2020-03-29: News Headlines

Kate Zeller (2020-03-29). G20 Emergency Meeting Convenes on Coronavirus Health and Economic Impacts. indybay.org Saudi Arabia chaired an emergency virtual G20 meeting for Presidents and Prime Minsters as the coronavirus wreaks havoc on the global economy.

sputniknews (2020-03-29). UK Seeks to Establish $1.2 Bln Fund to Woo 'Overseas Buyers' of British Weapons — Report. sputniknews.com Last year, Sky News reported that the UK had sold at least $7.45 billion worth of arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen since the start of the war there in 2015.

Kathy Kelly (2020-03-28). Vigil for Peace in Yemen, a New Norm. dissidentvoice.org For the past three years, several dozen New Yorkers have gathered each Saturday at Union Square, at 11: 00 a.m. to vigil for peace in Yemen. Now, however, due to the coronavirus, the vigil for peace is radically altered. Last week, in recognition of the city's coming shelter in place program, participants were asked to hold …

Aarathi Prasad (2020-03-28). [Perspectives] Leadership bid. thelancet.com The Perfect Candidate, director Haifaa Al-Mansour's second film based in Saudi Arabia, opens with a scene of an old man on a stretcher, bloodied and groaning after a collision with a truck brings him to the only emergency room in the area. Once the under-resourced clinic staff have heaved him through the only route into the building—a mud-clogged and flooded road—he opens his eyes to what for him is an even greater horror: the face of the only doctor qualified to treat him. Through her niqab, a pair of determined eyes examine him, as Dr Maryam expertly turns the patient's body to palpate his spine.

Robert Fisk (2020-03-27). What Trump is Doing in the Middle East While You are Distracted by COVID-19. counterpunch.org And still the virus shrouds Donald Trump's mischief in the Middle East. First it was his sly retreat from Iraq; now it's his cosy military exercises with the United Arab Emirates — famous in song and legend as a former Saudi ally in the bloody Yemen war — and his cut of $1bn in aid

Darius Shahtahmasebi (2020-03-26). Has Saudi Arabia Shot Itself in the Foot With Its Oil Price War? mintpressnews.com The impact of coronavirus has destroyed the demand for oil and neither Saudi Arabia, Russia or the United States will escape the resulting price war unscathed.

news.un (2020-03-25). UN chief calls for ceasefire as Yemen braces for possible COVID-19 outbreak. news.un.org Echoing his 23 March appeal to warring parties across the globe for an immediate ceasefire, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on those fighting in Yemen to end hostilities and ramp up efforts to counter a potential outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Claudio Ronco, Paolo Navalesi, Jean Louis Vincent (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.