Good morning,
Delta Plus
A mutation of the Covid variant in India now dubbed Delta Plus, has been classified as a ‘variant of concern’ meaning it is spreading in India, and can have serious impact. It is a mutation of the Delta variant which is sweeping the UK and now account for many of the new cases in America.
The India Health Min. describes the Delta Plus variant in at least three states, as having;
-increased transmissibility
-stronger binding to receptors of lung cells
-potential reduction of monoclonal antibody response
The Delta variant caused a wave of deaths in India, and reduces some of the effectiveness, but not defeats current vaccines. But you need to have your two doses to be properly protected.
Speaking at a White House briefing on Covid-19 on Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the Delta variant, now makes up more than 20 per cent of all new cases in the US, a significant increase from nearly 10 per cent two weeks ago.
Vaccines are key in shutting down the spread of Covid before it does produce a variant that defeats current vaccines. In Africa, a catastrophic wave of Delta Covid is beginning, only 1 per cent of the continent’s people have been vaccinated.
Russia Covid
Russia is one of the countries fighting the newer Delta/India variant and as of Friday it recorded an all time high of new cases in Moscow. Now the Mayor of Moscow Sobyanin has announced new restrictions, that require anyone dining out to produce proof of vaccination, or a record they have had Covid in the last 6 months and are currently immune.
Other Countries have looked at vaccine passports, but demanding a vaccine before you can enter a commercial establishment has been frowned upon in Europe. In New York, Wall Street giant Morgan Stanley has now told workers they need to return to work, but only if they have had vaccines.
Moscow recorded 6,555 cases and an all-time high of 86 deaths. The capital hit all-time records above 9,000 cases for two consecutive days June 18 and 19.
Belarus Sanctions
The noose is tightening on the brutal regime of Belarus President Lukashenko, who in running a bogus election last August has since jailed and tortured thousands of his own citizens for holding peaceful protests.
This week the EU, Canada and the U.S. sanctioned members of his regime including the judiciary, the KGB and MVD involved in arresting people., and most importantly the economic sanctions will target companies which feed Lukashenko’s inner circle. Those businesses include potash companies and oil.
On Tuesday, Belarus said the measures amounted to "economic war'' and threatened to retaliate.
"We have repeatedly stated that sanctions negatively affect the interests of citizens, they are counterproductive and vicious," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, describing the sanctions as "hostile actions."
But opposition leaders who have fled Belarus, say the economic sanctions are the only way to bring about an end to Lukashenko’s rule. Russia of course is a major supporter of the regime, and Putin has yet to wade in on the new sanctions.
Republicans Block Voting Laws
The “For the people act” is legislation tabled by Democrats to essentially undo restrictive voting laws enacted by GOP led States, where Republicans have responded to Trumps election loss by changing the voting game, to favour their voters and restrict the voting rights of minorities.
The fact the legislation proposal failed even to make the debate stage in the Senate last night, spells defeat for a major push by Dems to repair American Democracy so damaged by Trumps big lie of election fraud.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated;
"They don’t even want to debate it because they’re afraid. They want to deny the right to vote, make it harder to vote for so many Americans, and they don’t want to talk about it," Schumer, D-N.Y., said on Tuesday. "There is a rot — a rot — at the center of the modern Republican party. Donald Trump's big lie has spread like a cancer and threatens to envelop one of America’s major political parties."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has called it a "radical proposal" designed to "rig the rules of American elections permanently, permanently in Democrats' favor."
What’s clear is the polarized U.S. democracy is in a fight for its survival, and the Democrats will now relaunch a bid to making voting fair and accessible to all, before the 2024 election but they are unable to get the needed votes in the Senate.
Afghanistan
At least 9 districts in the provinces of Takhar, Balkh, Logar, Samangan, Kuduz and Jawzjan have been taken by Taliban fighters in the last 24 hours according to Afghan media.
The Taliban have not signed on to a peace treaty, and are using the U.S. troop withdrawal ordered by President Biden to attempt to retake power, 20 years after they were forced into retreat by advancing American forces.
It’s a disaster, after all this time and effort by NATO forces to watch as district are falling in to Taliban hands, and the Country in full reverse.
Biden’s administration has used the withdrawal of American forces to celebrate the end of 20 years of war after 9/11, but many critics say it’s a huge error to allow the Taliban, which maintains ties with Al Qaeda to take over.
In this edition of Back Story Dana Lewis speaks to Retired U.S. Major General Jeffrey Schloesser who has written a book on his time in Afghanistan called 'Marathon War'.
General Schloesser predicts America may come to regret its decision to leave Afghanistan because, in less than a generation, it could still become a launch pad to attack the U.S.
Link to the podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1016881/8376339
Global Wealth Gap/Rich-Poor
The Global wealth gap mushroomed last year in the pandemic as the super rich got even richer on sky rocketing stocks and house prices, with another 5.2 million-millionaires created.
According to Credit Suisse, much of the government stimulus and interest rate custs benefits the people who needed them the least, and assets of the rich grew bigger.
56.1 million individuals had assets worth more than $1m in 2020 which is 1% of the population.
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
The UN’s World Heritage Committee has place the Great Barrier Reef on an endangered list because of Global Warming.
A 2020 study by marine scientists found that from 1995 to 2017 the Great Barrier Reef lost more than half of its corals since 1995 to bleaching due to warmer seas driven by climate change.
Australia was caught off guard by the move, and claimed the decision was political because China is chair of the committee and has been locked in a tense stand off witjh Australia over human rights criticisms.
But the reef is by all scientific studies suffering because of warming, and Australia, a large exporter of coal and gas, is one of the few OECD countries resisting pressure to sign up to a net zero emissions target by 2050.
Have a good day everyone! And share this newsletter.
Dana
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/06/22/moscow-restricts-restaurants-to-vaccinated-and-immune-diners-a74301
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/22/australia-blames-china-un-move-put-great-barrier-reef-endangered/
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/jun/22/world-has-gained-52m-new-millionaires-in-covid-crisis-report
https://www.oneindia.com/international/delta-variant-greatest-threat-to-usa-s-covid-19-efforts-dr-fauci-3276937.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57576988
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/22/world/africa/africa-covid-crisis-variants.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-vote-tuesday-democrats-big-voting-bill-gop-promises-filibuster-n1271703
https://www.dw.com/en/eu-sanctions-on-belarus-go-beyond-symbolic/a-58004218