Daily Archives: October 16, 2020

2020-10-16: News Headlines

GBD 2019 Diseases and Injuries Collaborators (2020-10-17). [Global Health Metrics] Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990—2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. thelancet.com As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and development investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identi…

GBD 2019 Demographics Collaborators (2020-10-17). [Global Health Metrics] Global age-sex-specific fertility, mortality, healthy life expectancy (HALE), and population estimates in 204 countries and territories, 1950—2019: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. thelancet.com Over the past 20 years, fertility rates have been dropping steadily and life expectancy has been increasing, with few exceptions. Much of this change follows historical patterns linking social and economic determinants, such as those captured by the GBD Socio-demographic Index, with demographic outcomes. More recently, several countries have experienced a combination of low fertility and stagnating improvement in mortality rates, pushing more populations into the late stages of the demographic transition.

Orinoco Tribune (2020-10-16). Victory for Cuba at the UN Human Rights Council. globalresearch.ca Today Cuba obtained a new and resounding victory in the UN Human Rights Council, gaining election to the body for the 2021-2023 period. | Despite the aggressive campaign by the United States against the Cuban candidacy for the Council, the General …

WSWS (2020-10-16). Trump administration tipped off wealthy investors about coronavirus while it downplayed threat in public. wsws.org The revelations reveal the overriding concern of the US government was the protection of the financial aristocracy at the expense of the health and safety of the population.

Anindya S. Bhattacharjee, Samir V. Joshi, Shilpa Naik, Shashikala Sangle, Nixon M. Abraham (2020-10-16). [Research Paper] Quantitative assessment of olfactory dysfunction accurately detects asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers. thelancet.com Compromised olfactory fitness can serve as a strong basis for identifying asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. Detailed design specifications and protocols provided here should enable the development of a sensitive, fast, and economical screening strategy that can be administered to large populations to prevent the rapid spread of COVID-19.

teleSUR (2020-10-15). Brazil Carried Out War Games on the Border With Venezuela. telesurenglish.net During the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Brazil in September, President Jair Bolsonaro's administration conducted war drills in the jungles of the state of Amazonas on the border with Venezuela. | RELATED: | The military games cost US$1.1 million, involved 3,600 men, and carried out the launching of artillery rockets with a range of 80 kilometers. | Under the Access to Information Law, the loc…

Manuela Solé (2020-10-15). Venezuela's Maduro Vows to Train More Doctors as Covid Numbers Recede. venezuelanalysis.com A Chinese Covid-19 vaccine will soon arrive in the nation for clinical trials.

teleSUR (2020-10-15). Venezuela Starts Clinical Trials of Russia's COVID-19 Vaccine. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro informed his nation that 2,000 volunteers are already participating in the clinical trials of Sputnik, the Russian COVID-19 vaccine. | RELATED: | "The Russian vaccine is here and the tests have already begun… In addition, thousands of Chinese vaccines will come to the country," Maduro said during a program broadcast by Venezolana de Television on Wednesday. | In the first half of 2…

Ricardo Vaz (2020-10-15). Venezuela: Oil Production Shows Modest Uptick as Gov't Seeks Foreign Investment. venezuelanalysis.com The country's new "anti-blockade law" looks to boost conditions for foreign investors.

WSWS (2020-10-15). Former Chilean Health Minister charged with falsifying COVID-19 figures. wsws.org The ultra-right government of billionaire President Piñera criminally mishandled the pandemic, inflicting suffering upon the most oppressed layers of the population.

news.un (2020-10-15). Social protection coverage in Asia and the Pacific 'riddled with gaps'. news.un.org More than half the population of the vast Asia and Pacific region lack any social protection coverage, leaving populations vulnerable to ill-health, poverty, inequality and social exclusion, a new UN report has found.

Gerry Mohan (2020-10-15). Most Germans Want US Military to Leave the Country. zcomm.org Unlike their elected riulers, most Germans don't want to be part of the nuclear 'theater' Trump, once again doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, wants to pull US troops out of Germany because Germany doesn't spend enough on "defence". The German population tend to like it but don't like his reasons. And, as

_____ (2020-10-15). The US Is On A Path To War With China. popularresistance.org It was gripping , stunning testimony. Before congress, a 15 year old volunteer nurse, Nayirah, struggled to compose her trembling voice, barely holding back tears, as she testified that marauding soldiers had thrown babies out of incubators in a hospital, leaving them to die on the floor. | Later, Amnesty International confirmed authoritatively that 312 babies had been killed this way[i]. All the news agencies ran with the story, and the country and congress were in a total uproar. | There was only one problem: it was completely, utterly, totally fraudulent.

_____ (2020-10-15). Workers Tried To Blow The Whistle On COVID19 Hazards. popularresistance.org As soon as the coronavirus pandemic began, workers across the country flooded federal and state offices with complaints that their employers weren't protecting them from the health threat. The concerns have continued to pour into workplace safety agencies for seven months, totaling nearly 40,000 as of Thursday. | It turns out the allegations have been a flashing warning sign all along, according to a new working paper published by the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies. The analysis of data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration shows that a rise in workers' safety complaints ha…

Ramona du Houx (2020-10-15). In CA, Latino farming communities hardest by COVID-19 and environmental injustice. indybay.org The California Latino community has been disproportionately infected by the coronavirus. Latinos make up 39 percent of the population in the state, but account for 56 percent of COVID-19 infections and 46 percent of deaths. That's three times the rate as Whites. State officials say, many employers have not reliably provided protective equipment to workers or implemented social distancing or mask wearing rules. This is systemic racism. Too often, they live in neighborhoods that are located near oil industry operations in California, one of America's top crude oil and gas producing states. Gov. Newsom needs to addr…

Howard Lisnoff (2020-10-14). So Long, Sister Ardeth Platte, Anti-Nuclear Activist. counterpunch.org Sister Ardeth Platte, a Dominican nun and antinuclear protester, died ("Ardeth Platte, Dominican Nun and Antinuclear Activist, Dies at 84," New York Times, October 8, 2020) during the night or early morning of the first presidential debate. When Sister Ardeth broke into a nuclear missile facility in Colorado, she recited "Oh God, help us to be

Vijay Prashad (2020-10-14). Venezuela's ability to fight COVID-19 is badly hamstrung by the 31 metric tons of gold stolen from its treasury. mronline.org On October 5, 2020, the England and Wales Court of Appeal overturned a lower court decision from July that denied the Venezuelan government access to 31 metric tons of its gold stored in the Bank of London.

Eds. (2020-10-14). Exposing Trump's deadly sanctions on Venezuela. mronline.org KEN LIVINGSTONE looks in-depth at the story of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela.

RT (2020-10-14). Public health state of emergency declared in France over Covid, as Macron confirms city curfews. rt.com France's government has declared a public health state of emergency over the growing number of Covid-19 cases as the country sees a second-wave surge of the virus. A curfew will also be imposed on several cities, including Paris. | In a statement on Wednesday, the government said that the coronavirus epidemic needed to be strictly counteracted, due to its growing scale putting the health of the population at risk. | The statement did not list any specific measures the government intends to implement, but the mere adoption of the state of emergency gives a broad range of statutory powers to the executive. | In…

Vijay Prashad (2020-10-14). Venezuela's ability to fight COVID-19 is hamstrung by 31 metric tons of gold stolen from its treasury. peoplesdispatch.org The Bank of England has refused to hand over 31 metric tons of gold that belongs to Venezuela. This gold worth $1.95 billion is planned to go toward the purchase of essential medical equipment and supplies…

Dale Ho (2020-10-14). Let People Vote: Our Fight for Your Right to Vote During 2020. aclu.org 2020 has been an unprecedented year in many ways; a pandemic during a presidential election being one of them. Not unique to 2020, however, is politicians' and states' systematic efforts to suppress voting and disenfranchise Americans. But the ACLU, along with our affiliates and partners across the country, have been hard at work defending your right to vote. This year, we have won 27 victories in 20 states and Puerto Rico that will safeguard the voting rights of millions of Americans this November. Together, these states are home to more than 154 million Americans and wield 247 votes in the Electoral College.

WSWS (2020-10-14). Trump's "herd immunity" policy and right-wing terror. wsws.org On Tuesday, Newsweek reported that two Trump administration officials said the White House supports the Great Barrington Declaration, a statement advocating for the mass infection of the population with COVID-19 through a policy of "herd immunity."

Eds. (2020-10-13). Blacks in LA nearly four times as likely to be cited by police. mronline.org The Los Angeles police department (LAPD) gave 63% of its citations for "loitering while standing" to Black residents in recent years, despite African Americans making up just 7% of the city's population, a new analysis of public records has revealed.

WSWS (2020-10-13). New Jersey projected to face disproportionate growth in food insecurity. wsws.org The Community Food Bank predicts that the number of food-insecure New Jersey residents will surpass 1.2 million—a staggering 13.5 percent of the state's population.

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-13). FAO warns over effects of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 13 (MNA) — World Food Day 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of FAO in an exceptional moment as countries around the world deal with the widespread effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-10-13). Life Within The Matrix Is Our Future. thealtworld.com The question each of us needs to ask ourselves, and one another, is why do we get so much misinformation about Covid from public health authorities, political authorities, and press prostitutes? We get a lot of misinformation from health practioners, because they get the bogus information from health authorities and from researchers associated with Big Pharma. But why do health authorities themselves lie to us? | Take the issue of masks. The masks being worn by the vast majority of the world population, including health care providers, cannot prevent the inhalation and exhalation of bacteria and viruses. If a per…