[World Report] Venezuelan migrants "struggling to survive" amid COVID-19
Joe Parkin Daniels | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
Humanitarian organisations are concerned that border closures and health-care shortages are amplifying the challenges posed by COVID-19. Joe Parkin Daniels reports from Bogotá.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30718-2/fulltext?rss=yes

[Editorial] Learning the lessons of Chernobyl: time is running out
The Lancet | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
Unit number 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded on April 26, 1986, causing radiation injuries to hundreds of people within a couple of weeks. High levels of radiation affected clean-up workers (liquidators) involved in the emergency response, more than 500‚Äà000 liquidators involved in later decontamination and containment, and the general population in the surrounding Soviet states. 116‚Äà000 people were evacuated, 220‚Äà000 were permanently relocated, and a 30 km exclusion zone still exists around the plant.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30687-5/fulltext?rss=yes

Migrants in Hawaii care for the elderly, the aloha way
news.un.org | 2020-03-27
Migrants are playing an increasingly important role in the provision of health care around the world. The number of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who move from developing countries to take up posts in developed countries is expected to rise as the global population of older persons and children continues to grow.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060152

With a Quarter of the World's Population Under US Sanctions, Countries Appeal to UN to Intervene
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-27
Eight countries, representing around one-quarter of all humanity, say that Washington's actions are undermining their response to the COVID–19 pandemic sweeping the planet.
mintpressnews.com/coronavirus-quarter-worlds-population-under-us-sanctions-appeal-to-un/266096/

Media Repeat Phony Trump Regime Narco-Terrorism Charges against Maduro
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-27
Establishment media never miss an opportunity to set the record straight on major issues. | Instead they consistently proliferate state-sponsored Big Lies about designed US adversaries. | The latest exercise in Trump regime mass deception is directed against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro…
globalresearch.ca/media-repeat-phony-trump-regime-narco-terrorism-charges-against-maduro/5707753

Venezuela Dismisses US Justice Department 'Narco-terrorism' Accusations
Lucas Koerner | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-27
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro rejected US drug trafficking accusations against his person and senior members of his government. | In a televised address Thursday evening, Maduro blasted the State Department's "racist cowboy methods" of offering money for information leading to his …
globalresearch.ca/venezuela-dismisses-us-justice-department-narco-terrorism-accusations/5707786

'Are those who bomb towns going to accuse us of terrorism?' Maduro rips US over 'narco-terrorism' charge
rt.com | 2020-03-27
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro fired back at the US, which is offering a $15 million bounty for information leading to his arrest, dismissing the narco-terrorism charge as a smear to deflect attention from its coronavirus woes. | Maduro came out swinging after the US Justice Department, in an almost unprecedented move, indicted the president of the Latin American nation on "narco-terrorism" charges, claiming that Maduro and over a dozen Venezuelan political and military leaders plotted to "flood the Unite…
rt.com/news/484219-venezuela-maduro-terrorism-response/

Over 45 Countries Ask Cuba for Interferon to Treat Covid-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-27
Outlet Granma reported that over 45 nations have requested Cuba for Interferon Alpha 2b Human Recombinant supplies given that this drug is effective in treating Covid-19 patients. | RELATED: | Cuba: FM Denounces US Defamation of Cuban Medical Collaboration | Interferon is produced by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), a Cuban institution that enjoys prestige in the international scientific community. | Created in the 1980s, this drug ha…
telesurenglish.net/news/more-than-40-nations-ask-cuba-for-interferon-alpha-b-20200327-0004.html

US Senators Request to Ease Sanctions Against Venezuela, Iran
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-27
U.S. Senator Christopher Murphy and 10 other lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin urging them to alleviate the sanctions that the U.S. keeps against Iran and Venezuela amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | The U.S. Harasses Venezuela Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic | "We are writing to express…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Senators-Request-to-Ease-Sanctions-Against-Venezuela-Iran-20200327-0002.html

Recognizing and Resisting the "Hasbara Pandemic"
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-27
Steady media reports on the rising number of the novel Coronavirus infections and its human toll have contributed to a global psychology of fear where entire populations are succumbing their free will to those in positions of authority, elected and …
globalresearch.ca/recognizing-resisting-hasbara-pandemic/5707731

Video: Perspectives on the COV-19 Pandemic, A Fiasco in the Making: Dr. John Ioannidis, Stanford University
John P.A. Ioannidis | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-27
Perspectives on the Pandemic: | Dealing with Coronavirus, a fiasco in the making? As the coronavirus pandemic takes hold, we are making decisions without reliable data. | Dr John P.A. Ioannidis is a professor of medicine and professor of epidemiology and population …
globalresearch.ca/video-perspectives-pandemic-dr-john-ioannidis-stanford-university/5707737

Video: Perspectives on the COV-19 Pandemic, A Fiasco in the Making: Dr. John Ioannidis, Stanford University
John P.A. Ioannidis | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-27
Perspectives on the Pandemic: | Dealing with Coronavirus, a fiasco in the making? As the coronavirus pandemic takes hold, we are making decisions without reliable data. | Dr John P.A. Ioannidis is a professor of medicine and professor of epidemiology and population …
globalresearch.ca/video-perspectives-pandemic-dr-john-ioannidis-stanford-university/5707737

Recognizing and Resisting the "Hasbara Pandemic"
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-27
Steady media reports on the rising number of the novel Coronavirus infections and its human toll have contributed to a global psychology of fear where entire populations are succumbing their free will to those in positions of authority, elected and …
globalresearch.ca/recognizing-resisting-hasbara-pandemic/5707731

Horn of Africa and East Africa face coronavirus and locust swarm
wsws.org | 2020-03-27
Some 80 percent of the population in the Horn, a region long synonymous with famine, conflicts and refugees, relies on agriculture for subsistence, meaning that the consequences will be devastating for the already vulnerable population.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/27/locu-m27.html

Cuba slams US for indicting Venezuelan president
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-27
Cuba slammed the U.S. for indicting Venezuela's elected President Nicolas Maduro on alleged narco-terrorism charges on Thursday. "I condemn the #US immoral drug-trafficking accusation against president @NicolasMaduro and #Venezuela, which is based on brazen lies," Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on Twitter, shortly after the indictment.He also criticized the timing of the alleged charges, which came in the middle of a global fight against the coronavirus pandemic."Even in times of #COVID19, the US government proves to be the main threat to peace and tranquility in #OurAmerica," he added.The U.S. offe…
yenisafak.com/en/news/cuba-slams-us-for-indicting-venezuelan-president-3515186

As the World tackles the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. raises the pressure on Venezuela
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2020-03-26
In a press conference on March 26, it was almost comical how little evidence the U.S. Department of Justice provided when it accused Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro and several of the leaders of his government of narco-trafficking. The U.S. offered $15 million for the arrest of Maduro and $10 million for the others. Maduro, U.S. …
mronline.org/2020/03/26/as-the-world-tackles-the-covid-19-pandemic-the-u-s-raises-the-pressure-on-venezuela/

Venezuela's Coronavirus response might surprise you
Leonardo Flores | mronline.org | 2020-03-26
Within a few hours of being launched, over 800 Venezuelans in the U.S. registered for an emergency flight from Miami to Caracas through a website run by the Venezuelan government. This flight, offered at no cost, was proposed by President Nicolás Maduro when he learned that 200 Venezuelans were stuck in the United States following …
mronline.org/2020/03/26/venezuelas-coronavirus-response-might-surprise-you/

Rogue General Admits Plot Against Venezuela From Colombia
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-26
The former major general of the Venezuelan Army, Cliver Alcala Cordones, confessed that he organized from Colombia the plan denounced by the Venezuelan government this Wednesday that foresaw a series of selective murders, including that of President Nicolas Maduro. | RELATED: | The U.S. Harasses Venezuela Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic | Alcala Cordones was identified as the coordinator of all efforts to commit terrorist acts and assassinations against Venezuela, which would be carried…
telesurenglish.net/news/Rogue-General-Admits-Plot-Against-Venezuela-From-Colombia-20200326-0018.html

Bolivia: TSE Gives Possible Date for Presidential Elections
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-26
Bolivia's Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced a possible date for the next presidential elections. The elections were supposed to be held on May 3, but were postponed due to the threat of Covid-19. | RELATED: | Bolivian Regime Rejects Cuba's Offer to Help Fight Coronavirus | On its official Twitter profile, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal published a statement announcing the date of the elections between Sunday, June 7 and Sunday, September 6, 2020. | According to t…
telesurenglish.net/news/bolivia-tse-gives-possible-date-for-presidential-elections-20200326-0010.html

8 Nations Address Letter to UN Chief Urging Sanctions Be Lifted
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-26
Venezuela has joined Wednesday China, Russia, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, and Nicaragua in their plea to United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to urge the United States (U.S.) to remove its illegal economic sanctions on these countries amid the coronavirus global pandemic. | RELATED: | Iran: Campaign to Lift US Sanctions Gets Around 100K Signatures | "Today we have a common enemy. As you've already recognized, it's a time to prepare, to step up and incre…
telesurenglish.net/news/8-Nations-Address-Letter-to-UN-Chief-Urging-Sanctions-Be-Lifted–20200325-0024.html

Cuba: FM Denounces US Defamation of Cuban Medical Collaboration
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-26
Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla denounced the claims by the U.S. government about Cuban medical collaboration in the countries affected by Covid-19. | RELATED: | Cuba to Send Doctors to Four Caribbean Countries and Argentina | In an official statement, the Cuban government representative stated that Washington's hostility towards his country cannot affect Cuban solidarity with nations in need. | On his official Twitter account, Parrilla denounced the U.S. alle…
telesurenglish.net/news/cuba-foreign-minister-denounces-u-s-defamation-of-cuban-medical-collaboration-20200326-0006.html

The U.S. Harasses Venezuela Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-26
Regardless of the human costs that the economic blockade causes to the Venezuelan people, the U.S. Attorney General William Barr Thursday announced that his country will designate Venezuela as a state sponsoring terrorism. | RELATED: | 8 Nations Address Letter to UN Chief Urging Sanctions Be Lifted | The State Department also announced i…
telesurenglish.net/news/The-U.S.-Harasses-Venezuela-Amidst-the-Covid-19-Pandemic-20200326-0004.html

Venezuela: U.S. blocks flights to repatriate citizens amid COVID-19
teleSUR Desk | mronline.org | 2020-03-26
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.
mronline.org/2020/03/26/venezuela-u-s-blocks-flights-to-repatriate-citizens-amid-covid-19/

Chile: Piñera's Gov't Asks Homeless People to 'Stay Home'
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-26
Chile's government requested the homeless population to "stay at home" and to maintain hygiene to prevent Covid-19. The administrative request generates mockeries and polemic reactions. | RELATED: | Chile: Lower House Postpones Plebiscite Amid Covid-19 Fears | Chile's Social Development and Family Minister, Sebastian Sichel, affirmed that his administration is asking the ones who live on the streets to go back to their houses. That statement shows the unfamiliarity of the function…
telesurenglish.net/news/chile-pineiras-government-asks-homeless-people-to-stay-at-home-20200326-0009.html

PCHR Calls upon Palestinian Government to Find Mechanisms to Protect and Support the Poor and Low-Income Families in light of the State of Emergency in the Gaza Strip
PCHR | imemc.org | 2020-03-26
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) follows up on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip in light of the state of emergency announced to limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). PCHR warns of catastrophic deterioration in the living conditions of the Gaza Strip population if the state of …
imemc.org/article/pchr-calls-upon-palestinian-government-to-find-mechanisms-to-protect-and-support-the-poor-and-low-income-families-in-light-of-the-state-of-emergency-in-the-gaza-strip/

Education advocates block distance learning privatization in Puerto Rico
Special to People's World | peoplesworld.org | 2020-03-26
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico–The Broad Front in Defense of Public Education (FEDAP in Spanish) triumphed this week in its petition to the House and Senate of Puerto Rico on Bill 2448 that tried to privatize distance learning. The bill's sponsor, Rafael "June" Rivera, issued a public statement withdrawing the proposed bill. The Broad Front in …
peoplesworld.org/article/education-advocates-block-distance-learning-privatization-in-puerto-rico/

'Another Attempted Coup': US Rebuked for 'Absurd' Drug Trafficking Charges Against Venezuela's Maduro
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-03-26
commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/maduro_venezuela_0.png …

Media Struggle to Defend Washington's Cruelty Toward Venezuela and Iran as Coronavirus Spreads
Joe Emersberger | fair.org | 2020-03-25
AP (New York Times, 3/17/20) accepts the IMF's excuse that lack of "clarity" over Venezuela's "rightful leader" prevents it from giving the country coronavirus aid–even though in 2002, the IMF rapidly offered aid to a short-lived coup government. | An Associated Press article (New York Times, 3/17/20) headlined "IMF Rejects Maduro's Bid for Emergency Loan to Fight Virus" declared: The r…
fair.org/home/media-struggle-to-defend-washingtons-cruelty-toward-venezuela-and-iran-as-coronavirus-spreads/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=media-struggle-to-defend-washingtons-cruelty-toward-venezuela-and-iran-as-coronavirus-spreads

Media Struggle to Defend Washington's Cruelty Toward Venezuela and Iran as Coronavirus Spreads
Joe Emersberger | fair.org | 2020-03-25
AP (New York Times, 3/17/20) accepts the IMF's excuse that lack of "clarity" over Venezuela's "rightful leader" prevents it from giving the country coronavirus aid–even though in 2002, the IMF rapidly offered aid to a short-lived coup government. | An Associated Press article (New York Times, 3/17/20) headlined "IMF Rejects Maduro's Bid for Emergency Loan to Fight Virus" declared: The r…
fair.org/home/media-struggle-to-defend-washingtons-cruelty-toward-venezuela-and-iran-as-coronavirus-spreads/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=media-struggle-to-defend-washingtons-cruelty-toward-venezuela-and-iran-as-coronavirus-spreads

Maduro Calls for Dialogue With the Opposition Over COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-25
The President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, announced this Wednesday that a meeting with all the opposition sectors is necessary to attack the coronavirus pandemic more effectively. | "I am willing to meet with all the sectors that want to talk about the coronavirus pandemic, the care of our people, and reach agreements with them based on national interests," said the head of state. | RELATED: | President Maduro Denounces New Terrorist Plan Against Venezuela | He also highligh…
telesurenglish.net/news/Maduro-Calls-for-Dialogue-With-the-Opposition-Over-COVID-19-20200325-0023.html

"People Go Before Money. This Is About Saving Lives," Says San Juan Mayor on Pandemic in Puerto Rico
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-25
Puerto Rico announced a record $787 million financial package to fight the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic Monday, as the island's death toll hits two with 39 cases reported. The pandemic follows a series of devastating earthquakes in Puerto Rico earlier this year and comes as the island continues to deal with fallout from Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico's infrastructure and killed at least 3,000. "One of the things that I think is evident is that with the Trump administration and FEMA, we have to continue to remind them, time and time again, that we are people and that we deserve to be…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/25/puerto_rico_coronavirus_carmen_yulin_cruz

Venezuela's Coronavirus Response Might Surprise You
Leonardo Flores | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-25
Unlike in the United States where coronavirus treatment can cost up to $35,000 and where Trump seems more concerned about the economy than about peoples' lives, Venezuela is handling the crisis by placing value in health over profits.
mintpressnews.com/venezuelas-coronavirus-response-might-surprise-you/266036/

After expelling Cuban doctors, Brazil requests their help to fight COVID-19
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-25
Healthcare Latin America & the Caribbean Ben NortonIssue 1258 Brazil COVID-19 Cuban doctorsMarch 25, 2020The coronavirus pandemic ha…
greenleft.org.au/content/after-expelling-cuban-doctors-brazil-requests-their-help-fight-covid-19

Cuba saves Italians from coronavirus despite US blockade
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-24
Red Lines host Anya Parampil provides a coronavirus update, highlighting the heroic work of Cuban doctors who have traveled to…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/24/cuba-italians-coronavirus-us-blockade/

"Humanitarian Solidarity": Even Under U.S. Sanctions, Cuba Sends Doctor Brigade to Italy and More
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-24
As Italy's death toll soars past 6,000, Cuba has sent medical brigades to combat COVID-19. Cuba has also deployed doctors to Venezuela, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Suriname and Grenada. "The arrival of a medical brigade from Cuba to Italy is pretty historic. You have a leading European nation accepting support in the form of a medical team from a small Caribbean island," says our guest, Peter Kornbluh, director of the Cuba Documentation Project at the National Security Archive at George Washington University. "It just goes to the history of Cuba's deep and long-lasting commitment to humanitarian solidarity with other cou…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/24/cuba_medical_diplomacy_italy_coronavirus

King David's Ancient Road: How Israeli Archaeologists Are Aiding the Theft of Silwan
Miko Peled | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-24
Claiming "science" as their reason and in total disregard for the wellbeing of the population, tunnels are dug under Palestinian homes in Silwan, destroying foundations and forcing residents to flee.
mintpressnews.com/how-israel-archeologists-aiding-theft-silwan/266005/

Expert: US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during pandemic could be genocidal
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-20
Intensified US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during the COVID-19 pandemic could amount to genocide, a former UN expert warns. Iran…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/20/expert-us-sanctions-on-iran-venezuela-during-pandemic-could-be-genocidal/

[Correspondence] Future of Chernobyl research: the urgency for consolidated action
Evgenia Ostroumova, Joachim Schàºz, Ausrele Kesminiene | thelancet.com | 2020-03-18
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986, continues to create fears and myths about its health consequences, as shown by the large response to a top-rated HBO miniseries devoted to the tragic event. Risk assessments range from recognising an increase in thyroid cancer incidence in exposed children and adolescents (becoming one of the single most established long-term health effects of the Chernobyl disaster on the general population), to claims of hundreds of thousands of deaths due to the accident.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30675-9/fulltext?rss=yes

No, Venezuela does not have a six child per family policy
Joe Emersberger | zcomm.org | 2020-03-13
I respect UK journalist Andrew Buncombe. As I noted for FAIR last year, he was one of the few corporate journalists who reported on a study linking Trump's financial sanctions on Venezuela to thousands of deaths by the end of 2018. Since 2018, Trump has repeatedly intensified the sanctions and threatened Venezuela with military action, Read…
zcomm.org/zblogs/no-venezuela-does-not-have-a-six-child-per-family-policy/

Julio López Varona on Puerto Rico's Disaster Capitalism
CounterSpin | fair.org | 2020-03-13
Media…
fair.org/home/julio-lopez-varona-on-puerto-ricos-disaster-capitalism/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=julio-lopez-varona-on-puerto-ricos-disaster-capitalism

[Comment] Patchy progress on the ICPD: are we asking the right questions?
Dorothy Shaw | thelancet.com | 2020-03-09
The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) agenda, set in 1994 in Cairo and revisited 25 years later in Nairobi in 2019, included goals for equitable education of women, reduction of infant and child mortality, reduction of maternal mortality, and access to reproductive and sexual health services, including family planning, through its well known Programme of Action.1 The ICPD was ground-breaking in recognising the benefits that empowerment of women and girls would have for themselves, their families, and, ultimately, their countries.
thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30080-2/fulltext?rss=yes

[Comment] Getting to zero in the DR Congo Ebola outbreak
Ranu S Dhillon, Devabhaktuni Srikrishna, Gerardo Chowell | thelancet.com | 2020-03-09
Any plan to stop the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo must be based on a quantitative understanding of the proportion of the at-risk population that needs to be protected by effective control measures for transmission to decline sufficiently and quickly enough for the outbreak to end.
thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30056-6/fulltext?rss=yes