2020-03-23: News Headlines

RT (2020-03-23). \'We want to hold the Olympics, but we're not so stupid to expect people to come amid pandemic' — Japan\'s Olympic chief. rt.com Japan does not intend to simply ignore the Covid-19 pandemic and hold the Olympic Games as other nations refuse to send delegations, but canceling them altogether is not on the table for now, the nation\'s Olympic chief said. | \"I\'m not so foolish as to insist that the Olympics go ahead as initially planned,\" Yoshiro Mori told journalists on Monday, as cited by Reuters. He acknowledged there was a lot of concern in the Olympic movement over holding the Games amid a global health crisis. | Shortly before that, Canada and Australia said they won\'t be sending their teams to the Games due to coronavirus concerns.

RT (2020-03-23). Hong Kong to ban all tourist arrivals, may suspend alcohol sales. rt.com Hong Kong is banning all tourist arrivals to the global financial center amid a spike in imported cases of the coronavirus. The move comes as Hong Kong joins cities worldwide in the battle to contain the spread of the disease. | The government also said it was studying whether to suspend the sale of alcohol in licensed bars and restaurants in the city. It has 318 confirmed cases of coronavirus and four deaths, Reuters reported. | Hong Kong last week toughened curbs on travelers, ordering 14 days of quarantine for arrivals and advising against all non-essential travel. University entrance exams will be postpone…

RT (2020-03-23). Qatar announces $150mn in aid to Gaza to support UN programs, efforts in fight against Covid-19. rt.com Qatar has announced $150 million in aid to the Gaza Strip over a period of six months. The decision was taken to support United Nations humanitarian programs in the Palestinian territory as well as efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak there, the state-run Qatari Committee to Rebuild Gaza tweeted on Monday. | The densely populated Gaza Strip reported its first cases on Sunday, Reuters said. | Authorities announced stay-at-home orders in the occupied West Bank as Palestinian health officials are trying to limit contagion.

RT (2020-03-23). 2nd Egyptian military official dies of coronavirus — report. rt.com A senior Egyptian military official died from coronavirus on Monday, state newspaper Al-Ahram said. The previous day, state media announced the death of another senior military official. | Major General Shafie Abdel Halim Dawoud \"died while fighting the coronavirus,\" state television said, without giving any details. The country\'s official media said on Sunday that Major General Khaled Shaltout had died of the same cause. | Egypt has so far registered 327 cases of the respiratory disease caused by the virus, including 14 fatalities, Reuters cited officials from the Health Ministry as saying on Sunday.

RT (2020-03-23). US must lift sanctions if they truly want to help Iran fight against coronavirus pandemic — Rouhani. rt.com Washington\'s offers to help Tehran against the deadly Covid-19 disease are disingenuous, because it is the US sanctions that undermine people\'s access to medical care, Iran\'s President Hassan Rouhani has said. | \"When the Americans say they are ready to help Iran against the coronavirus, it is one of the greatest lies in history,\" Rouhani said on Monday, urging Washington to \"stop getting in the way of Iranian people doing business.\" | If they want to help Iran, all they need to do is to lift sanctions. | Rouhani blamed the sweeping US sanctions for exacerbating unemployment and \"creating problems with the sup…

RT (2020-03-23). Spain's coronavirus death toll spikes by 462 fatalities overnight, 4,500+ new cases. rt.com The Spanish Health Ministry has confirmed that an additional 462 people died overnight bringing the country\'s total loss of life during the coronavirus crisis to 2,182. | Spain was among the first European countries to initiate a nationwide lockdown protocol as infection rates soared. The total number of coronavirus cases in the country rose from 28,572 to 33,089 on Monday, despite the best efforts of authorities to impose strict social distancing. | Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned Saturday that \"the worst is yet to come,\" as the nation\'s beleaguered health system struggles to turn the tide of infe…

AFSCME en Español (2020-03-23). Las proveedoras de cuidado infantil no reciben el apoyo necesario. peoplesworld.org En el jardín infantil Little Blossoms Child Care en Chula Vista, California, los niños y sus cuidadoras hablan sobre gérmenes todos los días. Esto siempre ha sido una prioridad para la dueña y gerente Miren Algorri, pero desde que empezó la pandemia del coronavirus ha abordado el tema con un mayor enfoque. Como proveedora de …

RT (2020-03-23). US in lockdown: The biggest threat to the oil industry ever? rt.com The impact of border closures, travel restrictions, restaurant closures and more is already wreaking havoc on the US oil industry, and it is likely to get much worse. | The SARS CoV2 virus that is behind the COVID-19 pandemic has finally ravaged the United States, and cities and states are reacting to its brutality by shutting stuff down. As the United States continues to increase measures to isolate the sick and slow the spread, the oil industry is bracing for harder times ahead. Just how bad could it get, and what would a full quarantine mean for US oil? | The effects of US border closures, travel restrictio…

The Canary (2020-03-23). Coronavirus: Latest updates from across the world. thecanary.co Covid-19 has infected hundreds of thousands of people across the globe.Here are the latest updates: — IRANIran has reported another 127 coronavirus-related deaths, bringing its toll to 1,812 amid 23,049 confirmed cases.Iran is battling the worst outbreak in the Middle East, and has faced criticism for not imposing stricter quarantine measures early on. It is also suffering under severe American sanctions imposed after President Donald Trump withdrew the US from Tehran\'s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.(PA Graphics)— SWITZERLANDThe World Health Organisation (WHO) said criminals are increasingly posing…

RT (2020-03-23). 'The world is not in such a condition': Japanese PM Abe suggests for first time that Tokyo Olympics could be postponed. rt.com Japan\'s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says that this summer\'s Tokyo Olympics may need to be postponed as numerous countries have expressed reservations about participating in the games due to the coronavirus pandemic. | After both Canada and Australia announced that they will not send athletes to any Olympics Games hosted this summer, along with reports that various individual athletes are expressing concern, Abe told a Japanese parliamentary meeting that the event will likely need to be rescheduled and said that he will hold talks with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach regarding the matt…

RT (2020-03-23). US unemployment rate may skyrocket to 30% amid 'huge shock' to economy. rt.com The United States is expected to see an unprecedented 50 percent drop in gross domestic product in the second quarter due to coronavirus outbreak, says Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard. | According to his projections, the US unemployment rate could hit 30 percent in Q2 as a result of massive shutdowns to combat the virus. | Bullard has called for a powerful fiscal response to replace the $2.5 trillion in lost income to assure a strong eventual US recovery. He said that the Fed should be poised to do more to ensure markets function during a period of high volatility. | \"This is a planne…

RT (2020-03-23). European markets tumble as global health crisis takes toll on economy. rt.com Stock markets around the world are starting the week mostly lower as the spread of the coronavirus continues to drag down the global economy, | The FTSE index is down over four percent at the start of trading in London, while Germany\'s DAX and France\'s CAC have plummeted almost five percent. The pan-European Stoxx 600 dropped 4.5 percent at the opening bell on Monday, with industrials nosediving six percent to lead the losses. | pic.twitter.com/kyzOribwWW— Holger Zschaepitz (@Schuldensuehner) March 23, 2020

RT (2020-03-23). All jury trials in England & Wales on hold over coronavirus fears. rt.com The lord chief justice, Lord Burnett, has announced that no new jury trials will be held in England and Wales, and any ongoing ones will be paused as the coronavirus crisis continues. | In a statement on Monday, Burnett said that arrangements were being made to conduct as many regular hearings remotely as possible using phones, video and other technology though jury trials cannot be conducted remotely. | \"A review of the arrangements in our courts is called for. I have decided that we need to pause jury trials for a short time to enable appropriate precautions to be put in place,\" Burnett said. | Also on rt.co…

RT (2020-03-23). Germany already FLATTENING the curve of Covid-19 infections, says public health chief. rt.com The head of Germany\'s public health institute claims that the rate of new coronavirus infection in the country is showing signs of flattening, highlighting the success of social distancing measures adopted nationwide. | \"We are seeing signs that the exponential growth curve is flattening off slightly,\" said Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute. \"But I will only be able to confirm this trend definitively on Wednesday.\" | Germany was among the first European nations to introduce a raft of emergency response measures including school closures and the severe curtailment of public gatherings. | Wieler s…

Leon Kunstenaar (2020-03-23). Jewish Activists Demand Governor Newsom Release Detainees In Light of Covid-19 Outbreak. indybay.org In a March 21 press release, Never Again Action Bay Area calls on Governor Newsom to take immediate steps to release migrants from unsanitary, overcrowded \"death camp\" detention centers…

IWOC Oakland (2020-03-23). Santa Rita Jail Solidarity During the Coronavirus Pandemic. indybay.org As businesses, schools, and institutions close to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, many people are wondering how to support people in jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers.

WSWS (2020-03-23). Immigrants at New Jersey ICE detention center launch hunger strike over COVID-19 threat. wsws.org Detainees at the Newark, New Jersey jail used by ICE are protesting filthy conditions that increase their risk of infection by the coronavirus and are demanding to be released.

Norman Solomon (2020-03-23). Power in a Time of Coronavirus. zcomm.org To fight like hell for the living

Norman Solomon (2020-03-23). What the Coronavirus Emergency Has to Do with Biden vs. Sanders. indybay.org Tepid adjustments vs. truly transformational agendas…

news.un (2020-03-23). Reaching \'beyond the possible\' in Hawaii to meet sustainability goals. news.un.org The people and government of the US state of Hawaii will reach \"beyond the possible\" to make the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a reality; The SDGs are a set of targets agreed by countries around the world to reduce poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all, by 2030. Hawaii introduced its own initiative, Sustainable Hawaii, in 2016 in support of the SDGs.

Mike Garrity (2020-03-23). When is a Logging Road \"Not a Road\"? counterpunch.org war is peace freedom is slavery ignorance is strength How does the Forest Service justify bulldozing new roads where they are not supposed to be? Only by saying, \"this feature is not a road.\" These are the official slogans of the Party as inscribed at the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell\'s dystopian novel 1984. The

Graham Peebles (2020-03-23). Death of the \"Usual\": Economic Evolution and the Emergence of the New. dissidentvoice.org Humanity is faced with a series of self-made, interrelated crises, from the environmental catastrophe to poverty, inequality, the absence of peace and an unprecedented level of displaced persons, among other pressing issues. All have been brought about by the negative behaviour of mankind, by the pervasive modes of living, the corrosive values and ideologies that …

Gareth Porter (2020-03-23). Pompeo and Netanyahu Paved a Path to War with Iran, and They\'re Pushing Trump Again. globalresearch.ca Though it narrowly averted war with Iran this January, the Trump administration is still pushing for all-out military conflict. The architects of the drive to war, Mike Pompeo and Benjamin Netanyahu, have relied on a series of cynical provocations to …

Paul Street (2020-03-23). The Pathogenic Profits System: Beyond Begging, Praying, and Capital. counterpunch.org We live in an age of Orwellian untruth where falsehood is the norm. One key falsehood worth unmasking is the claim that the current COVID-19 stock market decline, soon to usher in a full-on recession, is a \"black swan\" — an unpredictable (and supposedly unpredicted) \"surprise\" event with great and negative consequences outside the normal operations of capitalism. Nonsense. The new coronavirus is not really a surprise to those who know anything about the history of disease. Epidemics, like financial crises, have been a recurrent occurrence in the record of human civilization. Hundreds of epidemics have kille…

WSWS (2020-03-23). \"Four Corners\" program exposes Australian war crimes in Afghanistan. wsws.org The actions revealed in the program, including the execution of unarmed civilians, have doubtless been known by successive governments, Labor and Coalition alike.

Stephen Lendman (2020-03-23). Is Martial Law Coming to the US? globalresearch.ca Crises are opportunities for ruling authorities to institute policies not easily introduced during normal times. | Post-9/11 and at other extraordinary times, the public is willfully deceived to believe that by sacrificing personal freedoms, greater security is possible — not realizing …

Nino Pagliccia (2020-03-23). The IMF Abandons Venezuelans to the Threat of the COVID-19 Pandemic. counterpunch.org No government that had to bow to the power of a financial institution like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) knows the harsh consequences to which it will have to submit. That includes the Venezuelan government. And yet last March 15 president Nicolas Maduro filed a formal request to the IMF for a financing facility of

Ricardo Vaz (2020-03-23). IMF Rejects Venezuela COVID-19 Emergency Fund Appeal. globalresearch.ca The International Monetary Fund has rejected a Venezuelan appeal for an emergency US $5 billion loan to face the Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza revealed on Tuesday afternoon that President Nicolas Maduro had sent a letter to IMF …

Ralph Nader (2020-03-23). For America\'s Urgent Health and Safety, Trump Needs to Resign! counterpunch.org Leaning on sober-minded experts in infectious diseases at his daily news conferences, Trump is frantically trying to look good. But the old delusionary Trump keeps resurfacing. On Monday, he rated his coronavirus performance at a perfect ten. On Tuesday, he lied to the public about his knowing it was a pandemic \"long before it was

Richard Becker (2020-03-23). U.S. and Iraq: The Hidden History. globalresearch.ca \"You have given Iraq the opportunity to stand on its own,\" President Barack Obama told hundreds of cheering U.S. troops in Baghdad on April 7, 2009, his first visit to the country after being elected. He added that now, \"Iraqis …

James Fortin — Jeff Mackler (2020-03-23). COVID-19 Threatens the Lives of Billions: Statement of Socialist Action National Committee. counterpunch.org As the devastating novel coronavirus (COVID-19) literally threatens the lives of billions of the earth\'s people, two truths about the contagion remain unchallenged: All nations are ill prepared for the arrival of the virus and once it lands, despite herculean efforts in some cases, little can be done to stop its spread. The World Health

WSWS (2020-03-23). United Parcel Service forcing employees to work without protection amid COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org \"There has been no serious talk about this disease\" at UPS, a warehouse worker in Baltimore, Maryland, told the World Socialist Web Site.

Ernest Owens (2020-03-23). Inside a Murder Trial in Krasner-Era Philadelphia. thenation.com Inside a Murder Trial in Krasner-Era Philadelphia…

WSWS (2020-03-23). Russian cases of coronavirus surge as economic crisis hits. wsws.org The Russian oligarchy is promoting nationalism and xenophobia and pushing for greater surveillance and dictatorial measures, as social tensions are set to escalate over the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic.

WSWS (2020-03-23). Coronavirus total in US skyrockets as testing expands. wsws.org The United States now leads the world in new cases and is second only to China and Italy in the number of patients infected with COVID-19.

Xinhua (2020-03-23). Spotlight: U.S. Politicians\' Use of the Term \"Chinese Virus\" Widely Condemned. globalresearch.ca The recent re-labeling of the novel coronavirus with xenophobic undertones by some U.S. politicians to stigmatize China has drawn widespread criticism. | As the international community works together to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, a few American politicians are shifting blame to …

John Buell (2020-03-23). Why Americans Should Stop Talking About \'China Flu\' and Learn From China. commondreams.org A medical staffmember walks out of an aisle in a hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. (Photo: Feature China/Barcroft Media/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/coronavirus_0.jpg …

news.un (2020-03-23). \'Count every drop, every drop counts\': UN weather agency calls for better water data on World Meteorological Day. news.un.org Floods, extreme rainfall, droughts and melting glaciers…many of the major signs of climate change involve water. On this year\'s World Meteorological Day, the UN weather agency (WMO) is reinforcing the message of World Water Day, by focusing on the links between climate and water, and calling for better water-related data.

Christopher Black (2020-03-23). Coronavirus and The Age of Anxiety Redux. globalresearch.ca In 1948 the poet, W.H. Auden, published a long poem he titled, The Age of Anxiety, in which four characters express their anxiety about their place in a world that has been destroyed by two world wars and was threatened …

Manuel Bertoldi (2020-03-23). The Cost of This Pandemic Must Not Bankrupt the People. zcomm.org It is easier to imagine socialism in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, than it is to continue to live under the heartless regime of capitalism…

WSWS (2020-03-23). Italy\'s health workers denounce ruling elite\'s negligence on coronavirus. wsws.org Anger is mounting among Italy\'s medical personnel at the inadequate resources invested in fundamental health services and the negligence of state authorities.

WSWS (2020-03-23). Coronavirus kills more than 2,600 across Europe in one weekend. wsws.org Though large parts of Europe with hundreds of millions of inhabitants are under lockdown, the contagion is still spreading relentlessly across the continent.

repost (2020-03-23). Italy\'s Misleading Figures on the C-Virus. indybay.org In addition to false positives from the C-virus testing kits, we have these figures from Italy\'s Italian Institute of Health (ISS):…

WSWS (2020-03-23). Coronavirus crisis in New York: As doctors warn of \"our Chernobyl,\" state government plans Medicaid cuts. wsws.org Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has been calling for the deployment of the military, warned on Sunday that between 40 and 80 percent of the population of New York state (roughly 19.5 million people) would be infected.

WSWS (2020-03-23). Catastrophic worldwide medical ventilator shortfall despite years of warning. wsws.org World productive capacity of medical ventilators is far below peak requirements during the coronavirus outbreak.

WSWS (2020-03-23). Chinese worker writes on the coronavirus pandemic: \"Disaffection is growing among the masses\" wsws.org \"The working class has made huge sacrifices in the fight against the epidemic. The epidemic has increased the pressure on their lives, and made workers want a more resolute voice for labour rights.\"

WeCopwatch (2020-03-23). Ramsey Orta denied basic safety measures in Solitary Confinement as COVID-19 virus spreads. indybay.org Ramsey Orta and other inmates in the New York State Prison system are extremely vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus. If Governor Cuomo does not act now, it will be blood on his hands.

John P.A. Ioannidis (2020-03-23). A Fiasco in the Making? As the Coronavirus Pandemic Takes Hold, We Are Making Decisions Without Reliable Data. globalresearch.ca The current coronavirus disease, Covid-19, has been called a once-in-a-century At a time when everyone needs better information, from disease modelers and governments to people quarantined or just …

WSWS (2020-03-23). Canada registers 500,000 Employment Insurance claims in one week, as Coronavirus triggers jobs massacre. wsws.org Last week\'s EI claims far surpassed the total number of jobs lost in the eight months immediately following the eruption of the 2008 global financial crisis.

Lynda Carson (2020-03-23). California governor issues mandatory statewide order to stay at home. indybay.org Symptoms of coronavirus.

Last Process: 50 Citations: 2020-03-23 14:48 GMT (10:48 EST)

2020-03-23: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these \'POSTEES\' on social media!

Santa Rita Jail Solidarity During the Coronavirus Pandemic
IWOC Oakland | indybay.org | 2020-03-23
As businesses, schools, and institutions close to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, many people are wondering how to support people in jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/19/18831666.php

Jewish Activists Demand Governor Newsom Release Detainees In Light of Covid-19 Outbreak
Leon Kunstenaar | indybay.org | 2020-03-23
In a March 21 press release, Never Again Action Bay Area calls on Governor Newsom to take immediate steps to release migrants from unsanitary, overcrowded \"death camp\" detention centers…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/21/18831710.php

Immigrants at New Jersey ICE detention center launch hunger strike over COVID-19 threat
wsws.org | 2020-03-23
Detainees at the Newark, New Jersey jail used by ICE are protesting filthy conditions that increase their risk of infection by the coronavirus and are demanding to be released.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/23/hung-m23.html

Power in a Time of Coronavirus
Norman Solomon | zcomm.org | 2020-03-23
To fight like hell for the living

What the Coronavirus Emergency Has to Do with Biden vs. Sanders
Norman Solomon | indybay.org | 2020-03-23
Tepid adjustments vs. truly transformational agendas…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/19/18831664.php

When is a Logging Road \"Not a Road\"?
Mike Garrity | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-23
war is peace freedom is slavery ignorance is strength How does the Forest Service justify bulldozing new roads where they are not supposed to be? Only by saying, \"this feature is not a road.\" These are the official slogans of the Party as inscribed at the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell\'s dystopian novel 1984. The…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/23/when-is-a-logging-road-not-a-road/

UN Chief Warns of Coming Recession for the Planet
Evelyn Leopold | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-23
The United Nations has shut down most of its meetings and all of its conferences, but the world body in New York stays open. There are peacekeeping missions to follow, conflicts around the world and the plight of the millions of refugees from wars that don\'t heal. But most of the work is done electronically…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/23/un-chief-warns-of-coming-recession-for-the-planet/

Death of the \"Usual\": Economic Evolution and the Emergence of the New
Graham Peebles | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-23
Humanity is faced with a series of self-made, interrelated crises, from the environmental catastrophe to poverty, inequality, the absence of peace and an unprecedented level of displaced persons, among other pressing issues. All have been brought about by the negative behaviour of mankind, by the pervasive modes of living, the corrosive values and ideologies that …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/03/death-of-the-usual-economic-evolution-and-the-emergence-of-the-new/

Reaching \'beyond the possible\' in Hawaii to meet sustainability goals
news.un.org | 2020-03-23
The people and government of the US state of Hawaii will reach \"beyond the possible\" to make the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a reality; The SDGs are a set of targets agreed by countries around the world to reduce poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all, by 2030. Hawaii introduced its own initiative, Sustainable Hawaii, in 2016 in support of the SDGs.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1059832

United Parcel Service forcing employees to work without protection amid COVID-19 pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-03-23
\"There has been no serious talk about this disease\" at UPS, a warehouse worker in Baltimore, Maryland, told the World Socialist Web Site.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/23/upsb-m23.html

Is Martial Law Coming to the US?
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-23
Crises are opportunities for ruling authorities to institute policies not easily introduced during normal times. | Post-9/11 and at other extraordinary times, the public is willfully deceived to believe that by sacrificing personal freedoms, greater security is possible

For America\'s Urgent Health and Safety, Trump Needs to Resign!
Ralph Nader | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-23
Leaning on sober-minded experts in infectious diseases at his daily news conferences, Trump is frantically trying to look good. But the old delusionary Trump keeps resurfacing. On Monday, he rated his coronavirus performance at a perfect ten. On Tuesday, he lied to the public about his knowing it was a pandemic…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/23/for-americas-urgent-health-and-safety-trump-needs-to-resign/

Pompeo and Netanyahu Paved a Path to War with Iran, and They\'re Pushing Trump Again
Gareth Porter | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-23
Though it narrowly averted war with Iran this January, the Trump administration is still pushing for all-out military conflict. The architects of the drive to war, Mike Pompeo and Benjamin Netanyahu, have relied on a series of cynical provocations to …
globalresearch.ca/pompeo-netanyahu-war-iran-pushing-trump-again/5707142

IMF Rejects Venezuela COVID-19 Emergency Fund Appeal
Ricardo Vaz | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-23
The International Monetary Fund has rejected a Venezuelan appeal for an emergency US $5 billion loan to face the coronavirus health crisis. | Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza revealed on Tuesday afternoon that President Nicolas Maduro had sent a letter to IMF …
globalresearch.ca/imf-rejects-venezuela-emergency-fund-appeal/5707156

The IMF Abandons Venezuelans to the Threat of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Nino Pagliccia | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-23
No government that had to bow to the power of a financial institution like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) knows the harsh consequences to which it will have to submit. That includes the Venezuelan government. And yet last March 15 president Nicolas Maduro filed a formal request to the IMF for a financing facility of…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/23/the-imf-abandons-venezuelans-to-the-threat-of-the-covid-19-pandemic/

\"Four Corners\" program exposes Australian war crimes in Afghanistan
wsws.org | 2020-03-23
The actions revealed in the program, including the execution of unarmed civilians, have doubtless been known by successive governments, Labor and Coalition alike.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/23/afgh-m23.html

U.S. and Iraq: The Hidden History
Richard Becker | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-23
\"You have given Iraq the opportunity to stand on its own,\" President Barack Obama told hundreds of cheering U.S. troops in Baghdad on April 7, 2009, his first visit to the country after being elected. He added that now, \"Iraqis …
globalresearch.ca/u-s-iraq-hidden-history/5707126

The Pathogenic Profits System: Beyond Begging, Praying, and Capital
Paul Street | zcomm.org | 2020-03-23
If it were a rational, decent, educated, and democratic society, the United States would be spending massive sums on epidemic/pandemic readiness instead of on a Pentagon System that transfers massive wealth to the owners of high-tech \"defense\" corporations…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-pathogenic-profits-system-beyond-begging-praying-and-capital/

The Pathogenic Profits System: Beyond Begging, Praying, and Capital
Paul Street | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-23
We live in an age of Orwellian untruth where falsehood is the norm. One key falsehood worth unmasking is the claim that the current COVID-19 stock market decline, soon to usher in a full-on recession, is a \"black swan\"

Hong Kong to ban all tourist arrivals, may suspend alcohol sales
rt.com | 2020-03-23
Hong Kong is banning all tourist arrivals to the global financial center amid a spike in imported cases of the coronavirus. The move comes as Hong Kong joins cities worldwide in the battle to contain the spread of the disease. | The government also said it was studying whether to suspend the sale of alcohol in licensed bars and restaurants in the city. It has 318 confirmed cases of coronavirus and four deaths, Reuters reported. | Hong Kong last week toughened curbs on travelers, ordering 14 days of quarantine for arrivals and advising against all non-essential travel. University entrance exams will be postpone…
rt.com/newsline/483806-hong-kong-ban-tourists/

Coronavirus: Latest updates from across the world
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-03-23
Covid-19 has infected hundreds of thousands of people across the globe.Here are the latest updates:

The Coronavirus Exposes the Foolishness of the US Sanctions Policy
Annelle Sheline | thenation.com | 2020-03-23
The Coronavirus Exposes the Foolishness of the US Sanctions Policy…
thenation.com/article/world/coronavirus-iran-sanctions/

COVID-19: Trump Companies Fall, Hundreds Lose Jobs
Telesur | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-23
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy already seems to be affecting the companies and businesses of U.S. President Donald Trump and, along with with it, the employment of hundreds of people. | *** | President Trump\'s company

Pandemic: The Invention of a Disease Called Fear
Julian Rose | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-23
The word \'pandemic\' bears a similarity to the word \'panic\' and indeed \'pandemonium\'. In fact \'pandemic\' evokes an almost instant flush of fear in those easily manipulated by mass media, before any details have even touched the surface or context in which the word is being used. Those who plan the major moves on the…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/23/pandemic-the-invention-of-a-disease-called-fear/

Cuba Sends 53 Doctors and Nurses to Fight Covid-19 in Italy
Telesur | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-23
Cuban health authorities announced on Thursday that the country will send 53 health professionals to Lombardy, Italy, to help contain the new coronavirus pandemic. | The 53 doctors and nurses have experience in caring for these types of diseases. In 2014, …
globalresearch.ca/cuba-sends-53-doctors-nurses-fight-covid-19-italy/5707149

The Political Uses of Pandemic
Ben Debney | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-23
Crisis has long had political uses for ruling groups. As I wrote in a piece for CounterPunch in 2015, elites and their intellectual courtiers often manufacture crises themselves, though what sociologist Stanley Cohen called \'the amplification of deviance\' (or blowing things utterly out of proportion). Where not directly complicit themselves in the process of engineering…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/23/the-political-uses-of-pandemic/

Union plans legal action over lack of pay help for gig economy and self-employed
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-03-23
Legal action is being planned against the government over claims that it has failed to protect the wages and jobs of millions of workers, including those in the gig economy, during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. | The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said the current £94.25-a-week Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) arrangement discriminates against women, gig economy and minority ethnic workers for whom these payments are not enough to survive or in some cases not available at all. | The union said it will argue that the 80% wage subsidies offered by the government to businesses to keep people…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/03/23/union-plans-legal-action-over-lack-of-pay-help-for-gig-economy-and-self-employed/

Creative Empathy in a Pandemic
Robert Koehler | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-23
One thing about a pandemic: It\'s inclusive. We cannot survive it, move beyond it, by protecting merely some people. We have to protect everyone. Of all the disruption, paradox and chaos that have been unleashed by the coronavirus, this is the most stunning: It has something to teach us that we could never learn on…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/23/creative-empathy-in-a-pandemic/

\'The world is not in such a condition\': Japanese PM Abe suggests for first time that Tokyo Olympics could be postponed
rt.com | 2020-03-23
Japan\'s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says that this summer\'s Tokyo Olympics may need to be postponed as numerous countries have expressed reservations about participating in the games due to the coronavirus pandemic. | After both Canada and Australia announced that they will not send athletes to any Olympics Games hosted this summer, along with reports that various individual athletes are expressing concern, Abe told a Japanese parliamentary meeting that the event will likely need to be rescheduled and said that he will hold talks with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach regarding the matt…
rt.com/sport/483818-tokyo-olympics-abe-coronavirus/

Does the Coronavirus Pandemic Serve a Global Agenda?
Senta Depuydt | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-23
For those who follow the global immunization agenda and its implementation on different continents, the announcement of a new pandemic didn\'t come as a surprise. \"Pandemic preparedness\" has been well-funded and a buzz word for a long time before becoming …
globalresearch.ca/does-coronavirus-pandemic-serve-global-agenda/5707133

How to Wage War, FDR-Style, on the COVID-19 Pandemic
Sam Pizzigati | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-23
The United States, President Donald Trump is now proclaiming, stands at \"war.\" We are facing, in the novel coronavirus, \"an invisible enemy\" that could claim the lives of more Americans than every shooting war America has ever fought. But that sort of terrible toll, public health people have been working so hard to remind us,…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/23/how-to-wage-war-fdr-style-on-the-covid-19-pandemic/

Coronavirus: Israel\'s Mossad Acquires 100,000 \'Unusable\' Test Kits
Lubna Masarwa | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-23
Israel\'s external intelligence agency, the Mossad, joined the country\'s battle against the global coronavirus pandemic and has acquired 100,000 test kits for the disease from two countries with which it does not share diplomatic ties, Israeli media reported, adding …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-israel-mossad-acquires-100000-unusable-test-kits/5707157

Russian cases of coronavirus surge as economic crisis hits
wsws.org | 2020-03-23
The Russian oligarchy is promoting nationalism and xenophobia and pushing for greater surveillance and dictatorial measures, as social tensions are set to escalate over the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/23/russ-m23.html

The Cost of This Pandemic Must Not Bankrupt the People
Manuel Bertoldi | zcomm.org | 2020-03-23
It is easier to imagine socialism in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, than it is to continue to live under the heartless regime of capitalism…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-cost-of-this-pandemic-must-not-bankrupt-the-people/

Retail and service industry workers demand safety measures, store closures and full compensation during coronavirus pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-03-23
Retail and service workers, particularly in grocery stores and coffee shops, are at high risk of contracting COVID-19 as they interact with hundreds of customers on a daily basis.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/23/reta-m23.html

South Africa\'s ANC government suppressed report showing thousands could die from COVID-19
wsws.org | 2020-03-23
The Ramaphosa government\'s response to the pandemic has been exactly what the study warned against–slow and virtually nonexistent.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/23/safr-m23.html

Spotlight: U.S. Politicians\' Use of the Term \"Chinese Virus\" Widely Condemned
Xinhua | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-23
The recent re-labeling of the novel coronavirus with xenophobic undertones by some U.S. politicians to stigmatize China has drawn widespread criticism. | As the international community works together to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, a few American politicians are shifting blame to …
globalresearch.ca/u-s-politicians-use-chinese-virus-widely-condemned/5707146

Derelict Leadership on Health Security
Mel Gurtov | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-23
If one event shows both Trump\'s flawed character and his ineptitude, it would have to be his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. It is all about him, claiming superior knowledge of the medical issues while constantly downplaying the extent and seriousness of the virus, ignoring early warning signs, and withholding vital information from the scientific…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/23/derelict-leadership-on-health-security/

WATCH Russian Army deliver medical aid at airbase near Rome as Moscow rallies to help coronavirus-ravaged Italy
rt.com | 2020-03-23
Russian personnel swiftly airlifted trucks full of medical equipment to Italy, the nation with the highest death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic. | A video by Russia\'s Defense Ministry shows containers with equipment being offloaded onto Kamaz military semi-trucks after an Il-76 transport plane landed in Italy\'s Pratica di Mare airbase, 30km (18.6 miles) from Rome. Personnel in white hazmat suits helped to prepare the cargo hatch before the vehicles could roll onto the tarmac. | Russian aircraft carrying Covid-19 aid have been arriving to Italy since Sunday evening. Moscow is helping Rome by providing medic…
rt.com/news/483800-russian-aid-italy-covid19/

A Fiasco in the Making? As the Coronavirus Pandemic Takes Hold, We Are Making Decisions Without Reliable Data
John P.A. Ioannidis | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-23
The current coronavirus disease, Covid-19, has been called a once-in-a-century pandemic. But it may also be a once-in-a-century evidence fiasco. | At a time when everyone needs better information, from disease modelers and governments to people quarantined or just …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-pandemic-takes-hold-we-are-making-decisions-without-reliable-data/5707168

How to Wage War, FDR-Style, on Our Pandemic
Sam Pizzigati | commondreams.org | 2020-03-23
President Donald Trump looks on next to Anthony Fauci, director of the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a meeting at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland on March 3, 2020. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/donald_trump_29_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2020/03/22/how-wage-war-fdr-style-our-pandemic?cd-origin=rss

While Dumping Their Stocks, US Senators Misled the Public on Coronavirus Crisis
Jacob Crosse | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-23
The actions of prominent US lawmakers, Democrats as well as Republicans, in seeking to secure their personal wealth while concealing from the public the catastrophic implications of the coronavirus pandemic and the measures needed to combat it, sum up the …
globalresearch.ca/dumping-stock-us-senators-misled-public-coronavirus-crisis/5707141

Australian teachers and school workers speak out on dangerous working conditions amid pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-03-23
One teacher said: \"We should not be expected to work in these unsafe conditions and students should not be expected to go to school either.\"
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/23/inte-m23.html

Legality of shelter-in-place orders is questionable
lynda Carson | indybay.org | 2020-03-23
Coronavirus pandemic fears result in California Lock-down!
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/21/18831712.php

US in lockdown: The biggest threat to the oil industry ever?
rt.com | 2020-03-23
The impact of border closures, travel restrictions, restaurant closures and more is already wreaking havoc on the US oil industry, and it is likely to get much worse. | The SARS CoV2 virus that is behind the COVID-19 pandemic has finally ravaged the United States, and cities and states are reacting to its brutality by shutting stuff down. As the United States continues to increase measures to isolate the sick and slow the spread, the oil industry is bracing for harder times ahead. Just how bad could it get, and what would a full quarantine mean for US oil? | The effects of US border closures, travel restrictio…
rt.com/business/483814-us-lockdown-biggest-threat-oil/

Bail Out the States Not the Banks
Shamus Cooke | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-23
Trump jumped into bailout mode in response to the depth of the economic crisis triggered by the pandemic. A mountain of money has already been promised to the banks, while many other soon-to-be bankrupt corporations will get unimaginable sums with few strings attached, such as the airlines, Boeing, cruise ships, etc., many of whom, like…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/23/bail-out-the-states-not-the-banks/

Chinese worker writes on the coronavirus pandemic: \"Disaffection is growing among the masses\"
wsws.org | 2020-03-23
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/23/chin-m23.html

WorkWeek On SF Housing With Dean Preston, ILWU Port Safety & UCSF AFSCME Cancer Cluster
WorkWeek | indybay.org | 2020-03-23
WorkWeek interviews SF Supervisor Dean Preston about the housing crisis and the fight against evictions. Next WorkWeek hears about UAW auto worker wildcats over the failure to protect the health and safety of auto workers. We interview UAW 551 Chicago Ford worker Scott Houldierson. | Next WorkWeek hears about the conditions of Bay Area Longshore workers who are members of ILWU Local 10 with Trent Willis, president of the Local. | Last, WorkWeek interviews Stella Miranda, the wife of a UCSF AFSCME 3299 worker whose worksite was on radioactive contaminated land at the Hunters Point shipyard. | She talks about what…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/19/18831678.php

Solidarity or Disaster
Maria Paez Victor | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-23
The coronavirus has exposed many things

Memes and Viruses: Could COVID19 be a Communist Plot?
John Grant | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-23
Something pretty amazing is happening thanks to the COVID19 virus. Doctors, nurses and other health workers are being respected in ways they haven\'t been until now. Last week, MSNBC\'s Lawrence O\'Donnell expressed the current narrative in a way I\'ve never encountered before. He was speaking of nurses, but it would apply to other health workers…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/23/memes-and-viruses-could-covid19-be-a-communist-plot/

Last Process: 50 Postees: 2020-03-23 14:47 GMT (10:47 EST)

2020-03-22: News Headlines

Josh Bivens (2020-03-23). The Coronavirus Fiscal Response Should Be as Big as Needed. commondreams.org Red sign hanging at the glass door of a shop saying \"Closed due to coronavirus.\" (Image: Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/closed.jpg …

John Buell (2020-03-23). Why Americans Should Stop Talking About \'China Flu\' and Learn From China. commondreams.org A medical staffmember walks out of an aisle in a hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. (Photo: Feature China/Barcroft Media/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/coronavirus_0.jpg …

Sam Pizzigati (2020-03-23). How to Wage War, FDR-Style, on Our Pandemic. commondreams.org President Donald Trump looks on next to Anthony Fauci, director of the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a meeting at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland on March 3, 2020. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/donald_trump_29_0.jpg …

RT (2020-03-22). 'They have been LYING from the start,' lawyer tells RT as medics sue French PM, ex-minister over Covid-19 inaction. rt.com French medics are seeking the prosecution of top officials over their allegedly negligent response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Among the evidence is an interview with an ex-health minister, who called government action a masquerade. | Three French medics filed a legal complaint this week against Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and former minister of solidarity and health, Agnes Buzyn. The two senior officials, the complaint alleges, failed to perform their duty and organize a proper response to the coronavirus outbreak, which by now has gripped most of Europe and put France on standstill. | As early as January,…

RT (2020-03-22). Italian Army hauls Covid-19 victims\' bodies to lesser-hit regions as medics decide who gets help first in makeshift tents (VIDEOS). rt.com Another Italian Army convoy has been spotted transporting coffins with coronavirus victims\' bodies out of its hardest-hit region, Lombardy, as overworked medics set up makeshift triage tents outside of overloaded hospitals. | The military truck convoy left the Bergamo cemetery in broad daylight on Saturday, as authorities announced the highest daily death toll to date of nearly 800 people. The coffins were set to be transported to a crematorium in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, according to RT\'s Ruptly, as local morgues in the Lombardy region are incapable of dealing with the growing number of victims. | In the m…

RT (2020-03-22). US debt crisis wasn\'t supposed to happen until at least 2035. Covid-19 is rapidly pushing it closer. rt.com The overall price tag of the fiscal stimulus package in the US could be around one trillion dollars. With record budget deficits and its national debt at $23 trillion, is the US hastening toward a fiscal reckoning? | The Trump administration wants to send direct cash payments to Americans in the coming weeks to help them cope with the economic ravages of

RT (2020-03-22). Bogota prison riot over coronavirus leaves 23 dead and 83 injured — Colombian justice ministry. rt.com At least 23 people have died and dozens more are injured following a riot over coronavirus in La Modelo prison in the Colombian capital Bogota, the country\'s justice ministry has said. | Seven prison guards were injured during the outbreak of violence on Saturday night, which took place as prisoner protests over sanitary conditions erupted into bloodshed. Two of the guards are in a critical condition, Minister of Justice Margarita Cabello Blanco said on Sunday. | The South American country is imposing a nationwide lockdown on Tuesday night in a bid to tackle the spread of the Covid-19 illness. A total of 231 p…

RT (2020-03-22). France\'s coronavirus death toll surges by 112 to 674. rt.com France saw a major spike in Covid-19 deaths on Sunday as 112 more people were confirmed dead, bringing the total number to 674. Cases of infection sharply increased as well, now standing at 16,018. | Some 7,240 of the infected are hospitalized, including 1.746 in intensive care units. | The global death toll of the coronavirus pandemic has already surpassed 13,000 and over 300,000 of cases have been registered. The epicenter of the epidemic has shifted to Europe, hitting Italy and Spain particularly hard, while China has seemingly managed to get its outbreak under control.

RT (2020-03-22). Iconic opera star Placido Domingo tests positive for coronavirus. rt.com Opera superstar Placido Domingo has said he\'s contracted the dreaded Covid-19 virus, taking a moment to urge his fans to follow basic health guidelines, as the death toll from the pandemic keeps growing. | \"I feel it is my moral duty to announce to you that I have tested positive for COVID19, the Corona virus,\" the singer said on Facebook on Sunday. | Domingo and his family will remain in self isolation \"as long as it is deemed medically necessary.\" | The star got tested for the virus after he \"experienced fever and cough symptoms\" and the results came back positive. |

| To help stop spreading the vir…

RT (2020-03-22). Covid-19 cases rise to 367 in Russia after 61 more people tested positive for disease. rt.com Health workers recorded 61 new cases of Covid-19 in Russia, bringing their total number to 367, the authorities said on Sunday. | The new patients, 54 of which were identified in Moscow, recently returned from trips to Switzerland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Spain and France. The latter two countries remain among the hardest hit by the ongoing pandemic, with more than 28,000 and 14,000 confirmed cases respectively. | On Friday, the Kremlin denied holding talks on the possibility of placing Moscow on a lockdown. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said that there are no plans to close the city\'s busiest public transit s…

RT (2020-03-22). Russian military planes carrying medics and equipment fly to devastated Italy to help combat Covid-19 pandemic (VIDEO). rt.com Six of the nine military transport planes prepared by Russia to deliver help to Italy in its desperate fight against the Covid-19 infection have departed an air base near Moscow. | The Ilyushin Il-76 planes are heading to the Pratica di Mare Air Base of the Italian Air Forces near Rome, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. The planes are carrying Russian military medics and specialists in infectious diseases, as well as equipment necessary for diagnostics and disinfection of the deadly coronavirus. | | ©Russian Defense Ministry | Earlier, the ministry prepared nine transport planes on the Chkalovskiy…

RT (2020-03-22). Russian world breaststroke champ Efimova keeps fit with quarantine press-ups, delights fans with topless beach snap (PHOTOS). rt.com Russian world champion swimmer Yulia Efimova may be largely confined to home like millions of others around the world during the Covid-19 outbreak but she\'s at least managing to stay in shape. | Six-time world breaststroke queen Efimova is currently in sun-kissed Hawaii training for the summer Olympics, although like her fellow athletes around the world faces an anxious wait over whether the Games in Tokyo will even go ahead as the Covid-19 chaos rages on. | Likes millions of others, Efimova at least appears to be following the \'stay at home\' advice, but that has not stopped her working out. | The Russian s…

RT (2020-03-22). France reports first Covid-19-related death of hospital doctor. rt.com France has lost its first practicing doctor to coronavirus, the nation\'s Minister for Solidarity and Health Olivier Veran has announced. The unidentified hospital health professional succumbed to the virus on Saturday night. | No further details about the fatality has been offered by the minister, who made the announcement on Sunday. Local media said the victim was an emergency doctor from Compiegne, a region of France hit badly by the pandemic. The medic reportedly died shortly after being transported to Lille. | France has almost 15,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 562 deaths reported so far. While not hit…

RT (2020-03-22). Rand Paul becomes first US senator to test POSITIVE for coronavirus. rt.com Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for coronavirus and is in quarantine, the Kentucky Republican is the first member of the upper chamber of Congress to contract the virus. | The politician revealed the news on his official Twitter account, announcing that he is \"feeling fine\" and has not displayed any symptoms of the Covid-19 illness. The Twitter statement said that he was tested \"out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events\". | Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19. He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of cauti…

RT (2020-03-22). Moscow metro 'will operate in ANY case scenario, it cannot stop', mayor says amid coronavirus fears. rt.com Despite the coronavirus outbreak, the Moscow government will not shut its most used public transit system, the metro, said the mayor while dismissing the rumors to the contrary as \"nonsense and stupidity.\" | \"The metro will work in any situation,\" Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin told the news channel Rossiya 1. He was responding to online rumors that a total shutdown of the system was imminent to curb the spread of the Covid-19 infection. | Before the pandemic Moscow metro was used daily by some 9 million passengers. Since the Russian capital closed many public venues and advised employers to allow workers do the…

RT (2020-03-22). Spain\'s coronavirus death toll SPIKES by nearly 400 as number of cases passes 28,000. rt.com The death toll from the Covid-19 illness in Spain leaped to 1,720 on Sunday, an increase of nearly 400 in just one day, as the number of infected people soared over 28,000. | The Spanish health ministry announced the 30 percent increase in confirmed deaths and revealed that the number of Covid-19 cases in the Iberian country had climbed to 28,572, an increase of over 3,600 from Saturday\'s 24,926 figure. | The one-day rise in deaths of 394 was notably higher than the previous day\'s increase of 324. Health officials said that more than 1,000 have died in the area around the capital Madrid and 1,785 people are in…

RT (2020-03-22). Coronavirus cases in Germany rise by nearly 2,000 in one day as death toll hits 55. rt.com The number of Covid-19 cases in Germany climbed to 18,610 and the death toll rose to 55, as almost 2,000 more people were confirmed as having the disease on Sunday. | The Robert Koch Institute announced a fresh round of alarming statistics on Sunday morning, showing that 1,948 additional people have contracted the virus. | The federal agency, which is responsible for disease control and prevention in Germany, said a total of 55 people have died after testing positive for the illness, an increase of 9 from Saturday\'s tally. The figures are based on data collected up until midnight on Saturday. | The institute a…

RT (2020-03-22). It\'s strange for US to offer help against Covid-19 outbreak after \'accusations\' it created the virus — Iran\'s Khamenei. rt.com Iran\'s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said it was not the right time for Iran to reach out for US aid to help it combat the pandemic, citing earlier allegations that the contagion could have been created in America. | \"Several times Americans have offered to help Iran to contain the virus … You are accused of creating this virus. I do not know whether it is true, but it is strange that you want to help Iran,\" Khamenei said in a televised speech on Sunday. | He did not go into the details, saying that it was nonetheless \"unwise\" to accept American aid, given the circumstances. | The unverified claims that th…

RT (2020-03-22). \'Nobody knew Covid-19 would take off like it did\': Mnuchin says coronavirus looks like 10 to 12 week scenario. rt.com The US treasury secretary has assured US citizens that the coronavirus is unlikely to last very long, but defended the Trump administration by saying no one could have predicted how bad things would really get. | Amid panic surrounding the coronavirus and a spiraling economy, Mnuchin has announced he believes the coronavirus is a 10- to 12-week situation, and US citizens and businesses should be expecting relief very soon. | Speaking to Fox News, Mnuchin revealed that the much-talked-about economic coronavirus package is expected to move through Congress on Monday, as details are currently being finalized. | I…

RT (2020-03-22). Germany bans gatherings of more than 2 people in desperate attempt to stop Covid-19. rt.com The German government has resorted to some drastic measures to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic. It ordered all gatherings of more than two people be banned for at least two weeks. | Federal and regional authorities have agreed on what they call a \"contact ban,\" which basically prohibits all meetings between people in which more than two persons are involved. Exceptions will be made only for families and people living together in the same households, Chancellor Angela Merkel said. | All restaurants that continue to open should be closed immediately. From now on, they will only be allowed to s…

RT (2020-03-22). Hospitals \'10 days away\' from shortages of essential supplies, Mayor De Blasio warns, as Covid-19 cases in NYC top 8,000. rt.com New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio believes April will be \'a lot worse\' than March when it comes to coronavirus, and wants the US military \'mobilized\' in response to the disease. | Speaking on NBC\'s \'Meet the Press,\' De Blasio took a jab at the federal government, claiming he sees very little positive about its response to the spread of coronavirus. | \"It\'s only getting worse,\" he said, adding that, \"New Yorkers and Americans deserve the blunt truth.\" | That blunt truth, according to the mayor, includes the fact that hospitals will be running short on fundamental supplies like ventilators in the coming month a…

RT (2020-03-22). \'Stay indoors & healthy\': India holds coronavirus \'self-curfew drill\' as infections reach 300,000 globally. rt.com As a part of a drill to increase Covid-19 pandemic awareness and prepare for the worst, India has launched a 14-hour \'self curfew\' to test Indians\' readiness for social isolation and quarantine. | \"Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against [the] Covid-19 menace,\" Indian PM Narendra Modi tweeted minutes before the \'self-curfew\' went into effect. | The steps we take now will help in the times to come. | In a few minutes from now, the Let us all be a part…

RT (2020-03-22). Show and tell: Cristiano Ronaldo teaches kids to wash hands as star 'set to join fight against Covid-19' (VIDEO). rt.com As the global coronavirus pandemic rages on, Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has taught his children how to keep their hands clean and is reportedly set to make a donation of much-needed supplies to a Portuguese hospital. | Ronaldo is currently in his native Portugal where his mother was released from hospital after suffering a stroke earlier this month. | The Juventus forward, 35, subsequently decided to remain in Madeira after the news that teammate Daniele Rugani had been diagnosed with coronavirus. | Another Juve club-mate, Paulo Dybala, was confirmed to have tested positive for the virus on Saturday eveni…

The Canary (2020-03-22). Military to offer local support amid the UK\'s \'accelerating\' coronavirus crisis. thecanary.co Military planners have been called in to help with localised support systems as people at high risk from the coronavirus were urged to stay home for at least 12 weeks.The move came as Boris Johnson called for Britons to resist visiting their parents on Mother\'s Day, with the prime minister warning the Covid-19 outbreak is \"accelerating\".The government and health officials have urged the 1.5 million people in England considered most at risk from the disease because of their health conditions to begin \"shielding\" themselves by staying at home.Letters will go out this week \"strongly advising\" them not to go out for…

RT (2020-03-22). Coronavirus surges in New York as 4,800 new cases recorded, death toll hits 114. rt.com The number of people infected with the Covid-19 illness in New York has dramatically surged with 4,800 new cases recorded on Sunday. A total of 15,168 people in the state are carrying the disease and 114 have died. | State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the spike on Sunday as the Mayor of New York city Bill de Blasio described the outbreak as the biggest domestic crisis since the Great Depression. | \"If we don\'t get more ventilators in the next 10 days people will die who don\'t have to die,\" de Blasio said, according to the Reuters news agency. | Earlier Sunday, Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institu…

RT (2020-03-22). Olympic chiefs set 4-week deadline to decide on fate of coronavirus-threatened Tokyo 2020 Games. rt.com Tokyo 2020 organizers have set a four-week deadline in which to decide on a potential postponement of the Games, as the Covid-19 outbreak continues to threaten the event. | In a statement on Sunday, International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials said that key stakeholders, including in Japan, would take the next four weeks before making a definitive decison. | \"The IOC will, in full coordination and partnership with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Japanese authorities and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, start detailed discussions to complete its assessment of the rapid development of the worldwide…

RT (2020-03-22). War-ravaged Syria suffers its FIRST case of Covid-19 — state media. rt.com Syria\'s health minister has confirmed that the first case of coronavirus, which has already reached pandemic levels, has been reported in the country. | The person person in question came from abroad, it was announced. Meanwhile, Health Minister Nizar al-Yaziji told SANA state news agency that the \"necessary measures\" have been taken to deal with the case. | Earlier on Sunday, the official said that the nation — suffering from years-long civil war and a terrorist surge — was actively preparing for a potential coronavirus outbreak on its territory. | Medical authorities in Aleppo already established a…

RT (2020-03-22). No need to test EVERYONE, but when lockdowns are lifted Covid-19 cases could JUMP back up, WHO warns. rt.com Countries affected by the Covid-19 epidemic may have to deal with a resurgence of the disease after they lift lockdowns, a top WHO official has warned. To create a vaccine could take at least a year, he said. | \"If we don\'t put in place the strong public health measures now, when those movement restrictions and lockdowns are lifted, the danger is the disease will jump back up,\" Dr. Mike Ryan has stressed. | Ryan, who serves as the head of the Health Emergencies Programme at the World Health Organization, also made an apparent reversal on previous advice from the UN body, saying there was no need to test everyo…

RT (2020-03-22). Emirates suspends all passenger flights due to Covid-19 pandemic. rt.com One of the world\'s largest international airlines, Emirates, has announced that it will suspend all of its passenger flights from March 25 and cut wages in half as the world continues to reel from Covid-19. | The company said it will \"temporarily suspend passenger operations by 25 March,\" warning that earlier flights could also be subject to \"change at short notice.\" | The state-owned UAE carrier had already said it was about to suspend some 70 percent of its network and asked staff to go on unpaid leave as the airlines industry suffers one of the worst hits because of the novel coronavirus pandemic that has i…

RT (2020-03-22). Angela Merkel goes into home QUARANTINE after contacting virus-infected doctor. rt.com German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been placed under house quarantine, after it was revealed that she\'d had contact with a medic that has since tested positive for coronavirus. | The news, which immediately made headlines, was confirmed by the government spokesman Steffen Seibert. | A doctor that vaccinated Merkel on Friday, against a bacterium that causes pneumonia, among other diseases, has himself tested positive for the virus, Seibert said in a statement, without revealing any further details about the medic. | \"The chancellor has decided to immediately place herself under house quarantine,\" he said, addi…

RT (2020-03-22). Italy\'s coronavirus death toll jumps by 651 as number of cases nears chilling 60,000. rt.com The death toll of the major coronavirus outbreak plaguing Italy has reached 5,476, while a total number of confirmed cases is nearing 60,000, according to the latest figures from health authorities. | Italy experienced a major surge in the number of coronavirus deaths on Sunday, as 651 more people succumbed to the illness. Still, the figure did not surpass the Saturday spike, when the country saw the largest one-day number of deaths. | The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 59,138 — almost a one fifth of the infected worldwide. | Lombardy remains the worst-affected r…

RT (2020-03-22). \'Million dollar question!\' Belgian health minister jokes on how long coronavirus lockdown will last. rt.com Belgium has been put on almost total lockdown as Europe battles the deadly coronavirus epidemic that has effected tens of thousands. Yet, Belgian health minister believes the virus will calm down in eight weeks or so. | When asked by a reporter about how long restriction imposed by the government to supposedly stop the spread of the disease will last, Minister Maggie De Block jokingly said it was a \"million dollar question.\" | \"We are now heading toward the peak of the epidemic, after which the curve will descend. I think this situation will last for at least another eight weeks. It would be the normal curve,\"

RT (2020-03-22). Nude Madonna calls coronavirus the \'great equalizer\' in bizarre video, inspires instant mockery. rt.com A video of a naked Madonna emotionally saying the coronavirus has \"made us all equal\" while in a bathtub has people both confused and mocking the \'Like a Prayer\' singer. | \"It\'s the great equalizer and what\'s terrible about it is what\'s great about it,\" Madonna says about the coronavirus in the video, which was posted to her Twitter account on Sunday. | \"What\'s terrible about it is that it\'s made us all equal in many ways and what\'s wonderful about is that it\'s made us all equal in many ways,\" the singer goes on to say from the bathtub adorned with flower petals. In her caption for the video, she calls the qui…

The Canary (2020-03-22). Calls rise to ban self-isolaters retreating to Wales and other rural parts of the UK. thecanary.co Self-isolaters should be banned from travelling to rural parts of Wales during the coronavirus crisis, according to a Plaid Cymru politician.Party leader Adam Price has written to first minister Mark Drakeford demanding he stops people travelling to caravan parks, second homes and tourist accommodation across the country.He said there are concerns about an influx of people into rural communities — putting even more pressure on local health and social care services. | I\'ve just sent an urgent letter to

RT (2020-03-22). Japan and IOC are resisting pressure to postpone Tokyo Olympics… but for how much longer? rt.com With the sporting landscape decimated by the coronavirus pandemic currently overwhelming the world, the one major event yet to be called off is this summer\'s Tokyo Olympics, leaving athletes in a type of competitive limbo. | Most sports leagues across the globe have shut their doors for the health and safety of athletes, staff and fans alike. | The UEFA European Championships, also originally scheduled for this summer, have been pushed back to 2021 while uncertainty remains as to when major sporting leagues in Europe, the US and beyond will once again resume operations. | However, the one event yet to be serio…

RT (2020-03-22). \'I thought about it … but I didn\'t\': CNN\'s Tapper tries to explain not fact-checking AOC over coronavirus \'hoax\' claim. rt.com Jake Tapper of CNN has admitted to not fact-checking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on his show after she\'d said the administration called the coronavirus a \"hoax,\" but claimed it was okay because Trump \"lies so often.\" | Tapper remained silent on Sunday when Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) criticized the Trump administration\'s response to the pandemic on CNN\'s \'State of the Union\' show, claiming that the White House had at one point labeled the disease a \"hoax.\" | In reality, the administration never labeled the coronavirus a hoax, though Donald Trump last month did call media coverage part of a hoax when he critic…

RT (2020-03-22). Russia shuts down all foreign flights except between world capitals or those carrying evacuees. rt.com Russia has further tightened its border controls on Sunday after all flights to and from foreign nations have been banned. An exception is made for those between foreign capitals or necessary for evacuation. | Starting Monday, no passenger flights will be made to and from Russia, the national air regulator has announced. An exception is made for regular flights connecting the Russian capital with 146 foreign capitals and charter flights that are necessary to carry repatriated individuals to their home nations, including Russia. | Similar restrictions were earlier imposed on air traffic with countries more seri…

RT (2020-03-22). Russia to create first ever 3D Moon map to help decide where cosmonauts will land. rt.com Russia is creating the first ever topographic three dimensional map of the Moon to help decide where cosmonauts will land in future journeys to Earth\'s natural satellite. | The director of the Russian Space Research Institute Anatoly Petrukovich announced the plan on Sunday, saying the map will be created using stereo imaging and it will have a resolution of two to three meters. | \"After the work of the American satellites, we have maps of the Lunar plane, but here, using stereo processing and light analysis, we will get a universal altitude map of the entire Moon with high accuracy,\" he said. | Also on rt.com…

RT (2020-03-22). April could be WORST MONTH EVER for oil. rt.com Oil producers are facing their worst crisis in history, but the market is not at a bottom yet, according to several analysts. | The millions of barrels of additional supply promised by Saudi Arabia will take time to reach their destination. On the demand side, major economies have only begun to slow down, and the gaping hole where the economy once stood is expected to widen. A growing number of analysts say that the global economy is already in a recession. | \"Even just a week ago, it was difficult to imagine how oil market conditions could become significantly weaker,\" Standard Chartered wrote in a note. \"How…

RT (2020-03-22). Disaster amid pandemic: Croatia deploys army to clean debris, advocates 'distancing' after strongest quake in 140yrs. rt.com Croatia sent troops to clear rubble in Zagreb after the capital was struck by a series of powerful tremors. The authorities told people to observe social distancing due to the pandemic after initially calling on others to help. | Army personnel began working to remove rubble from the city streets hours after Zagreb was rocked by an earthquake on Sunday morning. The troops were also deployed to assist patients in the city\'s major hospitals, the Defense Ministry said. | Hrvatska vojska poma≈æe gradu Zagrebu u sanaciji posljedica najsna≈ænijeg potresa. Pripadnici Hrvatske vojske su anga&as…

Leon Kunstenaar (2020-03-22). Jewish Activists Demand Governor Newsom Release Detainees In Light of Covid-19 Outbreak. indybay.org In a March 21 press release, Never Again Action Bay Area calls on Governor Newsom to take immediate steps to release migrants from unsanitary, overcrowded \"death camp\" detention centers…

IWOC Oakland (2020-03-22). Santa Rita Jail Solidarity During the Coronavirus Pandemic. indybay.org As businesses, schools, and institutions close to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, many people are wondering how to support people in jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers.

Anya Parampil (2020-03-22). Coronavirus hits US prisons: \"thousands face death sentence\" thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with Dr. Amanda Klonsky, the chief program officer at a prison education organization, about…

Nozomi Hayase (2020-03-22). Assange\'s Extradition: An Escalation of the US War on Terror. commondreams.org Julian Assange supporters demonstrate outside of the Westminster Magistrates Court on November 18, 2019 in London. (Photo: Hollie Adams/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/free_assange_0_0.jpg …

Norman Solomon (2020-03-22). What the Coronavirus Emergency Has to Do with Biden vs. Sanders. indybay.org Tepid adjustments vs. truly transformational agendas…

teleSUR (2020-03-22). Prison Protests Due to Overcrowding Ends in 23 Dead, 83 Wounded. telesurenglish.net At least 23 prisoners died and 83 were wounded in the La Modelo Prison in Bogotá during the riots last night, the Colombian Ministry of Justice reported on Sunday. According to the Ministry, several prisoners protested the overcrowding of these facilities amid fears of the coronavirus spreading. | RELATED: | \"The result of the escape attempt in La Modelo was 23 dead and 83 wounded, of which 32 are in hospital centers,\"

Ralph Nader (2020-03-22). For America\'s Urgent Health and Safety, Trump Needs to Resign! commondreams.org U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus response while flanked by Vice President Mike Pence during a briefing with health insurers at the White House on March 10, 2020. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/emergency-declaration-covid.jpg …

Barbara Ehrenreich (2020-03-22). Barbara Ehrenreich Is Not an Optimist, but She Has Hope for the Future. zcomm.org Interview about class, reporting, the coronavirus, and socialism…

South Front (2020-03-22). Video: \'Moderate Rebels\' Bite Hand that Feeds Them. 2 Turkish Soldiers Killed in Idlib. globalresearch.ca Syria entered the second half of the week with a new spike of tensions in Greater Idlib. This escalation has been widely expected because militant groups are sabotaging key parts of the Russian-Turkish agreement on de-escalation in the area. | Radicals …

Stephen Lendman (2020-03-22). US Senators Dump Stocks with COVID-19 \"Inside Information\" globalresearch.ca Following a closed-door briefing on the threat of spreading COVID-19 infections — before markets began crashing — at least five US senators cashed in based on inside information unavailable to the public. | The quintet includes Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard …

Last Process: 50 Citations: 2020-03-23 00:27 GMT (20:27 EST)