(2021-02-20). Number of residential solar batteries increases by 50% in Germany. juancole.com 
By Sà∂ren Amelang | — The number of battery storage systems linked to a residential solar pv array rose by around 50 percent in Germany in 2020 for the third year in a row. The country's solar association BSW estimates there were 88,000 new residential installations, taking the total number of solar batteries in Germany …
(2021-02-20). Madagascar: A Nation of Hunger. dissidentvoice.org 
Madagascar is in great pain. Theodore Mbainaissem, the head of the World Food Programme (WFP) sub-office in Ambovombe, southern Madagascar, says: "Seeing the physical condition of people extremely affected by hunger who can no longer stand…children who are completely emaciated, the elderly who are skin and bone…these images are unbearable… People are eating white clay …
(2021-02-20). Pensacola State College faculty demand protection. workers.org 
Occupied Muscogee Creek land On Feb. 16, over 30 drivers circled the Pensacola State College-Warrington Campus buildings for half an hour, laying on their horns. Signs saying "High Risk" and "Betrayal" were taped to their vehicles. This action was led by the Pensacola State College Faculty Association, a chapter of . . . |
(2021-02-20). Partners: China and Cuba. dissidentvoice.org 
In the 1960s, the main forms of the Chinese assistance offered to Cuba were preferential trade and interest-free loans. From 1961 to 1965, China gave Cuba an interest-free loan of 60 million U.S. dollars. The two sides signed the China-Cuba Economic Cooperation Agreement, Trade and Payment Agreement, and Technology Cooperation Protocol. According to the agreement, …
(2021-02-20). Estados Unidos contra Cuba: El bloqueo es un crimen de lesa humanidad. globalizacion.ca 
Según la ONU, son crímenes contra la humanidad los que constituyen ataques generalizados o sistemáticos a la población civil. Son "crímenes de lesa humanidad" los exterminios, la esclavitud, la deportación o expulsión forzosa, la privación de la libertad física e…
(2021-02-20). Urgent Solidarity with Haiti is Needed. dissidentvoice.org 
A long-brewing crisis in Haiti, created through intervention by the United States, United Nations and allied western imperialist countries, has now come to a head. The Biden administration is openly backing a violent, corrupt and fraudulent leader, Jovenel MoàØse, and maintaining the policies of previous presidents, including Donald Trump, in Haiti. Activists in Haiti have …
(2021-02-20). How Democratic is China? dissidentvoice.org 
Like America, China is a republic and, like America, says it is democratic, but how democratic is China? A glance at history is always a good starting point The People are supreme, the state is secondary and the Ruler is the least important: only those who please the people can rule. Mencius1 In Roman politics, …
(2021-02-20). Israeli Troops Attack Non-Violent Palestinian Rallies in Kufur Qaddoum, Beit Dajan. imemc.org 
Israeli forces attacked the weekly non-violent protest marches and rallies in several parts of the West Bank Friday, injuring three Palestinians with rubber-coated steel bullets and causing dozens to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation. In Kufur Qaddoum, in the northern West Bank, two Palestinian protesters were taken to the hospital with severe injuries …
(2021-02-20). US State Department Accusation of China "Genocide" Is Garbage Reliant on Data Abuse and Fraudulent Claims. anti-empire.com 
Both President Joe Biden and his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken have endorsed former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's last-minute accusation of The US government's accusation of genocide against China stems from a single sour…
(2021-02-20). With No Compulsory Muzzling and Schools Open, Florida Ranks 11th Lowest in COVID Deaths per Capita Among Seniors. anti-empire.com 
There's a reason why the Biden regime is Dr. F…
(2021-02-20). Student loans continue to discriminate against Muslim students. thecanary.co 
To be Muslim in Britain means to be a part of a population of Interest is forbidden: | For young people venturing from college or sixth form into university, accepting a monstrous educational debt will always be a tricky decision. But for Muslims, deciding to take out a Student Finance Loan — or for that matter any loan which requires repayment with…
(2021-02-20). The Heat: G7 leaders' pledge on COVID-19 vaccines. america.cgtn.com 
Leaders from the Group of Seven Nations vow to work together to improve global access to COVID-19 vaccines.
(2021-02-20). Letter from an incarcerated worker on the struggle in Alabama. workers.org 
The following letter from an incarcerated worker in the Pennsylvania prison system was sent by email on Feb. 17 to Joe Piette, a member of the Prisoners Solidarity Committee of Workers World Party. From SCI Pine Grove: Nina Simone famously said: "Alabama got me so upset; Tennessee made me lose . . . |
(2021-02-20). Outage outrage: Texans see power bills as high as $17,000 after brutal storm pummels grid & leaves millions without electricity. rt.com 
In the wake of a fierce winter storm that knocked out power for millions of Texans, some residents are reporting colossal spikes in their electricity bills, with some asked to pay more than $17,000 for just a few weeks of service.
(2021-02-20). 'DEATH TO THE PATRIARCHY': Madonna lashes out at shadowy cabal of men attempting to 'cut off her life force'. rt.com (2021-02-20). 'DEATH TO THE PATRIARCHY': Madonna lashes out at shadowy cabal of men attempting to 'cut off her life force'. rt.com (2021-02-20). Biden declares 'major disaster' in Texas as state continues to battle power outages amid extreme cold. rt.com (2021-02-20). Not very PC? Chelsea Clinton-funded 'trans' app urges transitioning people to budget their money & be nice to cops. rt.com (2021-02-20). Beleaguered Texans forced to flee burning hotel as sprinkler system fails due to frozen pipes (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com (2021-02-20). Texas police looking for more than 100 illegal immigrants who fled smuggling truck amid winter freeze. rt.com (2021-02-20). Iraq: Rockets target airbase north of Baghdad after clashes with IS. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-20). Russian air strikes 'kill 21 Islamic State fighters' in Syrian desert. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-20). Mercenaries boss Erik Prince violated Libya weapons embargo: UN report. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-20). Algeria releases dozens of jailed pro-democracy activists after presidential pardons. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-20). Israel purchased Russian Covid vaccine for Syria in exchange for captive: Reports. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-20). Turkey's Erdogan seeks 'win-win' relationship with US. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-20). Saudi Arabia to invest $20bn in domestic arms industry. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-20). [Comment] Offline: What is the UK for? thelancet.com The UK Government this year hosts two important events—the G7 (June 11—13) and COP26 (Nov 1—12). The priorities set out by Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his G7 presidency are four-fold: fighting against and recovering from COVID-19; climate action; free and fair trade; and shared values as open societies. Global health will indeed be a concern for the US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, and Italy. Some G7 countries have performed poorly in responding to the pandemic. What should be the UK's approach to global health? Last week, Lord Nigel Crisp convened the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gl…
(2021-02-20). High Court rules the Government acted unlawfully by failing to disclose Covid contracts. thecanary.co The Government unlawfully failed to publish details of billions of pounds' worth of coronavirus-related contracts, the High Court has ruled. | The Good Law Project took legal action against the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for its "wholesale failure" to disclose details of contracts agreed during the Covid-19 pandemic. | The Government is required by law to publish a "contract award notice" within 30 days of the award of any contracts for public goods or services worth more than £120,000. | At a hearing earlier this month, the Good Law Project and three MPs — Labour's Debbie Abrahams, t…
(2021-02-20). New Zealand rolls out Covid-19 vaccination campaign. laprensalatina.com Sydney, Australia, Feb 20 (efe-epa).- New Zealand, one of the best countries worldwide in terms of managing the new coronavirus pandemic, on Saturday officially kicked off its anti-Covid vaccination campaign by administering the vaccine developed by American pharma company Pfizer to its frontline workers. "And our COVID 19 vaccination programme begins! We're starting with our …
(2021-02-20). Tanzanian president tells public to 'pray away' coronavirus. yenisafak.com Tanzanian President John Magufuli, who fueled confusion and conspiracies by denying the very existence of the coronavirus pandemic, urged the country's 56 million citizens to pray for three days to defeat unnamed "respiratory diseases," once again disregarding the warnings of scientists and experts.Tanzanians mourned the death of two authority figures who died on Thursday, Chief Secretary John Kijazi and Zanzibar's First Vice President Seif Sharif Hamad."Maybe we have wronged God somewhere… let us all repent," the populist Covid-19-denying leader told mourners on Friday at a funeral for his chief secretary, acc…
(2021-02-20). Concerns grow in India over COVID-19 resurgence. yenisafak.com After days of steady decline, several states in India are seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases, the country's Health Ministry said on Saturday."There has been a rise in daily cases in Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh," read a ministry statement.The western state of Maharashtra, one of India's most populous regions, recorded 6,112 new cases over the past day."In the past week, Maharashtra has exhibited a spike in the number of daily new cases, accounting for the highest number of daily new cases in the country today," the Health Ministry said.In a bid to stem the alarming spike, the Maharas…
(2021-02-20). [Correspondence] Why the global health community should support the EndSARS movement in Nigeria. thelancet.com In the past year, more Nigerians have been killed by state-sanctioned security forces than by COVID-19, according to data on the Nigeria Security Tracker and Worldometers.1 Formed in 1992, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has become the public threat the squad was created to prevent. Killings of young adults by the SARS has spurred peaceful demonstrations across Nigeria calling for disbandment of the SARS.2 On Oct 20, 2020, peaceful protesters were murdered by state-sanctioned forces at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, Nigeria's most populous city.
(2021-02-20). Russia registers its 3rd COVID-19 vaccine. yenisafak.com Russia has registered and its Health Ministry approved a third coronavirus vaccine for public use, the country's prime minister announced on Saturday.The vaccine, called CoviVac, was developed by the Chumakov Center for Research and Development of Immunobiological Drugs, Mikhail Mishustin said at a meeting with the government in Moscow."I want to start with some very good news: today, the third vaccine, CoviVac, was registered," he said, adding that by mid-March, "the first 120,000 doses will be launched into civil circulation."Strict controls will ensure that stepped-up production will in no case affect the vacc…
(2021-02-20). [Department of Error] Department of Error. thelancet.com Logunov DY, Dolzhikova IV, Shcheblyakov DV, et al. Safety and efficacy of an rAd26 and rAd5 vector-based heterologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccine: an interim analysis of a randomised controlled phase 3 trial in Russia. Lancet 2021; 397: 671—81—In this Article, the funder list has been updated by removing one that was incorrectly listed; in figure 2, the number at risk at the day 20 timepoint has been corrected to 15‚Äà117; in figure 3B, the number of male participants labelled on the graph has been corrected to 46; and in the legend of figure 3, the following sentence has been added…
(2021-02-20). [World Report] von der Leyen admits to COVID-19 vaccine failures. thelancet.com EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's comments come after much scrutiny of the EU vaccination programme. Rob Hyde reports.
(2021-02-20). [World Report] Severe mental illness: reassessing COVID-19 vaccine priorities. thelancet.com As evidence mounts that patients with severe mental illness are at increased risk of severe COVID-19, some countries are reassessing their vaccine priority strategies. Nayanah Siva reports.
(2021-02-20). The Global South Faces A 'Vaccine Apartheid'. popularresistance.org The coronavirus crisis in South Africa is far from over despite falling case numbers in recent weeks. The virus has claimed more than of 50,000 lives, and many health experts predict a devastating third wave. Complicating matters is a new coronavirus mutation known as n501, which threatens to upend South Africa's vaccination plans. | Unprecedented scientific collaboration has expedited the development of the new vaccine candidates, but patents protecting the bottom lines of the pharmaceutical companies have hampered efforts to manufacture vaccines at scale. Meanwhile, the United States and Western Europe have hoa…
(2021-02-20). Saturday 2/27: Health Justice Dialogue. indybay.org Webinar Online…
(2021-02-20). Biden Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Texas. telesurenglish.net The declaration establishes a federal emergency aid for Texas including funding for individuals in 77 counties as well as "grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster," according to Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(2021-02-20). Turkey says to begin easing coronavirus restrictions starting March 1. yenisafak.com Turkey will start to gradually normalize from coronavirus restrictions as of March 1, Turkey's health minister said on Saturday.Underlining that they are working carefully on normalization steps, Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that the process will start with provincial public health councils dealing with four risk levels in line with Health Ministry criteria.Announcing earlier this week an easing of restrictions starting in March, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said provinces will be categorized as low, medium, high, or very high risk based on infection rates and the vaccination process.Turkey on Friday reported…
(2021-02-20). [Correspondence] Global need: including rehabilitation in health system strengthening. thelancet.com We read with great enthusiasm Alarcos Cieza and colleagues'1 analysis of data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to estimate that 2 ∑41 billion people (95% uncertainty interval 2 ∑34—2 ∑50 billion) worldwide would benefit from rehabilitation services. This comprehensive work quantifies an increasing burden of non-fatal health losses potentially addressed by rehabilitation services. Cieza and colleagues' work complements findings from our series of secondary analyses of GBD 2017,2—4 in which we focused on an extensive set of health conditions tha…
(2021-02-20). [Correspondence] The Health Index for England. thelancet.com In the Chief Medical Officer for England's 2018 independent annual report, we called for the development of a composite health index.1,2 We are delighted that the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) has developed and published a beta version of such an index,3 alongside a useful Health Index Explorer tool.
(2021-02-20). [Perspectives] Sharrelle Barber: at the intersection of place, race, and health. thelancet.com Sharrelle Barber's research focuses on the intersection of place, race, and health. As Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Urban Health Collaborative at Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health in Philadelphia, PA, USA, her work has been crucial in assessing the impact of structural racism on racial health inequities among Black people in the USA and Brazil. She sees segregation as a symbol of the economic, social, political, and racial divide in a city: "From Jackson, Mississippi, to Rio de Janeiro, segregation is one of the most visible manif…
(2021-02-20). [Perspectives] Healthy because you deserve it, unhealthy because you don't? thelancet.com "Men at some time are masters of their fates;/ The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,/But in ourselves, that we are underlings." We have only ourselves to blame for being "petty men", explains Cassius to Brutus in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. By contrast, Julius Caesar has someone remind him that he is mortal. His hubris comes at the expense of others' humiliation.
(2021-02-20). [Department of Error] Department of Error. thelancet.com Li X, Mukandavire C, Cucunubà ZM, et al. Estimating the health impact of vaccination against ten pathogens in 98 low-income and middle-income countries from 2000 to 2030: a modelling study. Lancet 2021; 397: 398—408—In appendix 2, the table legends for appendix 3 p 1 (d—f) and p 2 (d—f) should have been for under-5s by calendar view, and the table legends for appendix 3 p 1 (g—i) and p 2 (g—i) should have been for all ages by cohort view. The titles of the tables have also been corrected. These corrections have been made as of Feb 18, 2021.
(2021-02-20). Offshore workers back 'landmark' agreement on terms and conditions. thecanary.co Offshore workers have backed a "landmark" agreement their union said will lead to better terms and conditions. | Union power: | Members of the GMB working for North Sea oil and gas companies endorsed the Energy Services Agreement (ESA), described as a groundbreaking new collective agreement for thousands of engineering and maintenance workers. The union described it as a landmark deal, saying it will benefit North Sea workers by providing an equal footing to negotiate pay, terms and conditions, and health, safety and welfare standards. | Ross Murdoch, GMB national officer, said: This new agreement marks th…
(2021-02-20). G7 Discusses Vaccines, Debt Relief, Tax Plans and Climate Change. indybay.org Biden Commits $4 Billion for Vaccine Distribution in Developing Countries…
(2021-02-20). Biden's Health Plan Shifts Even More Public Dollars Into Private Hands. popularresistance.org As the American Rescue Plan (ARP) winds its way through Congress, some progressives are hailing its health provisions as the greatest expansion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 10 years, while conservatives are claiming that it is a slippery slope to a national Medicare for All system. Democrats have decided to forego seeking Republican support for President Biden's $1.9 trillion promise of relief to those suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic and recession by using the budget reconciliation process. This has Republicans worried the legislation will be used to advance the progressive agenda to expand government…
Pop icon Madonna has complained that a conniving cadre of scheming men has prevented her from reaching her full potential, but some believe that the obscenely wealthy and successful entertainer may be overreacting. | "The Patriarchy continues to try to crush my neck with their heavy boots, cut off my life force and take away my voice—Even those who call themselves artists…………..You know who you are!!! DEATH TO THE PATRIARCHY! Now and Forever," Madonna tweeted, including a photograph of herself wearing a glittering tiara. | #riskwhatyouvalue (2021-02-20). Google fires ANOTHER AI ethics researcher amid row over 'censorship & racism,' as team member accuses company of 'smear campaign'. rt.com 
Google has terminated the head researcher on its AI ethics team over what the tech giant deemed a violation of its "code of conduct," as the company faces an internal revolt over a previous firing of a black data scientist. | Margaret Mitchell, who led Google's Ethical AI unit, announced her termination in a brief tweet on Friday, saying only "I'm fired" without offering further detail. | I'm fired.— MMitchell (@mmitchell_ai) Google's own statement on the matter was also somewhat vague, confi…
Pop icon Madonna has complained that a conniving cadre of scheming men has prevented her from reaching her full potential, but some believe that the obscenely wealthy and successful entertainer may be overreacting. | "The Patriarchy continues to try to crush my neck with their heavy boots, cut off my life force and take away my voice—Even those who call themselves artists…………..You know who you are!!! DEATH TO THE PATRIARCHY! Now and Forever," Madonna tweeted, including a photograph of herself wearing a glittering tiara. | The Patriarchy continues to try to crush my neck with their heavy boots, cu…
President Joe Biden has declared that "a major disaster" status is in effect in Texas, unlocking federal money for counties that have been suffering from an unusual and deadly cold wave. | His action allows for federal funding to dozens of Texan counties affected by the cold, the White House said. The money may be used for temporary housing, home repairs, low-cost loans and other assistance to residents and business owners. | Also on rt.com | | Bide…
A mobile app marketed at trans people that received funding from former first daughter Chelsea Clinton has been slammed by the internet as overtly patronizing. Even worse, the app urges users to be polite to the police. | Created in 2019, Euphoria has been billed as an app designed to help individuals navigate gender transition, as well as provide people with support once they complete the procedure. | Read more | | The platform hos…
Guests at a four-story hotel in Texas were forced to flee into the freezing cold as a fire engulfed the entire building when the sprinkler system failed due to frozen pipes. | The fire broke out at the Hilton Garden Inn near Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas shortly before 9pm local time. The hotel had been serving as emergency accommodation for many stricken local residents, including several soldiers from the nearby Eyewitness footage from the scene purports to show the fire as it ripped through the hotel…
Texas authorities are seeking a group of more than 100 illegal immigrants wandering through the freezing, storm-hammered state. They fled a packed smuggling truck, in which they were being transported in suffocating conditions. | Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told reporters on Thursday that his department received a call from a truckload of illegal immigrants in San Antonio that evening. Their smugglers had sealed up the refrigerated truck and blocked air holes, and the migrants feared that they would suffocate inside. | Deputies in the area noticed movement around a truck parked at a gas station, and sa…
Iraq: Rockets target airbase north of Baghdad after clashes with IS | Attack on Al-Balad base injures a contractor and came hours after Iraqi security forces raided a nearby Islamic State hideout amid increasing tensions | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 19: 31 | A doctor treats a man wounded in a rocket attack on US forces at Erbil airport, northern Iraq, on 15 February (Reuters) | Four rockets hit the…
Russian air strikes 'kill 21 Islamic State fighters' in Syrian desert | Russian jets launched 130 air strikes over 24 hours according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 11: 01 | Russian air power has backed Syrian forces clashing with Islamic State fighters (AFP) | Russia launched at least 130 air strikes in Syria over the past 24 hours, killing at least 21 Isla…
Mercenaries boss Erik Prince violated Libya weapons embargo: UN report | US media say the accusations against founder of security firm Blackwater could potentially lead to him facing sanctions | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 09: 39 | Erik Prince did not cooperate with the UN inquiry and his lawyer declined to comment to the New York Times (AFP) | Mercenaries boss Erik Prince pumped $80m in weapons and fighters into easter…
Algeria releases dozens of jailed pro-democracy activists after presidential pardons | Pardons issued by President Tebboune ahead of second anniversary of Hirak uprising, with prominent journalist Khaled Drareni among those freed | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 20: 26 | Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni is greeted by supporters upon his release from Kolea prison, west of the capital Algiers, on 19 Fe…
Israel purchased Russian Covid vaccine for Syria in exchange for captive: Reports | Order said to be part of a deal which freed an Israeli woman who crossed into Syria through Quneitra a few weeks ago | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 13: 45 | The Ynet news site reported on Saturday that Israel purchased more than $1m worth of doses of the Sputnik V vaccine (AFP) | Israel is said to have agreed to purch…
Turkey's Erdogan seeks 'win-win' relationship with US | Turkish president reaches out to Biden administrations and says 'common interests of Turkey and the United States outweigh the differences' | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 21: 46 | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Earlier this week, Turkey had accused the US of supporting PKK 'terrorists' (AFP) | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said…
Saudi Arabia to invest $20bn in domestic arms industry | Kingdom wants to shift towards manufacturing much of its own weapons over the next decade after US sales ban | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 15: 49 | Saudi Arabia wants to spend at least half of its military budget locally by 2030 (AFP) | Saudi Arabia has announced plans to pump $20bn into producing more of its own weapons and military systems o…