(2020-03-20). Roaming Charges: Always Look on the Bright Side of Death. counterpunch.org 
+ Francesco Rondonelli, a contemporary chronicler of the Florentine plague of 1629: "And who had heard an entire city praying at the same time all together … through the tenderness it was not possible to contain the tears … and a most beautiful thing in some roads with poor people to see lights at every window;
(2020-03-20). Doctor: As Coronavirus Cases Spike Worldwide, We Need Global Cooperation to Halt Spread. democracynow.org 
As the worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has topped 10,000, with over 250,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, we speak with Stanford University's global health expert Dr. Michele Barry, an infectious disease doctor. Italy has surpassed China in coronavirus deaths, and cases are rising in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, as the governor of California has ordered all 40 million residents to shelter in place.
(2020-03-20). Martial law? Lombardy enlists military to enforce lockdown as Italy's hardest-hit region continues to reel from Covid-19. rt.com 
Lombardy has announced that the Italian military will work to ensure that residents are complying with a quarantine to stop the spread of coronavirus. Efforts to contain the virus have been unsuccessful, officials said. | Regional president Attilio Fontana told a news conference on Friday that the military had accepted his request to help enforce the lockdown, and that 114 soldiers tasked with keeping people indoors will be "on the ground throughout Lombardy." | He lamented that the number of military personnel was "still too little" but that it was nevertheless a positive development. | Lombardy's government…
(2020-03-20). European stocks surge as governments mount efforts to mitigate economic impact of coronavirus pandemic. rt.com 
European stock markets opened sharply higher on Friday as more central banks adopted monetary and fiscal measures to deal with the economic downturn as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. | Stocks in London jumped in early trading with the FTSE 100 index rising over five percent. Germany's DAX is gaining over six percent, while French stocks are also up by over six percent. |
(2020-03-20). Germany to block foreign takeovers, protect domestic companies — top politicians. rt.com 
Germany will protect domestic firms from foreign takeovers, two leading politicians said on Friday, after company valuations in Europe's largest economy have been hammered by the coronavirus pandemic. Ministers have already promised liquidity support to businesses, and introduced measures making it easier to reduce working hours rather than lay off workers. | Germany's blue-chip DAX index, which comprises the country's 30 largest listed corporations, has plunged by more than a third over the past month. This has increased the risk of foreign companies snapping up rivals at a discount. | "We will avoid a sell-o…
(2020-03-20). Germany's leading health official says decision on curfew is 'up to authorities'. rt.com 
The health official leading Germany's fight against coronavirus urged people on Friday to keep their distance to curb the pandemic. | However, Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute, also said it was up to the authorities to decide whether to impose a curfew to force people to follow official guidelines. | "We recommend keeping maximal distance. It is up to the authorities to decide on the measures needed to achieve that," Wieler told reporters. | He spoke after the number of German cases of Covid-19 rose by 2,958 overnight to 13,957. The number of fatalities rose by 11 to 31, according to Reute…
(2020-03-20). Bavaria on lockdown: First German state to 'shut down public life almost completely' for 2 weeks in bid to stop Covid-19. rt.com 
Bavaria will introduce tight restrictions on movement for two weeks in the hope of containing the Covid-19 pandemic that has seized Europe, making it the first German state to introduce a lockdown. | The strict measures include the closure of restaurants and bars, and bans large gatherings. People are urged to not leave their homes unless they are going to work, visiting the doctor, or buying groceries and medicine. Limited outdoor activity is still allowed but only alone or with a family member. | Minister Markus Soeder said on Friday that the lockdown, which begins at midnight, was not an "easy" decision to…
(2020-03-20). Germany says coronavirus LOCKDOWN will happen if people continue to socialize & Saturday's the 'decisive' test. rt.com 
Saturday will be the crucial day for German officials to decide whether a strict lockdown is needed to slow the spread of Covid-19 — and the decision will depend on whether people can voluntarily rein in their socializing or not. | "We will look at the behavior of the population this weekend," Angela Merkel's chief of staff Helge Braun
(2020-03-20). Germany seizes medical supplies headed to Switzerland as Europe scrounges for resources to fight coronavirus — report. rt.com 
German customs has reportedly seized face masks and other supplies destined for Switzerland, as European states struggle against the coronavirus pandemic with their limited medical equipment. | Authorities seized high-quality respiratory masks and other protective clothing for doctors and the general population during an inspection of a distribution center in Juechen, North Rhine-Westphalia, the Rheinische Post reported. US-based company 3M was reportedly planning on exporting the medical supplies to Switzerland. | Germany imposed export bans on such goods at the start of March, as part of the country's anti-c…
(2020-03-20). Death at the Greek Border: Syrian Refugees Should Not Be Used as Political Pawns. counterpunch.org 
In a surprising move, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced on February 29 that he will be re-opening his country's border to Europe, thus allowing tens of thousands of mostly Syrian refugees into Greece and other European countries. Expectedly, over 100,000 people rushed to the Ipsala border point in the Edirne province separating Turkey from
(2020-03-20). Erdogan orders all events in Turkey postponed until end-April. rt.com 
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a decree on Friday postponing all events related to science, culture and the arts, as the country seeks to contain a surge in coronavirus cases. | Turkey's Covid-19 death toll has reached four, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday. The number of confirmed cases in the country has surged since the first case was announced last week, reaching 359 on Thursday. The cases have roughly doubled every day since Sunday, Reuters reports. | Erdogan's decree, published in the Official Gazette on Friday, said all meetings and activities, indoors or outdoors, related…
(2020-03-20). Two arrested after botched 'Islamist attack' sees car driven into Barcelona airport (PHOTOS). rt.com 
Police cordoned off a section of Barcelona's El Prat airport after an apparent failed Islamist attack, in which two men drove a car through the terminal building's doors. | The Mossos d'Esquadra, Barcelona's police force, confirmed that two men attempted to storm the Terminal 1 bulking at the El Prat international airport at approximately 5am local time on Friday. | The men made it as far as the food court of the airport, reportedly shouting Islamist slogans, before they were arrested. | Technicians from Spain's bomb squad Tedax were also deployed to investigate the vehicle which was found to not contain any e…
(2020-03-20). 'Zajal': Composer Dave Soldier traces origin of modern song to medieval Spain. peoplesworld.org 
In the wake of our review of his Naked Revolution: A Socialist Realist Opera, the composer, Dave Soldier, thought People's World might also be interested in his CD Zajal, an album of 11 songs performed in Hebrew, Arabic and Romance (early Spanish), and one in English. The poets in all but one song lived in …
(2020-03-20). US to close border with Mexico for 'non-essential' travel in effort to stem coronavirus spread. rt.com 
Starting Saturday, the US-Mexico border will be closed to nonessential travel in order to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, US President Donald Trump announced Friday. | The closure is open-ended and "will last as long as necessary," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added. | Trade is exempt from the restriction, which will focus on curbing tourism and recreational activities. President Trump said that Mexico is also suspending air travel from Europe. The Mexican government, however, has not yet announced a European travel ban. | "As we did with Canada, we're also working with Mexico to implement new…
(2020-03-20). EasyJet to ground most of its fleet, as coronavirus slaughters airline industry. rt.com 
British budget airline EasyJet will ground the majority of its fleet, in response to a wave of travel restrictions across Europe. The airline industry as a whole has been pummeled by the global Covid-19 pandemic. | In a statement on Friday, the company said that the majority of its 300-plus fleet will be grounded from Tuesday onwards. After finishing up its remaining schedule of rescue and repatriation flights, EasyJet said it will operate a minimum schedule of essential flights on some UK routes. | These flights will account for only 10 percent of the airline's usual capacity, the statement read. | Also on rt…
(2020-03-20). –°hina reports record number of imported Covid-19 cases from US & Europe as global death toll exceeds 10,000. rt.com 
China may have managed to contain the coronavirus at home, but it's not over the hump yet. There's danger of a return of the deadly disease as the number of infected travelers entering the country reaches record levels. | The Chinese authorities have done huge work since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in Wuhan in late December. The blow was hard as 3,248 have died and 80,967 were infected, but for the last two days there was not a single domestically transmitted coronavirus case in the country. | But as the situation improved, many Chinese expatriates, including students, rushed back home to escape the corona…
(2020-03-20). WHO welcomes 'hope' as Wuhan reports no new coronavirus cases — But deaths in Europe hit horrifying new record. rt.com 
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the reduction of Covid-19 cases in the Chinese city of Wuhan "provides hope for the rest of the world." The comments come as the virus takes a terrible toll in Europe.
(2020-03-20). 'Wait… what?': Fans baffled as UEFA says NEXT YEAR's European Championships will keep Euro 2020 title. rt.com 
UEFA chiefs have caused confusion after initially announcing that Euro 2020 would retain its title despite being postponed until next year due to the coronavirus crisis. | Euro 2020 was due to take place in several cities across Europe this summer but the decision was made to postpone the competition by 12 months due to the developing coronavirus crisis, which has largely cancelled or postponed the sporting landscape across the globe. | It…
(2020-03-20). International Atomic Energy Agency exposed to Covid-19 as staff member tests positive. rt.com 
A case of the novel coronavirus has been identified in a staff member at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, the United Nations has said. | The IAEA implemented measures last week allowing personnel at the Vienna center to work remotely from March 16 in line with guidance from Austrian authorities. | The IAEA said earlier this month it would provide diagnostic kits, equipment and training in nuclear-derived detection techniques to countries in need of assistance as the virus spreads rapidly around the world. | There are currently more than 240,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide and…
(2020-03-20). Russia testing MULTIPLE prototype Covid-19 vaccines. rt.com 
Russia's research center of virology and biotechnology, known as the Vector Institute, is testing multiple different vaccine prototypes against Covid-19 in a race to find a cure for the virus behind a global pandemic. | This week, it "began immunogenicity studies in sensitive laboratory animals… of all developed vaccine prototypes," The composition, dose, route of administration of the future vaccine will be determi…
(2020-03-20). Top Doctor at Moscow's leading disease hospital says current Covid-19 crisis will likely last SIX MONTHS. rt.com 
Coronavirus panic is already threatening a worldwide economic disaster, as millions are forced to live under lockdown. This has left many people wondering how long we can expect these circumstances to endure. | "When I call my parents, I say jokingly: 'see you in September,'" Denis Protsenko has told RT. He's the head doctor of Moscow's main disease hospital in Kommunarka. | Protsenko believes that while the pandemic may slow in summer, it's more like it will be autumn before the siege will be lifted. If the country has a similar experience to China, then the spread will decline in May or June, he believes, bu…
(2020-03-20). Coronavirus KO: Russia's Kovalev shares protective suit training video days after Barrera fight canceled (VIDEO). rt.com 
The outbreak of COVID-19 hasn't just left the sporting calendar decimated, it has also made it far more difficult for top level athletes to train – with certain exceptions. | Golden Boy Promotions announced on Tuesday that they were to cancel the April 25 boxing card at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California, which was to feature Sergey Kovalev taking on Sullivan Barrera as more and more regions within the United States crack down on public gatherings in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. | It was to be the Russian former world champion's first bout since losing by 11th-round knockout to Canelo…
(2020-03-20). Oil price crash not catastrophic for Russian economy — Kremlin. rt.com 
The current turmoil on the global oil market is not disastrous for Russia, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, noting the country has a safety cushion. | Russia holds vast gold and foreign exchange reserves to stabilize the economy in times of economic uncertainty. The country's total gold holdings amounted to 73.2 million troy ounces (2,276.8 tons) as of February 1, and are worth around $116 billion, while the country's total reserves have recently eclipsed $580 billion, according to the latest data from the Central Bank of Russia. | "Certainly, the price situation is unpleasant… But…
(2020-03-20). Stanford Professor Michael McFaul dunks on Khamenei… by puzzling over why Iran doesn't use Gregorian calendar. rt.com 
Ex-ambassador Michael McFaul has taken to Twitter to express astonishment over the start of the Iranian New Year, leading to speculation that he might not know that there are non-Gregorian calendars out there. | The former US envoy to Russia and current Stanford academic found it fitting to mock Iran's supreme leader for commenting on the start of the Iranian (or Persian) New Year, Nowruz. In his tweet, Ali Khamenei had congratulated his country for becoming more self-reliant in the face of US sanctions, but urged for further production boosts in 1399 to help the Islamic Republic recover from Washington's econ…
(2020-03-20). New statue of WWII hero Marshal Zhukov near Red Square stuns Muscovites, but officials say it's temporary. rt.com 
Marshal Georgy Zhukov was the most famous Nazi hunter of them all, leading the Red Army all the way to Berlin as it crushed the Germans in WWII. However, his Moscow monument has long been considered a tad lame. | Erected in 1995 by order of then-president Boris Yeltsin to mark the 50th anniversary of the victory, it was initially planned to place the statue in Red Square, but this idea fell through as the entire area is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. | The statue has been repeatedly criticized for being poorly proportioned and featuring an inaccurate representation of a horse. Those familiar with…
(2020-03-20). Senator Burr enabled Russiagaters for years; now they're accusing him of insider trading & coronavirus lies. rt.com 
Richard Burr, chair of the US Senate Intelligence Committee, has been accused of deceiving the public about the coronavirus outbreak and seeking to profit from it by dumping stocks that are crashing due to the pandemic. | Burr (R-North Carolina) found himself under attack from two directions on Thursday. Early in the day, National Public Radio ran a story based on "secret recordings" from a speech he gave in North Carolina in late February, when he gave oddly specific warnings about Covid-19 to an elite group of donors, while keeping the rest of the American public in the dark. | SCOOP: Secret recording obtain…
(2020-03-20). Russia's gold & near-zero debt give it best chance of thriving in post-coronavirus apocalypse — Max Keiser. rt.com 
The coronavirus pandemic has popped a quadrillion-dollar financial bubble and we can expect a very deep and prolonged period of adjustment, RT's veteran business commentator Max Keiser believes. | The financial crisis, which many believe we have just entered, stems from the times of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, with the establishment of 'neoliberal' policies "that enriched bankers and destroyed workers by giving bankers free reign to borrow and speculate without oversight or accountability," Keiser told RT. Now, governments will have to adjust to a new reality, and having a low debt and massive reserve…
(2020-03-20). Paris police restrict movements and GATHERINGS in city center ahead of weekend. rt.com 
Police in Paris have tightened restrictions in the French capital, banning movement and gatherings at prominent locations in the city center ahead of the weekend. | The new measures apply to the popular promenades on the left and right banks of the river Seine, Invalides and the Champ De Mars park around the Eiffel Tower. They come into effect immediately and will be in place throughout the weekend. | For 70 straight weekends Yellow Vest protesters have gathered in cities around France on Saturdays to protest against the policies of President Emmanuel Macron. | The prefecture said that too many people were fre…
(2020-03-20). France is only at start of coronavirus crisis, President Macron warns. rt.com 
France is only at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis and is in a race to curb its progress, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday. | "We are at the start of this crisis. We have taken exceptional measures to absorb this first wave, but we've started a race against the virus," the president said at the beginning of a crisis meeting at the Interior Ministry. | "We must react a great deal and reorganize ourselves at every moment. We need to anticipate," Reuters quoted him as saying.
(2020-03-20). About 130,000 French nationals trying to return home — FM. rt.com 
France is trying to facilitate the repatriation of 130,000 of its nationals stuck overseas due to the coronavirus outbreak, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has said. | "The fundamental principle is that for the 130,000, we want to bring them back to the national territory, but we ask them to be calm and patient," Le Drian told France Info radio on Friday, adding that it would be up to them to pay for their return tickets. | The minister urged the more than three million French expatriates to stay where they are. | He also warned that the government was ready to toughen up restrictions in France to limit pe…
(2020-03-20). Finland scoffs at WHO's coronavirus testing protocol, suggests organization doesn't understand how pandemics work. rt.com 
A senior Finnish health official has dismissed a World Health Organization (WHO) advisory to test as many people as possible for coronavirus, arguing that such a measure would be completely illogical when combating a pandemic. | Finland's head of health security, Mika Salminen, took aim at the notion that stopping the spread of Covid-19 requires testing on a mass-scale. | "We don't understand the WHO's instructions for testing. We can't fully remove the disease from the world anymore," she said, adding: "If someone claims that, they don't understand pandemics." | Citing limited supplies, Finland has narrowed c…
(2020-03-20). Headlines for March 20, 2020. democracynow.org Worldwide COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 10,000 as Italian Nurses "Stop Counting the Dead", Refugee Groups Warn of COVID-19 "Carnage" in Camps Housing Millions of Refugees, Coronavirus Multiplies Across Australia, Latin America, Africa and Middle East, California Gov. Gavin Newsom Issues Statewide "Stay at Home" Order for 40 Million, New York Mayor Calls on Trump to Mobilize Military to Aid Overwhelmed Hospitals, Georgia State Legislators Urged to Self-Quarantine; Spring Break Revelers Party On in Florida, Demands Grow to Empty ICE Jails as NJ Detention Center Worker Tests Positive, Trump Blasts "Corrupt" Media at Ramb…
(2020-03-20). The New York Times' Insidious Ongoing Disinformation Campaign on Russia and Elections. globalresearch.ca For the past three years the new narrative of Russian interference in U.S. elections has bound corporate news media more tightly than ever to the interests of the national security state. And no outlet has pushed that narrative more aggressively …
(2020-03-20). 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):…
(2020-03-20). Cuba Sends 53 Doctors and Nurses to Fight Covid-19 in Italy. telesurenglish.net Cuban health authorities announced on Thursday that the country will send 53 health professionals to Lombardy, Italy, to help contain the new coronavirus pandemic. | RELATED: | The 53 doctors and nurses have experience in caring for these types of diseases. In 2014, they traveled to Sierra Leone in West Africa to fight the Ebola virus. | According to Cuban authorities, the arrival in Lombardy will take place…
(2020-03-20). What We Must Learn From Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. dissidentvoice.org One of the major concerns about COVID-19 in northern Italy after concern for the physically infirm and elderly is the impact treating patients will have on the healthcare system. The healthcare system in many northern Italian regions is already at a breaking point as within the first twenty days of the outbreak over 10,000 infections …
(2020-03-20). Italian army drafted to transport corpses as coronavirus deaths surge in Europe. wsws.org Health systems in Italy, the European epicenter of the disease, are so overwhelmed that they cannot process the corpses of the dead, let alone tend to the sick.
(2020-03-20). Coronavirus crisis cripples Italy's health care system. wsws.org Italy now counts more deaths from the coronavirus pandemic than any other country in the world.
(2020-03-20). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Workers in Iran and Italy, two countries heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, have staged job action over work exposure to the disease, while South African transport workers have issued a strike threat over failed contract talks.
(2020-03-20). Italy's Institute of Health (ISS) Report: 99% of Deaths Attributed to Covid-19 Deaths Had "Pre-existing Serious Illness" globalresearch.ca Anything up to 99.2% of all of Italy's recent Covid19-associated deaths could have been caused by pre-existing chronic conditions, according to a report released by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Italian Institute of Health, ISS) | The report was translated and …
(2020-03-20). As Coronavirus Cases Spike Worldwide, We Need Global Cooperation to Halt Spread. truthout.org As the worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has topped 10,000, with over 250,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, we speak with Stanford University's global health expert Dr. Michele Barry, an infectious disease doctor. Italy has surpassed China in coronavirus deaths, and cases are rising in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, as the governor of California has ordered all 40 million residents to shelter in place. | TRANSCRIPT: | AMY GOODMAN: The worldwide death toll fr…
(2020-03-20). Workers and the Virus: Radical Lessons from Italy in the Age of COVID-19. globalresearch.ca In the face of the mounting
(2020-03-20). Syriza leader Tsipras offers collaboration with New Democracy against refugees and Turkey. wsws.org Tsipras is signing off on a policy of brutal repression of refugees waged jointly by the government, fascist thugs who have benefited most from the stoking up of chauvinism and xenophobia, and the European Union.
(2020-03-20). The Baltic States Align Themselves with US-NATO against Russia ? globalresearch.ca In 2017, RAND Corporation published in its associated media Small Wars Journal an
(2020-03-20). Germany mulls nationwide curfew to combat coronavirus. yenisafak.com The German government is weighing to impose a nationwide curfew to stem the spread of the coronavirus, local media reported on Friday.Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff Helge Braun told Der Spiegel weekly that the government would first look at the behavior of the population this weekend to see whether the recently issued restrictions were followed."Saturday is a crucial day. We have our eye on that day in particular," he said.Merkel is scheduled to meet on Sunday with premiers of 16 German federal states to review anti-coronavirus measures, and discuss possible further measures.Germany is the third-worst-…
(2020-03-20). Turkish army equipped with protective gear against coronavirus. yenisafak.com Turkey on Friday distributed protective clothing, rubber gloves, and face masks among its border units to protect them from the coronavirus pandemic, the Defense Ministry said on Friday.In a statement, Turkey's Ministry of National Defense said soldiers were briefed on ways to remain protected from the virus, including the measures to be taken during contact with individuals crossing the border illegally.The ministry also posted photographs showing soldiers, donned in protective gear, patrolling and getting their temperature checked.Turkey has so far reported four deaths from COVID-19 with 359 positive cases, acc…
(2020-03-20). Turkey 'neutralizes' senior PKK terrorist in N. Iraq. yenisafak.com Turkey earlier this month neutralized a senior PKK terrorist operating in the Qandil region of northern Iraq, security sources said on Friday. | Halide Tari was neutralized in a joint operation conducted by Turkish intelligence (MIT) and armed forces (TSK) on March 9, the sources said, requesting anonymity because they are not allowed to speak to the media. | PKK terrorists often use northern Iraq as a base to plan cross-border terrorist attacks on Turkey. | Turkish authorities use the word "neutralized" in statements to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured. | In its more than 3…
(2020-03-20). Spain deaths top 1,000, cases near 20,000 due to coronavirus. yenisafak.com The coronavirus death toll in Spain climbed to 1,002 on Friday, while the number of confirmed cases in the country rose to nearly 20,000, according to a government statement.The latest figures show a dramatic surge in fatalities as there were 235 deaths reported across Spain over the past 24 hours.Just a week ago, the death toll in the entire country was 102.The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Spain also continues to skyrocket, reaching 19,980 on Friday.More than half of the patients
(2020-03-20). Military Trucks Transport Coffins With Coronavirus Victims From Bergamo – Video. sputniknews.com Italy is currently the worst-hit country in Europe, with at least 41,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and a death toll of over 3,400, some 150 more than in China. Rome has had to implement strict quarantine measures to combat the infection and numerous other countries have imposed travel bans on Italy.
(2020-03-20). Coronavirus-Induced Measures Cause YouTube to Temporarily Axe High Quality Videos in EU. sputniknews.com As countries have started to tighten quarantine measures amid the spread of the novel coronavirus and citizens have been advised to stay home all over Europe, streaming platforms are facing an Internet overload.