Transport

The pulse between transport and the Government thins the weather at the beginning of the week – El País

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The threat of a 48-hour strike, with blockades, by public transport on Tuesdays and Wednesdays of this week has generated a tense situation between transporters and the Government, also causing uncertainty in the population.

This announced strike, after the breakdown in the negotiations between the carriers with the Government, generates discomfort in the population that is affected in their daily work.

The Confederation of Drivers of Bolivia decided last Thursday to hold a strike demanding the deferral of bank loans; they do not accept the six-month grace period determined by the Government.

The federated drivers strongly rejected the agreement signed by the Ministry of Economy with other transport sectors, because they consider that there are contradictions.

In search of paving the way for a solution, the Government has extended an invitation, through a statement, to the Drivers Confederation, to join the agreement on the payment of bank interest with a grace period of six months, without the non-principal interest payment, according to a note from state agency ABI.

The drivers argue that they did not accept this agreement because this “grace” period only postpones the payment of the installments, but it will imply that the amount is accumulated in the period of those six months, for which they consider that it is “threatening the economy of your families”.

For this reason, the leader of the Confederate transport, Ismael Fernández, reiterated that the only alternative they have is to take pressure measures, in this specific case a strike with blockades for 48 hours.

The drivers already carried out a 24-hour strike on Tuesday of last week, a protest that caused the annoyance of the population, which had to mobilize on foot, avoiding blockade points. The drivers obstruct the streets with their mobility, placing branches, stones, signs and what they find in their path.

In the strike carried out last week, the presence of sun blockers who did not use chinstraps and who did not maintain a social distance of at least one and a half meters was observed.

This concern arises at a time when cases of coronavirus infection have skyrocketed, reaching more than 2,000 cases on average each day.

Last Friday, January 15, Bolivia reported a new record of COVID infections in a single day, with 2,573 cases of the disease.

Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Health recommended avoiding massive concentrations of people, always use the mask and maintain social distance, situations that are not always met when pressure measures are carried out on public roads, in this case blocking streets .

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Johnson Faces Leadership Threat Without UK Blockade Exit Plan

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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a threat to his leadership from conservative lawmakers demanding a clear plan to emerge from an economically damaging third pandemic lockdown.

Steve Baker, a senior member of Parliament, said in a letter to his Conservative colleagues that a lockdown that lasted until the spring could be “a disaster.”

He urged them to write to Johnson’s team to warn that the prime minister’s position will be at risk unless he announces a route out of current restrictions.

“The government has adopted a strategy devoid of any commitment to freedom without any clarification as to when our most basic freedoms will be restored and with no guarantee that they will never be taken away again,” Baker wrote. “If we continue with a strategy that hits freedom, hits the private sector, hits small business owners and hits the poor, inevitably the prime minister’s leadership will be on the table.”

The UK entered its third national shutdown last week, with schools, non-essential retail businesses and hotels forced to close. The economy has already suffered its deepest recession in more than 300 years as a result of last year’s first shutdown and is at risk of falling into a double contraction.

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The chef who transports you to Asia without leaving Granada | Gourmet

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A small place that changes its menu every so often and that offers completely different flavors in its dishes than those we are used to in Spanish gastronomy. Typical tapas with a 180 degree turn after adding a special Asian touch such as ‘Madrid con fusion’, the traditional squid sandwich but in tempura and with wasabi mayonnaise. And dishes like the ‘Camarón vive’, consisting of prawns with coconut milk sauce, homemade curry and jasmine rice, or the ‘fried Thai rolls’. Elaborations designed for traveling, to taste the best local ingredients but with an Asian accent or vice versa. That’s Foodies, a small restaurant on Sócrates street in which all the preparations bear the stamp of José Antonio López Haro, its chef and owner.

His beginnings in the kitchen go back to when he was very little and he cooked just for his grandmother, who was the one who made him become interested in gastronomy. “She always prepared the food and, as I am a tremendous eater, she always prepared me an aperitif for mid-morning while I helped her,” says José, who explains how now he likes to return to those flavors of his childhood to adapt them to his kitchen . He studied Art History but, soon after, he began to work with his father in the family business, a food place where they served everything from tripe to toast, in the center of Granada. But due to personal circumstances, José Antonio decided to seek a change in his life and head to London in search of new experiences.

London merger

It was there, in the English capital, where, practically without planning it, his bond with the kitchen became stronger than ever. Working there in something related to his studies was practically impossible, so he looked for any other option. And fate would have him end up as a dishwasher in an English school for adults in which, a few weeks later, he would end up working as a chef. “London is where I fell in love with fusion,” says the owner of Foodies, who admits that having the possibility of eating any dish from different corners of the world and with such different flavors at hand changed his way of understanding gastronomy. “I was leaving work and looking for different places, I realized that I was not familiar with international cuisine and my interest in making new dishes was awakened,” he explains. After a couple of years in the British Isles, José decided to return after being “burned” from London. A return that originated to be able to lend a hand to his father until his retirement and to get away from the London stress. And once that moment has arrived, he undertakes various adventures, such as his first restaurant with some partners and working as a chef in various kitchens in different restaurants in Granada. “After a while I had to rethink what to do because I just wanted to be happy through cooking, not earn a big salary.” And that was when Foodies was born, a place with which José Antonio sought to “have freedom” to really do whatever he wanted. “My goal was to get a humble business that would be my passport and then do something bigger,” says the chef. Typical tapas fused with Asian flavors, dishes that he tasted in London and fascinated him and elaborations that he has been able to taste through his travels and have marked him, this is how his gastronomic proposal could be summarized, which invites you to take a tour of Asia without leaving Pomegranate. “I seek to show my clientele that journey that I have traveled through dishes full of meaning”, something he also does in Wok to Go, an Asian food delivery business and to pick up in which ramen, a Japanese soup, is the main protagonist. “I consider myself basic in cooking, I like to mix a few concepts but they fit well, think about flavors and where I want to go,” explains the Granada-born chef when asked how he thinks about each of his preparations.

Unplugged

To this day, Foodies is closed, or “unplugged”, as José Antonio prefers to say, because of the coronavirus. “In August everything began to get complicated, it was scary to go to Pedro Antonio Street, especially for people who have elderly parents or relatives at risk”, something that added to the restrictions established and two positive cases among his staff ended up deciding to lower the blind. “I started doing numbers and realized that I was not going to cover expenses in any way. Remaining open to have more losses was not an option, “explains José Antonio, who in November made the decision to” unplug “Foodies until the new wave of infections after Christmas is overcome.

His plans are to reopen in a few months, in April or May, while he continues to cook every day at Wok to Go, also on Sócrates street, where he prepares some typical Foodies dishes such as the ‘sweet chili wings’. “Everything will depend on how we behave as a society”, predicts José Antonio, who clarifies that he does not want to close Foodies without offering his customers a new trip, a 2.0 one, that arrives loaded with flavor and that serves to forget the pandemic period that we have had to live.

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Dua Lipa – Visit Barcelona

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Another of the great artists of the international scene who visits us after the cancellation of her concerts in 2020 due to the Coronavirus crisis is the British of Albanian origin Dua Lipa. The singer, songwriter, model, and fashion designer rose to fame in 2017 with her self-titled debut album. In 2020 he released his second album, “Future Nostalgia“And with this tour she now arrives in our country. Dua Lipa has already received several awards such as the Brit Award 2018 for the best female singer and the 2019 Grammy for best new artist.

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Minsalud reports 114,720 active cases of covid-19, today there were 15,537 new positives

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Margarita Coneo Rincón – mconeo@larepublica.com.co

The Ministry of Health reported 15,537 new cases of covid-19 in the country according to its latest report for a total of 1,786,900; There were 330 deaths and 55,727 tests processed in the last day, of which 42,276 were PCR type and 13,451 antigen type.

Currently the country has 114,720 active cases. Today the highest number of cases was presented in Bogotá with 4,294 positives, Antioquia in 2,837, Cundinamarca with 1,130, Tolima in 757 and Boyacá closes the first five in 613.

The situation in the country continues to worsen as they are confirmed the positives of those infected in the last days of agglomerations such as Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations and matches in the final of Colombian Professional Soccer, according to the health minister, Fernando Ruiz Gómez.

“These agglomerations and these events generate an impact that is more contagious five or six days after each of these dates have been presented, which has been accumulating and generates an impact on the consumption of intensive care units at the level national ”, he assured.

Meanwhile, ICU occupancy has already reached 70% throughout the country, taking into account that of the total, 11,700 beds, only 5,400 are being occupied by patients suspected or positive for covid-19; the remaining are non-covid patients who require this care.

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Ministry of Health reports 15,795 new cases of covid-19 for a total of 1.7 million

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Margarita Coneo Rincón – mconeo@larepublica.com.co

The health ministry has already published its latest report of covid-19 in the country, in which 15,795 new confirmed cases were evidenced in the country for a total of 1,771,363 confirmed positive cases; although the assets are 111,004.

The deaths registered were 335 of which 318 corresponded to previous days and add up to a total of 45,784 in the course of the pandemic. On the other hand, those recovered are already 1,609,564. Regarding the tests, 70,263, 42,169 PCR type and 28,094 antigen were processed.

Bogotá is once again the sector of the country with the highest number of confirmed cases with 6,198 cases, followed by Antioquia with 3,117, Valle in 1,000, Cundinamarca with 708 and Caldas closes the top five with 574.

According to the latest Minsalud report, the cities with the highest UCIS occupancy rate are: Ibagué 92%, Cúcuta 11.3% and Cali 87%; although Bogotá is also on a red alert as announced by Mayor Claudia López.

It is expected that with the measures taken for the bridge of kings the numbers of the number of infections will be reduced due to the fact that the capacity of the health system in the country is increasingly reduced.

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FC Barcelona seeks investors due to the increase in losses registered by covid-19

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FC Barcelona is reaching out to investors to buy a portion of the business off the field in an effort to stop the losses caused by covid-19.

In an investment dossier sent to potential investors and to which Bloomberg had access, the club proposes to divide its digital assets, world soccer academies, sports knowledge groups and marketing businesses into a new affiliate. The team would sell between 30% and 49% of the stake in the new entity to outside investors, where the priority would be for a club that is owned by its members and that would have to approve said agreement.

The new entity’s annual revenue is expected to reach 386.1 million euros (US $ 471.4 million) with benefits of 210.7 million euros in 2024-2025, according to the document. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is advising on the potential deal, according to people familiar with the matter.

Barcelona declined to comment on the matter.

The finances of FC Barcelona, ​​home of Lionel Messi, have been particularly affected by the covid-19 pandemic. Debt doubled to € 488 million and the club reported a decrease in revenue of more than € 200 million in 2020, as fans have not been able to attend games for almost a year.

In recent years, Barcelona have spent large sums on players such as Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele, but the success in the area of ​​transfers has not carried over to the field. Last season, Barcelona finished second to Real Madrid in the Spanish league and suffered an embarrassing 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

The proposed restructuring comes at a turbulent time for the world-famous club.

Messi spent much of the offseason negotiating to be released from his contract before resigning to play what will likely be his last season at the Camp Nou. At the executive offices, the team will hold an election on January 24 to elect a new team president after Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned in October after his conflict with Messi disrupted his relationship with fans.

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Samsung Electronics Co. loses estimates as 5G competition with Apple heats up

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Samsung Electronics Co.’s earnings for the fourth quarter fell short of analysts’ estimates due to tepid smartphone sales and low prices for memory chips.

South Korea’s largest company posted operating income of 9 trillion won ($ 8.3 billion) for the three months ending December in preliminary results released on Friday. That compares with an average of 9.52 trillion won from analyst forecasts. Sales for the quarter were 61 trillion won. The company did not provide net income or break down the performance of the divisions, which it will report later this month when it publishes the final results.

Galaxy smartphone sales were weaker in the quarter as Apple Inc. launched its first 5G-compatible iPhones and Chinese rivals launched aggressive campaigns to secure market share that vacated the sanctioned consumer business of Huawei Technologies Co. Samsung. shipped 41 million 5G devices last year, according to Strategy Analytics estimates, lagging behind Apple’s 52 million and Huawei’s 80 million sold primarily in China.

The Korean company plans to present its next flagship series, the Galaxy S21, ahead of its regular annual show with an online event on January 14. Rivals like Xiaomi Corp., Oppo, and Vivo are aggressively positioning themselves to fill the void Huawei is expected to leave in international markets.

Read more: Apple provider Murata expects half a billion 5G phones in New Years

Memory chip prices fell due to a slowdown in server demand, although it is expected to pick up from the current quarter, according to CW Chung, head of pan-Asia technology at Nomura Financial Investment. A stronger Korean won during the previous quarter also eroded Samsung’s earnings.

“The company’s memory and mobile device businesses are expected to recover from the first quarter,” Chung said before the release of results. “Demand for servers is increasing due to a possible Dram shortage later this year. The upward trend in the memory market will accelerate and is likely to continue until the end of 2021. “

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Xiaomi for the first time exceeded the US $ 100,000 million valuation in the market

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Ximena González – xgonzalez@larepublica.com.co

For the first time, Xiaomi surpassed the US $ 100 billion valuation in the market and its share price reached an all-time high of US $ 31.90 from Hong Kong. This was announced by the company through a statement.

It is worth noting that Xiaomi’s enhanced “Smartphone x AIoT” strategy, launched in 2020, continues to be recognized by the capital market. Precisely, in the third quarter, Xiaomi’s global shipments of smartphones reached 46.6 million units, which places the company among the top three in the world.

On the other hand, the number of IoT devices connected to its AIoT platform (excluding smartphones and laptops) reached a staggering 289 million, consolidating Xiaomi’s position as the world’s leading consumer IoT platform. world. According to the company, since the beginning of last year, Xiaomi’s share price has increased by more than 180%.

Xiaomi stressed that “it will tirelessly continue to offer incredible products at honest prices so that everyone can enjoy a better life through the most modern technologies. We will also continue to lead the industry with original innovations and focus on surprising and being friends with our users” .

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Covid joins war and cancer as a historical plague in the lives of Americans

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As 2020 draws to a close, most will remember the year as one defined by sacrifice and loss.

In the 347 days since the first reported case in the United States, the new coronavirus officially called SARS-CoV-2 flourished and became one of the textbook disasters of modern history. Over casualties, the country mourns the equivalent of the September 11 death toll each day, and is expected to do so for months. In all, 1 in 1,000 Americans has died, with a heavier burden on the elderly and people of color.

Among developed nations, the US stands out after a year marked by virus denial, conspiracy, masked politicization and disregard for the rules, even at the highest levels of government. Shares hit record highs as millions lost jobs. Even as vaccines are quickly shipped by truck and plane to the most vulnerable, America’s hospitals are getting busier by the day.

“I’ve never seen anything like this, more than 2,000 people dying on a daily basis,” said Catherine Kennedy, a 40-year-old RN who works at Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center in California. “It has taken its price.”

Covid toll

In less than a year, the coronavirus became a historically deadly catastrophe in the United States.

On Wednesday, the US reported 225,671 new cases, raising the moving average to 178,740 and setting the year to close with more than 19 million cumulative cases, or roughly one in every 20 Americans.

Data for the holiday season is hurt by a slowdown in testing and reporting, but more broadly, the numbers likely underestimate the number of cases. In one study, fewer than 10% of patients had been diagnosed with antibodies published in The Lancet in September.

The death toll, officially over 340,000, is similarly underestimated. Some 299,028 excess deaths occurred from late January to early October in the US, which are more than the expected total as calculated by statistical models. Two-thirds of them are likely attributable to covid-19, although they are not counted in the official number, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New York City lost its first resident to COVID on March 14, 2020; its total toll is more than 25,000. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that March 14, 2021 will be a day of remembrance.

“2020 is going to go down in history as one of our saddest and most difficult years, possibly the most difficult year in the history of New York City,” he said.

The virus spread across the United States as contaminated water, showing up first in the Pacific Northwest, then the Northeast, South and West before a Midwest deluge that brought rural hospitals to their breaking points. Since November, nearly every state has broken single-day case records.

New York City on Wednesday reported a seven-day average positivity rate close to 8%, the highest in more than seven months. California posted a daily record for deaths on Tuesday, and Governor Gavin Newsom said the highly transmissible new British variant had been detected in a patient in Southern California.

The relentless pace of infection, more than 100,000 a day since early November, has weighed on the country’s health workforce.

Short-term fixes

Kennedy Hospital, northeast of Sacramento, is experiencing a surge. The capacity is 166 beds, but there are 244 in use, thanks to a hodgepodge of short-term fixes: cramming multiple patients into private rooms and turning underused parts of the building into covid intensive care units.

Like many in her role, Kennedy is reusing the rare N95 masks and volunteers for shifts outside of her normal work in the neonatal ICU. You are concerned about the impact on the new cohort of nurses and have seen colleagues take stress leave or early retirement.

“We are the richest nation in the world and there is absolutely no reason why that should be,” said Kennedy, who is also president of her state’s nursing association. “The current administration failed the people.”

Although treatments have improved and some states have reported that patients generally stay in hospitals for shorter periods, recent waves shifted needs from urban centers to more rural areas, where resources are scarce. Covid-19 has killed a higher proportion of Americans in rural areas than anywhere else, according to the CDC.

In doing so, the virus exposed the ways in which the world’s most expensive healthcare industry has struggled to care for victims. The United States spends 17% of its GDP on health care, the most of any major economy, twice the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations, and a total of 42% of global spending, according to the Organization. World Health. A recent study estimated that the impact of the pandemic will reduce life expectancy at birth in the United States by more than a year.

“I didn’t expect the United States to do it as shamefully as it has,” said Stephen Bezruchka, an associate professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health, who said the country’s high level of inequality and state and federal policies Disconnected have been the main drivers of their failures. “To be honest, I was amazed.”

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