Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

Harvard University will divest its $42bn endowment from all fossil fuels | Fossil fuel divestment | The Guardian

University president cites need to decarbonize economy as student campaigners say: ‘Activism works, plain and simple’

Source: Harvard University will divest its $42bn endowment from all fossil fuels | Fossil fuel divestment | The Guardian

Biden is expanding COVID test production. Here’s what to expect – Los Angeles Times

Some pharmacies have carried rapid tests since the FDA approved them for home use, but availability has been limited. Biden said major retailers should have the tests for sale next week, and they’ll be offered at cost. Amazon, Walmart and Kroger — the grocery chain that owns Ralphs and Food 4 Less — are the three outlets that the administration said would carry the tests.

For at-home testing, it’s important that you purchase a test that’s been approved by the FDA for the most accurate results. Each type of test, molecular or antigen, has its own approved list.

If you think you have COVID-19, however, your doctor will be able to order a test to be performed for you. If you want to be tested just to be safe, you can visit a free community-based testing site.

Source: Biden is expanding COVID test production. Here’s what to expect – Los Angeles Times

Why Federal Research Bolsters the Case for Coronavirus Vaccine Mandates – The New York Times

Three large studies, published on Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also highlighted the effectiveness of the shots at preventing infection and hospitalizations with the virus. The research underscored a deep conviction among scientists that vaccine hesitancy and refusal have prolonged the pandemic. The administration’s new plan should stem the flood of infections and return the country to some semblance of normalcy in the long term, several experts said in interviews. “It’s going to fundamentally shift the arc of the current surge,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University School of Public Health. “It’s exactly what’s needed at this moment.” The new data also may help bolster confidence in the nation’s vaccines, which has eroded amid unexpected reports of breakthrough infections. One of the studies looked at more than 600,000 virus infections in 13 states, representing about one quarter of the U.S. population, between April and July. The researchers concluded that Americans who were not fully vaccinated were far more susceptible to infections, illness and death from the virus.

The unpublished memos that warned Blair against military action after 9/11 | openDemocracy

Tony Blair was warned not to support US military action, according to a 20-year-old briefing published for the first time by openDemocracy. The five-page document, written in the immediate aftermath of the al-Qaida attacks, warned that invading Afghanistan would be “counterproductive” and would be “precisely what the group wants”. The briefing was penned by an unofficial policy adviser, Paul Rogers, who had been encouraged by Downing Street to write briefings for Blair’s government.

The memo was sent six days after 9/11, and shortly before President Bush declared his “war on terror”. Copies were also sent to 12 other senior ministers, including the then foreign secretary, Jack Straw. One of the former ministers who received the briefing two decades ago today admitted that it had been “full of foresight and should have been acted on”.

Source: The unpublished memos that warned Blair against military action after 9/11 | openDemocracy