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A Norwegian cruise ship line halted all trips and apologized Monday for procedural errors after an outbreak of coronavirus on one ship infected at least 4 passengers and 36 crew members.
The 40 people on the MS Roald Amundsen who tested positive have been admitted to the University Hospital of North Norway in Tromsoe, north of the Arctic Circle, where the ship currently is docked.
“A preliminary evaluation shows that there has been a failure in several of our internal procedures,” Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam said in a statement. He added the company that sails along Norway’s picturesque coast between Bergen in the south and Kirkenes in the north is “now in the process of a full review of all procedures, and all aspects of our own handling.”
The cruise line has contacted passengers who had been on the MS Roald Amundsen for its July 17 and July 24 departures from Bergen to the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, which is known for its polar bears.
All 158 crew members on MS Roald Amundsen have been tested and 122 were negative. There were 209 guests on the first voyage and 178 guests on the second voyage.
But since the cruise ship line often acts like a local ferry, traveling from port to port along Norway’s western coast, the virus may not have been contained onboard. Some passengers disembarked along the route and may have spread the virus to their local communities.
The municipality of Tromsoe is urging people who have traveled on the ship or anyone in contact with the ship to get in touch with health authorities.
Its not known how the outbreak began since guests come from all over the world. The Norwegian news agency NTB said 33 of the 36 crew members that have tested positive came from the Philippines.
Over the weekend, Skjeldam said cruise ship officials did not know that they should have notified the passengers after the first case was reported Friday, adding that they followed the advice of the ship’s doctors.
But Line Vold of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said its advice was to inform passengers and crew as soon as possible so they could monitor their health and go into quarantine if needed.
“We have made mistakes. On behalf of all of us in Hurtigruten, I am sorry for what has happened. We take full responsibility,” Skjeldam said.
The Hurtigruten line says the operations of three ships — MS Roald Amundsen, MS Fridtjof Nansen and MS Spitsbergen — have been halted for an indefinite period.
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There are growing concerns among Cameroonians that their government and military are undermining the war against Boko Haram terrorists in the northern part of the country. Civilians and experts have criticized authorities’ handling of the threat after a suspected Boko Haram militant attack on Sunday killed 17 people and wounded six others in a camp for displaced people.  Cameroon’s military rejects the criticism but admits that the Nigeria-based terrorist group is increasing the frequency of its attacks.  
 
Ousmanou Sani, head of the Nguetchewe village community near Cameroon’s northern town of Mozogo says they have been counting on community militias for protection from Boko Haram. The 62-year-old says the military presence in their locality has been reduced significantly and their porous border with Nigerian villages is no longer controlled regularly. He spoke via a messaging application from Mozogo. 
 
Sani says the population can bear him witness that only poorly equipped vigilantes are seen most of the time carrying out patrols to protect civilians. He says if the military is stretched, the government should recruit and train vigilante groups members who are ready to protect their communities. 
 
Sani said the absence of the military from 5 of the 6 border control posts may have encouraged suspected Boko Haram militants to attack their locality over the weekend. 
 
Cameroon military acknowledged that several Boko Haram fighters including women crossed over from Nigeria and attacked an IDP camp at Nguetchewe village. The military in a statement said several people either died or were wounded in the attack, but did not give figures.
 
Sani said 15 villagers died on the spot and one in a local hospital. He said six others were wounded in the grenade attack and more than 70 had fled for safety in neighboring bushes.  FILE – General Rene Claude Meka, Cameroon’s chief of defense staff, Sept. 12, 2019. (M. Kindzeka/VOA)The fresh attack took place less than a month after Cameroon Chief of Defense staff Lieutenant General Rene Claude Meka visited northern Cameroon. He says he went to galvanize his troops fighting Boko Haram terrorism. He refuses claims that the military has withdrawn from many of its positions on Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria. 
 
Meka says the Cameroon military is effectively at work protecting all citizens, their properties and public edifices from the terror group. He says he visits the troops regularly to see if there are adjustments to be done for the military to be more professional in its strategies against Boko Haram. 
 
Conflict resolution specialistJoseph-Vincent Ntouda Ebode of the University of Yaounde 1 says Cameroon military should not think that it has defeated Boko Haram. He says although the terrorist group is weakened, it is still very much present in northern Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad.  He says to reduce renewed attacks, the Cameroon military must take into consideration that poor, hungry and disgruntled people are being used as informants by Boko Haram fighters. He says it is imperative for the Cameroon military to take appropriate measures and secure all civilians and infrastructure that can be targets of the terrorist group. He says Boko Haram is already weak and may resort to attacking civilians, refugees and humanitarian workers to send a message that it has not been completely eradicated. Cameroon reports that since January this year, it has recorded 87 Boko Haram attacks on its northern border with Nigeria. Twenty-two of them were in the northern district of Mozogo alone. 
 
The United Nations reports that Boko Haram violence has cost the lives of 30,000 people and displaced about 2 million in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.   
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U.S. department store chain Lord & Taylor filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Sunday, joining a list of major brands in the country that have sought to reorganize their operations as the coronavirus pandemic heavily affects retail sales. Lord & Taylor is one of the oldest department store operators in the world, and like many of the companies that have filed for bankruptcy this year it was already struggling before the pandemic hit due to a shift in consumer habits from shopping mostly in stores to online shopping. In its bankruptcy filing, the company listed assets and liabilities between $100 million and $500 million. A company that files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy under U.S. law usually intends to continue operating and proposes a plan to reorganize its business and pay its creditors. This year also brought Chapter 11 filings from two other major names in U.S. department stores, J.C. Penney and Neiman Marcus, which each took their actions in May. Major clothing brands have also been among those seeking reorganization through bankruptcy. Tailored Brands, which operates Men’s Warehouse stores, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday. It had already announced plans to shut as many 500 of its stores. The more-upscale Brooks Brothers sought Chapter 11 protection last month, as did the parent company of women’s fashion brands Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant. The company that operates J. Crew stores made its filing in May. Other sectors have also been hit by the changing habits of consumers, with lockdown orders stifling travel and forcing places like restaurants and gyms to temporarily close their doors to try to stop the spread of the virus. Rental car giant Hertz filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and in the fitness category, gym chains 24 Hour Fitness and Gold’s Gym did as well, along with vitamin and supplement retailer GNC. 
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Egypt’s minister of international cooperation has extended an invitation to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk after a Musk post on Twitter that the pyramids were built by extraterrestrial beings.  Musk tweeted Saturday: “Aliens built the pyramids obv.” Aliens built the pyramids obv— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2020Musk’s posting prompted Rania Al Mashat, the international cooperation minister, to tweet: “I follow your work with a lot of admiration.  I invite you & Space X to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders. Mr. Musk, we are waiting for you.”I follow your work with a lot of admiration. I invite you & Space X to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders. Mr. Musk, we are waiting for you 🚀. @elonmuskhttps://t.co/Xlr7EoPXX4— Rania A. Al Mashat (@RaniaAlMashat) August 1, 2020It was not immediately clear whether Musk’s tweet was serious or tongue-in-cheek. However, extraterrestrial entities as builders of Egypt’s ancient pyramids is the premise for several television shows and books.   Egypt Today reports on its website that famed Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass also weighed in on the topic on social media, saying that Musk’s tweet was a “complete hallucination.” Hawass added that he had “found the tombs of the pyramids builders that tell everyone that the builders of the pyramids are Egyptians and they were not slaves.”  He said ancient Egypt’s pyramid building was “a national project of the whole nation.” Musk had an apparent change of mind and eventually provided a link on his Twitter account about the building of pyramids.  He tweeted: “This BBC article provides a sensible summary of how it was done.”  
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White House coronavirus experts said Sunday the outbreak has hit a new phase, becoming “extraordinarily widespread” in rural areas as well as big cities.
 
“To everybody who lives in a rural area: You are not immune or protected from this virus,” Dr. Deborah Birx, White House task force coordinator, said on CNN Sunday.
 
She said the virus in August is not what it looked like in March and April, when only large cities and heavily populated states were reporting cases.  
 
Birx stressed the importance of wearing masks indoors if the elderly or those with underlying health conditions are in the house.  
 
A senior official at the Department of Health and Human Services, Admiral Brett Giroir, appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press. He also talked about the importance of wearing masks and avoiding crowds.  
 
“That’s why we’re going to all the states, we’re on local radio, we give specific instructions to every governor by county, what they need to do when we start — when those counties start tipping yellow, because that’s the time when you have to stamp it down,” he said.  
 
About the same time that Birx was on CNN, Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was on ABC television accusing Birx of helping President Donald Trump spread disinformation about COVID-19.
 
Pelosi was responding to a question about a Politico article where she reportedly said the Trump administration is in “horrible hands” in part because of Birx.
 
“I think the president is spreading disinformation about the virus, and she’s his appointee,” Pelosi said on ABC’s “This Week.” “I don’t have confidence, no.”
 
Trump continues to insist that the reason the United States has the highest number of COVID cases in the world — 4.6 million, according to Johns Hopkins University data — is because the U.S. does more testing than anyone else.
 
He tweeted Sunday that the top U.S. infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, was wrong when he said last week that Europe’s relative success in fighting the virus is because it shut down twice as many businesses as the U.S. did.  
 
“Wrong!” Trump tweeted. “We have more cases because we have tested far more than any other country, 60,000,000. If we tested less, there would be less cases. How did Italy, France & Spain do? Now Europe sadly has flare ups. Most of our governors worked hard & smart. We will come back STRONG!” Mr. Trump wrote.Passers-by wear masks to protect against the coronavirus as they walk past an empty business location, in Boston’s Downtown Crossing neighborhood, Aug. 2, 2020.COVID elsewhereOn Sunday, Manchester, England, declared what it calls a major incident because of a jump in coronavirus cases in the city.
 
The city council said people should not be alarmed, calling the declaration “standard practice.”
 
New lockdown measures have been imposed, including banning members of two different households from mixing in pubs and restaurants.
 
British health officials also announced plans Sunday to introduce millions of COVID-19 tests that they say can detect the virus in 90 minutes.  
 
The tests will be distributed to hospitals, nursing homes and laboratories.
 
“The fact these tests can detect flu as well as COVID-19 will be hugely beneficial as we head into winter, so patients can follow the right advice to protect themselves and others,” Health Minister Matt Hancock said.  
 
Another European leader, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, said Sunday he has COVID-19 and will spend two weeks in isolation.
 
“I don’t have symptoms expect a very mild cough,” Hoti said on his Facebook page.
Thirteen more coronavirus deaths were reported Sunday in Kosovo, bringing the total to 249 deaths and 90,000 cases.
 
In Australia, Victoria declared a “State of Disaster” Sunday after 700 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed overnight.
 
Measures include an overnight curfew starting at 8 p.m. and only one member from a household will be allowed to go shopping and only at a store within five kilometers of home.  
 
“You have to err on the side of caution and go further and harder,” Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said.  
 
The Philippines will impose stricter measures starting Tuesday after the number of cases there shot past the 100,000 mark.
 
Some businesses will be closed, and anyone not quarantined or having to report to a job will need a pass.  
 
President Rodrigo Duterte appeared on nationwide television Sunday after a group representing nearly 2 million doctors and nurses said they are afraid the country is losing the fight against COVID-19.  
 
“Our health care workers are burnt out with the seemingly endless number of patients trooping to our hospitals,” the medical groups said in a letter to Duterte.  
 
“I have heard you. Don’t lose hope. We are aware that you are tired,” he said.  
 
Finally, President Trump is no different from millions of American parents who want their children to have a normal school year, but he may not see his wish come true.
 
Trump’s 14-year-old son, Barron, will be among those taking at least some of his classes online this fall.
 
Barron is about to enter the ninth grade at the private St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland. The school is in Montgomery County, where health officials have ordered all schools, private and public, to remain closed at least through October 1st when the decision will be reevaluated.
 
St. Andrew’s is considering a hybrid plan that would allow students to take some classes in person and others remotely. 
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Microsoft Corp said Sunday it would continue talks to acquire popular short-video app TikTok from Chinese internet giant ByteDance. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to give ByteDance 45 days to negotiate the sale, two people familiar with the matter said Sunday.
 
Microsoft, which is aiming to conclude talks by Sept. 15, released a statement following a conversation between CEO Satya Nadella and Trump. It said it would ensure that all of the private data of TikTok’s American users is transferred to and remains in the United States.
 
“Microsoft fully appreciates the importance of addressing the president’s concerns. It is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury,” Microsoft said in a statement.
 
The company added there was no certainty a deal would be reached.
 
The ByteDance-Microsoft negotiations will be overseen by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a U.S. government panel that has the right to block any agreement, the two sources added.
 
ByteDance, Microsoft and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.  
 
Earlier Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News that Trump would take action soon.
 
“President Trump has said ‘enough’ and we’re going to fix it and so he will take action in the coming days with respect to a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party,” Pompeo said on “Sunday Morning Futures.”
 
And Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told ABC on Sunday that the Committee on Foreign Investment on the United States “agrees that TikTok cannot stay in the current format because it risks sending back information on 100 million Americans.”
 
Over the weekend several Republican senators said they backed a plan for ByteDance to divest the U.S. operations of TikTok.
 
Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said on Twitter that a divestment “and purchase by U.S. company is win-win.”
 
Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican who chairs the Commerce Committee, added that “tight security measures need to be part of any deal in order to protect consumer data and ensure no foreign access.”
 
Republican Senator Marco Rubio said on Twitter “if the company & data can be purchased & secured by a trusted U.S. company that would be a positive & acceptable outcome.”
 
On Saturday, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said the “right answer” to address security concerns about TikTok would be to “have an American company like Microsoft take over TikTok. Win-win. Keeps competition alive and data out of the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.” 
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More than four and a half million coronavirus infections have been confirmed in the United States, and June statistics show unemployment is at over 11%. Senate Republicans and House Democrats remain at odds over a relief bill for Americans. VOA’s Esha Sarai has more.
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Two U.S. astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday, splashing safely into the Gulf of Mexico after a two-month mission to the International Space Station aboard the commercially developed SpaceX spacecraft Crew Dragon.Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley landed at midafternoon off the western coast of Florida, avoiding the dangers of Tropical Storm Isaias moving along the Atlantic Ocean coast of the southern state.The two men had lifted off to space from Florida in May, the first NASA astronaut launch from U.S. soil since 2011 and the first time a commercially developed spacecraft had carried humans into orbit.Hurley and Behnken, both married to astronauts, departed the International Space Station on Saturday night. They awoke to a recording of their young children urging them to “rise and shine” and “we can’t wait to see you.””Don’t worry, you can sleep in tomorrow,” said Behnken’s 6-year-old son, Theo, who was promised a puppy after the flight. “Hurry home so we can go get my dog.”The Dragon capsule slowed from an orbital speed of 28,000 kph to 560 during reentry into the atmosphere and finally to 24 kph at splashdown.In this frame grab from NASA TV, the SpaceX Dragon capsule splashes down Aug. 2, 2020, in the Gulf of Mexico.More than 40 staff were on a SpaceX recovery ship, including doctors and nurses who planned to examine the two astronauts.  NASA astronauts last returned from space to water on July 24, 1975, in the Pacific, the scene of most splashdowns.Until the SpaceX launch, the U.S. had relied in recent years on Russian rockets to send its astronauts to the space station. The private company is planning its next launch near the end of September, sending four astronauts to the space station for six months. 
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The White House and top congressional Democrats remained at odds Sunday over the scope of more assistance for 30 million American workers left unemployed by the coronavirus pandemic. In back-to-back appearances on ABC’s “This Week” show, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, sparred over how much new aid the national government should approve beyond less generous state unemployment benefits. Motorists take part in a caravan protest in front of Senator John Kennedy’s office at the Hale Boggs Federal Building asking for the extension of the $600 in unemployment benefits to people out of work because of the coronavirus in New Orleans, La.Four months of $600-a-week extra national benefits expired Friday. But Pelosi and other Democrats want to extend the payments through the end of 2020, while President Donald Trump and his administration initially want to cut the extra aid to $200 a week while working toward a package that would set the aid at 70% of what a worker had been paid before being laid off as the virus swept through the United States. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, speaks to reporters following a meeting at the Capitol on a COVID-19 relief bill, Aug. 1, 2020, in Washington.Pelosi, Mnuchin, Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Saturday they had made progress in reaching a deal on the unemployment assistance and other aid to boost the country’s flagging economy. Their aides were set to resume discussions Sunday on details of a package while the main negotiators planned to renew their talks on Monday. They remain far apart on the size of an overall coronavirus assistance package, however, with Democrats calling for $3 trillion in new spending and Republicans wanting to limit it to $1 trillion. The Pelosi and Mnuchin disagreements quickly became apparent on the ABC talk show. “Overwhelmingly this is about keeping people out of poverty,” Pelosi said. “The $600 is essential,” she said. “This is about putting workers first, putting money in the pockets of American workers.” She did not, however, rule out the possibility of settling on a smaller continuing aid figure, but criticized some Republican lawmakers “who don’t want (to approve) anything.” She said the new assistance should be tied to unemployment rate. She downplayed complaints by Republicans that some unemployed workers have collected more in jobless benefits than they were paid while working. Mnuchin said Trump “is very concerned about the expiration” of the benefits” and “wants to spend what we need to.” But Mnuchin said he was surprised Democrats have spurned a White House offer to extend the $600-a-week federal benefits for a week while talks continue.  He said the continuing benefits “should be tied to some percentage of wages.” Mnuchin said “there’s no question some people were paid more to stay home than to work,” an outcome Republicans are determined to end. He said the virus has “devastated our economy.” Mnuchin said last week’s report that the U.S. economy, the world’s largest, fell 9.5% from April to June, the most in records dating back seven decades, was not surprising. He expressed optimism for the future, however. “I think we’re going to see a very big bounce back,” especially in 2021, he said.  
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The Mexican Army and state security forces have captured Jose Antonio Yepez, a prominent drug gang leader blamed for helping to fuel a major surge in violence in the country in recent years, authorities said on Sunday.Widely known as “El Marro” (The Mallet), Yepez was captured in an operation carried out early on Sunday morning, according to the federal government and authorities in the central state of Guanajuato, a principal flashpoint of gang violence.Yepez, boss of the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel, a Guanajuato-based gang, has been engaged in a bloody struggle for criminal control of the state with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the country’s most powerful and violent outfits.The Guanajuato attorney general’s office said security forces captured Yepez with five other people and rescued a kidnapped local businesswoman during the operation. An “arsenal” of weapons was also secured during the raid. 
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The Portland Police Bureau declared an unlawful assembly Saturday night when people gathered outside a police precinct in Oregon’s largest city and threw bottles towards officers, police said.Until that point, federal, state and local law enforcement had been seemingly absent from the protests Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The demonstrations – that for weeks ended with tear gas, fireworks shot towards buildings, federal agents on the street and injuries to protesters and officers – have recently ended with chanting and conversations.Activists and Oregon officials urged people at Saturday night’s protest in Portland to re-center the focus on Black Lives Matter, three days after the Trump administration agreed to reduce the presence of federal agents.Groups gathered Saturday evening in various areas around downtown Portland to listen to speakers and prepare to march to the Justice Center and Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse.One of the more popular events, “Re-centering why we are here – BLM,” was hosted by the NAACP. Speakers included activists as well as Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty.Merkley and Hardesty spoke about policies they are putting forward, including to cut police funding and restrict chokeholds.“The next thing we need you to do is vote like your life depends on it, because guess what, it does,” Hardesty said.For the first time since the presence of federal agents in Portland diminished law enforcement and protesters noticeably clashed Saturday night.As one group of protesters gathered outside the courthouse another marched to a precinct for the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and Portland Police Bureau.Police stated that protesters threw glass bottles and directed lasers at officers. Just before 10 p.m., Portland police declared an unlawful assembly and told people to disperse or they may be subject to use of force or be arrested. Police could be seen charging, multiple times, at protesters in the area.At the courthouse, the scene was different. Around 11:30 p.m. hundreds of people remained, standing and listening to speakers.By midnight, protesters again began to march through the streets downtown.Thursday and Friday’s protests also attracted more than 1,000 people _ both nights were relatively peaceful. In a news release early Saturday, the Portland Police Bureau described Friday’s crowd as subdued and said there was no police interaction with protesters.At one point during Friday’s protest, a lone firework was shot at the courthouse. In the weeks past the action would be met with more fireworks or teargas canisters being dropped over the fence into the crowd. This time, protesters chastised the person who shot the firework, pleading to keep the demonstration peaceful.The relative calm outside a federal courthouse that’s become ground zero in clashes between demonstrators and federal agents had come after the U.S. government began drawing down its forces under a deal between Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and the Trump administration.Portland had seen more than two months of often violent demonstrations following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In early July, President Donald Trump sent more federal agents to the city to protect the federal courthouse, but local officials said their presence made things worse. 
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