Turkish Regime Admits Killing of Two of its Soldiers and Injury of 6 Others While Supporting Terrorist Organizations in Idleb

4 March، 2020

Ankara, SANA- Turkish Regime’s Defense Ministry admitted the killing of two of its soldiers and the injury of others while its forces were supporting terrorist organizations and ensuring their coverage in Idleb countryside.

The terrorist organizations positioned in Idleb receive direct support by the Turkish regime by various means and weapons and through providing terrorists with information to carry out their attacks against the safe villages and towns.

The Ministry said, in a statement, that two soldiers of its forces were killed and six others were injured in Idleb area.

Syrian Army units downed two drones for the Turkish regime’s forces in the surroundings of Saraqeb and to the east of Khan al-Sabil town in Idleb southeastern countryside.

Hala Zain

US Ambassador Blasts Trump, Mnuchin on Ethiopia-Egypt Dispute

Teshome Borago
March 1, 2020

Former United States Ambassador David H. Shinn accused the Trump administration of “putting its thumb on the scale in favor of Egypt,” in the dispute with Ethiopia and Sudan over a new hydro-dam.

The latest crisis began after the U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sent a letter warning Ethiopia not to operate its hydropower dam, using inflammatory rhetoric similar to the former Egyptian government of Morsi that threatened military action.

US Ambassador David Shinn said he is “surprised” by Mnuchin’s role; adding that the US State Department, not the US Treasury Department, has the expertise to deal with such a sensitive matter. Analysts believe the reckless statements by Mnuchin might encourage Egypt to take a more hardline position on the Nile River against African nations. In the worst case scenario, the Trump administration‘s role might embolden Egypt to start war against Ethiopia.

According to a source familiar with the new arrangement promoted by the Trump administration, the new terms and requirements are so “bizarre and lopsided” in favor of Egypt that even Cairo’s ally Sudan is hesitant to sign the agreement. On Sunday, Sudan’s ambassador Mukhtar Bilal Abdelsalam said the Ethiopian dam will not harm Sudan and he accused Egyptian media of misinformation.

Last week, hundreds of Ethiopian-Americans protested in Washington DC opposing the one-sided role of the Trump administration in favor of Egypt. Ethiopian-Americans say the Trump administration can not be an independent mediator and arbitrator because most of its Middle East policy, particularly its latest Israel-Palestine engagements, are all reliant on Egyptian support or Cairo’s role in the Arab League.

It is unknown if these Middle Eastern policies of the Trump administration were in fact the reason behind its pro-Egypt stance on the Ethiopian Nile dam. However, Mnuchin has been recently outspoken in favor of the recent two-state solution for Israel and Palestine by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. In his online statement, the former US ambassador Shinn wrote: “I wonder. What is the United States up to?”

Critics of the Ethiopian government accuse Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of a self-inflicted diplomatic disaster for accepting an Egyptian lobbied US mediation, and abandoning the original Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) where several African countries support Ethiopia over Egypt’s colonial era monopoly.

Military analysts now believe Egypt will either attempt a direct air strike or continue financing rebel groups in Ethiopia so that an indirect strike on the Ethiopian dam will be blamed on domestic politics, instead of a transnational war.

If tensions escalate further, US President Trump, who wished to win the Nobel Peace Prize, might unintentionally spark a major war in Northeastern Africa.

After the impoverished Ethiopia self-funded the construction of the costly massive dam, due to an IMF financial boycott lobbied by Egypt, the new Trump-Cairo agreement will likely put the hydro-dam out of commission for another decade, just to fill up the reservoir. On Saturday, the Ethiopian government said the statement by US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin is “unacceptable and highly partisan.” 

Canadians Arrested in Ethiopia Granted Bail

Borkena
March 3, 2020

Canadian Humanitarian, Alberta based charitable organization with charity programs in Ethiopia, confirmed on Tuesday that the Canadians arrested in Ethiopia since February 29 are granted bail.

10 Canadian Volunteers, three Canadian staff, and two Ethiopians were arrested in Gonder town, in North-Western part of the country,  for practicing medicine without permission from relevant authorities and for using “expired medicines.”

Canadian Humanitarian (CH)wrote on its website: “With support of Canadian consular officials, Global Affairs Canada and legal representatives on the ground, Canadian Humanitarian can confirm that documentation is currently being processed that will hopefully see the detainees released on bail tomorrow…”

Detainees have received fair treatment, as required by the international law, in prison,  Consular officers and CH representatives who were given access to the prison have confirmed, as reported by CH.

Based on information from CH, it seems that Ethiopia might continue investigating the case. “Ethiopian authorities have suggested the detainees may need to remain in Ethiopia while an investigation is completed. The organization will be pursuing all avenues to see its employees and volunteers return home as soon a possible,” said CH.

Egypt Wants to Control the Nile River, Says Ethiopia

The way Egypt behaves regarding the Ethiopian dam got Ethiopians talking as the country was celebrating the 124th anniversary of Adwa victory.Negotiators on the part of Ethiopia say”Egypt wants to control the Nile river

Borkena
March 3, 2020

As Ethiopia celebrated the 124th anniversary of the victory of Adwa over the Italian Colonial army, the mood across the country was special.

What makes it so is that it was celebrated after Ethiopians learned about the statement from the United States of America regarding the operation and filling of Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam – a statement that infuriated Ethiopians across the country.

The government has issued an official statement on February 29, expressing that it is “disappointed” with the statement from the Department of Treasury of the United States of America. 

Ethiopia did not take part in the last round of the negotiation that took place in Washington between February 27 and 28.  It is because Ethiopia was preoccupied with engaging stakeholders locally.

However, the United States, joined the negotiation as an “observer” and mainly with an invitation from Egypt, did not seem to like that Ethiopia was unable to attend the last event.

Furthermore, the U.S.’ statement has a tone of ordering Ethiopia not to start filling the Dam without signing the agreement with Egypt and Sudan.

On Tuesday, March 3, 2020, members of the Ethiopian negotiating team, Seleshi Bekele (Minister of Water, Irrigation, and Energy ) and Gedu Andargachew (Minister of Foreign Affairs),  had a press statement in the office of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia.

The message underscored is that the Dam is necessary for the existence of  Ethiopia and that it is part of the struggle that the country is making to get out of poverty.

“Ethiopia will not sign any agreement regarding its own dam under the pressure from external power,” the team told journalists.

However, said the team members, there has been negotiation with lower riparian countries of the Nile river with the understanding that the Nile is an international river, although more than 86 percent of the water originates from Ethiopia.

The United States has been mediating Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan regarding their difference on the Ethiopian Dam,  said the negotiating team.

While noting the positive roles the U.S. played in the past in the negotiation, the team explicitly criticized that the former made a mistake to take a stand as a government forgetting its mediator role. However, Ged expressed his hope that the U.S. will reconsider its position.

The project that Ethiopia is undertaking with its resources said Gedu Andargachew, in a way that does not affect the interests of the lower riparian countries.

Gedu also said that “Sudan as a country has a strong stand that the Ethiopian Dam is relevant and that it does not have an interest in controlling the waters of Abay, but Egypt has the interest to control it.”

Despite interest on the part of Egypt and the USA for swift completion of the negotiation, Ethiopia does not believe rushing to sign the negotiation, the team stated.

Minister of Water, Irrigation, and Energy, Seleshi Bekele, on his part, said that Ethiopia as a country from which over 86 percent of the Nile water originates from, it needs to be beneficiary from the water. Ethiopia is a sovereign country and that no state should infringe on her rights to use from the water is the position.

Meanwhile, Egypt accused Ethiopia of conspiracies and said that it is ready to “face it,” according to Ahram online’s report published on March 2. Egypt still claims its “historical right” over the Nile. The latest agreement that Egypt bases his claim is the 1959 agreement between The United Arab Republic (that was the political union of Egypt and Syria) and Sudan. Ethiopia was not a party to the agreement.

COSATU Statement on the Fuel Price Decrease Tomorrow

March 3, 2020

The Congress of South African Trade Unions welcomes the news of a reduction in the price of fuel. This follows the department of energy’s announcement that on Wednesday the price of all grades of petrol will drop by 19 cents per litre, all grades of diesel by 54 cents and illuminating paraffin by 68 cents with liquid petroleum gas (LPG) falling by 32 cents per kg.

This drop though is still not enough because it will likely be repealed by the pending tax increase of 25 cents that will see 16 cents going to the general fuel levy and 9 cents to the Road Accident Fund.

Only a further reduction and a steady drop can give some respite to lower-income earners and poor households, in particular, because they are struggling to survive under these difficult economic conditions. Hopefully, this reduction will continue because workers are spending too much money travelling to work and they are sliding deeper and deeper int debt because of declining wages.

An extra decrease in the price of fuel will be able to boost the purchasing power of most South Africans and hopefully, lift the economy and help it recover.

COSATU is still waiting on the government to release the research report that was conducted by the department of energy looking into the possibility of a fuel price cap because workers cannot be left to the vagaries of the markets indefinitely. We are also calling on our government to consider increasing subsidies for public transport and improve the quality and efficiency of our public transport system, particularly in poorer communities and rural areas.

Issued by COSATU

Sizwe Pamla (Cosatu National Spokesperson) Tel: 011 339 4911
Fax: 011 339 5080
Cell: 060 975 6794

COSATU Statement on the Latest GDP Figures

March 3, 2020

The Congress of South African Trade Unions has noted the latest gross domestic product (GDP) figures, by Stats SA, that show that the economy contracted by 1.4% in the fourth quarter of 2019, which follows a contraction of 0.8% in the third quarter of last year. Unfortunately, we are vindicated because we previously warned that load seeding, job losses, and voluntary austerity measures in the context of declining private sector investment will plunge the economy into a recession.

Job cuts in both the public and the private sector have worsened our unemployment rate, despite our calls for a moratorium on retrenchments during the Job Summit. High unemployment reduces savings and spending, therefore, depressing growth and thus increasing the likelihood of a recession.

The state of the economy at any given point in time reflects the considerable influence of previous decisions taken by the authorities and in this regard the influence of the Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) with regard to their Neoliberal macroeconomic policies has been decisive.

So, in our account of the deepening socio-economic crisis that is currently engulfing South Africa, we attribute it to the misguided macroeconomic policy framework that has been implemented over the years, especially over the span of the recent fifth democratic dispensation. 

The fact that at the beginning of the sixth democratic dispensation the country is facing economic stagnation accompanied by worsening unemployment, inequalities and poverty, manifesting at the macroeconomic level in rising public-debt, budget-deficit, debt-service costs, and revenue shortfalls – in part reflects the abject failure of the Medium Term Strategic Framework 2014-2019  as inaugurated with the fiscal policy stance outlined in the MTBPS 2014.

In other words, the fiscal austerity measures (cuts in the rates of spending growth) that was implemented throughout the fifth democratic dispensation have entrenched stagnation amidst the persistent low private investment.

In 2014 the fifth democratic dispensation adopted the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) as “government’s strategic plan for the 2014-2019 electoral term.” This five-year framework was set out as part of government’s implementation of long-term planning pursuant to the 2030 vision of the NDP.The MTSF set out as its targets to decrease of the official unemployment rate from 25% in the first quarter of 2013 to 14% in 2020.  The increase of the rate of investment to 25% of GDP by 2019 and the rising share in the income of the poorest 60% of households from 5.6% in 2011/12 to 10% in 2019. All of this never materialised.

The sixth democratic dispensation is set to release the third MTSF, which like the MTSF 2014-2019 of the fifth democratic dispensation, would also be put out under the guise of long-term planning in terms of the NDP. It is perverse that government is formulating a new strategic framework without evaluating the effectiveness and failures of the macroeconomic policies that were implemented in the MTSF 2014-2019. So far, what has been considered are the macroeconomic aggregates, whilst the macroeconomic policy framework remains cast in iron – it is not subject to scrutiny or review.

It is saddening to see that while South Africa finds itself bogged down under the weight of the rising debt-burden and a sluggish economy, both the Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni and President Ramaphosa seem hellbent on ramming through the “structural reforms” imposed by the IMF, Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD) and the rating agencies.

It is obvious that the government has clearly not thought through the rationale of a public sector wage cut and its unintended consequences for the health of the economy. This technical recession will only get worse and might deteriorate into an economic depression.

The latest GDP figures prove once again that the National Treasury’s neo-liberal capitalist trajectory will not solve our economic challenges. The numbers are a reminder that if the government does not change direction, we are likely to see more and more people sliding into poverty in this country.

Issued by COSATU

Sizwe Pamla (Cosatu National Spokesperson)

Tel: 011 339 4911
Fax: 011 339 5080
Cell: 060 975 6794

COSATU CEC Statement February 2020

February 27, 2020

The Central Executive Committee met in its normal session from the 24February to 26 February 2020. The meeting received an address from the ANC and country’s President Cde Cyril Ramaphosa. The President reiterated his administration’s commitment to fixing the economy and strengthening law enforcement institutions to fight crime and corruption. He also told us of his government’s commitment to the Manifesto and the ANC resolutions like keeping SOEs under state control and expropriation of land reform.

Working with the Student Movement: The meeting congratulated SASCO for convening a successful National Congress. We are calling on COSAS members to prioritise unity and put the interests of the organisation first. We are also concerned with the state of the progressive student movement and youth formations and going forward we plan to increase our cooperation and support of these organisations. 

Retrenchments: The CEC expressed concern about the ongoing jobs bloodbath and resolved to continue to intensify the fight against the increasingly hostile employers. Workers continue to feel the sting of an economic decline and resultant job losses. as the private sector continues to reject a moratorium on retrenchments or a cap on executive salaries.

The employers are undermining collective bargaining and retrenching because they are following in the footsteps of government. The private sector’s decision to renege on the Job and Investment Summits is a reminder that this crisis is for workers and the poor but the private is doing fine. Yesterday’s  budget was meant to pacify big business and they are unlikely to change their attitudes because there is no reason for them to. We will continue to work hard and use all available platforms including Section 77 Notices to fight against retrenchments.

Unions and recruitment meeting took note of the progress that our affiliated union SAMWU has made in rebuilding internal capacity and achieving unity. This is a welcome development that will ensure that workers in the local government sector have a solid home and a formidable champion that will defend their rights and pursue their aspirations. The CEC also acknowledged the success of our recruitment process that has generated a 30 000 growth in membership. We have also received a number of applications from unions that want to affiliate to the federation, and we will process them following the proper processes.

Compensation Fund: The CEC is disturbed that there are problems within the Compensation Fund, and we are also disturbed by the failure of the fund to communicate with relevant stakeholders on what is happening within the CF. The Federation has written to the CF and demanded that the Board meeting planned for the 11th of March should clarify these systemic issues and resolve them speedily.

COSATU Eskom proposal: The CEC received a progress report on the work done to engage with social partners on the federation’s proposal for an intervention package to save Eskom. This intervention will be based upon a social compact of government, business, labour and community.  The proposal will see each social partner contributing for the broader public good. This is the first step on ensuring that workers dictate how and where their pension funds are invested. This proposal is also in line with our resolution adopted in the 8TH National Congress  that called for the federation to ensure that an appropriate mandate is set for investment managers, and that worker funds are used to promote the broader goals of development and decent work rather than the narrow interests of fund managers. The meeting resolved to expedite this work and also convene an economic workshop with progressive thinkers to take this work forward

Government Employees Housing Scheme: The CEC resolved to uncompromisingly push for the development of the GEHS, tapping into the workers retirement savings. Retirement savings are the biggest institutions of social ownership, which is why the federation is campaigning to for the introduction of the Prescribed assets Requirement Legislation, compelling retirement funds, and the life assurance industry to channel a prescribed portion of their investments into social investments. Workers retirement savings should benefit workers and the economy. The Federation also wants government to address the issue of the missing middle by providing bursaries for those students who do not qualify for National Student Financial Aid Scheme.

National Minimum Wage: COSATU condemns the National Minimum Wage Commission for implementing a paltry 3.8% increase in the National Minimum Wage (NMW). Inflation is decimating the wages of the working-class families are dealing with electricity, fuel and other hikes that are far above the 3.8% increase. By only adjusting the NMW for 3.8% and not 12.5%, the Commission has failed to meet its legal and moral obligations. The CEC calls on the Commission to begin its work of assessing the impact of the NMW and to ensure that NMW receives a substantial increase in 2021 and that farm, domestic and public works programme are pushed to 100% of the NMW by 1 January 2021.

Public Transport system: The CEC expressed its disappointment with pedestrian approach adopted by government when it comes to sorting out the messed up public transport system, Prasa in particular. Prasa is sabotaging workers because they are losing wages and jobs as a result of Prasa’s ineptitude. We welcome the investment of R1,4 billion in modernising the Prasa rail network but this is not enough.

 COSATU continues to call, for an integrated, safe, reliable and affordable public transport system for the country. The attainment of this requires investment in the transport infrastructure. The apartheid legacy and its spatial development in particular left the majority of the working people and their families without good public transport system.

We still argue that government’s decision to opt for market solutions to the public transport problems in the country was a big mistake. The establishment of the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) within the Department of Transport and the subsequent expansion of the road tolling system has made things worse. We still insist that e-tolls should be abolished and Sanral should be co-opted back to the Department of Transport.

Corruption: The CEC appreciated the work that is being done by the new administration to strengthen the law enforcement agencies and other judicial institutions. But the meeting expressed concern that there is little progress when it comes to prosecuting those who are implicated in corruption. We disagree with the decision to extend the Zondo Commission of Inquiry and we demand action now. The fight against corruption cannot be won if government continues to adopt this automatic and pedestrian approach.

Gender Based Violence: We are troubled by the scourge of gender-based violence and the violence against children. The stories like the one of an 8 year old who was raped in Cape Town, of a male student who was stabbed by his girlfriend and of Lindokuhle Cele who was a victim of hate crime in KZN remind us of the damage that is being done to our society by senseless violence. The Federation reiterates its commitment to playing a leading role in fighting the scourge of gender-based violence, inside the trade union movement, in the workplace and in broader society. We call on the South African government to ratify Convention 190 on Ending Violence and Harassment in the workplace.

Attacks on the Public Service: Cosatu rejects government’s narrow fixation with the public service wage bill. We view this provocative budget as a challenge from the national Treasury and we accept it. We will not allow the workers to be used as a scapegoat for this economic crisis. These cuts directed at the public service will have severe implications for the economy.

Poorer regions rely disproportionately on public service employment and cutting wages of public servants will intensify poverty and regional inequalities in South Africa.

The cuts also have severe gender implications because the public service has been an important source of good jobs for women, in a labour market which discriminates against women. Women account for a greater proportion of public servants and a sizeable majority of educators; so, a cut in wages will reverse the gains that have been made to close the existing gender inequalities. Therefore, budget cuts will not only increase geographical inequalities but gender inequalities as well.

Alliance: The CEC took note and acknowledged the progress that is being made to reconfigure the Alliance but understanding that the Alliance is based not on sentiment history of our struggle but on a common programme, the meeting expressed concern about some major weaknesses. The scorecard suggests that beyond broad statements on shared objectives, the Alliance still has a limited influence on what happens in government. The ongoing public sector dispute and the budget clearly demonstrate this.

If the national democratic revolution is a struggle primarily led by the working class, in alliance with other popular classes, then at the level of the economy the working class must be positioned to be the main beneficiary, through forms of economic organisation that advance its interests. For example, co-operative ownership and state ownership of the means of production must be vigorously pursued, so that broad based black economic empowerment takes a distinctly working-class revolutionary character.

At the centre of class struggle is the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of the working class. At the economic level within the context of the national democratic revolution and the progressive national democratic state, capital accumulation cannot proceed on the basis of rising rates of exploitation of the working class, as happened since the democratic breakthrough.

In order to avoid this phenomenon from happening, within the context of the national democratic revolution, new forms of organisation need to be invigorated so that they provide the critical dynamic link between the state apparatus and communities. Without well -functioning Alliance structures from the bottom up, the working-class risks losing political leadership within these communities and the movement risks being dislocated from its mass base.

The Core Priorities for 2020 as identified by the CEC are as follows:

1.1.      Convene and Coordinate a Popular Campaign for Jobs and Decent Livelihoods for All

1.2.      Convene a National Bargaining Conference (In September) to assess, overhaul and transform the bargaining landscape towards the full Launch of a Living Wage Campaign

1.3.      Intensify the NHI Campaign – NHI means quality, accessible and affordable Healthcare for all!

1.4.      Build Safe workplaces and communities NOW – End Violence against workers, women and children

1.5.      Fight Corruption – Ending Corruption means more resources for workers incomes, community development and service delivery

1.6.      Heighten the struggle against Climate change and for a Just Transition that protects jobs, livelihoods and the environment

1.7.      Wage a Fight against the cost of electricity and promote access for the poor to affordable energy

1.8.      Build a skilled worker for the skills revolution – Engaging the Fourth Industrial Revolution as a developmental tool for workers

1.9.      Convene the Workshop on the Economic Crisis, Jobs and Alternatives (In March) as a start towards sustained deeper education on economic and strategic questions facing workers and society.

International: The CEC is calling on government and President Cyril Ramaphosa to use the AU Chairpersonship to drive the African agenda and make sure that peace prevails, and economic cooperation grows in the continent. We also want the Africa Free Trade Agreement to have a social clause that will ensure that the decent work agenda is defended, and trade union rights are respected.

Issued by COSATU

Sizwe Pamla -Cosatu Spokesperson

060 975 6794

COSATU: GOVT CAN FIND OTHER WAYS THAN CUTTING WAGE BILL TO SAVE MONEY

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni tabled a budget that aimed to cut the state wage bill by R160 billion over the next three years.

Cosatu's members marched on Parliament on 19 February 2019 amid concerns over potential job cuts at state entities, like Eskom. Picture: Cindy Archillies/EWN

Jason Felix
Eyewitness News

CAPE TOWN - Amid a technical recession, some public service unions were threatening to down tools and bring the sector to a standstill if government went ahead with plans to cut its wage bill.

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni tabled a budget that aimed to cut the state wage bill by R160 billion over the next three years.

The SA Police and Allied Workers Union was threatening to down tools.

Cosatu’s Western Cape secretary Malvern de Bruyn said that government could find other ways to save money.

He said that public servants should be the last option.

"There are many other ways that they can use to cut the wage bill - the amount of bodyguards they have to protect themselves, they must cut that..."

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni was planning to reduce the public sector wage bill to cut back on government spending.

But the union said that the move would paralyse workers and their income.

The demands from unions came as slow economic growth has seen the country slip into a technical recession.

COSATU: WORKERS CAN ONLY BENEFIT FROM A FUEL PRICE CAP

Trade union federation Cosatu has cautiously welcomed the reduction of fuel prices coming on Wednesday but said that it was not enough to relieve workers of the high cost of travel and food.

Nthakoana Ngatane
Eyewitness News

JOHANNESBURG - Trade union federation Cosatu has cautiously welcomed the reduction of fuel prices coming on Wednesday but said that it was not enough to relieve workers of the high cost of travel and food.

The Department of Energy said that all grades of petrol would drop by 19 cents per litre, all grades of diesel by 54 cents a litre, while illuminating paraffin would go down by 68 cents per litre with liquid petroleum gas by 32 cents per kg.

Cosatu, however, said that in the absence of a regulatory framework that would ensure that transport operators and manufacturers adjust their prices downwards, workers would not feel the effects of the drop.

National spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said that lower-income earners and poor households could not be left to the ups and downs of the market and they could only benefit from a fuel price cap.

"Transport operators and retailers adjust their numbers - there is no regulatory framework in place to ensure that when numbers go down they follow suit. As workers, we spend 20% of our income travelling to and from work, this is why we are saying a steady drop is what we will support."

RAND FALLS AS ECONOMY SLIPS INTO RECESSION

The recession is another setback for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s efforts to revive the economy and stave off a downgrade of the country’s sovereign debt to below investment grade by rating agency Moody’s.

Reuters

JOHANNESBURG - The rand weakened on Tuesday as data showed the economy entered its second recession in two years in the final quarter of last year, while stocks edged higher.

At 1716 GMT, the rand was 0.55% weaker at R15.4700 per dollar, after hitting a session low of R15.6250 in the immediate aftermath of the recession news.

The recession is another setback for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s efforts to revive the economy and stave off a downgrade of the country’s sovereign debt to below investment grade by rating agency Moody’s.

“The road ahead for rand will be filled with many obstacles as investors question whether Moody’s will leave or downgrade South Africa’s last credit rating on March 27,” said Lukman Otunuga, senior research analyst at FXTM.

“In regards to the technical picture ...falling confidence over the economy in the face of domestic and external risks may weaken the local currency with 15.80 acting as the first level of interest.”

Moody’s is the last of the top three agencies to rate the country’s debt at investment level, and it is set to assess the rating in March.

Stocks closed higher, with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s Top-40 index rising 2.2% to 47,671 points and the broader all-share index closing up 2.16% at 52,958 points.

The rise was led by miners AngloGold Ashanti, which rose 7.45%, and Anglo American Platinum, up just over 6%.

Nedbank was the only company on the index whose shares fell on Tuesday, after it reported a near 7% drop in profits. Its shares closed down 2.28%.

Bonds were firmer, with the yield on the benchmark 2026 government issue down 21 basis points to 7.945%.

SA ENTERING TECHNICAL RECESSION AGAIN NOT A SURPRISE, SAYS RAMAPHOSA

President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the poor growth figures released today were not pleasing, but said that the signs that the economy was struggling were evident for some time.

Gaye Davis
Eyewitness News

CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa said that it should come as no surprise that South Africa had once again entered a technical recession.

Stats SA on Tuesday this morning reported that the economy shrank by 1.4% in the last quarter of 2019, making for two successive quarters of negative growth.

Ramaphosa said that the poor growth figures released today were not pleasing, but said that the signs that the economy was struggling were evident for some time.

He was speaking during an engagement at Tuynhuys in Cape Town with the SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) and the parliamentary Press Gallery Association this afternoon.

More grim tidings for the economy, but President Cyril Ramaphosa said that we should not be shocked.

"Poor growth figures for the last quarter are not pleasing, but at the same time they could not have come as a shock or a surprise to us because the signs were there."

Ramaphosa cited load-shedding and its impact on production in manufacturing and for trade.

"Agriculture slumped down the greatest and that could also be ascribed to the drought that many parts of our country have been experiencing, but I think more importantly, just business and consumer confidence have been negatively affected as well. So, a combination of all these factors have led to the negative growth, which is 1.4% in the past quarter."

Globally, the economic outlook was weaker, with the coronavirus threatening to have a major impact on trade, travel and health systems.

Ramaphosa said that this was no time to sit back and do nothing and that there must be sharpened focus on the reforms the government had embarked upon.

RAMAPHOSA: SA WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS

President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that the underlying weakness in South Africa's economy could be further aggravated by global economic uncertainty amid the spread of the coronavirus.

President Cyril Ramaphosa speaking during an engagement at Tuynhuys in Cape Town with the SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) and the parliamentary Press Gallery Association on 3 March 2020. Picture: @PresidencyZA/Twitter

Gaye Davis
Eyewitness News

JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that the underlying weakness in South Africa's economy could be further aggravated by global economic uncertainty amid the spread of the coronavirus.

South Africa had yet to officially confirm a case, but Ramaphosa said that there was no doubt that the country would also be affected.

This would hamper growth at a time when Stats SA on Tuesday announced that the economy shrank by 1.4% in the last quarter of 2019, sending it back into a technical recession.

Ramaphosa was addressing members of the SA National Editors' Forum (Sanef) and the parliamentary Press Gallery Association at Tuynhuys in Cape Town on Tuesday afternoon.

It’s South Africa’s second recession in two years, two successive quarters of negative growth driven by a stagnant economy, load-shedding and the drought.

Ramaphosa said while the numbers weren’t pleasing, they were also not surprising, as signs of the downturn were clear.

He also highlighted global economic uncertainty and the effects of the coronavirus epidemic.

“Whilst in our own country we do not have incidents at the moment of this virus, it has already affected 72 countries around the world and no doubt, we are also going to be a candidate as more and more countries are being affected by this virus.”

Ramaphosa said the epidemic’s immediate impact was on travel and the import and export of goods.

"So, we are going to be affected quite negatively as it spreads – and worst of all could well be the impact on the health of our people against which we are going to be guarding as much as we possibly can."

ESKOM WILL NOT FAIL - RAMAPHOSA

President Cyril Ramaphosa said there were ongoing discussions and proposals on how to reduce Eskom's debt.

Bonga Dlulane
Eyewitness News

JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa said there were ongoing discussions and proposals on how to reduce Eskom's debt.

The president said these might include an equity partner or selling some parts of the power utility.

Ramaphosa has been meeting with the South African National Editors’ Forum in Cape Town on Tuesday afternoon.

Eskom has been struggling to keep the lights on, which has resulted in the implementation of load shedding.

The president said Eskom would not fail.

“The discussions are ongoing, including for instance, should some power stations be sold. Now, this is not a new idea, some people have come up with ideas and some of them have located them around old power stations that are going to be decommissioned.”

The Cuban Revolution is Proud of Its Campesinos

José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Party Central Committee, presided provincial annual review assemblies of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP), in Mayabeque and Pinar de Río, in preparation for the orgnaization’s XII Congress

Author: Ronald Suárez Rivas | internet@granma.cu
March 2, 2020 08:03:21
Photo: Ismael Batista

"Sixty-one years after the first massive land distribution in the Pinar del Rio town of Las Martinas, to put an end to the plantation system, the Cuban Revolution is proud of its small farmers…You have done your part and will continue to do so with the same dignity as always and with full awareness of the moment the Revolution is experiencing.”

These were among the words of José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Party Central Committee, during provincial annual review assemblies of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP), in Mayabeque and Pinar de Río, in preparation for the organization’s XII Congress.

Machado Ventura continued in Pinar del Río: “That (land) was yours and it was usurped by the system that prevailed in the country," recalling Fidel’s insistence on advancing in implementation of the Agrarian Reform Law, after the awarding of these first property titles, March 1, 1959.

"Every day you confront the hardships imposed by the U.S. government's blockade, which seeks to starve our people, but the will of the men and women of the countryside is to overcome these obstacles and produce greater volumes of food, vegetables, grains and fruit," he stated in Mayabeque, a young province that plays a key role in feeding Havana.

José Ramón Monteagudo Ruiz, member of the Central Committee Secretariat, and Enrique Santiesteban Pozo, ANAP president and member of the Council of State, participated in both assemblies, along with authorities of both provinces.

No Matter the Challenge, We Continue to Reach for the Stars

Eight million Cubans supported what has been, since February 24, the supreme law of our society, based on José Martí’s dreams for a Republic of exceptional humanism

Author: Leidys Maria Labrador Herrera | internet@granma.cu
March 2, 2020 15:03:53
Photo: Osval

A year has gone by, and if it were necessary to define it in a single word there is none more accurate than "transcendental." Twelve months of unceasing work since more than eight million Cubans supported what has been, since February 24, the supreme law of Cuban society, based on the dream José Martí bequeathed to us of a Republic of exceptional humanism.

The approval of a more advanced constitutional text was not only proof of the continuity that has marked the course of our revolutionary process, but at the same time, the starting point for another stage of intense, challenging work.

The Policy Guidelines, Development Plan through 2030 and Conceptualization of Cuba’s Economic and Social Model, made clear that today’s Cuba required transformations to make our social system more sustainable, developed, proactive, and thus more just and rich in opportunities. To do so, we needed a new Constitution.

Collective consensus for the organizational structure of the Magna Carta, approved by referendum and proclaimed on another historic date, April 10, indicated another path, moving in two crucial directions. On the one hand, the approval of a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework that would allow the Constitution’s content to become a reality; and on the other, the realignment of both state and government structures to become more functional, efficient and objective, in order to reach the ultimate objective - our country’s development on all fronts.

This year, these unavoidable goals were sustained with discipline and order, despite the permanent battle against increasingly obsessive U.S. policy toward Cuba, and the countless tensions it caused.

THE ESSENTIAL LEGISLATIVE MISSION

The legislative work of Cuba’s National Assembly was intense in 2019. Several laws have already been approved by deputies, reflecting stipulations in the Constitution and addressing the need to regulate certain indispensable social and economic processes.

During the first ordinary session, after the new Magna Carta’s proclamation, three new laws of special importance were approved: Act 127 or Electoral Law, Act 128 or Law of National Symbols of the Republic of Cuba, and Act 129 or Fisheries Law, the first law addressing this issue at the national level.

Our current Constitution, of course, reflects important changes in the constitutional order. Its first transitional provision dictates that a new Electoral Law must be approved by the National Assembly within a period of six months of its proclamation, to guarantee the establishment of Electoral Councils at all levels, and the subsequent election of new figures described in the constitutional text that differ from those in the previous law dated October 29, 1992. As to be expected, the new Magna Carta also includes procedures to elect figures already known, including deputies, delegates to Municipal Assemblies of People’s Power and their leadership. 

The Law of National Symbols, on its part, will allow, as it explains, to solve problems of regulations previously in effect, and also to make use of these symbols, to some extent, more flexible, in line with interests expressed by Cuban citizens.

As for Fisheries Law, its second Whereas makes clear ¨the objective of establishing fishery resource management based on the principles of preservation, sustainable use, a precautionary approach, implementation of scientific-technological criteria and environmental protection as defined in domestic and international norms and principles of food security and sovereignty to guarantee the implementation of Cuban fishery policy in a progressive, flexible and effective manner.¨

Toward the end of 2019, the National Assembly approved, in its last ordinary session, two new laws, important to the improvement of People´s Power bodies: 1- Law of Organization and Operation of Municipal Assemblies and People´s Councils, and, 2- Law of Organization and Operation of this body and the Council of State, which represents the Assembly between sessions.

Remaining to be done is much complex legislative work, as reflected in the agenda approved for this purpose, with a total of 70 regulations including laws and decree-laws through 2023, and 24 regulations that will enter into effect from 2023 to 2028. No doubt, all these regulations are directed toward the optimal organic functioning of the Cuban nation.

MORE FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION, APPROPRIATE FOR PRESENT TIMES

January 2020 saw two closely related processes that contributed to not only strengthening state structures, but also affording a leading role to territories in decision-making, in the search for local solutions to problems, moving toward more horizontal processes involving reasoning and assuming strategies in line with the closest reality, as well as progress towards municipal autonomy.

First, delegates to Municipal Assemblies of People’s Power nationwide elected Governors and Lieutenant Governors in their respective provinces. They then approved, at the proposal of their respective presidents, the individuals now serving as Superintendents. Each of these elected figures has their respective duties outlined in the Constitution.

However, at this step was preceded by others, entailing changes to the highest levels of the country´s leadership and the National Assembly of People's Power, the state’s highest governing body which elected its President, Vice President and Secretary, who in turn formed the Council of State.

The main reason for this decision is that the Council of State is the body that represents the National Assembly between sessions, to which it is accountable. Although the Council of State has the authority to approve essential decree-laws for conducting certain processes in the country, these decree-laws must be confirmed by National Assembly in the next session. The Council of State’s powers are clearly defined in the Constitution.

According to the Magna Carta, the National Assembly is also responsible for electing the President and Vice President of the Republic. The President, who must be a National Assembly deputy, is elected to serve a five-year term by a majority vote, and is also accountable to this body for all activity. The Vice President is elected in the same manner, and fulfills duties as delegated or assigned by the President.

Cuba’s Magna Carta clearly defines the structure of the Republic’s government, with the Council of Ministers as its highest executive and administrative body. This council is headed by another new figure identified in the Constitution: the Prime Minister. This individual, who serves as head of the Republic’s government, is nominated by the President of the Republic and must be approved by an absolute majority of deputies.

BEYOND CONSTITUTIONAL TERMS

Although, this article provides a brief summary of separate steps completed to bring constitutional principles to life, the real essence of these steps and impact within society goes far beyond the legal language or terms in a Constitution.

The fact is that everything achieved thus far, and all that is still up for discussion, in no way negligible, has an undisputed leading figure: the people. And with the deep essence of the people, this work has been done. Let us never forget that our deputies represent even the most humble of Cubans, those who live in the most remote areas, those who are still very young, and those who have lived many years.

Let us not forget that approving the Magna Carta by constitutional referendum and enriching it with our opinions in broad popular consultation, implies majority support for the processes that emerge from its chapters and sections.

This has been above all a year of learning, of understanding that transformation is a key principle in the process of developing, growing and expanding the horizons to which we aspire. Everything we do together, with the conviction of "thinking as a country," is for our benefit, that of our family, of the people we love and have the privilege of living in Cuba.

José Martí, Cuba´s Apostle, showed us with his limitless greatness and the undeniable depth of his language, that the stars are not reached by taking flat roads. We can interpret from this wisdom that if our willpower is the driving force, however rugged the road, the stars are not impossible to reach with the sure guidance of our leaders.

From Monroe to Trump

The current U.S. President again threatens military action against Venezuela and continues sanctioning governments and companies with ties to the Bolivarian Republic and Cuba

Author: Elson Concepción Pérez | internet@granma.cu
March 2, 2020 10:03:58

U.S.-backed coups in Latin America and the Caribbean over the last 70 years. Photo: RT
More than 200 years have passed since James Monroe became the fifth president of the United States. Unlike Donald Trump, he had been a soldier, lawyer, senator, governor and even Secretary of State. Trump, the country’s 45th President, a multimillionaire inexperienced in politics, has done nothing more than repeat what was said and done by the inventor of the "America for Americans" doctrine.

What is common in what happened in 1823 and what is happening today is that Monroe’s philosophy is being dusted off by Trump, to making a reality of the notion that the nations of Latin America are Washington's backyard.

The latest threat to Venezuela of a possible military intervention, the recent coup in Bolivia under the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS), the tightening of the blockade of Cuba, destabilization in Nicaragua, and open interference in the internal affairs of countries in the region, where democratic governments have set the standards for development and sovereignty, do not come as a surprise.

"Here in the Western Hemisphere we are committed to maintaining our independence from the intrusion of expansionist foreign powers," Trump stated at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2018. "It has been the formal policy of our country, since President James Monroe, that we reject interference by foreign nations in this hemisphere and in our own affairs," he added cynically.

In February 2018, then-Secretary of State for the Trump administration, Rex Tillerson, said, "the Monroe Doctrine is as relevant today as it was on the day it was written.”

On that same date, another member of the President's group of hawks, John Bolton, said in an article in The Hill, that Russian interference in Latin America could inspire Trump to reaffirm the Monroe Doctrine.

This is how this first term of office is going, for a President who intends to be re-elected next November.

This is a state in which, in 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt established that if a European country threatened the rights or property of U.S. citizens or companies in a Latin American nation, the government was obliged to intervene in the affairs of that country to remedy the situation.

In these cases, we must consider what leaders of the U.S. empire have understood and understand today, regarding the rights or properties of U.S. citizens or companies." The Helms-Burton Act made their pretensions law.

Let us not forget the long list of U.S. interventions in Latin American nations, to make sure their colonial status was not threatened, including invasions, coups and blockades, and other hostile actions. While, at the time, Washington denied its role in overthrowing governments, documents declassified years later by their own institutions reveal the truth.

The U.S. website Bloomberg recently noted that the United States continues to consider the military option to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

In the February 21 article, an official of the Trump administration was quoted as saying, “President Donald Trump is frustrated that pressure is building too slowly on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and is still considering military options in the country, including a naval blockade.”

Invoking Monroe and his "doctrine," Trump issued threatening warnings to companies that continue to do business with Venezuela, including India Reliance Industries; Repsol of Spain; the U.S. oil company Chevron; and several Greek shipping companies.

The article continues citing the unnamed official, “The administration continues to pursue what he called the Trump doctrine to foster democratic governments throughout the Western Hemisphere, akin to the Monroe Doctrine, which warned against European colonization efforts in the Americas two centuries ago,” adding that “Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua remain impediments” to this plan. Not much has changed in 197 years.

IN CONTEXT

U.S.-BACKED COUPS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 1948-2019

Venezuela 1948 and 2002

-November 24, 1948, President Rómulo Gallegos was deposed

-Coup against President Hugo Chavez fails on April 11, 2002

Paraguay 1954

-In May, General Alfredo Stroessner led a coup against President Federico Chaves and installed a bloody dictatorship

Guatemala 1954

In June, coup against Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz

Dominican Republic 1963

-In September, President John Bosch overthrown

Brazil 1964

-On March 31, a coup against President João Goulart, followed by 21 years of dictatorship

Argentina 1966 and 1976

-In June of 1966, President Arturo Illia overthrown by a coup

-In 1976 another coup took place, this time against President María Estela Martínez de Perón

Bolivia 1971 and 2019

-On August 21, 1971, Hugo Banzer Suárez led a coup

-Coup against re-elected President Evo Morales on November 10, 2019

Uruguay 1973

-Juan Maria Bordaberry, with the support of the CIA, established a de facto government

Chile 1973

-Military coup against Salvador Allende, led by Augusto Pinochet with full support of the CIA

El Salvador 1979

-October 15, President Carlos Humberto Romero overthrown, causing a civil war that lasted 12 years and left at least 70,000 dead and thousands more missing.

Panama 1989

-December 20, direct intervention by more than 20,000 U.S. soldiers to overthrow the President and massacre the civilian population

Peru 1992

-On April 5, President Alberto Fujimori carried out a "self-coup" in his country, with the support of the Armed Forces

Haiti 2004

-On February 29, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide forced to leave the country

Honduras 2009

-In June, coup staged against President Manuel Zelaya

Source: Source: RT

Cuba Maintains Valuable Relations with its Citizens Living Abroad, Despite U.S. Government Hostility

The Fourth Nation & Emigration Conference will take place April 8-10 in Havana

Author: Enrique Moreno Gimeranez | informacion@granmai.cu
February 27, 2020 15:02:13
Photo: Cubaminrex

"The strengthening of Cuba's ties with its citizens abroad is a continuous, irreversible and permanent process," Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla recently posted on his Twitter account.

The celebration in Havana of the Fourth Conference on Nation and Emigration, April 8-10, is another expression of the unequivocal intention of the Cuban government to continue deepening relations with the émigré community, an important pillar in defense of the Homeland, our culture, history and values. This meeting will bring together Cubans who respect and love their country, defend it freely and independently, and actively oppose the blockade imposed by the United States government.

In this regard, the recent visit of Cuban consular officials to Miami and Consul General Alejandro Padrón’s meetings with Cuban-Americans in this city, represented a "propitious occasion to reiterate the convening of the Fourth Conference on Nation and Emigration, which will reaffirm the important role of our citizens abroad in defense of Cuba," according to a tweet from our country's Consulate in the United States.

Cuban diplomats also met with members of the Alianza Martiana coalition and of the Foundation for the Normalization of the Relations between the United States and Cuba (Fornorm), according to information provided to the media.

Measures adopted by the administration of President Donald Trump significantly affect the Cuban community living in the U.S. and disrupt family relations, especially those related to travel restrictions, limitations on consular services, a reduction of allowed remittances and the elimination of commercial and charter flights to Cuban provinces - with flights now available only to Havana's José Martí International Airport.

According to statements by Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, director general of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minrex), "The majority of the Cuban community in the U.S. rejects the aggressive policy toward Cuba of President Trump's administration and supports the end of the blockade. This confrontational policy is only favored by a minority, the extremely reactionary portion of the Cuban community in the country."

In fact, during the Republican primary in 2016, President Trump did very poorly among Cuban voters in Florida, as compared to other candidates. Hostility and economic attacks on Cuba do not serve his electoral interests, and affect Cubans severely. The U.S. President continues to be badly advised," the Cuban Foreign Minister argued on Twitter.

Despite the tightening of the blockade, Cuba will continue the natural, inevitable process of developing better relations with its citizens abroad and their descendants.

In context

-The "Dialogue of '78", promoted by the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, represented the beginning of a continuous, irreversible process of rapprochement between Cuba and the Cuban community abroad.

-During his recent visit to Argentina, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel officially announced plans to hold the Fourth Conference on Nation and Emigration, at a meeting with Cubans living there.

-Cuban diplomatic missions have identified the presence of Cuban communities in 124 countries.

-Approximately 1,485,618 native born Cubans residing abroad have been identified, not counting their descendants. Of these, 1,195,607 are registered with Cuban consulates.

Source: Juventud Rebelde interview with Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Minrex director general of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad.

Our Own Definition of "Blockade"

Antonyms of our choice include: work, fight, grow, develop, unite, create, think

Author: Leidys Maria Labrador Herrera | internet@granma.cu
February 25, 2020 10:02:25
Photo: Anabel Díaz

Besiege, preventing the functioning of something. This is the meaning that the Dictionary of the Spanish Language provides for the verb "to block." A consensual interpretation for the word, offered from the perspective of linguists and scholars of our language.

Nonetheless, as respectable as these definitions may be, the subjective insight of human beings could considerably broaden the Academy’s definition, in fact all the scientific power of this linguistic arena could not gather all the interpretations the Cuban people could contribute to understanding the term.

Not to mention what U.S. citizens - also victimized by their government’s policies - could contribute.

The truth is that, for the inhabitants of this island, "blocking" is not a common term that can go unnoticed. There are too many implications in all areas in which we function, for the mere act of hearing the word not have an effect. No one doubts that the blockade negatively impacts the country in the broadest sense, and every individual achievements and personal goals.

We could choose sphere of society as an example. Any, yes, this is said with full intentionality, because although some are closer to us than others, in the end all contribute to economic and social development, and all bear irrefutable scars inflicted by the incomprehensible siege over almost 60 years.

It is true that no one can help but be moved when, to cite just one example, we hear about the refusal of medicine for Cuban patients, the obstacles to importing medical equipment, the millions that it costs Cuba to acquire these products in third countries, but the reality is much harsher.

If we itemize these constraints, if we bring them into the family setting, we see in a cruder and more painful way the impact of these arbitrary restrictions. We see them manifested in the desperation of a parent, because a foreign government denies their child a cure for a terrible disease.

And if we continue this hypothetical journey through Cuban homes, institutions, and workplaces, we will surely hear anecdotes such as that of a scientist who was unable to share his studies with colleagues in other nations because a visa was refused.

We are likely to hear from artists who, just because they are Cuban, have been banned from attending a prestigious festival, or an athlete who, after an intense year of preparation, does not understand the justification for denying him access to an international competition.

And what about the shared sacrifice of public officials and the population facing the attempt to strangle our economy by denying the arrival of essential fuel to the island, without which no nation can function at full capacity.

Millions, without exaggerating, millions could be the experiences recounted, the experiences of a hard-working, self-sacrificing, honest , altruistic people, who have been made the target of the world's greatest empire’s scorn, for not bowing to demands that would compromise our principles.

Our daily lives would allow us to expand on the basic meaning of terms like genocide, violation of human rights, persecution, extraterritoriality and many others that ultimately speak of a direct attack on the sovereignty of an independent state.

Cuban are indignant that the U.S. government euphemistically calls the blockade an embargo, claiming that its objective is to overthrow the country's leadership, which they call a "dictatorship," and use the hypocritical argument over and over again to present themselves as the saviors of Cuban men and women.

But this is by no means a story of exhaustion or pessimism. Know that over all these years, we have held onto our own antonyms for the term "blockade," which have meanings for this people that go beyond structural and formal issues of language.

Antonyms of our choice include: work, fight, grow, develop, unite, create, think. Conjugated in the first person, plus "you, he, she, they," but above all, "we," yes, because collective thinking and action have been and will be our main weapon against this failed policy.

More Testing Will Show How Coronavirus Has Spread in U.S.

New diagnoses push the tally of cases past 100 and raise the total of affected states to 11.

BY CARLA K. JOHNSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS

A woman walks past a sign banning visitors at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash., near Seattle, on Monday. Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

SEATTLE — An increase in testing for the coronavirus began shedding light Monday on how the illness has spread in the United States, including in Washington state, where four people died at a nursing home and some schools were closed for disinfection.

New diagnoses in several states pushed the tally of COVID-19 cases past 100, and New Hampshire reported its first case, raising the total of affected states to 11. Seattle officials announced four more deaths, bringing the total in the U.S. to six.

In Seattle, King County Executive Dow Constantine declared an emergency and said the county was buying a hotel to be used as a hospital for patients who need to be isolated. He said the facility should be available by the end of the week.

“We have moved to a new stage in the fight,” he said.

Vice President Mike Pence met with the nation’s governors and pledged to continue updating them weekly by teleconference. President Trump met with pharmaceutical companies to talk about progress toward a vaccine.

The deaths at a nursing home in suburban Kirkland, Washington, were especially troubling to health care experts because of the vulnerability of sick and elderly people to the illness and existing problems in nursing facilities.

“It’s going to be a disaster,” said Charlene Harrington, who studies nursing homes at the University of California, San Francisco. Infection is already a huge problem in U.S. nursing homes because of a lack of nurses and training.

In Texas, tension between U.S. and local officials brewed over the planned release Monday of more than 120 ex-passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship in quarantine in San Antonio. Mayor Ron Nirenberg declared a public safety emergency in an attempt to continue the quarantine. He and other officials in San Antonio called for more lab testing of the passengers after one woman tested positive after release.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its case count includes 45 infections among people who were on the cruise ship, one more than previously reported. The count includes people who tested positive after returning from travel to outbreak areas in other parts of the world, their close contacts and infections that appear to be from community spread – people who did not travel or have known contact with other infected people.

The CDC recently broadened its guidelines for who should be tested for the new virus to include people with symptoms but without a travel history to virus hot zones.

More testing will bring more confirmed cases, experts said, but they cautioned that does not mean the virus is gaining speed. Instead, the testing is likely to reveal a picture of the virus’ spread that was previously invisible.

In Seattle, schools and one skyscraper closed, but health experts cautioned that closures can have downsides.

On Monday, the F5 technology company said it was closing its 44-story tower in downtown Seattle after learning an employee had been in contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus. The employee tested negative, but company spokesman Rob Gruening said the tower was closed as a precaution.

More than 10 schools in the Seattle area were closed for deep cleaning over virus concerns, although the city-county public health department said it was not yet recommending longer-term school closures or cancellation of activities.

Closing schools and canceling large gatherings are what’s called social distancing, the idea that distancing people will reduce the spread of the illness.

The evidence for those steps is “not as strong as we would like it to be,” Jennifer Nuzzo of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security cautioned Monday during a webinar.

Measures such as school closures have been used during flu outbreaks, but the new coronavirus isn’t acting exactly like flu. And such steps are not guaranteed to protect.

“Maybe it makes people more likely to stay at home. Maybe it doesn’t if people re-congregate elsewhere,” Nuzzo said.

Closing schools also leaves health care workers, first responders and others without child care, making it difficult for them to come to work.

Trump and members of his Cabinet met at the White House with executives of 10 pharmaceutical companies to discuss ways to speed the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus.

There are no proven treatments for COVID-19. In China, scientists have been testing a combination of HIV drugs against the new virus, as well as an experimental drug named remdesivir that was in development to fight Ebola. In the U.S., the University of Nebraska Medical Center also began testing remdesivir in some Americans who were found to have COVID-19 after being evacuated from a cruise ship in Japan.

It’s not clear how quickly such studies will answer whether any of the drugs help. Many patients recover without needing any treatment. The biggest concern is how to help the fraction who become severely ill.

Pence, who also attended the Monday meeting, said other meetings are being arranged with leaders of airlines and cruise ship operations.

On Capitol Hill, negotiations on a bipartisan, emergency $7 billion to $8 billion measure to battle the virus are almost complete, according to both Democratic and GOP aides. The measure appears on track to be unveiled as early as Tuesday, and the hope is to speed it quickly through both House and Senate by the end of the week.

The measure would finance both federal and state response efforts, fund the federal government’s drive to develop and produce a vaccine, and offer Small Business Administration disaster loans to help businesses directly affected by the virus crisis.

At the Pentagon, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, told reporters that the COVID-19 outbreak has had little impact on the U.S. military. “Right now the overall broad impact to the U.S. uniformed military is very, very minimal. That’s not to say it’s zero,” he said.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams discussed the virus Monday during a stop in Connecticut, where he was touring the state public health laboratory.

“Caution, preparedness, but not panic,” Adams said. “That’s how we’re going to successfully navigate this coronavirus situation.”

Adams and state Public Health Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell urged the public to take precautions such as washing hands, elbow “bumping” instead of hand shaking and getting flu shots. They said flu shots would decrease the number of people hospitalized because of flu and free up space, if needed, to treat patients sickened by the coronavirus.

Sixth COVID-19 Death in U.S. Confirmed in Washington State

By Brian P. Dunleavy & Daniel Uria
UPI

President Donald Trump meets with his Coronavirus Task Force and pharmaceutical executives at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, March 2, 2020. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

March 2 (UPI) -- Officials in Washington state declared a public health emergency Monday as a sixth person in the Seattle area died from the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

Public health officials in King County, which includes Seattle, made the emergency declaration after the number of confirmed cases of the virus in the region increased to 14.

"We will direct all available resources to help cities, health-care facilities, businesses and families continue life as normally as possible," King County Executive Dow Constantine said. "But our best strategies depend on millions of residents actively following established disease prevention guidelines."

Vice President Mike Pence on Monday said there are 43 domestic cases of the virus in the United States with 29 in either Washington or California. There are an additonal 48 repatriated cases including 44 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

In all, 10 states across the country have confirmed cases of COVID-19. To date, however, Washington is the only one reporting deaths related to the disease -- with five in King County and one in Snohomish County, which is north of Seattle.

Pence, who was appointed to lead the Coronavirus Task Force said that despite the recent deaths the risk to Americans related to the virus remains low.

"This president has said we're ready for anything, but this is an all hands-on-deck effort. Today's activity really reflects the president's effort to bring the best minds of private industry together, the best leadership from around the country at every level," he said.

President Donald Trump on Monday added two members to the task force -- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Seema Verma -- ahead of a meeting with pharmaceutical industry representatives.

Trump said a vaccine is under development, though other officials suggest it could take as long as 18 months for one to be ready for use. He also said there would likely be more travel restrictions from countries with coronavirus outbreaks, though he did not identify which the countries under consideration.

Pence said Monday that within 12 hours there will be 100 percent screening for direct flights to the United States at all airports in Italy and South Korea after Trump announced new procedures on Sunday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Monday told NBC News that the COVID-19 outbreak has "likely reached pandemic proportions."

"We're dealing with clearly an emerging infectious disease that now reached outbreak proportions and likely pandemic proportions," Fauci said. He added that "we are not at the stage of mitigation for this," however, saying that officials are not ready to ask people to self-isolate or avoid normal daily activities.

According to officials, three of the deceased in Washington were residents of LifeCare, a nursing home in the suburb of Kirkland where an outbreak of COVID-19 has been reported. One of the deceased, however, had no known exposure to the facility, or a history of travel to China, heretofore the epicenter of the outbreak or one of the other affected countries.

The remaining cases have been isolated and are being treated, although several are in critical condition, according to reports.

Officials in Sonoma County, Calif., also declared a public health emergency after a second case of COVID-19 emerged there. The new case involves a person who had just returned from a cruise from San Francisco to Mexico.

That person remains in stable condition, in isolation, but officials in Sonoma did not disclose where they were being treated.

Meanwhile, a fourth case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in the Chicago area, in a woman whose husband had been diagnosed with the virus within the past few days. According to a press release from the Illinois Department of Health, the man is being treated at Northwest Community Hospital in Suburban Arlington Heights, while his wife has been placed into quarantine at home.

Both are in "good condition," officials said Monday.

And, state health officials in New Hampshire announced earlier in the day that the first confirmed case of COVID-19 there involved an adult who had recently traveled to Italy, where an outbreak has sickened roughly 1,600 people, according to figures from the World Health Organization.

According to state epidemiologist Benjamin Chan, the person who has tested positive is an adult from Grafton County in the northwestern part of the state who is not sick enough to be hospitalized. They have been placed in home isolation, Chan said.

The United States still has a small fraction of the 89,527 cases of COVID-19 reported globally. Through Monday, 3,056 people had died from the virus worldwide.

The vast majority of cases have been confirmed in China, but the disease has spread globally, with significant numbers sickened in South Korea, Iran, Italy, Japan, Germany, Singapore and France.

Six additional WHO member states -- Armenia, Czechia, Dominican Republic, Luxembourg, Iceland and Indonesia -- have also reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

Coronavirus Fears Spread in the US

BBC World Service

A second coronavirus death in the US state of Washington has been reported, fuelling fears of an outbreak

Fears of an outbreak in Washington deepen after a second patient in the state died from coronavirus.

The patient was a man in his 70s who was treated in the same facility where the first patient died a day earlier.

Twenty-three new cases of Covid-19, the illness caused by the virus, were reported in the US over the weekend, bringing the total to 88 cases.

The first two Covid-19 deaths on US soil prompted Washington State to declare a state of emergency.

New cases were reported in US states from coast to coast, in Washington, California, Oregon, Illinois, Florida, New York and Rhode Island.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo disclosed on Monday that the patient in his state is a 39-year-old female health care worker who had been in Iran before returning to the US last week.

The woman did not take public transportation and is not believed to have been contagious either on the plane or in the car returning home. Her spouse, also a healthcare worker, is being tested.

There is "no doubt" more cases will be identified, Mr Cuomo said, but urged against panic.

Also on Monday, officials in Florida said the two presumed cases in the state have been found in a man in his 60s and a woman in her 20s who had returned from Northern Italy.

The first of the US cases were announced on 21 January, with 65 cases in the country as of last Friday.

The weekend brought a sharp rise in numbers, raising concerns. Of the existing cases, some patients are believed to have travelled to high-risk countries, while others are thought to have contracted the virus from within the US.

Officials on the US West Coast - in Washington, California and Oregon - have expressed concerns about cases appearing in patients who had not visited an area where there was an outbreak or been in contact with anyone who had.

Researchers who studied the two Washington deaths have said that the virus may have been spreading for weeks, and suggested that up to 1,500 people may have been infected.

The second US patient to die of the coronavirus infection was being treated at the EvergreenHealth hospital in Kirkland, Washington - the same facility to identify the country's first death on Saturday, a man in his 50s. Both patients had underlying health conditions, officials said.

The federal government has admitted to problems with its diagnostic testing amid the rise in cases. A top federal scientist has raised concerns about a possible contamination in an Atlanta lab where the government had made test kits for the virus, Axios reports.

More than 85,000 Covid-19 cases have been reported in 57 countries around the world, causing over 3,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The majority of infections and deaths are in China, where the virus emerged late last year.

On Sunday, another 573 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in China, in the highest daily increase in a week. The latest figures bring the total number of infections to 79,824 in China.

Thirty-five deaths were also announced in China, all but one in the worst-affected Hubei province.