(2020-03-26). Eight Day Journey from Hong Kong to Chile, Covid-19 on my Tail. dissidentvoice.org 
Imagine that you are in Hong Kong, in a city where "you are actually not supposed to be", in the first place. You are ready to go home, to South America. But just two days before your departure, via Seoul and Amsterdam, your first Sky Team carrier, Korean Air, unceremoniously decides to cancel all flights …
(2020-03-26). (Cheesecake) Factory workers unite! Netizens cheer after California-based eatery says it won't pay rent amid virus-induced slump. rt.com 
While many imagined revolution might arise from a factory, few thought the Cheesecake Factory would fit the bill, but the firm has inspired scores of netizens after refusing to pay its landlords, some vowing to join in solidarity. | As Covid-19 brings swathes of the US economy to a standstill, workers and businesses alike have taken a beating, many facing layoffs and closed doors as the pandemic sweeps the country. The downturn has prompted the Cheesecake Factory — based out of California, among the states hit hardest by the virus — to declare that its landlords won't see a dollar when bills come due…
(2020-03-26). Covid-19 deaths pass 4,000 in Spain as Europe passes chilling 250,000 mark of those infected. rt.com 
Spain has reported a sharp rise in fatalities from coronavirus since the outbreak began. The overall number of infections has also soared by more than 8,000 over the past 24 hours, officials revealed.
(2020-03-26). Moscow bans all regular, charter flights starting March 27, except those bringing Russians home. rt.com 
The Russian government is banning all regular and charter international flights starting Friday, except those bringing citizens home, as part of measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. | . | Russia's aerial borders will go on lockdown starting Friday, so far without a resumption date. | The cabinet also requested that the Foreign Ministry assist Russian citizens abroad until their return home. Russian embassies around the world will receive additional funds to provide support. | So far, 652 Covid-19 cases have been registered in Russia, with more than half of those infected in Moscow. | The ban on flig…
(2020-03-26). First of its kind 'Virtual G20': Can world leaders agree on a global response to Covid-19 with online diplomacy? rt.com 
Heads of state will meet for a 'Virtual G20' summit in a few hours to work out a global response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It comes as markets crash, supply chains falter, and a worldwide economic downturn looms. | For the first time in history, there will be no government planes touching down in the host city, no police blocking roads, no hotels full to the brim with the bodyguards of world leaders — and no anti-globalist protesters lining the streets. | The question is — can an online meeting really work to deliver solutions? | Creative alternative: | A traditional in-person summit was or…
(2020-03-26). Moscow shuts down all non-essential shops & restaurants to stop spread of Covid-19. rt.com 
All restaurants, cafes, and shops, except food stores, will be closed in the Russia capital from March 28 to April 5. The mayor also advised Muscovites to refrain from visiting places of worship amid the Covid-19 epidemic. | Restaurants and cafes will still be able to provide take-away food and delivery service, the order by Mayor Sergey Sobyanin read. | The restrictions also include barber shops, spas, massage parlors, as well as baths and saunas. | Access to parks, including Gorky Park and the All-Russian Exhibition Center, will be barred during the upcoming week due to the epidemic. | "I understand the feel…
(2020-03-26). US coronavirus deaths top 1,000 as the country waits for $2.2 trillion economic rescue package. rt.com 
Deaths from Covid-19 have surpassed 1,000, according to a widely-cited tally, a worrying benchmark in the ongoing health crisis as Washington rushes to provide economic relief to the country's battered economy. | The United States saw its 1,000th fatality on Wednesday night, according to Johns Hopkins University. Confirmed cases have also continued to grow, reaching more than 69,000 by Thursday. The US reported its first case of the virus at the end of February. | The milestone coincided with a unanimous vote in the Senate to pass a $2.2 trillion bill designed to provide badly-needed economic aid to the countr…
(2020-03-26). US military confirms 1st Covid-19 case INSIDE Pentagon after Marine tests positive. rt.com 
A US Marine has become the first confirmed carrier of the coronavirus within the Pentagon's walls, with the US military announcing that a serviceman has gone into self-isolation after testing positive this week. | The officer's test for Covid-19 came back positive earlier this week, Captain Monica Witt, a spokesman for the US Marine Corps, confirmed Wednesday, according to Defense One. | The Marine is believed to have contracted the deadly illness sweeping through all 50 American states from his spouse, who was displaying flu-like symptoms. Assigned to the plans, policy and operations office of the Marine Corp…
(2020-03-26). 'Covid-19 could be seasonal': Fauci warns coronavirus is likely to return in 'CYCLES', stresses need for vaccine. rt.com 
Even if the US and other nations battling Covid-19 succeed in beating it back, the illness may return in yearly cycles, warned Anthony Fauci, a top expert on the US coronavirus task force, urging for the fast rollout of a vaccine.
(2020-03-26). US braces for SHOCKING unemployment numbers as jobless claims could reach 4 MILLION. rt.com 
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits is set to climb to historic highs after claims in Canada crushed the previous weekly record as Covid-19 brings businesses to a standstill. | New unemployment data is expected to reflect how hard the US economy has been hit by the Covid-19 outbreak. The minimum number of initial claims amounts to 250,000, according to a Reuters poll, while economists predict that the number of filings for last week could range from one to four million. | That would make the number of jobless claims higher than during the 2009 financial crisis or the 1982 recession. | Also…
(2020-03-26). 'All new trips between cities are banned': Iran shuts down internal travel to fight Covid-19. rt.com 
An intercity travel ban has now entered into force in Iran as the Middle East's worst-hit country fears another wave of coronavirus cases, with violators facing legal repercussions. | Hossein Zolfaghari, a member of Iran's national HQ for tackling coronavirus, said that those travelling for Iranian New Year celebrations should "immediately return to their cities without making any stop in the cities on their way back home." | Iran has already shut down schools, universities, and suspended gatherings, but after largely unsuccessful measures, the government revealed that it would bring in harsher restrictions.
(2020-03-26). London hospitals facing 'tsunami' of Covid-19 patients, likely to be overwhelmed in days — hospitals chief. rt.com 
Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, is sounding the alarm that hospitals in London may collapse within days due to a "continuous tsunami" of Covid-19 patients, despite increasing critical care capacity sevenfold. | "They are struggling with the explosion of demand in seriously ill patients. They are saying it's the number arriving and the speed with which they are arriving and how ill they are. They talk about wave after wave after wave," Hopson told BBC Radio 4's Today program. | "The words that are used to me are that it's a continuous tsunami." | NHS Providers is a group which represents hos…
(2020-03-26). Iran's coronavirus death toll reaches 2,234 with 157 new fatalities. rt.com 
Covid-19 has now killed 2,234 people in Iran, with 29,406 infected, the health authorities said, as the country remains the worst-hit by the disease in the Middle East.
(2020-03-26). Germany has 4,954 new Covid-19 cases & 49 deaths — RKI Health Institute. rt.com 
Nearly 5,000 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Germany, the Robert Koch Institute has reported. Forty-nine fatalities over the past 24 hours have brought the death toll to 198. | The number of confirmed cases increased by 4,954 to 36,508 on Thursday. From Tuesday to Wednesday, Germany recorded 4,118 new cases and 35 deaths, according to the health institute. | Germany imposed strict lockdown measures last week in an effort to contain the virus. It currently has one of the highest numbers of confirmed cases in Europe, second only to Italy and Spain. | Cases worldwide have surpassed 470,000, with m…
(2020-03-26). Russia confirms 182 new Covid-19 cases, bringing total to 840. rt.com 
Russia has 182 new cases of coronavirus, according to the country's official tally. Most of the new cases were recorded in Moscow. This, as Russia shutters international flights to stop the spread of the virus. | The new infections bring the nation's tally to 840. The vast majority of the new cases, 136, were reported in Moscow. | The Russian government announced on Thursday that it would ban all regular and charter international flights starting Friday. Only flights bringing citizens home from abroad will be allowed. | Non-essential businesses in the Russian capital, including restaurants and cafes, will be c…
(2020-03-26). Unions welcome government's decision to renationalise rail services. mronline.org 
However it should not have taken a pandemic to bring rail back into public ownership, trade unionists say.
(2020-03-26). G20 leaders to convene remotely, discuss coronavirus pandemic, economic impacts. rt.com 
Leaders from the Group of 20 major economies will speak by video link on Thursday about combating the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impacts. Global infections top 471,000 with more than 21,000 dead, according to Reuters. | G20 finance ministers and central bankers agreed this week to develop an "action plan" to respond to the outbreak, which the International Monetary Fund expects will trigger a global recession. Few details, however, have been offered so far. | World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will address the leaders to seek support for ramping up funding and prod…
(2020-03-26). How market reforms made the NHS vulnerable to pandemics. mronline.org 
A 2014 report warned that reforms to the NHS would make it vulnerable to pandemics — by making staff redundant, undermining public health and defining spare capacity as waste. It was ignored.
(2020-03-26). Global stock markets down on expectations of negative US jobs data. rt.com 
Global market sentiment has declined ahead of the latest US jobless claims data that is expected to show a massive spike in unemployment claims after businesses stateside shut down in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus. | Some experts suggest record unemployment numbers in the US, with Citi as the most bearish, projecting roughly four million claims. | The pan-European Stoxx 600 dropped 1.5 percent in early trade on Thursday, with basic resources tumbling 2.7 percent to lead losses as all sectors and major bourses plunged into negative territory. | Britain's FTSE 100 index shed almost three percent a…
(2020-03-26). Troubled F-35 becomes latest coronavirus casualty after Pentagon puts the brakes on further tests. rt.com 
Tests being carried out on the delayed and over-budget F-35 have been suspended as part of a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Pentagon has announced. The fighter plane has already suffered a string of pricey setbacks. | Activities necessary to complete the F-35's operational test phase have been halted at Edwards Air Force Base in California, which has shut its doors to all non-essential personnel. | Flight tests have been indefinitely paused, but "select lab and ground test activities are ongoing," said Brandi Schiff, a spokesperson for the F-35 joint program office. | The setback could also mark…
(2020-03-26). Senate passes $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill bogged down by days of partisan wrangling. rt.com 
US senators have passed a much-delayed $2 trillion stimulus bill, aimed at bolstering the economy while the country is rattled by coronavirus lockdowns. The mammoth package was approved after days of bitter partisan fighting. | Senators moved to vote on the bill late Wednesday night after the last hurdle preventing its passage — an amendment put forward by four Republican senators to curb the legislation's generous unemployment provisions — was eliminated, failing to gain the necessary 60 yeas. | Despite the days of political tug-of-war over the legislation, it was passed unanimously in the end, 96-0…
(2020-03-26). Russia's unexpected advantage in the oil price war. rt.com 
The global economic downturn due to coronavirus and the breakup of OPEC+ has sent the ruble tumbling, which could give Russia an unexpected advantage in the oil price war. | While the ruble is now at its lowest level against the dollar in four years, the cheaper ruble has a silver lining for Russia's oil producers in the oil price war for market share with Saudi Arabia. The collapse of the OPEC+ deal and oil prices has hit Russia's financial markets and currency, leading to a sharp drop in the ruble versus the US dollar. The lower the ruble slides against the US dollar, the lower the production costs of Russia…
(2020-03-26). First immigrant in ICE custody tests positive for coronavirus in New Jersey. wsws.org This development highlights the criminal lack of basic sanitation that the Trump administration maintains in immigrant detention centers, as well as the ruling class' callous disregard for public health.
(2020-03-26). The Corona Virus & Immigration. zcomm.org How Austerity and Anti-immigrant Politics Left Italy Exposed…
(2020-03-26). Helping migrant shipwreck survivors to deal with trauma. news.un.org Every year, migrants embarking on sea-crossings see their journey end in tragedy: those who survive and return home can struggle to cope with daily life, and need support. To help migrant returnees, the UN has a range of programs aimed at tackling the mental health side-effects of trauma.
(2020-03-26). Julian Assange's bail request denied despite coronavirus risk. wsws.org Judge Vanessa Baraitser's refusal came amid mounting calls for the release of vulnerable, low-risk prisoners from the UK's overcrowded and woefully unprepared prison systems during the coronavirus crisis.
(2020-03-26). An Often Overlooked Region of India is a Beacon to the World for Taking on the Coronavirus. counterpunch.org K.K. Shailaja is the health minister in the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala, the state in the southwest of India that has a population of 35 million people. On January 25, 2020, she convened a high-level meeting to discuss the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. What had particularly worried her is that there
(2020-03-26). "Forced labor" stories on China brought to you by US government, NATO and arms industry to drive Cold War PR blitz. thegrayzone.com A new wave of media reports on Chinese forced labor relies almost entirely on a series of dubious studies by…
(2020-03-26). Webinar: Coronavirus: Time to End US Sanctions on Iran. indybay.org Online webinar via ZOOM…
(2020-03-26). Webinar: Decarceration in the time of COVID – 19 with Ivette Ale from JusticeLA. indybay.org Online event…
(2020-03-26). Strikes, protests spread as US workers demand protection from COVID-19. wsws.org Even as Trump rushes to resume full production, tens of thousands of workers in the US and around the world are refusing to die for the sake of corporate profits.
(2020-03-26). The Shit Has Hit the Fan: Shut the Country Down to Save Lives. counterpunch.org All my life fear is all I've heard. Fear the immigrant, Muslims, foreignness, black people protesting, black athletes kneeling during the Anthem, germs, foreign travel to non-Western countries, terrorism, etc., etc. Before 9/11, as a teen in the late 1990s, it was fear of marijuana, public welfare abuse and, as always, inclement weather. There is
(2020-03-26). West Bank woman is first Palestinian to die from COVID-19. zcomm.org Israel has not eased up on its abuses of Palestinians despite the pandemic. In one shocking incident on Monday, a Palestinian laborer with flu-like symptoms and a fever was dumped at a West Bank checkpoint by Israeli police…
(2020-03-26). What the Government Must Do Now About Coronavirus. counterpunch.org Americans don't expect much from their government. But even by the standards of a nation with one of the flimsiest social safety nets in the Western world, the inability and unwillingness of both major political parties to manage and solve the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic is shocking. President Trump's lack of leadership is
(2020-03-26). Media Struggle to Defend Washington's Cruelty. zcomm.org U.S sanctions toward Venezuela and Iran continue as Coronavirus Spreads…
(2020-03-26). How many must die for Wall Street? wsws.org Amid growing evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading through American workplaces, powerful representatives of finance capital are demanding that the country be "open for business."
(2020-03-26). Webinar: Capitalism is Killing Us! COVID-19 and Wall Street Crash. indybay.org Online event…
(2020-03-26). Leaked government report warns of tens of thousands of deaths in one Canadian province. wsws.org An internal Saskatchewan Health Authority report has warned that the rapid spread of the coronavirus would overwhelm the province's health care system and result in 9,000 to 15,000 people dying due to COVID-19.
(2020-03-26). Santa Cruz Police Prohibit Food Distribution to Homeless at Town Clock. indybay.org Santa Cruz Chief of Police Andrew Mills has addressed a cease and desist letter to Keith McHenry, the co-founder of Food Not Bombs, demanding McHenry, "cease feeding people at the clock tower immediately." Additionally, Police have issued a public notice to vacate the area of the Town Clock, which states that all personal belongings must be removed from the park by March 25 at 9 am. Since the Coronavirus/COVID-19 shelter in place order issued by the County took effect on March 17, Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs and the Santa Cruz Chapter of the Homeless Union have been sharing food in downtown Santa Cruz around the cl…
(2020-03-26). CDC: Housing, Not Handcuffs Is the Way to Stop COVID-19 Amongst Homeless Populations. indybay.org Advocates Hail First Step, Call for More Help…
(2020-03-26). Live Stream: Solutions to the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond. indybay.org Online event via live stream…
(2020-03-26). Climbing the Deadly Curves of COVID-19 and Capitalism. counterpunch.org Millions in the United States have been rendered especially vulnerable to the coronavirus's exponential growth by steep declines in workers' rights, the lack of economic security for low-income and marginalized communities, and, of course, the absence of a universal health-care system. These failures have resulted from the pursuit of exponential growth in private wealth for the affluent minority through exploitation of the majority.
(2020-03-26). The Truth on COVID-19 is Ugly and the Lies are Deadly. counterpunch.org On March 19th, the gutless depravity of failed leadership found a new poster-boy. Republican Senator Richard Burr was found to have sold off his stock in what he knew would be losing value (hotels, travel industry) before the stock market started crashing from the pandemic COVID-19 while simultaneously toeing Donald Trump's line that everything was
(2020-03-26). Trump's State of Denial, Not the Deep State, Kept Us Unprepared for the COVID-19 Pandemic. counterpunch.org President Donald Trump prides himself on being optimistic no matter how dire the situation. That is not necessarily a bad trait; it helps to get by in hard times. But deniability of past or repeated behavior when it results in harm to yourself or others, is not a positive trait. In fact, as president of
(2020-03-26). Africa records over 2,400 cases of COVID-19. wsws.org An international and coordinated struggle against the spread of coronavirus on the African continent is an urgent necessity.
(2020-03-26). After downplaying COVID-19 pandemic, Japan forced to postpone Olympics. wsws.org Facing a growing public outcry over his indifference to public health, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that the Olympics had been moved to the summer of 2021.
(2020-03-26). "We are not going to die in our cubicles!" — Wildcat strikes erupt at call centers across Brazil. wsws.org Workers have rebelled against unsafe conditions in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, challenging transnational corporations like AlmaViva.
(2020-03-26). Venezuela: U.S. blocks flights to repatriate citizens amid COVID-19. mronline.org Arreaza reiterated that the request for humanitarian flights responds to a request made by Venezuelans themselves to the Venezuelan Attention System in the United States.
(2020-03-26). Black Rock Profits in a Time of Crisis. counterpunch.org With little government support and corporate accountability, humanitarian aid workers are scrambling to address the refugee crisis in the wake of the global pandemic, COVID-19 (coronavirus). The outbreak of the coronavirus comes at a time when there is a great influx of war and economic refugees migrating to Europe. Despite Turkey's efforts to host millions
(2020-03-26). Warnings that hundreds of thousands of Indonesians may already have COVID-19. wsws.org There are fears that the archipelago may become "the Italy of south-east Asia," with experts warning that 135 million may be infected by mid-May.