হ্যারি ও মেগানকে নিজেদের নিরাপত্তার খরচ দিতে হবে: ডোনাল্ড ট্রাম্প

প্রিন্স হ্যারি ও মেগান কানাডা থেকে যুক্তরাষ্ট্রে চলে আসার খবর প্রকাশের পর মার্কিন প্রেসিডেন্ট বলেছেন, তাদের নিরাপত্তার পেছনে যুক্তরাষ্ট্র খরচ করবে না। তাদের নিরাপত্তার খরচ তাদেরই দিতে হবে।

from BBC News বাংলা - খবর, সর্বশেষ খবর, ব্রেকিং নিউজ, বিশ্লেষণ https://ift.tt/33WISly
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New top story from Time: Trump Tweets That U.S. Won’t Pay for Meghan and Harry’s Security

(LONDON) — U.S. President Donald Trump has offered his opinion on the future of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, insisting the United States government won’t pay for the couple’s security if they live in the United States.

Responding to reports that the couple has moved to California, Trump tweeted on Sunday: “I am a great friend and admirer of the Queen & the United Kingdom. It was reported that Harry and Meghan, who left the Kingdom, would reside permanently in Canada. Now they have left Canada for the U.S. however, the U.S. will not pay for their security protection. They must pay!”

Harry — grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and sixth in line to the British throne — married the American actress Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle in May 2018, in a ceremony watched by millions around the world.

But the couple later said they found scrutiny by the British media — which they said tipped into harassment — intolerable.

In January they announced they planned to quit as senior royals, seek financial independence and move to North America. The split becomes official at the end of March.

Since late last year, Harry and Meghan have since been based on Canada’s Vancouver Island.

Last month, Canadian authorities said they would stop paying for the couple’s security once they ceased to be working royals.

Mary-Liz Power, a spokeswoman for Canada’s public safety minister, said in February that “the assistance will cease in the coming weeks, in keeping with their change in status.”

Power said that as duke and duchess of Sussex, they have been considered “internationally protected persons” who warranted security measures under international treaty.

Unconfirmed reports say the couple and their 10-month-old son Archie recently flew to Los Angeles, where Meghan was raised.

Representatives for Meghan did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Sunday.

করোনাভাইরাস লকডাউন : ভারতে অভিবাসী শ্রমিকদের ঘরে ফেরার বেপরোয়া চেষ্টা

দেশের বড় বড় শহরগুলো থেকে লক্ষ লক্ষ গরিব মেহনতি মানুষ যে কোনওভাবে নিজেদের গ্রামে ফিরতে চেষ্টা চালাচ্ছেন। বাসস্ট্যান্ডে ভিড় উপছে পড়ছে, কেউ কেউ যমুনা সাঁতরেও উত্তরপ্রদেশে ঢুকতে চাইছেন!

from BBC News বাংলা - খবর, সর্বশেষ খবর, ব্রেকিং নিউজ, বিশ্লেষণ https://ift.tt/3bw7unq
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‘Westworld’ Season 3, Episode 3 Recap: Predators and Prey

By BY SCOTT TOBIAS from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/3bD6Moq
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করোনাভাইরাস: লকডাউন? কিসের লকডাউন? করোনাভাইরাস সংকটে সুইডেনের ব্যতিক্রমী ব্যবস্থা

ইউরোপে বহু দেশে যখন করোনাভাইরাসের কারণে লকডাউন অবস্থা চলছে তখন একটি দেশ অন্য সবাইকে অনুসরণ না করে এমন এক পন্থা নিয়েছে যা স্বাভাবিক জীবনের অনেক কাছাকাছি।

from BBC News বাংলা - খবর, সর্বশেষ খবর, ব্রেকিং নিউজ, বিশ্লেষণ https://ift.tt/2Jn31rh
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New top story from Time: Instacart Workers Plan Strike as Coronavirus Makes the Job Riskier

(NEW YORK) — A possible strike by Instacart workers highlights the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the grocery delivery business, where workers are worried about their safety as they try to meet a surge in demand for online groceries.

A group called the Gig Workers Collective is calling for a nationwide walk-out Monday. They’ve been asking Instacart to provide workers with hazard pay and protective gear, among other demands. Instacart said Sunday it would soon provide workers with a new hand sanitizer upon request and outlined changes to its tip system. The group said the measures were too little too late.

While some workers say they intend to join the strike for at least a day — or have stopped filling orders already for fear of getting the virus — other, newer workers are content to have a paying job at a time of mass layoffs in other industries.

The San Francisco-based delivery app is trying to hire 300,000 more workers — more than doubling its workforce —to fulfill orders it says have surged by 150% year-over year in the past weeks. The company said 50,000 new shoppers joined its platform in just the past week. Some customers are waiting days to receive orders.

Instacart currently has a workforce of more than 200,000 contracted workers who make multiple trips a day to various grocery stores to fulfill and deliver orders that customers make through the app. It also directly employs about 20,000 part-time workers who are assigned to a single store, collecting groceries that are subsequently delivered to clients by a contracted Instacart worker.

Chloe Grozdina, a part-time Instacart in-store shopper assigned to a Mariano’s grocery store in the Chicago area, says workers are seeing “a lot of apocalypse orders” from customers hunkered down in their homes. Panic shopping has cleared out the shelves, meaning she often has to replace a customer’s orders with a lesser item or notify them that it’s not available.

Grozdina, who makes $13 an hour and doesn’t get tips, said the crowds of fellow Instacart shoppers have made it tough to keep a safe distance while racing to fulfill orders. Grozdina said she wears a mask to work that she bought herself and immediately showers when she gets home.

Among their demands, the strike organizers want hazard pay of $5 an order and supplies of hand sanitizer, wipes and cleaning supplies free of charge. On Sunday, the company said it had contracted with a third-party manufacturer to make a hand sanitizer spray that workers can request at no cost via a website starting Monday, with shipments starting in a few days.

Data show online grocery orders jumping even before some cities and states imposed “stay at home” orders. During the week of March 2, Instacart, Amazon, and Walmart grocery delivery services each saw at least a 65 percent sales increase compared to the same time last year, according to estimates from Earnest Research.

Instacart has started offering bonuses of between $25 and $200 for its hourly employees dependent on hours worked until April 15.

Instacart also announced a month-long extension of a temporary policy giving 14 days of paid leave to workers who are diagnosed with coronavirus, or have been ordered to isolate themselves. The strike organizers that policy extended to workers with a doctor’s note verifying a pre-existing condition that could make them more vulnerable to the virus.

They also demanded that Intacart raise the tip default in its app to 10% from the current 5%. Instead, Instacart announced Sunday it would change the default to the amount the customer last tipped, saying tips have increased considerably during the virus crisis.

Instacart said previously that it has added more “promotions” — or extra pay for contracted full-service shoppers to accept certain orders.

That was not enough to lure back Shanna Foster, a single mother who stopped working her Instacart gig two weeks ago out of fear of contracting the virus.

“They need to give us hazard pay right now and it should be guaranteed,” said Foster, of Simi Valley, California.

Other companies such as Amazon and Walmart have also announced hiring sprees to meet a surge for both deliveries and in-store essentials. Amazon has increased pay for its workers, including those at its Whole Foods Grocery stores.

While such low-wage jobs put people on the front lines of the pandemic, many people are applying as layoffs surge in retail, restaurant, hospitality and other industries.

Summer Cooper, 39, started working as an Instacart shopper in the Tampa Bay area recently after losing her position as a server at a hotel restaurant. She was unaware of the possible strike.

“I’m grateful to have some way to make money,” Cooper said.

Darrin Burdette, an Instacart shopper in Colorado Springs, said joining a strike would “not help me in any way.”

An Uber driver, Burdette said he relies entirely on his Instacart gig since demand for ride-hailing services plunged. He said he is earning about $30 an hour as Instacart orders rise. On his app, he can see that many orders have come from people using the service for the first time.

Michelle Ellwood, 43, began using the app shortly after her family returned from a trip abroad and decided to self-isolate for two weeks. She said Instacart shoppers have gone out of their way to fulfill orders. One, she said, returned with a chicken after previously being unable to find meat at local stores.

“It’s amazing that they are doing this. I’m grateful. I’m hopeful they are able to take care of their families through this,” said Ellwood of Canandaigua, New York.

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Anderson reported from St. Petersburg, Florida.

New top story from Time: New York State Surpasses 1,000 Coronavirus Deaths

(NEW YORK) — New York state’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak surged Sunday above 1,000, less than a month after the first case was detected in the state.

New York City reported in the evening that its toll had risen to 776. The total number of statewide deaths isn’t expected to be released until Monday, but with at least 250 additional deaths recorded outside the city as of Sunday morning, the state’s total fatalities was at least 1,026.

The virus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, has torn through New York with frightening speed.

The first known infection in the state was discovered on March 1 in a health care worker who recently returned from Iran. Two days later, the state got its second case, a lawyer from the suburb of New Rochelle.

By March 10, Gov. Andrew Cuomo had declared a “containment area” in New Rochelle that shuttered area schools and houses of worship. That same day, the metropolitan area saw its first fatality: a man who worked at a harness track in Yonkers and lived in New Jersey.

By March 12, the state had banned all gatherings of more than 500 people, darkening Broadway theaters and sports arenas. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio closed New York City’s schools March 15.

More severe restrictions came March 20, when Cuomo ordered all nonessential workers to stay home, barred gatherings of any size and instructed anyone out in public to stay at least 6 feet from other people. At the time, only 35 New Yorkers had been killed by the virus.

That was only nine days ago.

Here are the latest coronavirus developments in New York:

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‘UNPRECEDENTED’ SURGE IN 911 CALLS

New Yorkers are hearing a constant wail of sirens as weary ambulance crews respond to a record volume of 911 calls.

The city’s ambulances are responding to about 6,000 calls a day — more than 50% more than average. Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said Sunday that the last five days have been the busiest stretch in the history of the city’s EMS operation.

“This is unprecedented,” de Blasio said. “We have never seen our EMS system get this many calls — ever.”

Nigro said the surge is delaying responses to lower-level calls. De Blasio said the city is planning to shift personnel onto EMS crews to help keep up with demand.

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MAYOR: DAYS BEFORE SUPPLIES RUN OUT

De Blasio said he has asked the federal government to deliver 400 more ventilators to city hospitals by Wednesday and warned that without reinforcements the city will run out of masks, gowns and other hospital supplies in a week.

With the expected peak of cases in the city still two to three weeks away, de Blasio said he has asked the U.S. military to aid in sending needs new waves of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel to the city.

Cuomo said Sunday that more than 76,000 health professionals, including many who’ve recently retired from the field, have volunteered to help in the coronavirus fight.

The USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship with 1,000 beds, 12 operating rooms and a full medical staff, is scheduled to arrive in the city on Monday. It will be used to treat non-coronavirus patients to free up space in city hospitals..

A 68-bed field hospital is being built in Manhattan’s Central Park. Samaritan’s Purse, a charity run by Christian evangelical preacher Franklin Graham, built a similar temporary facility in Italy to help deal with the crisis there. He said the New York City version could be up and running Tuesday.

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POOR NEIGHBORHOODS HIT HARD

Coronavirus is overwhelming some of New York City’s poorest neighborhoods, according to new data released by the city.

Queens accounts for 32% of the city’s more than 30,000 confirmed cases as of Saturday — more than any other borough.

Neighborhoods such as Jackson Heights, Elmhurst and Corona, which are generally poor, densely packed and have large non-English speaking populations, have been among the hardest hit, according to a city map showing percent ranges of people testing positive for the disease. In those areas, between 69% and 86% of the tests done have come back positive.

A hospital in Elmhurst has been overrun with coronavirus cases.

Statistics on coronavirus cases do not reflect everyone who may have the virus, because many people have been told to manage their illness at home and are not getting tested.

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EARLY PATIENT GOES HOME

The number of patients being discharged at the state’s hospitals after they’ve been treated for coronavirus has increased daily to a high of 845 on Saturday, Cuomo said. In all, more than 3,500 people have been discharged.

They include a lawyer from the New York City suburbs connected to one of the earliest U.S. coronavirus clusters. Lawrence Garbuz’s family and neighbor were infected, as well as members of his synagogue.

“The ‘patient zero’ — what we call patient zero in Westchester, New Rochelle — who was very sick for a very long time, he has actually gone home,” Cuomo said Sunday. “He’s out of the hospital.”

As of Sunday, more than 8,500 people remain hospitalized across the state because of the disease, including more than 2,000 in intensive care.

Those totals are continuing to spike, but Cuomo said they’re not multiplying nearly as quickly as they were last week. From March 16-19, the number of hospitalizations in the state doubled every two days. Now it’s taking about six days for the number to double.

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STATE PUSHES FOR MORE FEDERAL MONEY

Cuomo spoke with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday after lambasting the federal government for giving the state a fraction of needed funding as it faces a potential revenue shortfall of up to $15 billion due to the economic damaged caused by the virus.

“They committed to right the wrong in the next federal bill that passes, and the governor is committed to working with them to make that a reality,” Cuomo senior adviser Richard Azzoparadi told The Associated Press.

Schumer called the conversation “long and productive.”

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TRAVEL ADVISORY CONCERNS

On Saturday, after saying he was weighing the idea of a mandatory quarantine for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, President Donald Trump tweeted that instead he’d issue advisory urging people in those states to avoid any nonessential travel for two weeks.

De Blasio said he worried about the advisory’s impact on families with members in New York and other places who were looking to reunite.

“We’ve got to respect, in the middle of a crisis, families have a right to be together,” de Blasio said.

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

— With schools and many day care centers closed, states, local governments and philanthropists are scrambling to provide child care for parents who are needed on the front lines of the virus fight.

— College students were sent home because of the coronavirus are taking advantage of their last days on campus to forge a few more memories.

— James Dolan, the owner of the New York Knicks and Rangers, has tested positive for COVID-19.

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Marina Villeneuve reported from Albany, New York.