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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 27 May 2020
Spain to mourn virus victims for unprecedented 10-day period

By ARITZ PARRA COVID-19 deaths have
Associated Press become a touchy issue
MADRID (AP) — The Span- for Sánchez's govern-
ish government has de- ment since it imposed a
clared 10 days of mourn- strict lockdown on March
ing starting Wednesday for 14 with the aim of slowing
the nearly 27,000 people the spread of the virus. In
who have died with the the ensuing 10 weeks, the
novel coronavirus in Spain, death toll climbed from 120
the longest official mourn- to 26,800, and confirmed
ing period in the country's infections in Spain grew
4-decade-old democracy. from 4,200 to over 230,000.
Flags will be hoisted to half- Spanish politicians across
staff in more than 14,000 the political spectrum, left
public buildings across the and right, have raced to
nation and on Spanish na- capitalize on the collec-
val vessels until June 5, un- tive loss.National flags with
der the declaration made a black-ribbon have ap-
Tuesday. King Felipe VI, as peared on the balconies
Spain's head of state, will of apartment buildings and
preside over a solemn me- in the hands of right-wing
morial ceremony once the protesters, a symbol of the
country emerges from the People walk on a street in Barcelona on Monday, May 25, 2020. country's loss and of an-
lockdown imposed 2 1/2 Associated Press ger over the government's
months ago, the govern- handling of the pandemic.
ment said. as Spain's death toll - the democracy." pression of collective unity Authorities in the hard-hit
The dead are "men and world's fifth-highest after "They might not accom- amid personal losses and Madrid, a stronghold of
women whose lives have the United States, the Unit- pany us physically, but they the isolation of lockdowns. the conservative opposi-
been suddenly cut short, ed Kingdom, Italy and will remain forever in our No other country so far tion, put gigantic displays
leaving friends and fam- France - became a point memory," she said. has announced an ob- of black ribbons at some of
ily in great pain, both from of political debate. Flags at half-staff and other servance on the scale of the Spanish capital's main
the sudden loss and from Arguing that some un- expressions of grief have Spain's 10-day mourning landmarks. As a permanent
the difficult circumstances confirmed virus cases had become common around period, an event unprec- tribute to COVID-19 victims,
in which it has occurred," been erroneously counted, the world during the pan- edented since the country local officials installed a
government spokeswom- Spanish health authorities demic. reinstated democratic rule cauldron with a gas-pow-
an María Jesús Montero reduced the country's of- In Italy, the military's aero- in 1978. Three years earlier, ered flame in front of City
said following the Cabinet ficial mortality figure by batic team honored the when dictator Gen. Fran- Hall. A plaque, surrounded
meeting where the griev- 1,918. dead over the past few cisco Franco died, a 30- by floral bouquets, reads,
ing period was approved. Montero said that 80% of days, saluting cities such as day mandatory mourning "Your flame will never go
Opposition parties had Spain's virus-related deaths Codogno, Milan and Turin period was declared. Three out in our heart."
criticized Prime Minister were people age 70 or old- with flybys. Nightly or week- days of mourning were In recent weeks, strict
Pedro Sánchez's left-wing er, "those who helped build ly applause and singing to observed in March 2004 home-confinement orders
coalition government for our country as we recog- honor medical personnel for nearly 200 victims of Al- and bans on public activ-
not paying tribute to the nize it today, and ultimately working to save lives has Qaeda-inspired attacks on ity have eased across the
virus pandemic's victims laid the foundations of our been the most clear ex- Madrid commuter trains. country.q

Russia says U.S. leaving overflight treaty will hurt security

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV force in 2002, and the Euro- helps boost mutual trust."
Associated Press pean Union has urged the "The less openness, the less
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia U.S. to reconsider. trust. and consequently, se-
said Tuesday that the U.S. The accord was intended curity," the statement said.
decision to withdraw from to build trust between Rus- The Foreign Ministry said
an international treaty al- sia and the West by allow- that while an extensive
lowing observation flights ing its more than three doz- fleet of spy satellites could
over military facilities would en signatories to conduct help the U.S. compensate
erode global security by reconnaissance flights over for a lack of observation
making it more difficult for each other's territories to flights if it withdraws from
governments to interpret collect information about the Open Skies Treaty, the
the intentions of other na- military forces and activi- interests of the accord's re-
tions. ties. maining participants would
President Donald Trump last The treaty "helps deesca- be hurt and security in Eu-
week announced Wash- late the situation and avoid rope would therefore suf-
ington's intention to pull out a wrong interpretation of fer. In this June 28, 2019, file photo President Donald Trump, right,
of the Open Skies Treaty, the parties' military inten- The foreign ministries of Bel- meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral
arguing that Russian viola- tions," the Russian Foreign gium, the Czech Republic, meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan.
tions made it untenable for Ministry said in a statement Finland, France, Germa- Associated Press
the United States to remain Tuesday. ny, Italy, Luxembourg, the ment the accord as "a cru- past decades in order to
a party. It called the pact a "major Netherlands, Spain and cial element of the confi- improve transparency and
Russia denied breaching instrument of cooperation Sweden said last week they dence-building framework security across the Euro-At-
the pact, which came into between the militaries that would continue to imple- that was created over the lantic area."q