2020-07-17: News Headlines

Harry Rutter, Richard Horton, Theresa M Marteau (2020-07-18). [Comment] The Lancet—Chatham House Commission on improving population health post COVID-19. thelancet.com The health of populations across the planet is in a perilous state during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 550‚Äà000 deaths worldwide as of July 10, 2020.1 The disease burden is falling mainly on the most disadvantaged groups worldwide and there are major impacts on health systems across high, middle, and low-income countries. In parallel with these direct health impacts, the economic effects of lockdowns are leading to an unprecedented global recession which will have ramifications well into the future.

_____ (2020-07-17). Nicaragua: The Revolution Won't Be Stopped. popularresistance.org 2019 was an amazing year in the search for peace in Nicaragua with The Amnesty Law and the promotion of reconciliation between neighbors in every corner of the nation. It was a year of life-giving advances in all aspects of wellbeing: poverty reduction, health, education, gender equity, recreation, culture and infrastructure; strengthened food security, and a new highway that joins Bluefields to the rest of the nation making the first paved transit route from the Caribbean to the Pacific. | And all this despite cruel US unconventional warfare against the Sandinistas that has gone on for decades and reached a peak…

yenisafak (2020-07-17). Cuba set to strengthen economic ties with Turkey: envoy. yenisafak.com Cuba wants to strengthen economic ties with Turkey and welcome more Turkish entrepreneurs following a range of new trade-facilitating measures in the Caribbean nation, country's ambassador to Turkey said Friday.Luis Alberto Amoros Nunez's remarks came during his visit to Anadolu Agency's Deputy Director-General and Editor-in-Chief Metin Mutanoglu in the agency's Ankara headquarters.The ambassador and Mutanoglu discussed ways to improve bilateral relations and Anadolu Agency's global operation.Noting that the US is trying to limit the third parties' ties with Cuba through embargoes, Amoros said Cuba has taken new…

Eds. (2020-07-17). Cuba in the last stretch of the Pandemic. mronline.org Cuba is only a few days away from ending its coronavirus quarantine. Except for Havana, all the other provinces are free of the contagion and have begun moving toward a new normality.

Staff (2020-07-17). "This Is Trump's War": U.S.-Backed Saudi Bombing in Yemen Continues as Coronavirus Spreads. democracynow.org As the coronavirus spreads in Yemen, where the population already devastated by the world's worst humanitarian crisis faces growing hunger and aid shortages, the Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition continues to drop bombs in the country. We speak to Yemeni scholar Shireen Al-Adeimi, who calls the ongoing crisis "Trump's war." "We're seeing death rates that are just astronomical," Al-Adeimi says. "The war continues, the bombing continues, the blockade is still enforced."

Christian Kreiss (2020-07-17). Economic impact of corona lockdowns. indybay.org Even before the current lockdown-induced economic depression, the assets of the lowest 20 percent of US households – between 2007 and 2019 – had fallen by about a third according to the Wall Street Journal, and their incomes had fallen by 2 percent in real terms in these 12 years. Then came the lockdown. It hit the bottom fifth of the US population correspondingly hard.

The Canary (2020-07-17). Lloyds promises drive to hire more Black managers. thecanary.co One of the UK's biggest banks has promised that at least 3% of its managers will be Black by the middle of the decade. | Lloyds said it plans to increase the number of Black people in senior management roles by around 400%, as it said that a focus on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) targets had not led to enough progress. | As of 2011, a census found that just over 3% of the UK's population were Black, but Black people only make up around 1.5% of Lloyds' total workforce and 0.6% of senior management. | "We aim to create a fully inclusive environment that is representative of modern-day Britain and where ev…

yenisafak (2020-07-17). Hajj cancelation due to COVID-19 hurting Somali farmers. yenisafak.com With the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, or hajj, canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the socio-economic lives of Somalis have been dealt a serious blow.Livestock accounts for almost 80% of Somali export earnings, providing nutrition and income to more than 60% of the population, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization."I have to sell my animals whenever I hear there is a market right now. COVID-19 has really affected us who used to export animals all the way to Saudi Arabia for Hajj," livestock trader Cabdi Axmed told Anadolu Agency at an open-air Barwaaqo-sooraan ma…

Neil Decenteceo (2020-07-16). Small Island Countries Aren't Waiting for Rich Countries to Act on Climate. counterpunch.org On September 18, 2017, the category-5 Hurricane Maria ravaged the shores of Dominica, damaging or destroying 90 percent of its buildings and causing damage equivalent to 200 percent of the small Caribbean island nation's GDP. In the aftermath, 20 percent of Dominica's roughly 70,000 inhabitants had to flee due to lost homes or jobs, and

Tanya Wadhwa (2020-07-16). Crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean will deepen in coming months, experts claim. peoplesdispatch.org Several reports by international and regional organizations on the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic on Latin America and the Caribbean indicate that the economic, health and social crisis is going to aggravate in the region in the coming months…

Arleen Rodríguez Derivet (2020-07-16). Cuba's president and international coronavirus fighters talk about the pandemic. peoplesworld.org HAVANA — The Cuban president arrived early, when the blazing summer sun was still just a gentle caress over the beautiful gardens of the La Pradera International Health Center, in the western part of the capital, Havana. "We made this really early, 7: 30 in the morning, so you can be home soon, which you must be …

Arleen Rodríguez Derivet (2020-07-16). El presidente de Cuba y los combatientes del coronavirus hablan sobre la pandemia. peoplesworld.org El Presidente llegó tempranito, cuando todavía el sol abrasador de estos días, era una caricia sobre los hermosos jardines del Centro Internacional de Salud La Pradera, al oeste la Capital. "Bien temprano, para que puedan estar pronto en sus casas, que es lo que más ansían", dijo a manera de explicación de aquella cita a …

teleSUR (2020-07-16). Attempt to Sell Puerto Rico Is Offensive, Cuba Points Out. telesurenglish.net Cuba's Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez Thursday said that President Donald Trump's attempt to "sell" Puerto Rico evidences his contempt for the Latin American nations. | RELATED: | "Recently disclosed attempt to sell Puerto Rico is gross evidence of U.S. President despise for nations of the hemisphere and explains adherence to Monroe Doctrine, a colonial instrument with a well-known history of death and hardships,"

Eds. (2020-07-16). Turin grants honorary citizenship to head of Cuban medical brigade (+ Photos). mronline.org The Municipal Council of Turin granted the honorary citizenship of that city in the region of Piedmont to Dr. Julio Guerra, head of the Cuban medical brigade that helped fight COVID-19 there.

teleSUR (2020-07-16). Cuba: 20 Days Without Critically Ill Covid-19 Patients. telesurenglish.net The Ministry of Public Health of Cuba (MINSAP) reported on Thursday that no critically ill patients with Covid-19 had been reported for 20 consecutive days in Cuba. | RELATED: | During his daily press briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic, the national director of Epidemiology, Dr. Francisco Duran stressed that no deaths were reported for five consecutive days and the death toll remained at 87. | The MINSAP expert said that e…

yenisafak (2020-07-16). Italy imposes travel ban on 3 more Balkan nations. yenisafak.com Italy on Thursday imposed a travel ban on three more Balkan nations due to the coronavirus pandemic, the country's heath minister said.Italy's list of high-risk countries now contains 16 nations with new additions; Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Facebook.Travelers, who had been in these countries in the last 14 days, will not be able to enter Italy.The list of restricted countries included Armenia, Bahrein, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bosnia Herzegovina, Chile, Kuwait, North Macedonia, Moldova, Oman, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic, Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo.Since originati…

WSWS (2020-07-16). Nearly 70,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in US prisons. wsws.org As the virus's spread in prisons continues unabated, a new study shows the COVID-19 death rate for US inmates is triple the population at large.

Rajan Menon (2020-07-16). How the Pandemic Hit Americans: Selective in Its Impact, the Virus Has Struck the Homeless Hard. counterpunch.org The novel SARS-CoV-2 has roared through the American landscape leaving physical, emotional, and economic devastation in its wake. By early July, known infections in this country exceeded three million, while deaths topped 135,000. Home to just over 4% of the global population, the United States accounts for more than a quarter of all fatalities from

Raul Diego (2020-07-16). New Tech Company Partnership to Offset Responsibility for Public Safety and Health onto AI. mintpressnews.com A new tech partnership augurs a bleak vision for the future of public safety and health emergencies where algorithms and mass profiling of entire populations make the social contract obsolete.

teleSUR (2020-07-16). Venezuela Denounces US Destroyer Incursion in Contiguous Zone. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza Thursday denounced to the international community that the USS Pinckney (DDG-91) warship sneaked into the "contiguous zone" of this South American country. | RELATED: | "It is an inexcusable act of provocation that aims to undermine our sovereignty and territorial integrity," Arreaza tweeted. | He also stressed that this act of "erratic and childish" provocati…

teleSUR (2020-07-16). Venezuela's Electoral Process Is Legitimate, Fernandez Says. telesurenglish.net Argentina's RELATED: | His statements came after international mainstream media…

_____ (2020-07-16). Blockbuster Oil Bribery Scandal Exposes Corrupt Double-Dealing Of Guaidó 'Attorney General'. popularresistance.org Below the radar of US media, a district court in Florida tossed out a multibillion-dollar bribery case in March 2018 thanks to testimony delivered by a former member of the shadow administration of Venezuelan coup leader Juan Guaidó. | That ex-official, Jose Ignacio Hernandez, served as attorney general in the US-backed Guaidó junta until July of this year. As this investigation will reveal, Hernandez's testimony was bought and paid for by foreign oil giants with an interest in defrauding Venezuela's state petroleum company out of billions of dollars. | These corporate titans, which included some of the world's l…

sputniknews (2020-07-16). 'Inexcusable Act of Provocation': Caracas Denounces US Navy Destroyer Steaming in Venezuelan Waters. sputniknews.com The Venezuelan government has denounced a "freedom of navigation operation" performed by the US Navy on Thursday, calling the violation of Venezuelan waters by a US warship ostensibly defending the freedom of the seas "erratic and childish."

Jean Jores Pierre (2020-07-15). PetroCaribe is at the heart of a geopolitical battle in the Carribean. peoplesdispatch.org For the past two years, Haitians have been engaged in several

WSWS (2020-07-15). Further details emerge on far-right views of Canadian army reservist who tried to kill Trudeau. wsws.org The political establishment fears an examination of the far-right incubating in the armed forces would cut across plans to dramatically increase military spending and aggression.

Germán Gorraiz López (2020-07-15). Is U.S. Military Action against Venezuela Contemplated? Trump Wants to Extradite Maduro. globalresearch.ca The Sino-Venezuelan agreement by which the Chinese state petrochemical company Sinopec will invest 14,000 million dollars to achieve daily oil production of 200,000 barrels per day of crude in the Orinoco Oil Belt, (considered the most abundant oil field in …

Elijah Magnier (2020-07-15). Quand le Hezbollah brandit la carte de la Chine et de l'Iran, les USA tremblent. thealtworld.com En toute hâte et sous l'≈ìil vigilant des drones israéliens et américains, le Hezbollah stocke des centaines de tonnes de stocks de nourriture, fournis par l'Iran, dans des dizaines d'entrepà¥ts improvisés à la frontière syro-libanaise. Cette nouvelle mesure inhabituelle du Hezbollah concrétise la récente promesse du secrétaire général Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah de prévenir la menace de famine qui pèse sur la population libanaise. | La guerre menée par Israà´l et les USA contre l'Axe de la Résistance se poursuit, mais à l'aide d'outils différents. Elle est passée de guerres conventionnelles av…

Elijah Magnier (2020-07-15). When Hezbollah flags up the China and Iran options, the US trembles. thealtworld.com Hastily and under the watchful eye of Israeli and US drones, Hezbollah is storing hundreds of tons of food stock, supplied by Iran, in dozens of improvised warehouses on the Syrian-Lebanese border. This new and unusual step by Hezbollah reflects Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's recent promise to prevent the starvation threat looming for the Lebanese population. | The US-Israel war against the "Axis of the Resistance" continues but with different tools. It is progressing from waging wars with armies on the ground as the US did in Afghanistan in 2001 and in Iraq in 2003, and as Israel did in Lebanon in <...

Jessica Culhane, Monisha Sharma, Kate Wilson, D.Allen Roberts, Cyrus Mugo, Dalton Wamalwa, Irene Inwani, Ruanne V. Barnabas, Pamela K. Kohler (2020-07-15). Modeling the health impact and cost threshold of long-acting ART for adolescents and young adults in Kenya. thelancet.com Providing LA-ART to AYA can be cost-effective in Kenya if it is less than twice the cost of oral ART. Long-acting injectable ART for priority populations with low viral suppression has the potential to cost-effectively avert disability and death.

Staff (2020-07-15). Texas and Arizona Request Refrigerated Trucks as Morgues Run Out of Space. truthout.org Refrigerated trucks are en route to Texas and Arizona as morgues struggle to deal with the rising number of deaths resulting from Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, a Democrat, told reporters that at least one morgue in Maricopa County, home to nearly 60% of the state's population, was "near cap…

news.un (2020-07-15). Venezuela: amputation, extortion and death amidst booming gold mining racket. news.un.org The Human Rights Council on Wednesday heard damning reports of serious exploitation and abuse of children and indigenous communities in Venezuela, where mining for gold and other minerals is booming.

Ricardo Vaz (2020-07-15). Venezuela's Oil Production Plunges as US Issues New Threats. venezuelanalysis.com Special Envoy Elliott Abrams threatened to "go after" shipping companies that continue to transport Venezuelan crude.

Stansfield Smith (2020-07-15). WOLA's David Smilde Advocates a more Efficient Regime Change Strategy against Venezuela. dissidentvoice.org Common Dreams, a liberal-left website, reposted an article by David Smilde of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA): "Joe Biden Should Not Try to Out-Hawk Trump on Venezuela." It starts off well with the subtitle: "The first task for a Biden administration would be to take military intervention off the table." The US has …

Cira Pascual Marquina (2020-07-15). Popular protagonism in Venezuela's transition to socialism: A conversation with Michael Lebowitz. mronline.org The Marxist theorist emphasizes that socialism involves people transforming themselves.

_____ (2020-07-15). Trump Tells Florida Crowd 'Something Will Happen In Venezuela' Soon. popularresistance.org On a trip to COVID-19 riddled Florida this weekend, President Donald Trump not-so-cryptically revealed that he had something big planned for Venezuela during a meeting with leaders of the U.S. military's Southern Command. "Something will happen with Venezuela. That's all I can tell you," he said, before adding that Washington would be "very much involved" in what he was referencing. Biden has also taken a hard line on Venezuela and is attempting to out-hawk Trump on the issue. "It's time for free and fair elections so that the Venezuelan people can turn the page on the corrupt and repressive Maduro regime," he sa…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-14). Cuban doctors land in Azerbaijan to help fight COVID-19. peoplesdispatch.org Over 100 medical professionals from the Henry Reeve Brigade arrived in Azerbaijan on Monday. The brigade, founded by Fidel Castro in 2005, has worked in more than 25 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic…

Kozhimannil KB, Interrante JD, Tuttle MS, et al. (2020-07-14). Changes in Hospital-Based Obstetric Services in Rural US Counties, 2014-2018. jamanetwork.com This study describes hospital-based obstetric service losses in rural US counties between 2014 and 2018 overall and by county population and urban adjacency.

Alan MacLeod (2020-07-14). Trump Tells Florida Crowd "Something Will Happen in Venezuela" Soon. thealtworld.com "Something will happen with Venezuela. That's all I can tell you," Trump said, before not-so-cryptically adding that Washington would be "very much involved." | MPN— On a trip to COVID-19 riddled Florida this weekend, President Donald Trump not-so-cryptically revealed that he had something big planned for Venezuela during a meeting with leaders of the U.S. military's Southern Command. "Something will happen with Venezuela. That's all I can tell you," he