(2021-04-18). How to Make a Gulf Monarchy All-American. tomdispatch.com Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S., was on the hot seat. In early March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world, oil prices collapsed and a price war broke out between Saudi Arabia and Russia, leaving American oil and gas companies feeling the pain. As oil prices plummeted, Republican senators from oil-producing states turned their ire directly on Saudi Arabia. Forget that civil war in Yemen — what about fossil-fuel profits here at home? To address their concerns, Ambassador Bandar Al-Saud agreed to speak with a group of them in a March 18th conference call [mda…
(2021-04-18). Wednesday Mission District Sharing Returns to 16th/Mission BART Plaza. indybay.org San Francisco Food Not Bombs' weekly Wednesday Mission District sharing has resumed its regular format after switching to mobile food distribution at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.
(2021-04-18). COVID protests and Weimar Family Court. indybay.org Democracy lives from criticism and protest. | The Weimar Family Court has banned two schools from requiring students to wear masks and take Corona tests – because the children would be harmed "physically, psychologically, pedagogically and in their psychosocial development."
(2021-04-18). Oregon may indefinitely extend controversial mask mandate as other states begin to ease Covid-19 restrictions. rt.com 
As some states begin to lift their Covid-19 measures, Oregon is considering keeping some of its own restrictions for the foreseeable future, reportedly prompting a flood of negative responses from the public. | Michael Wood, the administrator of the state's department of Occupational Safety and Health, said rules requiring masks and social distancing in all businesses in Oregon may be extended indefinitely. The restrictions, which are set to expire on May 4, could be maintained until they are "no longer necessary to address the effects of the pandemic in the workplace." | The proposal aims to satisfy state law…
(2021-04-18). El arma oculta del Lejano Oriente contra la COVID-19. globalizacion.ca Desde la perspectiva confuciana, los occidentales serían muy propensos al individualismo: no sacrificaríamos libertades personales y careceríamos de rigor laboral en favor del grupo familiar, empresarial y nacional. Tampoco resignaríamos demasiado por la salud pública. | El uso del barbijo es…
(2021-04-18). Casual manner, double mutant variant aggravate COVID-19 situation in India. ecns.cn India is at present reeling under the second COVID-19 wave, with over 200,000 new cases being registered each day recently and the national tally feared to cross the 15-million mark early next week.
(2021-04-18). COVID Profiteering Exposes the Need to Make Marxism Accessible to All. truthout.org 
The pandemic has upended ideas about economic ideology almost as much as it has upended the economy itself. There has been a massive shift of wealth toward billionaires and corporate giants like Amazon, at the expense of workers suffering the most sudden and severe wave of unemployment and impoverishment since the Great Depression. But there has also been paradigm-shifting federal stimulus legislation that has massively (if temporarily) expanded unemployment insurance and anti-poverty funding. Meanw…
(2021-04-18). UN Forum Highlights New Initiatives To Tackle Inequalities Exacerbated By Pandemic. eurasiareview.com By Radwan Jakeem | With many economies reeling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as inequalities continue to widen, world leaders discussed options to unlock concrete investments to support a sustainable and resilient recovery at the The four-day Forum, held under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (
(2021-04-18). Third Pfizer Jab 'Likely' Needed Within 12 Months. eurasiareview.com The head of Pfizer has said that people will "likely" need a third dose of his company's Covid-19 shot within six to 12 months of vaccination, while defending the relatively higher cost of the jab, Al Jazeera CEO Albert Bourla also said annual vaccinations against the coronavirus may well be required. | "We need to see what would be the sequence, and for how often we need to do that, that remains to be seen," Bourla told broadcaster CNBC in an interview aired on Thursday, April 15.
(2021-04-18). Fauci blasted for deeming gun violence 'public health issue,' criticizing vaccine hesitancy while backing tough Covid restrictions. rt.com 
White House advisor Anthony Fauci is being blasted by critics for attacking Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy while continuing to promote restrictions even for those inoculated, and weighing in on gun violence as a "public health issue." | Asked about recent polling showing nearly half of Republicans are still hesitant about receiving a Covid-19 vaccine, White House health advisor Fauci called the trend "frustrating" and "paradoxical." | "It's almost paradoxical that, on the one hand, they want to be relieved of the [public health] restrictions, but, on the other hand, they don't want to get vaccinated. It just almos…
(2021-04-18). Chinese Sinovac vaccine prevents 67 pct of symptomatic COVID-19 infections: Chilean study. ecns.cn The CoronaVac vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac is up to 67 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, Chile's Ministry of Health said on Friday.
(2021-04-18). Over 189 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses administered across China. ecns.cn Nearly 189.81 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across China as of Saturday, the National Health Commission said Sunday. Enditem…
(2021-04-18). Covid-19: Senior cleric Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi contracts virus. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Senior cleric Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi contracts virus | Tweet from cleric's official account says Qaradawi, who is in his 90s, is receiving medical care and doing well | Sun, 04/18/2021 – 09: 35 | Qaradawi is regarded as one of Islam's top thinkers, and his religious show on Doha-based Al Jazeera television was watched by millions until around 10 years ago (AFP) | Senior cleri…
(2021-04-18). Let the Children Play—My Prescription for Covid 'Learning Loss'. commondreams.org Play is the mind's way of finding out how things work, what a person can do, how it feels to do this or that. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-04-18). Dear President Biden, A WTO Waiver Is Vital and Necessary. commondreams.org At the current pace, many countries will be left waiting until at least 2024 to achieve mass Covid-19 immunization. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-04-18). Calls for Biden to Support Covid-19 Vaccine Patent Waiver at WTO. zcomm.org Sen. Bernie Sanders and a group of Democrats on Friday urged President Joe Biden to support an international push to temporarily suspend certain vaccine-related intellectual property rights…
(2021-04-18). Labour tells Rishi Sunak to stop 'hiding' and take 'responsibility' for Greensill deal. thecanary.co Labour's Anneliese Dodds has told chancellor Rishi Sunak he has "ultimate responsibility" for money lent through government Covid support schemes. And she accused Sunak of "hiding" from questions over the Greensill Capital affair. | The shadow chancellor has written to Sunak criticising his decision not to go to the House of Commons last week. He wasn't present to answer questions about the controversy surrounding lobbying by former prime minister David Cameron on behalf of failed firm Greensill Capital. | Evading scrutiny: | Instead, the government sent a junior business minister to answer an urgent ques…
(2021-04-18). Covid-19 Death Toll Tops 3 Million, Bolstering Call for #PeoplesVaccine. commondreams.org "As things stand, many countries in the southern hemisphere may not manage to achieve widespread vaccination until 2024. This long delay puts us all at risk." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-04-18). Big Pharma Conglomerate with a Criminal Record: Pfizer "Takes Over" the EU Vaccine Market. 1.8 Billion Doses. globalresearch.ca Introduction: |
(2021-04-18). A Most Political, and Perfidious, Pandemic. dissidentvoice.org Are we under Martial Law?…Nobody knows what's going on!…It's madness unleashed by human error! — Quotes taken from the trailer to George Romero's 1973 film Code Name Trixie, better known by its re-branded title The Crazies It's sure been a crazy last year, with more "crazy" in the forecast. We've got lots of novelty vaccines …
(2021-04-18). Egypt: Eleven people dead and nearly 100 injured after train derails north of Cairo. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt: Eleven people dead and nearly 100 injured after train derails north of Cairo | More than 50 ambulances rushed to the site in Qalioubia province after several carriages came off the track | Sun, 04/18/2021 – 14: 57 | People gather at the scene of the railway accident in the city of Toukh in Egypt's central Nile Delta province of Qalioubia (Reuters) | Egypt's health ministry has said…
(2021-04-18). An Epidemic of Low Expectations. dissidentvoice.org Years ago, I was sitting in a café with my rabble-rousing friend James, both of us gnawing our teeth over the myriad difficulties facing the peace and social justice movement in the United States. We cited the usual suspects that stood in the way of progress: the entrenched corporate and financial elite; the embedded Pentagon …
(2021-04-18). China's civil aviation sector fully recovers to pre-epidemic level: report. ecns.cn China's civil aviation sector has recovered to the pre-epidemic level in March, said an industry report.
(2021-04-18). AI Pinpoints Local Pollution Hotspots Using Satellite images. eurasiareview.com Researchers at Duke University have developed a method that uses machine learning, satellite imagery and weather data to autonomously find hotspots of heavy air pollution, city block by city block. | The technique could be a boon for finding and mitigating sources of hazardous aerosols, studying the effects of air pollution on human health, and making better informed, socially just public policy decisions. | "Before now, researchers trying to measure the distribution of air pollutants throughout a city would either try to use the limited number of existing monitors or drive sensors around a city in vehicles,"
(2021-04-18). Water Crisis Took Toll On Flint Adults' Physical, Mental health. eurasiareview.com Since state austerity policies initiated a potable water crisis seven years ago in Flint, Michigan, public health monitoring has focused on potential developmental deficits associated with lead exposure in adolescents or fetuses exposed in utero. | New research from Cornell and the University of Michigan offers the first comprehensive evidence that the city's adult residents suffered a range of adverse physical and mental health symptoms potentially linked to the crisis in the years during and following it, with Black residents affected disproportionately. | In a survey of more than 300 residents, 10% reported…
(2021-04-18). Massachusetts Nurses Face Down For-Profit Health Care Giant Tenet in Daring Strike. zcomm.org Close to 90 percent of the 800 nurses have been on strike since March 8…
(2021-04-18). Mumia Abu-Jamal is Scheduled for Open-Heart Surgery. zcomm.org Racism Remains the Greatest Medical Threat to Mumia's Health…
(2021-04-17). Ireland: Study of COVID-19 Deaths. globalresearch.ca Objectives | The goal of this study is not to impress academics …
(2021-04-17). Demand a four-week shutdown of auto plants to contain the spread of COVID-19! wsws.org JNAP workers in the trim department staged a protest Friday during the day shift, halting production after a worker was sent home after testing positive for COVID-19.
(2021-04-17). With death toll topping 365,000 Brazil faces "humanitarian catastrophe" wsws.org As the federal and state governments push for economic reopening, eight Brazilian states have reported an unprecedented population decrease due to COVID-19 deaths.
(2021-04-17). 'HUGE MISTAKE': Florida Gov. DeSantis blasts Covid-19 lockdowns, including the one he ordered last year. rt.com 
Florida's Ron DeSantis can boast being one of the most pro-freedom US governors in terms of Covid-19 rules, but he now regrets even going as far as ordering a 30-day lockdown last year, calling it a "huge mistake." | "We wanted to mitigate the damage," DeSantis said on Friday, in an Now in hindsight, the 15 days to slow the spread and the 30 — it didn't work. We shouldn't have gone down that road. | While the Florida lockdow…
(2021-04-17). China's consumption regains strength in Q1. ecns.cn China's retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of a country's consumption strength, picked up further in the first quarter of this year as the economy recovered from the impact of COVID-19.
(2021-04-17). Asian-American businesses hit hard amid COVID-19: media. ecns.cn Asian-owned businesses in the United States have suffered heavy losses amid the COVID-19 pandemic mainly due to difficulties in accessing government aid and fears over rising hate crimes against Asians, according to a recent report by Reuters.
(2021-04-17). Colleges Are Using COVID as an Excuse for Austerity. Unions Are Pushing Back. truthout.org 
As COVID-19 swept across the U.S. last winter and spring, colleges and universities adapted swiftly to the situation. Though it was swift, it was not without pain: Just as quickly as professors learned to teach through a screen on Zoom, administrations slashed budgets. In the early days of the pandemic, little was certain about the future — if students would defer fall enrollment, how states might cut education funding or if the federal government would step in to offset the financial im…
(2021-04-17). Majority Of US Population Supports Patent Waiver For COVID-19 Vaccine. popularresistance.org According to a new survey, more than 60% of US voters across party lines would support president Joe Biden endorsing the demand of a patent rights waiver for COVID-19 vaccines raised by over 100 countries at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The survey conducted by Data for Progress and the Progressive International and published on the latter's website shows that only 28% of all voters in the US oppose the move. | The survey indicates that the overwhelming majority of Democrats — over 72% — support the move which can reduce the cost of vaccine production and increase its reach to people in poor and…
(2021-04-17). 'Will it f*ck us up?' Ex-NFL star Marshawn Lynch grills Fauci over Covid vaccine claims (VIDEO). rt.com 
Former Seattle Seahawks superstar Marshawn Lynch has moved to dispel some of the questions surrounding the various Covid-19 vaccines amid concerns that some African-American communities are fearful of the jab. | Lynch garnered a reputation as being one of the NFL's grittiest competitors in a 12-year career on the gridiron which saw him claim a solitary Super Bowl ring as well as five Pro Bowl appearances, but even the man known as 'Beast Mode' admits that he has some reservations about the efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines. | Many figures within the African-American and Hispanic communities have expressed seri…
(2021-04-17). China's first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to start Phase III trial in May: media. ecns.cn China's first messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccine will start its Phase III clinical trial in May, China National Radio (CNR) has reported.
(2021-04-17). PM Sánchez Reaffirms Government Support For Spanish COVID-19 Vaccine. eurasiareview.com Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the installation of the pharmaceutical company HIPRA in Amer (Girona), where he saw first-hand the progress in the research for the vaccine against COVID-19 being performed by this Spanish multinational – one of the most advanced in its development in the country, which plans to hold clinical trials in June and produce 400 million doses in 2022. | Sánchez described the visit as "inspirational" and underlined that the government will continue to offer its full support in the hope of obtaining a Spanish vaccine against the virus. | Research and innovation, Sánchez arg…
(2021-04-17). China bio firm dispels fears of serious blood clots from its COVID-19 vaccine. ecns.cn China's CanSino Biologics Inc (CanSinoBIO) has said that no serious blood clot cases were reported in the recipients of its COVID-19 vaccine Ad5-nCoV.
(2021-04-17). Haiti: A Country Facing the Pandemic Without COVID-19 Vaccine. orinocotribune.com Haiti does not have a single vaccine to offer its more than 11 million people more than a year after the pandemic began, raising concerns among health experts that the well-being of Haitians is being sidelined as violence and political instability deepen across the country. | So far, Haiti is expected to receive only 756,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through a United Nations program aimed at ensuring that the neediest countries receive COVID-19 vaccines. | The free doses were scheduled to arrive no later than May, but delays are expected because Haiti missed a deadline and the key Indian manufacturer is no…
(2021-04-17). Over 183 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses administered across China. ecns.cn More than 183.53 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across China as of Thursday, the National Health Commission said Friday.
(2021-04-17). [Editorial] The ACT Accelerator: heading in the right direction? thelancet.com April 24, 2021, marks 1 year since the formation of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) partnership. Its mission is to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines, which is central to ending the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the pandemic still raging, has ACT-A been successful so far? And what does the future hold?
(2021-04-17). [World Report] Brazilian ICUs short of drugs and beds amid COVID-19 surge. thelancet.com Doctors are reporting shortages of critical drugs and the need to ration care, pointing to public health failures. Lise Alves reports from Sà£o Paulo.
(2021-04-17). Gravar las grandes fortunas en tiempos de pandemia. globalizacion.ca Mientras América Latina continúa siendo la región con mayor número de contagios y muertes por la covid-19, así como también la de mayor caída en su economía en el mundo, en el ámbito internacional se ha instalado el debate para…
(2021-04-17). Covid-19 May Fade, But Will the Tracking Tools Built to Fight It? commondreams.org We must ensure that temporary Covid-19 data surveillance infrastructures do not needlessly outlast this once-in-a-century pandemic. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-04-17). Large majority of US voters support patent waiver on Covid-19 vaccines. zcomm.org Shock poll reveals majority support for Joe Biden to suspend TRIPS and support global vaccination…
(2021-04-17). Indian variant could 'scupper' plans to ease coronavirus restrictions. thecanary.co The Indian coronavirus (Covid-19) mutation could "scupper" the UK's march to freedom, a leading scientist has warned. This despite the lockdown and vaccine programme leading to cases falling to a seven-month low. | Coronavirus infections across the UK dropped to the lowest level since the autumn, according to the latest figures. But a professor of immunology has called for Britain to be on its guard against a third wave. It comes after 77 reported domestic cases of another possible vaccine-busting mutation. | Indian variant: | Public Health England (PHE) reported 73 domestic cases of the B.1.617 variant,…
(2021-04-17). Students Bashed In Battle Over Mumia Abu-Jamal's Healthcare. indybay.org The author Linn Washington Jr. of ThisCantBeHappening.net has given the Jamal Journal permission to reprint this April 16 article.
(2021-04-17). Anthony Fauci, Chelsea Clinton To Speak At Vatican Health Conference. eurasiareview.com Anthony Fauci, Chelsea Clinton, and Deepak Chopra are among the featured speakers at a Vatican conference being held in May on the interplay of mind, body, and soul in healthcare. | The Vatican announced the conference organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Cura Foundation April 15. | "Exploring the Mind, Body & Soul: How Innovation and Novel Delivery Systems Improve Human Health," will take place virtually May 6-8. | It will feature the CEOs of large pharmaceutical companies, including Moderna and Pfizer, along with celebrities active in medical philanthropy, global health advocates, policyma…
(2021-04-17). New Wind and Solar up 50% globally in 2020, as China beats US by over 4 to 1. juancole.com 
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The new report on 2020 by the International Renewable Energy Agency reveals that the world's renewable energy generation capacity increased by an astonishing 10.3% in 2020 despite the global economic slowdown during the coronavirus pandemic. It beats the previous record for an annual increase in this sector by a healthy …
