Daily Archives: August 27, 2020

2020-08-27: News Headlines

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-08-27). Global Capitalism, "World Government" and the Corona Crisis. globalresearch.ca The COVID-19 crisis is marked by a public health "emergency" under WHO auspices which is being used as a pretext and a justification to triggering a Worldwide process of economic, social and political restructuring.

Staff (2020-08-27). Headlines for August 27, 2020. democracynow.org Hurricane Laura Hits Louisiana with 150 MPH Winds, "Unsurvivable" 20-Foot Storm Surge, Mike Pence Tells Republican National Convention, "We Will Have Law and Order", Kenosha Police Officer Who Shot Jacob Blake ID'd as Rusten Sheskey, 17-Year-Old Trump-Supporting Militia Member Charged with Murdering 2 Protesters, NBA, WNBA, MLS and MLB Games Postponed as Players Protest Police Shootings, Trump Administration Officials Pressured CDC to Weaken Coronavirus Guidelines , Coronavirus Cases Hit Record High in Burma; Doctors Strike in South Korea Amid Outbreaks, Just Two States Are Distributing Trump's Promised Unemploym…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-08-27). After crippling mail delivery Trump now sabotages COVID-19 testing. peoplesworld.org OAKLAND, Calif.—On the third day of his "don't worry be happy" convention Trump's CDC bought into the president's long-standing argument that the best way to deal with the pandemic is to ignore it. The CDC issued new guidelines that essentially say much of the testing being done in the country is not really needed. Only …

Vijay Prashad (2020-08-27). Why Cuban Doctors Deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. counterpunch.org Five years ago, I read the story of Dr. Félix Báez, a Cuban doctor who had worked in West Africa to stop the spread of Ebola. Dr. Báez was one of 165 Cuban doctors of the Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade who went to Sierra Leone to fight a terrible outbreak in 2014 of a disease first detected in 1976. During his time there, Dr. Báez contracted Ebola.

RT (2020-08-27). 'Fiery but mostly peaceful': CNN mocked for ridiculous caption of Kenosha riots destruction. rt.com Online vigilantes lined up to spew vitriol at CNN and their reporter, who described the chaos in the riots-plagued Kenosha as "mostly peaceful" protests, while showing viewers exactly the opposite. | CNN's Omar Jimenez went live from a troubled neighborhood in Kenosha, Wisconsin, telling viewers that protests — sparked by the death of African American Jacob Blake — were "largely peaceful" during the day, but that "things began to get a little bit more contentious" when night fell. | As he spoke, buildings and vehicles burned in the background, with the scenes of destruction and chaos running contrary…

The Canary (2020-08-27). Test and Trace system fails to reach 80% target for ninth week in a row. thecanary.co Three-quarters of close contacts of people who tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) were reached through the NHS Test and Trace system, once again falling short of the government's target, the latest figures show.Some 75.5% of close contacts in England were reached in the week ending 19 August.While this is up from 71.6% in the previous week, it is the ninth week in a row where the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) target of isolating 80% of contacts of coronavirus cases within 48-72 hours has been missed.Ahead of this week's figures being published, health secretary Matt Hancock…

The Canary (2020-08-27). Hancock defends isolation payments as council leader calls them a slap in face. thecanary.co Health secretary Matt Hancock has defended the level of compensation payments for people who have to self-isolate, but a council leader in one of the pilot areas has branded them "a slap in the face".The government has confirmed payments of up to £182 for 14 days — £13 per day — will be given to people in areas with high incidences of coronavirus (Covid-19), with a trial beginning in Blackburn with Darwen and Pendle in Lancashire, as well as Oldham in Greater Manchester.As of Tuesday 1 September, people in those areas on either Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit, who are required to self…

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-27). Politicizing Alexey Navalny's Illness. globalresearch.ca Politicized claims that Putin critic Navalny (with scant public support) was poisoned appear greatly exaggerated. | On Tuesday, Moscow's Health Department Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination director Sergey Shigeev explained the following: | "There is a lot of information in the media …

Sasha Abramsky (2020-08-27). Half of the US Population Lacks Adequate Protections Against Evictions. zcomm.org The U.S. risks a 2008-style housing catastrophe on top of the public health and employment catastrophes that have already brought the U.S. to its knees…

Direct Action Everywhere (2020-08-27). Cancel Animal Ag: Demand a Moratorium. indybay.org Animal abuse is rampant in California. Companies like Smithfield Foods are torturing animals, brewing disease inside filthy factory farms, and spreading COVID-19 among vulnerable slaughterhouse workers.

Concerned Citizen (2020-08-27). CHP and Golden Gate Bridge Police Violate Mask Use Ordinance at Protest. indybay.org On August 21, employees of the California Highway Patrol and Golden Gate Bridge were observed to be in violation of the San Francisco ordinance for mask use. They were confronting younger and healthier protesters who took precautions and were all masked up. A registered nurse who was present addressed the issue in a letter to the CHP and GGBP.

sputniknews (2020-08-27). Democrats Wage #TrumpChaos 'War' Campaign via Billboards in DC Amid RNC Convention. sputniknews.com The Democratic National Committee (DNC) launched the Twitter hashtag #TrumpChaos, fueling both offline and online campaigns against US President Donald Trump, attacking the president for how he uses the coronavirus pandemic and condemning him for attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

sputniknews (2020-08-27). Vladimir Putin Reveals His Daughter Developed COVID Antibodies After Taking Russian Vaccine. sputniknews.com Following the announcement of the world's first COVID-19 vaccine on 11 August, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that one of his daughters had been inoculated with it.

sputniknews (2020-08-27). Observers: US Sanctions on Russian Institute Working on Sputnik V Caused by Fear to Lose Leadership. sputniknews.com As Moscow announced the beginning of post-registration trials of anti-COVID vaccine Sputnik V on 26 August, the US added a group of Russian research institutes, including the one testing the anti-coronavirus drug, to its sanctions list. International observers have discussed the US move unveiled amid the global effort to curb the pandemic.

yenisafak (2020-08-27). India's daily virus cases soar over 75,000. yenisafak.com India reported over 75,000 new coronavirus cases and more than 1,000 fatalities on Thursday.At least 75,760 more people tested positive for COVID-19, the country's highest daily figure to date, taking the total past 3.31 million, according to the Health Ministry's latest data.The nationwide death toll increased by 1,023 in the past day and now stands at 60,472.With 718,711 infections, the western state of Maharashtra remains India's worst-hit region.At least 106 members of the state police force tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, the Maharashtra police said.A total of 14,295 police personnel hav…

yenisafak (2020-08-27). Jordan to hold elections on Nov. 10 amid COVID-19. yenisafak.com Jordan is preparing for general elections scheduled for Nov. 10 in line with the guidelines issued by the country's election board due to coronavirus. | Taking into account the health and safety of the public, the Jordanian Election Board took a series of decisions to prevent the spread of the virus across the country. As part of the restrictions, authorities banned election rallies and gatherings of more than 20 people. | Zahir Amr, former secretary general of Jordan's Al-Hayat Party, said that he supports the board's instructions in principle as they play an important role in preventing violations by candidate…

yenisafak (2020-08-27). Mauritius provides aid to fishers affected by oil spill. yenisafak.com Mauritius announced on Thursday that it had started distributing food supplies to over 400 fishers whose livelihoods were hit when a Japanese ship ran aground on July 25, causing an oil spill.In a statement, the East African island nation announced that food supplies were distributed "among 400 fishermen from the regions of Riviere des Creoles and Deux Freres, who have been affected by the ecological crisis which resulted from the grounding of the MV Wakashio."The food distribution drive organized by the National Insurance company and the State Insurance Company of Mauritius happened at the Bambous Virieux Social…

Staff (2020-08-26). Headlines for August 26, 2020. democracynow.org Two Killed as White Militia Member Fires on Black Lives Matter Protesters in Kenosha, WI, Family of Jacob Blake Demands Arrest of Officers Who Shot Him in the Back, Black Lives Matter Protesters Shot At While Marching in Pennsylvania, Republican National Convention Speakers Continue to Flout Hatch Act Ethics Laws, CDC Quietly Drops Test Recommendation for Asymptomatic People Exposed to COVID-19, Far-Right Militia Leader Ammon Bundy Arrested at Idaho State Capitol, Argentina Posts Record Coronavirus Toll; COVID-19 Resurgent in Europe, Hurricane Laura Could Become Category 4 Storm Ahead of Gulf Coast Landfall, Leba…

Staff (2020-08-26). RNC Night 2: Trump Loyalists & Family Members Ignore COVID Death Toll & Flout Election Laws. democracynow.org At the second night of the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, speakers largely ignored the devastating public health and economic crisis facing the country as the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus nears 180,000 and tens of millions of Americans are out of work and struggling to pay for food and housing. We feature excerpts from the night, which included praise for President Trump's actions in the Middle East and more dire warnings about a Joe Biden presidency, as well as several speeches that appear to violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from using their office for partisan polit…

yenisafak (2020-08-26). Coronavirus outbreak kills 1, sickens 8 in Gaza. yenisafak.com Health authorities in the blockaded Gaza Strip on Wednesday registered one death and eight cases from the coronavirus pandemic.The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said a 61-year-old Palestinian died from the virus, while eight people were infected, bringing the total number of cases in the enclave since Monday to 15.On Monday, authorities in the enclave imposed a two-day lockdown as part of measures to stem the virus' spread.Previous infections were reported from inside quarantine centers for arrivals to Gaza.*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat…

yenisafak (2020-08-26). Displaced Yemenis suffer as aid shortfall closes clinics. yenisafak.com "Enough is enough now, we can't go on," said administrative worker Mansour, who financially supports his and his deceased brother's family. His salary, while he was still paid, was around $180 a month.Across Yemen health, sanitation and nutrition services that keep millions from starvation and disease are gradually closing amid an acute funding shortage for the world's largest humanitarian crisis.The United Nations said last week 12 of its 38 major programmes have shut or scaled down, and between August and September 20 programmes face further reductions or closure.In the Mahraba displacement camp in Hajjah provi…

RT (2020-08-26). Russians overwhelmingly oppose microchipping of humans, fear becoming cyborgs without even knowing it — state-backed poll. rt.com The majority of Russians are opposed to implanting microchips into the human body — a popular idea in sci-fi movies, yet rare in reality — a recent survey has discovered. | While a whopping 77 percent of those surveyed by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center VCIOM (a state-linked outfit) said they are against the idea in principle, 45 percent elaborated that they were afraid of being implanted without even knowing it. | Other hyper-anxious citizens stressed that their fears were based on the presumption that microchips could be hazardous for their health or be used for 24-hour surveillance.

RT (2020-08-26). Siberian doctors who treated Moscow protest leader Navalny issue open letter addressing critics of their efforts to save activist. rt.com The Russian doctors who treated Alexey Navalny last week have issued an open letter in response to criticism of their efforts to save his life. They are offended by some commentary, which they believe is politically motivated. | The Siberian medics say they did their best in a high-pressure situation, and that media coverage suggesting otherwise is "unacceptable" and part of what they term a "political diagnosis." Aside from the staff at the Omsk emergency hospital where Navalny was taken after falling ill on a flight to Moscow, other leading Russian health figures have also signed the letter. | They include t…

The Canary (2020-08-26). Devastating flooding in Afghanistan kills at least 100 people. thecanary.co Heavy flooding has killed at least 100 people as heavy rain drenched northern and eastern Afghanistan.Annual heavy rain, compounded by mudslides, often threatens remote areas of Afghanistan. Summer often brings heavy rainfall in northern and eastern parts of the country, leading to floods that leave hundreds dead every year.State minister for disaster management Ghulam Bahawudin Jilani said that in northern Parwan province, water inundated the central city of Charikar, where the health ministry said the local hospital was partially destroyed and many of the injured were being transferred to the capital, Kabul.An…

WSWS (2020-08-26). New York City preparing to lay off 400 EMS workers in advance of looming second wave of pandemic. wsws.org New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, is preparing to place the burden of the pandemic-triggered budgetary crisis on workers, including frontline health care workers.

Pavan Kulkarni (2020-08-26). Anti-corruption protests, health workers' agitations point to depth of Kenya's COVID-19 crisis. peoplesdispatch.org Very little progress has been made in resolving the issues raised by doctors and nurses in Kenya. Meanwhile, protests have broken out in many cities against alleged misappropriation of funds for COVID-19 equipment…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-08-26). Permitted Unlawfulness: The New Zealand Coronavirus Lockdown. counterpunch.org "Limitation is essential to authority. A government is legitimate only if it is effectively limited." — Lord Acton It is a study both troublesome and perplexing. To what end can a state trample on human rights ostensibly to preserve such objects a public health? The coronavirus lockdowns have become a feature of global politics and

Kenneth Surin (2020-08-26). What the President Continues to Say (About The Plague). counterpunch.org I have retained Trump's linguistic infelicities in this compendium of his remarks on the COVID-19 pandemic. July 1— "I think we're going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that, at some point, that's going to sort of disappear, I hope." July 2— "Some areas that were very hard-hit are now doing very

Dr. Roberto Petrella (2020-08-26). The Dangers of the COVID Operation. Dr. Roberto Petrella. globalresearch.ca What do we know? | We know that the tests do not work but governments pretend that they do. We also know that some vaccines sterilize people. Warp Speed vaccine preparation almost guarantees vaccine injury, plus it is an entirely new …

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-26). Muharram mourning ceremonies in Tabriz. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 26 (MNA) — Mourning ceremonies in the sixth night of Muharram were held in Tabriz with health protocols in place.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-08-26). Hip fracture risk linked to nanoscale bone inflexibility. imperial.ac.uk New research has highlighted a preventative treatment gap in patients prone to bone fractures who are otherwise healthy.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-08-26). Syrian conflict the focus of redesigned global health degree. imperial.ac.uk Collaborations with on-the-ground expertise helped refocus Imperial's Global Health BSc on one of the world's worst health crises.

_____ (2020-08-26). Organizing Call: After The DNC And RNC — We Can't Breathe! popularresistance.org The Democratic and Republican Conventions are not confronting the crises of our times – the economic collapse, COVID pandemic, lack of access to healthcare, inequality, racism, the cost of education, and never-ending wars and more. | No matter which corporate-funded party wins the election, the people must rule from below. | The national uprising against police violence and the hundreds of wildcat strikes and rent strikes are a few examples among many that show once again that the only way to challenge this racist, militarized system is with the explosive power of people making demands and shutting the system dow…

sputniknews (2020-08-26). Kim Jong-un Appears in Public, Deflating Media Claims of His 'Comatose' State. sputniknews.com Tabloids, US government-funded media, and a throng of unnamed sources and ex-officials have been speculating about Kim Jong-un's health for months, with the North Korean leader reported missing and presumed dead or gravely ill at least four times in 2020. The rumours vanish each time Kim makes a public appearance, only to surface again soon after.

sputniknews (2020-08-26). Russian COVID Vaccine for Kazakhstan to Be Produced by Partner of Russia's Sovereign Fund. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said on Wednesday that the production of Russia's coronavirus vaccine, dubbed Sputnik V, for Kazakhstan would be carried out by one of its international partners.

sputniknews (2020-08-26). Russia Ready to Start COVID-19 Vaccine Supplies to Brazil in November, RDIF CEO Says. sputniknews.com BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) – Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev said on Wednesday that Russia is ready to start deliveries of the newly registered COVID-19 vaccine to Brazil in November.

Staff (2020-08-26). CDC's New Testing Guidelines Appear to Follow Trump's Call to "Slow the Testing" truthout.org The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) For the past several weeks, the CDC has encouraged individuals who had come into contact with others who had tested positive for COVID-19 to get tested themselves, even if they were not showing symptoms of…

Staff (2020-08-26). Right-Wing Reporter With No Known Health Expertise Is Given Senior Post at FDA. truthout.org Emily Miller, a gun-rights advocate and former senior correspondent for the

yenisafak (2020-08-26). Switzerland sees record daily infections since April. yenisafak.com Swiss health authorities on Wednesday said the Alpine nation had recorded 383 new lab-confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours — the highest since mid-April as the country's direct democracy system took a hit.Mask wearing had been compulsory on public transport since July 6 after an uptick in cases peaked on March 23 with 1,464 cases registered, as well as on flights as of Aug. 15.However, the country's Health Department has said the proportion of positive tests in all tests carried out remains low."This indicates that the new infections reported provide a good picture of the situation. As l…

yenisafak (2020-08-26). 'COVID-19 vaccine may not work as well on obese people'. yenisafak.com A new study has shown that coronavirus vaccines may not work as effectively for obese people, who are also 48% more likely to die from COVID-19, local media reported on Wednesday.The World Bank commissioned the US' University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill to analyze global data from countries including the US, UK, China, France, and Italy.The study showed that obese people were 113% more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19, 74% more likely to enter intensive care, and 48% more likely to die."It is a 50% increase essentially. That's a pretty high scary number. All of it is actually — much high…

yenisafak (2020-08-26). Cambridge university aims for autumn trials of coronavirus vaccine after UK funding. yenisafak.com The University of Cambridge is aiming to start clinical trials of its possible coronavirus vaccine in the autumn after it received 1.9 million pounds ($2.5 million) in funding from the British government, the university said on Wednesday.The scientists behind the vaccine said their approach, which uses genetic sequences of all known coronaviruses to hone the immune response, could help avoid the adverse effects of a hyper-inflammatory immune response."We're looking for chinks in its armour, crucial pieces of the virus that we can use to construct the vaccine to direct the immune response in the right direction,"

commondreams (2020-08-26). Nurses Condemn Trump Administration Attack On Public Safety in New CDC Testing Guidelines. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Lisa Newcomb, staff writer (2020-08-26). 'Threadbare' US System Denounced as Study Shows 12 Million Lost Employer-Tied Healthcare During Pandemic. commondreams.org "Delinking health insurance with jobs should be a top policy priority." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-08-26). 'Time to Put People Above Profits': 65+ Advocacy Groups Call on Home Depot and Lowe's to Take Cancer-Causing Roundup Off Shelves. commondreams.org Appealing to Home Depot and Lowe's to be part of the solution to environmental and public health hazards, rather than a contributor to them, more than 65 advocacy groups on Wednesday called on the home improvement giants to take the herbicide Roundup off their shelves and online stores. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Amy A Attaway, Joe Zein, Umur S Hatipoğlu (2020-08-26). SARS-CoV-2 infection in the COPD population is associated with increased healthcare utilization: An analysis of Cleveland clinic's COVID-19 registry. thelancet.com Our analysis demonstrated that COPD patients with COVID-19 had a higher risk for healthcare utilization, although adjusted in-hospital mortality risk was not different than the non-COPD patients with COVID-19.

Helen Yaffe (2020-08-25). With COVID-19 Under Control, Cuba Launches New Economic Battle. counterpunch.org The exemplary domestic and international response of socialist Cuba to the global SARS-CoV2 pandemic has been recognised worldwide. By late July, authorities had the virus under control; 87 people had died, none of them children or healthcare workers, and Cuba was entering phase three of post-Covid-19 recovery. While Cuba's public health response protected the population,

RT (2020-08-25). Push panic button, go to safe room & don't argue: CDC sets guidelines for companies dealing with customer rage over Covid-19 rules. rt.com The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged employees in retail and service businesses to avoid confronting customers who refuse to comply with Covid-19 restrictions, such as wearing masks or social distancing. | In its new

RT (2020-08-25). Fauci argues against potential emergency approval for Covid-19 vaccine, says it'll put other vaccines at disadvantage. rt.com Anthony Fauci, a top federal health expert, has warned that rolling out a coronavirus vaccine under an emergency approval could make testing for other immunizations "impossible," arguing it might rob the trials of participants. | Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Reuters in an interview on Monday that a vaccine should not be given an emergency use authorization (EUA) "before you have a signal of efficacy," saying it could jeopardize the other various vaccines under testing. | "One of the potential dangers if you prematurely let a vaccine out is that it would…

RT (2020-08-25). As Covid-19 drives the planet batsh*t crazy, Russia to study the feces of its own bat population to look for coronaviruses. rt.com With the world in the grip of a pandemic possibly caused by Chinese bats, Russia wants to make sure its own can't start another. Thus, a new study will check the country's bat population for the presence of coronaviruses. | National health watchdog Roszdravnadzor's Institute of Epidemiology will test nocturnal flying mammals from various regions of the country, including Moscow, Volgograd, and the Black Sea coast, enabling the scientists to determine how common coronaviruses are in different species. | The researchers plan to analyze more than 1,500 individuals by checking fecal samples, using a "high-performa…

RT (2020-08-25). Washington Post does about-face on Covid-19 plasma treatment the moment Trump comes out in favor. rt.com Media coverage of a promising Covid-19 treatment has flipped from supportive to negative, a US health official has revealed, suggesting the president's praise of the treatment might relate to it falling out of favor. | The Washington Post's outlook on using blood plasma from recovered Covid-19 patients to treat the sick has flipped from optimistic to skeptical following a Sunday announcement from US President Donald Trump that the treatment has received emergency approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The switch in coverage was noted by the spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services on Mo…