All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Opinion | During This Coronavirus Crisis, Why Won’t Trump Wear a Mask? – The New York Times- “in fact Mr. Trump is increasingly desperate to project strong leadership because he has so utterly failed to provide strong leadership.”

Europe must prepare for US exit from vital Russia treaty, former Nato generals warn | World news | The Guardian

if the US does leave the treaty, the statement argues its Nato allies should stay in the agreement, noting that European states perform 55% of the flights and are the subject of nearly 59% of Russian overflights. European states do not have the satellite-surveillance capacity of the US, so are particularly reliant on Open Skies flights, which can be carried out under cloud cover.

It calls for the remaining parties to the treaty to meet within two months of a US withdrawal to discuss how the agreement would function without Washington. That would involve limits on what information Nato members could share with the US.

“It’s important for western European governments, to be prepared for this,” said Andreas Persbo, ELN research director. “For them this treaty has some value, and it would be in their interest to continue flying over Russia, and Russia would like to continue to overfly western Europe. The question is can that be maintained without Russia exacting too heavy a price from western governments.”

Source: Europe must prepare for US exit from vital Russia treaty, former Nato generals warn | World news | The Guardian

A New Economic Solution — In Saner Thought

During this time of the pandemic and the loss of jobs the American people are suffering and the economic solutions of Donald the Orange have helped NO one but the already rich….. Has anyone asked why this pandemic is harder on the economy than the 1918 pandemic which was far deadlier? “Congress [has] a responsibility […]

via A New Economic Solution — In Saner Thought

Indonesia’s ‘rice ATMs’ provide staple amid coronavirus crunch

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DEPOK, INDONESIA (REUTERS) – The coronavirus pandemic has left millions of Indonesians struggling to make ends meet. Now the authorities are rolling out “rice ATMs” in a bid to ensure greater access for those in need to the essential Asian staple.

This month, Ms Linda Syafri, a 28-year-old expectant mother was among the many who lined up in masks at a military base in Depok, on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta, for their 1.5kg rice ration.

“I was laid off by my company last week and my husband was laid off too without severance pay,” said Ms Syafri. “Although it (the rice subsidy) is not that much, it is very helpful in this situation.”

The rice dispensary, one of 10 in and around Jakarta, is part of a government initiative to assist those worst affected by the coronavirus outbreak, which has caused millions to lose their jobs in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

Stacked with kilos of good-quality rice and operated by magnetic cards, the tall automated teller machines look much like normal cashpoints, only that they pump out grain instead of banknotes.

“Each day we prepare 1.5 tonnes (of rice) for around 1,000 residents,” said Mr Ibrahim, an army official supervising distribution who uses one name like many Indonesians. “We will continue doing it every day, without rest, even on weekends, we will distribute non-stop.”

Indonesia announced a US$25 billion (S$35.5 billion) stimulus package in March in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, pledging to provide social welfare for up to 10 million households, including food assistance and electricity tariff discounts.

In the sprawling developing nation where millions work in the informal sector, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told parliament last week the coronavirus had set efforts to eradicate poverty back a decade.

Residents eligible for the rice ration include daily wage earners, the unemployed, those who do not own a house and people who live below the poverty line.

More than 14,000 Indonesians have contracted the coronavirus since early March, with 991 killed by the disease, the highest death toll in East Asia outside China.

Despite a lack of evidence the government has flattened the Covid-19 curve, or slowed the rate of new infections, the administration of President Joko Widodo is eager to resume economic activity and ease social restrictions – a move critics have described as premature.

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Humans and Neanderthals ‘co-existed in Europe for far longer than thought’

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Cave objects suggest modern humans and Neanderthals shared continent for several thousand years

Modern humans were present in Europe at least 46,000 years ago, according to new research on objects found in Bulgaria, meaning they overlapped with Neanderthals for far longer than previously thought.

Researchers say remains and tools found at a cave called Bacho Kiro reveal that modern humans and Neanderthals were present at the same time in Europe for several thousand years, giving them ample time for biological and cultural interaction.

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China’s Wuhan plans city-wide testing for coronavirus over period of 10 days, East Asia News & Top Stories – The Straits Times

BEIJING (REUTERS) – The Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of China’s coronavirus outbreak, plans to conduct city-wide nucleic acid testing over a period of 10 days, according to an internal document seen by Reuters and two sources familiar with the situation.. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Source: China’s Wuhan plans city-wide testing for coronavirus over period of 10 days, East Asia News & Top Stories – The Straits Times

Covid-19: nursing homes account for large share of US deaths, data shows

Warehouses for elders has become a death system because of low resources, preparation and regulation.

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Yale professor describes as ‘staggering’ research that reveals more than half of all deaths in 14 US states from elderly care facilities

Residents of nursing homes have accounted for a staggering proportion of Covid-19 deaths in the US, according to incomplete data gathered by healthcare researchers.

Related: ‘We’re living in fear’: why US nursing homes became incubators for the coronavirus

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UK coronavirus live: Nicola Sturgeon says Boris Johnson lockdown changes not safe for Scotland

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PM to publish 50-page ‘blueprint’ and address Commons later as Starmer says Johnson’s strategy ‘unravelling’ due to lack of clarity

1.34pm BST

An estimate published last week suggests 26,000 people in Scotland have been infected with the virus, Sturgeon said.

1.29pm BST

Sturgeon said there is not any plan or any need for increased policing at the Scottish border.

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