(2020-04-24). Global coronavirus death toll passes 190,000 — AFP tally. rt.com 
The global pandemic hit a grim new milestone on Friday, according to AFP, as the number of people who have lost their lives to the disease passed 190,00 and continues to rise, while countries battle to keep their populations safe. | The agency reports that a total of 190,089 people have passed away and 2,698,733 have been confirmed as infected since Covid-19 emerged in China in December. Europe has recorded the highest number of fatalities, with 116,221 people dying across the continent. | More than 1.2 million Europeans have been diagnosed with the disease, putting the mortality rate around 8.9 percent. | The…
(2020-04-24). 'Fast recovery' possible as Hungary scraps curfew from early May, Orban says. rt.com 
Hungary plans to replace its current lockdown, which has imposed a blanket curfew on the population, with a more fine-tuned version from early May, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday. | Orban told state radio that he expected the economy to recover rapidly from the effects of the pandemic. "I am not among the most optimistic people, but neither am I a pessimist," he told state radio. "I expect a fast recovery." | The month-long nationwide lockdown has destroyed tens of thousands of jobs in the country, and Orban said re-establishing these was his top priority. From next month, restrictions will be grad…
(2020-04-24). Tens of thousands of Nepali workers stranded abroad by COVID-19 disaster. wsws.org Nepal has a population of 28 million but so far only 8,763 people have been tested for the virus.
(2020-04-24). New Zealand teachers and nurses oppose easing of lockdown. wsws.org Even as new COVID-19 cases are reported each day, the Labour Party-led government is gambling with the lives and health of the population.
(2020-04-23). Cuba to the Rescue, But Don't Tell the American People. commondreams.org Doctors and nurses of Cuba's Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade pose with a portrait of Cuban late leader Fidel Castro as they are bid farewell before travelling to hard-hit Italy to help in the fight against the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, at the Central Unit of Medical Cooperation in Havana, on March 21, 2020. (Photo: Yamil LAGE / AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/cuba_covid.jpg …
(2020-04-23). Trump Administration Orders Chevron to Shutter Venezuela Operations. globalresearch.ca The United States Treasury Department gave California-based oil giant Chevron until December 1 to wind down its operations in Venezuela. | The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a temporary
(2020-04-23). Global Health Doctor: Hire 1000s of Contact Tracers to Stop COVID-19, Save Lives and the Economy. democracynow.org 
As parts of the United States and Europe consider reopening, most of the world's population remains susceptible to the coronavirus. We look at new efforts to stop the deadly spread of COVID-19 with contact tracing — finding who infected patients have been in contact with so they can get tested and isolated. We'll speak with global health expert Dr. Joia Mukherjee, with Partners in Health, about a contact tracing project she is working on now in Massachusetts.
(2020-04-23). New Cuban Medical Aid Brigade Arrives in St. Lucia. telesurenglish.net Cuba's medical brigade arrived in Saint Lucia to assist COVID-19 patients and prevent the virus from spreading. Biomedical engineers, nurses, and doctors made up the new group that reinforces Cuban medical aid on the Caribbean island. | RELATED: | The Henry Reeve brigade members are assisting at various health institutions across the country.‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Ä…
(2020-04-23). U.S. Blockade Prevents Swiss Aid to Cuba. telesurenglish.net Swiss solidarity groups on April 22 denounced the blockade of aid to Cuba. The medical supplies and other resources were intended for Cuban COVID-19 patients, as the Caribbean island is in need of this aid. | RELATED: | "The U.S. blockade has imposed an enormous burden on the country's health system, while also endangering the lives of many Cubans," affirmed MediCuba Switzerland and Switzerland-Cuba representati…
(2020-04-23). The WHO says care home residents account for up to half of coronavirus deaths in Europe. thecanary.co 
Residents in long-term care facilities account for up to half of coronavirus-related deaths in Europe, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. | Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said there was a "deeply concerning picture" emerging of the impact coronavirus (Covid-19) is having on those in care. | He told a press conference on 23 April that the way some care facilities operate is "providing pathways" for the virus to spread within the population. | Dr Kluge said: "According to estimates from countries in the European region, up to half of those who have died from Covid-19 were resident in long-…
(2020-04-23). We Must Hire More Contact Tracers to Stop COVID, Global Health Doctor Says. truthout.org As parts of the United States and Europe consider reopening, most of the world's population remains susceptible to the coronavirus. We look at new efforts to stop the deadly spread of COVID-19 with contact tracing — finding who infected patients have been in contact with so they can get tested and isolated. We'll speak with global health expert Dr. Joia Mukherjee, with Partners in Health, about a contact tracing project she is working on now in Massachusetts. | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a…
(2020-04-23). Psychological Remarks on "Authority Obedience". Say No! globalresearch.ca What is happening in front of all our eyes at the moment is a huge scary dizziness. "Corona" is a geopolitical operation by the "global elite" and their "depopulation agenda" is real. Isolation imprisonment makes people sick and kills …
(2020-04-22). Bill McKibben on Earth Day at 50: We Must Stop Subsidizing Fossil Fuel Industry Wrecking the Planet. democracynow.org 
Today marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, when more than 20 million Americans joined in actions to protect the environment — 10% of the U.S. population at the time. Half a century later, in the middle of a pandemic, protests planned around the world have moved online, and the Trump administration has gutted the Environmental Protection Agency — established not long after Earth Day — rolled back fuel economy standards and eased the enforcement of pollution regulations. "The countries that flattened the coronavirus curve early on are doing far better than those like ours, which delayed," says…
(2020-04-22). Sanctioned Countries Are Now Leading the World in the Fight Against Coronavirus. mintpressnews.com Countries currently facing US sanctions, around a quarter of the world's population, are faring far better than the United States and leading the global fight against COVID-19.
(2020-04-22). New Model Shows Reducing Jail Population will Lower COVID-19 Death Toll for All of Us. aclu.org 
The Trump administration optimistically projects that "substantially under" 100,000 people will die from COVID-19 in the United States. Horrific as that statistic is,
(2020-04-22). Tracking COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean. cepr.net The COVID-19 data tracker will be continually updated as the pandemic spreads throughout the region and CEPR experts will be providing regular analysis on The Americas Blog.
(2020-04-21). COVID-19 to cause biggest economic contraction ever in Latin America & Caribbean. news.un.org The COVID-19 pandemic will herald the worst economic contraction in the history of Latin American and the Caribbean, with a projected -5.3 per cent drop in activity this year, according to a report by the UN office for the region, ECLAC, published on Tuesday.
(2020-04-21). Coronavirus Capitalism: Entrenching Dispossession and Dependency. dissidentvoice.org There is surprisingly a certain degree of optimism around at the moment, despite virtually entire populations and economies on lockdown. Although things are really bad for millions right now due to the effects of lockdown, economist Mariana Mazzucato believes that the Covid-19 crisis will shine light on societal and economic systems all across the world, …
(2020-04-21). New Orleans community unites in solidarity with large homeless population during pandemic lockdown. fightbacknews.org New Orleans, LA – Community members and workers have come together to provide basic emergency relief to thousands of houseless people in New Orleans. After coronavirus locked down the city, they organized a group called Southern Solidarity. The organization works to make up for city officials' failures in providing food, water and supplies to houseless people. | Southern Solidarity brings together dozens of volunteers on a daily basis. Most of them are furloughed workers who are otherwise social distancing. Volunteers wear masks, gloves, face shields and wash their hands regularly to confront the emergency in a s…
(2020-04-20). Experts Warn: Years of US Intervention Have Set the Stage for a Deadly Coronavirus Outbreak in Haiti. mintpressnews.com 
Since 2004, successive administrations have partnered with Washington to loot Haiti, stripping away its assets to the point of collapse and leaving it woefully unprepared to face the coming pandemic.
(2020-04-18). The Important Role of the Gig Economy Worker in Times of Crisis. dissidentvoice.org 
Photo Credit: Kai Pilger, Unsplash In 2017, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 55 million Americans were gig economy workers, making up 34% of the working population. At that time, it was expected for the number to rise to 43%, but due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the gig economy is changing. Currently, about …
(2020-04-17). A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform. aclu.org 