Melissa Hawkins | – Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other institutions recently published a study which estimated that the true number of people infected by COVID-19 could be six to 24 times higher than the number of confirmed cases. Melissa Hawkins, professor of public health at American University, explains what […]
Archives for August 2020
Lebanon’s deadly blast: when corruption turned into carnage
By Walid el Houri | – ( OpenDemocracy) – On 4 August 2020, at 6pm the explosion at the Beirut port sent a destructive shockwave across a radius of more than 7 kilometres. The explosion was heard as far away as Cyprus, but it was felt across the whole world. It is hard to measure […]
What Impact will the Beirut Ammonium Nitrate Explosion have on Israel and Hezbollah?
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Will Trump’s Maximum Pressure on UNSC against Lifting Iran Arms Embargo Backfire Big Time?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Peter Hutchison at AFP reports that the Trump administration may be set to shoot itself in the foot at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) next week by pressing for an over-ambitious resolution against lifting the arms embargo on Iran. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by the […]
The rise of the Middle Kingdom in the Middle East: Iran, Gulf Oil and China:
By Arhama Siddiqa | – ( Middle East Monitor) – China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) stands as the most prominent example of the pivotal shift in Chinese foreign policy from Deng Xiaoping’s “bide and hide” philosophy to the current ambitious endeavours. The BRI is a titanic project focused on increasing connectivity by opening up […]
Cramped ICE Detention Centers during COVID-19 Threaten Migrant Safety, even Officers
By Jessica Myers | Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship | – ( Cronkite News) – PHOENIX – In the six months Maria Chávez’s husband has been detained at La Palma Correctional Center, he has been quarantined twice after being exposed to suspected cases of COVID-19. And quarantine, for him, has meant solitary confinement. Andrés gets […]
100 days without COVID-19: how New Zealand got rid of a virus that keeps spreading across the world
By Michael Baker, Amanda Kvalsvig, and Nick Wilson | – On Sunday, New Zealand will mark 100 days without community transmission of COVID-19. From the first known case imported into New Zealand on February 26 to the last case of community transmission detected on May 1, elimination took 65 days. New Zealand relied on three […]
American ISIS? Trumpies Threaten life of Scientists like Dr. Fauci, just as ISIS Killed Archeologist Dr. Al-Asaad
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump prides himself for being in office when the US military and its Muslim allies in Iraq and Syria polished off the phony “caliphate” of ISIS or ISIL. When the US military tracked down the ersatz “caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and he detonated his suicide vest, Trump crowed, “Terrorists who […]
Will Beirut’s Port Explosion and Economic Crisis Spur Mass Migration from Lebanon?
By Hannes Baumann | – The explosion that tore through Beirut on Tuesday August 4 was so strong that shockwaves were felt on the island of Cyprus, over 200 kilometres away. At least 135 people were killed and 5,000 injured in the blast. Such devastation would be difficult to deal with at the best of […]