Zeeman
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Coronavirus News & Updates
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space cadet
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China Considers More Economic Pain for Australia on Virus Spat
China is considering targeting more Australian exports including wine and dairy, according to people familiar with the matter, in what would be a dramatic deterioration in ties as the key trading partners spar over the coronavirus outbreak.
Chinese officials have drawn up a list of potential goods also including seafood, oatmeal and fruit that could be subject to stricter quality checks, anti-dumping probes, tariffs or customs delays, the people said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are private. State media could also encourage consumer boycotts, they said, adding a final decision on the measures had not been made.
Australia, which is the world’s most-China dependent developed economy, has raised Beijing’s ire by calling for an investigation into the origins of the pandemic. President Xi Jinping’s government is sensitive to criticism of its handling of the outbreak and has a track record of using trade as a diplomatic cudgel, with South Korea, Japan and Taiwan all experiencing reprisals in recent years.
China Slaps Duties on Australian Barley as Tensions Escalate
China has already barred meat imports from four Australian slaughterhouses for “technical” reasons, and slapped tariffs of more than 80% on Australian barley late Monday after a long-running inquiry. Any additional measures will depend on how Australia addresses China’s objections, the people said, adding Beijing doesn’t intend to publicly acknowledge any link between its trade actions and the calls for a virus probe.
Shares of some Australian companies that export to China sank on prospects for more trade disruptions. A2 Milk Co., which counts on China for about 40% of its sales, dropped as much as 3.9%, while Treasury Wine Estates Ltd. pared gains on the news.
China’s commerce ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment and the office of Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham declined to comment.
Speaking at a briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the government’s barley investigation was conducted according to WTO rules. He also said China would back a resolution at the World Health Assembly later Tuesday that calls for a “comprehensive assessment” of the pandemic that differs from “Australia’s earlier proposal of a so-called independent global review.”
Australia’s China Addiction Leaves It Vulnerable to Trade Spat
“We suggest the Australia side to go through the text carefully,” Zhao said. “If Australia is willing to change its course and give up the political manipulation of the pandemic, we will welcome that.”
China is Australia’s most important trading partner, with agricultural shipments alone totaling about A$16 billion ($10 billion) in 2018-19. While the big ticket items of iron ore, coal and natural gas that China needs to build and fuel its economy so far haven’t been mentioned, education and tourism could also be vulnerable to reprisals. Beijing’s ambassador to Australia last month suggested Chinese tourists and students may decide to boycott the nation.
As Australia slides toward its first recession in almost 30 years, the economic hit of more widespread trade measures couldn’t come at a worse time.
The impact “would be very keenly felt given we are in a global recession and Chinese demand is not only very large but a key source of relative strength in the global economy,” said Roland Rajah, an economist at Sydney-based think tank the Lowy Institute. “Finding alternative export markets is difficult in the best of times but virtually impossible right now.”
Any shift of focus to Australia’s mining exports “could signify a real escalation in tensions,” said Rajah, who previously worked at the Asian Development Bank and the Reserve Bank of Australia. “Not only because it is far more important to us, but because China itself would be paying a high price if they went down that path.”
China is Australia’s biggest overseas destination for wine and dairy, with shipments growing to $754 million and $564 million, respectively.
While Australia and China entered a free trade agreement in late 2015, tensions between the two nations have been simmering for years. Passing laws against foreign interference in 2018, Australia accused Beijing of “meddling” in its government, media and education system. Like the U.S., it has also banned Huawei Technologies Co. from building its 5G network on security concerns.
The Huawei ban was seen as the catalyst for China’s barley anti-dumping probe that began in 2018, and a slowdown of Australian coal shipments into Chinese ports. China also restricted canola imports from Canada after the nation detained a Huawei executive.
“China has been practicing economic coercion against many countries over the past 10 years,” said Rory Medcalf, head of the National Security College at the Australian National University in Canberra. “As we’ve seen with the barley tariffs, economic coercion is about applying short-term economic and political pain but it will be difficult for China to sustain such tactics against the wide range of countries that want the pandemic to be investigated. I don’t see that China can succeed in singling out Australia indefinitely on this issue.”
Shi Yinhong, an adviser to China’s cabinet and a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing, said ties between the two nations were more likely to deteriorate than improve, given Australia’s foreign policy alignment with the U.S.
“If the Australian government’s rhetoric is still loud and it sticks to its current demands, China may take more severe countermeasures,” he said. “If the Australian government -- mindful of its economic interests and opposition from the business community -- steps back, China would not need to take such steps.”
China is considering targeting more Australian exports including wine and dairy, according to people familiar with the matter, in what would be a dramatic deterioration in ties as the key trading partners spar over the coronavirus outbreak.
Chinese officials have drawn up a list of potential goods also including seafood, oatmeal and fruit that could be subject to stricter quality checks, anti-dumping probes, tariffs or customs delays, the people said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are private. State media could also encourage consumer boycotts, they said, adding a final decision on the measures had not been made.
Australia, which is the world’s most-China dependent developed economy, has raised Beijing’s ire by calling for an investigation into the origins of the pandemic. President Xi Jinping’s government is sensitive to criticism of its handling of the outbreak and has a track record of using trade as a diplomatic cudgel, with South Korea, Japan and Taiwan all experiencing reprisals in recent years.
China Slaps Duties on Australian Barley as Tensions Escalate
China has already barred meat imports from four Australian slaughterhouses for “technical” reasons, and slapped tariffs of more than 80% on Australian barley late Monday after a long-running inquiry. Any additional measures will depend on how Australia addresses China’s objections, the people said, adding Beijing doesn’t intend to publicly acknowledge any link between its trade actions and the calls for a virus probe.
Shares of some Australian companies that export to China sank on prospects for more trade disruptions. A2 Milk Co., which counts on China for about 40% of its sales, dropped as much as 3.9%, while Treasury Wine Estates Ltd. pared gains on the news.
China’s commerce ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment and the office of Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham declined to comment.
Speaking at a briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the government’s barley investigation was conducted according to WTO rules. He also said China would back a resolution at the World Health Assembly later Tuesday that calls for a “comprehensive assessment” of the pandemic that differs from “Australia’s earlier proposal of a so-called independent global review.”
Australia’s China Addiction Leaves It Vulnerable to Trade Spat
“We suggest the Australia side to go through the text carefully,” Zhao said. “If Australia is willing to change its course and give up the political manipulation of the pandemic, we will welcome that.”
China is Australia’s most important trading partner, with agricultural shipments alone totaling about A$16 billion ($10 billion) in 2018-19. While the big ticket items of iron ore, coal and natural gas that China needs to build and fuel its economy so far haven’t been mentioned, education and tourism could also be vulnerable to reprisals. Beijing’s ambassador to Australia last month suggested Chinese tourists and students may decide to boycott the nation.
As Australia slides toward its first recession in almost 30 years, the economic hit of more widespread trade measures couldn’t come at a worse time.
The impact “would be very keenly felt given we are in a global recession and Chinese demand is not only very large but a key source of relative strength in the global economy,” said Roland Rajah, an economist at Sydney-based think tank the Lowy Institute. “Finding alternative export markets is difficult in the best of times but virtually impossible right now.”
Any shift of focus to Australia’s mining exports “could signify a real escalation in tensions,” said Rajah, who previously worked at the Asian Development Bank and the Reserve Bank of Australia. “Not only because it is far more important to us, but because China itself would be paying a high price if they went down that path.”
China is Australia’s biggest overseas destination for wine and dairy, with shipments growing to $754 million and $564 million, respectively.
While Australia and China entered a free trade agreement in late 2015, tensions between the two nations have been simmering for years. Passing laws against foreign interference in 2018, Australia accused Beijing of “meddling” in its government, media and education system. Like the U.S., it has also banned Huawei Technologies Co. from building its 5G network on security concerns.
The Huawei ban was seen as the catalyst for China’s barley anti-dumping probe that began in 2018, and a slowdown of Australian coal shipments into Chinese ports. China also restricted canola imports from Canada after the nation detained a Huawei executive.
“China has been practicing economic coercion against many countries over the past 10 years,” said Rory Medcalf, head of the National Security College at the Australian National University in Canberra. “As we’ve seen with the barley tariffs, economic coercion is about applying short-term economic and political pain but it will be difficult for China to sustain such tactics against the wide range of countries that want the pandemic to be investigated. I don’t see that China can succeed in singling out Australia indefinitely on this issue.”
Shi Yinhong, an adviser to China’s cabinet and a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing, said ties between the two nations were more likely to deteriorate than improve, given Australia’s foreign policy alignment with the U.S.
“If the Australian government’s rhetoric is still loud and it sticks to its current demands, China may take more severe countermeasures,” he said. “If the Australian government -- mindful of its economic interests and opposition from the business community -- steps back, China would not need to take such steps.”
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space cadet
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I think we are in phase 2, my city though has been left out because our cases have been rising still. Our hospitals here are a little overwhelmed because we are also taking cases from Mexico, if someone in Mexico shows up at the border crossing and asks for medical help, they call an ambulance and take them to the hospital in US. But it's pretty open, gyms opened friday.
difficult situation even in your state, we are a bit all out of control in my opinion many do not know what to do and how to sanitize all these openings made with fast could create serious problems
space cadet
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We as a people will have to learn to live with this, it's not going away, just like the flu. So we will just have to learn to deal with this, people will die, no doubt, but we will have to move on.
absolutely we have to live with it sure, sure we can not stay closed for who knows how long, especially in the states where the economy is what it is, we hope there will be a vaccine useful for everyone and to get out of it as soon as possible
space cadet
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Russia welcomes delivery of ventilators from U.S. agency it banned
Delivery of 50 ventilators comes in exchange of "sincere humanitarian gestures," but it also highlights ongoing tension between Washington and Moscow.
Russia welcomes delivery of ventilators from U.S. agency it banned
Alexandra Odynova
CBS NewsMay 22, 2020, 8:26 AM MDT
Moscow — The United States delivered its first batch of coronavirus humanitarian aid, including dozens of ventilators, to Russia this week. The delivery came just weeks after Russia sent a similar shipment to the U.S., and as both countries continue to battle the spread of COVID-19.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said on Thursday that 50 ventilators had arrived in the Russian capital as part of the $5.6 million humanitarian package. A total of 200 U.S.-manufactured ventilators were to be delivered, including a second batch expected to arrive next week.
The donation came after Russia sent a cargo of medical supplies to New York in early April, and after a phone conversation between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The United States has more confirmed COVID-19 cases than any other nation, at almost 1.6 million. Russia has the second largest outbreak with over 326,000.
While U.S.-Russia relations remain strained, diplomats on both sides have welcomed the exchange of medical supplied amid the pandemic.
Just arrived – U.S. plane with humanitarian aid from the people of the United States to the people of Russia. In times of crisis, the United States and Russia must work together to save lives. #COVID19 @mfa_russia pic.twitter.com/IYTehoUjQX
— Rebecca Ross (@USEmbRuPress) May 21, 2020
"In times of crisis, the United States and Russia must work together to save lives," Embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Ross wrote on Twitter.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova praised the exchange as "sincere humanitarian gestures" on Thursday.
The U.S. ventilators that arrived this week are destined for the Pirogov National Medical and Surgical Center in Moscow, but will be distributed further from there, Zakharova said. The medical center's spokesperson declined to comment on how the ventilators would be used when contacted by CBS News on Friday, saying the hospital was not authorized to discuss the issue.
The "much-needed" ventilators were ready for immediate use in Russia, the U.S. Embassy said in an emailed statement.
Russia was forced to suspend use of one model of domestically produced ventilator after two deadly hospital fires earlier this month. Six COVID-19 patients died at an intensive care unit (ICU) in St. Petersburg and one in Moscow in those blazes. Investigations are continuing, but there were suggestions that both incidents may have been caused by faulty ventilators.
Dozens of ventilators of the model in question were part of Russia's humanitarian aid delivery to the U.S., but the Federal Emergency Management Agency said they were never used.
While the exchange has been touted by officials on both sides as a display of humanitarian good will, it has nonetheless highlighted the ongoing tension between Moscow and Washington.
The U.S. government said it had purchased the supplies sent by Russia, while Moscow said the costs were covered by the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
In addition, the Russian ventilators sent to the U.S. were produced by a plant owned by a company among those sanctioned by the U.S. government following Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
A tractor pulls the first batch of medical aid from the United States, including 50 ventilators, donated to help the country tackle the coronavirus outbreak, from a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster transport plane upon its landing at Vnukovo International Airport outside Moscow, Russia, May 21, 2020. Evgenia Novozhenina/AP
On Thursday evening, Russian state-run television lauded the arrival of the U.S. supplies as "a return act of good will." The report showed the cargo being unloaded, with logos of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) visible on the goods, at a Moscow airport.
The report failed to mention that the U.S. aid agency was forced to suspend operations in Russia in 2012, after two decades of work there, when the Russian government accused it and other U.S.-funded NGOs of meddling in domestic politics.
space cadet
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because they are still run by communists, look at China and how they F#cked everyone by trying to hide what was really going on
Zeeman
THINK TANK: ANALYST
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What right this corrupt opposition have to demand oversight of money people like me donated to Imran Khan.... I would be insulted if any Bhutto or Patwari asks him where the money will be spent and what cut Bhutto will get... bastards ... they just wanna steal this money too...
PM’s Corona Relief Fund crosses Rs4bn mark
Opposition wants parliamentary oversight of fund utililastion; Shahbaz calls for convening CCI meeting.
www.dawn.com
Counter-Errorist
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AKA where is our cut?What right this corrupt opposition have to demand oversight of money people like me donated to Imran Khan.... I would be insulted if any Bhutto or Patwari asks him where the money will be spent and what cut Bhutto will get... bastards ... they just wanna steal this money too...
PM’s Corona Relief Fund crosses Rs4bn mark
Opposition wants parliamentary oversight of fund utililastion; Shahbaz calls for convening CCI meeting.www.dawn.com
space cadet
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How stupid can these people be, apparently something similar went on in Sweden
www.businessinsider.com
NY Gov. Cuomo reportedly ordered over 4,300 recovering COVID-19 patients to be sent to nursing homes
Jake Lahut
May 22, 2020, 9:13 AM
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing mounting scrutiny over his handling of the coronavirus when it comes to nursing homes.Darren McGee/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo via AP
Facing mounting scrutiny over his decision to send recovering coronavirus patients to nursing homes across the Empire State, a new report has a number attached to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's controversial executive order: at least 4,300.
That tally comes from the Associated Press, not the state.
Cuomo's executive order from March 25 was intended to ease the burden on hospitals dealing with the most critical COVID-19 patients.
But by sending elderly New Yorkers recovering from COVID-19 to nursing homes, the virus spread among the most vulnerable and has since resulted in 5,800 deaths at New York nursing homes and adult care facilities.
The New York State Department of Health did not offer its own count to the AP and said they could not verify the tally, citing the state's process of "still validating our own comprehensive survey of nursing homes admission and re-admission data."
On May 10, the governor reversed the executive order.
Cuomo continued to defend the decision at his press briefings this week by arguing he was simply following the CDC's guidelines.
Elsewhere, he has made no bones about breaking from the federal government when it comes to going beyond their guidances in other instances — particularly with New York State on PAUSE, his stay-at-home order.
The governor has also pointed to state statutes mandating that nursing homes move patients from their facilities if they cannot receive adequate care on the premises, though the March 25 executive order stated "no resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the (nursing home) solely based [on a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 diagnosis]."
However, other states, such as Louisiana, implemented measures to insulate nursing homes from the spread.
The Pelican State put a 30 day hold on hospitals sending any recovering virus patients to nursing homes — with some exceptions — and saw only 1,000 COVID-related deaths in those facilities.
New York nursing home workers and experts interviewed by the AP described care centers being overrun with incoming COVID patients, and those who lost loved ones to the virus made their anger known.
"It was the single dumbest decision anyone could make if they wanted to kill people," Daniel Arbeeny told the AP, having lost his 88-year-old father to the virus after pulling him out of a Brooklyn nursing home that saw more than 50 deaths.
"This isn't rocket science," Arbeeny said. "We knew the most vulnerable — the elderly and compromised — are in nursing homes and rehab centers."
NY Gov. Cuomo reportedly ordered over 4,300 recovering COVID-19 patients to be sent to nursing homes
While the NYS Department of Health won't release an official tally, the AP counted 4,300 coronavirus patients moved under Cuomo's order.
NY Gov. Cuomo reportedly ordered over 4,300 recovering COVID-19 patients to be sent to nursing homes
Jake Lahut
May 22, 2020, 9:13 AM
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing mounting scrutiny over his handling of the coronavirus when it comes to nursing homes.Darren McGee/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo via AP
Facing mounting scrutiny over his decision to send recovering coronavirus patients to nursing homes across the Empire State, a new report has a number attached to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's controversial executive order: at least 4,300.
That tally comes from the Associated Press, not the state.
Cuomo's executive order from March 25 was intended to ease the burden on hospitals dealing with the most critical COVID-19 patients.
But by sending elderly New Yorkers recovering from COVID-19 to nursing homes, the virus spread among the most vulnerable and has since resulted in 5,800 deaths at New York nursing homes and adult care facilities.
The New York State Department of Health did not offer its own count to the AP and said they could not verify the tally, citing the state's process of "still validating our own comprehensive survey of nursing homes admission and re-admission data."
On May 10, the governor reversed the executive order.
Cuomo continued to defend the decision at his press briefings this week by arguing he was simply following the CDC's guidelines.
Elsewhere, he has made no bones about breaking from the federal government when it comes to going beyond their guidances in other instances — particularly with New York State on PAUSE, his stay-at-home order.
The governor has also pointed to state statutes mandating that nursing homes move patients from their facilities if they cannot receive adequate care on the premises, though the March 25 executive order stated "no resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the (nursing home) solely based [on a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 diagnosis]."
However, other states, such as Louisiana, implemented measures to insulate nursing homes from the spread.
The Pelican State put a 30 day hold on hospitals sending any recovering virus patients to nursing homes — with some exceptions — and saw only 1,000 COVID-related deaths in those facilities.
New York nursing home workers and experts interviewed by the AP described care centers being overrun with incoming COVID patients, and those who lost loved ones to the virus made their anger known.
"It was the single dumbest decision anyone could make if they wanted to kill people," Daniel Arbeeny told the AP, having lost his 88-year-old father to the virus after pulling him out of a Brooklyn nursing home that saw more than 50 deaths.
"This isn't rocket science," Arbeeny said. "We knew the most vulnerable — the elderly and compromised — are in nursing homes and rehab centers."
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India has found THE cure for covid-19 ?How stupid can these people be, apparently something similar went on in Sweden
NY Gov. Cuomo reportedly ordered over 4,300 recovering COVID-19 patients to be sent to nursing homes
While the NYS Department of Health won't release an official tally, the AP counted 4,300 coronavirus patients moved under Cuomo's order.
NY Gov. Cuomo reportedly ordered over 4,300 recovering COVID-19 patients to be sent to nursing homes
Jake Lahut
May 22, 2020, 9:13 AM
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing mounting scrutiny over his handling of the coronavirus when it comes to nursing homes.Darren McGee/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo via AP
Facing mounting scrutiny over his decision to send recovering coronavirus patients to nursing homes across the Empire State, a new report has a number attached to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's controversial executive order: at least 4,300.
That tally comes from the Associated Press, not the state.
Cuomo's executive order from March 25 was intended to ease the burden on hospitals dealing with the most critical COVID-19 patients.
But by sending elderly New Yorkers recovering from COVID-19 to nursing homes, the virus spread among the most vulnerable and has since resulted in 5,800 deaths at New York nursing homes and adult care facilities.
The New York State Department of Health did not offer its own count to the AP and said they could not verify the tally, citing the state's process of "still validating our own comprehensive survey of nursing homes admission and re-admission data."
On May 10, the governor reversed the executive order.
Cuomo continued to defend the decision at his press briefings this week by arguing he was simply following the CDC's guidelines.
Elsewhere, he has made no bones about breaking from the federal government when it comes to going beyond their guidances in other instances — particularly with New York State on PAUSE, his stay-at-home order.
The governor has also pointed to state statutes mandating that nursing homes move patients from their facilities if they cannot receive adequate care on the premises, though the March 25 executive order stated "no resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the (nursing home) solely based [on a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 diagnosis]."
However, other states, such as Louisiana, implemented measures to insulate nursing homes from the spread.
The Pelican State put a 30 day hold on hospitals sending any recovering virus patients to nursing homes — with some exceptions — and saw only 1,000 COVID-related deaths in those facilities.
New York nursing home workers and experts interviewed by the AP described care centers being overrun with incoming COVID patients, and those who lost loved ones to the virus made their anger known.
"It was the single dumbest decision anyone could make if they wanted to kill people," Daniel Arbeeny told the AP, having lost his 88-year-old father to the virus after pulling him out of a Brooklyn nursing home that saw more than 50 deaths.
"This isn't rocket science," Arbeeny said. "We knew the most vulnerable — the elderly and compromised — are in nursing homes and rehab centers."
Shining India
India is an upcoming Military and Economic Might, this thread is dedicated to it The line and the image D:-D