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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand has set itself an ambitious goal of not just containing the coronavirus, but eliminating it altogether. Experts believe the country could pull it off, thanks to its geography and decisive early actions by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who put the country into a strict lockdown early in its outbreak. But whatever happens, New Zealand will continue feeling the effects of the pandemic, which has hobbled its vital tourism industry. Once a symbol of national pride, Air New Zealand is laying off thousands of employees and has cut 95% of its flights.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The South Korean government is looking into unconfirmed reports saying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in fragile condition after surgery. South Korea’s main spy agency said it couldn’t immediately confirm the report and the Unification Ministry, which deals with inter-Korean affairs, would not comment. CNN cited an anonymous U.S. official who said Kim was in “grave danger” after an unspecified surgery, and Daily NK cited anonymous sources to report Kim was improving after heart surgery. Kim missed the important celebration of his late grandfather Kim Il Sung on April 15. Outside governments and media have a mixed record on information about North Korea’s ruling elite, who stringently control information about them.
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s governor plans to restart the state’s economy before the end of the week. He says many businesses that closed to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus could reopen as early as Friday. Georgia’s timetable is one of the most aggressive in the nation. It would allow gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors to reopen as long as owners follow strict social-distancing and hygiene requirements. By Monday, movie theaters may resume selling tickets, and restaurants limited to takeout orders could return to limited dine-in service. Neighboring Tennessee planned to let businesses in most of the state begin reopening as soon as next week.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration and Congress are struggling to seal an agreement on more than $450 billion to help small businesses hurt by the coronavirus, but both sides insist a final pact is within reach. President Donald Trump says he expects a Senate vote “hopefully” on Tuesday. As talks continue, the contours of the deal appear largely set. Most of the funding would go to boost a small-business payroll loan program that’s out of money. Additional help would be given to hospitals, and billions more would be spent to boost testing for the virus.
BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares are lower after oil prices plunged below zero as storage for crude runs close to full amid a worldwide glut. Shares fell in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai early Tuesday, while New York stock futures edged higher. The cost to have a barrel of U.S. crude delivered in May plummeted to negative $37.63, although traders are still paying more than $20 per barrel for U.S. oil to be delivered in June. Analysts consider that to be closer to the “true” price of oil. The S&P 500 fell 1.8%, giving up some of the big gains from its first back-to-back weekly gain since February.
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