Coronavirus USA live updates: Trump hospitalised, cases and stimulus checks

Trump latest: White House acknowledges Trump's condition had been worse than revealed White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows revealed that President Donald Trump's condition on Friday was far worse than officials had made public, saying doctors recommended the president go to the hospital after seeing he had a fever and his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly. Meadows made the comments in an interview with Fox News broadcast Saturday night that capped two days of conflicting and opaque assessments of the 74-year-old president's health. "I can tell you this the biggest thing we see is with no fever now, and with him doing really well with his oxygen saturation levels," Meadows told Fox host Jeanine Pirro. “Yesterday morning we were really concerned by that. He had a fever, and his oxygen level had dropped rapidly. Yet in typical style, this president was up and walking around.' White House officials including Meadows said on Friday that Trump was experiencing "mild symptoms" and continuing to work. He told Fox News however, that doctors from Walter Reed and Johns Hopkins recommended that Trump go to the hospital.

TikTok turns to US justice to annul Trump's ban

 

The Chinese social network TikTok presented a petition to the US Justice on Wednesday to prevent the executive order issued by US President Donald Trump from taking effect and the application being banned in the country.

The popular platform, owned by ByteDance, filed the petition with District Judge Carl J. Nichols of Washington DC, alleging that such a ban would violate freedom of expression and violate due process.

In the documentation given to the judge, the firm asked that it resolve before midnight on Sunday, the new deadline for a potential ban after the extension decreed by Trump himself last weekend after preliminarily approving the agreement reached between ByteDance and the US companies Oracle and Walmart.

If the judge does not agree to the petition and there is nothing new between Thursday and Sunday, Google and Apple, which control the two main virtual stores for mobile phones, would be forced to withdraw TikTok from them in the United States in compliance with the presidential order.

Trump forces Oracle and Walmart to have "total control"

On Monday, Trump already threatened not to definitively approve the agreement reached between Oracle and Walmart with ByteDance on TikTok if US companies do not have "total control" over the resulting partnership, despite having previously given its preliminary approval. .

The two parties to the agreement - American and Chinese - have offered contradictory versions in recent days as to whether ByteDance would continue to be a main part of the shareholding of the new company that is created to manage the TikTok business in the United States.

Fincimex alerts about a fake remittance website

 Fincimex today alerted on its Facebook page the identity theft of the remittances to Cuba website, AIS (www.aisremesascuba.com).

“ALERT: Dear clients, in order to benefit from the good positioning of the aisremesascuba.com site from the USA, they have acquired a domain called aisremesacuba.com, note that the remittance is used in the singular. This domain is not related to fincimex and could put the integrity of the customer's data at risk. Fincimex evaluates the pertinent legal actions and ratifies its commitment to guarantee our clients security, trust and transparency in their management ”, says the publication on Facebook.

ALERT: Dear customers, in order to benefit from the good positioning of the aisremesascuba.com site from ...

Posted by Fincimex S.A on Saturday, September 26, 2020

It is a phishing, a computer term that names a set of techniques that pursue deception, posing as a trusted person, company or service (identity theft of a trusted third party), to manipulate it and make it perform actions that do not should do (for example reveal confidential information or click on a link).

To perform deception, social engineering is usually used by exploiting people's social instincts, such as helping or being efficient. Sometimes computer procedures are also used that exploit vulnerabilities. Usually the objective is to steal information but other times it is to install malware, sabotage systems, or steal money through fraud.

Scientific-Technological Park of Havana will sign the first contract for the execution of a project

 

The Scientific-Technological Park (PCT) of Havana, located in the University of Informatics Sciences (UCI), will sign its first contract for the execution of a project in October and will occupy the central building that corresponds to it on the campus.

The purpose of this new company is to promote scientific and technological development, innovation and the transfer of knowledge, with a view to contributing to the economic and social progress of the country from the new information and communication technologies.

According to Rafael Luis Torrralbas Ezpeleta, president of that company, one of the strengths of the initiative is to establish synergies between the UCI, other higher education centers, research institutions, companies and markets.

According to Torralbas, the start of the PCT has been conditioned by the epidemiological situation in the country, especially in Havana; however, the managing entity is fully operational.

The headquarters building is in the completion phase, as the culmination of the investment process coincided with the return of the city to the autochthonous transmission phase of COVID-19.

So far we have a portfolio of 26 projects, including solutions for industry, health, education, platforms for online services and e-commerce; In turn, several national and foreign companies, universities and forms of non-state management have shown interest in the opportunities that the Park offers, said Torralbas Ezpeleta.

Restrictive measures are relaxed in Havana as of October 1

 

After a month of restrictive measures, the governor of Havana and the provincial director of Health appear this Wednesday at the Round Table to assess the situation in the capital and specify the actions to confront COVID-19 as of October 1.

Restrictive measures in Havana have had a positive impact

At the beginning of his intervention at the Round Table, the governor of Havana, Reinaldo García Zapata, said that the measures taken this month by the Provincial Defense Council have had a positive impact, considering in the first place that the people and the institutions have taken as yours each of these actions.

“The discipline, responsibility and unity of the Havana people in this combat has increased. Based on the indicators that measure the behavior of the pandemic in the city, there is a downward trend in the numbers of positive and active cases, towards epidemiological stability ”, stated the governor.

At the same time, active events and outbreaks have decreased. “About ten days ago we were working on 15 transmission events, and based on the measures applied, we are now only six. Today one of those events must close, and tomorrow another one ”.

Another positive aspect is the decrease in critical, serious and deceased cases in September, compared to August, he said.

“Based on this evaluation carried out by the CDP, it was decided to eliminate a group of previously approved measures, while actions will be proposed to increase production and service levels. Here, the active and responsible participation of each person, family and community plays an important role to achieve the results we hope for, ”said García Zapata.

He stressed that the State has made every effort, its institutions, in order to protect the inhabitants, including medicines and medical personnel in case they fall ill, but "we have to take care of ourselves a little more in our homes and workplaces. . It is one of the issues that today the president of the CDP strongly emphasized. It must be assumed with commitment. These are the challenges that await us ”.

What will happen in the capital from October 1?

In another moment of the television space, the governor of Havana announced the new actions that will be taken in this stage, based on the positive impact of the restrictive measures implemented since last September 1.

Regarding the employment situation, the stimulus to telework and remote work will be maintained. Currently, 120 671 workers are reported working remotely, 25 638 more workers compared to the days when the application of the measures began.

Likewise, return to work will be promoted, under the premise of reactivating production and services, evaluating all those people declared interrupted and vulnerable for their possible reintegration, taking into account current conditions.

Interrupted Workers: 53 666

At home: 43,484

Other activities: 10 182

Cuba decrees Official Grief for the death of the Emir of the State of Kuwait

 

On the occasion of the death of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait, the President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, decreed an Official Mourning from 06:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 12:00 at night of this 1st. October.

In the As for the Presidential Decree, Díaz-Canel highlights that the Kuwaiti dignitary "demonstrated respect and friendship towards our people and contributed to the promotion of ties with important regional blocs, as well as to the strengthening of bilateral relations with Cuba."

During the validity of the Official Duel, the flag of the lone star will be hoisted at half mast in public buildings and military institutions.

New migrant caravan leaves Honduras amid pandemic

 

Hundreds of migrants began walking this Wednesday, September 30 at night from San Pedro Sula -in northern Honduras- to the border with Guatemala, using a very busy migratory route in times of COVID-19.

For weeks, a new migrant caravan was summoned -from social networks- that would leave from a San Pedro Sula bus station on October 1. However, most of the people who gathered on Wednesday decided not to wait and set out in the dead of night with backpacks and, many, with masks. The groups made their way quickly along the highway, some being assisted by drivers, while others continued walking towards the border with Guatemala.

This caravan advances only two weeks after Guatemala reopened its borders, after keeping them sealed for months to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Several governments in the region made it known that they were pending: Mexico's immigration agency said in a statement that it would enforce "safe, orderly and legal" migration and that it would do nothing to promote the formation of a migrant caravan.

For its part, the United States Embassy in Honduras assured - through its Twitter account - that migration to the United States was more difficult than ever at this time and more dangerous due to COVID-19. But the push factors that drive migrants from Central America have not diminished during the pandemic.

The new group's departure on Wednesday night was reminiscent of a migrant caravan that formed two years ago - shortly before the US midterm elections - that became an electoral issue with anti-immigrant rhetoric. In recent years, Central American irregular migrants began traveling in large groups seeking safety and, in some cases, avoiding the cost of smugglers.

Davis and James start overwhelming against the Heat and take advantage in the NBA final

 

The Los Angeles Lakers could not have a better start in their return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010, when they achieved an easy victory by 116-98 on Wednesday against the decimated Miami Heat, in the first game of the series that they will play best of seven.

As expected, the combination of center Anthony Davis and forward LeBron James, who contributed 59 points, was the key that kept the game always under the control of the Lakers, who returned to an NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.

Minrex statement: United States intensifies its campaign against Cuba's international medical cooperation

 

Below, Cubadebate reproduces the statement of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the campaign of the current United States Administration against the island's medical cooperation in various nations of the world, which has come to exert pressure on governments and now does so with threats to the Pan American Health Organization.

The people of Cuba and the international community are aware of the dishonest campaign that the United States Government has unleashed since 2019 to discredit Cuba's international medical cooperation, put pressure on the governments that receive it, and deprive the peoples of these health services.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounces that, as part of this offensive, the US government has unleashed pressure and blackmail against the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Under threat of not disbursing the financial contribution to be made by the United States as the main contributor to the organization's budget, the PAHO Secretariat was forced to accept what they call “an external review of PAHO's role in the More Doctors Program. in Brazil ”, in which thousands of Cuban professionals had the opportunity to participate at the express request of the Popular Government of the Workers' Party, and which has been the object of the grossest smear campaign by the United States and the current Government Brazilian.

The alleged concerns of the United States about Cuba's cooperation, in this case about the More Doctors program, are neither legitimate nor pertinent to be discussed at PAHO. The More Doctors Program, which has received previous audits with positive results, was established under a tripartite agreement between the Cuban government, the then Brazilian government, and PAHO.

The Program made it possible for Cuban doctors in Brazil to attend 113,359,000 patients from August 2013 to November 2018, in more than 3,600 municipalities, providing permanent health coverage to 60 million Brazilians. Thanks to the program, it was possible to expand the coverage of basic and health care for Brazilians; Access to and the offer of health actions was expanded and the population's health indicators were improved, reducing hospitalizations due to the preventive work of doctors.

The level of satisfaction and approval of patients, doctors and program managers was high. According to a study by the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), 95% of the patients were satisfied or very satisfied with the program.

If Cuba had not been forced to withdraw its doctors from Brazil, they could have contributed to the control and confrontation of the COVID-19 pandemic in that country, the second most affected worldwide.

As reported in a statement from the Ministry of Public Health of November 14, 2018, Cuba made the decision not to continue participating in the More Doctors Program due to the servility of the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, who with a contemptuous and threatening attitude towards our collaborators and In frank disrespect for PAHO and its agreement with Cuba, it imposed modifications to the terms of the program, which led to a breach of the initially agreed guarantees and unacceptable conditions for the permanence of our professionals.

It is disgusting that the United States government tries to manipulate international and regional organizations at will. It is known that there is no document adopted by the governing bodies of PAHO that grants a mandate or endorses from the legal point of view the performance of this review or the drafting of its so-called “terms of reference”.

Said drafting was in charge of a group made up of the United States, Brazil, the PAHO Secretariat itself, and Canada, the latter acting as a mediator between the parties. To make matters worse, this entire review process is carried out under the regular budget of PAHO.

Without any mandate, a US law firm was hired, which in 180 days must issue an adjusted evaluation and, therefore, predetermined in accordance with the “terms of reference” that the select group led by the United States has already defined.

No one with a basic sense of honesty, with a knowledge of the purposes and conduct of the United States Government, or with a modicum of common sense can doubt that they are facing a frontal attack against multilateralism, of a crude manipulation with political ends of PAHO and an extension of the aggression against Cuba.

After the denouncement of this maneuver by the Minister of Public Health José Angel Portal Miranda at the 58th Directing Council of PAHO, on September 28, it was demonstrated in the interventions of representatives of the State Department that the United States Government is behind the pressure against the organization, against Cuba's cooperation programs with member states of the region, and the so-called “external review” of the More Doctors Program for Brazil.

The United States went further by opposing the election of Cuba as a member of the PAHO Executive Committee, an action that failed due to the unanimous support that Cuba's candidacy received. During the Council sessions, several countries recognized and thanked the solidarity and cooperation of Cuban health personnel in the confrontation with COVID-19.

The Ministry of Foreign Relations denounces that a spurious and mendacious evaluation is being prepared promoted by and for the aggressive purposes of the United States in its effort to discredit Cuba's international cooperation.

It is regrettable that through this new maneuver, the United States Government tries to damage Cuba's relations with PAHO, which have historically rested on cooperation, respect, the common identification of humanistic goals and values, and the effort to guarantee health services. quality to the population. On these premises, a relationship of which Cuba has been proud has been built.

The Ministry ratifies Cuba's firm commitment to the development and sustainability of its health system for the benefit of the Cuban people and cooperation with the peoples of the region and other parts of the world.

It has the capacity to do it, built with its own efforts. It is a reality that no one can change.

Access to healthcare is a human right, and the United States commits a crime when it sets out to deprive millions of people of that inalienable right.

As expressed in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of December 5, 2019, it is immoral and unacceptable to question the dignity, professionalism and altruism of the more than 400,000 Cuban health collaborators who, in 56 years, they have served missions in 164 nations.

The intensified economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba, whose effects are particularly devastating in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, has not been able and will not be able to prevent our country from sharing its scarce resources with other peoples of the world. they need it.

In addition to facing the pandemic in Cuba, and guided by the solidarity and humanist vocation of our people, the country has reinforced its international medical cooperation with the dispatch of more than 3,800 collaborators organized in 52 medical brigades to 39 countries and territories affected by the disease, who joined those already serving in 59 states before the pandemic.

As the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, expressed in his reflection of October 2, 2014, entitled “The hour of duty”, “the medical personnel who march to any point to save lives, even at the risk of losing his is the greatest example of solidarity that human beings can offer ”.

Havana, September 30, 2020

Ministry of Economy publishes the new measures for the improvement of state companies

 The Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP) of Cuba released today the new measures aimed at strengthening the socialist state enterprise approved in the Council of Ministers this September.

Among the decisions made by the highest governing body of the island is to make the distribution of retained earnings after taxes more flexible, starting with the elimination of the limit existing until now of up to five average wages.

In addition, the Cuban executive plans to expand the use of the compensation fund to finance investments and contribution of social capital to create companies, indicates the document published this Wednesday on the MEP website.

In this sense, they will empower the Local Government Boards to authorize or not the return of the compensation fund, which grants greater autonomy to the territories.

The top management of the country also approved the generalization to the entire business system of "pay for high performance", a modality currently used in companies that apply the so-called business improvement.

At the same time, they will allow retired workers to be hired again in the same position held until the moment of retirement, whenever it is in the interest of the entity.

Regarding pensioners, the new provisions modify the calculation of the monthly payments of those with more than 45 years of service who return to employment for a further five years.

It will also be possible to hire the workers of an entity to perform certain services other than those stipulated in their contracts outside of their working hours, which will allow the salary to be readjusted according to the new function and with a tax on the new income.

Another measure will now allow companies that produce for export to directly manage financial or commercial credits, provided for in the economy plan, with responsibility for their return.

State companies, one hundred percent Cuban mercantile companies, and other forms of foreign investment that negotiate with the Mariel Special Development Zone, will be allowed to retain 50 percent of the currency from commercial operations.

These and other decisions are inserted into Cuba's new socioeconomic strategy to face the global crisis derived from the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the intensification of the United States blockade against the island.