Daily Archives: April 15, 2021

2021-04-15: News Headlines

Alfred Kammer* (2021-04-15). From Vaccines To V-Shaped Recovery In Europe — Analysis. eurasiareview.com One year into the pandemic, Europe finds itself at another turning point. New waves of infection are hitting the continent, requiring new lockdowns. But, unlike last year, safe and effective vaccines are now available. While the pace of vaccination is still slow, an end to the pandemic is in sight. | Reflecting the periodic infection waves and the pace of vaccinations, the economic recovery in Europe is still halting and uneven. While industrial production has returned to pre-pandemic levels, the service sector is still contracting. | However, looking ahead, we project that Europe's economic growth will reboun…

Andy Kroll (2021-04-15). Making Sense of a Viral Military. tomdispatch.com Herd immunity? Don't count on it. Not if that "herd" is the U.S. military. According to news reports, at least a third of active-duty military personnel or those in the National Guard have opted out of getting the coronavirus vaccine. That figure, by the way, doesn't even include American troops stationed around the world, many of whom have yet to be offered the chance to be vaccinated. As a Navy spouse whose husband has moved to five separate U.S. duty stations in the decade we've been together, one thing is hard for me to imagine: an administration pledging to do everything it can to beat this pandemic has stop…

Staff (2021-04-15). Cut the Defense Budget: Rep. Khanna on Bloated Pentagon Spending, Ending War in Yemen, UAE Arms Deal. democracynow.org Congressmember Ro Khanna of California says hundreds of billions of dollars in annual defense spending could be better used on diplomacy, humanitarian aid, public health and other initiatives. He's one of 50 House Democrats who signed a letter to President Joe Biden in March urging a "significantly reduced" Pentagon budget, which has grown to over $700 billion. "The Pentagon increases make no sense," says Khanna. "If you're ending the forever war in Afghanistan … then why are we increasing, at the same time, the defense budget?" Khanna also discusses the Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war in Yemen, a major U.S. arms de…

Staff (2021-04-15). "We're in a Transition Phase": Dr. Monica Gandhi on Vaccine Safety & Why You Still Need a Mask. democracynow.org U.S. health officials have delayed a decision on whether to resume the use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine after reports of blood clots in six women who received doses. Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at the UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital, says it's "prudent" to investigate reports of blood clots but notes the issue "is very rare" and unlikely to cause more than a temporary delay. She also says it's important to raise "vaccine optimism" by continuing to tout the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines. "Eventually we are going to get back to the normalcy of not mask…

Workers World Party (2021-04-15). PDF of April 15 issue. workers.org Download the PDF. Amazon workers: The struggle has just begun Daunte Wright's life matters! Tribute to Ramsey Clark. COVID crisis: Michigan surge, Vaccines — Capitalism vs. Socialism. PRO Act: petition & editorial. Paul Robeson remembered; On the picket line; DREAMERS confront Cruz. GLOBAL: Vieques, Culebra; Greenland; Gaza; Venezuela. TEAR DOWN . . . |

WSWS (2021-04-15). US Supreme Court again exempts religious gatherings from COVID-19 regulations. wsws.org For the fourth time since Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to the Supreme Court, the new right-wing majority has ruled that local authorities cannot limit indoor religious gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Nick Licata (2021-04-15). How Can Hate Speech, Conspiracy Theories, etc., be Banned on Social Media? zcomm.org As social media sites continue to ban or suspend users who are posting misinformation that endangers public health or incites violence toward others, such as hate speech, the Supreme Court is more likely to be drawn into that discussion…

WSWS (2021-04-15). Protests erupt in Spanish migrant camps at PSOE-Podemos repression. wsws.org Migrants are protesting appalling living conditions, poor food and the lack of medical treatment amid the escalating global COVID-19 pandemic.

David Gilbert (2021-04-15). In prison, today's pandemic and shades of yesterday's: What the fight against COVID can learn from the one against AIDS. mronline.org The infamous Tuskegee syphilis study on Black men is but the best known of the plethora of medical experiments on Black and Brown people in and out of prisons, and other vulnerable populations. | April 15, 2021 | Newswire…

Mark Gruenberg (2021-04-15). BLS: New claims for jobless benefits fall by 20%. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—In a sign workers are finding jobs again following the year-long coronavirus-caused economic depression, new claims for state jobless benefits fell by 152,833, or 20%, in the week ending April 10, to 612,919, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Another 131,975 sought special federal pandemic jobless benefits that same week, down 20,444, or 15.5%, from …

WSWS repost (2021-04-15). A strategy to eliminate the COVID-19 virus. indybay.org Quantitative analysis expert Dr. Yaneer Bar-Yam describes how we have always had control over the spread of COVID-19 but have largely failed to understand the structural dynamics of its spread. In this thought-provoking interview with the World Socialist Web Site he explains the futility of simply increasing restrictions when cases go up and decreasing restrictions when cases go down– if our goal is to completely end the pandemic.

WSWS (2021-04-15). Cyclone Seroja wreaks death and destruction in Indonesia, East Timor and Western Australia. wsws.org The disaster still threatens to trigger a wave of dangerous diseases in multiple impoverished communities, including cholera, dysentery, typhoid—and COVID-19.

Makia Freeman (2021-04-15). Woke Virus: COVID Is Sustainable, Equitable, Inclusive, Racially Unbiased and Climate Aware. globalresearch.ca Did you know that SARS-CoV-2 is a woke virus? | Did you …

Jorge Alejandro Suárez Rangel (2021-04-15). Oportunismo alemán a costa de la pandemia. globalizacion.ca Hay tres recursos médicos de principal importancia para el combate de la pandemia del Covid-19: la vacuna, la mascarilla y las pruebas de detección del virus; Alemania está involucrada en escándalos con cada uno de ellos. | La vacuna | La batalla…

EurActiv (2021-04-15). EU Council Ready To Negotiate On COVID Travel Certificate. eurasiareview.com By Gerardo Fortuna | ( In the approved mandate to start talks with EU lawmakers, member states aim at retaining the possibility to process personal data collected even for non-travel purpo…

Dr. Rudolf Hà§nsel (2021-04-15). The "Secret Agenda" of the So-called Elite and the Covid mRNA Vaccine. globalresearch.ca Important and timely article, first published on April 10, 2020 | "The International" is the world-renowned battle song of the socialist labor movement. The English version of the original French text reads: | "Wake up, damned of this earth, who are still …

teleSUR (2021-04-15). Pfizer CEO: Third COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Likely Within 12 Months. telesurenglish.net Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said people will likely need a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated, according to a CNBC report on Thursday. | RELATED: | Bourla said it is possible people will need to get vaccinated against the coronavirus annually. | "We need to see what would be the sequence, and for how often we need to do that, that remai…

William J. Watkins, Jr. (2021-04-15). Vermont Unconstitutionally Distributes COVID Vaccine Based On Race — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Shame on the State of Vermont. Under the state's If anyone bothered to take the matter to court, this racially based vacc…

ecns.cn (2021-04-15). Putin completes COVID-19 vaccination. ecns.cn Russian President Vladimir Putin said he received his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, following his first shot on March 23.

ecns.cn (2021-04-15). Over 175 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses administered across China. ecns.cn BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) — More than 175.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across China as of Tuesday, the National Health Commission said Wednesday. Enditem…

Guoqing Qian, Yong Zhang, Yang Xu, Weihua Hu, Ian P. Hall, Jiang Yue, Hongyun Lu, Liemin Ruan, Maoqing Ye, Jin Mei (2021-04-15). [Research Paper] Reduced inflammatory responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection in children presenting to hospital with COVID-19 in China. thelancet.com Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in children is associated with better outcomes than in adults. The inflammatory response to COVID-19 infection in children remains poorly characterised.

Sylvia Ranjeva, Riccardo Pinciroli, Evan Hodell, Ariel Mueller, C.Corey Hardin, B.Taylor Thompson, Lorenzo Berra (2021-04-15). [Research Paper] Identifying clinical and biochemical phenotypes in acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to coronavirus disease-2019. thelancet.com We identified distinct phenotypic profiles in COVID-19 associated ARDS, with little variation according to respiratory physiology but with important variation according to systemic and extra-pulmonary markers. Phenotypic identity was highly associated with short-term mortality. The class 2 phenotype exhibited prominent signatures of coagulopathy, suggesting that vascular dysfunction may play an important role in the clinical progression of severe COVID-19-related disease.

Staff (2021-04-15). Increasing Pentagon Budget as US Pulls Out of Afghanistan Makes Little Sense. truthout.org Congressmember Ro Khanna of California says hundreds of billions of dollars in annual defense spending could be better used on diplomacy, humanitarian aid, public health and other initiatives. He's one of 50 House Democrats who signed a letter to President Joe Biden in March urging a "significantly reduced" Pentagon budget, which has grown to over $700 billion. "The Pentagon increases make no sense," says Khanna. "If you're ending the forever war in Afghanistan … then why are we increasing, at…

Staff (2021-04-15). Nobel Laureates, Ex-World Leaders Urge Biden to Back WTO Waiver for Vaccines. truthout.org Calling on U.S. President Joe Biden to prioritize human need over corporate greed, more than 170 Nobel laureates and former heads of state and government on Wednesday sent an

Celeste McGovern (2021-04-15). British Columbia: One Dead, Three Neurologically Disabled, 'Numerous' Reactions from Vaccine in Tiny Indigenous Village. globalresearch.ca One patient died, two suffered anaphylactic reactions, three have ongoing disabling …

Ana M Valdes, James C Moon, Amrita Vijay, Nish Chaturvedi, Alan Norrish, Adeel Ikram, Simon Craxford, Lola M.L. Cusin, Jessica Nightingale, Amanda Semper, Timothy Brooks, Aine McKnight, Hibba Kurdi, Cristina Menni, Patrick Tighe, Mahdad Noursadeghi, Guruprasad Aithal, Thomas A Treibel, Benjamin J Ollivere, Charlotte Manisty (2021-04-15). [Research Paper] Longitudinal assessment of symptoms and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers across 5 hospitals to understand ethnic differences in infection risk. thelancet.com In the UK first wave, Black ethnicity (but not other ethnicities) more than doubled HCWs likelihood of seropositivity, independent of age, sex, measured socio-economic factors and hospital role.

WSWS (2021-04-15). As districts press to fully reopen, American Federation of Teachers endorses three-foot distancing in schools. wsws.org An article published Monday makes clear that American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten's feigned opposition to the CDC's loosening of spacing guidelines in schools was fraudulent and largely meant to try to recover her tarnished image.

_____ (2021-04-15). Hunting In Yemen. popularresistance.org Since March 29, in Washington, D.C., Iman Saleh, age 26, has been on a hunger strike to demand an end to the war in Yemen. She is joined by five others from her group, The Yemeni Liberation Movement. The hunger strikers point out that enforcement of the Saudi Coalition led blockade relies substantially on U.S. weaponry. | Saleh decries the prevention of fuel from entering a key port in Yemen's northern region. | "When people think of famine, they wouldn't consider fuel as contributing to that, but when you're blocking fuel from entering the main port of a country, you're essentially crippling the entire infrastru…

Rainer Shea (2021-04-15). Anti-Chinese Propaganda is About Fortifying a US Empire in Crisis & Preparing for War. orinocotribune.com By Rainer Shea — Apr 11, 2021 | In his The conquest of the Ukraine and other areas of the Soviet Union would necessitate war against the Soviet Union, and this war had to be prepared well in advance. To this end the Nazi propaganda ministry, headed by Goebbels, began a campaign around a supposed genocide committed by the Bolsheviks in the Ukraine, a dreadful period of catastrophic famine deliberately provoked by Stalin in order…

Editor2 (2021-04-15). Remembering Ramsey Clark. orinocotribune.com By Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada — April 12, 2021 | The news of his death did not come as a surprise since it was known that his health was declining and he was also affected by irreparable family losses. But the death of Ramsey Clark is a source of pain and suffering for many in many parts of the world. | His trajectory since the 1960s was one of admirable personal integrity and fidelity to the principles that made him one of the most respected personalities of the American progressive movement. | Attorney General of the United States during the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson, he played a key role in the…

Eurasia Review (2021-04-15). Stretching The Boundaries Of Medical Tech With Wearable Antennae. eurasiareview.com Current research on flexible electronics is paving the way for wireless sensors that can be worn on the body and collect a variety of medical data. But where do the data go? Without a similar flexible transmitting device, these sensors would require wired connections to transmit health data. | Huanyu "Larry" Cheng, Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Assistant Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics in the Penn State College of Engineering, and two international teams of researchers are developing devices to explore the possibilities of wearable, flexible antennae. They published two papers in April in N…

Dr. Gary G. Kohls (2021-04-15). Video: The WHO's Vaccine Experts Inadvertently Communicate to the World that "Vaccine Hesitancy" Makes Scientific Sense. globalresearch.ca This was first published in March 2020. | In this expose, the …

Dr. Gary G. Kohls (2021-04-15). The WHO's Vaccine Experts Inadvertently Communicate to the World that "Vaccine Hesitancy" Makes Scientific Sense. globalresearch.ca This was first published in March 2020. | In this expose, the …

Lina Saigol (2021-04-15). Denmark Becomes First Country to Permanently Stop Use of AstraZeneca Vaccine. globalresearch.ca Denmark has become the first country to permanently halt the use …

Nick Corbishley (2021-04-15). Seven Reasons Why a Vaccine Passport (Pass, Certificate or Whatever They Want to Call It) Should Give Us Pause for Thought. globalresearch.ca Vaccine passports (or passes or certificates) are being rushed through around …

Miguel àÅngel Barrios (2021-04-15). La pandemia del coronavirus y los enigmas de su origen. globalizacion.ca El 8 de abril de 2021, el Consejo Nacional de Inteligencia (NIC) publico la séptima edición de su Informe Cuadrienal de Tendencias Globales. Se trata de una evaluación no clasificada de las fuerzas y dinámicas que el NIC anticipa que…

Paul Goble (2021-04-14). Russia In Midst Of Worst Demographic Decline Since World War II — OpEd. eurasiareview.com The horrific increase in mortality rates among Russians, only part of which is the product of the coronavirus pandemic, pushed Russia in 2020 into the worst demographic decline since World War II and figures for the first months of this year suggest that that decline is continuing, Aleksandr Zhelenin says. | Indeed, if the rates registered since the start of this year continue, Russia will stand to suffer one million more deaths than births, a figure that there is little or no chance the return of migrant workers will compensate for and that could further accelerate the decline as it will produce a smaller coh…

DoD News (2021-04-14). Austin In Brussels To Revitalize US Engagement With NATO Allies. eurasiareview.com By Jim Garamone | Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III arrived in Brussels Wednesday for meetings with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. It's the first in-person meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic began. | Afghanistan, Russia and the future of the alliance are among the issues being discussed. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will join Austin for the meetings with | Austin's visit is part an…

EurActiv (2021-04-14). Airlines Could use New EU COVID 'Passport' This Summer. eurasiareview.com ( The EU's proposed COVID travel certificate would contain information on vaccination, tests or recovery, and would be valid until the World Health Organisation declares the pandemic over, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders told law…

Suchi Branfman (2021-04-14). Undanced Dances During a Pandemic. thenation.com Undanced Dances During a Pandemic…

Global Research News (2021-04-14). Selected Articles: Fearmongering Goes Nuclear — 'We're in Brand-New Pandemic'. globalresearch.ca By Israeli researchers found people who received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were eight times more likely to be …

Nur Ayoubi (2021-04-14). Jordan: Woman given prison sentence for saying 'my father is better than the king'. middleeasteye.net Jordan: Woman given prison sentence for saying 'my father is better than the king' | Jordanian social media has erupted in support of 34-year-old Athar al-Dabbas, who has been accused of 'prolonging her tongue' by insulting King Abdullah II | Wed, 04/14/2021 – 13: 15 | Dabbas' sentence comes at a rocky time for Jordan, as economic difficulties, the Covid-19 pandemic and internal rifts within the royal famil…

teleSUR (2021-04-14). Five Strains Rise Weekly Average of COVID-19 Cases in the US. telesurenglish.net The United States has seen an upward trend in COVID-19 cases for four consecutive weeks, as social distancing and mask mandates were lifted in some areas and more variants transmitted across the country. | RELATED: | The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the current 7-day moving average of new COVID-19 cases stands at 67,530 cases, a figure which is up around 6 percentage points from the previous seven days. | M…

William J. Watkins, Jr. (2021-04-14). Supreme Court Grants Injunction On California COVID Restrictions — OpEd. eurasiareview.com On Friday, the Supreme Court in The divisive issue was whether California's regulation was one of general applicability treating religious conduct as well as the state treats comparable secular conduct. The majority found that the…

Grant Molen (2021-04-14). Public Banks: The Path to Freedom. realprogressives.org Just over a year ago, Congress passed the CARES act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis. Of the total $2.2 trillion dollar stimulus package authorized by the act, large corporations and small businesses pocketed

Binoy Kampmark (2021-04-14). Nimble Failure: The Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Program. counterpunch.org "I am not going to be talking about numbers today," Australia's Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly told Australia's Radio National on April 12. This echoed suggestions from the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, who had adopted the position that Australia best forget meeting any clear vaccination targets. Having left battling the pandemic to State governments,

WSWS (2021-04-14). At its conference in Dresden, the AfD positions itself as a fascist party. wsws.org At its party conference, leading representatives of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) fomented racism and demanded the ending of all protective measures against the coronavirus pandemic, as well as a massive rearmament programme.

VINS (2021-04-14). Domestic Violence Cases on Rise for LGBTQ+ Community during COVID Pandemic. projectcensored.org COVID-19 has led to hardships as individuals and households deal with lost jobs, social isolation, and the stresses of sheltering in place. A panel discussion presented by Boston University's Sexual…

WSWS (2021-04-14). UK government accelerates National Health Service privatisation under the cover of the pandemic. wsws.org The lie that American corporations would not be able to reap profits from the National Health Service has been stripped bare.

Martha Grevatt (2021-04-14). Capitalism, racism and the Michigan COVID surge. workers.org After a year of masking, social distancing and with significant sectors of the U.S. population vaccinated, COVID cases are beginning to decline. There are fewer reported deaths and hospitalizations. This is welcome news. But there are exceptions. COVID is spiking again in Michigan with new cases averaging over 7,000 per . . . |

Updated: 2021-04-16 02:02 | 22:02 EST | 50 | 0 | 16 | 36 | 0