April, 2020

• 13 April

  Argentina debt offer to reflect virus impact, Fernandez says

  

  Bloomberg Argentina will make an offer to its creditors “in the coming days” that will reflect the economic hit from the coronavirus pandemic, President Alberto Fernandez said in a newspaper interview. While debt talks are “going well,” calculations of debt sustainability will be affected by the impact of the virus, Fernandez was quoted as saying by Perfil. “The coronavirus affects ...

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• 13 April

  G-20 to freeze sovereign debt payments for poor nations

  Bloomberg The G-20 is close to a deal to allow lower income countries to freeze their government debt repayments, the Financial Times reported. The deal would put a moratorium on payments for at least six to nine months, with the possibility of going through to 2021. The move would be part of a plan to help the nations grapple with ...

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• 13 April

  Satellites help track food supplies in coronavirus era

  

  Bloomberg As the coronavirus pandemic leads to anxiety over the strength of the world’s food supply chains, everyone from governments to banks are turning to the skies for help. Orbital Insight, a California-based Big Data company that uses satellites, drones, balloons and cell phone geolocation data to track what’s happening on Earth, has seen inquiries about monitoring food supplies double ...

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• 13 April

  US reopening could start ‘in some ways’ in May, says Fauci

  

  Bloomberg Parts of the US may be ready in May to ease emergency measures taken against the coronavirus pandemic but there’s no universal “light switch” to flip on, Dr Anthony Fauci said. There’s also the possibility of a Covid-19 rebound in the fall which could be a factor in November’s elections, he said. Fauci and a range of others, including ...

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• 13 April

  HK lawmakers’ stall tactics could breach oaths, says China

  

  Bloomberg China’s top agency overseeing Hong Kong said lawmakers blocking action by the local legislature were potentially violating their oaths, in a signal that Beijing was losing patience with the months-long legislative logjam. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office urged the city’s Legislative Council in a statement released on Monday to end the stalemate and resume normal operations. Opposition ...

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• 13 April

  China vows equal treatment for Africans over Covid-19

  

  Bloomberg China rejected criticism about the alleged mistreatment of Africans by authorities in the southern city of Guangzhou, a dispute that could set back Beijing’s diplomatic outreach to help the continent cope with the coronavirus pandemic. The government has treated foreigners equally and attaches great importance to their life and health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian said in ...

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• 13 April

  Kim raises sister profile with Politburo post

  

  Bloomberg North Korean leader Kim Jong-un raised the standing of his sister as a key player in the secretive state and bolstered his new foreign minister in a cadre shuffle that comes as he tries to fend off the coronavirus pandemic. Part emissary, part personal assistant, Kim Yo Jong was reinstated to her position as an alternate Politburo member of ...

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• 13 April

  Indonesia ramps up virus testing over new infections

  

  Bloomberg Indonesia’s government is ramping up its coronavirus testing capacity and expanding the partial lockdown to areas outside the capital after facing criticism for having one of the region’s lowest testing rates per capita. President Joko Widodo said the country will increase its testing capacity by 9,000 samples per day while regulators extended stricter social distancing measures, which includes closing ...

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• 13 April

  Covid-19 is reshaping the defense strategies

  

  Even as the Covid-19 pandemic nears its peak, defense analysts are beginning to assess how the global spread of this deadly disease should change how we think about warfare. “This has exposed some genuine gaps in military planning and readiness, as well as vulnerabilities in our national preparedness,” messaged Derek Chollet, a former assistant secretary of defense who’s now executive ...

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• 13 April

  Hong Kong’s canary in virus economy

  

  Hong Kong led the world in adopting helicopter money. Now the city’s long-term wage subsidies have again put it at the forefront of global efforts to blunt the impact of the coronavirus. Other economies should pay attention. The government said that it will fund 50% of affected workers’ salaries for six months, capped at the equivalent of $1,160 a month. ...

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