2020-07-11: News Headlines

_____ (2020-07-11). The First NATO: British and French Joint Aggressions in the Mid-19th Century. strategic-culture.org The two most militarily powerful nations in the West, both free to project naval power and maritime domination anywhere in the world, get together to punish and overthrow regimes they find guilty of human rights abuses and political repression in the name of human rights and promoting democracy: What could possibly go wrong? | It is of course NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's new call for NATO, which has already over the past decade exercised its nation-building and promotion of enlightened regime policies with such brilliant success in Ukraine, Libya, Syria and Afghanistan to spread its mantle of protect…

Ali Salam (2020-07-11). Israeli Forces Injure Many Palestinians at s Across the West Bank. imemc.org Israeli forces, on Friday, attacked dozens of non-violent Palestinian ers, holding a ful demonstration against Israel's illegal colonial settlements, outside the village of Asira ash-Shamaliya, north of Nablus city in the northern occupied West Bank. Correspondent for Palestinian WAFA News Agency said that Isareli soldiers fired tear-gas canisters, concussion grenades, …

yenisafak (2020-07-11). Five killed as hostages taken at South African church. yenisafak.com Five people were killed outside a church near the South African capital as a hostage situation played out early on Saturday, local police announced.Four men who were shot dead and burned in a vehicle outside the compound of the International Pentecostal Holiness church located west of Johannesburg, with a security guard responding to a complaint at the church also shot and killed in his vehicle, police spokesman Vish Naidoo told local broadcaster eNCA."We are investigating multiple murders," said Naidoo, adding that members of a special police task force had rescued about 200 people who had reportedly been taken…

yenisafak (2020-07-11). Algeria opposes Libya's division. yenisafak.com The Algerian foreign minister has expressed his country's keenness on resolving the Libyan crisis through dialogue and maintaining the integrity of the country's territory. | This came in an interview conducted by Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum with Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of a meeting with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio in Rome on Thursday. | Boukadoum said Algeria expects the "return of and stability as soon as possible to Libya with respect to the territorial integrity and legality as well as the free choices of the Libyans. This is what we expect and what we are working for." | Since Ap…

yenisafak (2020-07-11). 4G balloons bring hope of connectivity in remote Kenya. yenisafak.com The balloons carrying routers to allow 4G internet links to sleepy Baringo town and adjoining villages in Kenya have brought a new hope of connectivity in the region.This project conceived by the Kenyan government is aimed at enhancing 4G network coverage in rural areas where telecommunications towers are not present.Three weeks ago, John Sakwa a small-scale milk vendor from Baringo who had recently started selling cheese and butter to a client in the Kenyan capital Nairobi 250 kilometers (155 miles) away missed three important video calls. "They said they wanted to see the kind of goods that I have after seeing…

Alan Macleod (2020-07-10). Private Prison Simulation Game Goes Viral on Apple App Store. mintpressnews.com With over two million people locked up across a sprawling network of private and public prisons, the US has by far the highest incarceration rate in the world, significantly worse than brutal dictatorships in Africa, Latin America or Central Asia.

Staff (2020-07-10). Headlines for July 10, 2020. democracynow.org Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Claim of Absolute Immunity, Court Says Much of Oklahoma Remains Indian Country in Landmark Indigenous Sovereignty Case, Hospitals Face Surge as U.S. Reports Record 65,000 New Coronavirus Cases, Surge in Cases Directly Tied to Early Reopenings in Florida, Arizona, Texas, Bolivia's Interim President Tests Positive; India, S. Africa & Mexico Report New Record Highs, 1.3 Million More File for Unemployment as GOP Rejects Extending Jobless Aid, Biden Unveils $700 Billion "Buy American" Economic Recovery Plan, St. Louis Police Break Up City Hall Encampment, With Veto-Proof Majority,…

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-07-10). Ilhan Omar Demands Pentagon Acknowledge, Compensate US Drone Strike Victims 'Illegally Killed' in Somalia. commondreams.org Congresswoman's call, says one rights advocate, "is an important acknowledgment that civilians unlawfully harmed have a right to redress." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/ilhan_0.jpg

Abdul Rahman (2020-07-10). What's behind the war in Libya? peoplesdispatch.org The decade-long conflict in Libya following the 2011 NATO invasion is now at a critical juncture, and may spiral into a regional war if no serious measures are taken to prevent such a situation…

WSWS (2020-07-10). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.

teleSUR (2020-07-10). Sudan: Female Genital Mutilation Officially A Crime. telesurenglish.net Sudan's Sovereign Council, the highest ruling institution in the country, ratified on Friday a law criminalizing female genital mutilation (FGM). | RELATED: | The Justice Minister, Nasredeen Abdulbari, announced on his twitter account that a series of laws had been finally approved by the council, among them, the amendment to the Criminal Law article 141. | The draft law, which criminalizes Female Genital Mutilation…

Danny Sjursen (2020-07-10). The US wants to play powerbroker in a fight over the Nile River, but a bigger threat looms. peoplesdispatch.org What is at stake in the negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and what has been the response of the US…

sputniknews (2020-07-10). Eleven People Drown at Closed Beach in Egypt's Alexandria – Report. sputniknews.com CAIRO (Sputnik) – Eleven people drowned on Friday at a beach in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, which is locked down by the authorities to stop the spread of COVID-19, media reported.

Raul Diego (2020-07-10). Africa to Become Testing Ground for "Trust Stamp" Vaccine Record and Payment System. mintpressnews.com A new biometric identity platform partnered with the Gates-funded GAVI vaccine alliance and Mastercard will launch in West Africa and combine COVID-19 vaccinations, cashless payments, and potential law enforcement applications.

Ed Holt (2020-07-10). Calls for Swift Action as Hundreds of Elephants Die in Botswana's Okavango Delta. globalresearch.ca Nearly 400 elephants have died in Botswana's Okavango Delta since March, in what wildlife experts say is one of the largest elephant mortality events ever recorded. Conservationists have criticized the government's handling of the matter and are urging them to …

sputniknews (2020-07-10). 'Novel Disease' May be Behind Hundreds of Elephant Deaths in Botswana. sputniknews.com Botswana officials have warned that a new pathogen may be to blame for the deaths of hundreds of elephants in the country.

yenisafak (2020-07-10). Putin, Russian Security Council discuss Libyan crisis. yenisafak.com "The situation in Libya was discussed with an emphasis on the absence of alternative to a ful settlement in this country," the Kremlin said in a statement on its official website following the meeting.Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.Libya's new government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to the military offensive by warlord Khalifa Haftar's forces.The UN recognizes the Libyan government headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj as the country's legitimate authority.

Staff (2020-07-09). Headlines for July 9, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Posts Another Record Daily High in New Coronavirus Cases, Anthony Fauci Absent from Coronavirus Task Force Briefing After Drawing Criticism from Trump, Trump Attacks CDC Guidance on School Reopenings During Pandemic, Hundreds Test Positive for COVID-19 at Arizona For-Profit Immigration Jail, Tulsa, OK Health Official Links Explosion of Coronavirus Cases to Trump Rally, HHS Secretary Claims Medical Workers "Don't Get Infected" After 95,000 Test Positive for Coronavirus, COVID-19 Cases Spike in Africa, While Melbourne, Australia, Is Placed Back on Lockdown, Bolivians Buried in Mass Graves as Hospitals "Collaps…

The Canary (2020-07-09). South African province prepares graves as coronavirus hits 'full speed'. thecanary.co The coronavirus pandemic in Africa is reaching "full speed" and it is good to prepare for the worst-case scenario, the Africa Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention has said.It comes after a South African official said a single province is preparing 1.5m graves.The number of confirmed virus cases across Africa surpassed the half-million milestone on 8 July, with more than 12,000 deaths.With testing levels low, the real numbers are unknown.South Africa has the most confirmed cases with more than 224,000. | For the first time, Gauteng province — home to Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria — h…

RT (2020-07-09). 'Liberating 5th Avenue': New York mayor paints BLACK LIVES MATTER outside Trump Tower. rt.com Signaling where his priorities lie amid an epidemic of coronavirus and violence, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered a stretch of 5th Avenue outside Trump Tower to be painted with the words 'Black Lives Matter'. | City workers closed off the street on Thursday morning and began painting the mural, as De Blasio boasted about "liberating 5th Avenue" and finally giving credit to African-Americans for building New York and the US. | | "We are not denigrating anything, we are liberating Fifth Avenue." | New York City Mayor Bill de Blasi…

RT (2020-07-09). 'Pull up your pants & finish school': Would CNN's Don Lemon cancel himself over shockingly unwoke 2013 tips to black community? rt.com A vintage clip of CNN anchor Don Lemon telling black people to act civilized and disregard "street culture" has the woke pundit's detractors' jaws on the floor, wondering what happened to him over the intervening seven years. | In the 2013 clip, Lemon praises Fox News host Bill O'Reilly as the Republican pundit decries the "disintegration of the African-American family," even arguing O'Reilly "doesn't go far enough" when he denounces "street culture." The video was posted to social media by "Panda Tribune" on Wednesday and quickly circulated among conservatives, who had a hard time reconciling this Lemon with…

Ted Kelly (2020-07-09). ers say: 'Free Mumia!' in Philadelphia on July 4. workers.org July 4, Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA "Y'all are the ones we've been waiting for," Pam Africa from International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal and the MOVE Organization said to a crowd of hundreds outside Philadelphia City Hall on July 4th. "Y'all are the ones we've been waiting for. You're . . . |

Staff (2020-07-09). Strange Slow Dance Between Israel And The Gulf States, Despite Annexation. therealnews.com UAE ambassador Yousef al-Otaiba wrote an article promising normalization on the condition that Israel does not annex parts of the West Bank. Jamal Juma' of Stop The Wall pushed back with an opinion piece in Middle East Eye exposing the reality of Israeli apartheid.

WSWS (2020-07-09). More evidence of ill-treatment of asylum seekers in Glasgow hotels. wsws.org Two weeks after the police killing of 28-year-old Sudanese man Badreddin Abadlla Adam, asylum seekers in Glasgow continue to face appalling conditions.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-09). 'Israeli annexation plan formalises the system of apartheid'. peoplesdispatch.org Palestinian lawyer and Diana Buttu talks about what the Israeli administration may have in mind about implementing the annexation plans, the impact of this on the two-state theory, the future of Palestinian Authority, and more.

Cesar Chelala (2020-07-09). The Dangers of Persecuting Doctors. counterpunch.org The detention in Egypt of nine doctors and paramedical personnel is only the latest attack on doctors dealing with the corona virus pandemic. The doctors were denouncing the deaths of front-line health care workers, as the country is struggling to control the pandemic and energize the economy with limited resources. The doctors were also critical

news.un (2020-07-09). Refugees in Africa 'even more vulnerable than ever' amid COVID crisis. news.un.org Millions of refugees across Africa face even greater food insecurity because of aid disruption and rising food prices linked to the COVID-19 crisis, UN humanitarians warned on Thursday.

_____ (2020-07-09). Rally s Anti-Racist Teacher's Suspension. popularresistance.org Milton, MA – Hundreds rallied on Juneteenth (June 19) in Milton, Mass., calling for an end to systemic racism in school curriculum and voicing support for Zakia Jarrett, an African-American sixth-grade English teacher. Jarrett was briefly put on administrative leave June 5 for her remarks on police violence during a lesson on racism. | Jarrett, who has taught for 18 years, used the last line of the poem "Allowables" by Nikki Giovanni as a metaphor for racism. The line reads: "I don't think I'm allowed to kill something because I am afraid." | Jarrett explained that killing out of fear leads to systemic racism and…

news.un (2020-07-09). Intercommunal violence, terrorist attacks inflame tensions in West Africa. news.un.org Intercommunal violence and persistent attacks by extremists, continue to undermine and security across West Africa, the UN's top official in the region warned the Security Council on Thursday, calling for sustained engagement with all partners to urgently advance a holistic approach to .

Abayomi Azikiwe (2020-07-09). COVID-19 Cases in Africa Rising Sharply. globalresearch.ca Concerns are mounting across the African continent and internationally over the exponential growth in COVID-19 infections. | At the time of this writing the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC) reported a total of 508,584 cases resulting in 12,000 …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-09). Unions win better terms for South African Airways workers. peoplesdispatch.org A new agreement between unions and the South African government will see the ailing airline retain 2,000 jobs and offer better terms in the voluntary severance package…

teleSUR (2020-07-09). South Africa: Health Minister Warns on COVID-19 Cases Increase. telesurenglish.net South Africa's Health Minister Zweli Mkhize warned about a hospital occupancy increase despite the optimistic outlook on COVID-19 development. | RELATED: | South Africa's government enforced a strict lockdown and virus outbreak tracing through extensive screening as precautionary measures. Nevertheless, tests and supplies scarcity limits cases detention. | With a 58 million population, then daily new cases average went from 1,0…

WSWS (2020-07-09). Riots in Ethiopia over assassination of Oromi singer/ Hachalu Hundessa. wsws.org In Addis Ababa, at least 10 people were killed in clashes with the police and many more were injured. Similar clashes took place throughout Oromia, the largest of Ethiopia's nine ethnically based regions.

teleSUR (2020-07-09). The Pandemic Could Cause 12,000 Hunger Deaths, NGO Says. telesurenglish.net Oxfam in Kenya warned on Thursday that the COVID-19 impact on the economy could lead to about 12,000 hunger-related deceases topping the pandemic tally. | RELATED: | "COVID-19 is the last straw for millions of people already struggling with the impacts of conflict, climate change, inequality, and a broken food system that has impoverished millions of food producers and workers," Oxfam's Interim Executive Direct…

teleSUR (2020-07-09). WHO Sets Independent Panel to Review Its Fight Against COVID-19. telesurenglish.net The World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Thursday announced the creation of an independent commission to review the performance of his institution in the current pandemic. | RELATED: | The panel will be chaired by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian President and Nobel Prize laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. | "It is time to reflect on what we have done and look for…

yenisafak (2020-07-09). Libya's mufti hails cooperation with Turkey. yenisafak.com Sadiq al-Ghariani said during a TV program that all civil organizations in Libya should organize mass demonstrations, adding that the residents of the capital, Tripoli, are well aware of who helped them get rid of the bombs and missiles that were being fired on them two months ago.Al-Ghariani was referring to Turkey's assistance in breaking a more than year-long offensive by Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar on the city.He stressed that the agreement concluded between Turkey and Libya was legal and legitimate and that countries like France and the UAE had unlawfully interfered in the war-torn North African country."R…

yenisafak (2020-07-09). 'Negative trend in EU-Turkey relations must stop'. yenisafak.com Negative trend in EU-Turkey relations must stop, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday.Speaking at a European Parliament session called by the conservative European People's Party, Borrell said: "Turkey is an important partner, candidate country, and a NATO ally. The current negative trend in our relations needs to be stopped and reversed."Borrell said he recently visited Turkey after visiting Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, adding that "stability and security in the Mediterranean requires collective engagement."Conflicts in Syria and Libya directly affecting the security and interes…

yenisafak (2020-07-09). Coronavirus fatalities rise in Oman, Libya. yenisafak.com The coronavirus pandemic on Thursday claimed three more lives in Oman and one in Libya.Oman's Health Ministry said the nationwide death toll has risen to 236, while the tally of infections is at 51,725 with over 1,500 cases recorded in the last 24 hours.Libyan health authorities reported 86 new infections over the past day, the highest single-day rise since the start of the outbreak.With the new figure, the tally of cases in Libya has reached 1,268. The death toll is at 36, with 306 recoveries.In Morocco, the Health Ministry reported 178 more cases, bringing the count to 14,949. The country's death toll is 242 an…

Staff (2020-07-08). COVID Exposes "Significant Racial Health Inequities" as Black, Brown & Indigenous People Suffer Most. democracynow.org The coronavirus continues to hit communities of color the hardest, with federal data showing African American and Latinx people are nearly three times more likely to be infected and twice as likely to die from the virus compared to their white neighbors. There were "pretty significant racial health disparities" even before COVID-19 ravaged the country, says Dr. Uché Blackstock, emergency medicine physician in New York and founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, a company working to fight racism and bias in health services. "What we saw in the pandemic these first few months is these really significant racial…

Lyn Neeley (2020-07-08). Milton, Mass.: Rally s anti-racist teacher's suspension. workers.org Hundreds rallied on Juneteenth (June 19) in Milton, Mass., calling for an end to systemic racism in school curriculum and voicing support for Zakia Jarrett, an African-American sixth-grade English teacher. Jarrett was briefly put on administrative leave June 5 for her remarks on police violence during a lesson on racism. . . . |

RT (2020-07-08). Russia & Turkey working on ways to achieve truce in Libya, despite Tripoli's unwillingness to stop fighting — Lavrov. rt.com Moscow and Ankara are discussing ways to reach a ceasefire in Libya, but one of the warring sides — the GNA in Tripoli — is not on board, instead it's counting on winning militarily, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. | Lavrov noted that the other side, Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) "is ready to sign a document on the immediate cessation of hostilities." | Libya remains divided since NATO's bombing campaign in 2011 led to the overthrow of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi, and the devastation of the once prosperous North African state. | The fighting between the GNA, backed by…

South Front (2020-07-08). Video: Turkish Forces Lick Wounds After Airstrikes Hit Their Base in Libya. globalresearch.ca After a short break, the military confrontation between the Libyan National Army mainly backed up by Egypt and the UAE and the Turkish-backed Government of National Accord has once again entered an open phase. | On July 5, aircraft of the …

WSWS (2020-07-08). South Africa sees surge in COVID-19 as restrictions lifted. wsws.org South Africa is now the country with the second highest number of deaths on the African continent, behind Egypt, and the largest number of cases.

The Canary (2020-07-08). Rare gorillas with babies in Nigeria captured on camera. thecanary.co Conservationists have captured the first images of a group of rare Cross River gorillas with multiple babies in Nigeria's Mbe mountains, proof that the subspecies once feared to be extinct is reproducing amid protection efforts.Only around 300 Cross River gorillas were known to be alive at one point in the isolated mountainous region in Nigeria and Cameroon, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which captured the camera trap images in May. More colour images were recovered last month.John Oates, professor emeritus at City University of New York and a primatologist who helped establish conservation effo…

news.un (2020-07-08). Time is running out for Libya, UN chief warns Security Council. news.un.org With battle lines shifting, foreign interference growing, thousands fleeing their homes and COVID-19 cases on the rise, time is running out for bringing a ful end to the conflict in Libya, Secretary-General António Guterres says.

sputniknews (2020-07-08). NATO 'Frenemy' Turkey Risks More in Conflict With Allies of Cypriot Oil Than Libyan Arms – Professor. sputniknews.com While Ankara has roused French anger over an incident involving a Tanzanian freighter traveling to Libya, Turkey risks far more politically by sticking to its guns over oil drilling near Cyprus, a political scientist told Sputnik on Wednesday.

yenisafak (2020-07-08). Russia, Turkey seek solution to Libya crisis: Lavrov. yenisafak.com Russia and Turkey will continue joint efforts on finding a solution to the Libyan crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday.The two countries are seeking an approach that would allow for immediate cease-fire in Libya, the minister said, speaking at a news conference in Moscow."Within the dialogue, sanctioned at the highest level by the presidents of Russia and Turkey, we have been working on finding approaches that would allow us to immediately declare a cease-fire and start resolving all other issues," the top diplomat said.He said the first essential step toward a solution is to declare "a c…

yenisafak (2020-07-08). Turkey, UK agree Libya needs political solution. yenisafak.com Turkey and the UK are in agreement on a diplomatic solution in Libya, Turkey's foreign minister said Wednesday.Mevlut Cavusoglu, who is paying a one-day working visit to London, said Turkey thinks the only solution in Libya conflict is a political one, adding: "We need to give pace to this political process under the roof of the UN."The conditions of the legitimate Sarraj government in Libya must be met for a ceasefire in Libya and it needs to be a permanent ceasefire, Cavusoglu noted.His remarks came after a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street.Turkish foreign minister earlier met…

yenisafak (2020-07-08). Borsa Istanbul tops 120,000 points. yenisafak.com Following ups and downs due to the coronavirus outbreak, Borsa Istanbul's BIST 100 index just reached a midweek peak of over 120,000 points.The index, which reached its historical high of 125,536.60 points in Jan. 22 and dropped to below 82,000 in March, since the normalization period starting in June has recovered almost all its losses.The index saw 120,203.44 points during the third transaction day of the week, while it is currently hovering between 119,000 and 120,000 points.After appearing in China last December, COVID-19 has affected economies worldwide deeply.Amid the normalization, Turkey has seen its viru…

2020-07-10: News Headlines

Richard Horton (2020-07-11). [Comment] Offline: Restoring trust in WHO. thelancet.com Belgium has the sad distinction of leading the world league table of deaths from COVID-19. At 843 deaths per million, Belgium is ahead of the UK (650 per million), Italy (576 per million), Sweden (537 per million), and France (458 per million). COVID-19 was first reported in Belgium on Feb 4, 2020, in a 54-year-old man who had been repatriated from Wuhan, China. Community transmission was confirmed in early March after holiday makers returned from school vacation breaks in northern Italy. The national sense of failure and anger is spurring a serious effort to initiate an international inquiry into the global resp…

Till J Bugaj, Anna Cranz, Christoph Nikendei (2020-07-11). [Correspondence] The health-care sector's role in climate stabilisation. thelancet.com Nick Watts and colleagues' 2019 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change1 leaves no doubt that global warming will heavily affect every child born today. Young people—the generation that will have to live through the consequences of a warming world for the longest—are actively taking part in raising awareness for climate change. Inspired by the Fridays for Future movement, thousands of young people have been doing everything possible to bring about social change towards a sustainable ecological lifestyle.

Staff (2020-07-11). Climate Crisis: Fracking Pioneer Goes Bankrupt, Pipelines Get Big Legal Win. therealnews.com Fracking pioneer Chesapeake Energy goes bankrupt with industry-wide reverberations, and a trio of pipelines take legal hits as the industry scores a huge legal win.

Matthew Eckelman, Marina Romanello, Jodi Sherman, Nicholas Watts (2020-07-11). [Correspondence] The health-care sector's role in climate stabilisation — Authors' reply. thelancet.com We thank Till Bugaj and colleagues and Helga Weisz and colleagues for their comments.

The Lancet (2020-07-11). [Editorial] COVID-19: the worst may be yet to come. thelancet.com As much of western Europe begins to ease countrywide lockdowns, globally the pandemic may still be in its infancy, with more than 160‚Äà000 new cases reported each day since June 25. Individual countries count cases differently, so direct comparisons are difficult, but the numbers illustrate a worrying pattern. At a subnational level the picture is nuanced, with local hotspots, but at a country level the picture is clear—the world is facing a worsening multipolar pandemic.

Sarah Ditum (2020-07-11). [Perspectives] The art of survival. thelancet.com An artist can turn bad luck into good fortune. Texas-born author Katherine Anne Porter caught and nearly died from influenza in the 1918—19 pandemic, but the experience gave her the material for Pale Horse, Pale Rider—the title piece of this selection from Penguin Modern Classics—and not only the finest of her very fine short stories, but also the greatest literary account of the "Spanish" influenza. Very few writers besides Porter addressed the disease, effectively making her the laureate of a tragedy that no one much cared to remember until the parallels with COVID-19 recalled it to collective…

Deepak L Bhatt, Philippe Gabriel Steg (2020-07-11). [Correspondence] Differential effect of ticagrelor on irreversible harms in diabetes — Authors' reply. thelancet.com Gerald Chi and Jolanta Marszalek raise questions about subgroup analysis and interaction terms in the THEMIS trial. Interaction terms are generally underpowered. At the same time, when several subgroups are compared, interaction terms might be positive by chance because of multiplicity of testing. These are two opposing forces in the interpretation of interaction terms that have long been appreciated in clinical trials. With respect to our work, the THEMIS trial was a positive trial in which we found significant efficacy benefit of ticagrelor in the overall population of patients with stable coronary artery disea…

Gerald Chi, Jolanta Marszalek (2020-07-11). [Correspondence] Differential effect of ticagrelor on irreversible harms in diabetes. thelancet.com We read with interest the Article by Deepak L Bhatt and colleagues1 on the incremental effect of ticagrelor to aspirin for patients with diabetes and stable coronary artery disease. The THEMIS trial suggested a reduction in ischaemic events but not irreversible harms in the overall population.2 The trial also hypothesised that patients with a history of previous percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) would show a favourable efficacy—safety tradeoff. The authors found a favourable net clinical benefit in patients with previous PCI but not in those without previous PCI (appendix).

Sheila M Bird, J Roy Robertson (2020-07-11). [Correspondence] Older-age opioid-related deaths in the UK. thelancet.com The Lancet Series on drug use1 began with a paper on global patterns of opioid dependence but insufficiently emphasised that the sequelae of these epidemics persist over decades. The risk of drug-related death increases with age in people who are opioid-dependent, and the advantage that young women users (<35 years) have of lower drug-related mortality risk diminishes as they get older.2...

David Rosmarin, Amit G Pandya, Mark Lebwohl, Pearl Grimes, Iltefat Hamzavi, Alice B Gottlieb, Kathleen Butler, Fiona Kuo, Kang Sun, Tao Ji, Michael D Howell, John E Harris (2020-07-11). [Articles] Ruxolitinib cream for treatment of vitiligo: a randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial. thelancet.com Treatment with ruxolitinib cream was associated with substantial repigmentation of vitiligo lesions up to 52 weeks of treatment, and all doses were well tolerated. These data suggest that ruxolitinib cream might be an effective treatment option for patients with vitiligo.

Marco Antonio Bessa, Ronaldo Laranjeira, David Martin (2020-07-11). [Correspondence] Organised crime: the missing link in drug policies. thelancet.com Illegal drugs and their effect on public health were discussed in a 2019 Lancet Series.1 However, the Series authors did not report how a global criminal enterprise, the drug—abuse industrial complex,2 is the origin of the problem. This global network of organised crime, corrupt politicians, money laundering, and distribution systems perpetuates this public health crisis. We have reason to believe the drug trade is now expanding under the guise of legal cannabis and cannabidiol, especially in North America, with outreach to other markets in South America, Europe, and Asia.

Susan Jaffe (2020-07-11). [World Report] US Supreme Court upholds abortion rights, for now. thelancet.com The court's decision means that Louisiana's three abortion clinics will remain open. Susan Jaffe reports.

Angeliki Vgontzas, William Renthal (2020-07-11). [Correspondence] Predicting erenumab adverse events with single-cell genomics. thelancet.com Erenumab is a CGRP receptor monoclonal antibody for the preventive treatment of migraine. It has been widely prescribed in the USA after receiving US Food and Drug Administration approval in May, 2018. An estimated 7000 prescriptions are written per week,1 which, along with postmarketing reporting, have resulted in the rapid detection of serious adverse events that were not seen during clinical trials. As a result, the product label was revised on Oct 4, 2019, to include constipation with serious complications, including cases requiring hospitalisation and surgery, with most cases reported after a single dose of…

Andrew Green (2020-07-11). [Obituary] Tomisaku Kawasaki. thelancet.com Paediatrician who identified what became known as Kawasaki disease. Born on Feb 7, 1925, in Tokyo, Japan, he died on June 5, 2020, in Tokyo, aged 95 years.

Thierry Passeron (2020-07-11). [Comment] First step in a new era for treatment of patients with vitiligo. thelancet.com Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentation of the skin, which affects approximately 1% of the population worldwide. The condition can profoundly affect the wellbeing and the social, sexual, and professional lives of affected individuals and thus induces a strong therapeutic demand.1 Actual treatments rely on the use of topical steroids or topical calcineurin inhibitors, and are better combined with sun exposure or phototherapy.1,2 The best results are achieved on the face, while some areas such as bony prominences and hands and feet show a very poor repigmentation rate.

Daniel Pan, Leslie R Bridges, John du Parcq, Ula Mahadeva, Shantanu Roy, Ibne K M Ali, Catherine A Cosgrove, Peter L Chiodini, Liqun Zhang (2020-07-11). [Clinical Picture] A rare cause of left-sided weakness in an elderly woman: amoebic encephalitis. thelancet.com An 85-year-old Gujarati woman with a 1-day history of confusion, left-sided weakness, and slurred speech attended our hospital. She had a history of headaches, which had been extensively investigated for 2 years from 2013. She also had hypertension. She had no history of recent travel.

_____ (2020-07-10). Scheer Intelligence: The Price Of Ignoring The Ferguson Uprising. popularresistance.org August 9 will mark six years since 18-year-old Michael Brown was murdered by policeman Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Miss. Since then, Wilson has walked free and the systemic issues that have plagued this nation throughout its history have gone unaddressed. That changed with the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, which so thoroughly shocked Americans and established that the lessons from Ferguson and the Black Lives Matter movement that rose from it never had been absorbed. | Now, at a moment of heightened awareness about racism, Black Lives Matter leaders and Black s and artists such as t…

A.D. Foster (2020-07-10). Columbia, SC ers resilient in the face of police repression. liberationnews.org ers, s and community members in Columbia, South Carolina are facing severe repression following s against racism and police terror at the end of May. So far, more than 80 people have been arrested, ers and bystanders alike. That number continues to grow as the Richland County Sheriff's Department and Columbia Police Department seek to …

Fight Back (2020-07-10). Chicago against Duterte's terror law. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL — More than 80 progressive Filipinos and supporters gathered in front of the Philippine Consulate, July 8, to the repressive 'anti-terrorism' measure recently signed into law by President Duterte. The law criminalizes trade union, student, environmental and other s who are working for social and national liberation. The was one of many held across the U.S.

_____ (2020-07-10). Serbia Explosion — Vuƒçiƒá Caught Between Coronavirus and Color Revolution. strategic-culture.org On the evenings of July 7th and 9th, a wave of unrest swept through several Serbian cities — chiefly Belgrade — in opposition to an announcement from Vuƒçiƒá that Belgrade would return to the government mandated coronavirus quarantine lockdowns. | Largely the s were ful if energetic, with the vast majority of ers of all ages and walks of life observing norms and voicing their opposition to the announcement that quarantine would return. Many of those ing were not anti-Vuƒçiƒá per se, and their issues were not political in the ele…

yenisafak (2020-07-10). Putin, Russian Security Council discuss Libyan crisis. yenisafak.com "The situation in Libya was discussed with an emphasis on the absence of alternative to a ful settlement in this country," the Kremlin said in a statement on its official website following the meeting.Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.Libya's new government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to the military offensive by warlord Khalifa Haftar's forces.The UN recognizes the Libyan government headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj as the country's legitimate authority.

Staff (2020-07-10). Headlines for July 10, 2020. democracynow.org Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Claim of Absolute Immunity, Court Says Much of Oklahoma Remains Indian Country in Landmark Indigenous Sovereignty Case, Hospitals Face Surge as U.S. Reports Record 65,000 New Coronavirus Cases, Surge in Cases Directly Tied to Early Reopenings in Florida, Arizona, Texas, Bolivia's Interim President Tests Positive; India, S. Africa & Mexico Report New Record Highs, 1.3 Million More File for Unemployment as GOP Rejects Extending Jobless Aid, Biden Unveils $700 Billion "Buy American" Economic Recovery Plan, St. Louis Police Break Up City Hall Encampment, With Veto-Proof Majority,…

Danny Sjursen (2020-07-10). Undercover Patriots: Trump, Tulsa, and the Rise of Military Dissent. counterpunch.org It was June 20th and we antiwar vets had traveled all the way to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the midst of a pandemic to President Trump's latest folly, an election 2020 rally where he was to parade his goods and pretend all was well with this country. We never planned to go inside the cavernous

RT (2020-07-10). NYC mayor bans 'large events' through end of September — except BLM s. rt.com New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has banned all large public events for the next three months, citing the Covid-19 pandemic — only to make a belated exception for Black Lives Matter rallies, incensing Americans far outside the city. | Fresh from painting a giant "Black Lives Matter" mural on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower, the mayor took to CNN to expand on his office's order to cancel all large gatherings through September 30 on Thursday. But when host Wolf Blitzer asked him about "s," de Blasio couldn't resist taking the day's pandering even further. | "We understand, at this moment in histor…

Staff (2020-07-10). BLM s Captured In Black And White. therealnews.com TRNN's Aman Azhar captured these photos June 7-8 shortly after thousands took to the streets of Washington, D.C. demanding an end to racial discrimination and police brutality.

RT (2020-07-10). Twitter data-mining tool Dataminr fed police real-time info on Black Lives Matter ers, despite promises not to spy. rt.com An analytics firm parsing Twitter data in real time for law enforcement and media has been caught funneling detailed info on anti-police-brutality marches to the very agencies users are ing, despite promises not to. | Dataminr, a CIA-funded artificial intelligence startup that mines Twitter's real-time content stream for behavioral patterns and other analytics, has been caught feeding info on police brutality ers from that "firehose" stream back to law enforcement. While the developers had promised they wouldn't enable domestic surveillance after a series of scandals in 2016, Dataminr is once aga…

Robert Koehler (2020-07-10). What about armed s? zcomm.org As soon as we pull the trigger, we've dehumanized the enemy and gone to war. When we go to war, nobody wins…

Judy Greenspan (2020-07-10). 'Day of Rage' against Zionist annexation. workers.org When Palestine is under attack, what do we do? Unite and fight back! And that's just what thousands of ers did across the U.S. on July 1, the day Israel annexed 30 percent of the West Bank. More cities had demonstrations in the days that followed. At least 40 actions . . . |

Otis Grotewohl (2020-07-10). Students and workers remove 'Confederate General' name from school. workers.org Charleston, W.Va. In a huge victory for the growing movement against racism and national oppression, members of the Kanawha County Board of Education of Charleston, W.Va., voted 5-0 on July 6 to change the name of what used to be known as "Stonewall Jackson Middle School." Charleston , July 6. . . . |

Manlio Dinucci (2020-07-10). Bipartisan Torpedo Against the Agreement for Afghanistan. globalresearch.ca Hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties, over 2,400 US soldiers killed (plus an unknown number of wounded), about 1,000 billion dollars spent: this is the budget summary of 19 years of US war in Afghanistan, to which the cost for …

_____ (2020-07-10). 'I Could Live With That': How the CIA Made Afghanistan Safe for the Opium Trade. strategic-culture.org Jeffrey ST. CLAIR | "I decided I could live with that." | — Stansfield Turner, Jimmy Carter's CIA director, on the extreme level of civilian casualties in the CIA's covert war in Afghanistan. | The first indelible image of the war in Afghanistan for many Americans was probably that of CBS anchorman Dan Rather, wrapped in the voluminous drapery of a mujahedin fighter, looking like a healthy relative of Lawrence of Arabia (albeit with hair that seemed freshly blow-dried, as some viewers were quick to point out). From his secret mountainside "somewhere in the Hindu Kush," Rather unloaded on his audience a barr…

Todd Smith (2020-07-10). Still Fighting "Whatever" in Afghanistan. dissidentvoice.org This just in: Cable news presenter-hero Jake Tapper finds new spotlight at the Movies with the Millennium Media studio release of The Outpost, based on Tapper's 2012 book The Outpost: an Untold Story of American Valor. Tapper's tale tells the story of a locally massive attack by Taliban-types on a remote American forward operating base, …

Jeffrey St. Clair (2020-07-10). "I Could Live With That": How the CIA Made Afghanistan Safe for the Opium Trade. counterpunch.org Jimmy Carter later confessed in his memoirs that he was more shaken by the invasion of Afghanistan than any other event of his presidency, including the Iranian revolution. Carter was convinced by the CIA that it could be the start of a push by the Soviets toward the Persian Gulf, a scenario that led the president to seriously consider the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

RT (2020-07-10). False start? Amazon calls TikTok ban order an 'error', says no policy change 'right now'. rt.com E-commerce behemoth Amazon has reversed course after ordering employees to remove micro-vlogging app TikTok from smartphones with access to Amazon email "due to security risks," calling the demand an "error." | "This morning's email to some of our employees was sent in error," a company spokeswoman told Reuters on Friday, just hours after the memo went out to Amazon employees. | There is no change to our policies right now with regard to TikTok. | The message had informed workers they had until the end of the day to ditch the popular app or they would lose mobile access to their Amazon email accounts, citing…

Nathan Tankus (2020-07-10). Congress is a month away from cutting the economy's fiscal life support. mronline.org The most important economic problem the United States is facing is the failure to contain Coronavirus and the unethical decisions politicians have been making to reopen without the administrative capacity to limit the virus's spread.

RT (2020-07-10). Amazon bans TikTok from employees' phones, calls Chinese app a 'security risk'. rt.com Amazon has asked all of its employees to remove the TikTok app from their cell phones. The move comes as the US government considers a nationwide ban on the Chinese video app. | "Due to security risks, the TikTok app is no longer permitted on mobile devices that access Amazon email," read a memo sent to employees on Friday. "If you have TikTok on your device, you must remove it by 10-Jul to retain mobile access to Amazon email. At this time, using TikTok from your Amazon laptop browser is allowed." | Amazon sends email to employees requiring they delete the TikTok app off all mobile devices with access to a co…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-07-10). Retired Steelworker leader Jones backs Biden but wishes it was Bernie. peoplesworld.org INDIANAPOLIS—Chuck Jones, the retired Steelworkers Local 1999 president who became famous for debunking then-President-elect Donald Trump's lies about the Carrier plant closure outside Indianapolis almost four years ago, is going to vote for Joe Biden. But Jones really wishes he was voting for Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., the last man standing against former veep Biden …

_____ (2020-07-10). VenezolanosConBiden And MAGAzuela: Two Sides Of The Same Coin. popularresistance.org The Biden campaign held an online event on Wednesday, July 8 pitched as the former Vice President's "vision for Venezuela and Venezuelans in the U.S." Spoiler alert: his vision for Venezuela barely differs from President Trump. This event, which didn't merit an appearance from Biden himself, was aimed at getting Venezuelan-Americans to volunteer for "Uncle Joe", as Representative Darren Soto (D-Fl) called him. It was an hour and a half of shilling for votes and influence, and it demonstrated that when it comes to Venezuela, policies of regime change, sanctions and a refusal to engage in dialogue unite Venezolanos…

Paul Street (2020-07-10). Imperial Blind Spots and a Question for Obama. counterpunch.org The biggest of the many moral blind-spots that mar the politics of the Democratic Party is American imperialism. Biden Helped Lead the Charge into Iraq Look at the Inauthentic Opposition Party's[1] presumptive presidential nominee. Biden recently chided Donald Trump in not-so veiled terms for failing to overthrow the democratically elected socialist Maduro government of Venezuela?

Peter Frost (2020-07-10). Trump election strategy: Blame China for coronavirus, bad economy. peoplesworld.org With the latest opinion polls showing Joe Biden leading Donald Trump by 53% to 42%, Trump needs desperate measures. A major part of his re-election strategy now is to up the ante against Beijing. Last weekend, he announced yet again that China had caused great damage to the United States and the rest of the …

Thom Hartmann (2020-07-10). How Billionaires Get Away With Their Big Con. counterpunch.org About 75 percent of Americans trusted the federal government to "do what is right" when polled during most of the last years of the Eisenhower administration and early years of Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency. In 2019, when the Pew Research Center released its most recent poll of public trust in the government, only 17 percent

yenisafak (2020-07-10). Japan to buy $23B worth of F-35 fighter jets from US. yenisafak.com The US on Thursday approved a planned purchase by Japan of 105 F-35 joint strike fighters estimated to be worth $23 billion amid escalating tension in the South China Sea between China and US allies.The approved package includes 63 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft and 42 F-35 short takeoff and landing variants as part of a December 2018 decision by Japan to increase its procurement of F-35s from 42 to 147.Japan does not have a coast to the hotly-conflicted South China Sea, but views it as strategically important due to its role as a vital trading route.If the sale goes through from congress, it wil…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-07-10). House Labor-Health-Education bill could set off social issue uproars. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—The mammoth, and often controversial, House money bill for federal labor, health and education spending adds billions of dollars for schools and health programs, but could also set off several social issue uproars when it hits the House floor later this month. The measure doles out and increases funds for the departments of Labor, Health …

_____ (2020-07-10). How Democrats Are Deceived. strategic-culture.org Democrats are deceived in basically the same way that Republicans are, but by a different group of billionaires. | Noah Shachtman is the Editor-in-Chief of the Democratic Party billionaires' Daily Beast 'news' site. On 29 October 2018, he headlined there,

Raul Diego (2020-07-10). Mexico State Oil Company Files $22 Billion Debt Swap amid IMF Threats and White House Visit. mintpressnews.com Mexico's economy is put in the crosshairs by the IMF as the "new NAFTA" takes effect and AMLO is forced to make concessions to avoid an even deeper recession.

yenisafak (2020-07-10). Venice tests long-delayed flood barrier months after waters swamped city. yenisafak.com Venice tested its long-delayed flood barriers on Friday, in a public demonstration of the strength of the defences months after rising tidal waters swamped its historic canals, squares and palaces.The multi-billion-euro Mose scheme – designed in 1984 but still incomplete a decade after it was due to come into service – has been plagued by corruption and cost overruns.Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte attended the test and started the computerised system that sent all 78 giant yellow sluice gates rising simultaneously above the water for the first time."We are here for a test, not a parade," Conte said, as crowds prot…

yenisafak (2020-07-10). Iran reports 142 more deaths due to coronavirus. yenisafak.com Iran on Friday confirmed 142 more fatalities caused by the novel coronavirus, bringing the nationwide death toll to 12,447.A further of 2,262 people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the overall count to 252,720, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said.A total of 215,176 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, while 3,319 patients remain in critical condition, the official said.Across the world, COVID-19 has claimed over 555,500 lives in 188 countries and regions since emerging in China last December.Nearly 12.3 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the US, Brazil,…

Staff (2020-07-10). Brazilian Epidemiologist Slams Bolsonaro's COVID Response as Far-Right President Tests Positive. democracynow.org As Brazil faces the world's second-worst COVID-19 outbreak after the United States, Trump ally and far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive, after months of downplaying the severity of the pandemic. Brazil has gone almost two months with no health minister. "Bad political leadership is a major risk factor for the spread of the pandemic," says leading Brazilian epidemiologist Cesar Victora, who coordinates the International Center for Equity in Health at the Federal University of Pelotas.

José Dirceu de Oliveira e Silva (2020-07-10). Brazilian Democracy Is at a Stalemate. zcomm.org Interview on the need for a broad front coalition to defeat Bolsonarismo…

yenisafak (2020-07-10). India launches solar power plant to stop China imports. yenisafak.com Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a solar power plant with the aim to stop reliance on imports from neighbors China and PakistanThe 750-megawatt power plant in the central state of Madhya Pradesh is being dubbed as the largest in Asia by local media.The project is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 million tons each year."Several steps are being taken to increase domestic manufacturing and it has been decided that government's departments and institutions will only buy domestically manufactured solar cells and modules," said Modi, in the wake of recent border tensions with Chi…