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05:23
Yemen faces coronavirus spectrum amid aid cuts
Ramadan is a quiet matter in Yemen this year. “People are very afraid,” said Ahmed, a humanitarian worker in the rebel-controlled capital of Houthi, Sana’a, who asked that his last name be withheld. “There is no money, there is no medical care and now you cannot even celebrate iftar with the family due to the coronavirus.”
Yemen, where five years of war have already created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, is especially vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite a unilateral ceasefire announced by Saudi Arabia last month, there has been an upsurge in fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-Emirati-led coalition on behalf of the Yemen government, as well as renewed hostilities between the coalition and separatist forces in the country. south.
The new violence, combined with deficits and cuts in humanitarian funds, means that Covid-19 could not have come at a worse time:
EU faces “existential threat” if recovery from coronavirus is uneven
The risk of uneven economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis poses an “existential threat” to the European Union, said one of its top policy makers.
Paolo Gentiloni, a former Italian prime minister and now EU economy commissioner, said the bloc also had a “historic opportunity” as it outlines a plan to rescue Europe’s economy.
In an interview a few days after the commission said Europe had entered “the deepest economic recession in its history,” Gentiloni said the EU needed a “sound recovery plan” to avoid the risks of economic division. Closed stores and factories, planes on the ground and consumers staying home as a result of closure restrictions mean the EU economy is expected to shrink by 7.5% in 2020, a deeper fall than the financial crisis of 2009.
Chinese authorities are preparing to assess the 11 million Wuhan residents, after a small outbreak in the city earlier this week. It is widely believed that this will be done in 10 days, an extraordinary task for a city of 11 million people.
However, Chinese media reports have provided more clarity today, suggesting that while there is a citywide test plan, the time limit is for each region at staggered start times.
“Each district will make arrangements for the nucleic acid detection plan for all members within 10 days,” said a notice from the Wuhan government.
Caixin Global reported that some districts will start this week and others next. The article quoted Wuhan disease control officials as saying the tests will be carried out by outside companies and some hospital and disease control employees.
However, he said the testing rate couldn’t see more than 100,000 per day.
On Tuesday, Yicai news said the Wuchang district would be screened between May 13 and May 20, but with the intention of ending before May 17 to allow three days “to uncover and fill in the gaps.”
A resident of Jianghan, once the most affected district of Wuhan, told the media that he had received a registration form on Tuesday for him and his family to report that they had been examined or registered for testing. Peng Zhiyong, director of the intensive care unit at Wuhan University Zhongnan Hospital, told the Global Times that he had not received any details of the test plan until Tuesday.
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04:52
The lifting of coronavirus blocks in China has given the stuttering auto industry a boost, with sales rising for the first time in two years as buyers return as the health crisis eases, AFP reports.
Sales in the world’s largest car market began to drop in 2018 and plummeted further when the pandemic paralyzed the economy, but they have recovered as the country tames the virus and lifts restrictions on travel and business. .
Sales increased 4.4% yoy in April, according to the latest figures from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, driven by strong demand for commercial vehicles, which shot up more than 30%.
The recent surge came as China emerged from months of confinement and movement restrictions imposed across the country earlier this year to curb the spread of the virus.
Passenger car sales suffered at the time, falling about 80% from a year ago in February, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association.
04:40
Asian markets fell again on Wednesday after Donald Trump’s top virus adviser warned that easing blockade measures too soon could spark another dangerous wave of infections and hurt economic recovery, AFP reports.
Tensions between the United States and China raised traders’ concern after lawmakers in Washington proposed giving the president powers to impose new sanctions if Beijing does not give a “full explanation” of the coronavirus outbreak.
Tokyo ended the morning with a 0.8% drop, while Hong Kong fell 0.2% and Shanghai fell 0.3%.
Sydney lost 0.9%, while there were also losses in Seoul, Singapore, Manila, Jakarta and Wellington.
The second day of sales followed losses on Wall Street and recent gains fueled by slowing infection and death rates, and the lifting of stranglehold measures in the economy that kept billions at home.
The recent optimism that has circulated through the markets, helped by trillions of dollars in global stimulus and support from the central bank, has been shaken by data showing new outbreaks in South Korea, China and Germany.
04:32
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Germany increased from 798 to 171,306, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Wednesday.
The reported death toll rose from 101 to 7,634, according to the count.
04:13
Launched amid growing coronavirus scare, a Japanese video chat website designed to host virtual drinking parties has skyrocketed in popularity, while bars and pubs remain closed, Reuters reports.
The Japanese consider nomikai, or drinking gatherings, to be essential for building strong relationships between friends and co-workers. Taking advantage of that culture, Tacnom, which means drinks at home in Japanese, has attracted 2.4 million users in its first two months.
“I really did not expect this impact and I am extremely happy,” Takashi Kiyose, executive director of operator 1010 Inc of Tacnom told Reuters.
Tacnom does not require downloads or registration unlike other online video platforms, but its users can create a URL link and share it with their friends to join virtual meetings of up to 12 people.
“I hope that our service can help users meet people they cannot see now. She would be very happy if her time at home due to personal restrictions on going out becomes rich, “said Kiyose.
Japan remains in a state of emergency until the end of May. The measure allows local municipalities to urge people to stay inside, but without punitive measures or legal force. The country has reported around 15,000 cases of coronavirus and 633 deaths from the virus.
04:03
China reported seven new coronavirus infections on the mainland on May 12, compared to one the day before, the national health authority said on Wednesday.
Of the seven new cases reported by mainland China today, six are people infected by local transmission in Jilin province, which borders Russia and North Korea. Authorities have now ordered stricter blocking measures in response.
According to Beijing News, residents of Jilin City must test for the virus on their own and obtain a negative result before they are allowed to travel to other cities. They must also complete a strict quarantine of their own.
There are new requirements for entering and leaving residences, meetings such as dinners have been banned, and public transportation has been suspended.
It comes after the province’s Shulan city was reclassified as high-risk and was ordered to partially close this week after confirming 12 cases.
03:59
Mexico’s government gave the green light Tuesday to the key auto industry to restart production after weeks of disruption due to the coronavirus pandemic, a decision that should pave the way to reopen North American supply chains, Reuters reports.
The government’s health committee, which issues binding sanitation rules, said it agreed to add transportation equipment manufacturers, a category that includes the automotive and aerospace industries, to the list of activities deemed essential.
Mexican auto production fell almost 99% in April, and the government is under pressure from the United States to synchronize its restart with US companies that depend on supply chains south of the border.
However, the virus outbreak in Mexico is several weeks behind the US epidemic. And the health authorities have been cautious to avoid moving too fast and putting more lives at risk.
Mexico’s Social Security Institute said 555,247 people registered with it lost their jobs in April, while Mexico’s daily death toll on Tuesday was the highest yet since the outbreak.
03:44
Foreign Policy obtained a leaked set of data from a Chinese military university that it says could give extraordinary insight into the accuracy of statistics published in China, but is not shared with other countries or the World Health Organization.
“Beijing claims that since the coronavirus pandemic started late last year, there have only been 82,919 confirmed cases and 4,633 deaths in mainland China,” the report says.
“Those numbers could be more or less accurate, and in that case a detailed count would be an important tool in judging the spread of the virus. But it is also possible that the numbers presented to the rest of the world are greatly underestimated compared to Beijing’s private figures. “
James “Stay inside. Make masks. Test people” Palmer
(@BeijingPalmer)Each of those updates contains information about a particular location, from hospitals to hotels, at a particular time, and each one typically involves a number of cases. But there are multiple time sequences for each, and some cases probably cross between locations.
According to Foreign Policy, the dataset has incredibly detailed breakdowns of the country’s epidemic, with more than 640,000 updates of information from 230 cities.
“Each update includes the latitude, longitude, and the number of ‘confirmed’ cases at the site, for dates ranging from early February to late April,” the report says.
“The dataset, while containing inconsistencies, and while it may not be comprehensive enough to contradict official Beijing numbers, it is the most extensive dataset on coronavirus cases in China. But more importantly, it can serve as a valuable treasure trove of information for epidemiologists and public health experts around the world, a dataset that Beijing has almost certainly not shared with American officials or doctors. “
03:00
02:39
The Guardian’s Charlotte Graham-McLay reports:
“There is no recovery playbook we’re about to embark on, but we don’t need one either,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a speech the day before her government revealed its annual budget.
“When it comes to Covid-19, we have charted a path based on our people, our healthcare system, and our economy. And now that is exactly what we will do again, as we recover and rebuild. “
His comments came as New Zealand recorded a second consecutive day with no new Covid-19 cases, and is preparing to further loosen the closure restrictions on Thursday.
Noting that his finance minister’s spending plan will be released during “the most challenging economic conditions facing any government since the Great Depression,” Ardern said the government would respond not with austerity but with investment.
“We will enforce the rule on every spending line, we certainly need to make sure that our spending provides value for money and supports our primary employment objective,” he said. “But the notion that in this time of need we would cut back on essential services that so many New Zealanders need more than ever is not only immoral, it is economically incorrect.”
His government yesterday made a pre-budget announcement of NZ $ 4 billion for the New Zealand healthcare system. Grant Robertson, the finance minister, has already allocated a stimulus of NZ $ 22 billion, half in salary subsidies, since Covid-19 arrived in New Zealand.
You can read our preview of Robertson’s Budget here:
Updated
In other New Zealand news: The country’s ban on grand funerals and tangi has been described as “inhumane” by the opposition leader, and “disappointing” and “cruel” by indigenous funeral directors.
New Zealand is slated to break out of the coronavirus blockade and resume many parts of normal life on Thursday, but restrictions on funerals and tangi remain, with only ten mourners allowed. The same rules also apply to weddings.
Simon Bridges, the leader of the national party and a Maori man, said the limit of 10 mourners would cause more pain and grief for families wishing to say goodbye to a loved one.
“It is not fair that there can be 30 people on a rugby field playing close contact sports, but there cannot be more than ten people at a funeral for them to cry together,” Bridges said in a statement:
The Guardian’s Charlotte Graham-McLay reports:
New Zealand has reported for the second day in a row that there are no new cases of Covid-19, the day before the government further loosens blockade restrictions on the country.
94% of 1,147 people in New Zealand confirmed that Covid-19 had recovered, Ashley Bloomfield, director general of health, said at a press conference in Wellington.
20 people have died from the coronavirus in New Zealand. There were no additional deaths on Wednesday.
The New Zealand government has been praised for its strict and early closure of the country when just over 200 people had been diagnosed with Covid-19 and no one had died. A strict national closure of one month followed.
While the restrictions have already been relaxed a little, the country will open even more tomorrow, and New Zealanders will be able to socialize outside their homes for the first time in groups of no more than 10 people. Many more businesses will reopen, including cafes, shops, and restaurants. Next week, schools and bars will reopen; Schools had been operating in limited capacity in recent weeks.
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