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Reuters. March 27, 2020
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday U.S. “narco-terrorism” charges against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro were absurd, adding that sanctions on Caracas could become “a tool of genocide” amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The U.S. government on Thursday indicted Maduro and more than a dozen other top Venezuelan officials on charges of “narco-terrorism,” the latest escalation of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign aimed at ousting the socialist leader.
Russia, Maduro’s longtime political and financial backer, considers those accusations “absurd” and “wild” at a time when countries across the world join efforts to fight coronavirus, the Interfax news agency cited Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, as saying.
“We can not stress enough our call for an immediate lifting of unilateral unlawful sanctions that are turning in the current epidemic into an instrument of genocide,” Zakharova was quoted as saying.
Zakharova said Russia had supplied coronavirus test kits to Venezuela, which has reported 107 confirmed cases of the disease and that Moscow would continue helping Caracas to stop coronavirus spreading.
President Donald Trump denied that the charges were an attempt to take advantage of Venezuela at a vulnerable time when it is expected to be hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Reuters. March 27, 2020
Brazil will reduce efforts to fight environmental crimes during the coronavirus outbreak, despite concerns that reduced protection could lead to a surge in deforestation.
The director of environmental protection at Ibama environmental agency said the outbreak had left little choice but to send fewer enforcement personnel into the field.
Olivaldi Azevedo estimated that one-third of Ibama’s field operatives were close to 60 years old or had medical conditions that put them at greater risk for severe symptoms of the virus.
Ibama has not hired agents in years because of government budget cuts. “There’s no way you can take these people who are at risk and expose them to the virus,” Azevedo said. “There is no choice between one thing and the other. It’s an obligation.”
Two sources at Ibama, who were not authorised to speak to the media, said rank-and-file field agents were worried about their health and the risk they could spread coronavirus to the rural regions where they operate.
Deforestation experts said while health concerns must be a priority, the policy could have grave environmental consequences. “Weakening enforcement definitely means a greater risk of deforestation for obvious reasons,” said the environmental economist Sergio Margulis, the author of a paper on the causes of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.
The Amazon has seen soaring deforestation and an increase in fires in since Brazil’s rightwing president, Jair Bolsonaro, took office in January 2019, triggering global outcry that he was emboldening illegal loggers, ranchers and land speculators.
Brazil is home to roughly 60% of the Amazon, the world’s largest tropical rainforest, which absorbs vast amounts of greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
Bolsonaro has defended development plans for the region by arguing that they are the best way to lift more Brazilians out of poverty. But the surge in deforestation threatens to derail a South American free-trade deal with Europe and hurt exports.
In a decree last week, Bolsonaro defined environmental enforcement as an essential service during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing Ibama to keep sending agents into the field.
But Azevedo said even essential services, such as healthcare and police, must be reduced to protect at-risk workers.
Bolsonaro’s press office directed questions to the environment ministry. The ministry, which oversees Ibama, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
AFP. March 29, 2020
Sao Paulo (AFP) - Two tweets by Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro in which he questioned quarantine measures aimed at containing the novel coronavirus were removed Sunday, on the grounds that they violated the social network's rules.
The far-right leader had posted several videos in which he flouted his government's social distancing guidelines by mixing with supporters on the streets of Brasilia and urging them to keep the economy going.
Two of the posts were removed and replaced with a notice explaining why they had been taken down.
Twitter explained in a statement that it had recently expanded its global rules on managing content that contradicted public health information from official sources and could put people at greater risk of transmitting COVID-19.
In one of the deleted videos, Bolsonaro tells a street vendor, "What I have been hearing from people is that they want to work."
"What I have said from the beginning is that 'we are going to be careful, the over-65s stay at home,'" he said.
"We just can't stand still, there is fear because if you don't die of the disease, you starve," the vendor is seen telling Bolsonaro, who responds: "You're not going to die!"
In another video, the president calls for a "return to normality," questioning quarantine measures imposed by governors and some mayors across the giant South American country as an effective containment measure against the virus.
"If it continues like this, with the amount of unemployment what we will have later is a very serious problem that will take years to be resolved," he said of the isolation measures.
"Brazil cannot stop or we'll turn into Venezuela," Bolsonaro later told reporters outside his official residence.
On Saturday, Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta highlighted the importance of containment as a means of fighting the coronavirus, which has already infected 3,904 people in Brazil, leaving 114 dead, according to the latest official figures.
"Some people want me to shut up, follow the protocols," said Bolsonaro. "How many times does the doctor not follow the protocol?"
"Let's face the virus with reality. It is life, we must all die one day."
In the four videos posted on his Twitter account, Bolsonaro is seen surrounded by small crowds as he walked about the capital.
Bolsonaro has described the coronavirus as "a flu" and advocated the reopening of schools and shops, with self-isolation necessary solely for the over-60s.
Katy Watson. BBC. March 28, 2020
President Jair Bolsonaro has previously accused the media of "fear-mongering" over coronavirus
As the world tries desperately to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, Brazil's president is doing his best to downplay it.
Jair Bolsonaro has largely struggled to take it seriously. Going against his own health ministry's advice earlier in March, and while awaiting the results of a second coronavirus test, he left self-isolation to join rallies against Congress.
He shook hands with supporters in Brasilia and sent a message to millions that this was not something to worry about.
In a televised address last week, he repeated a now well-worn phrase. "It's just a little flu or the sniffles," he said, blaming the media once again for the hysteria and panic over Covid-19.
A few days later, he clearly demonstrated his prioritisation of the economy over isolation measures favoured by the rest of the world.
"People are going to die, I'm sorry," he said. "But we can't stop a car factory because there are traffic accidents."
A lone denier
"Jair Bolsonaro is alone right now," says Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of the publication Americas Quarterly. "No other major world leader is denying the severity of this to the extent that he is and depending on how things go, that approach could cost a lot of lives in Brazil."
Jair Bolsonaro is frustrated. He came to power last year promising a better economy and coronavirus has put a stop to that.
Rio's beaches are deserted and the normally gridlocked streets of Sao Paulo are empty. Shops, schools, public spaces and businesses in many states have shut.
So Mr Bolsonaro is determined to make this pandemic political, blaming his adversaries for trying to destroy the country.
Economy rules
A few days ago, a video was shared by Jair Bolsonaro's son, Flavio - a politician himself.
The video's message, which claimed to come from the Brazilian government, was that "BRAZIL CAN'T STOP" (in Portuguese, #obrasilnãopodeparar). People need to keep working to keep the country safe and the economy growing.
Despite protests over Bolsonaro's stance, his Covid-19 message resonates with his supporters
The government refused to claim ownership of the video and has since called it "fake news", but it's exactly the message Mr Bolsonaro has been putting out.
So much so, in fact, that a federal judge on Saturday banned the government from campaigning against isolation measures. Government posts on social media using the hashtag were hastily removed.
"He's clearly laying the foundation of being able to say six months to a year from now that he did not agree with tough distancing measures, with the lockdown," says Oliver Stuenkel, Associate Professor of International Relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo.
"It's an attempt to reduce the negative impact that the economic crisis will inevitably have on the approval ratings of the Bolsonaro government but it's a very risky strategy because by minimizing the crisis he's also not leading the response," Mr Stuenkel said.
Support for Bolsonaro
But Mr Bolsonaro's message resonates with his supporters. In the past few days, many have held motorcades across Brazil, driving through town and honking their horns in support of businesses that want to re-open.
"When you suggest that by going out onto the streets, you could be infected, people become panicked," says Luiz Antonio Santana Caldas, a Bolsonaro supporter from Bahia. "If you are going to be made to quarantine and there's no solution in two weeks, all you're doing is causing the economy to collapse."
Paloma Freitas, a property administrator from Fortaleza, disagrees. She voted for Mr Bolsonaro but she says he no longer represents her.
"Every time I listen to him, I'm terrified," she says. "Instead of uniting, he constantly attacks people. He thinks the country will break but dead people don't generate money, they're not going to make the economy tick unless it's the funeral business."
State governors leading the crisis
Sao Paulo's governor, Joao Doria, along with nearly every other governor in the country, has tried to encourage the federal government to support their isolation measures. To no avail. Mr Bolsonaro just accuses them of political games.
"It's not rational to make health and peoples' lives political, especially those who are poor and vulnerable," Mr Doria said, attacking Mr Bolsonaro for not valuing peoples' lives. Mr Doria said that Brazil could - and should - stop.
Panelaços - protesting with pots and pans
The din of pot-banging on peoples' balconies has been the soundtrack to many an evening in cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro recently. The "panelaços" are a protest against a President they see as irresponsible. A man known for denying science. And a man who looks to Donald Trump as his inspiration.
"I wish Bolsonaro was listening more closely to Trump right now because if he were, he'd understand that Trump is actually taking this much more seriously than he was even two weeks ago," says Brian Winter. "Trump is also proof that it's never too late for a president to change his or her approach on this issue."
There's little sign of an about-turn from Jair Bolsonaro though - a politician who has always railed against the establishment. But in these times of crisis, people don't want to listen to a blame-game. They need a problem to be solved - and fast.
Tom Phillips. The Guardian. March 29, 2020
Jair Bolsonaro has reportedly told his health minister he will sack him if he dares criticise his handling of the coronavirus crisis.
According to a report in the Estado de São Paulo newspaper, the Brazilian president’s warning came during a top-level meeting on Saturday as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country rose to more than 3,900 and the death toll hit 114.
The health minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, reportedly informed Brazil’s far-right leader he would have no choice but to publicly criticise him if he insisted on going out in public despite warnings to stay indoors.
“Bolsonaro replied that, if he did so, he would fire him,” the conservative newspaper reported, citing anonymous sources.
Bolsonaro’s downplaying of coronavirus – and his public call for Brazil to relax quarantine measures and get back to work – have appalled critics and many citizens, sparking nightly pot-banging protests in major cities.
On Friday, the president shrugged his shoulders at the likely deaths, telling an interviewer: “Some will die. I’m sorry. That’s life.”
Estado de São Paulo said that at Saturday’s summit – which was also attended by Brazil’s justice and defence ministers – Mandetta tried to convince Bolsonaro of the gravity of the situation.
He reportedly said: “Are we ready for the worst-case scenario, with army trucks transporting bodies through the streets? And cameras livestreaming that on the internet?”
Mandetta, who is an orthopaedic doctor, noted that even 1,000 deaths would be the equivalent of four Boeing aircraft crashes.
Experts believe far more people are likely to die. Recent modelling by researchers from Imperial College London suggested Brazil could have more than 1.1 million Covid-19 deaths if no action were taken to control the pandemic; 529,000 if only elderly people were forced to isolate; and 44,200 if drastic measures were implemented.
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Bolsonaro’s efforts to undermine regional governments’ efforts to enforce such shutdowns have sparked a political rebellion by the governors of nearly all of Brazil’s 27 states.
Speaking to the Guardian last week, Flávio Dino, the leftwing governor of Maranhão, criticised Bolsonaro’s denial of the dangers of coronavirus and his “catastrophic” dawdling.
“If you’re on a battlefield and don’t know which weapon to use, which direction to shoot, and when to open fire, you expose the whole army to serious harm,” Dino said.
President said the death rate was likely to increase for two weeks and announced 'social distancing' guidelines
By BEN SHEPHERD
MARCH 30, 2020
https://asiatimes.com/2020/03/trump-ditches-hopes-of-quick-bounce-back-for-us/
President Donald Trump on Sunday abandoned his timetable for life returning to normal in the United States, extending emergency coronavirus restrictions for another month, while Spain suffered its deadliest day.
Trump, who had hoped to shortly re-open much of the US, said the death rate in the country was likely to increase for two weeks and announced “social distancing” guidelines would be in place until at least the end of April.
More than 40% of the world’s population has been asked to stay at home to halt the deadly march of a disease that has claimed some 33,880 lives.
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="118px" width="959px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
Hospitals are rapidly filling with patients in Europe and the United States – now the focal points of a pandemic that began in Asia but has upended the global economy and upset everyday life in unprecedented ways.![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="517px" width="960px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
Click on the link above for coronavirus graphic produced by Johns Hopkins University to access the live, online version.
Spain announced 838 deaths in a 24-hour period, the third consecutive day it has seen a rise.
The US has witnessed explosive growth in coronavirus cases, including a doubling in cases in only two days, with New York hardest hit.
Trump said the better that Americans obey the emergency guidelines to stay home “the faster this whole nightmare will end.”
“Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won,” Trump said, altering his previously upbeat tone.
He said he expected the country to “be well on our way to recovery” by June 1 – dropping his previous target of mid-April.
“We will defeat this invisible curse, this invisible enemy,” he added.
Senior US scientist Anthony Fauci issued a tentative prediction that Covid-19 could claim from 100,000 to 200,000 lives – a figure Trump described as “horrible.”
As of Sunday, more than 3.38 billion people were asked or ordered to follow confinement measures, according to an AFP database, as the virus infects every sphere of life, wiping out millions of jobs, postponing elections and pressing pause on the sporting scene.
Worst-hit Italy, with 10,779 deaths, and Spain, with 6,803 dead, together have accounted for more than half of the world’s deaths.
Both countries are clinging to the hope, however, that they are closing in on the peak of the crisis.
‘We are on the verge’
Several countries warned citizens that lockdowns will be the new normal for an indefinite period.
Spain is toughening already tight restrictions on movement while Italian authorities said they would extend a shutdown past an April 3 deadline.
“My ICU (intensive care unit) is completely full,” said Eduardo Fernandez, a nurse at Infanta Sofia hospital in Madrid, where authorities have set up a 5,500-bed field hospital and transformed an ice rink into a morgue.
“If it is not a complete collapse, we are on the verge,” he added.
The pandemic has spurred a worldwide scramble for medical gear as doctors and nurses struggle to dole out limited stocks of face masks and life-saving ventilators.
“I have nothing for my head, nothing for my shoes,” said Diana Torres, who works in a rehabilitation centre in New York. “Everybody is scared.”
Long haul
The US is now home to the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 infections globally with more than 140,000 cases, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.
The US death toll reached 2,467 on Sunday, with cities like Detroit and New Orleans joining New York as hotspots.
Across the Atlantic, Britain’s death toll passed 1,200 as Prime Minister Boris Johnson – who tested positive for the virus last week – warned that dark days lay ahead.
“We know things will get worse before they get better,” said Johnson, who reports only mild symptoms.
The country’s deputy chief medical officer warned that life would not return to normal for six months or more.
France deployed two specially equipped trains to transport coronavirus patients from overcrowded hospitals in the east to facilities along the western coast.
In hard-hit Iran, President Hassan Rouhani also said the country must prepare to adjust to “the new way of life” for the foreseeable future, after 123 more deaths were recorded.
The mayor of Moscow ordered self-isolation for all residents as Russia prepares to close its borders on Monday and take a week off work.
Global divide
More than 720,000 cases of the novel coronavirus have been officially declared around the world since the outbreak began late last year, according to the Johns Hopkins tally.
Variations in testing regimes mean the true number is likely far higher.
As health facilities in rich countries buckle under the pressure, aid groups warn of the toll for the millions in poor states and war zones such as Syria and Yemen.
Three billion people around the world lack access to running water and soap, the most basic weapons of protection against the virus, according to UN experts.
In Africa, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a two-week lockdown in Lagos and capital Abuja.
But in Benin, President Patrice Talon said his country could not enforce public confinement because it lacks the “means of rich countries.”
In China, however, life is creeping back to normal in the ground-zero city of Wuhan.
Officials say the biggest threat to public health is now imported cases.
“Initially we were more scared and maybe thought it was safer overseas,” said Han Li, who is helping floods of locals returning to Wuhan.
“But now it doesn’t seem this way. It seems it might be safer within China.”
– AFP
