(2020-07-12). Better-Than-Before Climate Plans Still Aren't Good Enough. commondreams.org Sunrise Movement campaigners call on Democratic House members to back a Green New Deal. (Photo: Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-07-12). Humanity is an Endangered Species. zcomm.org Have you noticed recently that things are collapsing? Sure, the rightwing, nationalist rulers of many countries never stop telling us that they have made their nations "great" again. But we would have to be dislocated from reality not to notice that something is wrong―very wrong. After all, the world is currently engulfed in a coronavirus
(2020-07-12). Looks Like Sweden Was Right After All. globalresearch.ca Why is the media so fixated on Sweden's coronavirus policy? What difference does it make? | Sweden settled on a policy that they thought was both sustainable and would save as many lives as possible. They weren't trying to 'show anyone …
(2020-07-12). 'Hannibal Lecter or Darth Vader'? Trump wears mask in public for 1st time, providing meme fodder for critics. rt.com 
US President Donald made his first public appearance wearing a mask (dressed up with a presidential seal), during a visit to a military hospital where he met wounded soldiers and healthcare workers. | On his way to Walter Reed Army Medical Center outside Washington, the US leader explained why he finally decided to don a face covering, arguing that he's "never been against masks but I do believe they have a time and a place." | So there's this video of trump finally wearing a mask, and I just had to add this song to it
(2020-07-12). Jake Tapper says Trump would have 'saved lives' if he'd worn mask earlier, is shown 'no need for masks' clip from his own show. rt.com 
CNN's Jake Tapper was confronted with coverage from his own show claiming masks were "not needed" during the Covid-19 pandemic, after he tweeted Donald Trump may have saved lives if he'd worn them in public months ago. | "Some day someone will do a study on how many lives might have been saved if this happened in February or March," Tapper tweeted, reacting to the president being pictured for the first time wearing a mask. | Shaming citizens for refusing to wear masks in public — despite many states and businesses requiring them — has become commonplace on social media, but in "February or March," he…
(2020-07-12). In biggest daily increase among ALL states since start of Covid-19 epidemic, Florida confirms over 15,000 new infections. rt.com 
The US state of Florida reported a record spike in coronavirus cases since the outbreak of the pandemic, officials announced on Sunday, as the World Health Organization (WHO) confirms a record rise in global cases as well. | The US reported a massive 66,500 new cases in 24 hours, and, in Florida, 15,299 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed on Sunday. | Florida's record figure, the highest among all states reported since the start of the epidemic, would rank it fourth in the world after the US, Brazil and India, if it were a country. | The state's daily new cases have also passed the highest recorded daily rate…
(2020-07-12). Russia Successfully Completes COVID-19 Vaccine Trial. telesurenglish.net Russia's health authorities Sunday announced that the country has successfully concluded the clinical trial of a vaccine against COVID-19 in a group of volunteers, becoming the first country to successfully complete this fase. | RELATED: | "At this stage, the safety of the vaccine was demonstrated. It corresponds to the safety of vaccines that are currently on the market, " First Moscow State Medical University Sechenov's Institute o…
(2020-07-12). Chilean Arpilleras Sustain Political Momentum During Lockdown. zcomm.org As Covid-19 interrupts months of mass mobilizations in Chile, women continue creating political tapestries to resist state violence and systemic inequalities.
(2020-07-12). Corporate Media Team With Trump to Disparage Public Health Experts. commondreams.org As public health experts tirelessly work to unravel the mysteries of the Covid pandemic (and are increasingly burning out), the president of our country has constantly attacked and undermined them—and, lately, so have corporate media.
(2020-07-12). A taxing problem: how to ensure the poor and vulnerable don't shoulder the cost of the COVID-19 crisis. news.un.org In the wake of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, tax systems should be reformed, and tax avoidance and evasion reduced, to ensure an economic recovery in which everyone pays their share, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
(2020-07-12). Covid-19, Hunger and Starvation in India. Globalist Takeover of India's Public Health Policy. globalresearch.ca Some might ask why India is in complete lockstep with global lockdown despite the very low COVID19-related
(2020-07-12). Racism in the U.S. Healthcare System Is Costing Black Lives. commondreams.org As the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the U.S., the virus hit African Americans disproportionately hard. African Americans are still contracting the illness—and dying from it—at rates twice as high as would be expected based on their share of the population.
(2020-07-12). US quitting WHO will hit global responses to pandemics, vaccine development. peoplesdispatch.org Newsclick's Prabir Purkayastha talks about the US decision to leave the World Health Organization. He points out that this is yet another instance of US exceptionalism and describes how the country iis one of the largest beneficiaries of WHO's vaccine program.
(2020-07-12). Iran confirms 2,186 infections,194 deaths in 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 12 (MNA) — The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has infected 2,186 people and claimed 194 lives in Iran in the past 24 hours, a senior health official said.
(2020-07-12). Tehran-Dubai tourist flights resumed amid outbreak. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 13 (MNA) — The tourist flights of Tehran and Dubai have been resumed since July 09 during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, by observing health protocols.
(2020-07-12). Air Force opens new hospital in Tehran for COVID-19 patients. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 12 (MNA) — Deputy Coordinator of the Iranian Army Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari cut the ribbon on a new hospital in Tehran on Sunday, which has been established by tIslamic Republic of Iran Air Force for treatment of COVID-19 patients.
(2020-07-12). Paycheck Protection Program loans to local nonprofit housing organizations. indybay.org PPP Loans During The Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic:…
(2020-07-12). Capitalism, Coronavirus and the Road to Extinction. indybay.org The only way to 're-embed' our economies and save our lives from ecological collapse is by intervening in the very heart of the beast: land and human beings need to be taken out of the market. The beast is not tameable; it needs to be killed.
(2020-07-12). US Blockade Over Cuba Grows During The COVID-19 Pandemic. popularresistance.org Havana, Cuba – The US does not skimp on means to stop Cuba's development by imposing unilateral measures of extraterritorial blockade, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) denounced. | So far the year, a period marked by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as a strengthening of calls to end the US economic and commercial blockade against Cuba, Washington applied another eleven regulations, noted Johana Tablada, deputy director for the United States at MINREX. | With those restrictions, the White House obstructed banking operations and limited the arrival in this country of medical supplies, fuel, donation…
(2020-07-12). COVID19 Corruption: Wealthy And Well Connected Get Rich While People Suffer. popularresistance.org While corrupt elected officials and elites feed at the public trough, the economic collapse is hitting people in the United States hard. According to the newly released Bureau of Labor Statistics figures 47.2 percent of working-age people are without work and businesses are finding it impossible to pay their rent or keep their employees. The basic ability to feed children is in crisis, as nearly 14 million children in the United States went hungry in June, an increase of 10 million since 2018, and nearly three times the number of children who went hungry during the Great Recession, according to an analysis of Cen…
(2020-07-12). Seattle: Get Police Out Of Handling Homeless. popularresistance.org The National Coalition to End Urban Indigenous Homelessness wrote to the mayor of Seattle this week demanding the removal of the Seattle police department from a team handling homelessness. | It recommended that the $2.6 million that goes to police to address the issue instead go to organizations that specialize in serving Indigenous people experiencing homelessness. | Coalition partners Chief Seattle Club, Mother Nation, Seattle Indian Health Board and United Indians of All Tribes Foundations signed the Wednesday letter. | "Police officers are not the best-suited to respond to our homeless community's needs," Mi…
(2020-07-12). Unlikability: a Trait That Plagues Right-Wing Leaders. strategic-culture.org Likability is a trait that politicians across the political spectrum seek to achieve during their careers. Achieving popularity among the masses requires empathy and rationality, two elements that politicians of the right-wing, many of whom believe they are "populists," lack. With the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, an overwhelming majority of those political leaders who have seen their popularity rise are those who cared more for the health and safety of their constituents than in the value of stock market shares. | The linkage between political likability and possessing empathy for others is routinely see…
(2020-07-12). COVID Crisis Highlights Urgency of Canceling All Student Debt. truthout.org 44 million Americans hold over 1.6 trillion dollars of student debt and the cost of higher education continues to skyrocket. And it's the poor, people of color and women who are most severely impacted. The COVID-19 crisis highlights the vulnerability of debt when people are unable to find jobs or pay off loans. We look at two urgent solutions to the debt crisis. First, reporter Kathryn Styer Martinez takes a look at a free school called Berea College in Kentucky. Then, we discuss the politics of debt and how t…
(2020-07-12). Senior military officer dies of coronavirus in Iraq. yenisafak.com A senior Iraqi military officer has succumbed to coronavirus, the army said on Sunday.A military statement said Maj.-Gen Murad al-Rabi'e, commander of the infantry corps of the Iraqi army, died from COVID-19.The statement did not give any further details.Al-Rabi'e is the highest-ranking military officer to have died of the virus in Iraq since the outbreak hit the country in March.Iraq has so far recorded 75,194 infections, including 3,055 deaths and 43,079 recoveries, according to its Health Ministry.Authorities have imposed a partial curfew, banned gatherings and made the wearing of masks mandatory in an effort…
(2020-07-12). Lebanon records new coronavirus infection high with more than 100 cases. yenisafak.com Lebanon has recorded more than 100 new coronavirus infections in the last day, its highest daily increase yet, with most of the cases among workers of a cleaning company, the health minister said on Sunday."To reassure people, the source is known," health minister Hamad Hassan told broadcaster LBC. He added that up to 75% of the cases were linked to what he described as a big cleaning company, were symptom-free and non-Lebanese.Hassan said 800 workers from the cleaning company in question needed to be tested, along with another 1,000 workers from two other companies with whom they were connected."The number will…
(2020-07-12). Hungary imposes border checks, quarantine to prevent spread of virus. yenisafak.com Hungary has imposed new restrictions on cross-border travel as of next Wednesday in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus after a surge in new cases in several countries, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff said on Sunday.Under the new rules, Hungarian nationals returning from high risk countries listed as "yellow" and "red" will have to go through health checks at the border and will have to go into quarantine. The same applies to foreigners coming from "yellow" countries, but their entry will be banned from "red" countries.Countries in the Balkans and neighbouring Ukraine belong to the red cat…
(2020-07-12). Iran reports 194 more fatalities from coronavirus. yenisafak.com A further 2,186 people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the overall count to 252,720, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said.She added that a total of 219,993 people have so far recovered and been discharged from hospitals, adding that 3,359 patients remain in critical condition.Iran's Khuzestan, Razavi Khorasan, West Azerbaijan and Mazandaran provinces are in the red zone, the most serious indicator. The capital Tehran, Fars, Kerman, Alborz, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Golestan, Bushehr, Hormozgan and East Azerbaijan provinces are among the high-risk regions.Since originating in China last Decembe…
(2020-07-12). Bangladesh: Over half of virus patients have recovered. yenisafak.com The number of coronavirus infections and death toll is climbing in Bangladesh — but so is its recovery rate. More than 50% of all patients have regained health since the virus was first reported in the country earlier this year, authorities said on Sunday. | The number of recoveries stand at 93,614 with 5,580 additions in the past 24 hours, latest figures by the Health Ministry show. | As many as 2,666 more people tested positive, while 47 succumbed to the virus, taking the caseload to 183,795 including 2,352 deaths. | Some 11,059 samples were tested in 77 labs across the country in the said period, bringin…
(2020-07-12). COVID-19 sickens Palestinian detainee in Israel. yenisafak.com A Palestinian detainee in Israel has contracted coronavirus, according to the Commission of Palestinian Affairs on Sunday.In a statement, the commission said Kamal Abu Wa'er, 46, was diagnosed with the virus, blaming the Israeli policy of "medical negligence" for his illness.The Israeli "policy of deliberate and systematic medical negligence has made [Palestinian] detainees vulnerable to the coronavirus and other epidemics and diseases which threaten their lives," the commission said.According to the statement, Abu Wa'er, from the town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank, suffers from a throat cancer and is now…
(2020-07-12). Trump's push to reopen schools part of bid to boost suburban standing. yenisafak.com President Donald Trump's demand for U.S. schools to fully reopen this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic is central to an emerging re-election strategy that seeks to resuscitate his flagging support in the nation's critical suburbs.Trump in recent weeks has taken stances on hot-button issues his campaign hopes will appeal to suburban voters, particularly women, who have soured on the Republican president since his 2016 election and continue to move away as the virus rages across the country and the economy sputters.Along with aggressively pushing for students to return to classrooms – "Schools must be open in the…
(2020-07-12). Education Secretary wants US schools open, offers no safety plan. yenisafak.com Education Secretary Betsy DeVos kept up the administration's push to reopen U.S. schools in the fall on Sunday, but failed to embrace any blueprint – including federal health guidelines – for how that could be done safely."We know that children get the virus at a far lower rate than any other part of the population. There is nothing in the data that would suggest that kids being back in school is dangerous to them," DeVos told CNN's "State of the Union."She did not offer any details on how her department would advise or help school districts and states with their reopenings amid a resurgence in coronavirus cases…
(2020-07-12). Foreign doctors' hopes for fast-track pandemic licenses in Canada fading. yenisafak.com Canada's effort to fast-track careers of foreign-trained doctors to meet growing patient numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in only about two dozen licenses approved in Ontario and none in British Columbia, according to medical colleges in both provinces.As Canada faced the prospect of the pandemic swamping the country's healthcare system, British Columbia created a new class of license that would allow overseas-trained doctors to practice under the supervision of a fully licensed doctor, similar to licenses that exist in other provinces, such as Alberta.In Ontario, the medical college activated a…
(2020-07-11). [Correspondence] Differential effect of ticagrelor on irreversible harms in diabetes — Authors' reply. thelancet.com Gerald Chi and Jolanta Marszalek raise questions about subgroup analysis and interaction terms in the THEMIS trial. Interaction terms are generally underpowered. At the same time, when several subgroups are compared, interaction terms might be positive by chance because of multiplicity of testing. These are two opposing forces in the interpretation of interaction terms that have long been appreciated in clinical trials. With respect to our work, the THEMIS trial was a positive trial in which we found significant efficacy benefit of ticagrelor in the overall population of patients with stable coronary artery disea…
(2020-07-11). [Correspondence] Differential effect of ticagrelor on irreversible harms in diabetes. thelancet.com We read with interest the Article by Deepak L Bhatt and colleagues1 on the incremental effect of ticagrelor to aspirin for patients with diabetes and stable coronary artery disease. The THEMIS trial suggested a reduction in ischaemic events but not irreversible harms in the overall population.2 The trial also hypothesised that patients with a history of previous percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) would show a favourable efficacy—safety tradeoff. The authors found a favourable net clinical benefit in patients with previous PCI but not in those without previous PCI (appendix).
(2020-07-11). [Comment] Offline: Restoring trust in WHO. thelancet.com Belgium has the sad distinction of leading the world league table of deaths from COVID-19. At 843 deaths per million, Belgium is ahead of the UK (650 per million), Italy (576 per million), Sweden (537 per million), and France (458 per million). COVID-19 was first reported in Belgium on Feb 4, 2020, in a 54-year-old man who had been repatriated from Wuhan, China. Community transmission was confirmed in early March after holiday makers returned from school vacation breaks in northern Italy. The national sense of failure and anger is spurring a serious effort to initiate an international inquiry into the global resp…
(2020-07-11). [Editorial] COVID-19: the worst may be yet to come. thelancet.com As much of western Europe begins to ease countrywide lockdowns, globally the pandemic may still be in its infancy, with more than 160‚Äà000 new cases reported each day since June 25. Individual countries count cases differently, so direct comparisons are difficult, but the numbers illustrate a worrying pattern. At a subnational level the picture is nuanced, with local hotspots, but at a country level the picture is clear—the world is facing a worsening multipolar pandemic.
(2020-07-11). [Perspectives] The art of survival. thelancet.com An artist can turn bad luck into good fortune. Texas-born author Katherine Anne Porter caught and nearly died from influenza in the 1918—19 pandemic, but the experience gave her the material for Pale Horse, Pale Rider—the title piece of this selection from Penguin Modern Classics—and not only the finest of her very fine short stories, but also the greatest literary account of the "Spanish" influenza. Very few writers besides Porter addressed the disease, effectively making her the laureate of a tragedy that no one much cared to remember until the parallels with COVID-19 recalled it to collective…
(2020-07-11). [Clinical Picture] A rare cause of left-sided weakness in an elderly woman: amoebic encephalitis. thelancet.com An 85-year-old Gujarati woman with a 1-day history of confusion, left-sided weakness, and slurred speech attended our hospital. She had a history of headaches, which had been extensively investigated for 2 years from 2013. She also had hypertension. She had no history of recent travel.
(2020-07-11). [Correspondence] The health-care sector's role in climate stabilisation. thelancet.com Nick Watts and colleagues' 2019 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change1 leaves no doubt that global warming will heavily affect every child born today. Young people—the generation that will have to live through the consequences of a warming world for the longest—are actively taking part in raising awareness for climate change. Inspired by the Fridays for Future movement, thousands of young people have been doing everything possible to bring about social change towards a sustainable ecological lifestyle.
(2020-07-11). [Correspondence] The health-care sector's role in climate stabilisation — Authors' reply. thelancet.com We thank Till Bugaj and colleagues and Helga Weisz and colleagues for their comments.
(2020-07-11). [Comment] First step in a new era for treatment of patients with vitiligo. thelancet.com Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentation of the skin, which affects approximately 1% of the population worldwide. The condition can profoundly affect the wellbeing and the social, sexual, and professional lives of affected individuals and thus induces a strong therapeutic demand.1 Actual treatments rely on the use of topical steroids or topical calcineurin inhibitors, and are better combined with sun exposure or phototherapy.1,2 The best results are achieved on the face, while some areas such as bony prominences and hands and feet show a very poor repigmentation rate.
(2020-07-11). [Correspondence] Predicting erenumab adverse events with single-cell genomics. thelancet.com Erenumab is a CGRP receptor monoclonal antibody for the preventive treatment of migraine. It has been widely prescribed in the USA after receiving US Food and Drug Administration approval in May, 2018. An estimated 7000 prescriptions are written per week,1 which, along with postmarketing reporting, have resulted in the rapid detection of serious adverse events that were not seen during clinical trials. As a result, the product label was revised on Oct 4, 2019, to include constipation with serious complications, including cases requiring hospitalisation and surgery, with most cases reported after a single dose of…
(2020-07-11). [World Report] US Supreme Court upholds abortion rights, for now. thelancet.com The court's decision means that Louisiana's three abortion clinics will remain open. Susan Jaffe reports.
(2020-07-11). [Obituary] Tomisaku Kawasaki. thelancet.com Paediatrician who identified what became known as Kawasaki disease. Born on Feb 7, 1925, in Tokyo, Japan, he died on June 5, 2020, in Tokyo, aged 95 years.
(2020-07-11). [Articles] Ruxolitinib cream for treatment of vitiligo: a randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial. thelancet.com Treatment with ruxolitinib cream was associated with substantial repigmentation of vitiligo lesions up to 52 weeks of treatment, and all doses were well tolerated. These data suggest that ruxolitinib cream might be an effective treatment option for patients with vitiligo.
(2020-07-11). [Correspondence] Organised crime: the missing link in drug policies. thelancet.com Illegal drugs and their effect on public health were discussed in a 2019 Lancet Series.1 However, the Series authors did not report how a global criminal enterprise, the drug—abuse industrial complex,2 is the origin of the problem. This global network of organised crime, corrupt politicians, money laundering, and distribution systems perpetuates this public health crisis. We have reason to believe the drug trade is now expanding under the guise of legal cannabis and cannabidiol, especially in North America, with outreach to other markets in South America, Europe, and Asia.
(2020-07-11). [Correspondence] Older-age opioid-related deaths in the UK. thelancet.com The Lancet Series on drug use1 began with a paper on global patterns of opioid dependence but insufficiently emphasised that the sequelae of these epidemics persist over decades. The risk of drug-related death increases with age in people who are opioid-dependent, and the advantage that young women users (<35 years) have of lower drug-related mortality risk diminishes as they get older.2...
(2020-07-11). Venezuela Extends the State of Alarm to Prevent COVID-19 Spread. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Vicepresident Delcy Rodriguez Saturday announced the State of Constitutional Alert's extension for another 30 days to prevent the COVID-19 spread in the country. | RELATED: | "As Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro requested, we are extending the quarantine for another month, as we make a special call to the Caracas' citizens to stay at home and comply with all the precautionary measures," Rodriguez…
(2020-07-11). Sunday 7/12: Covid-19 and the crisis of neoliberalism. indybay.org Zoom Meeting LOG-IN INFORMATION | Posted at: icssmarx.org – OUR CURRENT SCHEDULE…
(2020-07-11). The hunger pandemic in Colombia. mronline.org 
The unchecked growth of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America is tearing apart the socio-economic fabric of the countrieslocated in that continent. One manifestation of this socio-economic rupture is the emergence of what David Beasley, the Executive Director of UN World Food Programme (WFP), has called a "hunger pandemic". According to WFP, "The socio-economic impact …