Financial Pain Deepens Over Virus Which It Had Harbored in the Early 2000S and Refused to Give up After the 9/11 Attacks, Prompting the U.S.-Led Invasion
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ENTERTAINMENT MILITARY NFL Baby Yoda toy void Airman demoted Ohio State’s Young officially coming to for urinating in wants to follow in an end this spring office coffee pot Bosa’s footsteps Page 13 Page 5 Back page Mideast: NATO warns Russia, Syria after Turkish troops killed » Page 5 Volume 78, No. 225A ©SS 2020 CONTINGENCY EDITION SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2020 stripes.com Free to Deployed Areas AFGHAN WAR Final steps CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK underway for US-Taliban deal in Doha BY J.P. LAWRENCE Stars and Stripes DOHA, Qatar — The stage was set Friday for hundreds of guests to witness an accord expected to lay the groundwork for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghani- stan after more than 18 years of war. Workers at the posh Sheraton Grand Doha hotel Friday lined up dozens of chairs and tested a pro- jection screen that serves as the backdrop where U.S. and Taliban officials will gather for a deal that would begin a conditions-based drawdown of American, NATO and foreign partner troops. Most of the roughly 12,000 U.S. troops and 8,500 other foreign troops in the country support a NATO training and advising mission. The U.S. is expected to reduce its contingent to 8,600 to continue fighting terrorism. In return, the militant group is expected to break ties with ter- rorist organizations like al-Qaida, Financial pain deepens over virus which it had harbored in the early 2000s and refused to give up after the 9/11 attacks, prompting the U.S.-led invasion. Fears drive stocks, tourism down as nearly 60 countries report cases The agreement would also usher in talks involving the in- BY FOSTER KLUG AND MATT SEDENSKY surgent group, the U.S.-backed ‘ “The damage that worries us even more is Kabul government and other Associated Press It’s not cholera or the black the damage to the economy.” The head of the World Health Organization Afghans to address how Taliban TOKYO — A deepening health crisis plague. The damage that fighters would integrate into the said Friday that the risk of the virus spread- became an economic one too Friday as ing worldwide was “very high,” citing the government and military. the coronavirus outbreak sapped financial worries us even more is the “It is probably the most impor- “continued increase in the number of cases markets, emptied shops and businesses and damage to the economy. and the number of affected countries.” tant event in the history of Af- put major sites and events off limits. ’ Simone Venturini Economists have forecast global growth ghanistan over the last 18 years, The list of countries hit by the illness city councilor for economic development, will slip to 2.4% this year, the slowest since in terms of giving the greatest edged toward 60 as Mexico, Belarus, Lithu- Venice, Italy the Great Recession in 2009, and down from potential in ending the war,” said ania, New Zealand, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, earlier expectations closer to 3%. For the Sultan Barakat, director of the Iceland and the Netherlands reported their U. S., estimates are falling to as low as 1.7% Doha-based Center for Conflict first cases. The threats to livelihoods were growth this year, down from 2.3% in 2019. and Humanitarian Studies, who increasingly as worrisome as the threats to A soldier stationed at U.S. Army Garrison But if the disease known as COVID-19 is expected to attend the signing. lives. Casey, South Korea, wears a mask in However, peace with the Tal- “It’s not cholera or the black plague,” said response to the surge of coronavirus becomes a global pandemic, economists ex- iban comes with mixed reactions Simone Venturini, the city councilor for eco- cases throughout the country. USAG Casey pect the impact could be much worse, with from many in Afghanistan, who nomic development in Venice, Italy, where personnel are conducting coronavirus the U.S. and other global economies falling want an end to war but fear that tourism already hurt by historic flooding screenings at entry points around the base. into recession. SEE DOHA ON PAGE 4 last year has sunk with news of virus cases. AMBER I. SMITH/U.S. Army SEE VIRUS ON PAGE 6 PAGE 2 •STARS AND STRIPES• Saturday, February 29, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES Military rates Euro costs (March 2) .......................$1.1273 Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9668 Virus sparks global run on face masks Dollar buys (March 2) ......................€0.8871 Thailand (Baht) .....................................31.54 British pound (March 2) ......................$1.32 Turkey (Lira) .........................................6.2382 Japanese yen (March 2) ....................107.00 (Military exchange rates are those A ssociated Press break and medical professionals infected or those showing symp- South Korean won (March 2) ........1,185.00 available to customers at military banking are facing shortages. toms should wear masks to avoid Commercial rates facilities in the country of issuance Fear of the spreading coronavi- Bahrain (Dinar) ...................................0. 3771 for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the Some industry officials are at- spreading it to others. British pound .....................................$1.2951 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For rus has led to a global run on sales nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., tributing the shortages not just to Dr. John Huber, a clinical psy- Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.3432 of face masks despite medical China (Yuan) ........................................6.9879 purchasing British pounds in Germany), experts’ advice that most people high demand but to disruptions in chologist and chairman of the Denmark (Krone) ................................6.8146 check with your local military banking Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.6333 facility. Commercial rates are interbank don’t need to wear them. supply . Austin, Texas-based nonprofit rates provided for reference when buying In the U.S., Walgreens, Home Mainstream Mental Health, said Euro ........................................... $1.0967/.9119 currency. All figures are foreign currencies Many businesses are sold out, Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7942 to one dollar, except for the British pound, while others are limiting how Depot, Lowe’s and True Value retailers need to do a better job Hungary (Forint) .................................308.36 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, Hardware are reporting a sharp of allaying customers’ fears and Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.4795 many a customer can buy. Ama- Japan (Yen) ...........................................108.42 INTEREST RATES zon is policing its site, trying to uptick in sales of masks over the sharing the CDC’s advice. Kuwait (Dinar) ....................................0 .3060 Norway (Krone) ...................................9.4816 make sure sellers don’t gouge past several weeks and say they “It’s the fear of the unknown,” Philippines (Peso)................................ 51.09 Prime rate ................................................4.75 Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.95 Discount rate ..........................................2.25 panicked buyers. are scrambling to get more from Huber said. “Once we under- Federal funds market rate ...................1.58 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7515 Both ordinary people trying to suppliers. stand something, we tend not to 3-month bill .............................................1.42 Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.3957 30-year bond ...........................................1.79 protect themselves from the out- Still, the CDC says only people be so fearful.” South Korea (Won) ...........................1208.27 WEATHER OUTLOOK SATURDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST SATURDAY IN EUROPE SUNDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 42/36 Kabul 61/36 Seoul 50/33 Baghdad 70/48 Kandahar 64/39 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 51/33 55/40 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 49/39 43/32 53/42 Iwakuni 51/45 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 66/63 Brussels 47/33 Guam 69/53 47/44 Ramstein 53/49 80/77 Lajes, 52/39 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 83/54 72/51 62/59 56/41 47/31 Aviano/ Vicenza 46/32 Naples 55/43 Okinawa Morón 71/68 62/50 Sigonella Rota 59/42 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 85/70 62/56 53/50 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 14 Comics/Crossword ...... 16 Entertainment ............ 13 Movies ...................... 12 Opinion ..................... 15 Sports ...................17-24 Video Games ..............11 Saturday, February 29, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• PAGE 3 MILITARY House questions cuts to Navy shipbuilding budget BY CAITLIN M. KENNEY procurement, from $24 billion to tails the service’s plans for the Stars and Stripes $20 billion. The Navy seeks con- specific makeup of its fleet, such tracts for eight battle-force ships as how many aircraft carriers, WASHINGTON — House in 2021. However, funding for submarines and destroyers it lawmakers voiced frustration to one Virginia-class submarine the needs to compete against Russia naval leadership Thursday about Navy had already planned to buy and China. shipbuilding cuts in the fiscal in 2021 did not make it into the The reduction of shipbuilding year 2021 budget proposal. Un- proposal. The money was instead funds became even more of a con- certainty is growing about how put into the Navy’s operations and cern for congressional members the sea service can reach its 355-