(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
(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.
(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…
(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.
(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…
(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…
(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.
(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…
(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…
(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
(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.
(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…
(2020-03-23). For America's Urgent Health and Safety, Trump Needs to Resign. zcomm.org Donald J. Trump is so consumed by his all-defining ego as to be occupationally insane. He is imperiling the public health of the entire country…
(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
(2020-03-23). San Francisco Food Not Bombs Is Still Sharing Food. indybay.org San Francisco Food Not Bombs will keep its regular schedule during the San Francisco Department of Public Health's Shelter In Place Order.
(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.
(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):…
(2020-03-23). ACLU Demands the Release from Prisons and Jails of Communities Vulnerable to COVID-19. indybay.org ACLU Also Calls for Release of People Currently in Pretrial Detention Because of Cash Bail to Prevent a Public Health Crisis…
(2020-03-23). At Port of Oakland, ILWU Tells SAA We Want Health/Safety Protection from COVID-19. indybay.org ILWU Local 10 and 34 leaders and rank and file had a press conference in front of SSA in Oakland demanding that they have proper health and safety in their port jobs. Tra-Pack was forced to clean the equipment and they are demanding the same action from SSA. They also discussed the issue of the conditions of the Grand Princess Crew docked in Hunters Point…
(2020-03-23). Cuba Sends 53 Doctors and Nurses to Fight Covid-19 in Italy. globalresearch.ca 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, …
(2020-03-23). UK: Sheffield health care students demand placements suspended to limit COVID-19 spread. wsws.org The students' petition to university bosses highlights the widespread opposition to the disastrous course of the Johnson government, which has already forced a shift in its reckless policy of allowing the spread of COVID-19.
(2020-03-23). From mutual aid to dual power in the state of emergency. zcomm.org The COVID-19 public health crisis is rapidly devolving into a vast, multi-faceted crisis of social reproduction with no end in sight. How can we seize this moment to build dual power?>
(2020-03-23). How to Wage War, FDR-Style, on the COVID-19 Pandemic. counterpunch.org 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,
(2020-03-23). Africa threatened by sudden surge in coronavirus cases. wsws.org The entire continent risks becoming infected with coronavirus, which could rapidly swamp its inadequate health systems, leading to a horrific death toll.
(2020-03-23). Derelict Leadership on Health Security. counterpunch.org 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
(2020-03-23). Memes and Viruses: Could COVID19 be a Communist Plot? counterpunch.org 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
(2020-03-23). Five Demands for Emergency COVID-19 Survival. indybay.org With the Bay Area and now all of California on coronavirus lockdown, millions going without paychecks and health insurance, prisoners and unsheltered folks at great risk of contracting the virus, wheatpaste posters have gone up in Oakland making five reasonable demands to increase our collective chance at survival.
(2020-03-23). Global economic slump accelerating. wsws.org Just as the coronavirus and its health impacts were severely underestimated, so were its effects on the economy.
(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… …
(2020-03-23). WorkWeek On SF Housing With Dean Preston, ILWU Port Safety & UCSF AFSCME Cancer Cluster. indybay.org 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…
(2020-03-23). COVID-19 health disaster and political crisis intensify in Australia. wsws.org Yesterday the soaring rate of infections triggered an open rift in the self-styled "national cabinet" and forced governments into partial economic shutdowns.
(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.
(2020-03-23). Journal of the Plague: Year One. counterpunch.org For anyone who doubted that our corporate and political elites would use the Covid-19 plague to line their own pockets, the Senate Republican aid package cutting corporate taxes kills those doubts once and for all. Further proof of our aristocrats' disgusting behavior comes with the news that at least five senators dumped stocks after classified
(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 …
(2020-03-23). Pandemic: The Invention of a Disease Called Fear. counterpunch.org 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
(2020-03-23). We Need Global Cooperation to Halt Spread. zcomm.org The large Nipah virus epidemic had a lot to do with deforestation and movement of bats closer to other animals, and another novel virus emerged…
(2020-03-23). German government prepares for internet censorship and deployment of the armed forces. wsws.org The social democratic state premier of Lower Saxony, Boris Pistorius, has called for a clamp-down against those contradicting official government propaganda about the coronavirus epidemic.
(2020-03-23). All Marin Parks to be Closed Amid COVID-19 Spread. indybay.org Ignoring epidemic rules, crowds seeking recreation fill Marin's open areas. Food workers in delis and markets endangered.
(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."
(2020-03-23). Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Hospitalised With Respiratory Infection. sputniknews.com On 22 March, the number of cases registered in Spain increased from 28,572 cases to 33,089, while the coronavirus death toll climbed to 2,182, adding 462 fatalities overnight, the health ministry said.
(2020-03-23). Five COVID-19 Test Systems Registered in Russia – Health Minister. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Five test systems for detecting the coronavirus have been registered in Russia, and the country's scientific and industrial sectors have potential to boost the effort, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said at a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Monday.
(2020-03-23). Coronavirus: Outbreak in US, Economic Impact of the Disease, Medical Update on Virus. sputniknews.com Join George Galloway on the new home for the Mother of All Talk Shows – this week we talk about all about coronavirus.
(2020-03-23). New York Closes All Business Centres Amid COVID-19 Pandemic – Video. sputniknews.com According to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Centre, there are over 35,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States and some 400 deaths from the disease (117 in New York, 95 in Washington, and 30 in California).
(2020-03-23). US Orders to Utilise Country's 16 Supercomputers to Find Cure for Coronavirus. sputniknews.com Similar attempts to find a cure for COVID-19 using computing power have also been made by Folding@home, a global crowdsourcing platform that allows PC users to "donate" extra power from their home computers to research various global diseases.
(2020-03-23). COVID-19: Spain reports 462 more deaths in one day. yenisafak.com At least 2,182 people died in Spain from COVID-19 and 33,089 cases have been confirmed so far, according to official data released on Monday.Over the last 24-hours, the country saw 462 people die, and around 4,500 new cases were confirmed.Over 2,300 people are now in intensive care units (ICUs), while 3,355 have recovered.On Monday, a government spokesperson confirmed that around 12% (3,910) of all confirmed cases have been discovered in the country's healthcare workers.Over the weekend, Madrid, which has registered over 1,200 deaths already, had its hospitals near collapse. In at least one hospital, patients wer…
(2020-03-23). Spain reports 462 coronavirus-related more deaths in one day. yenisafak.com At least 2,182 people died in Spain from COVID-19 and 33,089 cases have been confirmed so far, according to official data released on Monday.Over the last 24-hours, the country saw 462 people die, and around 4,500 new cases were confirmed.Over 2,300 people are now in intensive care units (ICUs), while 3,355 have recovered.On Monday, a government spokesperson confirmed that around 12% (3,910) of all confirmed cases have been discovered in the country's healthcare workers.Over the weekend, Madrid, which has registered over 1,200 deaths already, had its hospitals near collapse. In at least one hospital, patients wer…
(2020-03-23). Death toll from coronavirus rises to 1,812 in Iran. yenisafak.com A total of 127 people in Iran have died of coronavirus over the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll up to 1,812, said an Iranian health official on Sunday.According to Iranian state TV, Health Ministry Spokesperson Kianoush Jahanpour said 1,411 new virus cases were found, raising the total number of cases to 23,049.He added that a total of 8,376 people, who were treated for the virus, have been discharged from hospitals.The average age of those infected with the virus is 59, while those who lost their lives are in their 60s, he noted.A total of 170 health workers, including 40 doctors and 130 nurses, have teste…
(2020-03-23). Coronavirus cases in Malaysia tops 1,500, 14 dead. yenisafak.com Malaysia found 212 new cases of coronavirus, the largest figure in a single day in the country, taking the total number of cases to 1,518, local media reported Monday.Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, director-general of health, said that as of Monday noon, 212 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, according to daily Star.He said four more people have died due to the virus, bringing the death toll in the country to 14.Most of the new cases were linked to a mass religious gathering held at Seri Petaling, he said.Meanwhile, local authorities will distribute two million face masks to people in Sarawak province.Malaysian parliam…
(2020-03-23). German minister to hospitals: If you need more beds, staff, we'll help. yenisafak.com "If you need more beds, if you need more staff and equipment to treat coronavirus patients you will be compensated financially," he said."Specifically, you will get a daily bonus of 560 euro($602.78) per bed that is made free or which is not being used for planned operations. For new intensive-care beds with ventilators there will be a grant from health insurance funds of 50,000 euros," he added. ($1 = 0.9290 euros)…
(2020-03-23). Finland to shut down bars, eateries, restrict movement. yenisafak.com Northern European nation Finland on Monday announced that it will soon restrict movements and shut down restaurants and bars all over the country. | Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said the government was ready to take all necessary measures to contain the COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic. | "The government is preparing for restrictions to close private facilities such as restaurants. Restrictions on movement are also under preparation," said Marin on Twitter. | "The government is ready to take all necessary measures to contain the epidemic, ensure the carrying capacity of our health care system and…