Síntesis informativa - 25 de marzo 2020
THE NEW YORK TIMES
The $2 trillion relief package is the biggest in American history
The White House and Congress struck a deal in the predawn hours to deliver $2 trillion in government relief to a nation increasingly under lockdown, watching nervously as the twin threats of disease and economic ruin grow more dire.
Trump Wants U.S. ‘Opened Up’ by Easter, Despite Health Officials’ Warnings
WASHINGTON — President Trump said on Tuesday that he wanted to reopen the country for business by Easter, on April 12, despite widespread warnings from public health experts that the worst effects of the coronavirus were still weeks away and that lifting the restrictions now in place would result in unnecessary deaths.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-easter.html
Can We Put a Price Tag on a Life? The Shutdown Forces a New Look
“Economists should be doing this cost-benefit analysis,” said Walter Scheidel, an economic historian at Stanford University. “Why is nobody putting some numbers on the economic costs of a monthlong or a yearlong shutdown against the lives saved?” There is, however, a widespread consensus among economists and public health experts that lifting the restrictions would impose huge costs in additional lives lost to the virus — and deliver little lasting benefit to the economy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/business/economy/coronavirus-economy.html
Modi Orders 3-Week Total Lockdown for All 1.3 Billion Indians
NEW DELHI — India’s prime minister ordered all 1.3 billion people in the country to stay inside their homes for three weeks starting Wednesday — the biggest and most severe action undertaken anywhere to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The breadth and depth of such a challenge is staggering in a country where hundreds of millions of citizens are destitute and countless millions live in packed urban areas with poor sanitation and weak public health care. In the densely populated quarters that ring all sides of the capital, the economy is powered by manual laborers and informal workers. Even in the urban areas, many cannot work from home or purchase essential items online.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/world/asia/india-coronavirus-lockdown.html
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RUSSIA TODAY
Putin forced to delay key vote to reset presidential term limits due to Covid-19
The planned national vote on constitutional amendments in Russia will be postponed from April to a later date, President Vladimir Putin said, citing the threat of Covid-19. He also declared the next work week a holiday.
https://www.rt.com/russia/484059-putin-voting-constitution-postponed/
US stimulus just ‘another temporary bandage’ adding to massive amounts of debt – chief strategist tells Boom Bust
The US Senate and the White House have reached an agreement on a $2 trillion relief plan to buffer the economy as fears of a deep global recession continue to mount amid the coronavirus outbreak. Todd Horwitz of Bubba Trading said “Stimulus is not going to create growth,” he says, explaining that if people are going back to work that does not mean that “we are getting growth, it is not going to affect the companies’ earnings. “This is only another temporarily bandage that they are slapping out. No difference what the Federal Reserve is doing with these bandages they continue to apply, in the meantime accumulating massive amounts of debt which we’ll never get out of.”
https://www.rt.com/business/484037-us-stimulus-financial-markets/
Russia sends cargo ship with military ambulances toward Syria after virus outbreak – report
A cargo ship operated by the Russian Navy passed through Turkey’s Bosphorus strait en route to Syria on Tuesday loaded with ambulances, Reuters said. The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday that an immediate nationwide ceasefire is needed across Syria to enable an “all-out-effort” to stamp out the coronavirus and prevent it from ravaging a beleaguered population.
https://www.rt.com/newsline/484030-russia-ship-bosphorus-syria/
Bolsonaro wants economy, jobs prioritized in Brazil’s fight against coronavirus
President Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday some of Brazil’s governors and mayors were guilty of crimes for organizing coronavirus shutdowns that threaten to “destroy” the economy. The president also urged businesses to reopen to survive the crisis. Bolsonaro has increasingly taken the view, shared by US President Donald Trump, that jobs must be prioritized over the economically damaging shutdowns favored by public health experts, Reuters said.
https://www.rt.com/newsline/484047-bolsonaro-economy-brazil-outbreak/
Gunmen attack Sikh religious gathering in Afghan capital, Kabul, 25 people reportedly killed
Gunmen and suicide bombers stormed a Sikh gathering in the heart of the Afghan capital’s old city Wednesday morning. The Afghan interior ministry reports at least 25 people were killed and eight others injured in the attack. Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack.
https://www.rt.com/news/484019-sikh-kabul-attack-dead/
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THE GUARDIAN
Quarantined Brazilians protest against Bolsonaro from windows and balconies: 'Get out!'
Draconian measures designed to slow the spread of coronavirus mean millions of Brazilians are now cooped up at home and unable to take their anger on to the streets.
But for the last week protesters across the country have appeared at their windows and used kitchenware to convey the fury they feel towards Jair Bolsonaro.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/brazil-coronavirus-protests-get-out-bolsonaro
Coronavirus death toll in Spain overtakes China as lockdowns extend around globe
The death toll in Spain has overtaken that in China, climbing to 3,434 and sitting behind only Italy, in a pandemic that has left about 20% of the world’s population living under lockdown.
After more than a week in lockdown, Spain has emerged as one of Europe’s hardest-hit countries, with 738 lives claimed in the past 24 hours. Italy remains the centre of the crisis with a total of 6,820 deaths – more than double the 3,285 deaths documented in Hubei, China.
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AL JAZEERA
Gunmen storm Sikh religious complex in Kabul, many feared trapped
Gunmen and suicide bombers have stormed a Sikh religious complex in the Afghan capital Kabul and were locked in a continuing battle with security forces, the Ministry of Interior has said.
Security forces cordoned off the area, located in old Kabul, and were trying to counter the attack, which began at 7:45am local time, Ministry of Interior spokesman Tariq Arian said in a message to journalists.
92 Chad soldiers killed in 'deadliest' Boko Haram attack
At least 92 soldiers from Chad have been killed in the deadliest-ever attack by the Boko Haram armed group on the country's military forces, President Idriss Deby said on Tuesday.
"We lost 92 of our soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers," the president said of the attack overnight on Sunday in Boma.
HRW: Saudi forces torture, disappear Yemeni civilians
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned Saudi Arabia and Saudi-backed forces in war-torn Yemen for carrying out a series of abuses against Yemeni civilians in the furthermost eastern province of al-Mahra.
In a report published on Wednesday, the New York-based group said the abuses included arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances and illegal transfers of detainees from Yemen to Saudi Arabia.
Deal struck on $2tn US coronavirus stimulus package: Live updates
The White House and Senate leaders of both parties have struck an agreement on a sweeping $2 trillion measure to aid workers, businesses and a healthcare system strained by the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak.
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LE MONDE
Aux Etats-Unis, un accord pour un plan de sauvetage historique de 2 000 milliards de dollars
Ce programme d’aide viendra au secours des entreprises en difficulté et des ménages frappés par la récession due au coronavirus alors que le cœur de la première économie mondiale menace de s’arrêter.
Julien Bouissou
C’est le plus vaste plan de sauvetage économique de l’histoire des Etats-Unis. Le sénat américain et la Maison Blanche se sont mis d’accord, dans la nuit de mardi 24 à mercredi 25 mars, sur un plan de 2 000 milliards de dollars (1 847 milliards d’euros) pour aider l’économie du pays à traverser la récession et résister au choc provoqué par l’épidémie due au coronavirus.
Le plan de sauvetage prévoit des garanties de prêt aux entreprises en difficulté, une aide directe aux ménages les plus modestes, une hausse des indemnités d’assurance chômage et une couverture étendue pour éviter des licenciements massifs.
Coronavirus : le premier ministre éthiopien demande 150 milliards de dollars d’aide pour l’Afrique
Abiy Ahmed a appelé le G20 à soutenir les économies du continent, fragilisées par la crise sanitaire mondiale, en allégeant notamment leur dette.
L’Arabie saoudite, qui préside actuellement le G20, a appelé la semaine dernière à l’organisation prochaine d’un sommet « virtuel » de ce regroupement des vingt principales puissances économiques mondiales, pour coordonner la réponse au coronavirus.
Ce plan d’aide financière de 150 milliards de dollars inclurait un soutien budgétaire de la Banque mondiale et du Fonds monétaire international (FMI), selon ce même communiqué. Pour alléger la dette, M. Abiy propose que les intérêts sur les prêts des gouvernements soient effacés, de même que la dette des pays à faibles revenus.
Poutine-2024, signe de faiblesse et aveu d’échec
En s’autorisant à solliciter deux nouveaux mandats, le président russe renie ses promesses.
Benoît Vitkine
Le constat s’est peut-être même imposé à Vladimir Poutine : le président russe ne se représentera pas forcément en 2024, mais les discussions sur sa succession suffisaient à paralyser le système.
La solution d’abord évoquée, la création d’un organe, le Conseil d’Etat, qui aurait eu un droit de regard sur un éventuel successeur, n’a pas suffi à résoudre cette équation qui se pose de manière équivalente dans tous les régimes autoritaires : évoquer un départ, c’est déjà renoncer à une partie de son autorité, voire de sa sécurité.
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DEUTSCHE WELLE
Gunmen attack Sikh temple in Kabul
Afghan police engaged in a standoff with unidentified attackers at a Sikh religious complex in the capital Kabul. There were several casualties in the attack now claimed by Islamic State.At least 25 people are thought to have been killed, including a child.
https://www.dw.com/en/gunmen-attack-sikh-temple-in-kabul/a-52907041
Boko Haram kills dozens of soldiers in Chad, Nigeria
Boko Haram has launched its deadliest assault yet against troops in Chad. In a separate attack, the militant group killed at least 50 Nigerian soldiers in an ambush in eastern Borno state
https://www.dw.com/en/boko-haram-kills-dozens-of-soldiers-in-chad-nigeria/a-52906166
No country is free from modern slavery, but would you know it if you saw it
modern forms of the sinister practice persist. More than 40 million people still toil in debt bondage in Asia, forced labor in the Gulf states, or as child workers in agriculture in Africa or Latin America
Human trafficking is big business, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Sectors such as construction or mining exploit almost exclusively men, while victims of forced prostitution and exploitation in private households tend to be women.
Here in the UK, there are estimates of as many as 138,000 people who are trapped in modern slavery. Every country in Europe, including Germany, has that problem and in many different forms
https://www.dw.com/en/why-modern-slavery-and-human-trafficking-still-exist-world/a-52853992
Mozambique: Dozens of bodies found in truck container
Police and immigration authorities have discovered 64 bodies and 14 survivors in the back of a truck in Mozambique. The people are believed to be migrants from Ethiopia hoping to reach South Africa.
https://www.dw.com/en/mozambique-dozens-of-bodies-found-in-truck-container/a-52905233
Coronavirus: German parliament set to pass historic aid package
Germany's lower house of parliament is expected to pass a €750 billion ($814 billion) aid package on Wednesday to cushion the economy from the direct impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-german-parliament-set-to-pass-historic-aid-package/a-52908339
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BLOOMBERG
What’s in Congress’s $2 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Package
The massive stimulus package negotiated between the Trump administration and congressional leaders early Wednesday is an unprecedented $2 trillion aid package designed to help the public and the economy to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic. The bill provides direct help to citizens, businesses, hospitals and state and local governments. It needs to be passed by the Senate and the House. A Senate vote may come as soon as Wednesday.
Coronavirus Is a Stress Test for Future Climate Shocks
By Emily Chasan
Risk modelers are looking at the global response to Covid-19 as a test case for how climate shocks could roil markets and push governments to respond to existential threats. The 2° Investing Initiative, a European think tank that works with large financial firms and regulators to plan for climate risks, tried its hand at mapping out Coronavirus scenarios this week. “There are some similarities to climate risk in terms of the speed and scale with which the crisis is materializing and because this is also an exogenous risk that’s not part of the normal business cycle,” said Jakob Thomä, a managing director in Berlin.
The virus is a completely different economic scenario, however: while long-term climate risks are felt by an entire region in terms of unemployment and economic activity, Covid-19 has a bigger impact on older age groups. Swift national shutdowns and the expectation that the virus has an end date will also have a dissimilar impact on the economy. But the current crisis highlights something risk modelers do want to spend more time on: the social consequences of climate change.
Germany Approves Emergency Borrowing for Historic Virus Bailout
By Birgit Jennen, Arne Delfs, and Piotr Skolimowski
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government secured emergency spending, unlocking a historic rescue package designed to cushion the blow of the coronavirus pandemic. A majority of lawmakers in the Bundestag voted on Wednesday to allow additional borrowing to combat the crisis, according to the legislature’s president. The Bundesrat, or upper house of parliament, will vote on Friday.
As Coronavirus Reaches War Zones, UN Readies $2 Billion Aid
The United Nations set up a $2 billion humanitarian aid fund to help install hand-washing stations in refugee camps and assist coronavirus patients in places where hospital beds are nonexistent. The UN said Wednesday the fund aims to supply tests and medical equipment to countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America where travel bans have blocked the arrival of necessary goods. The UN will also promote information campaigns with the help of non-governmental organizations.
Nuclear Scientists Developing Faster, Cheaper Covid-19 Test
Nuclear scientists in Austria are closing in on new coronavirus testing kits that could dramatically lower the cost and time it takes to diagnose people for the disease. With Covid-19 tests in short supply in many places, some individuals have turned to private laboratories that can genetically detect the pathogen. That process, called reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, or RT-PCR, can cost as much as $400 in some private facilities.
But the International Atomic Energy Agency expects it can produce Covid-19 tests costing as little as 10 euros ($10.83) that yield a diagnosis within hours, according to an spokesperson, who said the IAEA kits are close to being shipped. While the IAEA’s individual tests may top out at 15 euros a person, countries will still need laboratories to process the results. Setting up a new facility from scratch can cost as much as 100,000 euros, according to the agency.
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AL MAYADEEN
EE.UU. pretende construir nueva base en Iraq para desplegar Patriot
EE.UU. planea construir una base en el oeste de Iraq para desplegar misiles Patriot que usaría en la protección de sus tropas ante eventuales ataques de Irán, revelado fuente militar iraquí bajo condición de anonimato.
“Las fuerzas estadounidenses tienen la intención de establecer una nueva base en el área de Um Samij, ubicada al norte del distrito de Al-Baghdadi, en la ciudad de Hit, en la provincia de Al-Anbar, para desplegar sistemas antimisiles Patriot”, reveló la fuente.
Neutralizan ataque terrorista contra base rusa en Siria
Las defensas antiaéreas sirias neutralizaron un ataque contra la base rusa en Hmeymin, provincia siria de Lattakia, a 348 kilómetros al noreste de Damasco, indicaron reportes de prensa.
Los informes divulgados señalaron que ningún proyectil alcanzó las instalaciones y tampoco la cercana localidad de Jableh, en la costa de esa región mediterránea siria.
http://espanol.almayadeen.net/news/politics/1388006/neutralizan-ataque-contra-base-rusa-en-siria/
EE.UU. utiliza el coronavirus para extender su hostilidad hacia Irán
“EE.UU. pretende sacar provecho de la pandemia del nuevo coronavirus para extender su enemistad hacia la República Islámica”, declaró el secretario del Consejo Supremo de Seguridad Nacional de Irán, Ali Shamjani.
En su cuenta Twitter, el alto funcionario iraní indicó que “solo los políticos estadounidenses consideran el coronavirus una oportunidad para continuar su enemistad hacia Irán”.
Arabia Saudita libera a cientos de prisioneros por coronavirus
Las autoridades sauditas han liberado a cientos de presos de la prisión de Al-Shumaisi, ya que se han registrado 119 nuevos casos de coronavirus, con lo que el total del país asciende a 511.
Los activistas en Twitter compartieron un video que muestra lo que se dice son cientos de prisioneros esparcidos por las calles después de ser liberados.
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EL PAÍS
La Casa Blanca y el Senado pactan el mayor plan de rescate económico de la historia de Estados Unidos
por Amanda Mars
Republicanos y demócratas acuerdan ayudas de dos billones de dólares a empresas y ciudadanos para contener los estragos por la pandemia del coronavirus
Cubanos en el exterior piden a Trump que elimine las sanciones a la isla mientras dure la pandemia
por Mauricio Vicent
Académicos y diplomáticos advierten de que las restricciones comerciales y financieras puede “desencadenar una crisis humanitaria”
La UE da luz verde a la negociación para las adhesiones de Albania y Macedonia del Norte
por Álvaro Sánchez
Francia acepta desbloquear las conversaciones para la entrada de ambos países, aunque estas no tienen todavía fecha
El Estado de Colorado ordena la abolición de la pena de muerte
por Yolanda Monge
Se trata del vigésimo segundo Estado en acabar con una práctica calificada por sus detractores como arbitraria, racialmente sesgada e irresoluble
Turquía imputa a 20 saudíes por el asesinato de Khashoggi y emite órdenes internacionales de arresto
por Andrés Mourenza
Entre los sospechosos por la muerte del periodista hay dos cercanos colaboradores del príncipe heredero de Arabia Saudí, a los que se acusa de instigar el crimen
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PÁGINA 12
Alberto Fernández a quienes violan la cuarentena por coronavirus: "Si no entra con la razón, va a entrar con la fuerza"
El presidente Alberto Fernández se mostró sorprendido con la cantidad de vehículos que ingresaron o intentan hacerlo a la Ciudad de Buenos Aires en medio de la cuarentena que impuso por el coronavirus. El mandatario dejó en claro que profundizarán los controles para evitar la propagación del coronavirus. "Es posible que entre los que se mueven, haya gente que no está autorizada. Les aviso que a donde los encontremos, los detenemos y les vamos a sacar los autos porque son unos inconscientes. Porque si no entra con la razón, va a entrar con la fuerza", advirtió en un mensaje enviado al canal A24.
https://www.pagina12.com.ar/255191-alberto-fernandez-a-quienes-violan-la-cuarentena-por-coronav
EE.UU. vs China: dos relatos sobre el coronavirus
El coronavirus instaló dos sensaciones desde que se transformó en un monotema planetario. El pánico a escala global por su rápido contagio y letalidad y la idea -que se extiende a un ritmo mucho más lento – de que la pandemia nació como un experimento de ingeniería biológica para hundir la economía de China. Los argumentos conspirativos con que los dos países se atribuyen responsabilidades hacen su aporte a este desaguisado donde todos los estados no reaccionan igual. El gobierno de Xi Jinping aisló a una provincia entera, Hubei y casi 60 millones de habitantes con una cuarentena rigurosa. Calles desiertas y militarizadas fueron la postal omnipresente durante dos meses. El antídoto dio resultado. Donald Trump pasó de considerarlo “una simple gripe” a declarar la emergencia nacional.
https://www.pagina12.com.ar/255028-ee-uu-vs-china-dos-relatos-sobre-el-coronavirus
México apuesta a la economía
El gobierno de México está llevando una estrategia disruptiva para enfrentar el coronavirus . Ante el dilema de paralizar totalmente la economía o tomar medidas parciales que mantengan la actividad, el gobierno de Andrés Manuel López Obrador parece decidido a ir por la segunda vía. El subsecretario de Salud mexicano, Hugo López-Gatell, anunció que el país entró en la “fase dos” de la pandemia, que implica el hallazgo de los primeros casos de contagio local del virus.
https://www.pagina12.com.ar/255075-mexico-apuesta-a-la-economia
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EL TIEMPO
EE. UU. anuncia megaplan económico para tratar crisis del coronavirus
La Casa Blanca y los senadores alcanzaron un acuerdo de 2 billones de dólares para estimular la economía de Estados Unidos, gravemente afectada por la pandemia de coronavirus, que avanza con rapidez en el país, donde se contabilizan hasta el momento más de 54.000 contagiados y 775 muertos, según informaron medios locales.
Putin aplaza plebiscito constitucional en Rusia debido al coronavirus
El presidente ruso, Vladímir Putin, anunció este martes el aplazamiento del plebiscito constitucional previsto para el 22 de abril y declaró la próxima semana no laborable en todo el país para contener la propagación del coronavirus.
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LA JORNADA
México abatirá la curva epidémica en 30 o 40 días: López-Gatell
México entró ayer a la fase dos de la transmisión del Covid-19 al pasar de 80 por ciento de contagios por importación del virus, ya sea por connacionales que viajaron al extranjero o por turistas de otras naciones que visitaron el país, a la transmisión comunitaria, anunció Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez, subsecretario de Prevención y Promoción de la Salud de la Secretaría de Salud.
https://www.jornada.com.mx/2020/03/25/politica/002n1pol
A Trump le urge reabrir su país; EU, cerca de ser epicentro del Covid-19: OMS
Nueva York. Donald Trump, alarmando a la gran mayoría de expertos médicos, declaró que desea reabrir el país en unas tres semanas el mismo día que la Organización Mundial de Salud alertó que Estados Unidos está por convertirse en el epicentro mundial de la pandemia del coronavirus, todo mientras el Congreso procede a aprobar un paquete masivo de rescate económico de casi 2 billones de dólares.
https://www.jornada.com.mx/2020/03/25/politica/007n1pol
Temen que AL sea de las zonas más afectadas
Amnistía Internacional (AI) reclamó a los gobiernos latinoamericanos una respuesta al Covid-19 basada en el respeto a los derechos humanos. El Covid-19 en las Américas representa un desafío grave e inédito para una región ya devastada por la violencia, la corrupción, la destrucción medioambiental y la desigualdad económica generalizadas, en la que millones de personas siguen huyendo de sus hogares en busca de seguridad, dijo la directora de AI para las Américas, Erika Guevara Rosas.
https://www.jornada.com.mx/2020/03/25/politica/008n1pol
Importadora mexicana compra crudo venezolano
La firma mexicana Libre Abordo y una compañía relacionada planean adquirir alrededor de 15 millones de barriles de crudo venezolano, como parte de un primer contrato de petróleo a cambio de maíz blanco y cisternas para agua, que negoció con el gobierno de Nicolás Maduro.
https://www.jornada.com.mx/2020/03/25/economia/022n3eco
Países europeos evalúan usar herramientas de espionaje para frenar los contagios
Roma. Varios países europeos evalúan usar herramientas de espionaje para luchar contra el coronavirus, lo que podría ayudar en los esfuerzos para combatir la enfermedad, pero también podría provocar denuncias de violación de privacidad.
Las herramientas incluirían aplicaciones en los celulares que ubican automáticamente al usuario, y que por lo tanto podrían detectar los movimientos de un portador del virus y de las personas con quien entra en contacto. La idea sería tener un mejor panorama de dónde aumentan las infecciones, cómo se propagan y cuándo es necesaria la imposición de una cuarentena.
https://www.jornada.com.mx/2020/03/25/mundo/024n2mun
Bolsonaro zanja crisis diplomática con China provocada por su hijo
Río de Janeiro. El presidente brasileño, Jair Bolsonaro, llamó por teléfono ayer a su homólogo chino, Xi Jinping, después de la crisis diplomática que provocó uno de sus hijos, Eduardo Bolsonaro, quien el pasado fin de semana acusó al gobierno del país asiático de ocultar información sobre la propagación del nuevo coronavirus.
