Monthly Archives: March 2021

2021-03-13: News Headlines

Nyan Aung (2021-03-13). February revolution in Burma. mronline.org MR Online

Neel Sharma (2021-03-13). [Correspondence] Clinician engineers—the time is now. thelancet.com I read with great interest the Perspective by Roger Kneebone and Claudia Schlegel,1 and I agree about the pigeon-holed approach to medical education.1 COVID-19 has shown clinicians and engineers working side by side to ensure health-care worker safety via personal protective equipment and the management of patients through ventilators.

Amali U Lokugamage, Sarah H M Wong, Nathan M A Robinson, Sithira D C Pathberiya (2021-03-13). [Correspondence] Transformational learning to decolonise global health. thelancet.com We thank Lioba Hirsch1 for her incisive Art of Medicine on efforts to decolonise global health institutions and the exigency of moving beyond tokenistic initiatives and showy commitments to diversity. The flattening of entrenched colonial era power hierarchies is essential to ensure policy, education, and research is informed by perspectives from the very communities they affect. Yet these hierarchies are propped up by historical biases that formed, and remain deeply embedded in the very structures of our institutions.

Badri Raina (2021-03-13). 'Deshbhakti': Speculations on the New Education Curriculum Envisaged by the Delhi Government. zcomm.org 'Deshbhakti' can only be an impoverished and unethical construct unless our school going girls and boys also learn of the conditions of denial, deprivation and inequality…

RT (2021-03-13). 'It could have been prevented': Relatives of NY nursing home victims tell RT they hold Cuomo responsible for their deaths. rt.com New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is at fault for the state's disastrous nursing home policies amid the Covid-19 crisis, relatives of care home patients who succumbed to the virus told RT, voicing hopes for accountability. | Grace Colucci, whose elderly father passed away following a 20-day stint in a New York nursing home for physical rehabilitation, told RT's Colon Bray that she and other family members were unable to contact her dad during his stay due to pandemic restrictions, and that he emerged from the home with "very severe symptoms" of what later was confirmed to be Covid-19. | "We were not able to have…

Juan Cole (2021-03-13). Celebrating our Declaration of Independence from Covid with Poetry of Omar Khayyam. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — President Biden on Thursday expressed the expectation that the vaccination of the US population will have proceeded to the extent by July 4 that we can look forward to small gatherings of friends and family then. The calculation is that when 70% of the population is inoculated, the virus will …

Deirdre Benavides (2021-03-13). Right-wing Texas college president assaults free speech, ignores COVID. liberationnews.org Matkin, who according to college records could receive a salary as high as $1 million, recently decided not to renew the contracts of three faculty members who have been vocal about unsafe work conditions during COVID-19.

G. Dunkel (2021-03-13). The governor of Texas, Neanderthals and COVID-19. workers.org The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, made a surprise announcement March 2 in Lubbock, a city of 200,000 people in West Texas. All state mandates to combat the spread of COVID-19 were being lifted. Counties and municipalities cannot require basic public health policies to limit the spread of disease after March . . . |

MEE, agencies (2021-03-13). Jordan: Health minister submits resignation after Covid-19 patients die of oxygen shortage. middleeasteye.net Jordan: Health minister submits resignation after Covid-19 patients die of oxygen shortage | An investigation is underway to determine what led to shortage of oxygen in state-run hospital | Sat, 03/13/2021 – 12: 40 | Jordan's King Abdullah II visiting a room during the inauguration of the health ministry's Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed field hospital for Covid-19 patients in Aqaba on 24 January…

The Lancet (2021-03-13). [Editorial] Access to COVID-19 vaccines: looking beyond COVAX. thelancet.com Global health leaders have been in a congratulatory mood. On March 1, they celebrated the first vaccinations against COVID-19 in Africa delivered through COVAX—the scheme led by GAVI, CEPI, and WHO to support research and development, raise funding, and negotiate the bulk purchase and equitable global distribution of vaccines for COVID-19. As of March 9, 12 million doses have been shipped to 29 countries, marking the beginning of the largest vaccine roll-out in history. This is an unprecedented achievement.

Anand Naidoo (2021-03-13). The Heat: Biden pledges vaccines for all Americans by May. america.cgtn.com After a year of unimaginable loss, U.S. President Biden says every American will have access to a COVID-19 vaccine in the next two months.

MEE staff (2021-03-13). Israeli settlers attack Palestinian family in West Bank farmland. middleeasteye.net Israeli settlers attack Palestinian family in West Bank farmland | The parents of eight children have been hospitalised after settlers threw rocks at them | Sat, 03/13/2021 – 10: 33 | The father of the Alyan family carried by Israeli soldiers after being attacked by settlers (Courtesy of the Alyan family) | Israeli settlers, some masked and equipped with batons, attacked a Palestinian family in the South Hebro…

F. William Engdahl (2021-03-13). Will Mankind be Extinct In a Few Years? Impacts of Toxic Agrochemicals, "Endoctrine Disruptors" globalresearch.ca It's no secret that Bill Gates and the advocates of the …

Pepe Escobar (2021-03-13). Our Lives Between the Covers of the Raging Twenties: Pepe Escobar's New Book. globalresearch.ca I have a new book out,

Eds. (2021-03-13). Human rights report on the Lasalin massacre. mronline.org MR Online

MEE staff (2021-03-13). Syria's first lady faces possible prosecution and loss of UK citizenship. middleeasteye.net Syria's first lady faces possible prosecution and loss of UK citizenship | Britain's Metropolitan police have opened a preliminary investigation into allegations that Asma al-Assad incited war crimes | Sat, 03/13/2021 – 22: 19 | British-born Asma al-Assad has been under EU and US sanctions since 2012 (AFP) | London's Metropolitan police have opened a preliminary investigation into allegations that Asma al-Assa…

Marie Kelly (2021-03-13). On the picket line. workers.org Bosses retaliate against Hunts Point workers Business retaliation against union organizing is nothing new. Weak laws and minimal fines embolden corporations like Amazon to hire strikebreaking law firms to intimidate workers into voting down attempts to unionize their workplace. Workers who strike or successfully organize face the threat of losing . . . |

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-03-13). Syria: Undeclared US-NATO War of Aggression, Using Al Qaeda Terrorism as An Instrument of Death and Destruction. globalresearch.ca It was never "a civil war". It was an undeclared war of aggression using Al Qaeda affiliated terrorists as the foot-soldiers of US-NATO and their Middle East allies. From day one, terrorists were involved in the killing of civilians.

Johanna Ross (2021-03-13). Why the Atlantic Council's Russia 'Post-Regime Change' Report Is a Work of Fantasy. globalresearch.ca There's so much to take issue with in this recent Atlantic …

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies (2021-03-13). Ten Problems With Biden's Foreign Policy and One Solution. dissidentvoice.org The Biden presidency is still in its early days, but it's not too early to point to areas in the foreign policy realm where we, as progressives, have been disappointed — or even infuriated. There are one or two positive developments, such as the renewal of Obama's New START Treaty with Russia and Secretary of …

Jeremy Kuzmarov (2021-03-13). What's behind the Biden Administration's new $100 billion nuclear missile system? mronline.org MR Online

The Conversation (2021-03-13). Defeating Climate Denialism by showing People how they will Win by Greening Society. juancole.com By Sarah Sharma and Matthew Hoffmann | — Canada and the United States are suddenly steeped in policy proposals to aggressively cut carbon emissions. In the face of a climate emergency and on the heels of numerous climate disasters, this is welcome news indeed. In the U.S., the newly minted Biden administration has unleashed a …

Dave Welsh (2021-03-13). San Francisco: Haitian community denounces murderous coup regime. workers.org San Francisco — Waving Haitian flags, a crowd of 80 demonstrated March 1 to mark the anniversary of the bloody U.S.-backed coup d'etat in 2004 that overthrew the popular government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The beloved former president was kidnapped and flown to Africa on a U.S. military plane, beginning a . . . |

Shaheen Rahman (2021-03-13). Sarah Everard vigil cancelled. ukhumanrightsblog.com Reclaim These Streets v Metropolitan Police Sarah Everard, a 33 year old woman living in London, was walking home from a friend's house at around 9pm on Wednesday 3rd March 2021 when she disappeared without trace. In the days that followed, public appeals for information and press coverage ensured that the case was widely discussed. A …

Jupiter Brown (2021-03-13). Knoxville, TN, activists present 'award' to city's top evictor. liberationnews.org When activists arrived at the housing complex owned by Robert Greene, the residents who lived there came out of their homes and cheered the protesters on — a visible sign of how urgently these demands speak to working class people.

Martin Hart-Landsberg (2021-03-13). Black Lives Matter protests are saving lives. mronline.org MR Online

Shaheen Rahman (2021-03-13). Sarah Everard vigil cancelled. ukhumanrightsblog.com Reclaim These Streets v Metropolitan Police Sarah Everard, a 33 year old woman living in London, was walking home from a friend's house at around 9pm on Wednesday 3rd March 2021 when she disappeared without trace. In the days that followed, public appeals for information and press coverage ensured that the case was widely discussed. A …

Wayne Nealis (2021-03-13). Floyd family gets $27M settlement; activists say 'no substitute for change'. peoplesworld.org MINNEAPOLIS—By a unanimous vote of the Minneapolis City Council Friday, the city agreed to pay a $27 million settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit brought by the George Floyd family. According to media reports, it is the largest pre-trial settlement in U.S. history. The settlement was announced as the first week of jury selection was …

Eds. (2021-03-13). Lula's right to run for president of Brazil restored in major victory for people's movemen. mronline.org MR Online

Birrion Sondahl (2021-03-13). Perilous Journey — My Experiences as a Delegate Inside the Democratic Party. realprogressives.org "I have lived inside the belly of the Monster and know him from within." Cuban revolutionary Jose Marti | I only spent a brief time inside the Democratic Party as an elected delegate for Bernie Sanders in 2020, but it was enough to determine that the monster is indeed irreformable. My delegate journey exposed me to the gross incompetence and corruption within the party. The following reflects my personal experience as a delegate from Colorado's Congressional District 2. My conclusion from these few months is there is no path forward inside the Democratic Party. This should be no surprise at all, as…

RT (2021-03-13). Party's over: South Dakota's request for July 4th fireworks on Mount Rushmore DENIED over health & environment concerns. rt.com A repeat of last year's large-scale celebration at Mount Rushmore, headlined by then-President Donald Trump, is apparently not going to happen this year, after a federal agency refused a request for a fireworks display. | National Park Service (NPS) Regional Director Herbert Frost said in a letter seen by the Hill that the agency was "unable to grant a request" to stage fireworks at the memorial due to "potential risks to the park itself and to the health and safety of employees and visitors." | Frost also cited opposition by "many tribal partners" of the park to the sight of fireworks, and noted that while th…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-13). Morocco extradites Saudi-Australian national to Riyadh. middleeasteye.net Morocco extradites Saudi-Australian national to Riyadh | Relatives and rights groups had warned that Osama Hasani could face torture if sent to Saudi Arabia | Sat, 03/13/2021 – 14: 28 | Saudi-Australian dual national Osama al-Hasani was arrested on 8 February while visiting his newborn child in Morocco (Twitter) | Moroccan authorities have extradited Saudi-Australian dual national Osama al…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-13). Iran says Israel likely behind attack on container ship in Mediterranean. middleeasteye.net Iran says Israel likely behind attack on container ship in Mediterranean | Ship was hit by 'an explosive object' which caused a small fire, but no one on board was hurt in incident on 10 March | Sat, 03/13/2021 – 16: 01 | Iranian-flagged container ship Shahr e Kord at Haydarpasa port in Istanbul, Turkey on 13 December 2019 (Reuters) | Israel is highly likely to have been behind an attack i…

Dean Baker (2021-03-13). National Public Radio Makes Stuff Up to Tell a Story About Interest Rates and Budget Deficits. cepr.net A story on All Things Considered last night told listeners: "In the early '90s, President Bill Clinton's administration was troubled by this looming problem. Year after year, both government deficits and interest rates were going up. Here's one of his top economic advisers, Laura Tyson. "LAURA TYSON: 'And then he said, oh, my goodness, if …

Manlio Dinucci (2021-03-13). U.S. calls Europe to arms against China, Russia. workers.org The author's Art of War column published in the Italian web daily, Il Manifesto, March 9. Translation: John Catalinotto. The EU-China Agreement on investments, signed Dec. 30 by the European Commission, may be rejected by members of the European Parliament on the grounds that Beijing violates human rights. This is . . . |

RT (2021-03-13). Key 'Oath Keeper' granted pretrial release as prosecutors find no evidence of wide-ranging conspiracy to storm Capitol. rt.com A US judge has ordered the release of retired Navy officer Kenneth Caldwell, accused of being part of an Oath Keepers militia plot to invade the Capitol, pending trial, as no evidence to back the conspiracy claims has turned up. | Judge Amit Mehta said that Caldwell did not enter the Capitol building, nor was there direct evidence of him trying to force his way in. | "There are no text messages, communications by him, that speak to entering a building or trying to enter the building. And ultimately, he did not enter the building," Mehta said, as he ordered the 65-year-old's release from jail. Because he did no…

RT (2021-03-13). US judge temporarily removes China's Xiaomi from Trump-era blacklist. rt.com A US judge has temporarily removed Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi from a Trump-era blacklist prohibiting American investment in "Communist Chinese military companies." | The ruling was announced by US District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington on Friday. The judge argued that the US Departments of Defense and Treasury "have not made the case that the national security interests at stake here are compelling," issuing a preliminary injunction removing Xiaomi from the blacklist. | Xiaomi was hit with the ban as then-President Donald Trump took a fresh series of hostile moves against China during his last day…

RT (2021-03-13). Politically homeless? Sarah Silverman says she doesn't want to be associated with 'elitist' Democratic Party anymore. rt.com Comedian and cancel culture opponent Sarah Silverman has expressed uncertainty about her affiliation with the Democratic Party, eliciting cheers from pundits who hailed the breakup as long overdue. | In a video posted to Instagram, Silverman confessed that she found the Democrats to be too uncompromising and self-righteous for her liking. | "It's the absolutist-ness of the party I am in that is such a turnoff to me. It's so f****** elitist. You know, for something called 'progressive', it allows for zero progress." | She added that after reflecting on the issue, she feels like she doesn't want to be "associate…

RT (2021-03-13). 'The Bachelor' host who was 'canceled' after defending contestant hounded by 'woke police' won't return for next season. rt.com Fans of Chris Harrison were saddened to learn that he will not be hosting the upcoming season of 'The Bachelorette'. Harrison stepped down from the show amid a controversy surrounding an allegedly racist contestant. | Harrison, who went on leave from 'The Bachelor' in mid-February after taking heat for defending one of the participants from accusations of racism, will not be part of the next season of 'The Bachelorette', the gender-swapped version of the show. ABC Entertainment and Warner Horizon confirmed earlier speculation that this would be the case in a statement, saying that former contestants Tayshia Ad…

Amali U Lokugamage, Sarah H M Wong, Nathan M A Robinson, Sithira D C Pathberiya (2021-03-13). [Correspondence] Transformational learning to decolonise global health. thelancet.com We thank Lioba Hirsch1 for her incisive Art of Medicine on efforts to decolonise global health institutions and the exigency of moving beyond tokenistic initiatives and showy commitments to diversity. The flattening of entrenched colonial era power hierarchies is essential to ensure policy, education, and research is informed by perspectives from the very communities they affect. Yet these hierarchies are propped up by historical biases that formed, and remain deeply embedded in the very structures of our institutions.

The Lancet (2021-03-13). [Editorial] Access to COVID-19 vaccines: looking beyond COVAX. thelancet.com Global health leaders have been in a congratulatory mood. On March 1, they celebrated the first vaccinations against COVID-19 in Africa delivered through COVAX—the scheme led by GAVI, CEPI, and WHO to support research and development, raise funding, and negotiate the bulk purchase and equitable global distribution of vaccines for COVID-19. As of March 9, 12 million doses have been shipped to 29 countries, marking the beginning of the largest vaccine roll-out in history. This is an unprecedented achievement.

RT (2021-03-13). Scammer charged with money laundering & wire fraud after bilking $450k from donors for fake Black Lives Matter charity, DOJ says. rt.com A fraudster has been indicted on federal charges for his alleged role in swindling hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors who thought they were giving to a Black Lives Matter group, instead pocketing the funds for himself. | Ohio man Sir Maejor Page, 32, was slapped with four federal counts this week, the DOJ announced in a

RT (2021-03-13). 'Largest investigation in American history': 100+ people to be charged in storming of US Capitol, court filings say. rt.com At least another hundred people connected to the January 6 storming of the US Capitol are expected to be charged with a variety of crimes, according to prosecutors. | "The investigation continues and the government expects that at least one hundred additional individuals will be charged," claimed the prosecutors in court filings first

RT (2021-03-13). Key 'Oath Keeper' granted pretrial release as prosecutors find no evidence of wide-ranging conspiracy to storm Capitol. rt.com A US judge has ordered the release of retired Navy officer Kenneth Caldwell, accused of being part of an Oath Keepers militia plot to invade the Capitol, pending trial, as no evidence to back the conspiracy claims has turned up. | Judge Amit Mehta said that Caldwell did not enter the Capitol building, nor was there direct evidence of him trying to force his way in. | "There are no text messages, communications by him, that speak to entering a building or trying to enter the building. And ultimately, he did not enter the building," Mehta said, as he ordered the 65-year-old's release from jail. Because he did no…

RT (2021-03-13). US declares Huawei threat to national security, pouring cold water on Beijing's hopes for reset with Washington. rt.com The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has deemed Chinese telecom giant Huawei a threat to US national security, maintaining pressure on Beijing that some believed could ease under the new Biden administration. | The FCC announced on Friday that the firm, as well as four other Chinese companies, pose "an unacceptable risk to US national security or the security and safety of US persons." | The regulator's acting chief, Jessica Rosenworcel, said that the move would help "restore trust" in US communications networks. She did not explain what specific actions would be taken against the Chinese companies. Hua…

Jan Oberg (2021-03-13). The West-Iran Asymmetric Conflict: Will Iran be Bombed? globalresearch.ca The West-Iran conflict is extremely a-symmetric. It's the West that has, …

Prof. Ruel F. Pepa (2021-03-13). On Modern Feminism. globalresearch.ca "Other people will call me a rebel, but I just feel …

Prof. Mauricio Metri (2021-03-13). The U.S. Monetary Power and the Struggles for International De-Dollarization. globalresearch.ca Nowadays, there is a relative consensus among international analysts about the …

Dr. Jamal Wakim (2021-03-13). The Lebanese Crisis Is Directed Against Syrian Reconstruction: Says Dr. Jamal Wakim. globalresearch.ca Syrian investors have about $42 billion in Lebanese banks. The corrupt …

_____ (2021-03-13). Texas County Got Rid Of Cash Bail For Minor Crimes. popularresistance.org Eager to resolve a federal civil rights lawsuit, Texas' most populous county over the past two years has stopped requiring most people accused of low-level crimes from putting up cash to get out of jail on bond. | Tens of thousands of people accused of misdemeanors not involving some specific circumstances, like domestic abuse or previous bond violations, have been freed without cost while awaiting trial. | Letting them out does not appear to increase the chances they will be arrested for new crimes, according to researchers who have been tracking changes made to the Harris County misdemeanor bail system. In fact…

2021-03-12: News Headlines

RT (2021-03-12). Professor fired for claiming black students underperform in class. rt.com After a Zoom conversation went viral in which two Georgetown University professors claimed black students underperformed in their classes, thousands demanded action, and one of the educators is now out of a job. | School Dean Bill Treanor called the comments by Professors Sandra Sellers and David Batson "reprehensible," with Sellers being fired and Batson placed on administrative leave. | The viral section of the conversation, which made its way onto social media this week, included Sellers claiming that "almost every semester," her "lower" grading students end up being black. | Batson seemed to be in agreemen…

Marilyn Bechtel (2021-03-12). San Francisco: $5/hour COVID hazard pay for grocery, pharmacy workers. peoplesworld.org San Francisco this week joined the growing number of Bay Area cities mandating hazard pay for grocery workers, when its Board of Supervisors on March 9 unanimously passed an emergency ordinance requiring large grocers and pharmacies to pay their workers an additional $5 per hour during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city had earlier urged, but …

Matthew Stevenson (2021-03-12). Letters From Minsk: Leaving Home. counterpunch.org This is the first in a series about train and bicycle rides from Switzerland to Belarus, in those carefree days before pandemic lockdowns. Tired Tires Before boarding the train to Minsk, I first had to fix a flat tire on my Brompton bicycle. Mercifully, it lost its air just before I left home, although it

David Yearsley (2021-03-12). Do Organists Dream of Electric Sheep? counterpunch.org In his encyclopedic cinderblock of a book Musurgia Universalis of 1650, the German polymath Athanasius Kircher imagined God as an organist pulling out a new stop on each new day of Creation and playing the world's beings into life. Kircher didn't mention any Pandemic Pipes in his World Organ, but they have been sounding for

Kathy Deacon (2021-03-12). No Matter How Bad, COVID Makes It Worse. counterpunch.org It's disquieting to see profit-incentivized entities turn into major vaccination hubs—many people now routinely go to drug stores to get their flu shots. Until such time as the American government catches up with the rest of the world–and creates the public health care system we so desperately need—it looks as if the large pharmacy chains will remain central to the patchwork, makeshift future of pandemic response

People's Voice (2021-03-12). Cuba's reforms raise public sector salaries, broaden self-employment options. peoplesworld.org Starting in January 2021, Cuba began to implement broad economic reforms designed to increase production and exports in an effort to mitigate the effects of the U.S. blockade and the coronavirus pandemic. The following article, republished from the Turkish media site Sol ("The Left"), analyzes the first month of the reforms and their impact on …

Aaron Morrison, Kat Stafford (2021-03-12). Data confirms what we already knew: Pandemic hit people of color harder. peoplesworld.org NEW YORK (AP)—A year ago, Elvia Banuelos' life was looking up. The 39-year-old mother of two young children said she felt confident about a new management-level job with the U.S. Census Bureau—she would earn money to supplement the child support she receives to keep her children healthy, happy, and in daycare. But when the coronavirus …

Tim Schwab (2021-03-12). COVID-19, Trust, and Wellcome: How Charity's Pharma Investments Overlap with Its Research Efforts. BMJ. globalresearch.ca An increasingly clear feature of the covid-19 pandemic is that the …

Fight Back (2021-03-12). Commentary: Union density rises in 2020, while job numbers shrink. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – In late January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its annual report on union density for 2020. The report's finding includes some interesting facts – namely, that the union membership rate (the percentage of workers who belong to unions) went up for the first time since 2008, rising half a percent to 10.8% of the working class. | To date, it is the best report yet of the state of our movement coming out of the crisis of a century – the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis. What is included in the report reveals a great deal. What is left out begs a greater question. | What's in the re…

Paul Street (2021-03-12). Unless the Power of the People Asserts Itself. counterpunch.org The COVID-19 pandemic and recession and the political realignment in Washington after the defeat of the malignant fascist Trump and the two former Republican Senators in Georgia have opened the door for some welcome federal action. Among the improvements: the newly serious and aggressive federal response to the deadly virus and the passage of a

Sarah Roberts, Joe Bernick (2021-03-12). Salt of the Earth Labor College spotlights border militarization and death. peoplesworld.org TUCSON, Ariz.—For decades, the U.S.-Mexico border areas have experienced increased militarization, a surge in deportations, and an ever-more brutal border patrol. The Trump administration's policies of separating families, building walls, and racist demonizing of migrants made the situation even worse—and then came the pandemic. Some hope the Biden administration will ease things somewhat, but change is slow …

RT (2021-03-12). NY House speaker launches impeachment probe into Cuomo over sexual harassment allegations & Covid nursing home cover-up. rt.com The New York State Assembly has given the nod to an impeachment investigation into Governor Andrew Cuomo, who faces a litany of sexual harassment charges from several accusers and intense criticism of his pandemic response. | Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie authorized a Judiciary Committee to probe the allegations on Thursday, tapping fellow Democrat Assemblyman Charles Lavine to spearhead the investigation. | "The reports of accusations concerning the governor are serious. The committee will have the authority to interview witnesses, subpoena documents and evaluate evidence, as is allowed by the New…

RT (2021-03-12). Biden says all American adults will be eligible for vaccination by May 1, says rollout 'months ahead of schedule'. rt.com President Joe Biden has said he ordered states to remove vaccine eligibility criteria by May 1. He noted, however, that the measure would allow Americans only to "get in line" for the shot, not to take it immediately. | The announcement came during a national address on Thursday night, in which Biden marked the first anniversary of pandemic-related shutdowns across the US and updated the various ways his administration had tackled the health crisis, including an upcoming directive to states to slash their eligibility requirements. | "Tonight, I'm announcing that I will direct all states, tribes and territories…

_____ (2021-03-12). Russia Offers Europe Win-Win Vaccine Solution. strategic-culture.org The Sputnik V vaccine potentially fills the supply gaps that the EU is encumbered with. Immediately. | It is now one year since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic from the novel coronavirus and its accompanying Covid-19 disease. Worldwide, the death toll stands at 2.6 million and continues to rise. | The arrival of effective vaccines has offered new hope that the deadly virus can be eradicated. Sputnik V, the Russian manufactured vaccine, was the first to be registered anywhere in the world as of August last year and has since been proven by large-scale trials to be highly effective and safe…

Eds. (2021-03-12). Cuba's contributions in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. mronline.org MR Online

Staff (2021-03-12). Share the Vaccines, Erase the Debt: Joseph Stiglitz on How the U.S. Can Help Developing Countries. democracynow.org Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says wealthy countries have a responsibility to help the developing world in overcoming the pandemic. He says the response must include vaccine equity as well as economic aid, including debt relief. "America won't be free from the pandemic until the world is," says Stiglitz.

Online News Editor (2021-03-12). North Korea got darker during Covid-19 crisis, says rights defender. laprensalatina.com By Andres Sanchez Seoul, Mar 12 (efe-epa).- Spanish researcher Lina Yoon, who has been secretly documenting human rights violations in North Korea for around five years, has expressed concern over how the regime took advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to strengthen further its grip over the country. "North Korea is already a black hole, but …

MEE, agencies (2021-03-12). Saudi Arabia's King Salman sacks pilgrimage minister. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia's King Salman sacks pilgrimage minister | The kingdom has suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic from a lack of income from pilgrims | Fri, 03/12/2021 – 14: 30 | Handout from the Saudi Press Agency on 15 December 2020 shows Saudi Arabia's King Salman signing the 2021 state budget following a virtual cabinet meeting in the capital Riyadh (AFP) | Sauid Arabia's minister overseein…

Makia Freeman (2021-03-12). "COVID Denialism" Now Enshrined in Case Law. globalresearch.ca COVID denialism — a broad term leveled at those who have …

WSWS (2021-03-12). The Binghamton University COVID-19 crisis and the way forward for students, faculty and staff. wsws.org Coronavirus cases at Binghamton University continue to rise as the university struggles to handle the large outbreak. Despite this, the university has decided to allow campus activities to resume and has refused to suspend in-person instruction.

yenisafak (2021-03-12). COVID-19 levels fall to lowest since September in England. yenisafak.com Levels of COVID-19 in England have dropped to their lowest levels since last September, the UK's Office for National Statistics announced on Friday.In the week ending March 6, one in 270 people had coronavirus, or 200,600 people. Just the week before this, the level was one in 220, or 248,100 people.In the week ending Sept. 24, 2020, the figure was one in 470, or 116,600 people.- Reopening planLast month, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out a four-stage plan for the easing of restrictions across England to gradually reopen the nation following three months of closures.Stage one will involve the reopening…

RT (2021-03-12). US hoarding millions of doses of unapproved AstraZeneca vaccine as EU & others suffer shortages — reports. rt.com Washington has reportedly refused a request by AstraZeneca to loan some of the US' stockpile of its Covid-19 vaccine — which cannot be used there yet — and deliver it to the EU, where the supplier is failing to meet its targets.

RT (2021-03-12). Biden asks Americans to 'trust Fauci' after he draws criticism for saying the latest CDC recommendations are not science-based. rt.com US President Joe Biden's call to trust Dr. Anthony Fauci on the issue of vaccine safety while describing him "one of the most trusted voices in the world" has earned scorn from conservatives, accusing him of inconsistency. | In his first address as president on Thursday evening, Biden demanded Americans follow advice from scientists, who he said "have made clear that things may get worse again" as new strains of the virus spread. | "But to get there we can't let our guard down. This fight is far from over," he added, calling on those hesitant to receive the Covid-19 vaccine to take cues from Dr. Fauci, praisin…

imperial.ac.uk (2021-03-12). Brazil cases shed more light on COVID-19 reinfection risk. imperial.ac.uk Researchers believe reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 may be more common than previously thought, after an analysis of people contracting COVID-19 twice.

imperial.ac.uk (2021-03-12). Medical students help tackle COVID-19 community health challenges. imperial.ac.uk Third year medics have devised health interventions to help tackle some of the new challenges faced by GPs and their patients due to COVID-19.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr (2021-03-12). Before COVID, Gates Planned Social Media Censorship of Vaccine Safety Advocates with Pharma, CDC, Media, China and CIA. globalresearch.ca In October 2019, shortly before the COVID outbreak, Gates and other …

Jeffrey St. Clair (2021-03-12). Roaming Charges: Fear of a Black Prince. counterpunch.org The ravages of COVID and the narrow victories in the elections gave the Democrats a once in a generation chance to do something big without having to barter for the votes of grifter Republicans. Instead, the Democrats ended up negotiating amongst themselves in a strange dance of downward harmonization, where every intra-party compromise resulted in those who needed the most relief ending up with less and less. In the end, Biden, Schumer and Pelosi settled for a hefty spending package (bigger than most but similar in kind to past bills) that doled out $1.9 trillion across the political spectrum, but did little or…

Staff (2021-03-12). The End of Trickle-Down Economics? Joe Stiglitz on the "Transformational" $1.9T American Rescue Plan. democracynow.org President Biden has signed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, which Democrats are hailing as the largest anti-poverty bill in a generation. It includes stimulus checks to most adults, expanded unemployment benefits and an overhaul of the child tax credit. One study projects the law will lift almost 14 million Americans out of poverty, including 5.7 million children. "This is transformational," says economist Joseph Stiglitz. "It says, 'We are actually going to live up — try to live up — to our aspirations.'"

Juan Cole (2021-03-12). Israel has Detained 13,000 Palestinian Children since 2000 and just took 5 more. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Since the year 2000, the Israeli military in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank has "detained, interrogated, prosecuted, and imprisoned approximately 13,000 Palestinian children," according to Defense for Children International. Nowadays Israel typically prosecutes between 500 and 700 children annually in military courts. Even though they are civilians and children, they …

Akram Al-Waara (2021-03-12). Israel's Arrest of Palestinian Children Picking Vegetables Sparks Outrage. globalresearch.ca A video of armed Israeli soldiers arresting a group of five …

RT (2021-03-12). Man faces 110 years in prison for trying to solicit child porn on motherhood blogs. rt.com A Florida man has been convicted of not only possessing child pornography, but also trying to solicit more through motherhood blogs, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced. | A Jacksonville jury convicted 42-year-old Patrick Moran Jr. of trying to "entice minors to produce images and videos depicting child sexual abuse" and being in possession of "materials depicting the sexual exploitation of children," the DOJ said in a statement on Thursday. | Moran is facing a minimum of 15 years for his crimes, but officials say he could face as much as 110 years. He could also be placed on a lifetime of supervised…

Simon Hooper (2021-03-12). European Parliament calls for repatriation of children from Syrian camps. middleeasteye.net European Parliament calls for repatriation of children from Syrian camps | Resolution marking 10 years of the conflict also dismisses forthcoming presidential election in Syria as 'completely lacking in credibility' | Fri, 03/12/2021 – 11: 27 | A girl stands in the rain at the Roj camp in northeastern Syria on 4 March (AFP) | The European Parliament has called for the repatriation of children from Eur…

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2021-03-12). Israeli Violence in Arab Cities Reaches Intolerable Levels. globalresearch.ca Much is said in the international media about the Palestinian issue, …

Vijay Prashad (2021-03-12). Neoliberalism was born in Chile; Neoliberalism will die in Chile. mronline.org MR Online

Staff (2021-03-12). Meghan Markle Racism Revelations Are "Shocking, But Not Surprising" to People of Color in U.K. democracynow.org The British royal family is facing intense criticism over its treatment of Meghan Markle, who revealed shocking details about life as a royal in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, including mistreatment and bullying from other royals, relentless harassment by the British press, and racist comments about Markle, who was born in the United States to a Black mother and a white father. One member of the royal family, according to Markle, even speculated how dark her child's skin would be. Markle and her husband Prince Harry stepped down as senior members of Britain's royal family last year. Pioneering British journalis…

Zecharias Zelalem (2021-03-12). Yemen: Sanaa migrant centre fire survivors grieve as death toll mounts. middleeasteye.net Yemen: Sanaa migrant centre fire survivors grieve as death toll mounts | New footage shows scores of charred bodies inside overcrowded hangar detaining mostly Ethiopian migrants, as Houthis and IOM trade blame | Fri, 03/12/2021 – 11: 23 | Ethiopians and other nationals wait in Djibouti as they prepare to be smuggled to Saudi Arabia from Yemen in December 2010 (AFP) | It was just after m…

G. Dunkel (2021-03-12). Haiti protests: 'MoàØse, U.S., UN out!'. workers.org Hundreds of thousands of Haitians took to the streets of Port-au-Prince Sunday, March 7, to demand the departure of President Jovenel MoàØse, whose term of office has expired. The protesters raised the corruption under MoàØse's PHTK (Haitian Party of Tèt Kale), which has stolen or squandered billions of dollars of . . . |

Eve Ottenberg (2021-03-12). Leaving Afghanistan by May 1? Alas, Not Likely. counterpunch.org Will the U.S. military ever leave Afghanistan? The answer appears to be no. When the U.S. military comes it stays. It's been in Germany since the 1940s, and now has expanded, with its attack dog, NATO, from there throughout Eastern Europe to menace Russia. The Afghan adventure has so far lasted 20 years and cost two trillion dollars. Afghanistan provides a convenient, imperial base from which to threaten China. The U.S. military, realistically, will never want to give that up.

Michael Berkowitz (2021-03-12). Amy Poehler's new film 'Moxie': Growing up female in 2020. peoplesworld.org Amy Poehler's new Netflix film Moxie is not perfect. But it is very, very good. It's a smart, funny, entertaining look at how growing up female in 2020 is similar and different from growing up in the Sixties and Nineties, or any other time for that matter. Now we know what the prolific writer-director-actress Poehler …

Staff (2021-03-12). "Hell on Earth": Yemeni Children Starve to Death as U.S.-Backed Saudi Blockade Devastates Nation. democracynow.org The World Food Programme is warning Yemen is headed toward the biggest famine in modern history, with the U.N. agency projecting around 400,000 Yemeni children under the age of 5 could die from acute malnutrition this year as the Saudi war and blockade continues. CNN senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir says Yemen is accurately described as "hell on Earth." Her latest report from inside Yemen details the devastating impact of the conflict on civilians, including widespread fuel shortages affecting all aspects of life. "We were utterly unprepared for what we found when we got there," says Elbagir.

Lindsay Larris (2021-03-12). Wolf Killing and the Legacy of Conquest. counterpunch.org It had seemed for the past half century that perhaps the worst of wolf killing was finally over. After centuries of methodic extermination had nearly completely wiped the animals out of the lower forty-eight, government agencies, scientists, and the general public began to see wolves not primarily as threats to private property, but rather, as

The Conversation (2021-03-12). Why Tunisians are still out on the streets — a decade after the Arab Spring. juancole.com By Saerom Han, Andrea Teti, and Pamela Abbott | — It has been 10 years since nation-wide protests in Tunisia led to the ousting of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his regime. Ben Ali led Tunisia for 23 years. Tunisia's "Dignity Revolution" marked the first time a long-standing Arab autocrat was removed …

Staff (2021-03-12). Battleground Baltimore: House passes police reform legislation. therealnews.com In this week's round-up of Baltimore news: Maryland Republicans call police reform legislation "far left," a teen is accused of murder, the continued fight against a Johns Hopkins University private police force, and more.

John Laforge (2021-03-12). Fukushima at Ten: Aftershocks, Lies, and Failed Decontamination. counterpunch.org It's now 10 years since the catastrophic triple meltdowns of reactors at Fukushima in Japan. As Joseph Mangano of the Radiation and Public Health project put it three years ago, "Enormous amounts of radioactive chemicals, including cesium, strontium, plutonium, and iodine were emitted into the air, and releases of the same toxins into the Pacific have never stopped, as workers struggle to contain over 100 cancer-causing chemicals."

Eds. (2021-03-12). Ecuadorian Indigenous Leader: "We must get out of the Correaism-Anticorreism polarization" mronline.org MR Online

Staff (2021-03-12). The white establishment rebels against community policing. therealnews.com This week, in lieu of a new episode of PAR, we have a special interview with Stephen Janis and Taya Graham about their new full-length documentary, "The Friendliest Town," which tells the story of Kelvin Sewell, the first African-American police chief of Pocomoke City, MD.

Eds. (2021-03-12). We need to decolonize our understanding of antisemitism. mronline.org MR Online

Ramzy Baroud (2021-03-12). Elections under Fire: Palestine's Impossible Democracy Dilemma. dissidentvoice.org Many Palestinian intellectuals and political analysts find themselves in the unenviable position of having to declare a stance on whether they support or reject upcoming Palestinian elections which are scheduled for May 22 and July 30. But there are no easy answers. The long-awaited decree by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas last January to hold …

Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (2021-03-12). Ari Berman on the Attack on Voting Rights. fair.org USA Today ( This week on CounterSpin: A March 3 New York Times

Kollibri terre Sonnenblume (2021-03-12). The Necessity of Dismantling the U.S.—A conversation with Ajamu Baraka. counterpunch.org On February 26th, I interviewed Ajamu Baraka for my podcast. Baraka is a veteran grassroots organizer whose roots are in the Black Liberation Movement and anti-apartheid and Central American solidarity struggles. He is an internationally recognized leader of the emerging human rights movement in the U.S. and has been at the forefront of efforts to