Stories for March 2020

Wednesday, March 18th 2020 - 07:24 UTC
IMF rejects Maduro's request for coronavirus aid loan: who runs Venezuela?

The International Monetary Fund has quickly rejected a surprise request on Tuesday by Venezuela for an emergency US$ 5 billion loan to fight the new coronavirus, which threatens to push its already battered economy over the edge.
Wednesday, March 18th 2020 - 07:20 UTC
Policy Action for a Healthy Global Economy

By Kristina Georgieva (*) – While quarantining and social distancing is the right prescription to combat COVID-19’s public health impact, the exact opposite is needed when it comes to securing the global economy.
Wednesday, March 18th 2020 - 07:12 UTC
Brazilian meatpackers considering suspending operations because of China

Brazilian meatpackers JBS and Minerva Foods are considering suspending operations at some slaughterhouses in Brazil due to supply chain issues from China, JBS and sources close to Minerva said this week.
Wednesday, March 18th 2020 - 06:14 UTC
Meatpacker Marfrig has a new CEO; plans to buy back shares

Brazilian meatpacker Marfrig has elected a new chief executive officer and plans to buy back up to 5.91 million of its own shares, it said in two separate securities filings.
Tuesday, March 17th 2020 - 08:21 UTC
Several officials tested coronavirus positive after Trump/Bolsonaro meeting in Mar-a-Lago resort

Brazilian Foreign Trade Secretary Marcos Troyjo, who was part of the Brazilian delegation that recently visited Florida, has tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said in a statement on Monday.
Tuesday, March 17th 2020 - 08:20 UTC
Beijing furious with Vargas Llosa for saying combating the coronavirus outbreak would be different if China was a democracy

China hit out on Monday at Peru's Nobel literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa for allegedly expressing “irresponsible and prejudiced opinions” over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tuesday, March 17th 2020 - 08:19 UTC
Rio do Janeiro authorities order people out of the beaches and closed Christ the Redeemer statue

Anyone hoping to escape wall-to-wall coronavirus coverage with a day at the beach can forget about it in Rio de Janeiro, where authorities armed with megaphones blared out messages on Monday ordering everyone home.
Tuesday, March 17th 2020 - 08:15 UTC
Brazil US$ 30bn fiscal boost to prop the economy and soften Covid-19 impact

Brazil’s government on Monday announced emergency measures to inject nearly 150 billion reais (US$ 30 billion) into the economy to soften the blow from the coronavirus pandemic.
Tuesday, March 17th 2020 - 08:15 UTC
Trump urges to halt social activities for 15 days and not congregate in groups larger than ten people

President Donald Trump urged Americans on Monday to halt most social activities for 15 days and not congregate in groups larger than 10 people in a newly aggressive effort to reduce the spread of the coronavirus in the United States.
Tuesday, March 17th 2020 - 08:10 UTC
Dispatch from Uruguay: “Democracy or Bureaucracy & Mediocrity”

By David P. Michaels (*) - Luis-Alberto Lacalle Pou, Uruguay’s recently inaugurated President, faces one of the most significant challenges in Uruguay’s recent history.