Wristwatch overshadows South Korea sect leader's coronavirus apology

GAPYEONG, South Korea (Reuters) - When the elderly leader of a South Korean religious sect knelt before the nation on Monday, he had hoped to defuse public anger over his church's role in spreading the coronavirus.

Yet Lee Man-hee's apology for the national "calamity" instead whipped up more outrage - due to a watch he was wearing.

The gold-colored watch, visible on his left wrist, was apparently given by disgraced former President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached and jailed in 2017 for corruption and abuse of power.

Images of the watch quickly trended on Twitter, while "Lee Man-hee watch" was the most searched phrase on South Korea's biggest search portal Naver.

"He is bragging about Park's gift," fumed one Twitter user.

"His watch was shiny and crystal clear, like his loyalty and ties with Park Geun-hye," jibed another.

There was no comment on the controversy from Lee. But a leader at his Shincheonji Church of Jesus said there was nothing untoward about the watch, which was given as a merit award.

"It has nothing to do with politics," the official told Reuters, noting that Lee, in his late 80s, was a veteran of the Korean War. "He wears it because he doesn't have anything else."

Lee, a self-proclaimed messiah, has been widely criticized for failing to do enough to stop the coronavirus after one of its members tested positive and infected many others.

South Korea has 4,335 cases and has seen 26 deaths.

"We did our best but were not able to stop the spread of the virus," Lee told a news conference, asking for forgiveness and bowing low twice in a sign of humility and regret.

The watch Lee wore did not appear an especially valuable one: similar models were being traded for 120,000-500,000 won ($100-$420) secondhand online.

In images from the news conference, the watch seems to have the presidential phoenix insignia and Park's signature inscribed

But Lee Gun-yong, a former aide in Park's presidential office and now a leader in the opposition United Future Party, said on Facebook that Lee's watch must have been fake, as Park's office only made silver ones.

United Future Party, a conservative political movement formerly headed by Park, denied Lee and the party had any political connections.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/wristwatch-overshadows-south-korea-sect-124321967.html

Turkey shoots down Syrian warplanes, kills hundreds of government forces

Turkey shot down two Syrian Su-24 fighter jets and struck several bases deep in Syrian government territory, killing hundreds of Syrian forces and destroying armaments, Turkey's Defense Ministry said, calling the attacks retaliation for airstrikes that killed 36 Turkish soldiers on Thursday. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey has killed 2,200 Syrian troops and destroyed significant amounts of heavy weaponry and armaments since the conflict between Syria and Turkey escalated in the past few days. Danny Makki, a Syrian analyst, put the number of Syrian troops killed in the hundreds.

Turkey's offensive appears to have erased or at least stopped Syria's recent push to recapture the last opposition strongholds in Idlib province, The Washington Post reports. "Russia, Syria's most important ally, refrained from intervening on its behalf for the first time since the Idlib fighting first erupted last year, suggesting an unwillingness by Moscow to allow the spiraling confrontation between Turkey and Syria to jeopardize its relationship with Ankara or to escalate into a wider conflict with an important NATO member." The U.S., Turkey's ally, also has troops in eastern Syria.

Turkey has repeatedly warned Syria and its allies to stop their march toward the Turkish border, sending waves of refugees into Turkey in what the United Nations has deemed one of the worst humanitarian crises of the nine-year-old Syrian war. Turkey has opened its northern border, allowing refugees to pass on to Europe. In return, Greece sealed its border, trapping hundreds of refugees in a no-man's land.

"Over the past few days, Russia has done nothing in the face of an offensive that is rapidly destroying the capabilities of the Syrian army," Makki told the Post. "Russia's central interests in Syria have been secured, whether political or economic, so Russia has nothing to gain by entering into an awkward and bloody confrontation with Turkey, which is a member of NATO."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/turkey-shoots-down-syrian-warplanes-110505989.html

No touchy for Hitlers Daughter

No handshake for Merkel as Germany coronavirus cases reach 150

Berlin (AFP) - Germany's interior minister rebuffed Chancellor Angela Merkel's attempt to shake hands with him on Monday as the number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 150 with Berlin reporting its first infection.

When Merkel reached out to greet Horst Seehofer at a meeting on migration in Berlin, he smiled and kept both his hands to himself.

They both laughed and Merkel then threw her hand up in the air before taking a seat.

Health experts have recommended avoiding handshakes as a way of preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

There are now 150 confirmed cases in Germany, Lothar Weiler of the Robert Koch Institute disease control agency said on Monday – up from 129 the previous day.

The alert level has been raised from "low to moderate" to "moderate," Weiler said, with authorities saying there was no need for drastic measures such as border closures to stem the contagion.

The virus has now spread to 10 of Germany's 16 states, with more than half the confirmed cases in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Germany's most populous state emerged as a hotspot after an infected couple attended carnival celebrations there, infecting dozens of people.

Amid growing fears over contagion, disinfectants, hand sanitisers and other protective products have sold out in many German shops.

In Lower Saxony, 1,200 protective face masks were stolen from a hospital in the town of Sulingen near Bremen, news agency DPA reported on Monday, citing local police.

The hospital reported the theft after a stock check revealed that the masks were missing from a storage room.

They were probably stolen on Wednesday or Thursday last week, police said.

Germany has cancelled several major gatherings in a bid to curb the spread of the virus, including this week's ITB travel trade fair in Berlin.

Health Minister Jens Spahn stressed on Monday that it was too early to say whether further public events would be cancelled.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/no-handshake-merkel-germany-coronavirus-cases-reach-150-130838070.html

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