Saudi Arabia to End Flogging as a Form of Punishment

THE GUARDIAN: Form of corporal punishment will be replaced by jail terms, fines or a mixture of both

Saudi Arabia is ending flogging as a form of punishment, according to a document from the kingdom’s top court.

The decision by the general commission for the supreme court, taken sometime this month, will mean the punishment will be replaced by prison sentences, fines or a mixture of both.

“The decision is an extension of the human rights reforms introduced under the direction of King Salman and the direct supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman,” the document said.

Flogging has been applied to punish a variety of crimes in Saudi Arabia. Without a codified system of law to go with the texts making up sharia, or Islamic law, individual judges have the latitude to interpret religious texts and come up with their own sentences. » | Agencies | Saturday, April 25, 2020

Kim Jong-un's Health Has Always Been an Issue

The Washington Post's Anna Fifield says that since Kim Jong Un came to power his health has always been an issue, in particular the risk of cardiac problems.

North Korea's Kim Jong-un Reportedly Near Death

The leader of the world's most secretive country is apparently close to death. The North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, has reportedly suffered complications after surgery. Speculation on his health started when he missed the celebration of his grandfather's birthday six days ago. CNN's Paula Hancock joins us from Seoul.

Reich at Home: Alarming Lockdown Protests, Unemployment Benefits in Limbo, Mixed Families Ignored

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich is discussing the latest coronavirus developments, including how most of the promised $600 weekly extra unemployment benefits remain stuck in state offices overwhelmed with claims, what it will actually take for the economy to “reopen,” how American citizens in mixed status families are not receiving the economic stimulus, and the dangerous, right-wing protests against stay-at-home orders popping up across the country.

’Keep Your Voice Down’: Trump Berates Female Reporter When Questioned over Covid-19 Response

US president Donald Trump told a female reporter to keep her voice down and to ‘relax’ when she asked about what his administration had done to prepare for the coronavirus in February. CBS reporter Weijia Jiang asked Trump why he waited so long ‘to warn people the virus was spreading like wildfire’ in February ‘instead of holding rallies with thousands of people’? An irritated Trump touted his China travel ban as proof he acted fast. Jiang persisted with her point and said: ‘When you issued the ban, the virus was already here,’ to which Trump said: ‘Do your research.’

Trump must be the most objectionable president ever! – Mark

Nova Scotia Shooting Death Toll Rises as Trudeau Calls on Canadians to Stand United

THE GUARDIAN: Death toll from country’s deadliest mass shooting rose to 18, including the gunman

Justin Trudeau has called on Canadians to stand unified in the face “senseless violence” as the death toll from the country’s deadliest mass shooting rose to 18 people, including the gunman.

“No one man’s action can build a wall between us and a better day, no matter how evil, how thoughtless or how destructive,” the prime minister said on Monday morning. “As families grieve the loss of a loved one, all Canadians are standing with them.” » | Leyland Cecco in Toronto | Monday, April 20, 2020

Piers Morgan's Stunning Advice for His Friend Donald Trump

Former CNN host Piers Morgan tells CNN's Brian Stelter what advice he has for his friend Donald Trump regarding handling the coronavirus pandemic.

Expert on Dictators: President Donald Trump on a Path of Despotism | The Last Word | MSNBC (2017)

Degrading the rule of law? Appointing cronies, generals and his family? Brian Klaas’s new book "The Despot's Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on Democracy" says Trump's actions are the same as other despots around the world. Klaas joins Ari Melber.

“Baghdad Don”: Trump Blasted for Most Inept Response to “Any Crisis in History” | MSNBC

Veteran strategist and former Republican Steve Schmidt argues President Trump has exhibited the most inept response of any president to any crisis in history. Schmidt tells MSNBC’s Ari Melber that many avoidable problems in the US response to the coronavirus pandemic revealed Trump’s failures as a president, and historians will look back on this as a time when a reality show star “New York con man” narrowly ended up as President and was simply not prepared. Aired on 4/16/2020.

Emmanuel Macron : Adresse aux Français

Chacun d’entre vous – que vous soyez soignant, travailleur mobilisé ou confiné – a permis à ce que l’épidémie commence à marquer le pas. L'espoir renaît. Mais rien n'est acquis. Le confinement doit continuer jusqu'au lundi 11 mai.

France to remain in strict lockdown for another month »

US's Global Reputation Hits Rock-bottom over Trump's Coronavirus Response

THE GUARDIAN: International relations expert warns policy failure could do lasting damage as president insults allies and undermines alliances

Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, which he once dismissed as a hoax, has been fiercely criticised at home as woefully inadequate to the point of irresponsibility.

Yet also thanks largely to Trump, a parallel disaster is unfolding across the world: the ruination of America’s reputation as a safe, trustworthy, competent international leader and partner.

Call it the Trump double-whammy. Diplomatically speaking, the US is on life support.

“The Trump administration’s self-centred, haphazard, and tone-deaf response [to Covid-19] will end up costing Americans trillions of dollars and thousands of otherwise preventable deaths,” wrote Stephen Walt, professor of international relations at Harvard.

“But that’s not the only damage the United States will suffer. Far from ‘making America great again’, this epic policy failure will further tarnish [its] reputation as a country that knows how to do things effectively.”

This adverse shift could be permanent, Walt warned. Since taking office in 2017, Trump has insulted America’s friends, undermined multilateral alliances and chosen confrontation over cooperation. Sanctions, embargoes and boycotts aimed at China, Iran and Europe have been globally divisive. » | Simon Tisdall | Sunday, April 12, 2020

Alert! This clown has to go! – Mark

Segen „Urbi et Orbi“ : Papst ruft zu Schuldenerlass auf

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Reichere Staaten müssten in der Corona-Krise Solidarität beweisen, fordert der Papst. Auch Sanktionen sollten gelockert werden. Die aktuelle Zeit erlaube keinen Egoismus.

Papst Franziskus hat in seiner Osterbotschaft zu einem Schuldenerlass für arme Staaten wegen der Corona-Krise aufgerufen. In seiner erstmals im Internet übertragenen Ostermesse bekräftigte der Papst zudem seine Forderung nach einem sofortigen weltweiten Waffenstillstand. Von den Europäern forderte er „Solidarität“ in der Krise und das Einschlagen „neuer Wege“

Arme Länder seien kaum gerüstet, um sich gegen die Coronavirus-Pandemie zu stemmen, sagte der Papst. „Alle Länder sollten in die Lage versetzt werden, die notwendigsten Maßnahmen zu treffen, indem die Schulden, welche die Bilanzen der ärmsten Länder belasten, teilweise oder sogar ganz erlassen werden“, forderte er. Auch internationale Sanktionen müssten jetzt gelockert werden. Die aktuellen Zeiten erlaubten „keinen Egoismus“, betonte Franziskus weiter. » | Quelle: AFP | Sonntag, 12. April 2020

French Police Turn Back Private Jet of Holidaymakers from UK

THE GUARDIAN: Party of 10 flew into Marseille-Provence airport to be taken by helicopter to luxury Cannes villa

A group of would-be holidaymakers who flew in a private jet from London to the Côte d’Azur in France has been turned back by police.

Seven men and three women arrived on the chartered aircraft to Marseille-Provence airport, where helicopters were waiting to fly them on to Cannes, where they had rented a luxury villa.

The men, aged 40-50, and women, aged 23-25, were refused permission to enter France and ordered by police to fly back to the UK.

“They were coming for a holiday in Cannes and three helicopters were waiting on the tarmac,” a border police spokesperson told Agence France-Presse. “We notified them they were not allowed to enter the national territory and they left four hours later.” » | Kim Willsher in Charny-Orée-de-Puisaye | Friday, April 10, 2020

Noam Chomsky on Trump’s Disastrous Coronavirus Response, Bernie Sanders & What Gives Him Hope

How did the United States — the richest country in the world — become the worldwide epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, with one person dying of COVID-19 every 47 seconds? We spend the hour with Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author, discussing this unprecedented moment in history, and its political implications, as Senator Bernie Sanders announces he is suspending his campaign for the presidency. Chomsky also describes how frontline medical workers and progressive organizing are giving him hope.

Capitalism Hits Home: COVID-19: A Psychological, Political and Economic Plague

Coronavirus: What This Crisis Reveals about US - and Its President

BBC: There are no fresh flowers at the 9/11 Memorial any more. An American altar usually decorated with roses, carnations and postcard-sized Stars and Stripes is sequestered behind a makeshift plastic railing. Broadway, the "Great White Way", is dark. The subway system is a ghost train. Staten Island ferries keep cutting through the choppy waters of New York harbour, passing Lady Liberty on the way in and out of Lower Manhattan, but hardly any passengers are on board. Times Square, normally such a roiling mass, is almost devoid of people.

In the midst of this planetary pandemic, nobody wants to meet any more at the "Crossroads of the World". A city known for its infectious energy, a city that likes to boast it never even has to sleep, has been forced into hibernation. With more cases than any other American conurbation, this city is once again Ground Zero, a term no New Yorker ever wanted applied here again. With manic suddenness, our world has been turned upside down, just as it was on September 11th.

Nations, like individuals, reveal themselves at times of crisis. In emergencies of this immense magnitude, it soon becomes evident whether a sitting president is equal to the moment. So what have we learnt about the United States as it confronts this national and global catastrophe? Will lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who have been in a form of legislative lockdown for years now, a paralysis borne of partisanship, rise to the challenge? And what of the man who now sits behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, who has cloaked himself in the mantle of "wartime president"?

Of the three questions, the last one is the least interesting, largely because Donald Trump's response has been so predictable. He has not changed. He has not grown. He has not admitted errors. He has shown little humility. » | Nick Bryant, New York correspondent | Friday, March 24, 2020

Coronavirus: New York Ramps Up Mass Burials amid Outbreak

One virus, two Americas »

Einsamkeit und Trost in Zeiten von Corona | Sternstunde Religion | SRF Kultur

Am Sterbebett eines Corona-Kranken stand Niklaus Peter, reformierter Pfarrer vom Fraumünster Zürich, noch nicht. Aber die Gläubigen suchen per Telefon oder über die Sozialen Medien Trost und Unterstützung von ihm.

Peter ist überzeugt, dass die Krise die Menschen verändert und eine Rückbesinnung auf das wirklich Wichtige im Leben geschieht.

Welche Rolle spielt die Religion dabei? Und bewirkt physische Distanz vielleicht sogar solidarische Nähe?

Sternstunde Religion vom 5.4.2020

Queen Elizabeth Addresses Coronavirus Pandemic

Queen Elizabeth II rallied Britons in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected at least 40,000 in the country. Her remarks were pre-recorded from Windsor Castle, where she is sequestering herself.

Boris Johnson Admitted to Hospital as Queen Elizabeth Urges Resolve in Face of Epidemic »

«Die Mehrheit der Priester im Vatikan ist schwul» | Sternstunde Religion | SRF Kultur

Mit seiner These, wonach die Mehrheit der Prälaten, Bischöfe und Kardinäle des Vatikans schwul seien, generierte der französische Soziologe und Journalist Frédéric Martel im Frühling 2019 viel Aufmerksamkeit, aber auch Unverständnis.

Sein Buch «Sodom» erschien zeitgleich in acht Sprachen und Martel wurde in unzählige Talkshows eingeladen, doch der Vatikan hüllte sich in Schweigen. Wer sich in den 30er-, 40er- und 50er-Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts als junger Mann irgendwie anders – eben homosexuell – fühlte, fand in der römisch-katholischen Kirche eine Oase, so Martel in seinem Buch «Sodom»: Männer, die unter Männern leben, andere Kleidung tragen und singen, das wäre für viele die Rettung gewesen, die zudem noch von der Gesellschaft akzeptiert war.

Gegen aussen seien diese in der Regel sehr alten Männer nun homophob, gegen innen aber homophil. Dies führe zu einer gefährlichen Doppelmoral, einer Kultur des Schweigens, die die Skandale rund um die katholische Kirche sehr unglücklich begünstigt hätten.


English version »

Jared Kushner Doesn't Want to Share Medical Masks

Saluting the Heroes of the Coronavirus Pandumbic | The Daily Show

Hannity. Rush. Dobbs. Ingraham. Pirro. Nunes. Tammy. Geraldo. Doocy. Hegseth. Schlapp. Siegel. Watters. Dr. Drew. Henry. Ainsley. Gaetz. Inhofe. Pence. Kudlow. Conway. Trump. We salute the Heroes of the Pandumbic. #DailyShow #TrevorNoah #Coronavirus

Sean Hannity defends Fox News against claims of coronavirus misinformation: 'I never called it a hoax’ »

The Guardian View on Trump and Coronavirus: Endangering American Lives

THE GUARDIAN: The abject failure of the administration has magnified this crisis. The president is already trying to pass the buck

Even in these extraordinary times, the sight of the president of the United States presenting a slide which announced as a “goal” the death of up to 240,000 of its citizens was almost beyond belief. To hit the lowest end of the target, a staggering 100,000 American deaths, would show that his administration had done “a very good job”, Donald Trump claimed this week. The highest end would be more than double the US casualties in the first world war. This could only be considered a positive outcome because the alternative is so shocking: without mitigation measures, if people fail to stay at home as advised, the US could be heading for between 1.5 million and 2.2 million deaths.

The US is now the new centre of the pandemic, with more than a fifth of the million cases reported worldwide, and more than 5,000 deaths. The vast majority of Americans – more than 300 million – are now under some form of lockdown, though the stringency of restrictions varies greatly and a few states are still holding out. Those measures have come too late to stop hospitals from being overwhelmed.

The richest country in the world is structurally ill-equipped to cope with such a crisis. The lack of universal healthcare or basic employment rights such as statutory sick pay, and the low incomes on which so many Americans survive, are conducive to the spread of disease and to it having the most serious consequences. » | Editorial | Friday, April 3, 2020

Coronavirus: More Than 10,000 Lives Lost in Spain – BBC News

The total number of coronavirus deaths in Spain has now exceeded 10,000. The country, the second-worst hit in terms of deaths, has also lost nearly 900,000 jobs.

The US on Thursday said it saw a record 6.6 million new unemployment benefit claims.

Unemployment figures are another sign of the dire impact the pandemic is having on businesses in many countries. Worldwide, confirmed coronavirus infections are nearing one million, according to Johns Hopkins University. The university's tracker has recorded more than 50,200 deaths globally; while more than 204,000 people have recovered.

Coronavirus: Fears that Putin Has Been Exposed to Infection – BBC News

President Putin may have been exposed to the Coronavirus after he met a leading doctor who has since tested positive. Russia has passed tough new laws including prison terms for breaking quarantine rules after a surge in Coronavirus infections. Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten coverage from Moscow Correspondent Steve Rosenberg.

Breaking News: Wimbledon Cancelled Due to Coronavirus

This summer's Wimbledon has been cancelled due to coronavirus, the All England Club has confirmed. It is the first time since the Second World War the oldest tennis tournament in the world, founded in 1877, will not be held. All tennis courts and facilities have been closed across the UK since Boris Johnson placed the country in lockdown on 23 March.

Ireland Vows to Treat All Covid-19 Patients for Free

The Irish government nationalized its hospitals, imposed a rent freeze, and authorized state-funded childcare, promising free treatment for patients with Covid-19.

Susan Rice Criticizes Hungarian PM Using Coronavirus Crisis for Power Grab | Andrea Mitchell | MSNBC

Former National Security Advisor Susan Rice joins Andrea Mitchell to discuss how governments have used emergency powers granted during the coronavirus crisis to impinge on democratic norms and the rule of law. She also discusses the Trump administration seeming to back off the use of the term "Wuhan virus" in an official capacity, and the president's pattern of lashing out at women and women of color.Aired on 3/31/2020.

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — March 30, 2020

US Indictment of Maduro Is Cruel & Inhuman Action – Prof. Salas

In the latest move against an already struggling Venezuela, US Attorney General William Barr has announced the indictment of President Maduro and more than a dozen other Venezuelan officials for a narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Author and professor of Latin American History at Pomona College Miguel Tinker Salas shares his expertise.

Spain: 'It Is Really, Really Bad...and It Will Only Get Worse'

A medical director speaks about the health workers affected by the virus in Spain and what the UK needs to learn before the virus curve peaks.

Xi Jinping Calls on Trump to Improve US-China Relations amid Covid-19 Crisis

THE GUARDIAN: Phonecall between leaders came as China prepares to seal itself off from the world to stem ‘imported’ coronavirus cases

Chinese president Xi Jinping has called on Donald Trump to take “substantive actions” to improve relations between the two countries, as China prepared to shut its borders to foreign arrivals amid fears of infections coming from abroad.

On Friday, Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping held a phone call about the coronavirus outbreak in an attempt to repair strained relations, following weeks of traded barbs over the virus. According to state media, Xi told Trump in a phone call on Friday that US-China relations had reached an “important juncture”.

“Working together brings both sides benefits, fighting hurts both. Cooperation is the only choice,” he said. Xi said he hoped the US would take “substantive actions” to improve US-China relations to develop a relationship that is “without conflict and confrontation” but based on “mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation.”

Trump has continued to call the disease “the Chinese virus,” despite protestations from Beijing. Chinese diplomats have in turn pushed the idea that the virus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, originated in the US.

Xi also said he hoped the US would take “effective measures” to safeguard the lives of Chinese citizens in the US, describing the pandemic as the “common enemy of mankind.” He said: “Only by united can the international community defeat it.” » | Lily Kuo in Shanghai | Friday, March 27, 2020

Coronavirus: Nachrichten zur weltweiten Lage

'Covid Coalition' Government Considered by Senior Conservatives

THE GUARDIAN: George Freeman says Keir Starmer should join ‘unavoidable’ cross-party government if elected

Senior Conservatives are questioning whether Boris Johnson will need a national unity government or emergency cross-party council to share responsibility for the coronavirus crisis if the situation worsens.

George Freeman, a former minister in Johnson’s government, was the first to break cover to say a “Covid coalition” government may be “unavoidable” and some other Tory MPs privately believe the prime minister will need cross-party governing consensus if emergency measures are to continue for months.

Freeman told the Guardian: “The scale of this national emergency – the suspension of usual freedoms and democracy, the economic consequences and the likely loss of tens of thousands of lives – demands a suspension of politics as usual. » | Rowena Mason, Peter Walker and Kate Proctor | Wednesday, March 25, 2020 (?)

Economist Jeffrey Sachs: Trump “Understands Nothing, Listens to Nothing” as Pandemic Surges in US

As #NotDying4WallStreet trends on Twitter, President Trump defies his top scientists and soaring infection rate, saying he will ease restrictions soon to jumpstart the economy. We speak with economist Jeffrey Sachs about the stimulus package that failed to pass again Monday, as Democrats called the measure a slush fund for corporations. Sachs also led the WHO’s Commission on Macroeconomics and Health from 2000 to 2001 and played a key role in conceiving and establishing the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which helped distribute new medicines to fight infectious diseases.

Coronavirus: Update zur weltweiten Lage

Die Welt stemmt sich gegen die Coronavirus Pandemie: besonders schnell kann sich das Virus da ausbreiten, wo viele Menschen auf engstem Raum miteinander in Kontakt sind. In Indien leben fast 1,4 Milliarden Menschen. Die Regierung hat Teilen des bevölkerungsreichen Staates eine Ausgangs-Sperre verordnet. Mehr über die aktuelle Lage in unseren Corona-News.

Coronavirus: Update zur weltweiten Lage

Die Welt in Kampf gegen Corona: China gibt langsam Entwarnung, auch in Südkorea hat sich die Ansteckungsgwschwindigkeit rapide verlangsamt. Dafür ist weiterhin Europa zentral betroffen. Italien schließt Firmen und Fabriken, Spanien will Notstand und Ausgangssperre verlängern. Und in den USA nimmt die Corona-Welle deutlich an Wucht zu: Mit rund 27.000 Infizierten liegen die Staaten jetzt schon auf Platz vier der weltweiten Statistik der US amerikanischen Johns-Hopkins Universität.

Joe Calls for a Government Site to List Mask, Glove Production | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Joe Scarborough calls for a government web site that will list the production of masks, gloves, protective gear, testing and ventilators.

Coronavirus: Italian City’s Warning to the Rest of the World

Bergamo’s streets are empty as it deals with a devastating number of coronavirus-related deaths – and residents have a warning for others. It is the worst-hit city in Italy, the country currently struggling the most with the coronavirus crisis.

'Be Careful': Spain's Last 1918 Flu Survivor Offers Warning on Coronavirus

THE GUARDIAN: José Ameal Peña, 105, is watching on anxiously as a new pandemic sweeps globe

José Ameal Peña was four years old when the 1918 flu tore through his small fishing town in northern Spain, its deadly path narrated by the daily ringing of church bells.

More than a century later, Ameal Peña – believed to be Spain’s only living survivor of a pandemic said to be the deadliest in human history – has a warning as the world faces off against Covid-19. “Be careful,” he said. “I don’t want to see the same thing repeated. It claimed so many lives.”

The 1918 flu, known as the Spanish flu after the country’s press were among the first to report on it, killed between 50 and 100 million people around the world. » | Ashifa Kassam in Madrid | Sunday, March 22, 2020

Italian Doctor on How Virus 'Exploded', Having Coronavirus & How to Fight It

Dr Sylvia Bignamini is the Health Director of San Francesco Clinic in Bergamo, Italy, the city at the epicentre of the country's outbreak

She conducted the first coronavirus test in her nursing home and also caught the virus herself. She is now living and working in isolation at home.

Italien fährt Wirtschaft größtenteils herunter

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: In Italien sollen Unternehmen, die keine lebenswichtigen Güter oder Dienstleistungen produzieren und anbieten, die Arbeit einstellen. Rapide steigende Sterbezahlen zwingen die drittgrößte Volkswirtschaft der EU zu diesem Schritt.

Italien schließt angesichts immer weiter steigender Totenzahlen durch die Coronavirus-Pandemie die gesamte nicht lebensnotwendige Produktion. Davon seien Supermärkte, Banken, Post und Apotheken ausgenommen, sagte Ministerpräsident Giuseppe Conte am Samstagabend. „Es ist die schwerste Krise für das Land seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg.“ Nun werde jede produktive Tätigkeit eingestellt, „die nicht entscheidend und unerlässlich dafür ist, uns essenzielle Güter und Dienstleistungen zu garantieren“. Diese drastische Maßnahme in der drittgrößten Volkswirtschaft der EU soll zunächst bis 3. April gelten.

Das Land hatte am Samstag an nur einem Tag fast 800 Tote vermeldet und damit so viele wie nie seit dem Ausbruch des Virus im Land. Bisher starben 4825 Menschen, teilte der Zivilschutz in Rom mit. Das waren 793 mehr als am Vortag. Besonders stark betroffen ist die nördliche Region Lombardei, wo das Virus Ende Februar ausgebrochen war und die Krankenhäuser mittlerweile vor dem Kollaps stehen. Die wirtschaftlichen Schäden für das hoch verschuldete Land sind jetzt schon unermesslich. » | Quelle: dpa | Sonntag, 22.März 2020

So reagiert Söder auf den weinenden Bäcker aus Hannover

Ein deutscher Bäcker bringt mit seinem Video zur Corona-Krise, ein ganzes Land zum Weinen.

Brexit geht in die Verlängerung

DIE PRESSE: Längere Übergangsfrist bis 2021/2022 zeichnet sich ab

. London/Brüssel. Die Verhandlungen über das künftige Verhältnis zwischen Großbritannien und der EU stehen momentan unter keinem guten Stern – und das hängt nicht ausschließlich mit der Tatsache zusammen, dass EU-Chefverhandler Michel Barnier am Donnerstag mit dem Coronavirus diagnostiziert und umgehend in die häusliche Quarantäne geschickt wurde. Die Herausforderungen, die Europäer und Briten im Zusammenhang mit der Pandemie bewältigen müssen, sind massiv – und schränken die inhaltliche Bandbreite der Institutionen in Brüssel und London ein.

Am Freitag bot Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen Großbritannien eine Verlängerung der Brexit-Übergangsfrist an. Diese Frist läuft am 31. Dezember ab – bis dahin werden die Briten wie Mitglieder des Binnenmarkts behandelt, an den Grenzen zwischen Großbritannien und der EU finden keine Zollkontrollen statt. London könne jederzeit um Verlängerung ansuchen, „das muss die Regierung von Boris Johnson selber entscheiden“, sagte von der Leyen. » | ag./la | Freitag, 20. März 2020

’Everything Is Uncharted’: New Yorkers Confront Life Amid a Coronavirus Shutdown

With restrictions tightened on businesses and daily activity, residents are grappling with uncertainty about resources, health care and their paychecks.

Opinion: We Should All Be More Like the Nuns of 1918

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The sisters of Philadelphia were lifesavers during the Spanish flu epidemic. They are an inspiration today.

A few years ago, I set out to research my grandmother’s early childhood in Philadelphia, looking for clues about what the world was like in the first precarious years of her life. I knew that she was born in October 1917, that she had lived through the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 as a baby, but I was unprepared for the harrowing details I uncovered in my search.

Reading about the fall of 1918 left me grappling with a series of images of the outbreak as it was experienced locally: hushed streets, shut doors, bodies piled up in basements and on porches because the morgues had run out of coffins. Businesses and public spaces citywide were shuttered, including churches, schools and theaters. In a single day, on Oct. 16, more than 700 people in Philadelphia died from influenza.

But as I read the first alarming headlines about the coronavirus in January, what came to mind from my family research was one particular document, an oral history published in 1919 by the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia to preserve living memories of the Spanish flu. “Facts unrecorded are quickly lost in the new interests of changing time,” its author began; here, he meant to “gather information for the future.” Within these unassuming pages, I found the story of an extraordinary act of generosity and compassion, carried out at the height of a pandemic. Titled “Work of the Sisters During the Epidemic of Influenza, October 1918,” within this document was evidence of the enormous human capacity for personal sacrifice in the name of public good. » | Kiley Bense | Friday, March 20, 2020

1918 Pandemic (H1N1 virus) »

Spanish flu »

Coronavirus Death Toll in Italy Officially Surpasses China | MSNBC

Over 3,400 people have died from the coronavirus in Italy, officially surpassing the death toll from the virus in China.