2020-03-20: News Headlines

Staff (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.

teleSUR (2020-03-20). South Africa to Build 40-Km Fence at Border to Halt Migration. telesurenglish.net The South African government will erect a 40-km barrier on the border with Zimbabwe to prevent migrants from entering the country without documentation. | RELATED: | "The fence will also stop the spread of the new coronavirus in the country," Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille said, even though no Covid-19 cases have been detected in Zimbabwe. | The fence will be erected at Beitbridge, a border town in Mata…

Staff (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…

WSWS (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.

teleSUR (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…

Staff (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…

Mitchell Plitnick (2020-03-20). The Sudanese Ousted a Dictator Last Year—Why Is Washington Still Imposing Sanctions? thenation.com The Sudanese Ousted a Dictator Last Year—Why Is Washington Still Imposing Sanctions?

yenisafak (2020-03-20). Four Arab countries report new coronavirus cases. yenisafak.com Authorities in Palestine, Kuwait, Lebanon and Tunisia on Friday reported new cases of the coronavirus."A new case has been diagnosed in a Palestinian citizen from Salfit province (North) who came from Pakistan, bringing the number of cases to 48," Palestine's Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said.In Kuwait, the Health Ministry said that 11 new cases of the virus were reported, increasing the total number of cases in the country to 159.Lebanon's Health Ministry reported 14 new cases, confirming the total cases to 163.In Tunisia, the total number of cases rose to 54 as 15 new cases were recorded.The global death toll f…

yenisafak (2020-03-20). UK's Oxford University developing coronavirus vaccine. yenisafak.com Researchers at Oxford University are developing a coronavirus vaccine, aiming to have it ready by the end of the year, with a safety trial on humans as early as next month, according to British daily The Guardian.The university's team is led by Dr. Sarah Gilbert, who leads the Jenner Institute's influenza vaccine and emerging pathogens program. The vaccine will be known as ChAdOx1.Oxford's vaccine will start animal trials next week. For human trials, the university will recruit people of all ages, but will focus on older people who are most vulnerable to the coronavirus and less responsive to vaccines due to thei…

Eds. (2020-03-19). Closing polling places is the 21st century's version of a poll tax. mronline.org Delays and long lines at polling places during recent presidential primary elections — such as voters in Texas experienced — represent the latest version of decades-long policies that have sought to reduce the political power of African Americans in the U.S. |

news.un (2020-03-19). UN, an 'ally' in Kenya in fight against COVID-19: a UN Resident Coordinator blog. news.un.org The United Nations is working closely with the Kenyan Government to help prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus or COVID-19. By Siddharth Chatterjee, United Nations Resident Coordinator to Kenya.

Staff (2020-03-19). Headlines for March 19, 2020. democracynow.org Italy Records Record 475 Coronavirus Deaths as Infections Continue Climbing, British PM Boris Johnson Closes Schools After Reversing Lax Virus Containment Plan, Millions of Brazilians Protest from Windows and Balconies Demanding President's Ouster, World Health Organization Warns Critical Lack of Testing Is Costing Lives, Egypt Arrests Protesters Calling for Release of Prisoners at Risk of COVID-19, Yemen, Already Wracked by U.S.-Supported, Saudi-Led War, Braces for Coronavirus, Trump Admin Tightens Sanctions That Have Devastated Iran's Public Health System, Trump Signs Coronavirus Relief Bill Providing Paid Leav…

news.un (2020-03-18). Women plough the way to peace in South Sudan resettlement project. news.un.org Women who had been displaced by fighting in South Sudan are sowing seeds of peace, with support from the UN mission in the country, UNMISS.

Staff (2020-03-17). Spain Locks Down & Nationalizes Private Healthcare as Coronavirus Deaths Double & Cases Skyrocket. democracynow.org Europe is the epicenter of coronavirus, and Spain now has the second most cases in Europe, with more than 2,000 new cases in 24 hours and the number of deaths doubled. We'll go to Madrid for an update, where more than half of the country's cases have been reported. This comes as the Spanish government announced it is nationalizing hospitals and private healthcare companies to better manage the pandemic. We are joined by María Carrión, a freelance journalist and former Democracy Now! producer who is also executive director of FiSahara and co-founder of Nomads HRC, which focus on human rights in Western Sahara.

Staff (2020-03-16). "Something Is Wrong in America": Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor & Michael Eric Dyson Debate Sanders v Biden. democracynow.org Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders faced off in their first one-on-one debate Sunday night in the midst of an unprecedented national crisis, with 3,600 reported COVID-19 cases, 61 deaths so far, 33 states closing schools and mass shutdowns in major cities. The rivals clashed on how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, Medicare for All, the climate crisis, Joe Biden's record and whether or not the U.S. needs a revolution. We play highlights from the debate and get responses from scholars Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and Michael Eric Dyson. Taylor is assistant professor of African-America…

news.un (2020-03-16). Central African Republic: UN peacekeeper killed; Mission deplores 'heinous act'. news.un.org A United Nations peacekeeper from Burundi was killed on Sunday while attempting to stop an armed militant attack in the Central African Republic (CAR), according to a statement released by the UN Mission in the country, MINUSCA.

Ashley Gorski (2020-03-12). The Government Has a Secret Plan to Track Everyone's Faces at Airports. We're Suing. aclu.org U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration are putting us on an extraordinarily dangerous path toward the normalization of face surveillance. But because key facts about this surveillance are still secret, the public lacks the information it needs to hold these agencies to account. We're