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WORLD NEWS Thursday 30 april 2020
UK now has world's third-highest virus-related death toll

By PAN PYLAS are heading in the right
Associated Press direction. The number of
LONDON (AP) — The U.K. people being hospitalized
has the third-highest coro- with the coronavirus has
navirus death toll in the been falling for the best
world after the British gov- part of three weeks, par-
ernment published new ticularly in London, which
figures Wednesday that was the epicenter of the
include deaths outside of outbreak in the country.
hospitals. After factoring in Also the number of coro-
deaths in all settings such navirus-related deaths are
as care homes, the num- falling when measured on
ber of people in Britain a seven-day rolling basis.
who have died after test- Doyle said she could not
ing positive for the virus has yet say whether deaths in
now hit 26,097, way ahead care homes were falling
of the 21,678 announced but that "we should know
on Tuesday. Until now, hos- that soon because the hos-
pital deaths have been re- pital curve has declined."
ported daily, while deaths Raab said it was too soon
in nursing homes and other for the government to
settings were reported sep- make an assessment as
arately on a weekly basis. to whether its five tests on
Under the new measure- Four people play a makeshift ball game inside an apartment backdropped by London city easing the lockdown re-
ment, the U.K. has leap- buildings, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, Tuesday strictions have been met.
April 28, 2020.
frogged Spain and France Associated Press. Among those tests are a
in Europe, with only Italy "sustained and consistent
ahead. The U.S. has the people for the virus and in ing increasingly clear that Also, the death certificates fall" in daily coronavirus-
world's highest death toll. getting critical protective the U.K. could end up with of those dying in care related daily deaths, and
The upward revision gear for medical workers. the second-highest coro- homes can take a couple reliable data showing that
prompted renewed criti- Foreign Secretary Dominic navirus death toll in the of weeks to be issued. the rate of inflection has
cism of the government's Raab sought to ease any world, partly because Italy Professor Yvonne Doyle, moderated to manage-
approach throughout the worries, saying the addi- is considered to be around medical director at Public able levels.
crisis. The new leader of tional deaths were a cu- a couple of weeks ahead Health England, said the The Scientific Advisory
the main opposition Labour mulative total going back in the epidemic. new figures, which her or- Group for Emergencies, or
Party, Keir Starmer, said the to March 2. There is also an acknowl- ganization helped to com- SAGE, is due to deliver its
scale of deaths in the U.K. "They don't represent a sud- edgement that the new pile, provide "a compre- latest advice to ministers
is "truly dreadful" and has den surge in the number of figures underestimate the hensive picture, and this is in the next few days but all
accused the Conservative deaths," he said at the gov- total death toll in care most important for control." the signs are that the gov-
government of being too ernment's daily press brief- homes as they only include In spite of the grim death ernment will extend most
slow in putting the country ing. those who have tested news, the trends in most of of the lockdown restrictions
into lockdown, in testing In spite of that, it is becom- positive for the coronavirus. the virus-related numbers from May 7. q

Amid health worries, Kim Jong Un’s role looms large

By FOSTER KLUG uneasy collection of wary has been spectacular —
Associated Press neighbors at the best of North Korea and its single-
TOKYO (AP) — New rumors times and home to two of minded pursuit of nuclear-
about Kim Jong Un pour the three biggest econo- tipped missiles meant to
in daily. The North Korean mies in the world and a protect the Kim family has
leader is dead. Or he's huge buildup of American made itself impossible to
very ill. Or maybe he's just military machinery and ignore, holding the region
recuperating in his luxury manpower. and Washington hostage
compound, or isolating Sandwiched amid go- to its narrow ambitions.
himself from the coronavi- liaths, North Korea is a ___
rus. small, impoverished, ex- THE DISAPPEARANCE
As speculation about his traordinarily proud nation There's not much to go on
health builds, an underly- that through sheer force of here despite the building
ing question looms for pro- will — and a relentless cult media coverage. In this March 2, 2020, file photo provided by the North Korean
fessional spies, policymak- of personality built around Some unconfirmed news government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a
ers, academics and curi- a single family — has been reports say Kim is in fragile military drill at undisclosed location in North Korea.
ous news consumers alike. at the center of a half- condition or even a vege- Associated Press.
What do we really know century security head- tative state following heart
about the man who leads ache for its neighbors. surgery. What's uncontested is that is that for the first time as
North Korea? No matter how successful The South Korean govern- Kim hasn't appeared in leader he missed the most
The answer is crucial be- China, South Korea and ment, however, maintains public since an April 11 important holiday of the
cause Kim's intentions, Japan become — and that Kim still appears to be meeting focused on the North Korean year, the
and the as-yet-unknown their transformation from in power and that there coronavirus. This sort of April 15 celebration of his
state of his health, play an war, poverty and domes- have been no signs that vanishing act has hap- grandfather's birth.
outsized role in the work- tic infighting into politi- something big has hap- pened before, but what
ings of Northeast Asia, an cal and economic might pened in North Korea. has set rumors ablaze now Continued on Page 28