(2020-04-16). Working-class immigrants terrorized by Trump administration avoid COVID-19 testing, treatment. wsws.org Reports from doctors, immigration lawyers and community organizations reveal that a significant number of immigrants, despite showing symptoms associated with COVID-19, have avoided getting tested.
(2020-04-16). Arab League warns of virus risk in Syria refugee camps. yenisafak.com The Arab League warned Wednesday that a humanitarian disaster could occur if the coronavirus pandemic spreads in refugee camps in Syria.A statement by the bloc's 22 Arab nations came after a meeting between its Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit and UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen.They discussed the dangerous consequences of the spread of the virus among refugees and asylum seekers, and the importance of an Idlib cease-fire agreement, inked March 5 between Turkey and Russia, to prevent the military escalation in the region.The statement said many of those who live in camps do so in poor health condition…
(2020-04-16). Andrew Cuomo is NOT bae: exposing the governor's thuggish record with Randy Credico. thegrayzone.com Millions of dollars of free earned advertising from his brother on CNN can not cover up the real record of…
(2020-04-16). Bolivian coup leader freaks out on The Grayzone for 'fascist' label in complaint to OAS 'human rights' arm. thegrayzone.com The director of far-right Bolivian coup leader Camacho's presidential campaign threw a slander-laced tantrum against The Grayzone in a letter…
(2020-04-16). The Decade of Transformation: Being in Balance with Nature. globalresearch.ca This is the fourth newsletter in our series on the 2020s as a decade of transformation See
(2020-04-16). Coronavirus stimulus bill funds State Dept/USAID operations that once helped trigger polio outbreak in Syria. thegrayzone.com A look at recent USAID schemes from Pakistan to Syria shows US empire can be very hazardous to your health….
(2020-04-16). Video: Coronavirus: Economic and Social Collapse: Mass Unemployment, Bankruptcy, Poverty and Despair. globalresearch.ca There is a serious health crisis which must be duly resolved. But there is another important dimension which has to be addressed. | Millions of people have lost their jobs, and their lifelong savings. In developing countries, poverty and despair prevail. …
(2020-04-16). Pandemic Is a Portal: Arundhati Roy on COVID-19 in India, Imagining Another World & Fighting for It. democracynow.org 
Officials in India say six major cities are coronavirus hot spots, including the capital city, New Delhi. We go there to speak with writer and activist Arundhati Roy, who has a new essay on how "The Pandemic Is a Portal." She says, "You have the sense that you're sitting on some kind of explosive substance," and describes how the government of Narendra Modi is using the pandemic to crack down on opponents and dissidents.
(2020-04-16). What about Beslan? Russian Human Rights Council fears change in WWII end date may overshadow anniversary of massacre. rt.com 
Most of the world recognizes September 2, 1945 as the day World War II concluded. Following Victory Day in Europe that May, the conflict continued in Asia for four more months, until Japan formally surrendered. | In Russia, a plan to move the date has upset some activists. On Tuesday, the national parliament (State Duma) passed a law changing the final day of the Second World War to September 3. However, this coincides with another devastating tragedy – the Beslan School Massacre. | According to Chairman of the State Duma's Defense Committee Vladimir Shamanov, moving the date matches the reality in the Soviet…
(2020-04-16). India's Prime Minister Is Using Pandemic to Repress Dissent, Says Arundhati Roy. truthout.org Officials in India say six major cities are coronavirus hot spots, including the capital city, New Delhi. We go there to speak with writer and activist Arundhati Roy, who has a new essay on how "The Pandemic Is a Portal." She says, "You have the sense that you're sitting on some kind of explosive substance," and describes how the government of Narendra Modi is using the pandemic to crack down on opponents and dissidents. | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its…
(2020-04-16). German court rules blanket ban on demonstrations 'UNCONSTITUTIONAL' as Merkel plans easing of Covid-19 restrictions. rt.com 
Covid-19 health concerns are not grounds for a general ban on public demonstrations, a German court has ruled, after activists took a case arguing that Berlin's current restrictions on public gatherings are unconstitutional. | If they adhere to social distancing rules, Germans should have the right to hold political protests, the Constitutional Court said in the Thursday ruling. | Activists in Giessen, a town in the federal state of Hesse, had planned a protest march to denounce new rules that ban gatherings of more than two people in public, arguing that they were in breach of the country's constitution and c…
(2020-04-16). History is More or Less Bunk: Coronavirus as Peacemaker? counterpunch.org 
Let me quote a Trumpian figure from long ago, Henry Ford. That's right, the bigot who created the Ford Motor Company (and once even ran for president). Back in 1916, in an interview with a Chicago Tribune reporter, he offered this bit of wisdom on the subject of history: "Say, what do I care about
(2020-04-16). The Coming Revolt – and the peaceful solidarity for a Just World Society. indybay.org As capitalism gets exposed for its savagery, there will be tumult, and revolt of the oppressed. In this new environment, we should express peaceful solidarity if we want a chance at a Just World Society.
(2020-04-16). Azerbaijani leader thanks Turkey for show of solidarity. yenisafak.com A top Azerbaijani leader on Wednesday praised Turkey over a recent mutual display of solidarity against coronavirus."I express my deep gratitude to fraternal Turkey. Our countries always stand by each other, on both joyful and difficult days," First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva said on Instagram.She added: "This is our unity, our strength. I wish our peoples the best of health, and our countries peace and prosperity. May Almighty God bless our world!"Over the last week, Turkey and Azerbaijan lit up iconic buildings in Ankara and Baku, their respective capitals, with both countries' flags, honoring their cooper…
(2020-04-16). Headlines for April 16, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Pushes to Reopen Economy by May as Doctors and CEOs Object, 22 Million U.S. Workers File for Unemployment in Just Four Weeks, Tax Loopholes in Coronavirus Relief Bill to Overwhelmingly Benefit the Wealthiest, New York Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 11,500 as Governor Orders Wearing of Masks in Public, Medical Workers Demand More Safety Measures as COVID-19 Deaths Mount, Michigan Protesters Defy Social Distancing Rules, Demanding End to Quarantine, Mexico Faces Shortage of Medical Workers as COVID-19 Spreads, French Aircraft Carrier Evacuated as Nearly 700 Sailors Test Positive for COVID-19, Swedish COVID-19 Ca…
(2020-04-16). Colombia: Red Rags on Windows to Protest Amid Quarantine. telesurenglish.net Faced with the inability of President Ivan Duque administration to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, Colombians are displaying red cloths on windows to express their dissatisfaction. | RELATED: | ‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã"They said to take out red rags if people needed help. Today the red rag seems to be the new flag in the most humble neighborhoods. Hunger is…
(2020-04-16). Australian police use COVID-19 emergency powers to ban refugee detention protest. wsws.org The police action, which state Premier Daniel Andrews' Labor government must have authorised, constitutes a direct attack on the right to protest.
(2020-04-16). Watching Hong Kong Cop Movies After 10 Months of Tear Gas. thenation.com Watching Hong Kong Cop Movies After 10 Months of Tear Gas…
(2020-04-16). #ClimateStrike: Virtual Protest Against Chase Bank to #Stop The Money Pipeline. indybay.org Online protest actions…
(2020-04-16). UN sends humanitarian aid to Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com The United Nations on Thursday sent 63 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Idlib, the northwestern Syrian province where millions remain in desperate need of assistance.The aid trucks entered Syria through the Cilvegozu border in Turkey's southern Hatay province, which borders Idlib.The supplies will be distributed to people in Idlib city and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million remain displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within a d…
(2020-04-16). Elizabeth Warren Joins the Biden Bandwagon, Betrays Supporters. globalresearch.ca Judge them by their actions, never their rhetoric, a rule of thumb in evaluating others, notably politicians. They all lie with the rarest of rare exceptions. | Warren's sellout to Dem party bosses followed Tulsi Gabbard and Bernie Sanders going the …
(2020-04-16). Sanders-sponsored forum advocates new worker-centered economy after COVID-19. peoplesworld.org 
Though the nation, and the world, are still in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic and the global recession it's produced, five progressive leaders, marshalled by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., are thinking ahead on to how to build a new economy that works for workers, not the rich, out of the ruins. Sanders and the …
(2020-04-16). Coronavirus Pandemic Has Shown that Mediterranean Europe Does Not Need THE EU. globalresearch.ca Germany's long history of wanting to rule the entirety of Europe extends back to both World Wars in the 20th Century, and perhaps even earlier. The German political structures believed that through war and conquest it could dominate the continent …
(2020-04-16). "Pure Baloney": Zoologist Debunks Trump's COVID-19 Origin Theory, Explains Animal-Human Transmission. democracynow.org 
With the largest one-day death toll in the U.S. yet — 2,400 in just 24 hours — President Trump is trying to deflect attention from his handling of the pandemic by waging a war on public health experts and science, threatening to cut World Health Organization funding and fueling a theory that the coronavirus came from a lab in Wuhan, China. We speak to a zoologist who has been sounding the alarm about a coming pandemic for years. "The idea that this virus escaped from a lab is just pure baloney," says Peter Daszak, disease ecologist and the president of EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit that works global…
(2020-04-16). As pandemic rages, U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba are getting deadlier. peoplesworld.org 
We know that for almost 60 years the U.S. government has blockaded Cuba and, in the process, has damaged Cuba's economy and threatened the health and safety of the Cuban people. We know that the Cuban people are now defending themselves against the COVID-19 virus and know, too, that COVID-19 often causes death. We know …
(2020-04-16). Veteran Tom Moore, 99, raises £12m for NHS after completing charity walk. thecanary.co 
A 99-year-old war veteran has achieved his goal of 100 laps of his garden — raising more than £12m for the NHS.Captain Tom Moore completed the final four of the 25-metre laps at his Bedfordshire home on 16 April. Speaking at the finish line, he said he felt "fine".Of the coronavirus pandemic, he added: "We will get through it in the end but it might take time, but at the end of the day we shall all be okay again… the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away." | #walkwithtom #TomorrowWillBeAGoo…
(2020-04-16). 'The greatest ring announcer of all time': WWE Hall of Fame legend Howard Finkel dies age 69. rt.com 
Legendary WWE announcer and Hall of Fame inductee Howard Finkel, nicknamed 'The Fink' has died at the age of 69, the company has confirmed. | Finkel, who was the first-ever permanent staff member of the WWE (then the WWWF), joined the company as a ring announcer in 1979 and his booming voice quickly became synonymous with the professional wrestling outfit throughout the 1980s. | His famous 'And new!' declaration following a title change became one of the WWE's most immediately recognizable phrases and became an integral part of the company's 'Rock n' Wrestling' era, in which names like Hulk Hogan and the Ultim…
(2020-04-16). Yemen warring parties may agree truce in 'immediate future' — UN envoy. rt.com 
United Nations envoy Martin Griffiths said on Thursday he expects the warring parties in Yemen to formally adopt "in the immediate future" agreements on a nationwide ceasefire, key economic and humanitarian measures, as well as a resumption of political talks. | Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthi group ousted the government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi from the capital Sanaa in late 2014. A Saudi-led military coalition in 2015 intervened in a bid to restore the government. | Griffiths told the UN Security Council he has been negotiating with the parties on the texts of his proposals for t…
(2020-04-16). 'Lock your doors': Manhunt underway in Wisconsin for two violent escaped inmates who fled MAX-SECURITY prison. rt.com 
A major manhunt is underway in Portage, Wisconsin after two inmates — each convicted of violent felonies — escaped from the maximum-security Columbia Correctional Institution. Nearby residents have been urged to lock their doors. | Portage Police Department has warned the public to stay alert following a jailbreak by convicts James Newman, 37, and Thomas Deering, 46, on Thursday morning. It's not clear exactly how the pair made their escape. | www.facebook.com/PortagePD/posts/4021919677848630 | With the majority of the American population already on lockdown due to Covid-19, police are reit…
(2020-04-16). 'Recipe for DISASTER': Public health expert warns of potential catastrophe if Tour de France is held as planned in August. rt.com 
Devi Sridhar, a health expert currently guiding Scotland's response to the COVID-19 outbreak, says that officials have 'no choice' but to cancel the Tour de France given the significant risk to public health it represents. | The annual race was pushed back to August from its usual start date in June after French president Emmanuel Macron banned all large public gatherings in the country until at least July 11. | But Sridhar says that the logistics of the large-scale race would further the spread of coronavirus throughout France, potentially leading to further lockdown measures being announced by the end of sum…
(2020-04-16). U.S. Decline: Three Strikes and You're Out? counterpunch.org 
Although the United States major league baseball season is suspended, the basics of three strikes and you're out can still be used to describe politics. Three events in the last twenty years raise serious questions about American domination in…
(2020-04-16). Putin postpones Victory Day Parade as coronavirus concerns rule out celebrations on 75th anniversary of Nazi defeat. rt.com 
Holding planned commemorations of the 75th anniversary of Soviet Russia's World War Two victory over Nazi Germany, across the country, would be too risky with Covid-19 spreading nationwide, President Vladimir Putin has said. | As a result, he has postponed the events until after the current coronavirus crisis has eased. The celebrations on May 9 were expected to be a major date in Russia, with military parades and other public gatherings planned throughout the country, and world leaders set to descend on Moscow. | However, proceeding under the cloud of coronavirus would be too great a risk to public health, Pu…
(2020-04-16). Covid-19 quarantine could cost Russia $242 BILLION as oil price fall starts to hit budget income. rt.com 
There are storms, and there are 'perfect storms.' Just days after negotiations between Russia, the US and Saudi Arabia led to a deal on crude output, there are clear signs of more turbulent seas ahead. | Read more | | According to Russian economists, the financial damage caused by measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic could amount to 17.9 trillion rubles ($242 billion). Meanwhile, 15.5 million people may find thems…
(2020-04-16). Is American Exceptionalism Shaping Our Scientific Response to the Coronavirus? mintpressnews.com 
While New York City suffers through coronavirus, it's worth recalling that in the name of science in 1966, the U.S. government released bacteria in the New York subways. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
(2020-04-16). Japan prepares to broaden emergency as Abe plans 'cash payouts for all'. rt.com 
The government in Tokyo was reportedly preparing on Thursday to widen the state of emergency to the entire nation, beyond just major cities. With more than 9,000 coronavirus infections and nearly 200 deaths nationwide, the government had declared an emergency in Tokyo and six other areas, including western Osaka. Other regions then sought to be added, amid worries about the spreading virus. | Still short of a lockdown, the state of emergency imposed for a month from April 7 gave authorities more power to compel people to stay home and for businesses to close. It now covers about 44 percent of the population.
(2020-04-16). Lifting UK lockdown now would allow coronavirus to 'run rampant' — Health Minister. rt.com 
The UK is yet to pass the peak of the Covid-19 epidemic, so the time to lift the lockdown has not yet arrived, Health Minister Matt Hancock has said. Otherwise, efforts to stop the virus thus far would have been for nothing.
(2020-04-16). Three more weeks of coronavirus lockdown expected. thecanary.co 
The coronavirus lockdown will be extended for another three weeks, the government is expected to announce.Ministers will agree the prolonged social distancing controls in a cabinet meeting on 16 April. It comes after the number of people who have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) reached almost 13,000, with growing concern over increasing deaths in care homes. | The victims included a pregnant nurse whose baby, a little girl, was delivered successfully and is said to be doing well. | Speaking at the daily No 10 press conference on 15 April Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there…
(2020-04-16). 'Flawless work': Italian doctors thank Russian colleagues for help in tackling Covid-19 epidemic. rt.com 
Doctors working in Bergamo, one of the epicenters of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy, have thanked Russian specialists for their help in treating some of the most difficult cases. | The work of the Russian medical staff has been "extremely effective," said Oliviero Valoti, chief medical officer at one of the hospitals in the northern Italian city. Valoti added that he and his colleagues had to entrust some patients in "quite grave condition" to the Russian physicians, who have done their job "flawlessly." | Moscow sent 15 transport planes with 100 military virologists and epidemiologists to Italy in late Mar…
(2020-04-16). 'Aggression, rudeness, arrogance': UK police provoke outrage after telling journalist 'you're killing people' by not going home. rt.com 
The London Metropolitan Police have come under fire after footage emerged showing officers from the Territorial Support Group (TSG) berating a journalist for filming them apprehending an individual at a park in the UK capital. | The incident, which
(2020-04-16). China rejects news report about Covid-19 origin, says WHO found 'no evidence' virus was made in lab. rt.com 
China's Foreign Ministry has said that claims about the novel coronavirus originating in a lab are not based on science, citing the WHO as it rebuked the latest news story on Covid-19 'patient zero.' | "I want to remind you that the head of the [World Health Organization] has repeatedly stated that there is no evidence that the novel coronavirus has been produced in the laboratory," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters on Thursday. | He added that "many well-known medical experts in the world also believe that the claims about the so-called leak [of the virus] from a laboratory are not base…
(2020-04-16). US unemployment could hit 25 MILLION as coronavirus wrecks economy. rt.com 
With the US Labor Department set to reveal the number of weekly jobless claims on Thursday, economists believe another 5.4 million Americans will file for unemployment benefits, bringing the number to over 22 million in a month. | In the week ending April 4, more than six million claims were filed, which was a slight decrease from the previous week's record-breaking 6.867 million. | The ongoing surge in filings for unemployment insurance has been aggravated by the expansion of those who were allowed to file claims. The CARES Act has expanded the group to include the self-employed and independent contractors. M…
(2020-04-16). Pelosi: Trump inaction on pandemic produced "unnecessary deaths and economic disaster" peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—In her strongest criticism yet of GOP President Donald Trump's inaction against the coronavirus pandemic, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her Democratic colleagues his performance produced "unnecessary deaths and economic disaster." And to overcome both the coronavirus and Trump, she declared in the letter — which she posted on her website — "We must insist …
(2020-04-16). Containment 2.0: Austria to test ALL patients & staff of nursing homes in new strategy to prevent 'second wave' of Covid-19. rt.com 
The Austrian government has eased its quarantine regime amid a continuous drop in new coronavirus cases. It has also developed a 'containment' strategy to prevent another outbreak, with a particular focus on the elderly in care. | The "central focus" of Vienna's new strategy will be on the "highest risk group," Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said at a press conference, as he unveiled the plans to test all residents and employees of retirement homes across the country. | Thus far, Austria had only tested people with symptoms, especially if they had been to a known hotspot or were in close contact with an infe…
(2020-04-16). Drop in China's imported coronavirus cases but local infections rise. rt.com 
China reported fewer new coronavirus cases on Thursday that involved travelers arriving from abroad. It said, however, that locally transmitted infections had risen, with the capital Beijing seeing new cases for the first time in more than three weeks. | New imported cases dropped to 34 on Wednesday from 36 a day earlier, the National Health Commission said, down for the third straight day. The numbers come amid stringent border checks, reduced international flights, and a ban on entry by foreigners. | Beijing has asked border provinces to make targeted plans for coronavirus prevention and control, the state c…
(2020-04-16). Unemployment claims rise to 22 million; women workers hit hardest. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Some 5.25 million more people filed initial claims for jobless benefits in the week ending April 11, the Labor Department reported on April 16. Those claims—added to the millions filed in March—raised total jobs lost to the coronavirus pandemic to 22 million, wiping out all gains in U.S. jobs since the end of the Great …
(2020-04-16). Cuomo extends New York lockdown 'in coordination with other states' to mid-May despite claim that 'worst is over'. rt.com 
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is extending his state's social-distancing measures to May 15, along with unspecified "other states," while claiming his policies have worked to slow the spread of the coronavirus. | The stay-at-home directives, social-distancing guidelines and closures of "non-essential" businesses that comprise the governor's "New York Pause" executive order have been extended a further two weeks, Cuomo revealed during his daily coronavirus press conference on Thursday. The order was previously due to expire on April 30. | While praising the fact that 600 fewer people were hospitalized than the…
(2020-04-16). Coronavirus magnifies silence around sexism and gender inequality. peoplesworld.org 
One can find in the media many important analyses and accounts of the way the coronavirus pandemic has exposed and exacerbated the myriad inequities plaguing U.S. society. The most opulent among us can shelter in place and not have to worry about their next paycheck, about being evicted, about having enough food. They don't have …
(2020-04-16). Swiss govt to start easing coronavirus restrictions from April 27. rt.com 
Switzerland will start, from April 27, a gradual relaxation of restrictions introduced to tackle the spread of the new coronavirus, the government said on Thursday. Doctors, hairdressers, massage and cosmetics parlors will be the first businesses to be allowed reopen. This will be followed by primary schools, stores and markets from May 11. | In a third stage, the government will reopen secondary schools, vocational schools and universities from June 8. It also foresees allowing the relaxation of an existing ban on meetings of more than five people. "The transition from one stage to the next will take place wh…
(2020-04-16). 29-year-old man among 14 new victims of Covid-19 in Moscow. rt.com 
Fourteen more people diagnosed with the novel coronavirus have died in the Russian capital over the last 24 hours, the Covid-19 crisis center has confirmed, adding that the deceased were aged between 29 and 88. | The youngest victims, aged 29 and 39 respectively, were diagnosed with hemorrhagic pneumonia. Five other patients suffered from diabetes. | The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia has topped 27,900. The disease has also claimed 232 lives nationwide. More than 2,300 patients have recovered.
(2020-04-16). 'Mao-style social controls' or benign citizen 'armies'? NYT flip-flops on Covid-19 contact tracers — because now it's not China. rt.com 
The same citizen virus-tracing corps the New York Times decried in China as Maoism incarnate is being tried in Massachusetts and San Francisco, and the outlet has decided that what's bad for Beijing is good for democracies. | Massachusetts and San Francisco — as well as the Republic of Ireland — are deputizing citizens to track down contacts of people infected with coronavirus, the Times