South Bend mayor is cosying up to the Goop founder, who has become something of a postergirl for pseudoscience. Timothy Caulfield, the author of Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?, is one critic. It may seem petty to complain about a fundraiser, he tells me, but “we are at a point in history when advocating for truth and rationality is a central issue”. But should we really expect more from Buttigieg? While he has been framed as a brainiac, Buttigieg’s airy, feelgood politics actually align perfectly with Paltrow’s aspirational pseudoscience. “It’s important that we not drown people in minutiae before we’ve vindicated the values that animate our policies,” Buttigieg recently said when asked why his website is light on policy. It was the Goopiest of answers. Topics Pete Buttigieg Opinion US elections 2020 Democrats comment

U.S. officials said early Monday that 14 American passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan had tested positive for the new coronavirus, but were allowed on flights to military bases in California and Texas.The State Department chartered the flights to transport more than 300 U.S. citizens from the ship, which had been docked off Yokohama since Feb. 3. The passengers landed Monday at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, although some will continue on to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. All will face a 14-day quarantine on the bases. The 14 infected passengers had been tested two to three days before the evacuation but officials received notice of the positive results after they had left the ship for the airport, the U.S. Departments of State and Health and Human Services said in a joint statement.The passengers did not display symptoms, the statement added. They were isolated in a specialized containment area on the aircraft. All passengers were to be closely monitored by medical personnel during the flights and moved to the containment area if they showed symptoms, officials said. Advertisement Those who stay at Travis Air Force Base will be housed separately from the 234 people already quarantined there after arriving on previous evacuation flights that landed Feb. 5 and Feb. 7, officials said. Amid coronavirus threat, study abroad programs in China canceled Amid coronavirus threat, study abroad programs in China canceled Students, faculty and program staff across the U.S. have scrambled to find study alternatives at the last minute amid the coronavirus outbreak. More Coverage Coronavirus fears rise after Cambodia welcomes stranded cruise ship The Diamond Princess set sail Jan. 20 and was placed under quarantine by Japanese officials on Feb. 5 after a passenger who departed the cruise ship in Hong Kong tested positive for the coronavirus.“We understand this is frustrating and an adjustment, but these measures are consistent with the careful policies we have instituted to limit the potential spread of the disease,” the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said in a letter sent to cruise ship passengers Saturday. Advertisement So far, no positive coronavirus results have been reported among those quarantined earlier at Travis; one case has been reported among those quarantined at Lackland. The virus has killed more than 1,800 people and infected more than 73,000 since it was discovered in Wuhan, China, in late December.Travis is one of three military bases in California that the Defense Department has designated as a site to house returning coronavirus evacuees. The others are Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego County, where 232 people are currently quarantined, and March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County. About 195 people were permitted to leave from there on Tuesday after completing a 14-day quarantine. From toys to Teslas, China’s coronavirus disrupts flow of global business From toys to Teslas, China’s coronavirus disrupts flow of global business The deadly coronavirus outbreak is hurting scores of companies in California and nationwide that depend on Chinese production and consumer spending. The move to transport the American cruise ship passengers came as the number of coronavirus cases aboard the Diamond Princess continued to grow over the weekend, with 67 new diagnoses on Saturday, and the U.S. government issued a recommendation that all American passengers and crew members leave. Advertisement “We are deeply grateful to the cruise line and government of Japan for working diligently to contain and control the spread of the illness,” the letter from the U.S. Embassy said. “However, to fulfill our government’s responsibilities to U.S. citizens under our rules and practices, as well as to reduce the burden on the Japanese healthcare system, the U.S. government recommends, out of an abundance of caution, that U.S. citizens disembark and return to the United States for further monitoring.”The 3,700 passengers and crew members aboard the Diamond Princess include two Santa Clarita residents, Carl Goldman and his wife, Jeri Seratti Goldman. The couple own the radio station KHTS and have been documenting their experiences in a diary on the station’s website.Many of the posts have been lighthearted, but on Saturday, Carl Goldman wrote that one of their traveling companions had been diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus.“It’s a sad day aboard the Diamond Princess,” he wrote. “No joking today.” Advertisement No singing or handshakes: Coronavirus leaves empty seats, rising fears in Asian places of worship No singing or handshakes: Coronavirus leaves empty seats, rising fears in Asian places of worship Because of the new coronavirus, Buddhist temples, Christian churches and Muslim mosques have been ordered closed since Jan. 29 in mainland China. The woman, Jerri Jorgenson, and her husband, Mark, were confined to the cabin adjoining the Goldmans’, and the two couples had unlocked a partition separating their balconies so they could move freely back and forth between the units during the quarantine, Carl Goldman wrote.“Last night, after watching a movie, all four of us took our temperatures. Jerri had a fever,” he wrote. “In the morning, she still had a fever. As Mark and Jerri were getting ready to call the ship’s hospital, Japanese health officials knocked on their door. They were dressed in hazmat suits.”He said that they handed Mark Jorgenson a letter saying that his wife had tested positive for the virus and said she had one hour to pack a small bag. She was taken by ambulance to a hospital about four hours away in Fukushima, where her husband was not permitted to join her, Goldman wrote. Advertisement Goldman, his wife and Mark Jorgenson were planning to fly back to the U.S. on one of the evacuation flights and undergo a second quarantine at one of the military bases, Goldman wrote. “We are unclear what tomorrow will bring,” he wrote. “We are shaken and devastated that we have been removed from our friend.”Health officials say that the COVID-19 virus continues to pose a low risk to the general American public. Just 15 cases had been diagnosed in the U.S.: eight in California, two in Illinois, and one each in Arizona, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. All of the patients had either recently traveled to mainland China or, in two cases, had close contact with someone who did. At least three of the cases were among people who had recently arrived on an evacuation flight from Wuhan.

Japanese authorities are rushing to house thousands of homeless people following the closure of internet cafes in several major cities.The cafes have become a common destination for those without secure housing.They're often open around the clock and many feature private booths, showers and entertainment, including games. But the businesses have been ordered to close their doors to help contain the spread of coronavirus.While Japan officially has a low homeless rate compared with many other developed nations, more than 4,000 "internet cafe refugees" reside in the capital, Tokyo. Japan country profileCity officials say they have begun providing them with hotel rooms and other forms of temporary accommodation. In neighbouring Saitama, authorities have also repurposed a sports hall for 200 people. A SIMPLE GUIDE: How do I protect myself? AVOIDING CONTACT: The rules on self-isolation and exercise HOPE AND LOSS: Your coronavirus stories VIDEO: The 20-second hand wash STRESS: How to look after your mental health Tokyo's government says welfare offices can send homeless residents to designated temporary accommodation, according to the Nikkei Asian Review.But Kazuhiro Gokan, a consultant with a local homeless support group, told the newspaper that many people had been turned away because of "a misunderstanding among administrators".Japan has a relatively small number of infections compared with other countries - 6,748 confirmed cases and 108 virus-related deaths as of Sunday. But there are concerns a recent surge in cases in Tokyo could lead to a major outbreak. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared a month-long state of emergency, covering Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures. The governors of these prefectures now have the power to close schools and businesses, but no legal authority to order citizens to stay at home.

BERKELEY, Calif. -- California regulators on Thursday suspended a $200 million fine that Pacific Gas & Electric was supposed to pay as punishment for the utility's neglect of electrical equipment that ignited a series of deadly wildfires in Northern California. The waiver approved in a unanimous vote by California's Public Utilities Commission will deprive the state coffers of money that could offset revenue expected to be lost as the coronavirus pandemic depletes funds coming from sales and income taxes. PG&E had resisted the fine on the grounds that it would threaten its ability to raise the tens of billions of dollars it will need to finance its complex plan to emerge from bankruptcy by a June 30 deadline. Regulators backed down, despite a warning from its public advocates office that letting PG&E get away without paying the $200 million would set a troubling precedent that could lead to more problems in the future. “Rather than motivating PG&E to improve its abysmal safety record, a permanently suspended fine would encourage PG&E to devise future stratagems to avoid penalties," the public advocate said. The move reverses a decision issued in February by an administrative law judge who determined the $200 million fine was justified in light of the devastation caused by PG&E's misconduct. The Public Utilities Commission blamed PG&E's fraying electrical grid for causing 15 wildfires that killed more than 100 people and destroyed more than 25,000 homes and other building in 2017 and 2018. The staggering losses of life and property drove PG&E into bankruptcy early last year. The San Francisco company is now scrambling to get out of bankruptcy before July so it can qualify for coverage from a wildfire insurance fund that California created last year. Although PG&E will no longer have to pay any money into California's general fund, it's still being punished by regulators in the form of nearly $1.9 billion that it won't be able to collect through higher electricity rates and other fees passed on to the roughly 16 million people who rely on the nation's largest utility for power. Regulators also are placing restrictions that will force some of the $425 million in tax savings that the utility may realize from the $1.9 billion penalty to be passed along to its customers instead of funneled to its shareholders. Clifford Rechtschaffen, the PUC commissioner who recommended suspending the $200 million fine, acknowledged that waiving the penalty was “deeply dissatisfying." But he said it was justified because of the extraordinary circumstances caused by the COVID-19 outbreak rattling the stock market. The turbulence could make it more difficult for PG&E to raise money it needs to pay $25.5 billion in settlements reached in its bankruptcy case, including a $13.5 billion fund being set up for wildfire victims. Rechtschaffen concluded that imposing the $200 million fine would either risk siphoning money away from the victims or prevent PG&E from getting out of bankruptcy. Before voting in favor of suspending the $200 million, Rechtschaffen lashed out at PG&E for contending the penalty was unjustified at the same time it was negotiating an agreement to plead guilty to 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter for a 2018 wildfire that nearly destroyed the town of Paradise. PG&E is paying a $4 million fine in Butte County for those crimes. Citing PG&E's admission of guilt for the Butte County fire, Rechtschaffen called PG&E's appeal of the $200 million fine “deeply disappointing" and “disingenuous." PG&E had no comment about Rechtschaffen's rebuke but said it remains “deeply sorry" for causing the wildfires. “We share the same objectives as the commission and other state leaders — namely in reducing the risk of wildfire in our communities, even in a rapidly changing environment," the company said. While its successfully avoided paying the $200 million to California, PG&E has continued to run up huge legal bills and other bankruptcy costs that are expected to exceed $1.6 billion by the time the case is over. To get out of bankruptcy, PG&E needs the approval of a federal judge and state regulators. Before voting to suspend the fine, the Public Utilities Commission heard more than a hour of public comments mostly objecting to perceived shortcomings in PG&E's bankruptcy plan. The critics contend PG&E isn't doing enough to protect its customers from being exposed to life-threatening hazards and being inconvenienced by deliberate blackouts that are expected to be deployed for the next several years as a way to reduce wildfire risks during hot and windy conditions. The Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to vote on an administrative law judge's recommendation to approve PG&E's bankruptcy plan on May 21.

Smart city boosters aspire to collect all kinds of data about how people navigate the streets—a prospect that could violate citizens’ privacy even if it might help planners build more efficient cities. That’s why Replica, a spin-off from the controversial Alphabet urban tech firm Sidewalk Labs, uses fake data to create a virtual world that mimics the way real people move through a metropolis. As fabricated as this “synthetic” data is, the company wants governments to use it to inform real-world policy decisions about where new bike lanes are built, what times roads are repaired, and how bus services reach people of color.Replica has been piloted in Kansas City and sold for use to the state of Illinois. Now, despite its goal to guide policy in Portland, the company has not been fully transparent with municipal staff there about the real-world sources of its synthetic data or how its system works, even in a confidential “data disclosure” that Fast Company reviewed.Replica has shown reluctance for over a year to give Portland Metro, the metropolitan district overseeing use of its system, sufficient information about its privacy protections. It has not provided Portland Metro with a full report showing the privacy audit the company points to as proof that its system is secure from reidentification of actual people.“[Sidewalk Labs] isn’t willing to share the full privacy audit,” wrote Eliot Rose, Portland Metro’s technology strategist, in an email to agency staff in February 2019 that Fast Company reviewed. At the time, Sidewalk Labs was still Replica’s parent company. Now, after months of requesting up-to-date and comprehensive information detailing the system’s data sources and methodology, Rose and his team have received only an excerpt. When asked about Portland’s demands for more comprehensive methodology and data source documentation, Replica CEO Nick Bowden tells Fast Company it is “inaccurate” to state that Portland has not yet received it. Bowden did not respond to a request to elaborate.To assess the system’s privacy safeguards, Portland Metro expects to test its vulnerabilities by attempting to expose identities using an unusually detailed Replica data set, a proposition experts say has its own privacy risks.Cities see value in algorithmic technologies that can inform planners of where to place a bus stop or make automatic decisions about which construction sites should be inspected. To help cities make these kinds of decisions, Replica uses machine learning to generate a synthetic populous using a blend of data sources the firm says contain no traceable links to actual people. Compared to more traditional data privacy techniques that strip data of personal identifiers, “synthetic data is a great next step in terms of protecting privacy,” says Nathan Reitinger, a security and privacy attorney and PhD at the University at Maryland who has studied synthetic data.Synthetic data is a great next step in terms of protecting privacy.”However, as Replica and others aim to sell systems that impact government policy, some argue they should be more transparent about the nuts and bolts of technologies that inform or even replace human decisions.Fears of black box tech sparked scrutiny in Toronto in 2018 when Replica was introduced as part of Sidewalk Labs’ much grander scheme intended to turn a waterfront neighborhood there into a high-tech urban utopia. Critics said Replica could result in “mass surveillance” and privacy invasions. Just six months after touting Replica in Toronto, its creators walked back plans to use the software there. Instead, representatives said they would focus on building the technology for use by U.S. cities, which it has continued to do as an independent company outside of the Alphabet umbrella.Local governments’ struggle to understand what’s under the hood of algorithmic technology mirrors the experiences of everyday consumers who have little insight into how social media platforms, mobile devices, and smart home products gather, share, and sell data. When it comes to designing more efficient, equitable cities, synthetic data holds great promise—but understanding its provenance has become the next frontier in the urban privacy debate.Demanding the data sourcesDespite data privacy and policy hurdles, Portland representatives are excited by Replica’s potential to create more accessible transit and services. But before it trusts the system with that mission, Portland Metro wants more information.“There are a lot of larger conversations happening in our region around bias in data and how data underrepresents communities of color and other underserved groups, and we need to be able to address those concerns with respect to Replica if we’re using it publicly. That’s part of the reason why we’re so focused on getting thorough and up-to-date documentation,” Rose tells Fast Company in an email.Privacy experts agree. “Portland is right to dig in their heels and mandate the full audit report and technical documentation,” says Pam Dixon, executive director of World Privacy Forum who has consulted for Portland’s city government on data privacy.We need to be able to address those concerns with respect to Replica if we’re using it publicly.”Eliot Rose, Portland MetroPortland’s use of Replica is months behind schedule as the city awaits the requested information. An early project schedule shows the city expected to have Replica’s system tested, validated, and ready to put to work over eight months ago in June 2019.Portland Metro currently has only limited information about Replica’s data sources. Fast Company reviewed a four-page “data disclosure” document that Replica provided to Portland Metro labeled as “confidential and proprietary” that lists telecommunications companies and third-party app data aggregators among Replica’s synthetic population ingredients. That makes location data taken from people’s cellphones a foundational component of Replica’s synthetic data. But the document doesn’t name any specific data sources.In the past, Replica has told clients that it uses data from Google, the mobility analytics firm Streetlight, and Safegraph, a provider of store visitor demographics, according to an email sent in 2018 from Bowden to Rose. Those sources, Bowden tells Fast Company, are no longer used. He did not provide names of other data sources currently used.This is the first time these previous Replica data providers have been reported. The documents and emails mentioned in this article were obtained through a November 2019 Freedom of Information Act request.Streetlight is a Replica competitor that also uses mobile location data, but does not build synthetic populations like Replica does. CEO Laura Schewel confirmed the company did provide Replica with the same sort of anonymized, aggregated data it provides to its other clients, but has not worked with the company for at least a year. “I feel very strongly that to fulfill the potential of big data . . . you do have to be transparent about your sources,” Schewel says. She says Streetlight uses data from Safegraph, location data provider Cuebiq, and Inrix, which provides truck fleet data. Streetlight cites methodology information and names some data sources on its website.I feel very strongly that to fulfill the potential of big data . . . you do have to be transparent about your sources.”Laura Schewel, StreetlightHowever, even Streetlight’s provider names offer little insight into where the data originally came from. The mobile location data sector is comprised of layers upon layers of data sellers, most subject to nondisclosure agreements shielding them from naming the origins of the data they compile.Safegraph did not respond to a request to comment for this story.Replica‘s data disclosure says it ensures its suppliers have obtained opt-in consent for location data collection. But that may not mean much: When you click to allow location tracking when you’ve first downloaded an app, the data world considers that to be opt-in consent for disseminating that information through the location data ecosystem. There’s no telling where it might end up.Confusion over Google dataReplica was born as the Model Lab product inside Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs. At its public introduction in April 2018, Replica’s family ties to Google through Alphabet led some to assume that the Replica system derived its mobile location data through Google’s pervasive Android mobile operating system. Some worried the software product would link Google mobile data showing individuals’ movements and activities to the futuristic city infrastructure Sidewalk Labs still plans for Toronto.Cities around the world are increasingly grappling with complicated technical de-identification and data governance issues.”John Verdi, Future of Privacy ForumReplica was established as a separate business in March 2019 and has generated funding from venture firms including Innovation Endeavors, where longtime Google CEO Eric Schmidt is a founding partner.Despite Replica’s status as an independent company that is not owned by Alphabet, it is still dogged by concerns about possible use of Google or Alphabet data, if its confidential data disclosure is any indication. While it does not name data sources, the document makes a point of stating, “Replica does not source raw location data directly from Google or any other Alphabet companies.”However, some of Replica’s statements regarding Google and Alphabet data are contradictory. Bowden told Rose via email in September 2018, “We actually use a combination of Streetlight, Safegraph, cell companies, consumer marketing data, Google data, and census data.”Documents also show city clients were indeed under the impression Replica used Google location data. As reported by The Intercept, a March 2018 Illinois procurement document lists Google location data as one of Replica‘s data sources. A Portland Metro intergovernmental agreement dated that September also includes “location data from Android phones and Google apps” as Replica sources.But the company said otherwise just a few months later when asked in December 2018 by Oregon Public Broadcasting, which reported, “A spokesman for Sidewalk Labs says Google is not a data source for Replica.”Bowden tells Fast Company neither Streetlight, Safegraph, nor Google supply data to Replica today. “We no longer use any Google services in creating Replicas,” he says, using the firm’s terminology for the synthetic individuals it builds.While Replica’s data disclosure is vague, it does reveal a new clue. The document lists payment-processing companies among data sources. Purchase transaction data showing where, when, and what people buy has been available for years, and could help Replica produce far more robust synthetic profiles for its database. For instance, purchase data could help Replica estimate how much avatars in the system spent on ride sharing or cabs last month, or if they just bought an SUV.Putting the data to workAlong with cellphone location data derived from unknown sources, Replica uses lots of data from its municipal clients to calibrate and validate its city-specific models. Portland has supplied ride-share and e-scooter trip data, household data from Oregon Household Activity and American Community Surveys, and data from Portland’s public transit agency Tri-Met that includes non-identifiable information such as passenger income, race, and ethnicity by route.“If we increase bus service to East Portland, we can use Replica to assess whether people of color and low-income communities are taking advantage of that service,” Rose wrote to other government staff in a 2019 email labeled “talking points and guidance.”Cities can also use Replica to gauge the impact of Uber and Lyft on traffic congestion or determine the best times to do road or sidewalk repairs. But Replica wants the system to be about much more; it wants to inform government policy decisions.“Finally, and most important in my opinion, is we calibrate Replica to world conditions to ensure it can be used in policy making vs. just a source of additional data,” stated Bowden in an email sent to Rose.As cities demand better transparency of data sources and privacy methods related to systems used to inform government decisions, they’re figuring out their own policies for tech use, data security, privacy, and community engagement around new tech.“Cities around the world are increasingly grappling with complicated technical de-identification and data governance issues at a time when privacy risks are mounting,” says John Verdi at the Future of Privacy Forum, which consults with Portland and other cities. “It is essential that clear guidelines are set out for public review and debate.”Portland’s risky privacy testBalancing Replica’s city planning promise with its privacy concerns has led to some surprising data negotiations in Portland. During contract discussions back in March 2019, Replica‘s Bowden told Portland Metro’s Rose he wanted to ensure Replica cannot be “used as a mechanism for attempting to specifically target a single individual.”But Portland Metro wanted an exception that would allow the city to stress-test the system. “I thought that we had agreed to make an exception that allows Metro to attempt to ID people within the data during the validation phase so that we can verify that the data adequately protects people’s privacy,” stated Rose in the exchange.Bowden wrote, “We can’t conceive of a scenario, with any combination of outside data, whereby this is possible.”A summary of Replica’s third-party privacy audit featured in the data disclosure says Replica data has been manipulated to prevent reidentification. This includes altering data showing the types of activities people travel to and adding random noise to location and time data.Ultimately, Portland Metro’s contract with Replica allows the exception. It stipulates that city officials cannot reverse engineer the system to identify people or personalize the data “except for the purposes of ensuring that Services and Content adequately safeguard residents’ privacy during validation testing.”To perform its privacy test, Portland Metro expects to receive “disaggregate” Replica data featuring more detail than what’s in the aggregated data most users would access. It will show individual trips made by the synthetic population including home locations and trip origins, destinations, and times. Fewer than five people will be able to access the refined data. Bowden confirmed Replica provides this trip activity data to clients.With this information, Portland Metro aims to ensure the data cannot be reidentified, and that Replica is not simply training its model to match the city’s pre-existing data.“It’s a good thing the city is investigating and attempting to do their due diligence on [Replica],” says University at Maryland’s Reitinger. But without details from the company about how the system is built, he says it would be difficult for the city to gauge which types of potential risks the system poses.At this point, Portland Metro is still waiting for full data source and methodology information from Replica before it decides how it will test its privacy safeguards. However, even after the city has concluded its accuracy and privacy testing, the agency hopes its small group will have continued access to that disaggregate database. The group wants to use it in city planning projects that require varying forms of data only available from the disaggregate data set.Despite synthetic data’s inherent privacy-by-design setup, “it is still possible for cities to unravel that by poor uses of that data,” World Privacy Forum’s Dixon says. If the city performs its internal privacy test by adding real-world information, otherwise de-identified and synthetic replicas could be linked to actual people. That could risk misuse that could expose an individual, she says.Without government policies for emerging technologies and data use, cities and their residents are at a disadvantage, Dixon says. “If there’s a villain here, it’s the transitional time we live in.”

SONOMA, Calif.—The wineries that dot the hills of California Wine Country were built for visitors to stroll through a vineyard and then linger in a tasting room, where they can swirl a Cabernet and discuss its taste and aroma with the winemaker.Now, due to the coronavirus, that same experience has been forced online.“You have to do whatever...

Weeks after urging them to forgo cherry blossom parties, the governor of Tokyo has told residents to ditch another national pastime – karaoke – as calls grow for Japan to take tougher measures to stem a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.Yuriko Koike said Tokyo’s 14 million people should avoid visits to bars and restaurants, and put karaoke sessions on hold until 12 April, while a senior medical official called on the government to declare a state of emergency before it is “too late”.Japan has so far avoided the kind of outbreaks that have ravaged the US, Italy, Spain and Iran, but a rise in cases in Tokyo, including some with no known source of infection, along with the virus-related death this week of Ken Shimura, one of the country’s best-known comedians, have sparked calls for more government action.“If we wait until an explosive increase in infections before declaring an emergency, it will be too late,” said Satoshi Kamayachi, an executive board member of the Japan Medical Association.Koike, who earlier this month likened preventing Japanese citizens from enjoying hanami get-togethers beneath the cherry blossoms to “taking hugs away from Italians”, told reporters: “The number of infections continues to increase from last week and we are at a crucial moment that will determine whether we can minimise the number of further infections.”Citing reports of infections at restaurants, bars and nightclubs, Koike said the government was “asking that residents refrain from going out in the evenings, and to refrain from all unnecessary outings at the weekend” until 12 April.The government’s top spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, dismissed speculation that the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was about to declare a state of emergency – a measure that would enable the governors of affected prefectures to ask, but not force, residents to stay at home except to shop for food and to receive medical care.“It’s not true that the government is planning on declaring a state of emergency from April 1,” Suga said. Abe did not discuss the measure in a phone call late on Monday with Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organisation, according to the foreign ministry.Japan’s economy minister, Yasutoshi Nishimura, warned that a lockdown of major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka would have a “huge” impact on the world’s third-biggest economy. Nishimura said he did not believe Japan had reached the point where a state of emergency was necessary.But the governor of Osaka, which has the second-highest number of cases nationwide, joined calls for a state of emergency declaration. “The central government has said Japan is barely holding up, so the declaration needs to be made,” said Hirofumi Yoshimura. “If we leave it too late the virus will be uncontrollable.”As of Tuesday the coronavirus outbreak had infected 2,007 people in Japan with 59 deaths, according to the public broadcaster NHK. Those figures exclude 712 cases and 11 deaths from the Diamond Princess cruise liner which was quarantined in Yokohama in February.Tokyo reported 13 new cases on Monday – compared with a record 68 the previous day – and a total of 443 infections, by far the most among Japan’s 47 prefectures.Japan has tightened travel restrictions amid a rise in imported cases among travellers returning from overseas. On Tuesday the foreign ministry issued a “level 3” advisory warning people to avoid travelling to 48 countries including the US, China, Britain, South Korea and Canada. The advisory applies to 73 countries and regions – roughly a third of the world. Topics Japan Coronavirus outbreak Asia Pacific Infectious diseases news

The coronavirus outbreak that began in Wuhan has shown how far and fast a disease can travel in our globalised age. It has also shown us how quickly fear, misinformation and blame can spread, only hindering the fight against the pneumonia-causing virus.The alarm is understandable. More than 6,000 cases have been confirmed, and more than 130 people have died: a public health expert at Imperial College has suggested that 100,000 may be infected already. World Health Organization officials think it is impossible to predict when the outbreak will peak. Though only a few score people outside China have been confirmed as infected, they are scattered from the US and Australia to Thailand and the UAE. In Japan and Germany, patients who have never been to China have been taken ill.At present, key questions remain unanswered. We do not know how the new coronavirus first emerged, how easily it spreads, or its fatality rate. Mild cases and shortages of diagnostic kits means that the tally of cases and deaths may be inaccurate. Until we have better answers, it is hard to judge how much of a threat this poses compared to, say, existing flu strains.Some gaps in our knowledge are inevitable when a new disease emerges. Others are likely to reflect China’s handling of the crisis, in spite of the WHO’s praise for Beijing and the dedication of scientists and medical staff. Its response has been a vast improvement on 2003, when the Sars outbreak was covered up for months. But there is little doubt the Wuhan authorities, at least, badly mishandled matters – encouraging tourism and holding a banquet for 40,000 people days after confirmation of the new coronavirus. Strikingly, the mayor of Wuhan has said he could not disclose information on the virus until authorised to do so by more senior officials. Lack of knowledge facilitated its spread. The outbreak has also exposed the limits of a health system struggling to cope under normal circumstances, and the weaknesses of a party-state which justifies its existence not through an electoral mandate, but its ability to answer basic needs. Two hospitals in Wuhan are being built from scratch, within days. Yet hospitals have had to issue appeals for masks and protective gowns.Complacency, incompetence and cover-ups are hardly unknown in democracies. But an authoritarian political culture which punishes rather than rewards transparency prevents accountability and struggles to change course. It also, perversely, encourages rumours internally and externally. Conspiracy theories are spreading, along with discrimination towards people from Wuhan within China, and Chinese people abroad, the latter reflecting old racist tropes about disease and hygiene. Such prejudices do nothing to protect health. Justified scrutiny of the official response is necessary. It must not be conflated with hostility towards people who need and deserve help and sympathy. Topics Coronavirus outbreak Opinion Infectious diseases China Asia Pacific Mongolia editorials

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police fired rubber bullets and tear gas in running clashes with protesters late on Sunday amid chaotic scenes as anger over an extradition bill morphs into a fresh front against what many see as a broader erosion of freedoms by Beijing. Thousands of protesters descended on China’s representative office in the city, in a direct challenge to authorities in Beijing, just hours after the latest demonstrations to rock the Asian financial central. Millions have taken to the streets in the past two months in an unprecedented show of force against Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, triggering the worst social turmoil to rock the former British colony since it returned to Chinese rule 22 years ago. Black-clad activists, many wearing masks, defied police orders and marched beyond the official end-point of a rally that took place earlier in the day as they made their way toward the Liaison Office, in a direct challenge to authorities in Beijing. When asked whether the protesters would attempt to force entry into the building, one 30-year-old man dressed head to toe in black said “No”, as he mimicked a throat-slitting action. “That would be the death of Hong Kong,” he added. Some protesters pelted eggs at the walls of Beijing’s Liaison Office, while others spray-painted graffiti as they kept up pressure on the city’s beleaguered government to heed their calls for an independent inquiry into complaints of police brutality during recent demonstrations, among other demands. Hundreds of riot police faced off with protesters more than a kilometer from the Liaison Office, firing tear gas as police and ambulance sirens echoed through the chanting crowds. Local broadcaster RTHK and other local media reported police also fired rubber bullets. Police did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Activists had daubed graffiti on massive concrete pillars leading up to Beijing’s Liaison Office, with the words “Restore Hong Kong, Revolution of The Time”. The Hong Kong government said in a statement it strongly condemned the demonstrators’ “malicious encirclement” of the Liaison Office building, while a spokesman for the office expressed “severe condemnation” at the “radical demonstrators”. Sunday’s protest, which had proceeded peacefully along the police-mandated route, is the latest in a series of rallies that have plunged the Chinese-ruled city into political crisis. Some held up banners that said, “LIAR” and “No excuse Carrie Lame”. A poster plastered on a lamppost called for an “Investigation on police brutality”. More demonstrations are planned over the coming weekends, posing the greatest popular challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he took power in 2012. For Xi’s Communist Party in Beijing, stability is an overwhelming priority. At a train station in the New Territories district of Yuen Long, screams rang out as protesters who had attended the demonstration were attacked by men in white T-shirts, some armed with poles, as they arrived home. The turmoil comes at a delicate time for Beijing, which is grappling with a trade dispute with the United States, a faltering economy and tensions in the South China Sea. Recent images of police firing rubber bullets and tear gas near the city’s financial district as well as chaotic scenes of demonstrators storming the legislature were beamed live to the world - except in mainland China, where they were blocked from many social media sites. Earlier on Sunday, authorities used blue and white water-filled barriers to barricade government and police headquarters, while global bank HSBC, in a rare move, pulled down large metal barriers on the street level of its gleaming skyscraper building. While most of the rallies have passed off peacefully during the day, some have erupted into violence late at night when more radical protesters have clashed with police. The city’s police force has come under scrutiny after officers fired rubber bullets and tear gas last month to disperse demonstrators in some of the worst violence to roil Hong Kong in decades. The police are struggling to cope amid haphazard decision-making, worsening morale and anger among rank-and-file officers that they are taking the public heat for government unpopularity, serving and retired officers, politicians and security analysts told Reuters. Protest organizers said 430,000 attended Sunday’s rally. Police put the number at 138,000 at its peak. An anti-extradition bill demonstrator receives medical attention after riot police fire tear gas after a march to call for democratic reforms, in Hong Kong, China July 21, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuThe latest protest comes a day after tens of thousands gathered to voice support for the police, whom some have accused of using excessive force against activists, and demand an end to the violence. Sunday’s march focused on calls for the full withdrawal of the extradition bill, which would allow people to be extradited to mainland China for trial, and an independent investigation into complaints of police brutality. Other demands include charges against protesters to be dropped and universal suffrage. “I came back to Hong Kong this summer because of the protests,” said Mandy Ko, 27, who is originally from Hong Kong and now lives in Australia. “My spirit is still with Hong Kong people.” Activists formed human chains as they handed out supplies, including umbrellas, hard hats and even gas masks to protesters. A Reuters reporter received an AirDrop message that said “Be Water”, a strategy inspired by a maxim of home-grown martial arts legend Bruce Lee, that encourages protesters to be flexible and retreat strategically. Last weekend, two initially peaceful protests degenerated into running skirmishes between baton-wielding police and activists, resulting in scores of injuries and more than 40 arrests. Those fights followed larger outbreaks of violence in central Hong Kong last month, when police forced back activists with tear gas, rubber bullets and bean-bag rounds. Lam has apologized for the turmoil the extradition bill has caused and declared it “dead”. Opponents of the bill, which they fear could be used to silence dissent, say nothing short of its withdrawal will do. Under the terms of the handover from Britain in 1997, Hong Kong was allowed to retain extensive freedoms under a “one country, two systems” formula, including an independent judiciary and the right to protest. Slideshow (32 Images)But for many Hong Kong residents, the extradition bill is the latest step in a relentless march toward mainland control. The protests have at times paralyzed parts of the financial district, shut government offices and disrupted business operations across the city. Officials have also warned about the impact of the unrest on the economy. A commentary published in the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper on Sunday said: “If violence continues, it will inevitably deal a greater blow to Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.” China has condemned the violent protests as an “undisguised challenge” to the one country, two systems formula. Reporting by Greg Torode, Clare Jim, Marius Zaharia, Joel Flynn, Donny Kwok, Felix Tam, Twinnie Siu, Aleksander Solum in HONG KONG; Additional reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Dale Hudson and Louise HeavensOur Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SAN FRANCISCO -- California power regulators on Thursday slapped Pacific Gas & Electric with a $2.1 billion fine for igniting a series of deadly wildfires that landed the beleaguered utility in bankruptcy. The record penalty imposed in an administrative law judge's decision boosts a previously agreed upon $1.7 billion settlement announced in December. Several consumer groups had protested the settlement as too lenient in light of PG&E's destruction, and the California Public Utilities Commission agreed after further review. PG&E officials said they were disappointed by the increased fine after “working diligently over many months with multiple parties" to reach the previous deal. “We recognize our fundamental obligation is to operate our system safely and we share the same objectives as the Commission and other state leaders — namely in reducing the risk of future wildfires in our communities," PG&E spokesman James Noonan said in a statement. The harsher punishment includes a $200 million payment to California's general fund. The San Francisco company has already set up a $13.5 billion fund to help those who lost family members, homes and businesses in catastrophic wildfires caused by PG&E's outdated electrical grid and negligence during 2017 and 2018. The fires killed nearly 130 people and destroyed almost 28,000 homes and other buildings. More than 81,000 claims have been filed in the bankruptcy case. The decision will also prevent PG&E from attempting to recover $1.82 billion from its customers, forcing its shareholders to bear the cost instead. The settlement previously had prevented PG&E from recovering $1.63 billion. As part of the previous settlement, PG&E had projected it would realize $469 million in tax savings. Thursday's ruling could require the San Francisco company to funnel any tax savings to hold down the prices charged to the 16 million people who rely on the nation's largest utility for electricity. Thursday's rebuke is the latest blow to PG&E, which has been trying to climb out of a huge financial hole left by its liabilities from the fires. The company filed for bankruptcy 13 months ago to seek shelter from more than $50 billion in claimed losses. It is seeking to emerge from bankruptcy by June 30 to qualify for a state wildfire insurance fund. PG&E has settled those claims by reaching settlements totaling $25.5 billion with the wildfire victims, insurers and some government agencies. But the company still faces some potentially imposing hurdles, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom threatening a government-led takeover bid if the utility doesn't make significant reforms. PG&E needs state approval of the plan to qualify for the wildfire insurance fund. ——— This story has been corrected to say that a $200 million payment will go to California's general fund, not to a special wildfire victims fund.

Angela Merkel arrived in Greece on Thursday for a two-day visit to the country that has posed some of the greatest challenges of her time at the helm of Europe’s powerhouse economy.It is a trip heavy with symbolism for a leader whose policies have defined the continent and who has announced she will leave office at the end of her term in 2021.And, from the start when prime minister Alexis Tsipras pronounced that the visit marked “the end of a difficult cycle between our two countries,” vastly different in mood, colour and tone to her previous stopovers at the height of the euro crisis.Then, thousands took to the streets, some dressed in Nazi garb and giving the Hitler salute, in displays of protest against the woman widely deplored as the queen of economic austerity – the price of Berlin bailing out debt-stricken Athens.This time demonstrations in downtown Athens are banned and it was smiles and warm embraces that greeted the chancellor. As prime minister, Tsipras, the once fiery leftist who relished taunting “Madam Merkel” as her most trenchant critic in opposition, went out of his way to issue platitudes as Merkel, in green jacket and smiling irrepressibly, sat before him at the start of talks.Late on Monday, the Greek leader said Merkel had long wanted to visit Athens in what would amount to a victory tour as she approaches the end of her time in office.“She has wanted to come for some time because she considers it also her own success that while Greece was on the verge of bankruptcy in 2015, it has managed to recover and of course remain in the central core of the European Union,” he told the TV channel Open Beyond.Despite the animus that had initially marred ties, both had built up a “relationship of trust,” he said, using unusually warm language to applaud the leader for her handling of successive crises.“Mrs Merkel is a personality who has played a defining role in European affairs in recent years. She is one of the longest-serving chancellors … For sure, she bears responsibility,” he added, alluding to the excoriating fiscal policies demanded by Berlin, blamed for eviscerating the Greek middle class.“But there are positive things, too, that Europe has done that are to her credit. Our relationship was marked by the fact that Greece was going through a difficult time, but for Europe, and for Angela Merkel, it was a difficult time too.”Ahead of the visit, the 64-year-old chancellor also sounded a conciliatory note acknowledging that the “past few years have been very difficult for many people in Greece”.In remarks to the conservative daily, Kathimerini, she applauded the “great progress” the thrice-bailed-out country had made, insisting that Berlin would continue to stand by Athens as efforts continued to reform and modernise its economy. Greece exited its third EU-sponsored bailout programme in August, ending almost a decade of dependency on international aid.“I would like to reassure Greece that in this course it can continue to count on its partnership and friendship with Germany.”At a time when Europe is faced with new threats, including an ascendant far right and the appeal of populist demagogy, the visit is aimed as much at healing past wounds as turning a new page, officials and analysts said.“Europe has changed. There are new challenges like Donald Trump, who is completely unpredictable and has made the need for Europe to remain united greater than ever before,” said Stelios Kouloglou, an MEP with Greece’s leftist Syriza party.“There are times when you can feel a nostalgia for people who in the past you may have been totally against,” he told the Guardian. “In the face of extremism, with hardliners on the rise, this is one of them.”Merkel has repeatedly warned against the perils of resurgent nationalism, describing it as the biggest threat to global security in her New Year’s Eve address. In Tsipras she had found a staunch ally in her policies towards refugees and controversial decision to take in more than a million asylum seekers at the height of the migrant crisis in 2015.As the country on the frontline of massive migratory flows from Turkey, Greece had openly supported the EU accord reached with Ankara to limit the arrivals.“It was a time when Merkel needed the Greek government on her side and Tsipras rose to that challenge,” said Ulrich Storck, who heads the Athens office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung political institute, which has promoted Greek-German ties. “After his first months in office when Tsipras decided to change course and implement fiscal polices he had previously opposed, he took a very pragmatic path and that has played a big role in warming relations. Perhaps on the ground there is still a lot of anger but both leaders now get on very well.”Tsipras’s determined efforts to resolve the long-running row over Macedonia’s name, supporting a landmark accord that will see Greece’s northern neighbour being rechristened the Republic of Northern Macedonia, has also been welcomed by Merkel. Germany, like other EU members, says resolution of the dispute is crucial to shoring up the stability of the fragile western Balkans at a time of mounting Russian influence in the region.In contrast, the leader of Greece’s main opposition party, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a natural ally for the conservative Merkel, has strongly opposed the deal and vowed to vote against the agreement when the Greek parliament is expected to ratify it later this month. Topics Angela Merkel Greece Alexis Tsipras Germany Eurozone Europe Economics news

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police fired rubber bullets and tear gas in running clashes with protesters late on Sunday amid chaotic scenes as anger over an extradition bill morphs into a fresh front against what many see as a broader erosion of freedoms by Beijing. Thousands of protesters descended on China’s representative office in the city, in a direct challenge to authorities in Beijing, just hours after the latest demonstrations to rock the Asian financial central. Millions have taken to the streets in the past two months in an unprecedented show of force against Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, triggering the worst social turmoil to rock the former British colony since it returned to Chinese rule 22 years ago. Black-clad activists, many wearing masks, defied police orders and marched beyond the official end-point of a rally that took place earlier in the day as they made their way toward the Liaison Office, in a direct challenge to authorities in Beijing. When asked whether the protesters would attempt to force entry into the building, one 30-year-old man dressed head to toe in black said “No”, as he mimicked a throat-slitting action. “That would be the death of Hong Kong,” he added. Some protesters pelted eggs at the walls of Beijing’s Liaison Office, while others spray-painted graffiti as they kept up pressure on the city’s beleaguered government to heed their calls for an independent inquiry into complaints of police brutality during recent demonstrations, among other demands. Hundreds of riot police faced off with protesters more than a kilometer from the Liaison Office, firing tear gas as police and ambulance sirens echoed through the chanting crowds. Local broadcaster RTHK and other local media reported police also fired rubber bullets. Police did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Activists had daubed graffiti on massive concrete pillars leading up to Beijing’s Liaison Office, with the words “Restore Hong Kong, Revolution of The Time”. The Hong Kong government said in a statement it strongly condemned the demonstrators’ “malicious encirclement” of the Liaison Office building, while a spokesman for the office expressed “severe condemnation” at the “radical demonstrators”. Sunday’s protest, which had proceeded peacefully along the police-mandated route, is the latest in a series of rallies that have plunged the Chinese-ruled city into political crisis. Some held up banners that said, “LIAR” and “No excuse Carrie Lame”. A poster plastered on a lamppost called for an “Investigation on police brutality”. More demonstrations are planned over the coming weekends, posing the greatest popular challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he took power in 2012. For Xi’s Communist Party in Beijing, stability is an overwhelming priority. At a train station in the New Territories district of Yuen Long, screams rang out as protesters who had attended the demonstration were attacked by men in white T-shirts, some armed with poles, as they arrived home. The turmoil comes at a delicate time for Beijing, which is grappling with a trade dispute with the United States, a faltering economy and tensions in the South China Sea. Recent images of police firing rubber bullets and tear gas near the city’s financial district as well as chaotic scenes of demonstrators storming the legislature were beamed live to the world - except in mainland China, where they were blocked from many social media sites. Earlier on Sunday, authorities used blue and white water-filled barriers to barricade government and police headquarters, while global bank HSBC, in a rare move, pulled down large metal barriers on the street level of its gleaming skyscraper building. While most of the rallies have passed off peacefully during the day, some have erupted into violence late at night when more radical protesters have clashed with police. The city’s police force has come under scrutiny after officers fired rubber bullets and tear gas last month to disperse demonstrators in some of the worst violence to roil Hong Kong in decades. The police are struggling to cope amid haphazard decision-making, worsening morale and anger among rank-and-file officers that they are taking the public heat for government unpopularity, serving and retired officers, politicians and security analysts told Reuters. Protest organizers said 430,000 attended Sunday’s rally. Police put the number at 138,000 at its peak. An anti-extradition bill demonstrator receives medical attention after riot police fire tear gas after a march to call for democratic reforms, in Hong Kong, China July 21, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuThe latest protest comes a day after tens of thousands gathered to voice support for the police, whom some have accused of using excessive force against activists, and demand an end to the violence. Sunday’s march focused on calls for the full withdrawal of the extradition bill, which would allow people to be extradited to mainland China for trial, and an independent investigation into complaints of police brutality. Other demands include charges against protesters to be dropped and universal suffrage. “I came back to Hong Kong this summer because of the protests,” said Mandy Ko, 27, who is originally from Hong Kong and now lives in Australia. “My spirit is still with Hong Kong people.” Activists formed human chains as they handed out supplies, including umbrellas, hard hats and even gas masks to protesters. A Reuters reporter received an AirDrop message that said “Be Water”, a strategy inspired by a maxim of home-grown martial arts legend Bruce Lee, that encourages protesters to be flexible and retreat strategically. Last weekend, two initially peaceful protests degenerated into running skirmishes between baton-wielding police and activists, resulting in scores of injuries and more than 40 arrests. Those fights followed larger outbreaks of violence in central Hong Kong last month, when police forced back activists with tear gas, rubber bullets and bean-bag rounds. Lam has apologized for the turmoil the extradition bill has caused and declared it “dead”. Opponents of the bill, which they fear could be used to silence dissent, say nothing short of its withdrawal will do. Under the terms of the handover from Britain in 1997, Hong Kong was allowed to retain extensive freedoms under a “one country, two systems” formula, including an independent judiciary and the right to protest. Slideshow (32 Images)But for many Hong Kong residents, the extradition bill is the latest step in a relentless march toward mainland control. The protests have at times paralyzed parts of the financial district, shut government offices and disrupted business operations across the city. Officials have also warned about the impact of the unrest on the economy. A commentary published in the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper on Sunday said: “If violence continues, it will inevitably deal a greater blow to Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.” China has condemned the violent protests as an “undisguised challenge” to the one country, two systems formula. Reporting by Greg Torode, Clare Jim, Marius Zaharia, Joel Flynn, Donny Kwok, Felix Tam, Twinnie Siu, Aleksander Solum in HONG KONG; Additional reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Dale Hudson and Louise HeavensOur Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

TOKYO (Reuters) - The number of foreign visitors to Japan fell for the fourth month in January as the impact of a South Korean boycott weighed, with further, sharper falls expected as the coronavirus outbreak keeps away Chinese travellers. The fall in number comes months before Japan is set to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, over July and August, and despite the headwinds, Japan said it was sticking to its target of 40 million foreign visitors this year. “The environment is severe due to the new coronavirus, but this is having an impact on a global scale, not only for Japan,” said Hiroshi Tabata, commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency. Overall foreign visitors to Japan in January fell for the fourth month, data released on Wednesday showed, with sharper falls expected ahead as the impact of the coronavirus hits. Foreign arrivals, including tourism and business travellers, in the month declined 1.1% to 2.66 million from 2.69 million in the same month last year, Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) data showed. Arrivals from South Korea - which has been boycotting Japanese goods and services since a trade dispute erupted between the neighbours last year, plunged 59% year-on-year, the JNTO said. The coronavirus outbreak has raised concern about Japan’s over-reliance on tourism, which, until now, was one of the few successes of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s “Abenomics” growth policies rolled out seven years ago. In 2016, Abe doubled Japan’s target for foreign visitors to 40 million by 2020, as a weaker yen and easier visa regulations triggered a rush of tourists, especially from China. But the coronavirus outbreak has led to a rash of cancellations of cruise ship calls at Japan’s two busiest cruise terminals, after China last month halted all outbound tour groups. The total number of regular flights between China and Japan has fallen by 70% compared with before the virus outbreak, Tabata said, adding that the government would work together with the private sector to achieve its ambitious visitor target. “(It’s) a trump card for regional revitalization and we’re recognising it as a pillar of the growth strategy of our country,” he said. Tourists wearing protective masks visit Sensoji Temple in Asakusa district in Tokyo, Japan, February 18, 2020. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaThe number of mainland Chinese visitors rose 23% in January, compared with the same month last year, helped by the timing this year of the Lunar New Year holiday. The holiday officially began this year on Jan. 25 - two days before China halted all tour groups to other countries due to the coronavirus outbreak. Of the 31.9 million foreign visitors who came to Japan last year, more than 9.5 million were Chinese, the biggest source of arrivals and up 14.5% from the previous year. Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Sam Holmes, Robert BirselOur Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.