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WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday (Dec 17) stood ready to ship 5.9 million doses of a new coronavirus vaccine that is on the cusp of winning regulatory approval, just as the nation suffered its highest daily COVID-19 death toll with 3,580 lives lost. The tragic record set on Wednesday came while US hospitalisations rose for the 19th straight day, heightening the stakes as regulators considered whether to grant emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the vaccine developed by Moderna, a week after authorising the first vaccine from Pfizer and German partner BioNTech. Another 232,255 US cases were reported on Wednesday, the second highest daily case load on record, according to a Reuters tally. The United States leads the world with a cumulative 307,767 deaths and nearly 17 million reported COVID-19 cases, as many Americans and the outgoing administration of President Donald Trump have resisted calls by health experts for the stay-at-home orders and mask-wearing that have … [Read more...] about Second US vaccine ready to ship after daily record 3,580 COVID-19 deaths

advertisement advertisement advertisement Tesla’s Elon Musk and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos have been vying for the world’s-richest-person ranking all year after the former’s wealth soared a staggering $160 billion in 2020, putting him briefly in the top spot . advertisement advertisement Musk isn’t alone in seeing a significant increase in wealth during a year of pandemic, recession, and death. Altogether, the world’s billionaires saw their wealth surge over $1.9 trillion in 2020, according to Forbes . Those are astronomical numbers, and it’s hard to get one’s head around them without some context. As anthropologists who study energy and consumer culture, we wanted to examine how all that wealth translated into consumption and the resulting carbon footprint. Walking in a billionaire’s shoes We found that billionaires have carbon footprints that can be thousands of times higher than those of average Americans. The … [Read more...] about Private planes, mansions, and superyachts: What gives billionaires such a massive carbon footprint

WASHINGTON: US authorities are looking "very carefully" into the virus variant spreading in the United Kingdom, top health officials said Sunday (Dec 20), while indicating that a ban on UK travel was not currently in the cards. The news came as a US expert panel recommended those aged 75 and older should be the next vaccinated against the virus, along with 30 million "frontline essential workers," including teachers, grocery store employees and police. READ: Countries ban UK flights as new coronavirus strain spreads READ: Britain says new COVID-19 strain 'out of control' Addressing the virus variant, Moncef Slaoui, chief advisor to the government's Operation Warp Speed vaccine program, told CNN's State of the Union that US officials "don't know yet" if it is present in the country. "We are, of course ... looking very carefully into this," including at the National Institutes of Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he said. At the moment, he … [Read more...] about US looking ‘very carefully’ at new COVID-19 variant

This article first appeared on the Syria Deeply site. The illegal trade in human organs has become widespread in Syria and neighboring countries, medical officials and victims say, with cross-border networks exploiting thousands of desperate Syrians. These networks purchase transplantable organs such as kidneys and corneas from Syrians and ship them to neighboring countries, where they disappear into the murky world of the international organ trade, they say. There are also allegations that organs have been stolen from prisoners. Yasser (not his real name) is one of those who sold one of his own kidneys, which he calls the "worst decision of my life." The 29-year-old fled the fighting in his home city of Homs, in western Syria, around 100 miles north of the capital Damascus, after the start of the war. He made his way to Cairo, but like many other Syrian refugees he had trouble getting work and found himself with no money to survive. He heard through acquaintances that … [Read more...] about Syrian Refugees Are Selling Their Organs to Survive

WASHINGTON: Top Capitol Hill negotiators sealed a deal Sunday (Dec 20) on an almost US$1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package, finally delivering long-overdue help to businesses and individuals and providing money to deliver vaccines to a nation eager for them. The agreement, announced by Senate leaders, would establish a temporary US$300 per week supplemental jobless benefits and US$600 direct stimulus payments to most Americans, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and money for schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction. The House was expected to vote on the legislation very late Sunday or Monday and Senate action would follow. Lawmakers are eager to leave Washington and close out a tumultuous year. A breakthrough came late Saturday in a fight over Federal Reserve emergency powers that was resolved by the Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, and conservative Republican Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. That led to a final … [Read more...] about US Congress seals agreement on COVID-19 relief, government funding