March 2 – Middle East: ISRAEL
Politics: Third general elections
After continued failure by all parties to form a new government following the April and September 2019 elections, Israel is holding an unprecedented third election within one year. Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud gains a few seats and is the largest party in the parliament (36 seats), followed by Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party (33 seats). However, as before, Likud will need the support of other parties to form a government.[1] If the stalemate continues, Israel will hold a possible fourth election.
(Mar 14): Netanyahu and Gantz, the two rivals who have fought each other in the last three inconclusive elections, agree they want to come to an understanding as the country faces the coronavirus pandemic. They are considering a power-sharing deal that would allow them to rotate the role of prime minister over a four-year term.[2]
More on Israeli third election from NPR
March 8 – Global Issues
Europe / North America / Middle East / Africa / South Asia / East Asia / International Organizations
Global health – Coronavirus, Covid-19
Italy issues a lockdown to quarantine around 16 million people in the country’s northern Lombardy region that includes Milan and Venice, as confirmed cases surpass 5,800 and more than 230 people die from the virus. As new cases soar in just a few days, Italy extends the lockdown to the entire country to curb the virus’s spread.
(Mar 11:) The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, which is defined as worldwide spread of a new disease for which most people do not have immunity
– The Trump Administration announces a new restriction on foreign travelers from most of Europe, except for Ireland and the United Kingdom, for the next 30 days. Soon, these two countries also join the list. Refugee admissions are suspended.
– Following guidelines of social distancing issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most public events, such as sport events, festivals, and conferences across the U.S. are canceled or postponed. Distancing is encouraged to slow the rate of transmission of the disease and to flatten the curve of new infection.
– Most states issue a stay-at-home directive, ordering residents to remain in their homes and for nonessential businesses and schools to temporarily close.
(Mar 13): President Trump declares a U.S. national emergency, which will open up to $50 billion in federal funding to fight Covid-19.
(Mar 14): Spain records a spike of nearly 2,000 new cases. With more than 3,800 total confirmed cases and at least 84 deaths, the country enacts a partial lockdown restricting people from leaving their homes with an exception of going to work and getting necessities. In the country’s hardest-hit region of Lombardy residents have their temperature checked at supermarkets and pharmacies.
(Mar 16): U.S. researchers say a vaccine would not be widely available for at least 12 to 18 months.
(Mar 18): Trading halts on Wall Street for the fourth time in two weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed with a loss of just over 1,300 points and the S&P fell by 5 percent. Two days later the Wall Street marks its worst weekly performance since the 2008 financial crisis.
– President Trump signs a coronavirus aid bill into law. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act provides free coronavirus testing and ensures paid emergency leave for those infected or caring for a family member with the illness, while also providing additional Medicaid funding, food assistance and unemployment benefits.
– Hospitals across the U.S. report that they are running out of the masks, gowns and other equipment they need to protect staff against the novel coronavirus as they struggle to take care of patients.[3]
(Mar 19): China reported no new domestic cases for the first time since the start of the epidemic.
(Mar 23): The U.K. issues a three-week national lockdown enforced by police to limit people’s movement.
(Mar 24): In response to the global coronavirus epidemic, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, orders a three-week total lockdown for his country’ s 1.3 billion people, imposing curfews, halting domestic travel and suspending public transportation in many Indian states.
– Japan postpones the 2020 Summer Olympics until summer 2021.
(Mar 25): Thailand’s prime minister announces a state of emergency as the country reports 827 confirmed cases and four deaths.
– All EU countries, and more than 150 countries worldwide, are affected by the pandemic.
– South Africa issues a 21-day nationwide lockdown after the number of confirmed cases jumps to 709, making it the hardest-hit country in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria also orders partial lockdowns for the cities of Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State for at least 14 days.
(Mar 26): Australia and New Zealand announced plans to close their borders to all foreigners, while New Zealand also starts a one-month mandatory lockdown.
– Iran bans inter-city travel, as confirmed cases in the country surpass 29,400 and the death toll hits 2,234. Jordan also orders a nationwide curfew, closing all shops indefinitely. The Iraqi government extends a ban on travel in and out of Baghdad, as well as a ban on all flights in and out of the country’s airports, as the number of confirmed cases rise to 233 cases and 20 deaths.
(Mar 27): President Trump signs a $2 trillion coronavirus economic stimulus bill after the legislation was passed in a bipartisan vote in the House and the Senate. The law includes loans for paychecks for workers in small businesses, provides financial aid to hospitals, and a direct payment of $1,200 to most American adults.
(Mar 28): With 102,000 cases in all 50 states and death toll surpassing 2,000, the U.S. now leads the world in Covid-19 casualties.
(Mar 29): The global death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 30,000 deaths.
(Mar 30): Russia’s capital, Moscow announces a lockdown restricting freedom of movement for the city’s 13 million residents.
– France reports its highest jump of coronavirus cases in a single day, with the total number of 44,550 confirmed cases and 3,024 deaths.
(Mar 31): New coronavirus cases in Spain increase by more than 9,000 in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s total to more than 94,000. The death toll in Spain rose to 8,189. In the meantime in Italy, the outbreak is reaching a plateau, as the country’s death toll rose to more than 12,000.
– New York City, now the epicenter of this crisis in the U.S., reports 41,771 confirmed cases and 1,000 deaths from Covid-19.
– Wall Street ends one of the worst quarters in stock market history, an indication of the devastating economic impact of the pandemic.[4]
History of Past Pandemics
How the Virus Got Out (graphic presentation)
How South Korea Flattened the Curve
March 9 – Latin America: MEXICO
Violence against women
Millions of women across Mexico take part in a daylong strike to protest violence against women named „The Day Without Us“. Women stayed home from work, school, and public places to make a point how the world would look like without them. Those who were unable to join the protest wear purple ribbons in solidarity with the movement. The women accuse the government of inaction while the problem of violence against women has worsened.[5] In addition to overall violence against women, the activists call attention to femicide defined as intentional murder of women because they are women. Mexico began officially counting femicide data in 2012; in the same year, it had the 16th highest incidents of femicide in the world. Approximately 10 women are killed every day in Mexico, and the rate of femicide has doubled in the last 5 years.[6]
March 9 – Europe: TURKEY / EUROPEAN UNION
Migrant crisis
In response to the continued migrant crisis, five of the european countries (Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Portugal) agree to take a total of 1,500 unaccompanied children from Greece where migrant camps are overcrowded. At the same time, tens of thousands of new migrants are trying to cross into Greece from Turkey after Turkey announced it would no longer honor the 2016 deal with the EU at curbing illegal migration from its territory. Turkey says it is housing 3.7 million Syrian refugees, but also migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and West Africa, and accuses the EU of not doing enough.[7]
7 videos guaranteed to change the way you see refugees from UNHCR
The Long Journey – A Syrian Family’s Europe Passage (video from UNHCR 15:01 min)
Sources:
[1] Seán Clarke. “Israel election 2020: latest results.” The Guardian. March 4, 2020. Accessed May 5, 20 from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/03/israel-election-2020-latest-results
[2] “Israeli president allows more time for parties to form coalition.” The Irish Times. April 14, 2020. Accessed May 5, 20 from https://www.irishtimes.com/cmlink/irishtimesworldfeed-1.1321046
[3] Melanie Evans and Khadeeja Safdar. “Hospitals Facing Coronavirus Are Running Out of Masks, Other Key Equipment.” The Wall Street Journal. March 18, 2020. Accessed May 4, 20.
[4] “Coronavirus timeline: Tracking the critical moments of COVID-19.” NBC News. 2020. Accessed April 3, 2020 from
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/coronavirus-timeline-tracking-critical-moments-covid-19-n1154341 and
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. “Coronavirus: Event Background COVID-19.” 2020. Accessed April 29, 20 from https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/novel-coronavirus/event-background-2019
[5] “Mexican women strike to protest against gender-based violence.” BBC News. 9 March 2020. Accessed March 30, 20.
[6] Linnea Sandin. “Femicides in Mexico: Impunity and Protests.” Center for International and Strategic Studies. March 19, 2020. Accessed May 8, 20 from https://www.csis.org/analysis/femicides-mexico-impunity-and-protests
[7] “EU to take in some child migrants stuck in Greece.” BBC News. March 9, 2020. Accessed March 20, 2020.