Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Covid-19's drastic impact in LAC (July 15, 2020)

The impact of Covid-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean will be profound and lasting, according to a new United Nations policy brief. The pandemic will "result in the worst recession in the region in a century, causing a 9.1% contraction in regional GDP in 2020. This could push the number of poor up by 45 million (to a total of 230 million) and the number of extremely poor by 28 million (to 96 million in total), putting them at risk of undernutrition. In a region which experienced a significant number of political crises and protests in 2019, increasing inequalities, exclusion and discrimination in the context of COVID-19 affect adversely the enjoyment of human rights and democratic developments, potentially even leading to civil unrest, if left unaddressed."

The impacts will not be equally distributed either. “Covid-19 will not be color- or race-blind in Latin America,” the World Bank said in a report last month.  "Preliminary evidence shows that Covid-19 disproportionately affects the 150 million African descendants in Latin America, or 30 percent of the region’s population. Reports from state and municipal governments indicate that Afro-descendants may have coronavirus mortality or incidence rates three to eight times higher than the population as a whole," said Judith Morrison, senior advisor for social development in the Gender and Diversity Division at the Inter-American Development Bank in today's Latin America Advisor.

News Briefs

Bolivia
  • Thousands of demonstrators marched in Bolivia's capital, La Paz, yesterday, in protest against interim-president Jeanine Áñez. They defied quarantine restrictions to march yesterday, and demands focused on health and education policies, as well as layoffs related to Covid-19. (AFP)

More Regional
  • Coronavirus is hitting Latin American leaders hard -- three heads of state recently tested positive, as have government officials and political leaders. The situation is particularly acute in Bolivia, where Foreign Minister Karen Longaric became the ninth high ranking official to test positive for Covid-19 this week, a list that includes interim-president Jeanine Áñez, reports CNN.
  • Covid-19 a real occupational hazard for heads of state, even for those who take the virus seriously, argues James Bosworth in the Latin America Risk Report. The pandemic could very well reshape political landscapes where political legitimacy is already tenuous, like Bolivia
  • The number of deaths from the coronavirus in Latin America has exceeded the figure for North America for the first time since the start of the pandemic, according to a Reuters count from Monday.
Nicaragua
  • The reason most presidents are somewhat at risk of contagion is that they have to appear, notes Bosworth in the Latin American Risk Report. The exception is, of course, Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, who has a habit of disappearing for long periods of time. He has currently broken his own record of not appearing for 35 days -- even as Covid-19 deaths increase in the country, reports Confidencial.
  • Nicaragua's presidential election will be held in November of next year, announced the country’s Supreme Electoral Council, yesterday. Parties will have until June 7, 2021 — five months before the vote — to complete the legal registration process. Nicaragua’s two main opposition groups announced the earlier this year they will form a coalition to compete in the 2021 race, reports the Associated Press.
Brazil
  • Brazil hasn't had a health minister for two months -- and interim-minister General Eduardo Pazuello, has filled key ministry posts with military officials, reports El País. The ministry is increasingly sidelined in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, after the two last ministers quit their posts due to differences with President Jair Bolsonaro. (See yesterday's briefs on Bolsonaro's increasingy militarized government.)
  • Brazilian meat factories are a Covid-19 contagion factor, and have contributed to spreading the virus in at least three different parts of the country, reports the Guardian. Meat plants have stayed open during the pandemic, and staff work closely together, often in refrigerated areas -- excellent Covid-19 breeding centers. Other countries, including the US, Canada, Ireland and Germany, have also seen clusters around slaughterhouses.
Guyana
  • Guayana has hit another judicial roadblock in its drawn out electoral process. A new legal challenge filed yesterday attempts to block Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) retired Justice Claudette Singh to from declaring the winner of March 2's vote using the results of the national recount process, reports Stabroek News. The new challenge goes against a Caribbean Court of Justice ruling from last week that Guyana should abide by the results of a recount of the March 2 general election, a victory for the opposition candidate Irfaan Ali. (See last Thursday's briefs.)
Venezuela
  • Venezuela’s crude output fell in June to the lowest level in nearly eight decades, reports Reuters.
Mexico
  • Mexico's struggles with increasing violence (see yesterday's post) illustrate the country's broken justice system, and point to some smart reforms that could have a major impact, according to María Novoa in Americas Quarterly. "A shift in focus is needed. Dismantling organized crime requires coordinated action between federal and local authorities.Without it, cartels will prevail because they have both the economic means and the manpower to keep their basic operating structures in place."
  • The Ayotzinapa case casts light on the divide between old judicial paradigms and newer ones in Mexico, argues Ricardo Raphael in the Post Opinión.
  • Animal Político reports on Mexico City residents made homeless by Covid-19's economic impact.
Honduras
  • The body of Marvin Damian Castro, a member of a network of environmental defense groups in Honduras' south, was found yesterday. The environmentalist had recently expressed fears for his life to the National Protection System, a government body set up to protect human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers, reports AFP.
  • Gangs in San Pedro Sula are innovating: an MS13 cell wired several neighborhoods in the city's outskirts with surveillance cameras. The move is a "sign that the gang is becoming more sophisticated in even its most basic function: territorial control," reports InSight Crime.
Migration
  • Colombian authorities are concerned that Venezuelan gangs are creeping over the border and establishing themselves locally, reports InSight Crime.
  • Venezuelan migrants everywhere in the region have been hard hit by Covid-19 and lockdowns. In Peru the lack of support networks in their host country and their precarious legal status further limited migrants’ ability to respect the lockdown, placing them and their families at risk of catching and transmitting the virus, reports Americas Quarterly.
Population
  • A new study by The Lancet predicts an earlier than expected "peak" world population -- experts say migration policies will play a key role in countries' economic success. (New York Times)
Bright Side
  • Potential long term positive effects of the pandemic in the region could be: greater financial inclusion, greater investment in hospitals, and greater use of information and communication technology -- Americas Quarterly
--

4 comments:

  1. Good day viewers , my name is Jessica Campell ,Am here to let the whole world know that I was diagnose of herpes 7years ago were all hope was lost and I had nothing to do about it,I just accepted the faith that one day I will cure of this disease and I just pray everyday for a helper and one day my sister introduce me to a great herbal man called Dr. CHUKWU MADU HERBAL HOME that she saw on internet,well, I gave him a try on his email. dr.chukwumaduherbalhome@gmail.com, I was not fully convinced until he sent me the herbal medicine which he ask me to take for two weeks I took it with faith and i went for a retest in different hospitals and today am cured of this virus and am also using this medium to let all those having STD,like herpes and the rest not to give up,their is a man who can cure you,his name is Dr CHUKWU MADU , contact him on  dr.chukwumaduherbalhome@gmail.com  or  contact him on his WhatsApp mobile number . +2347030936239.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 🔥 ☑️MEET THE REAL HACKERS☑️ 🔥

    It Tears me Up Whenever we receive complaints from People About Their Experience With the Hackers They Met Before They Heard about us.
    These Days There Are alot of Hackers Online, You Just Have to Be Careful about who you meet for help, because many people now don't really know who to ask for help anymore but there is an actual solution to that which I am giving you for free, Trust Me You Don't Wanna go out there seeking for Hackers Yourself, Because the probability of getting a Real Hacker Out there Is Very Slim . ❌❌ ❌ Most Of Them are actually not who they say they're, they are just out there to Rip people Off, Trust Me You Don’t Wanna Risk It. You Can Always Identify Them With Their False Advertisements and False Testimonies Trying To Lure you Into their Arms, And most of them use yahoomails, gmails and other cheap email providers which could easily expose their vulnerabilities, Please Don’t Fall For Them🚷 Come To Think Of It, Why would a Legit Hacker Be using a gmail or a cheap email provider that exposes his vulnerabilities????⚠️⚠️⚠️
    Well, Our Purpose Here Is To Link You Up With Top Notched Legit Hackers With Great Online Reputations and Impressive LinkedIn Profiles That’ll Blow Your Mind. Trust Me, You Don’t Wanna Miss This Great Opportunity.

    🔥 ☑️ COMPOSITE CYBER SECURITY SPECIALISTS are the Answers to your PRAYERS . We are here to Provide you with The BEST and FASTEST Hackers that would get your Job Done as Fast as possible. 🔥 🔥


    ☑️All our Specialists are well experienced in their various niches with Great Skills, Technical Hacking Strategies And Positive Online Reputations And Recommendations🔘
    They hail from a proven track record and have cracked even the toughest of barriers to intrude and capture all relevant data needed by our Clients. 🔥 🔥

    We have Digital Forensic Specialists⚡️, Certified Ethical Hackers⚡️, Software Engineers⚡️, Cyber Security Experts⚡️, Private investigators and more⚡️⚡️. Our Goal is to make your digital life secure, safe and hassle free by Linking you Up With these great Professionals such as JACK CABLE, ARNE SWINNEN, SEAN MELIA, DAWID CZAGAN, BEN SADEGHIPOUR And More. These Professionals are Well Reserved Professionals who are always ready to Handle your job with great energy and swift response so that your problems can be solved very quickly.
    All You Need to Do is to send us a mail and we’ll Assign any of these specialists to Handle your Job immediately. ⚡️⚡️⚡️

    ☑️ Below Is A List Of Our Major Services:
    ▪️ FUNDS RECOVERY ON BITCOIN SCAM, INVESTMENTS, BINARY OPTIONS TRADING and ALL TYPES OF SCAMS.
    ▪️ WEBSITE AND DATABASE HACKING 💻
    ▪️ CREDIT REPAIR. 💳
    ▪️ PHONE HACKING & CLONING (giving you 📱 Unnoticeable access to everything Happening on the Target’s Phone)
    ▪️ CLEARING OF CRIMINAL RECORDS ❌
    ▪️ SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS HACKING 📱
    ▪️RECOVERY OF DELETED FILES 📤
    ▪️LOCATION TRACKING 📌
    ▪️BITCOIN MINING ⛏ And lot More.

    ✅ COMPOSITE CYBER SECURITY SPECIALISTS are Basically the ANSWERS to your PRAYERS. Trust Me, You Don’t Wanna Miss Out This Great Experience.

    📩CONTACT US TODAY:
    Email:
    composite.cybersecurity@protonmail.com

    🔘2020 © composite cybersecurity specialists
    🔘Want faster service? Contact us!
    🔘All Rights Reserved ®️










































    ReplyDelete
  3. A GREAT SPELL CASTER (DR. EMU) THAT HELP ME BRING BACK MY EX GIRLFRIEND.
    Am so happy to testify about a great spell caster that helped me when all hope was lost for me to unite with my ex-girlfriend that I love so much. I had a girlfriend that love me so much but something terrible happen to our relationship one afternoon when her friend that was always trying to get to me was trying to force me to make love to her just because she was been jealous of her friend that i was dating and on the scene my girlfriend just walk in and she thought we had something special doing together, i tried to explain things to her that her friend always do this whenever she is not with me and i always refuse her but i never told her because i did not want the both of them to be enemies to each other but she never believed me. She broke up with me and I tried times without numbers to make her believe me but she never believed me until one day i heard about the DR. EMU and I emailed him and he replied to me so kindly and helped me get back my lovely relationship that was already gone for two months.
    Email him at: Emutemple@gmail.com
    Call or Whats-app him: +2347012841542

    ReplyDelete
  4. Am Laura Mildred by name, i was diagnosed with Herpes 4 years ago i lived in pain with the knowledge that i wasn't going to ever be well again i contacted so many herbal doctors on this issue and wasted a large sum of money but my condition never got better i was determined to get my life back so one day i saw Mr. Morrison Hansen post on how Dr. Emu saved him from Herpes with herbal medicine i contacted Dr. Emu on his Email: Emutemple@gmail.com we spoke on the issue i told him all that i went through and he told me not to worry that everything will be fine again so he prepared the medicine and send it to me and told me how to use it, after 14 days of usage I went to see the doctor for test,then the result was negative, am the happiest woman on earth now thanks to Dr. Emu God bless you. Email him at: Emutemple@gmail.com Call or Whats-app him: +2347012841542

    ReplyDelete