(2020-04-08). Still too early to ease Covid-19 lockdown, warn ministers. thecanary.co 
Ministers have cautioned it is still too soon to begin lifting the coronavirus lockdown, after Boris Johnson spent a second night in intensive care undergoing treatment for the disease.The prime minister's condition remains "stable", according to the latest bulletin from Downing Street issued on Tuesday evening.He is undergoing "close monitoring" at St Thomas' Hospital in London after his condition worsened on Monday.Johnson had been due to oversee a three-week review of the lockdown rules — brought in last month to curb the spread of the disease.However with the number of cases continuing to rise, health mi…
(2020-04-08). Italy closes 'unsafe ports' to migrant ships over coronavirus. rt.com 
Italian ports cannot be considered safe because of the coronavirus epidemic, the government said, adding that it will not let charity migrant boats dock. | The decision was taken late on Tuesday after a ship operated by the German non-governmental group Sea-Eye picked up some 150 people off Libya and headed towards Italy, Reuters reports. | "For the entire duration of the national health emergency caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Italian ports cannot guarantee the requisites needed to be classified and defined as a place of safety," the decree said. | The national emergency is set to expire on July…
(2020-04-08). 'We're Not Treated Like We're Essential. We're Treated Like We're Disposable.'. therealnews.com 
Amazon is using COVID-19 rules to control their employees, not to protect them, says an Amazon worker who took part in the fourth strike at a Chicago facility.
(2020-04-08). Texas ban seeks to overturn legal abortion. workers.org 
April 7 — The overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. are doing everything in their power to survive the COVID-19 pandemic, which is both a public health crisis and an economic disaster of worldwide proportions. But women of childbearing age, 15 to 44, in six conservative states led by . . . |
(2020-04-08). Sweden using ice rinks and shipping containers as morgues overflow due to Covid-19 deaths. rt.com 
Swedish authorities are resorting to refrigerated shipping containers, ice rinks and canteen fridges to store the nation's dead as the Covid-19 death toll rises and burials are postponed across the country. | Long weekends such as the Easter Holidays can cause a backlog but this has been exacerbated by the coronavirus epidemic and ensuing deaths and backlog at cemeteries, many of which are closed as a precautionary measure. | In both Gothenburg and Stockholm, hospitals have resorted to renting out ice rinks and refrigerated containers for use as temporary cold storage for the deceased, while Karolinska Univers…
(2020-04-08). Stocks drop as eurozone fails to agree new coronavirus stimulus. rt.com 
European stock markets traded lower on Wednesday after eurozone finance ministers failed to reach a deal on additional stimulus to weather the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. | The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell by more than one percent after Mario Centeno, who chairs the 19-member grouping, said that discussions would resume on Thursday. | "After 16h of discussions we came close to a deal but we are not there yet," Centeno wrote in a tweet. | London's FTSE 100 declined 1.6 percent, while Germany's DAX slid 1.1 percent. France's CAC 40 has dropped almost two percent. | The euro-area group had been…
(2020-04-08). Covid-19 drags French economy into deep recession the likes of which it has not seen since 1945. rt.com 
The Bank of France said on Wednesday that the country's economy shrank around six percent in the first quarter of this year, its worst performance since the end of WWII. | According to official figures, the economy dropped 0.1 percent in the last three months of 2019 as the coronavirus pandemic decimated business activity. With two consecutive quarters of negative growth, the country is now technically in recession. | Economic activity plunged 32 percent in the last two weeks of March as the crisis deepened, said the French regulator. It has listed construction, transport, restaurants and lodging among the wor…
(2020-04-08). Iran's Rouhani urges IMF to provide $5bn loan to his corona-ravaged country in defiance of US pressure. rt.com 
The president of Iran has called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to provide the Islamic Republic with a much-needed loan. The US has been opposing Iran's request in what Tehran sees as an act of 'medical terrorism.' | Iran applied for IMF money in mid-March as the Covid-19 pandemic was overwhelming its national healthcare system. Tehran hadn't asked for IMF assistance since the early 1960s and said it needed the money urgently to fight the coronavirus. The international organization, however, was not forthcoming as the US openly objected to providing any funds to Iran. | "I urge international organiza…
(2020-04-08). Interview: Amazon worker battles billionaire Bezos. workers.org 
Chris Smalls is a former Amazon worker who was fired for organizing a March 30 walkout at the JFK8 Amazon facility in Staten Island, N.Y. Bosses refused to close the facility despite confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the workers. In the aftermath of Smalls' wrongful termination, a leaked memo from . . . |
(2020-04-08). French Navy flagship & its ONLY carrier 'Charles de Gaulle' cuts Middle East op as DOZENS of sailors get Covid-19 symptoms. rt.com 
France's sole aircraft carrier 'Charles de Gaulle' had to suspend its Mediterranean Sea mission and turn back to port shortly after around 40 of its crewmembers were placed under medical observation with suspected Covid-19. | All symptomatic sailors have been "isolated" from the rest of the crew and are being constantly monitored by medical staff, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. | They have symptoms consistent with a possible Covid-19 infection. These first symptoms have appeared recently. | The illness struck the crew when the nuclear-powered ship was making its way to the Mediterranean Sea to partici…
(2020-04-08). US smashes daily Covid-19 death record AGAIN with nearly 2,000 fatalities in 24 hours, as outbreaks accelerate beyond New York. rt.com 
The United States has set a new record for its daily mortality count, reporting just shy of 2,000 new deaths in the span of a single day, as fatalities in New York — the country's top hotspot — and beyond continue to mount.
(2020-04-08). Even Germans fall for multi-million-dollar scam over masks… as WHO says they DON'T save healthy users from Covid-19. rt.com 
Local authorities in Germany have been left red-faced after unknown fraudsters 'sold' them a nonexistent batch of face masks. The World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile, says the item is mostly useless against Covid-19. | Face masks have become a precious commodity amid the global health crisis, with countries snatching shipments from under each other's noses, prices skyrocketing and many opting for homemade variants. Loath to miss an opportunity for profit, however, criminal minds have found ways to dip into the burgeoning market of face protection gear as well. | North Rhine-Westphalia, the most densely-…
(2020-04-08). UN suspends deployment and rotation of peacekeeping troops worldwide due to coronavirus pandemic. rt.com 
The United Nations has ordered its military and police forces across the globe to suspend rotation in an effort to mitigate the spread of the deadly coronavirus. | The suspension will stay in effect until June 30, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters on Tuesday. | "There is no movement of troops, coming in or out… A few, limited exceptions may be considered," Dujarric told CBS News. | The spokesperson explained that the order applies not only to formed military and police units, but to individual officers as well. | The UN currently has 13 active peacekeeping missi…
(2020-04-08). 'We have found more idiots': Piers Morgan slams Jose Mourinho as Spurs boss breaks isolation rules to train with players (PHOTOS). rt.com 
UK television host Piers Morgan has condemned Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho after he flouted coronavirus lockdown procedures to lead several Spurs players through a training session in a public park on Tuesday. | Mourinho was photographed with three of his players — Davinson Sanchez, Ryan Sessegnon and Tanguy Ndombele — as he conducted the impromptu session at Monken Hadley Common in Barnet in defiance of strict governmental social distancing rules designed to halt the spread of the deadly coronavirus. | A video clip posted to social media shows Mourinho, who is wearing his Tottenham training gear, wa…
(2020-04-08). Number of coronavirus cases across 81 Russian regions rises by record 1,175 to 8,672. rt.com 
The number of novel coronavirus cases in Russia has risen by 1,175 over the past day — a record daily rise — reaching 8,672 in 81 regions, according to the crisis center. | Over the past day, 86 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovering, the center said on Wednesday, adding that five patients had died. A total of 580 people have recovered in Russia to date. The total death toll in Russia is 63, officials said. | Separately, Russia's Consul-General in Harbin Vladimir Oschepkov told TASS on Wednesday that China's authorities would temporarily close the last operating passenger checkpo…
(2020-04-08). The Coronavirus is stirring the impulse to communism. mronline.org 
The Coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the most acute problems of our collective life, its main contradictions.
(2020-04-08). Lockdown in France should be extended for weeks, chief medical adviser says. rt.com 
France should extend its lockdown period for several weeks in order to contain the coronavirus epidemic, the chief of the medical council advising the government said on Wednesday. | Professor Jean-François Delfraissy, who heads the scientific council that advises the government about how to handle the epidemic, also said on France Info radio that as many as 17 million French people are seriously at risk from coronavirus. | The country went into lockdown on March 17, and the measure has already been extended once to April 15. On April 2, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said the lockdown would probably h…
(2020-04-08). The Green New Deal and the State: Lessons from World War II—Part I. mronline.org 
There is growing interest in a Green New Deal, but far too little discussion among supporters about the challenging nature of the required economic transformation, the necessary role of public planning and ownership in shaping it, or the strategies necessary to institutionalize a strong worker-community voice in the process and final outcome.
(2020-04-08). Dossier 27: Popular agrarian reform and the struggle for land in Brazil. mronline.org 
The land question is central to understanding political life and society in Brazil. The country has enormous landed estates, known as latifundios, which have their roots in the beginning of the Portuguese occupation of this part of South America at the start of the 16th century. The Portuguese seizure of this land and its conversion …
(2020-04-08). Rosemary Neidenberg: a long and valued life. workers.org 
Rosemary Neidenberg had reached the age of 99 before she died on March 29. But losing her then was still too soon and too sad for all her comrades, family and friends. Rosie was a treasure, a loving hug, an encyclopedia of past memories. She was beautiful in every way, . . . |
(2020-04-08). 6 Ways Trump Is Exploiting This Pandemic For Political Gain. thenation.com 6 Ways Trump Is Exploiting This Pandemic For Political Gain…
(2020-04-08). Be A Hero: COVID-19 w/ Ady Barka, Rep. A. Ocasio-Cortez, & Rahna Epting of MoveOn. indybay.org Online via Zoom…
(2020-04-08). Migrants in detention in Texas face COVID-19. workers.org Austin, Texas Migrants being held in detention in Texas have been facing abhorrent sanitary conditions in the detention facilities long before the coronavirus pandemic began. Now that the virus is here, and threatens to infect such a vulnerable and captive population at higher rates than the general population, many migrants . . . |
(2020-04-08). San Diego "Honk for Justice" Calls for the Release of people in ICE Detention. indybay.org Author Pedro Rios serves as director of the AFSC's U.S./Mexico Border Program and has been on staff with AFSC since 2003. He is a steering committee member of the Southern Border Communities Coalition, which brings together over 60 organizations along the Southern border working to support migrants and border communities.
(2020-04-08). San Francisco: Mayor Breed Opts for Mass Indoor Camps. indybay.org While hundreds of advocates have been desperately contacting Mayor London Breed imploring her to place homeless people in hotel rooms and vacant units, it seems she has her own plan for addressing poverty during the pandemic: opening indoor camps to further concentrate vulnerable people.
(2020-04-08). Prisons: Breeding Grounds for Disease. Julian Assange's Life in Danger. globalresearch.ca The US gulag prison system is the world's largest by far, the largely unreported in the mainstream shame of the nation. | Official numbers significantly understate the true number of incarcerated inmates annually. | According to a Prison Policy Initiative analysis, nearly …
(2020-04-08). Vindictive court rulings prove British state wants Assange dead. wsws.org Judge Vanessa Baraitser has decreed that Assange will remain behind bars and that his extradition show-trial will proceed in May, even as the coronavirus pandemic spreads rapidly in British prisons.
(2020-04-08). Julian Assange and Lockdown Injustice. globalresearch.ca Scribes covering the Julian Assange case must surely gawk with a sense of horrified wonder at each proceeding unfolding at the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London. Assange is in a battle that can only be described as titanic, seeking to …
(2020-04-08). Julian Assange and Lockdown Injustice. dissidentvoice.org Scribes of the Julian Assange case must surely gawk with a sense of horrified wonder at each proceeding unfolding at the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London. Assange is in a battle that can only be described as titanic, seeking to avoid the clutches of the US Justice Department, not to mention its legal system, and …
(2020-04-08). COVID-19 Coronavirus "Fake" Pandemic: Timeline and Analysis. globalresearch.ca On January 30, a far-reaching decision was taken by the WHO without the support of expert opinion at a time when the coronavirus outbreak was limited to Mainland China. 150 confirmed cases outside China, when the decision was taken, 6 in the US, 3 in Canada, 2 in the UK, etc. In early March, 430 cases in the US.
(2020-04-08). After the Lockdown: A Global Coronavirus Vaccination Program… globalresearch.ca The tendency is towards a Worldwide lockdown spearheaded by fear and media disinformation. Currently, hundreds of millions of people Worldwide are under lockdown. | What is the next step in the evolution of the COV-19 Crisis? A multibillion dollar coronavirus vaccination program to be implemented in the wake of the Lockdown.
(2020-04-08). The Pandemic Makes the Bernie 2020 Campaign More Vital Than Ever. indybay.org Reasons to stay in the race are ample and solid…
(2020-04-08). Correcting the Sentinel's Latest Errors. indybay.org Food Not Bombs activist Keith McHenry corrects errors, omissions, and distoertions in Sentinel writer Jessica York's recent story "Santa Cruz County launches joint homelessness task force in coronavirus pandemic; Food Not Bombs expands food distribution" (4 PM, April 4th) at www.santacruzsentinel.com/2020/04/04/santa-cruz-county-launches-joint-homelessness-task-force-in-coronavirus-pandemic .
(2020-04-08). Updates from Santa Cruz's Struggling Benchlands Meal & Santa Barbara's Peter Marin. indybay.org Santa Barbara activist Peter Marin blasts Santa Barbara's "Let 'Em Die: " Lack of Services. Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs activist Keith McHenry Calls for More Volunteers, Warns Local Authorities Violate CDC Safeguards for Those Outside…
(2020-04-08). Martin Khor: The Making of a Global Activist. zcomm.org The late Martin Khor united activists, officials, and thought leaders against trade and climate policies that plundered the Global South. Here's how his comrades remember him…
(2020-04-08). Open Letter to Condemn Trump Administration's Hypocritical Indictment on Drug Charges of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and High-Ranking Venezuelan Officials. globalresearch.ca We, the undersigned organizations and prominent individuals, condemn the false claims of criminal charges by the US government against the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and other high-ranking officials with the pretext of their alleged involvement in international …
(2020-04-08). Venezuela Pres Maduro's Message to American people. indybay.org Oil rich Venezuela is again threatened with invasion, by Nazi Trump, with no opposition from any Democrat, sending an armada to Venezuela's shores, in the middle of a pandemic, under the obviously false pretext of drug-pushing, which the world knows Venezuela does not do. The democratically elected government of Nicolas Maduro has sent an open letter to the American people. See www.globalresearch.ca/letter-president-maduro-people-united-states/5708882…
(2020-04-08). Corporate Buybacks Artificially Inflated Stock Prices to Bubble Levels. globalresearch.ca For many years on Wall Street, stock prices and true valuations diverged sharply — according to a Sanford Bernstein report. | When companies spend billions of dollars on earlier issued stock, their valuations are artificially inflated. | It's one of the performance …
(2020-04-08). When "Moderate" Democrats Lead the Ticket and Win, Down-Ballot Candidates Soon Suffer Losses. counterpunch.org Many mainstream Democrats claim if "democratic socialist" Sanders were their party's presidential nominee, many party candidates running in down-ballot races would lose in races they should win. They warn that a Sanders' led ticket could result in the Democrats not regaining control of the Senate and even losing their majority in the House along with
(2020-04-08). The Coronavirus Pandemic, Like Other Global Catastrophes, Reveals the Limitations of Nationalism. dissidentvoice.org We live with a profound paradox. Our lives are powerfully affected by worldwide economic, communications, transportation, food supply, and entertainment systems. Yet we continue an outdated faith in the nation-state, with all the divisiveness, competition, and helplessness that faith produces when dealing with planetary problems. As we have seen in recent weeks, the coronavirus, like …
(2020-04-08). Montana Ballot Access Decision Suppresses Green Party Voters. counterpunch.org In 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court held that unequal distribution requirements for statewide petitions violate the Fourteenth Amendment. Again in 1970, citing the 1969 Illinois case, the SCOTUS struck down New York's distribution requirements. Distribution requirements give voters in some geographical areas more power than voters residing in other areas in blatant disregard for a
(2020-04-08). The Cruel Truth Behind Wisconsin's Uncancelled Election. progressive.org State Republicans exploited the coronavirus crisis in an effort to elect a state Supreme Court candidate who objects to the idea of government helping people in need.
(2020-04-08). COVID-19 in Democratic Republic of the Congo (CRC): Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst. globalresearch.ca This week I spoke to Congolese native Jean-Claude Maswana, economics professor at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, about COVID-19 in DRC. | ANN GARRISON: Jean-Claude, reporting on your homeland, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is always daunting. It's not …
(2020-04-08). US deal with Taliban breaks down while coronavirus spreads in Afghanistan. wsws.org The Taliban has withdrawn from talks with the crisis-ridden Kabul regime over its failure to act on a prisoner release agreement brokered by Washington.
(2020-04-08). Video: US Confirms Deployment of Patriot Missiles in Iraq. Iran Prepares for Conflict in Strait of Hormuz. globalresearch.ca On April 5, a series of large explosions rocked the village of al-Kastan in southwestern Idlib injuring 8 people, including 3 members of the so-called White Helmets. According to local sources, an ammunition depot located in the civilian area inside …
(2020-04-08). Video: Infighting Among Turkish Proxies Erupts in Syria. Rocket Strike Hits US-operated Oil Facility in Iraq. globalresearch.ca Infighting among Turkish-backed groups has erupted near the town of Ras al-Ayn. According to local sources, conflicts over the captured houses and looted properties became the main reason of the conflict between members of the Sultan Murad armed group which …
(2020-04-08). Billionaire "Job Creators" and the Keyboard Revolutionaries Who Enable Their Candidates. dissidentvoice.org Capitalism's "invisible hand" gives us the middle finger with ever more contempt these days. With the national unemployment rate soaring to Depression-era levels and beyond, the self-proclaimed "job creators" of our glorious free-market paradise are now drowning in gluttonous excess from sucking the tit of the "Nanny State" they allegedly abhor. While workers are prohibited …
(2020-04-08). As Washington Privatized Pandemic Preparation, the National Security State Left Americans Defenseless Against Coronavirus. globalresearch.ca Responsibility for pandemic preparation was privatized under the Obama and Trump administrations. It's time to face down the national security state that wasted trillions on imperial wars and abandoned Americans to fight coronavirus alone. | *** | Donald Trump's failure to …
(2020-04-08). Biden Says He 'Doesn't Have Enough Information' on Iran to Have a View. zcomm.org How Odd, He Negotiated the Nuclear Deal…
(2020-04-08). Mehran border to remain closed by Apr. 19: IRICA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 07 (MNA) — Spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) Rouhollah Latifi announced on Wednesday that Iran-Iraq Mehran joint border will not resume operation until April 19, due to the request of the Iraqi side.