(2020-03-25). "People Go Before Money. This Is About Saving Lives," Says San Juan Mayor on Pandemic in Puerto Rico. democracynow.org 
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…
(2020-03-25). France recalling troops from Iraq over coronavirus. rt.com 
Paris will remove all of its troops currently stationed in Iraq for the time being over concerns about the spread of Covid-19, the French military announced. | "France has taken the decision to repatriate until further notice its personnel deployed in operation Chammal in Iraq," the Armed Forces Ministry said on Wednesday, adding that around 100 troops were in the country, and that air strikes against the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) would continue. | Abdul-Karim Khalaf, the spokesman for the caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi told the newspaper Al-Sabah on Wednesday that the French troops have alr…
(2020-03-25). Venezuela's Coronavirus Response Might Surprise You. mintpressnews.com 
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.
(2020-03-25). Over ONE THIRD of world's population under lockdown over Covid-19 — AFP tally. rt.com 
More than one in three people on Earth are now confined to their homes because of quarantine measures imposed by various nations to combat the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, AFP reports. | A whopping three billion people must stay in their homes or limit their movements in some fashion, as countries around the world embrace ever-tighter quarantine restrictions to stem the spread of the deadly disease — which has already infected more than 416,000 people and claimed more than 18,000 lives globally. | The number provided by AFP amounts to roughly 37 percent of the total world population, which stands at 7.8…
(2020-03-25). Some basic lessons from the pandemic. mronline.org The coronavirus attack has so far been much less deadly than the Spanish flu of a century ago. That had affected 500 million people worldwide, about 27 per cent of the world's population of the time, and had a death rate of about 10 per cent among those affected.
(2020-03-25). Paramushir Island in Russia's Kuril Islands evacuated after 7.2 earthquake causes small tsunami wave. rt.com 
Residents of Severo-Kurilsk, a small Russian town with a population of just over 2,500 on the northern end of the Kuril Islands, were evacuated to safety after an earthquake triggered a tsunami warning. | "The safety of the people is the most important for us. It is necessary to make sure that there are no people in the area that may be affected by the wave," Sakhalin Region Governor Valery Limarenko said as he announced the evacuation on Wednesday afternoon, shortly after the earthquake shook the town. | Residents of the town, which is 30m (100ft) above sea level, were led to higher ground. Students and st…
(2020-03-25). Macron drafts in French army to help with 'health & logistics' in coronavirus crisis. rt.com 
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the launch of a military operation called 'Resilience' to help with "health, logistics and protection" as the country battles an increasing level of coronavirus infections. | During a visit to a military hospital on Wednesday, Macron revealed the plan, saying it "will be entirely devoted to helping and supporting the population, as well as supporting public service to deal with the Covid-19 epidemic." | The news comes after French health authorities confirmed an additional 231 deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the state's total to 1,331. The tally so far has o…
(2020-03-25). Cuba to Send Doctors to Four Caribbean Countries and Argentina. telesurenglish.net Cuba's health authorities announced that new brigades of doctors and nurses with experience in handling critical situations are heading to Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica on Wednesday and Thursday. | RELATED: | The first group with 25 health workers left for Belize this morning from the Central Unit for Medical Cooperation in Havana. | "We are aware that the current situation is difficult, but we are…
(2020-03-25). Twitter Censors Official Prensa Latina Account. telesurenglish.net The Cuban news agency Prensa Latina (PL) denounced the blocking of its official profile on the social network Twitter and three of its reporters' accounts. The press agency qualifies it as part of the hostile policy of the U.S. against Cuba. | RELATED: | The blocked accounts were those of editors Luisa M. González (@luisamgg) and Fausto Triana (@prensalatinaft), Prensa Latina's president Luis E. González (@LuisEGonzalezA3 ) and…
(2020-03-25). Caribbean Governments Join Forces Against COVID-19. telesurenglish.net The Health and Foreign Ministers of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) held Tuesday the first extraordinary meeting of the regional bloc on COVID-19, during which the delegations proposed joint actions to confront the pandemic. | RELATED: | More than 33 countries, territories, and regional organizations participated in what was called the First Extraordinary Meeting of Health and Foreign Ministers of the ACS, wh…
(2020-03-25). Venezuela's Coronavirus Response Might Surprise You. commondreams.org Venezuelan doctors conducting a COVID-19 house visit. (Photo: Courtesy of @OrlenysOV) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/venezuela_covid-19.jpg …
(2020-03-25). CDC: Housing, Not Handcuffs Is the Way to Stop COVID-19 Amongst Homeless Populations. indybay.org Advocates Hail First Step, Call for More Help…
(2020-03-25). Modi places India's 1.3 billion people under lockdown. wsws.org Modi's speech provided no details about basic questions, such as how the population would be able to procure food, and, in India's villages, even water.
(2020-03-25). COVID-19 begins to rip through homeless population as 30 test positive in New York City shelters. wsws.org The homeless are at heightened risk of infection and death from the coronavirus.
(2020-03-25). Wall Street surges on prospect of government corporate bailouts. wsws.org Markets were also boosted by Trump's push to have major lockdowns lifted regardless of the health consequences for the mass of the population.
(2020-03-25). Photos: Bustling Indian Cities Turn Into Ghost Towns as 21-Day COVID-19 Lockdown Begins. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): As India crossed 500-mark of coronavirus cases, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an unprecedented country-wide lockdown for the population of over 1.3 billion people. With only four hours' notice, people thronged to markets and local shops to stock household supplies for biggest quarantine the world has ever seen.
(2020-03-25). After expelling Cuban doctors, Brazil requests their help to fight COVID-19. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-03-25). Media Struggle to Defend Washington's Cruelty Toward Venezuela and Iran as Coronavirus Spreads. fair.org 
AP (New York Times, An Associated Press article (New York Times,
(2020-03-25). Arrest the virus, free the prisoners! mronline.org 
We cannot allow the capitalist ruling class to turn a blind eye to the plight of the incarcerated population — not in general, nor in the particular circumstance of the global pandemic of Covid-19. In the U.S., there are 2.3 million human beings in state, federal, and county jails and more than 52,000 in immigrant …
(2020-03-24). "Humanitarian Solidarity": Even Under U.S. Sanctions, Cuba Sends Doctor Brigade to Italy and More. democracynow.org 
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…
(2020-03-24). Venezuela announces 6-month rent suspension, guarantees workers' wages, bans lay-offs. peoplesworld.org 
MÉRIDA, Venezuela (venezuelanalysis.com)—The Venezuelan government announced a series of measures on Sunday in attempts to protect the population from the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis. Speaking on a live televised address, President Nicolás Maduro instructed that all commercial and residential rent, as well as all capital and loan interest payments, are to be suspended …
(2020-03-24). King David's Ancient Road: How Israeli Archaeologists Are Aiding the Theft of Silwan. mintpressnews.com 
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.
(2020-03-24). Cuba saves Italians from coronavirus despite US blockade. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil provides a coronavirus update, highlighting the heroic work of Cuban doctors who have traveled to…
(2020-03-24). President Maduro Denounces New Terrorist Plan Against Venezuela. telesurenglish.net The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, denounced this Tuesday that terrorist groups are training from Colombia to attack the country amid the Covid-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | "The conspiracies continue. Yesterday, a person named Jorge Alberto Molinares Duque was captured on the Barranquilla-Riohacha highway, moving in a vehicle and carrying an arsenal of weapons there," the president reported. | Likewise, t…
(2020-03-24). Headlines for March 24, 2020. democracynow.org U.N. Calls for Global Ceasefire So Countries Can Unite in Fight Against Coronavirus Pandemic, Italy's COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 6,000 as Spain Officials Say Nearly 4,000 Health Workers Are Infected | , Trump Says Country Will Be "Open for Business Very Soon" Despite Skyrocketing COVID-19 Infections | , 16 U.S. States Enforce Stay-at-Home Orders Amid Coronavirus Pandemic Affecting Over 40% of Population, Texas Orders Abortion Providers to Stop Performing Procedures, Texas Lt. Gov.: Elderly Should "Sacrifice" for U.S. Economy Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Man in AZ Dies, Wife in Critical Condition, After Couple Took Ch…
(2020-03-24). Even Under US Sanctions, Cuba Sends Doctor Brigade to Italy. truthout.org 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 go…
(2020-03-24). Bolivian Regime Rejects Cuba's Offer to Help Fight Coronavirus. telesurenglish.net Bolivian presidential candidate Luis Arce and his campaign partner David Choquehuanca requested the de facto president Janine àÅñez accept Cuba and China's medical help to help stop Covid-19 from spreading in the Andean nation. | RELATED: | The representatives of the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) Party asked the right-wing president to accept the medicines and specialists from Cuba and China, which they cal…
(2020-03-24). Cuba Implements Important Measures to Confront COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Given the progress of COVID-19 in Cuba, and the increase in positive cases of the disease, the island's authorities have expanded and taken important measures to contain the pandemic in the country. | RELATED: | Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz announced on Monday that among the measures adopted by the government is "regulating the departure of Cuban citizens and residents abroad." | During the Mesa Redonda television prog…
(2020-03-24). Venezuela: US Blocks Flights to Repatriate Citizens. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza denounced Tuesday that the United States refuses to authorize humanitarian flights to bring back the RELATED: | "We denounce that the U.S. insists on its air blockade of Venezuela and…
(2020-03-23). Images of Cuban Doctors Helping Italy Go Viral, Burst Media Narrative. mintpressnews.com 
Videos of Cuban doctors volunteering to travel halfway across the world to put themselves in mortal danger for the good of people they have never met stirred the heartstrings of even the most cynical observer.
(2020-03-23). COVID-19 in the Caribbean: Overview of the Situation, Outbreak. telesurenglish.net In the wake of the coronavirus global outbreak, the Caribbean Public Health Agency has raised the risk level in the region from "moderate to high" to "very high." | Governments in the region are focusing on precautionary measures such as mandatory quarantines and restrictions for travelers arriving from countries with important numbers of infected people, including China and the United States. | RELATED: | Here is an…
(2020-03-20). Expert: US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during pandemic could be genocidal. thegrayzone.com Intensified US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during the COVID-19 pandemic could amount to genocide, a former UN expert warns. Iran…
(2020-03-19). Cuban drug could save thousands of lives in COVID-19 pandemic. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-03-18). 'The US Has Played With Puerto Rico's Economy for the Last 122 Years' – CounterSpin interview with Julio López Varona on Puerto Rican debt. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed the Center for Popular Democracy's Julio López Varona about Puerto Rican debt for the Media…
(2020-03-17). Amid coronavirus pandemic, Bolsonaro's Brazil begs for Cuban doctors — after expelling them. thegrayzone.com Brazil's far-right government requested the return of thousands of Cuban doctors to help fight the coronavirus. Months ago, President Jair…
(2020-03-17). Italy and UK rely on help from Cuba, China, Venezuela to fight coronavirus — as US steps up brutal sanctions. thegrayzone.com Italy requested doctors from China, Cuba, and Venezuela to contain the coronavirus, while Cuba rescued a ship of British citizens….
(2020-03-17). US ramps up sanctions devastating Venezuela's health sector as coronavirus spreads. thegrayzone.com Promising to "smash" Venezuela's government during a "maximum pressure March," Trump has imposed crushing sanctions that force Venezuela to spend…
(2020-03-13). Julio López Varona on Puerto Rico's Disaster Capitalism. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-03-13). No, Venezuela does not have a six child per family policy. zcomm.org 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,
(2020-03-09). [Comment] Patchy progress on the ICPD: are we asking the right questions? thelancet.com 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.
(2020-03-04). [Correspondence] Has China faced only a herald wave of SARS-CoV-2? thelancet.com The attack rate of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) calculated by mathematical models, from estimates of the basic reproduction number, R0, of 2—3, suggests that 50—60% of the population should eventually be infected because the population seems to be entirely naive to the new virus.1 The observed attack rate on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship remained slightly below 20% (705 of 3711 passengers and crew members became infected).1 It is of upmost importance to know whether the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in China is subsiding, as local authorities and the entire international…
(2020-02-24). [Articles] Effects of updated demography, disability weights, and cervical cancer burden on estimates of human papillomavirus vaccination impact at the global, regional, and national levels: a PRIME modelling study. thelancet.com HPV vaccination provides greater health benefits and is more cost-effective than was previously estimated. The demography update, which incorporates population aging, has the largest effect on the health impact estimates. The WHO African region is expected to gain the greatest health benefits and should be prioritised for HPV vaccination.
(2020-02-17). [Research Paper] Global variation in the prevalence of bullying victimisation amongst adolescents: Role of peer and parental supports. thelancet.com Bullying victimisation is a global public health problem that has been predominantly studied in high income countries. This study aimed to estimate the population level prevalence of bullying victimisation and its association with peer and parental supports amongst adolescents across low and middle income to high income countries (LMICHICs).
(2020-02-06). Embassy Protection Collective: "We Are Not the Ones Who Violated the Law" theantimedia.com In this exclusive interview, VA talks to the activists who defended the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC ahead of their trial.
(2020-02-06). [Spotlight] Coronavirus epidemic: preparing for extracorporeal organ support in intensive care. thelancet.com Zoonotic viral infections are more frequently crossing species to infect human populations. In 2003, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus was transmitted to humans from exotic animals in wet markets in China, and in 2015, the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus was transmitted from camels in Saudi Arabia. In both cases, and with the 2019 coronavirus outbreak in China, the original host of the virus is likely to be bats.
(2020-02-06). [Commentary] Extreme population exposure: Hurricane Dorian medical response in Great Abaco, Bahamas. thelancet.com Hurricane Dorian's ensemble of extreme winds, wave action, and pelting rains laid waste to exquisitely vulnerable human settlements throughout the Abaco islands in northwest Bahamas. Dorian, the strongest hurricane ever to impact the Bahamas, pulled a towering storm surge onshore. Combined with 20 inches of rain, vast expanses of Abaco islands were submerged. The system's forward movement slowed to near standstill, creating one of the longest-duration population exposures to a hurricane in history [1].
(2020-02-05). [Correspondence] Nicotine patches with e-cigarettes for smoking cessation: Twitter discussion from a respirology journal club. thelancet.com On Dec 12, 2019, our Twitter-based University of Toronto Respirology and Sleep Journal Club1 discussed Walker and colleagues' pragmatic, randomised, parallel-arm trial designed to look at the effectiveness of combining nicotine patches with an e-cigarette (with and without nicotine) on 6-month smoking abstinence.2 Our discussions highlighted the challenges of studying populations of smokers in general, given the habitual nature of the exposure, challenges related to follow-up, and a need for reliable and valid objective measures of smoking abstinence (appendix).