2020-07-21: News Headlines

Rabail Chaudhry, George Dranitsaris, Talha Mubashir, Justyna Bartoszko, Sheila Riazi (2020-07-21). [Research Paper] A country level analysis measuring the impact of government actions, country preparedness and socioeconomic factors on COVID-19 mortality and related health outcomes. thelancet.com In this exploratory analysis, low levels of national preparedness, scale of testing and population characteristics were associated with increased national case load and overall mortality.

Gloria La Riva (2020-07-21). Cuba flattens the COVID-19 curve. liberationnews.org Photo: Director of Epidemiology of the Cuban Ministry of Health Dr. Francisco Durán García, in his daily press conference Yesterday, the United States surpassed 140,000 COVID-19 deaths. More than 3.7 million people in the U.S. are known to have fallen ill, by far the largest number of cases in the world. The Trump administration's monumentally …

Anand Naidoo (2020-07-21). U.S. battles COVID-19 and Cuba's medical aid. america.cgtn.com Coronavirus cases surge across the United States with the death toll now topping 140,000. And, Cuba's medical teams fight COVID-19 across the globe.

RT (2020-07-21). Trump orders that illegal aliens NOT BE COUNTED in allocating House seats under 2020 census, provoking Democrat outrage. rt.com Immigrants in the US illegally will be excluded from allocating state seats in the House of Representatives based on the 2020 census, President Donald Trump has announced. Democrats called the move racist and unconstitutional. | On Tuesday, Trump instructed the Department of Commerce to "exclude illegal aliens from the apportionment base following the 2020 census," meaning that non-citizens will not be counted in the population of those states when the number of seats in the House is next apportioned. | The action "reflects a better understanding of the Constitution and is consistent with the principles of our…

Vijay Prashad (2020-07-21). Time is not on our side in Libya. peoplesdispatch.org Ahmed, who lives in Tripoli, Libya, texts me that the city is quieter than before. The army of General Khalifa Haftar—who controls large parts of eastern Libya—has withdrawn from the southern part of the capital and is now holding fast in the city of Sirte and at the airbase of Jufra. Most of Libya's population lives along the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, which is where the cities of Tripoli, Sirte, Benghazi, and Tobruk are located. | Haftar, who was once an

Forbes West (2020-07-20). Time to defund the Senate. peoplesworld.org Here are some fun facts and figures when talking about the United States of America and the world: The population of California is 39.78 million. The population of Canada is 37.7 million. The population of Los Angeles County is larger than every state with the exceptions of California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, …

Elliot Sperber (2020-07-20). The Ghost of Sabato Rodia. counterpunch.org The Ghost of Sabato Rodia How old were you When you first saw The cops beat the weak And the young, and the poor Who, as they say, will inherit the earth When the cops dissolve — With the rich, who train them, Like horses, or dogs The common will In common — And Simon

The Canary (2020-07-20). Only 'aggressive' cuts to carbon emissions can save polar bears from extinction, study says. thecanary.co Melting sea ice could "jeopardise" the survival of most of the Arctic's polar bear population by 2100, a new study claims.Researchers from the University of Toronto in Canada said a loss of sea ice caused by global warming will force them on to land, where they must rely on fat reserves due to a lack of food.The study, published in Nature Climate Change, said "aggressive" cuts to greenhouse gas emissions are now needed to save the polar bears, which rely on sea ice to reach their prey, from extinction.Researchers used modelling to determine a polar bear's energy requirements while fasting and the thresholds that…

Stephen Sefton (2020-07-20). Nicaragua: No Stopping the Sandinista Revolution. globalresearch.ca 41 years on from the revolutionary triumph of 1979, the Sandinista Front for National Liberation (FSLN) in Nicaragua looks stronger and with greater legitimacy than ever. Nicaragua embodies the same revolutionary paradox as Cuba and Venezuela. Despite all three countries …

Boaz Anglade (2020-07-20). Reimagining Haitian Exceptionalism. globalresearch.ca When Haiti is called "exceptional," it is rarely in the positive sense of the term. An exceptional Haiti often refers to a strange and enigmatic place where the theories and practices applicable to other societies inexplicably fail. In Haitian literary …

Paul Dobson (2020-07-20). Venezuela Sees COVID-19 Outbreak at State Television Network. venezuelanalysis.com Caracas' regional government chief, Dario Vivas, has tested positive, while National Assembly President Luis Parra has been hospitalised with pneumonia-like symptoms.

_____ (2020-07-20). Paralyzed Companies Rescued By An 'Army' Of Volunteer Workers. popularresistance.org The Productive Workers' Army (EPO) is a grassroots movement composed of Venezuelan workers that came together in 2014. They dedicate their volunteer labor to rescuing various companies that have been paralyzed because of the economic situation which the country is going through, the shortages of spare parts and supplies due to the US blockade, and the various kinds of political destabilization. | The movement, with 2,270 members spread across the country, defines itself as "an unconventional army to win an unconventional war." | When the EPO is contacted by workers from the company in trouble, those best placed -…

Vanessa Beeley (2020-07-19). Hunger is a Weapon of War: Syria Under US Coalition Blockade and Scorched Earth Policy. globalresearch.ca In a world dominated by American exceptionalism and neo-colonialism, hunger has become a weapon of war. "The use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare is prohibited" under i

teleSUR (2020-07-19). Cuba: President Diaz-Canel Congratulates Children on Their Day. telesurenglish.net Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel Sunday congratulate every Cuban child marking on occasion of the Children's Day in the Caribbean Island. | RELATED: | "Congratulations to our kids in Cuba. We Are Cuba," president Diaz-Canel tweeted. | Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez congratulate the Cuban children and reaffirmed the government's commitment to guarantee children's rights, well-being and full development. | He added that the Cu…

teleSUR (2020-07-19). Cuban and US Artists Pay Tribute to Doctors. telesurenglish.net Around 60 Cuban and U.S. artists are coming together for Concert for Cuba, which is being held July 18th and 19th, to raise their voices against the decades-long U.S. blockade and to pay tribute to doctors who are providing medical collaboration globally, in the fight against COVID-19. | RELATED: | The online event is being organized by the Chicago Hot House in collaboration with the Cuban Ministry of Culture and Cuban Institute of Music, in which message…

teleSUR (2020-07-19). Filmmaker Michael Moore Voices Support for Cuba's Doctors. telesurenglish.net U.S. filmmaker Michael Moore is one of many U.S. and Cuban artists and personalities participating in this weekend's virtual Concert for Cuba in support of the valiant efforts of Cuban doctors in their mission to assist 34 nations in their fight against COVID-19. | RELATED: | Around 60 Cuban and U.S. performers can be seen on Concert for Cuba, which is being held July 18th and 19th during which many have also added their voice to the campaign calling…

_____ (2020-07-19). SouthCom Warships Sailing Near Venezuelan Shores. popularresistance.org The United States Navy (US) sailed into Venezuelan waters, "to challenge the excessive claim of Venezuela on June 23", when the Minister of Popular Power for Defense, G / J Vladimir Padrino López , warned that a US ship entered 30 miles north of the Venezuelan coasts, calling the event a threat. | According to US military forces, the "Freedom of Navigation" operation in the Caribbean Sea is being carried out "outside 12 nautical miles off the Venezuelan coast." However, the ship sailed through an area that according to international law belongs to Venezuela. According to the Venezuelan Organic Law of Aquatic Spac…

yenisafak (2020-07-19). Kuwait says emir, 91, had successful surgery. yenisafak.com Kuwait's emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 91, underwent successful surgery on Sunday, according to the official KUNA news agency.KUNA cited a statement by the country's royal court calling the surgery a "success," but gave no further details.The royal court said Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah "temporarily assumed some of the emir's constitutional duties for the duration of the operation and till the [emir's] health event was over".Last October, Sheikh Sabah, who ruled Kuwait since 2006, conducted "medical checkups" in the US.*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara…

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.

Unicorn Riot (2020-07-18). Leaks Expose Conservative Movement Funders Prince and DeVos Family Offshore Money. unicornriot.ninja Nassau, Bahamas — Former U.S. Navy SEAL and founder of Blackwater Inc., (now 'Academi') Erik Prince, and his extended family have been tied to a new batch of data leaks, revealing offshore business entities filed in the Bahamas, Unicorn Riot has found. In these leaks,…

Democracy Now! (2020-07-18). U.S.-Backed Saudi Bombing in Yemen Continues as Coronavirus Spreads. dissidentvoice.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 …

news.un (2020-07-17). Wartime sexual violence a 'psychological weapon', sets back cause of peace. news.un.org Sexual violence is used as a war tactic and a political tool to dehumanize, destabilize and forcibly displace populations across the globe, the UN's expert on the issue told the Security Council on Friday, pressing countries to adopt a survivor-centred approach that ensures victims will not be forgotten.

_____ (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…

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.

teleSUR (2020-07-17). Cuba to Implement Bold Reforms to Boost Economic Growth. telesurenglish.net Cuba's Council of Ministers Thursday approved an economic and social strategy for boosting the economy amidst the global crisis induced by the COVID-19. | RELATED: | President Miguel Diaz-Canel explained that Cuba's current situation is framed in a world's complex and challenging scenario stemming from the pandemic. | "Developing the economy means offering greater welfare to the people," he said and explained tha…

Karen Conner (2020-07-17). Multiple Jobholders: Who Are They and How Are They Impacted by the Pandemic? cepr.net According to the Current Population Survey (CPS), 8.1 million employees worked one or more additional jobs in a typical week in 2019. As the figure below shows, the number of these "employee multiple jobholders" had been trending upward since 2013 before the pandemic hit. (We use the term "employee multiple jobholders" here because, as we …

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…

sputniknews (2020-07-17). Amber Heard Faked Injuries Testifies Artist Friend of Johnny Depp During Sun Libel Trial. sputniknews.com This ends the second week of Johnny Depp's libel trial in London, in which the Pirates of the Caribbean actor is suing the Sun's publishers, News Group Newspapers, as well as its executive director, Dan Wooten, over an April 2018 article that described him as a "wife beater" and alleged that he was violent towards ex-wife Amber Heard.

Staff (2020-07-17). US-Backed Saudi Bombing in Yemen Continues as COVID-19 Spreads. truthout.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." | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a rush tra…

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.