Economy > 50 Million Barrels of Oil; Nitrogen Fertilizer Leading Food Price Rise; Sanctions Hurting Greece; US Trying to Force Russia Out of EU Gas Market

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Biden Orders 50 Million Barrels of Oil Released From Strategic Reserve

In Bid to Cool Surging Prices

BY TOM OZIMEK 

November 23, 2021 

Crude oil storage tanks are seen in an aerial photograph at the Cushing oil hub in Cushing, Okla.,

on April 21, 2020. (Drone Base/Reuters)

President Joe Biden on Nov. 23 ordered 50 million barrels of oil released from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) to help cool surging energy costs and ease pain at the pump.

“American consumers are feeling the impact of elevated gas prices at the pump and in their home heating bills, and American businesses are, too, because oil supply has not kept up with demand as the global economy emerges from the pandemic,” the White House said in a Nov. 23 statement.

Crude oil prices have surged to seven-year highs, with global demand seeing a sharp rebound from the pandemic lows. Republicans have blamed Biden’s policies—such as nixing the Keystone XL pipeline project and freezing new oil and gas drilling leases on federal land—for contributing to rising prices.

Insisting that Biden “is using every tool available to him to work to lower prices and address the lack of supply” of oil, the White House said the U.S. Department of Energy will make available 32 million barrels of crude under an exchange mechanism from all four SPR storage sites. On top of this, another 18 million barrels will be made available by accelerating the sale of crude from the SPR under a previous congressional authorization.

“As we come out of an unprecedented global economic shutdown, oil supply has not kept up with demand, forcing working families and businesses to pay the price,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, said in a statement.

The White House said the release of the reserves was made in concert with other releases from strategic reserves by China, India, South Korea, Japan, and Great Britain.

Reacting to the White House announcement, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said the SPR release—which represents just a few days of U.S. domestic demand—was unlikely to have a significant impact.

“President Biden’s decision to tap America’s strategic reserves—which will release just 3 days’ worth of oil onto the market—is not about a real solution to our energy crisis,” McCarthy said on Twitter.

“The real solution to your energy crisis is to let America produce the energy we have and need,” McCarthy said in a follow-on comment on Twitter.

Surging energy costs were the biggest factor pushing up October’s consumer price index (CPI), which vaulted 6.2 percent in the 12 months through October, a level not seen in nearly 31 years.

Accelerating inflation has been blamed for a sharp fall in consumer sentiment, which in November hit a decade low, according to a University of Michigan survey.

“Consumer sentiment fell in early November to its lowest level in a decade due to an escalating inflation rate and the growing belief among consumers that no effective policies have yet been developed to reduce the damage from surging inflation,” Richard Curtin, the survey director, said in a statement.

Besides becoming a key issue for many Americans, surging prices have also become a political problem for the Biden administration, with a recent CBS/YouGov poll showing that 67 percent of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of inflation.

The poll also showed that nearly two-thirds of Americans said the U.S. economy was in bad shape—the worst outcome since the depths of the pandemic last summer—while 84 percent of those who gave the economy a negative rating blamed inflation.

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Food prices about to soar

25 Nov, 2021 11:09 

A tractor of the Poschinger Bray'sche Gueterverwaltung company applies liquid nitrogen fertilizer to a wheat field in Irlbach near Deggendorf, Germany, April 21, 2016. © Reuters / Michaela Rehle

Global prices of nitrogen fertilizer are at their highest levels in over a decade. The crop nutrient’s sales amounted to $53 billion last year. Prices are at least 80% higher so far this year, according to Argus Media.

Nitrogen-based fertilizers are obtained from natural gas, and higher costs for the fuel have caused producers to slash output, driving the nutrients’ prices upward.

Farmers use nitrogen to increase production of corn, canola, wheat and other crops, applying it before the planting season. But at current prices, farmers in North America have had to delay its purchase, which could result in rush-buying next spring and leave many without the commodity, according to Daren Coppock, US Agricultural Retailers Association CEO.

Coppock says the US has enough nitrogen supplies for application before winter, but notes that given the prices “there’s going to be a lot of people who wait and see.” And “if everybody’s scrambling in the spring to get enough, somebody’s corn isn't going to get covered,” the expert warns. This could then lead to higher meat and bread prices in 2022.

According to one of the major nitrogen fertilizer producers, US-based CF Industries, the strong global demand for the crop nutrient may last at least until 2023.

CF’s Norwegian counterpart Yara International also recently warned that rising fertilizer prices could push food costs up and even lead to famine in some parts of the globe.

Major fertilizer producers Russia, China, and Turkey said they would limit exports of crop nutrients to tackle domestic rises in food prices.

Food prices soared to a 10-year high last month, hitting their peak since July 2011 and extending the 30% increase recorded last year, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report. The surge was led by increases in cereal crops like wheat and vegetable oils.

Of course, Canada is doing everything it can to contribute to this problem.

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EU state admits Russian counter-sanctions have caused

serious damage to trade

28 Nov, 2021 13:12

© Global Look Press / Sabine Lubenow

Reciprocal measures introduced by the Kremlin in response to anti-Russian sanctions have severely hit mutual trade between Moscow and Athens, with Greek exports to the country reportedly halved over the past seven years.

“Russian counter-sanctions have bashed Greek exports, which have been cut in half since 2014. This is especially the case for fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and dairy products,” Varvitsiotis Miltiadis, Greece’s alternate minister of foreign affairs, said in an interview with TASS. 

According to the official, Greek manufacturers are currently ramping up their efforts to increase the share of the country’s products in the Russian market by boosting sales of other goods that are not subject to sanctions.

The Russian authorities placed an import ban on a number of food products from EU member states in 2014, after relations between Moscow and Brussels dramatically declined as a result of economic sanctions introduced by the EU against Russia. The step has drawn harsh criticism from citizens and companies in both Russia and the EU, and sparked a wave of protests among European farmers.

“Tourism is of particular importance to us since it helps to reduce the vast trade deficit we have with Russia, our traditional source of energy and grains,” Miltiadis said.

The diplomat added that Greece couldn’t welcome as many Russian visitors as it used to in recent years, due to Covid-related restrictions. However, the country’s hoteliers hope for a swift recovery in tourist numbers from Russia.

Good luck with that idea!

US trying to force Russia out of EU gas market – Serbia

29 Nov, 2021 09:16

The controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline is still not certified and in operation because of pressure from Washington, which is trying to force Russia out of the EU gas market, the President of Serbia claimed on Sunday.

Aleksandar Vučić’s comments came just three days after he agreed to extend a gas deal with Russia that will save Belgrade around €1 billion ($1.12 billion), according to his calculations.

“The Russians have a problem that they are not talking about,” he told TV channel Pink. “Namely, there are attempts to politically squeeze them out so that they do not have gas in Europe.”

According to Vučić, the EU is short of 70 billion cubic meters of gas. Fifty-five billion of that could be provided by Nord Stream 2, if it is allowed to operate, he claimed.

Despite numerous packages of American sanctions, the controversial pipeline was completed last month. It stretches from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to Germany, allowing Moscow to send gas without transiting other countries. It would also make the process less reliant on third parties, thereby lowering the price. According to Washington, however, the pipeline threatens Europe’s “energy security.” Some have claimed the US is motivated by its own desire to sell liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the continent.

The use of sanctions to attack another country's economy should be a criminal act, if it isn't already. America's bullying is not going to win friends and influence people in a long, cold winter with gas shortages.

Due to issues with the German regulator and its insistence that Nord Stream 2 AG create a German subsidiary, the pipeline’s certification has been delayed. Once the formalities are completed, it could be turned on next year.

The contract for gas supplies from Russia to Serbia has been in force since 2012 and expires at the end of 2021. The price, set at $270 per 1,000 cubic meters, is considerably lower than the current spot price and has been extended for an extra six months on the same terms. Last month, LNG prices in Europe hit a record high of $1,900 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Islam Today > Fulani Herdsmen Kill More Christians As Biden Removes Nigeria from Persecution List

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10 Christians (3 children) killed by Fulani herdsmen in overnight raid

in Nigeria; over 100 homes burned

By Anugrah Kumar, 

Christian Post Contributor| 

Sunday, November 28, 2021

In another brutal attack on Christians in Nigeria, heavily armed jihadist Fulani herdsmen stormed a village in Plateau state, killing 10 Christians, including children aged 4, 6 and 8, and set fire to 100 homes early Friday, according to reports.

The Fulani herdsmen were dressed in black, carrying sophisticated weapons and shouting “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is the greatest) when they attacked Ta’agbe village in Miango District at about 1 a.m. on Friday, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported.

“I lost my grandchildren for the sake of Christ,” a survivor, identified as Sibi Gara, was quoted as saying while recovering in a hospital.

“I slept outside on the street,” another survivor who lost six family members said.

The attack has displaced nearly 700 people, ICC added, noting that the national president of the Irigwe Youth Movement was quoted as saying that the attack appeared to be aimed at wiping Christians from the area.

Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong condemned the attack, saying, “… No resources and efforts will be spared in painstakingly following up on the trail of those who derive joy in attacking and killing innocent citizens and destroying their homes and means of livelihoods,” according to Day Break.

However, many Nigerians have raised concerns about what they perceive as the government’s inaction in holding terrorists accountable for the rising number of murders and kidnappings.

Critics have warned that the government’s lack of action in the Middle Belt could lead to a religious “genocide” similar to those seen in Darfur or Rwanda. However, the Nigerian government has pushed back on such assertions. 

Christian persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA ranks Nigeria at No. 9 on its 2021 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution. Nigeria is also recognized as a “country of particular concern” by the U.S. State Department for tolerating or engaging in severe violations of religious freedom.

Biden Removes Nigeria from Religious Persecution List

Earlier this month, the Biden administration removed Nigeria from the State Department’s list of “countries of particular concern” despite concerns that predominantly Christian farming communities continue to face increasing violence.

Although Nigeria was added to the CPC list last December during the final months of the Trump administration, this year’s CPC list did not include Nigeria even though ICC identified the African country as one of its 2021 “Persecutors of the Year” in a report published earlier this month.

“We are troubled by Nigeria’s omission as a CPC,” said ICC President Jeff King in a statement at the time. “The Nigerian government has done almost nothing to stop the violence against Nigerian Christians, leading to continued violent persecution. In some instances, as with Kaduna’s Governor El-Rufai, the Nigerian government has even furthered the violence.”

“Nigeria is one of the deadliest places on Earth for Christians, as 50,000 to 70,000 have been killed since 2000,” the ICC Persecutor of the Year report states.

According to ICC, Fulani radicals have “killed more Christians in the past several years than Boko Haram and have displaced Christian farmers.”

How did Biden do it? It's hardly believable! He traded Christian lives for LGBTQ language.

Plateau State, Nigeria

Covid-19 > Covid Pill Not Effective; Denmark to Jab 5 y/os; Covid Positive Arrivals in EU; World's Strictest Ban; WHO - Keep Borders Open!?

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New Covid-19 pill less effective than first thought

26 Nov, 2021 17:32

FILE PHOTO: The experimental Covid treatment pill, molnupiravir © Merck & Co Inc/Handout via REUTERS

American drugmaker Merck has stated that the latest data on its Covid-19 treatment showed the pill to be less effective than initially reported, just days before a panel meeting where US regulators will review the new drug.

Merck announced on Friday that new data showed a lower efficacy of its Covid-19 pill, which aims to reduce virus-related hospitalizations and deaths, than previously reported. Last month, the pharma firm said the antiviral drug, molnupiravir, showed around a 50% efficacy level, while Friday’s figures showed that figure was 30%.

The company’s update came as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released details of its analysis of the medication so far. The agency is to hold a public meeting on November 30 to consult outside experts on the new drug’s safety and efficacy.

The FDA said its scientists found the drug to be effective against Covid, but they also identified a number of possible health risks from the experimental treatment including potential birth defects. It wants the independent expert group to discuss these concerns, the AP reported, though it is not obliged to take the advice on board.

The discussion will also weigh whether the drug’s benefits outweigh its risks. The FDA said that Merck has already agreed that the medication is not intended to be used by children.

There are also concerns about the fact that the new drug led to small changes in the Covid-19 signature spike protein, which the virus uses to enter human cells. In theory this could mean the creation of dangerous new mutations, the agency noted, as per AP. Additionally, it turns out that Merck collected less safety data on this drug than for other Covid-19 therapies, FDA regulators observed.

If given the green light, Merck’s drug would be the first Covid-19 pill in the US that could be taken at home to promote a speedy recovery. Earlier this month, the UK became the first country to authorize the drug for emergency use only.

Of course, Ivermectin is far more effective, but Big Pharma can't make kazillions of dollars off the off-patent medication so it wont be made available by governments.

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Denmark - First EU country to back Covid jabs for 5-y/os

26 Nov, 2021 16:05

(FILE PHOTO) © REUTERS/Jon Cherry

The Danish National Board of Health has recommended that children aged between five and 11 should be able to get vaccinated against Covid-19, becoming the first EU nation to make the move.

On Friday, Helene Probst, the deputy director of the National Board of Health, told the press the decision had come at a time of concern for the Nordic nation, as Covid cases continue to rise. “We have seen a worrying infection in the hospitals, and that the number of hospitalizations has risen to over 400,” she stated.

I am really happy that we now have an approval for children aged between five and 11 years old. We need that. We are still in the midst of an epidemic and a historic health crisis.

The board’s recommendation comes after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended on Thursday that the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine could be safely used in children from the age of five.

Probst stated that while children in the age group were not at risk of developing severe Covid-19, vaccinating them could help protect family and friends. “We want to break those chains of infection with the vaccination,” she added.

The National Board of Health is yet to set a specific target for how many five- to 11-year-olds should be vaccinated. “But if we reach 70%, then it will be good,” Probst told the media.

The government has created a booklet for parents, informing them about vaccinating their young children. 

Dozens of travelers from Omicron hotspot Covid-positive

on arrival in EU

27 Nov, 2021 00:19

File photo: Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands ©  REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

As growing fears of the Omicron variant trigger global travel bans, at least 61 of the 600 arrivals from South Africa tested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport have turned out to be positive for Covid-19.

On Friday, the Dutch government imposed a ban on arrivals from South Africa and several other neighboring countries, citing fears of a new and reportedly more contagious coronavirus variant.

More than 600 people on two flights were already en route to Schiphol when the decision was made, and special testing sites were set up at the airport to deal with them.

Initial testing late on Friday revealed that there were 15 coronavirus cases among the arrivals, but by Saturday, the number of infected had grown to 61, the Dutch health authorities said in a statement, adding that they were continuing to obtain samples from the travelers.

“Of the positive test results, we are researching as quickly as possible whether they are the new variant of concern, now named ‘Omicron’,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, passengers on KLM flights from Cape Town and Johannesburg have been complaining that they were obliged to remain on board the aircraft for hours while the testing went on.

On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the B.1.1.529 strain of the coronavirus, which was first detected in Botswana, to be a new variant of concern. Though the WHO cautioned against the imposition of travel bans, a number of governments – including those of the EU, the US, and Russia – have placed restrictions on travelers arriving from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Schiphol was Europe’s third-busiest airport prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, handling 71.7 million passengers in 2019. Passengers from the two flights from South Africa who tested negative will be allowed to leave but must quarantine for five days, the Dutch authorities said. Those who tested positive will be transferred to a quarantine hotel.

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Israel introduces world’s strictest bans to contain Omicron strain

27 Nov, 2021 23:26

FILE PHOTO: A healthcare worker takes a swab sample from a traveler at the Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel, October 13, 2021. ©  Reuters / Ronen Zvulun

Israel has banned all foreigners from entering the country and tasked intelligence services with locating and tracking all recent arrivals from the hotspots of the newly-emerged Omicron coronavirus variant.

The new rules are set to go into effect on Sunday night, making Israel the first country to completely seal its borders to foreign nationals for at least 14 days, following an emergency meeting of the Corona Cabinet. Only those specifically approved by a so-called Exceptions Committee will be allowed entry.

“The Government of Israel is working quickly and vigorously thanks to the conclusions that were formulated following the 'Omega' national drill which gamed various situations regarding the appearance of new variants,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett noted, referring to a national drill conducted just two weeks ago to assess Israel’s preparedness for an outbreak of a potential unknown new strain of Covid-19.

All Israeli citizens returning from abroad – even those fully-vaccinated with two doses and a booster – will be forced to quarantine for at least three days, while those coming from “red” states will have to stay in designated military-run hotels until they test negative for the virus twice.

Those who had visited an African state over the past week were urged to undergo a test and isolated voluntarily, while internal security agency Shin Bet was tasked with monitoring the compliance using its cell phone tracking capabilities.

The controversial contact-tracing program was first used during the outbreak of the original Covid-19 virus back in 2020, but has since been ruled “no longer justifiable” by the High Court of Justice.

The harsh measures come after Israel detected a single confirmed and seven suspected cases of the new variant B.1.1.529, first registered earlier this month in Botswana. During an emergency meeting on Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially designated the new strain a “variant of concern,” calling it Omicron.

Growing fears of the Omicron variant promptly triggered global travel bans, with flights from South Africa and several of its neighboring countries being barred by a growing number of states. While little is known about the variant thus far, experts worldwide have already raised the alarm over its multiple mutations and potential for infection. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control designated the strain as presenting a “high to very high” risk, adding that there was “considerable uncertainty related to the transmissibility, vaccine effectiveness, risk for reinfections and other properties of the Omicron variant.”

Keep borders open despite Covid variants, WHO pleads

28 Nov, 2021 19:05

Schiphol Airport after authorities said 61 people who arrived in Amsterdam from South Africa tested positive for Covid-19 ©  REUTERS/Eva Plevier

The World Health Organization has encouraged countries to keep their borders open, despite fears about the Omicron variant of Covid-19, as South Africa denounces global travel restrictions that it has called “unjustified.”

Avoiding shutting down borders, the WHO said, will prevent a “heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.” 

Makes you wonder on who's side WHO is on?

If restrictions are put in place, the organization warned, they should not be “unnecessarily invasive or intrusive.”

“Covid-19 constantly exploits our divisions. We will only get the better of the virus if we work together for solutions,” Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, said. 

The comments come in response to multiple countries putting forth travel restrictions after the variant was discovered in southern Africa. Along with South Africa, the US has also restricted travel to and from multiple other nations in response to the new variant. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a Sunday address that no new restrictions would be imposed “at this stage” in the country, and he urged other countries to “urgently” lift their travel restrictions, calling these “unjustified.”

The decision to not implement travel restrictions in South Africa, however, will be reviewed in a week and is contingent on more citizens getting vaccinated.

Covid-19 > WHO Cautions Vaxxing Kids; Winter Wave Could Kill 2 Million Europeans; Sputnik V Best Vax; EU Approves Pfizer for 5-11 y/os; Strain Worse Than Delta Found

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Countries cautioned on rush to vaccinate children

24 Nov, 2021 17:39

© Getty Images / Luis Alvarez

Adults and those with more risk factors remain the number one priority for vaccination, not children, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged, saying wealthy nations should share those extra vaccine supplies with poorer ones.

In guidance issued on Wednesday, the WHO noted that since children are at lower risk of severe Covid-19 symptoms than adults, wealthy countries should be sharing their vaccines with poorer ones, rather than prioritizing vaccinating the youngest population. Older people and high-risk groups remain the greatest burden of Covid-19.

"As children and adolescents tend to have milder disease compared to adults, unless they are in a group at higher risk of severe COVID-19, it is less urgent to vaccinate them than older people, those with chronic health conditions and health workers," the guidance said. 

It also noted that many parts of the world “face extreme vaccine shortages” and countries that have vaccinated their highest-risk citizens should “prioritize global sharing” instead of giving jabs to kids.

Wealthy countries were urged to share their vaccines with the COVAX initiative, which is aiming for a fair and equitable distribution of vaccines across the world.

The WHO acknowledged that even though children can experience ‘long COVID-19,’ which includes long-term symptoms, this was still under investigation. The same risk factors that apply to adults – such as obesity, asthma, and heart disease – also apply to children. 

The advice is in contrast with recent developments around the world and comes as many countries have begun authorizing vaccines for children in hopes of keeping infections down as we head into winter. Countries already vaccinating children include the US, UK, EU, Canada, China, India, and Israel. 

Of course, there is no need for the drugs in most African countries because most people are immune to Covid-19 because of an absence of the Neanderthal gene. 

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WHO warns about unintended effect of vaccines

24 Nov, 2021 16:29

WHO’s director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus © Russian Foreign Ministry / Handout via REUTERS

The World Health Organisation (WHO) chief has warned vaccinated people to remain cautious when it comes to catching Covid-19 and not fall into a “false sense of security.”

“In many countries and communities, we are concerned about the false sense of security that vaccines have ended the pandemic and that people who are vaccinated do not need to take any other precautions,” the WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Wednesday at a press conference on the Covid-19 crisis in Europe.

Tedros warned that “no country or region is out of the woods” and underlined the importance of making sure that the “right measures are in place to avert the worst consequences of any future waves.” He also called for proper sharing of the “fruits of science.”

On Tuesday, the WHO starkly predicted that more than 2 million people might die of Covid-19 in Europe over the coming winter and that most of the countries could see their health systems overwhelmed by the surge.

In light of coronavirus numbers spiraling across the region, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) made the decision to change its previous stance on booster vaccines, now recommending them for all adults.

Austria has already entered a new national 10-day lockdown while other countries, including Germany, are mulling new restrictive measures and even mandatory vaccination. This week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued travel advisories telling Americans to avoid travel to Germany and Denmark due to the high-risk Covid situation.

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Western study with sample size of 3.7 million people suggests Sputnik V

best Covid-19 vaccine for preventing deaths

25 Nov, 2021 18:37

FILE PHOTO. © Reuters / Amanda Perobelli

The Russian-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine has shown the best result in preventing Covid-19 mortality, compared to the other leading formulas, according to a comprehensive study based on Hungary’s mass-vaccination drive.

The comparative analysis of the performance of different jabs used in the central European country was unveiled, on Thursday, by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the sovereign wealth fund that bankrolled the jab's development.

“With 98% efficacy in preventing COVID-related mortality and 85.7% efficacy against coronavirus infection Sputnik V has demonstrated the best results among five vaccines (Sputnik V, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinopharm and AstraZeneca) administered in EU member state Hungary as part of an independent study based on data from 3.7 million people,” the CEO of the RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev, said in a statement on Thursday.

While beating all the competitors in terms of protecting against coronavirus-related mortality, Sputnik V came second in Hungary in preventing the disease itself. The best result, in this category, was delivered by the US-made Moderna shot, which demonstrated 89% efficacy compared to 86% shown by Sputnik V.

The Russian-made shot also turned out to be “100% effective against COVID related deaths in individuals aged 16–44 years” according to the findings.

The new study comes a day after the RDIF presented the general public with an analysis of the long-term results of a mass-vaccination campaign in San Marino, which primarily used Sputnik V. Some 70% of the European microstate’s 34,000-strong population received the Russian-made jab.

The vaccine showed extremely high efficacy in San Marino, with “only 0.75 per 1,000 people” who were vaccinated with it ending up hospitalized. The jab also retained high efficacy over long periods, remaining some 80% effective against the disease from six to eight months after administering the second dose.

Sputnik V’s long-term efficacy “is much higher than officially published efficacy of mRNA vaccines,” the RDIF noted.

Recently, multiple studies sounded the alarm over a steep decline in efficacy demonstrated by these vaccines, with the issue affecting the shots by Pfizer and, to a lesser extent, Moderna. 

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EU regulator approves Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5-11

25 Nov, 2021 12:20

© Getty Images / Choreograph

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the use of the Pfizer Covid vaccine on 5- to 11-year-olds on Thursday, marking the first time the EU regulator has approved a Covid jab for use in young children.

In a statement released by the EMA, the drug regulator stated that it has “recommended granting an extension of indication for the [Pfizer] Covid-19 vaccine Comirnaty to include use in children aged five to 11.”

This is the first time the EU regulator has given the green light to a Covid jab for this age group, allowing governments across Europe to begin vaccinating millions of school children, as nations seek to limit the impact of a new spate of infections on the continent.

Ahead of the EMA’s decision, several countries have already instructed their national drug regulators to explore giving the Pfizer vaccine to children as young as five. French Health Minister Olivier Veran has asked the nation’s medical ethics committee to explore expanding the rollout, while Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheal Martin differed to the country’s advisory committee, stating that the government is ready and waiting to vaccinate children.

The EMA’s ruling comes after Pfizer and BioNTech submitted a request to the EMA to expand the delivery of its mRNA jab to young children, having conducted a study back in September that showed a strong immune response in 5- to 11-year-olds.

While some nations have waited for EMA approval and a decision from their national regulator, Austria has already begun inoculating young children among a spike in Covid cases that forced the country back into a national lockdown.

The ability to roll out the Pfizer vaccine to young children follows a warning from the World Health Organization (WHO) that over 2 million people could die from Covid across Europe during the winter.

Covid strain ‘worse than Delta’ found in 3 countries

25 Nov, 2021 11:49

© Getty Images / Bloomberg Creative

Scientists are sounding the alarm, as what could be the most highly-evolved strain of the coronavirus has been discovered in patients in different parts of the world. Its resistance to vaccines adds to the concerns.

The latest known variant of Covid-19 has significant changes in its spikes, which could make it invincible to vaccination. It could be the most highly-evolved coronavirus strain yet, as 32 mutations have apparently been detected in it. The currently dominant, highly transmissible Delta strain, which has contributed to this year’s surge in cases globally, has at least 11 spike mutations.

Originally spotted in three patients in Botswana – and thus known as the Botswana variant – it has already been found in three countries since the first infections on November 11. Six cases have been detected in South Africa, and one more was later registered in Hong Kong, according to British media. 

The Hong Kong patient recently traveled to China from South Africa – putting scientists on high alert, as the new variant could have spread anywhere through international travel. The patient is also said to be double vaccinated.

News of the mutated strain, known as B.1.1.529 and which could end up being named ‘Nu’, was shared by Tom Peacock, a virologist at London’s Imperial College Department of Infectious Disease. Describing the Botswana variant’s spike profile as “horrific,” he tweeted that it could be “worse antigenically than nearly anything else about.”

Warning that the new variant has a “very long branch length and really awful spike mutation profile,” the virologist said it “very, very much should be monitored.” On the bright side, according to researchers, the high number of mutations could mean the variant is unstable, which might prevent it from becoming widespread.

So far, Covid-19 has killed more than five million people globally, with over 259.5 million infected.

Bits and Bites From Around the World > Man Survives Outer Space, Dies in Cessna; Woman Sues Doctor for Being Born

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Millionaire who flew to space on Bezos’ rocket dies in plane crash

12 Nov, 2021 22:56

The late entrepreneur Glen de Vries (far left) is seen in suborbital flight during

Blue Origin's New Shepard mission, October 13, 2021. ©  Reuters / Blue Origin handout

Glen de Vries, the businessman who visited space last month alongside ‘Star Trek’ lead & RT host William Shatner aboard a rocket produced by Jeff Bezos’ aerospace firm, has died in a plane crash at the age of 49.

A small private plane carrying de Vries and another man, 54-year-old Thomas Fischer, crashed in Hampton Township, New Jersey near the border with New York on Thursday, killing both, the New Jersey state police told media outlets.

The 49-year-old had made a brief suborbital flight to space on October 13 with William Shatner, who hosts the talk show ‘I Don’t Understand’ on RT America, as well as Planet Labs co-founder Chris Boshuizen and Audrey Powers, an executive of Bezos’ space tourism company Blue Origin. It was Blue Origin’s second manned space mission, with a third planned for later this year. 

The company also noted the entrepreneur’s passing, saying it was “devastated” by the news, which wasn’t reported until Friday afternoon.

“He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and to his fellow crewmates. His passion for aviation, his charitable work, and his dedication to his craft will long be revered and admired,” the firm tweeted.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the crash, the cause of which remains unclear, police added. FAA records cited by CNN said the plane was a four-seat Cessna 172, which went down under “unknown circumstances in a heavily wooded area.”

Reportedly a certified private pilot, de Vries co-founded Medidata Solutions in 1999, a company that specializes in software used for clinical trials and medical research which has since become among the most-used platforms of its kind in the world.

Woman sues doctor for letting her be born

24 Nov, 2021 19:48

A champion showjumper born with a spinal defect has filed a lawsuit in London against her mother’s physician, alleging that he failed to properly emphasise the importance of supplements in pregnancy, resulting in her disability.

Evie Toombes, 20, of Skegness in Lincolnshire has pressed “wrongful conception” charges against Dr. Philip Mitchell. She claims Mitchell did not advise her mother, Caroline, to take folic acid supplements prior to and during pregnancy, resulting in her “having been born in a damaged state.” 

Toombes is asking for millions in damages to cover the cost of living with her disability. Her barrister told Judge Rosalind Coe QC that Toombes will most likely need a wheelchair as she gets older.

Dr. Mitchell has denied the charges and insisted he gave Caroline Toombes “reasonable” and appropriate medical advice about folic acid supplements. 

Evie Toombes was diagnosed with lipomyelomeningocele (LMM), a form of spina bifida, in November 2001. She works at Nottingham University teaching nursing students, and competes in both “para and able bodied showjumping” equestrian sports, both in the UK and internationally, according to her website.

She has appeared on an episode of ITV’s show about ‘Hidden Disabilities’ and met Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 after receiving the WellChild Inspiration Young Person Award.

20 years after being diagnosed and she's still show-jumping. I think her law-suit may be a little premature.

Deep State > Republican Party of Wyoming Turns Back on Liz Cheney; The FBI Hid Evidence of Malcolm X Murder; Biden's 'Summit for Democracy'; Capitol Rioter Death Suspicious

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Republican Liz Cheney disowned by own party in home state

16 Nov, 2021 01:55

Liz Cheney is seen before a vote on a report recommending the House of Representatives cite Steve Bannon

for criminal contempt, October 19, 2021 © Reuters

The Wyoming Republican Party voted to stop recognizing its congresswoman Liz Cheney as a Republican in response to her criticism of former President Donald Trump, which included voting for his impeachment.

Wyoming’s Republican Central Committee voted 31-29 in favor of no longer recognizing Cheney as a Republican on Saturday.

Newsweek noted, however, that the vote was “a symbolic gesture” and “does not strip Cheney of any power.” Cheney will continue to serve as Wyoming’s sole congressional representative and as a member of the US Republican Party.

While many conservatives celebrated the news on social media, calling it “long overdue” and “about time,” a spokesperson for Cheney told AP it was “laughable” to suggest the congresswoman was no longer “a conservative Republican.”

“She is bound by her oath to the Constitution,” the spokesperson said, accusing “a portion of the Wyoming GOP leadership” of allowing “themselves to be held hostage to the lies of a dangerous and irrational man” – in seeming reference to Trump.

Dick Cheney was Deep State's key player in the George W Bush White House. Deep State hates Donald Trump because he does not always play by their rules and they can't control him as they would like. It's not surprising that he is being attacked by the next-gen Deep Stater.

Several Wyoming county Republican organizations had already voted to stop recognizing Cheney as a Republican before the state vote on Saturday, citing Trump in their letters notifying her of the decision.

Cheney – the daughter of controversial former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney – has long been accused of being a RINO, or ‘Republican In Name Only’, and received heavy backlash from the party after she voted to impeach Trump following the January 6 storming of the Capitol by a group of his supporters.

Cheney, a prominent neoconservative figure in the party, was one of just 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in January.

FBI hid evidence in Malcolm X murder trial, convictions tossed

18 Nov, 2021 20:56

El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (aka Malcolm X) poses for a portrait on February 16, 1965, in Rochester, New York.

©  Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

A New York judge voided the convictions of two black men for the 1965 assassination of activist Malcolm X, after a re-investigation inspired by a Netflix documentary found the FBI had withheld evidence of their innocence.

State Supreme Court Justice Ellen Biben threw out the convictions of Muhammad A. Aziz (aka Norman 3X Butler) and Khalil Islam (aka Thomas 15X Johnson), who were charged with assassinating Malcolm X at Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom and sentenced to life in prison in 1966.

Thursday's decision to void their sentence followed the 22-month investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and lawyers for the two men, which found that both prosecutors and the FBI had withheld evidence that could have exonerated Aziz and Islam during their trial. 

According to the investigation, prosecutors failed to disclose that undercover police officers were present at the Audubon Ballroom at the time of the shooting. The New York Police Department did not reveal that the New York Daily News received a call tipping them off about the impending assassination. The FBI did not tell state officials that a particular man who matched the description of one of the assassins was known to them, and even identified by an informant – letting Aziz and Islam be blamed instead.

The probe did not find a conspiracy by government or police to have Malcolm X killed, or reveal who prosecutors believe is actually to blame. The FBI notes identified the shotgun-wielding assassin described by a witness as “dark-skinned, stocky and having a ‘deep’ beard” as William Bradley, aka Al-Mustafa Shabazz. He died in 2018, and his lawyer denied that he had taken part in the killing.

Bradley was an enforcer for Nation of Islam, the organization Malcolm X famously joined in 1952 but broke away from in 1964 to launch a new group, Organization of Afro-American Unity.

The third man convicted in the assassination, Mujahid Abdul Halim, confessed to the murder and his conviction has not been overturned. He has always maintained Aziz and Islam were innocent. The two men spent decades trying to clear their names. Aziz was released from prison in 1985, and is now 83. Islam was released in 1987 and died in 2009, at the age of 74. 

“This wasn’t a mere oversight,” their lawyer Deborah Francois told the New York Times. “This was a product of extreme and gross official misconduct.”

“These men did not get the justice that they deserved,” said DA Vance. The failure cannot be remedied, he added, “but what we can do is acknowledge the error, the severity of the error.”

His re-investigation was inspired by the Neftlix documentary series 'Who Killed Malcolm X?', hosted by Abdur-Rahman Muhammad. After it began, a book was published accusing Bradley of being one of the assassins. ‘The Dead Are Arising,’ by Les and Tamara Payne went on to win a Pulitzer Prize in the biography category.

Was this another case of FBI incompetence, or was there a reason for their criminal withholding of evidence. 

Biden’s summit is ‘old propaganda’ rhetoric - Oliver Stone

24 Nov, 2021 13:22

Filmmaker Oliver Stone has told RT that the “totally corrupt” US government has been rehashing old propaganda cliches when promoting President Joe Biden's upcoming international ‘Summit for Democracy’.

On the latest episode of RT's ‘Going Underground’, Afshin Rattansi asked the Oscar-winning director what he thought about the so-called ‘Summit for Democracy’ that will be hosted by Biden next month.

“That’s old propaganda: ‘We’re the free world, and the Russians and the Chinese are not. And the Iranians and all the bad guys are on the other side. It doesn’t work that way if you go to those countries,” Stone said. “It’s relative. You have to understand – there's grey matter, it's not black and white.”

Stone pointed to the role of money in American politics and cited reports that a record $14 billion was spent on the 2020 US presidential and congressional campaigns. 

When it takes $14 billion to elect a president, you wonder – what kind of democracy is this? You can’t even get a congressman to talk to you unless you pay and you have a business interest. It’s very hard in Washington to get attention for an ordinary citizen. You need money, you need lobbying weight. Our government is totally corrupt.

Biden’s virtual summit on December 9-10 will focus on “challenges and opportunities facing democracies,” according to the White House. The US has invited 110 countries to participate, notably leaving out China, Russia, Iran, and Turkey.

It's just a coincidence that these are the  countries which don't buy weapons from America. I expect this conference to turn into a sales forum for American weapons.

Stone also discussed his new documentary about John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, ‘JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass’, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this summer. A four-part series version of the film, ‘JFK – Destiny Betrayed’, was screened at the Rome Film Festival in October. 

The filmmaker said he found it telling that his project received “very little mainstream coverage” in the US compared to the press it got in Europe. 

"It’s a memory hole. They don’t want to talk about it because our film raises substantial questions. In fact, it contradicts the official theory,” Stone said. “I’m used to this, you know. There’s a wall of silence here.” 

In the same interview, Stone criticized Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, for delaying the release of the remainder of the classified documents on the Kennedy case.

Watch the full interview here:

Family of Capitol rioter who died by ‘overdose’ demands autopsy review

24 Nov, 2021 17:29

FILE PHOTO: Police clear the US Capitol Building with tear gas as supporters of Donald Trump gather outside,

in Washington, DC, January 6, 2021 © Reuters / Stephanie Keith

The family of a woman whose death during the pro-Trump riot on Capitol Hill was ruled a drug overdose is crowdfunding an autopsy review, after Washington, DC police refused to release body camera footage of her final moments.

Rosanne Boyland was 34 when she traveled in January from her home in Georgia to Washington, DC to protest the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory. After crowds of Trump supporters took their rowdy protest to the US Capitol, Boyland would later be found dead among them, with her death ruled an amphetamine overdose by the DC medical examiner’s office several months later.

Her family aren’t buying the story, and have launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance a review of her autopsy.

“There are still many questions about exactly what happened to her,” the family wrote on GiveSendGo this month. “Videos show her being beaten by a female officer after being crushed by protesters pushed by police. Yet the DC Medical Examiner said Rosanne's body showed no signs of trauma, and attributed her death to the prescription medication she took every day for years.”

In an update to the campaign posted on Tuesday, they added that Boyland was not abusing amphetamines. Rather she was taking adderall, a prescription drug containing four kinds of amphetamine used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy. “The only drugs in Rosanne's body were her prescription medications,” they wrote.

Thousands of hours of video footage – from both surveillance cameras and police body cameras – captured during the Capitol protest remain unreleased, with authorities citing the importance of this footage to ongoing criminal investigations. Boyland’s family filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the DC Metropolitan Police to obtain body camera footage from officers who handled her unconscious body, but their request was denied.

Some of this footage allegedly shows Boyland being carried into a space beneath the House majority leader’s office, where lawyers for other defendants claim that their clients were assaulted by Capitol Police officers. Conservative journalist Julie Kelly reported on the story last week, after seeing legal documents alleging a series of brutal beatings taking place in the tunnels under the Capitol.

Three other protesters died in the Capitol on January 6. Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt was shot dead by a Capitol Police officer. Two other Trump supporters in their 50s – Benjamin Philips and Kevin Greeson – died of medical emergencies.

Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, whose death was initially blamed on the pro-Trump mob, passed away of a stroke the day after the riot.

Islam - Current Day > ISIS Prisoners Buy Freedom; France Removes Major Migrant Camp; Terrorist Temporarily a Christian; Australia Denotes Hezbollah as Terrorists; 31 Dead in English Channel

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Ex-ISIS fighters claim paying their way out of jail

22 Nov, 2021 14:56

Foreign prisoners, suspected of being part of the Islamic State, pray inside a prison in Syria.

© Reuters / Goran Tomasevic

Former ISIS fighters have claimed the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are charging $8,000 per person to free militants from prisons under a so-called ‘reconciliation’ scheme.

According to a report in the UK’s Guardian newspaper, former ISIS fighters, who fought for the militant group until it was defeated in 2019, secured their freedom from the Syrian al-Hawl prison facility through the scheme.

Currently, three SDF-controlled jails in northeast Syria are thought to hold around 8,000 Iraqi and Syrian individuals who are accused of fighting for ISIS, as well as 2,000 foreigners who are waiting to be deported back to their home nations.

The ex-ISIS militants claimed that at least 10 people, to their knowledge, have bought their freedom through what’s been reportedly dubbed a ‘reconciliation’ scheme. The two men provided the British-based newspaper with documentation to back up their claims, as well as testimony of how they’d been released from detention.

One individual, Abu Jafar, who claims he was released after his family sold some property, stated he paid $8,000 as a fine, as well as a further $22,000 in bribes to SDF officials. Similarly, Abu Muhammad, who says he fought alongside ISIS on the frontline, said he had paid the $8,000 figure and $14,000 in bribes.

SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami has denied the existence of the scheme, rejecting the documentation seen by the Guardian and stating that no payment has been taken to free former ISIS fighters. However, Shami did accept that some individuals, who worked in “IS-run offices or were forced to join IS” were freed if their “hands were not stained by blood.” However, he said anyone released is “monitored by security forces” to ensure they don’t seek to rejoin or aid the militant group again.

The international anti-IS coalition refused to comment on the reported scheme, stating that the prison facilities are controlled by the SDF.

France tears down major migrant camp

16 Nov, 2021 16:19

© Twitter / @RTUKnews

A large settlement of migrants in the suburbs of Dunkirk in northern France has been dismantled, in the wake of yet another wave of tensions with the UK over the growing number of illegal crossings.

“At my instruction, the security forces are evacuating the illegal migrant camp in Grande-Synthe this morning,” French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter on Tuesday. He added that state services in the region would provide shelter for the group.

Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said the decision to dismantle the camp was primarily based on the intention to put people into shelters ahead of the winter season.

Around 1,500 migrants were evacuated from the site via buses and their tents removed. According to Utopia 56, one of the charities monitoring the process of dismantling the camp, people “were forced to board buses, without being informed of their destination, and some of their personal belongings have been destroyed.” 

In a separate tweet, Darmanin announced the arrest of 13 alleged migrant smugglers, “bringing the total to 1,308 since January.”

“These smugglers are criminals who exploit human misery, responsible for irregular immigration,” the minister wrote.

Tuesday’s actions by French authorities came in the wake of a phone call between Darmanin and his British counterpart Priti Patel. The two discussed the increasing number of illegal migrants attempting to cross the English Channel, and reiterated the importance of cooperation in making this route “unviable,” Patel said afterwards. 

The UK and France have a history of mutual accusations when it comes to illegal migration. While British officials have claimed that French authorities do not do enough to prevent migrants from embarking for the dangerous trip, France’s government has said that the UK should reform its labor market rules in order to become less attractive to migrants.

More than 23,000 people have crossed the Channel by boat this year, compared to 8,404 in 2020, according to Press Association figures.

Liverpool bombing suspect converted from Islam to Christianity – reports

16 Nov, 2021 10:47

A surveillance camera footage shows a man extinguishing a burning taxi following an explosion,

outside Liverpool Women's hospital. © Reuters / CCTV

Emad Al Swealmeen, the man suspected of detonating an improvised explosive device in a taxi outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital, converted from Islam to Christianity in 2017, according to an evangelical couple he stayed with.

On Monday, British authorities said 32-year-old Al Swealmeen died in the explosion, which also injured a taxi driver who was inside the vehicle.

Evangelical couple Elizabeth and Malcolm Hitchcott, who said they housed him for eight months, told UK media he converted from Islam to Christianity at a ceremony in Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral on March 27, 2017. 

“He changed from Islam to Christianity and was confirmed as a Christian by at least March 2017, just before he came to live with us. He was destitute at that time and we took him in,” the couple said.

Hitchcott described Al Swealmeen as a “very quiet fellow,” adding that there was “nothing to suggest he could go on to become radicalised.”

According to Hitchcott, the suspect had previously been sectioned under the Mental Health Act for six months. This came after he was detained following an incident in Liverpool involving “a bridge and a knife” and the refusal of his asylum claim.

Authorities have speculated that the cathedral where Al Swealmeen converted to Christianity could have been his target, as it was a short distance from where the taxi stopped. At the time of the blast, the cathedral was hosting a Remembrance Day event, with around 1,200 in attendance.

Police investigating the explosion outside the hospital declared it a terrorist incident but have not yet identified a motive for the attempted attack.

It would appear he rejected Christianity in the end. 

Australia slaps ‘terrorist’ label on all of Hezbollah

24 Nov, 2021 09:57

FILE PHOTO: Hezbollah members hold flags marking Resistance and Liberation Day. © Reuters / Aziz Taher

Australia has designated all of Lebanon’s influential Hezbollah movement as a terrorist organization, expanding the earlier ban on its armed units to the political wing.

Hezbollah poses a “real” and “credible” threat to Australia, Karen Andrews, the country’s home affairs minister, said on Wednesday.

The Lebanon-based group “continues to threaten terrorist attacks and provide support to terrorist organizations,” Andrews added.

The move means that Australian citizens are now forbidden from becoming members of Hezbollah or providing funds for its operations. The group’s military wing has been on Australia’s terrorist list since 2003.

People from Lebanon make up the largest Middle Eastern community in Australia – estimated at around 230,000, mainly in the Greater Sydney area and Melbourne. Immigration to Australia peaked during the Lebanese Civil War between 1976 and 1981, but has declined significantly since then.

Hezbollah operates in various fields in Lebanon, acting as a political party, a military organization, and a provider of basic services to the population.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who reportedly asked his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison to ban Hezbollah’s political wing during the UN climate summit in Glasgow in early November, thanked Canberra for the move. He said the two countries will continue “to act in every way possible against terrorism, including in the international arena.”

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid also expressed his gratitude that Australia, which he described as “a close friend of Israel,” joined 17 other nations that realize “there are no separate wings to terrorist organizations.”

Israel, which waged a war against Hezbollah in 2006, considers the group, which has strong links to Iran, a threat to national security.

Hezbollah has been labeled a terrorist organization by the US, Israel, and the Arab League. The EU and many individual European nations have banned its military wing, but were reluctant to act against the political party over concerns it could further destabilize the situation in Lebanon.

It's hard to believe the situation in Lebanon can become more unstable.

Dozens dead after migrant boat capsizes

24 Nov, 2021 19:41

A group of more than 40 migrants on an inflatable dinghy leave the coast of northern France

to cross the English Channel on November 24, 2021. ©  Gonzalo Fuentes

It's possible this was the very boat that overturned.

Over 30 migrants have drowned after a boat capsized off Calais, France, during an attempt to cross the English Channel to the UK, in the worst-ever such tragedy yet involving illegal crossings of the waterway.

The accident occurred on Wednesday, when a group of migrants tried to take advantage of calm sea conditions to cross over to Britain. The waters of the English Channel, however, are currently very chilly, which has likely contributed to the large number of fatalities.

The capsized boat and multiple bodies nearby were initially found by French fishermen, who alerted the authorities, prompting a rescue operation. At least 31 people perished in the accident, Franck Dhersin, deputy head of regional transport and mayor of Teteghem, told Reuters. The death toll is expected to grow even further, as at least two people are still reported missing.

France’s PM Jean Castex called the accident a “tragedy,” blaming it on human traffickers and other facilitators of illegal migration.

“The sinking in the English Channel is a tragedy. My thoughts go out to the many missing and injured victims of criminal smugglers who exploit their distress and misery,” Castex tweeted.

A similar reaction was expressed by his British counterpart Boris Johnson, who said he was “shocked and appalled and deeply saddened” by the deaths. The PM convened an emergency COBRA meeting over the incident, to assess the situation.

The incident is the largest loss of life from a single migrant boat capsizing in the Channel. Before the Wednesday drownings, the largest such accident was recorded in October last year, when a migrant family of five died during their attempt to cross to the UK.

The Channel has seen an increased illegal migrant flow this year, with over 25,700 people taking the dangerous journey across the waterway, known for heavy maritime traffic and strong currents. The figure to date this year is already three times higher than the total of crossings registered during the whole of 2020.