(2020-04-20). Headlines for April 20, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Fatalities Top 40,000; Nursing Homes Hit Hard as Death Tolls Soar | , Trump and Governors at Odds over Coronavirus Testing as Uneven Reopening of States Commences, Right-Wing Groups Organize Anti-Lockdown Protests Around the Country | , New Deal on Relief for Small Businesses Could Be Imminent But May Lack Key Democratic Provisions, Immigrant Prisoners at Otay Mesa Launch Hunger Strike, Denounce Inhumane Treatment | , Michael Cohen to Be Released from Federal Detention as Prisoners Nationwide Face Mounting Coronavirus Risk, Italy Records Lowest Daily Death Toll in a Week; Spain & France Also Show Signs of Pr…
(2020-04-20). Protesters gather in Russia's N. Ossetia-Alania to demand cancellation of self-isolation rules. rt.com 
Hundreds of protesters — most of them unmasked — gathered on Monday in Vladikavkaz, the capital of the southern Russian Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, to demand the cancellation of the self-isolation regime. The unauthorized meeting took place near the building of the local government despite restrictions, which will last till April 30. | A group of representatives was formed among the protesters and began negotiations with officials, TASS reported. The head of the republic, Vyacheslav Bitarov, spoke with some of the demonstrators earlier, saying that authorities will help everyone in need of aid.
(2020-04-20). Anti-quarantine protesters inspired by Covid-19-denying former opera singer hurl stones, clash with police in Vladikavkaz. rt.com 
A group of protesters neglected social distancing and surrounded the local government's office in Vladikavkaz in Russia's south. They demanded the coronavirus quarantine to be lifted and scuffled with the police. | Videos from the Svoboda (Freedom) Square in the capital of Russia's Republic of North Ossetia showed the demonstrators trying to break police cordons and tossing stones at officers in full riot gear. | The unsanctioned rally began at noon on Monday with a group of people gathering outside the administration, with only a few wearing face masks and staying very close to each other. They were quite…
(2020-04-20). Russian and Venezuelan Presidents Hold Solidarity Phone Meeting. telesurenglish.net Venezuela and Russia agreed on Monday to consolidate their bilateral relations at a strategic level in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro held a telephone conversation with his Russian colleague, Vladimir Putin. | RELATED: | Both leaders reiterated their condemnation of the imposition of coercive measures by the United States government against Venezuela. | The conversatio…
(2020-04-20). Happiest place on Earth? Only if you're Bob Iger! Disney stops paying 100,000 workers while top exec takes 3% pay cut. rt.com 
The Walt Disney Company has said it will stop paying nearly half of its workforce this week. Disney theme parks and hotels have been shut in Europe and the US for almost five weeks due to worldwide Covid-19 lockdowns. | Scrapping payments for more than 100,000 of the so-called 'cast members' will help the company save $500 million a month, according to the Financial Times. Disney said it will provide full healthcare benefits for staff placed on unpaid leave and urged its US employees to apply for government benefits through the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package. | Disneyland and Disney World closed thei…
(2020-04-20). The Kaminski method: Tight, taut WWII action in 'Enemy Lines'. peoplesworld.org 
As people grapple with a planetary pandemic, an exciting new movie is premiering just in time to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of our last global conflagration. Enemy Lines is available to rent or own on April 24 shortly before the platinum jubilee of Victory in Europe or V-E Day, May 8, 1945, …
(2020-04-20). Europe needs ‚Ǩ1.5 TRILLION to recover or single market could 'break in two' — EU economy commissioner. rt.com 
The European Union urgently requires financial injections to stay afloat and survive the coronavirus epidemic currently ravaging the continent, the European commissioner for economy, Paolo Gentiloni, has warned. | A whopping €1.5 trillion ($ 1.63 trillion) could be needed to "deal with this crisis," Gentiloni told Der Spiegel ahead of the EU leaders summit on the crisis sparked by the outbreak of Covid-19. | The commissioner for economic and financial affairs said that Europe is going through the "worst crisis" since WWII, which threatens the very existence of the EU as a single economic and political ent…
(2020-04-20). Vigilance of all German anti-fascists required as coronavirus recedes. peoplesworld.org 
BERLIN — With the daily number of new COVID-19 figures slowly receding, Germany is limping back to some kind of "normalcy." Auto and bike shops, book dealers, barbers and most shops less than 800 square meters can now re-open (with customers 5 feet apart). Bigger shops and department stores are squabbling: "Why not us?" So …
(2020-04-20). 'Hungary to have plan by May 3': Orban speaks on gradual return to normal life. rt.com 
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Monday he expected to present a plan early next month for a gradual return to normal life from the coronavirus lockdown. | The prime minister said in an interview with Catholic station Radio Maria that by May 3 Hungary would be prepared to handle any rise in infections. From that point onwards, the country could afford to seek ways to get back to normal life, step by step, MTI quoted him as saying. | Hungary has 1,984 confirmed infections and 199 deaths, according to Reuters. The country, which has a population of just under 10 million, has done 48,057 tests so far…
(2020-04-20). Reports suggest many have had coronavirus with no symptoms. thecanary.co 
New research suggests that far more people have had the coronavirus without any symptoms, fuelling hope that it will turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared.Based on known cases, health officials have said the virus usually causes mild or moderate flu-like illness.Now evidence is growing that a substantial number of people may have no symptoms at all.Scientists in Iceland screened 6% of its population to see how many had previously undetected infections and found that about 0.7% tested positive.So did 13% of a group at higher risk because of recent travel or exposure to someone sick.Aboard the airc…
(2020-04-20). Russia's aid to Italy is not just a 'one-way road' — Putin. rt.com 
Moscow's assistance to Italy, which is gripped by the novel coronavirus epidemic, stems from mutually beneficial cooperation, President Putin explained, as some have called it a geopolitical PR stunt. | Russia's strong partnership with Italy is "well-known," Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a video conference with experts and officials on fighting the Covid-19 outbreak. Relations between the two nations became particularly close during the pandemic when Italy became the coronavirus hotspot on the continent and Moscow offered its assistance. | "I would like to say that it is not a lopsided game, not…
(2020-04-20). Pope Francis tells politicians to put country before party amid anti-coronavirus fight. rt.com 
Pope Francis has urged politicians to put aside partisan differences and deal with the coronavirus crisis in a united way. Francis' private morning Mass has been transmitted live on television for the past six weeks, ever since the outbreak took hold in Italy. | The Mass is attended by only a few close aides, instead of the usual several dozen guests. "We pray today for men and women who have a political vocation," he said at the start of the Mass on Monday, adding that "politics is a high form of charity." | "[We pray] for the political parties of various countries, so that in this time of pandemic, they toge…
(2020-04-20). WATCH Russian military lab in action on the forefront of Italy's Covid-19 battle. rt.com 
A rare video takes us behind the scenes of the Russian military's field laboratory set up outside Italy's coronavirus-hit Bergamo, revealing how absolute sterility is achieved and how the tests are done. | The clip from the Defense Ministry shows the full cycle of the lab's operations — from the arrival of the sample, which is placed in a sealed container and brought inside the facility through a special secure hatch, to the virologists in full protective gear opening the glass and using state-of-the-art equipment to perform a test. | | © Russia's Defense Ministry | The mobile laboratory, which is…
(2020-04-20). Zarif informs Assad that Iran, Russia, Turkey will discuss Syria constitutional committee soon. rt.com 
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Syrian President Bashar Assad on Monday that Iran, Russia, and Turkey will soon hold consultations on Syria's constitutional committee and the situation in Idlib. The statement was released by Iran's Foreign Ministry. | Assad and Zarif met in Damascus to discuss developments in the north of Syria and the political process in the country, including the constitutional committee. The Syrian president voiced regret that the coronavirus pandemic has become a subject of political investment by some states in the West, "mainly the US, which continues to impose sancti…
(2020-04-20). Serbia to let some businesses, markets reopen in partial easing of lockdown. rt.com 
The Serbian government said on Monday it would allow some businesses and markets to reopen, in a cautious easing of its nationwide lockdown following signs of a fall in the rate of coronavirus infections. | Businesses allowed to reopen from Tuesday include food markets, small retail stores, car mechanics, tailors, cobblers and dry cleaners. The government also shortened a night curfew by one hour and said a 24-hour lockdown for people aged 65 and above would be eased, allowing them to leave their homes for 30 minutes on three evenings a week. | Authorities called on employers in the construction industry to re…
(2020-04-20). Spain's economy may dive 12.4% this year amid coronavirus lockdown uncertainty. rt.com 
The economy of Spain could contract between 6.8 percent and 12.4 percent in 2020 if the Covid-19 lockdown lasts eight or 12 weeks, the Bank of Spain said on Monday. | According to the "The results of the different scenarios point to reductions in Spanish GDP in 2020 unpr…
(2020-04-20). 'I don't want to be forced to take one': Anti-vaxxer Novak Djokovic speaks on fears of compulsory Covid-19 jabs. rt.com 
World number one Novak Djokovic says he could be forced into a corner over his anti-vaccination beliefs if players are required to take compulsory measures against coronavirus to compete once the season resumes. | Serb Djokovic is currently in lockdown with his family in Marbella, Spain, as the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic. | The men's ATP and women's WTA tours have been suspended until at least July 13, while Wimbledon has been canceled altogether and the French Open pushed back to September. US Open chiefs are still debating whether to go ahead with the tournament, which is schedu…
(2020-04-20). Sweden Is Right. The Economy Should be Left Open. globalresearch.ca Sometimes, the best thing to do, is to do nothing at all. Take Sweden, for example, where the government decided not to shut down the economy, but to take a more thoughtful and balanced approach. Sweden has kept its primary …
(2020-04-20). Europe's pandemic death toll passes 100,000. wsws.org The five major states in Europe—Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the UK—account for around 85,000 of the 100,000 plus deaths.
(2020-04-20). India & the Coronavirus. zcomm.org While the coronavirus has focused much of the world on Europe and the United States, India promises to be the greatest victim of the disease…
(2020-04-20). Workers strike across Ciudad Juárez, Mexico amid increase in COVID-19 deaths in factories. wsws.org The strikes part of a growing international resistance involving workers across Europe and the US against nonessential work as the pandemic continues to spread out of control.
(2020-04-20). A Universal Basic Income Is Essential and Will Work. globalresearch.ca According to an April 6 article on CNBC.com, Spain is slated to become the first country in Europe to introduce a universal basic income (UBI) on a long-term basis. Spain's Minister for Economic Affairs has announced plans to roll out …
(2020-04-20). Smearing China a Lame Trick to Aid Reelection for White House. globalresearch.ca US President Donald Trump tried to prove his effective leadership in the COVID-19 fight during the White House briefing on Saturday. He said that the US mortality rate was 11.24 per 100,000 people, lower than that of Spain, France and …
(2020-04-20). Russian Officials Dawdled as the Coronavirus Took Hold. thenation.com Russian Officials Dawdled as the Coronavirus Took Hold…
(2020-04-20). Repairing damaged Iran-Turkey gas pipeline begins in Turkey. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) — According to an official with the National Iranian Gas Company, Turkey has announced the start of repairing the gas pipeline that had suffered damages some 20 days ago.
(2020-04-20). Southern European borrowing costs rise as spotlight turns to EU meeting. yenisafak.com Southern European bond yields rose to near one-month highs on Monday, a sign of investors' unease ahead of a European Union summit later this week over how to tackle the economic fallout from the coronavirus crisis.Portugal's 10-year borrowing costs hit one-month highs after Fitch Ratings on Friday downgraded the country's ratings outlook to stable, from positive, saying that its tourism-driven economy was particularly exposed to the pandemic's downside risks.Spain's 10-year bond yields also rose to its highest in a month; Italy's borrowing costs neared one-month highs.Selling pressure on Italian government bonds…
(2020-04-20). Belgium says COVID-19 peak passed, starts looking at lockdown exit. yenisafak.com Belgium's immediate coronavirus crisis appears to have passed its peak as the number of people admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 fell to its lowest level in a month, health officials said on Monday.Belgium, with one of the highest per capita rates of confirmed COVID-19 cases and related deaths in Europe, announced that 232 people were taken into hospital on Sunday, the lowest level since March 19."There are several indicators that are going in the right direction and that continue to go in the right direction," Emmanuel Andre, spokesman for the country's COVID-19 council, told a news conference."And so yes, by…
(2020-04-20). Too far-reaching German rescue packages could raise questions, says Merkel. yenisafak.com Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday told the leadership of her party that if Germany spent too much on additional coronavirus rescue programmes, Italy and Spain might point to Europe's largest economy and say it has enough money, participants in the call told Reuters.Merkel, a Christian Democrat (CDU), reiterated her view that launching eurobonds would be the wrong path.
(2020-04-20). IMF's Georgieva says coronavirus crisis is worst since Great Depression. yenisafak.com The crisis sparked by the spread of the novel coronavirus is the worst since the Great Depression, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Monday. The fallout from the virus will mean that 170 countries will have negative economic growth this year, she told a videoconference press briefing for the Bulgarian media.
(2020-04-20). Germany starts loosening coronavirus measures. yenisafak.com Germany on Monday started to loosen restrictions to stem the spread of coronavirus in the country. Most shops smaller than 800 square meters (8,600 square feet) are being allowed to open again.Newly reopened shopping centers and stores must observe strict hygienic rules.Early in the day, few people were seen at the reopened malls and shops.People are still following social distancing, and some of them are wearing masks to protect themselves from the virus.Cafes and restaurants will remain closed for the time being.More than 4,600 people have died from the coronavirus in Germany and over 145,700 cases have now be…
(2020-04-20). Dutch coronavirus cases rise by 750 to 33,405 with 67 new deaths. yenisafak.com The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 750 on Monday to 33,405, health authorities said, with 67 new deaths.Total confirmed deaths are now 3,751, the National Institute for Public Health (RIVM)said in its daily update. The RIVM cautions that the real number of cases and deaths in the Netherlands are higher, as it primarily tests only health workers and the very ill.
(2020-04-20). Russia's Putin says peak of coronavirus crisis is ahead. yenisafak.com President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia had managed to curb the coronavirus crisis but the peak of the outbreak still lay ahead.The number of Russian confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 47,000 on Monday with a death toll of 405.
(2020-04-20). Russia's Coronavirus Peak Still Ahead – Putin. sputniknews.com Russia recorded over 4,200 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, with the total surpassing 47,100.
(2020-04-20). Russian President Vladimir Putin Takes Part in Meeting on COVID-19 Situation – Video. sputniknews.com The day before, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the situation with coronavirus is fully under control, adding that people at all levels of power are working in a dynamic, organised and responsible way.
(2020-04-20). Virgin Atlantic About to Collapse Without Public Bailout Warns Richard Branson in Rescue Plea. sputniknews.com The coronavirus epidemic, which has rapidly led to widespread shut downs of large sectors of the economy, is starting to put the United Kingdom's staple airline – Virgin Atlantic – under significant strain. Owner Richard Branson has been pleading for a bailout from the government in order to save the flight provider from folding.
(2020-04-19). US coronavirus death toll rises to 40,000, almost double Italy's figures. rt.com 
The number of people who have died in the US due to Covid-19 climbed to over 40,000 on Sunday, according to calculations by Reuters and Johns Hopkins University. | The American death toll is the highest in the world and is almost two times larger than the figures from Italy, which is currently ranked second in terms of fatalities. | The death toll has jumped from 30,000 to 40,000 in just four days after the untested but probable coronavirus fatalities were added to the numbers. The first American succumbed to the coronavirus on February 29. | Italy, which remained the world's hardest hit country for weeks, has…
(2020-04-19). Stranded Russian speed skating pair finally evacuated home after going ahead with Bali holiday amid Covid-19 pandemic. rt.com 
Russian speed skating duo Anna Chernova and Elena Sokhryakova have become the last of the country's athletes to be evacuated to their homeland after being stranded on holiday island Bali amid the coronavirus pandemic. | The Russian Sports Ministry confirmed at the end of last week that 96 people – including athletes, coaches and various specialists – had been evacuated from around the world with the help of the Foreign Ministry and Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya). | That included speed skating pair Chernova and Sokhryakova, who were among the last to return having gone ahead with a trip to the Indo…
(2020-04-19). Putin Assures Russians that COVID-19 Situation is Under Control. telesurenglish.net President Vladimir Putin assured on Sunday that the situation regarding the new COVID-19 virus in Russia is under control, and he was convinced that the European nation will successfully pass this test. | RELATED: | "All levels of power work at a good pace, in an organized and responsible manner. The situation is under total control. Our entire society is united in the face of a common threat," he said in a video message broad…
(2020-04-19). Saudi Arabia's client-state relationship with the US should concern the whole world. iranian.com When Saudi Arabia approached members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its affiliates recently to cut oil production in an attempt to cushion the impact of the falling oil prices as a result of Covid-19, Russia rejected the proposal. The subsequent spat between Moscow and Riyadh saw the Saudis and the United …
(2020-04-18). 'Who believes these numbers?' Trump claims China MUST be hiding its true Covid-19 death toll, because 'everybody knows it'. rt.com 
President Donald Trump opened up his daily Covid-19 task force press conference by blasting the media for reporting official data that makes the US look bad, instead of pursuing allegations of a Chinese conspiracy. | "When the fake news gets out there and they start talking about the United States is number one… China's number one by a lot. It's not even close. They're way ahead of us in terms of death," Trump said just minutes into his daily briefing. | China could not have possibly done better than the "highly developed healthcare delivery systems of the United Kingdom, in France in Belgium, in Italy, in S…
(2020-04-18). Where the Skripals Are Today. dissidentvoice.org 
On 4 March 2018, both Sergei Skripal and his daughter who was visiting from their shared home country of Russia, Yulia Skripal, were poisoned in Salisbury England, and — though both survived — neither of them has been allowed to communicate to the public except under the watch of their British court-appointed 'guardians'. They also …
(2020-04-18). Students across Europe fight COVID-19 and the neoliberal state. peoplesdispatch.org As of April 16, more than 2 million people have contracted coronavirus and around 144,104 people have died. Countries across Europe have been devastated by the pandemic and all sectors of society have been impacted. However, the working class and migrant communities across Europe are those facing the brunt of the crisis. They have been pushed to the brink by sheer negligence and insensitivity of the governments amid this public health crisis. | Students and youth in these countries are particularly in distress due to the shutting down of schools, colleges, and universities as part of the lockdown. The majority of…
(2020-04-18). 'Under capitalism, there is no solution for COVID-19 crisis'. peoplesdispatch.org The world continues to reel under the COVID-19 pandemic. Spain is one of the worst hit countries in the world with over 190,000 cases and 20,000 deaths. Earlier this month, Peoples Dispatch(PD) spoke to àÅstor García of the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE), regarding the plight of the people in Spain who have been affected by the pandemic and the response from the government. | Peoples Dispatch (PD): How has COVID-19 become so widespread in Spain and what has been its impact on public life in the country? | àÅstor García(AG): In Spain, as in many other countries, the effect of COVID-19 w…
(2020-04-17). As US Shale Oil Plunges, Trump Admin Takes Aim at Venezuela. mintpressnews.com WASHINGTON DC ( Despite the president's rosy tone, most analysts have called the agreement — which presumably will freeze the Saudi-Russian oil price war that broke out…
(2020-04-17). Women's sports a likely coronavirus casualty. peoplesworld.org 
(AP)—Linked to the rising call for gender equity worldwide, women's sports were enjoying unprecedented attention and support before the coronavirus pandemic. The World Cup in France put a spotlight on women's soccer, culminating with the United States lifting the trophy to chants of "Equal Pay!" — a nod to the team's gender discrimination lawsuit against …
(2020-04-17). Book Review: Lenin's What is to be Done? fightbacknews.org Why review a book that the Russian revolutionary V.I. Lenin began in 1901 and finished in 1902? The short answer is the book is just that good and it has endured the test of time, and the 150th anniversary of Lenin's birth is a good occasion for it. | A more complete answer is as follows — we are in a period where monopoly capitalism has shown itself to be a failed system. Not only has it failed to deal with the challenges of a pandemic, capitalism is a people-destroying economic system that is making the pandemic worse. Add on the facts that we are in the onset of a large-scale economic crisis and millions…
(2020-04-17). Consumer spending in Spain has halved during coronavirus lockdown says analysis. imperial.ac.uk Economic activity in Spain has fallen in the first three months of 2020 compared to the same period last year, says a new analysis.
(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
(2020-04-16). COVID-19 storm strengthens across Europe, controlling transmission everywhere, essential: Tedros. news.un.org The storm clouds of COVID-19 still hang heavily over Europe, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) expert said on Thursday, with reported cases in the last 10 days alone, doubling to nearly 1 million. The continent now accounts for 10 per cent of the global total.
(2020-04-16). What is Socialist Psychology: Child Development, History Shaping, Therapy and Revolutionary Situations: Part II. dissidentvoice.org 
Orientation In Part I of this article I discussed how when Vygotsky's work was exported to the United States it was narrowly defined as encompassing his work in child-development and cooperative learning. His interest in art history, European history and his commitment to Marxian political economy is barely mentioned. Secondly, I contrasted the differences between …
