US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — The ventilators delivered to the USA as “humanitarian aid” were manufactured by a company under US sanctions since 2014, which calls into question the legality of the operation.
Moscow announced the delivery of medical supplies by military aircraft last week, a mercy mission and help to America, hit by a pandemic. According to analysts, this is a propaganda move by Vladimir Putin.
Russia said on Wednesday that medical masks and medical equipment were sent to New York to help combat the coronavirus after a telephone conversation between Mr. Putin and President Trump.
Moscow later stated that the United States paid for half the cargo, and the Russian state investment fund paid for half.
Last night, a senior Trump administration spokesman outlined the deal differently, telling Reuters that the US had paid the full amount.
Russia did not report the composition of the cargo, however, judging by the photographs and video recordings of its delivery, it includes Aventa-M ventilation devices manufactured at a plant owned by the Radio Electronic Technologies Concern (KRET).
The US Department of the Treasury included KRET on its sanctions list as part of the Obama administration’s response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and military intervention in eastern Ukraine.
Sanctions prohibit US citizens and American organizations from engaging in business with the concern without permission from the Treasury.
Brian O’Toole, a former sanctions adviser to the Treasury, told RBC news agency that the United States did not have the right to buy anything from KRET, which is part of Rostec, Russia’s state-owned technology development corporation.
In the meantime, the Kremlin may postpone the annual military parade on May 9, dedicated to the victory in World War II. This is a key event, and President Putin uses it to consolidate power and project power.
About 640,000 people are indefinitely isolated from the rest of China due to fears of a new outbreak of coronavirus caused by asymptomatic or “silent” carriers (Didi Tang and the South China Morning Post report ).
Yesterday, Jia County in the central province of Henan announced that it closes most factories and restricts access to all villages and housing estates with one entrance.
“Each person entering and leaving is required to have permission, measure the temperature and wear a mask,” the order says. You cannot leave Jia without permission.
The measures were taken against the backdrop of numerous reports of asymptomatic carriers in Jia, including a pediatrician who contacted “many” patients and members of their families.
Game markets, which have slaughterhouses and shops, reopen, but officials monitor compliance with higher hygiene standards. A similar game market has become the focus of an outbreak in Wuhan.
Yesterday, China reported 31 new cases of the virus, including two cases of local transmission. Four new deaths have been recorded in Wuhan, bringing the number of deaths in the country to 3,322. The total number of people infected in China is currently 81,620.
The country has the highest daily death rate in the world, and the total number of deaths has risen to 10,003 (reports Isambard Wilkinson).
As officials said yesterday, 950 people died from the virus in 24 hours, the total number of infected reached 110,238 people. The Ministry of Health emphasized that the pace of infection has slowed by 7.9% over the past 24 hours. The number of recovering has grown to almost 27 thousand people. Spain ranks second in the world in the number of virus deaths after Italy and has lost 834 thousand jobs since the beginning of quarantine on March 14.
Australia
Australia today has closed a number of internal borders in an attempt to reduce the number of new cases of coronavirus in the country. According to the country’s chief sanitary doctor Brendan Murphy, the number of new infections has dropped to 5% from 25-30% two weeks ago.
To stop trips between neighboring states, checkpoints have been set up at many borders – for the first time since the Spanish flu pandemic that erupted more than a century ago.
In Queensland, ditches were dug on the border with New South Wales and road checkpoints were established, and Western Australia imposed a “tight border” on Sunday night.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that in the fight against the virus, the country goes into the stage of “suppression”. To date, about 5,200 cases of virus infection and 28 deaths have been registered in the country.
Morrison warned that citizens should still respect social distance measures. “We must continue,” he said. “And it doesn’t matter what the temperature is outside.” Even if it’s a good day, do not go to a crowded beach. Here is a simple instruction, all Australians must abide by it and will expect the same from others.”
Ecuador
According to a government statement, after locals posted a video of the bodies abandoned, at least 150 bodies were removed from the streets and houses of Guayaquil. In their desperate message, the inhabitants of the Ecuadorian city begged the authorities to remove the corpses of the dead from their homes. A government spokesman apologized on the state television. Gravediggers do not have time to clean up the corpses because of the curfew imposed during the pandemic.
Greece
After 20 positive tests for coronavirus, authorities isolated a refugee camp where thousands of people live (reports Anti Karasawa). Migration authorities said that in Ritsona camp, 80 kilometers north of Athens, quarantine is imposed for a period of two weeks – entry from the camp is prohibited. All 2,270 residents will be tested.
According to French officials, batches of masks destined for France intercept American firms (reports Charles Bremner). Two heads of regional councils said US businesses paid in cash and intercepted containers of tens of thousands of masks when loaded onto cargo planes at several Chinese airports.
As one official said: “Americans are buying them wherever they can find them.”
—
Online:
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.
Contact us: [email protected]
The article is written and prepared by our foreign editors from different countries around the world – material edited and published by Ordo News staff in our US newsroom press.