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The race to develop a vaccine against covid-19 was a matter of life and death. A recent study found that in 2021, 20 million lives were saved by the jabs. Researchers at Airfinity, a life-sciences data firm, have used those numbers—along with data on which shots were most widely administered in each country—to estimate which one averted most deaths. Airfinity found that more than half of lives saved around the world could be attributed to just two vaccines, which shared first place: AstraZeneca-Oxford and Pfizer-BioNTech. Each averted between 5m and 7m deaths (because of the considerable uncertainty, The Economist deemed...

We are not slaves!.. Farmers in Italy, Spain and Poland have joined Dutch farmers in protest of 'green' government regulations that will decimate the industry by forcing them to reduce their use of nitrogen fertilizer compounds. "We are not slaves, we are farmers," said Italian farmers, who drove tractors through the streets of Milan and blocked city traffic.

Infectious diseases expert and former presidential Covid adviser Dr Deborah Birx told The Mail on Sunday that coronavirus ‘came out of the box ready to infect’ when it emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2020. (Snip) She accused China of initially covering up how infectious Covid was. Birx said Covid’s infectiousness was consistent with a virus which had been experimented on in a lab. 'In laboratories you grow the virus in human cells, allowing it to adapt more. Each time it passes through human cells it becomes more adapted,’ she said.

As the number of buses delivering migrants from Texas to Union Station continues to increase, aid groups say they are overwhelmed. (Video at link)

The Iraqi political scene has been ablaze for the past 72 hours due to the emergence of recordings attributed to Nuri al-Maliki, the ex-Iraqi PM, in which he appears to be criticising and insulting Moqtada al-Sadr, one of Iraq's strongest Shiite political figures whose faction won big in the 2021 general parliamentary election. “The issue is that there is a British project aiming to put Moqtada in control of the Shia and Iraq, then they would kill him and give Iraq to the Sunnis. The issue is not al-Maliki [myself], I can just leave and take refuge in the house...

Tensions between Joe Biden and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had been high ahead of their first meeting in Saudi Arabia, especially after Biden's administration last year released an assessment by the intelligence community that Prince Mohammed "approved" the operation that led to Khashoggi's killing and dismemberment in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate. For more analysis on Biden's first visit to the Saudi Kingdom, FRANCE 24 is joined by Mohammed Soliman, Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Institute (MEI) in Washington DC. He does not believe that Biden's visit will significantly change its relationship with the US nor will it dramatically...

Classic from an underrated band.

We all knew this would be a train wreck. White House Steward Joe Biden has left Saudi Arabia humiliated. In 2020, Biden declared that the kingdom was a "pariah" after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. I couldn't care less. The man walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to collect certain documents regarding his pending marriage. He probably knew the risks. The nasty part about this story isn't the sordid tales of torture and dismemberment that reportedly happened to Khashoggi. It's the reaction. Everyone acted as if Walter Cronkite was the person butchered. The outrage was more...

Losses for the government in the National Assembly early this week the combined forces of the Left, Les Republicans and the National Rally mustering majorities to eliminate vaccine passports for minors under the age of 18 and to eliminate the health emergency laws of COVID effective August 1st. The government will take its fight to restore those measures to the Senate. On the occasion of Bastille Day Thursday President Emmanuel Macron talked a wide range of issues with the two major television outlets (TF1 and France 2). Macron frankly told the French in essence that they need to "work harder"......

Canadians travelling for business, work and family to China will need to undergo “double screenings” for both monkeypox virus and COVID-19 during their quarantine period. China’s National Health Commission recently published a guideline on monkeypox prevention and control, stating that apart from COVID-19 tests, inbound travellers entering China should also be tested for monkeypox virus during quarantine — especially those who have a travelling history in countries with reported monkeypox infections within 21 days before entering China. According to the guideline, returnees from epidemic areas should be closely monitored. If rashes or other symptoms related to monkeypox appeared, they should...

Reagan Economic Advisor Arthur Laffer explains what we need to do in order to beat 9.1% inflation

..."The most zealous ones at my organization when it comes to race are white,” said one Black executive director at a different organization, asking for anonymity so as not to provoke a response from that staff."......Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and other reproductive health organizations had similarly been locked in knock-down, drag-out fights between competing factions of their organizations, most often breaking down along staff-versus-management lines. It’s also true of the progressive advocacy space across the board, which has, more or less, effectively ceased to function. The Sierra Club, Demos, the American Civil Liberties Union, Color of Change, the Movement...

Rep. Ilhan Omar renewed criticism against the Supreme Court for its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last month, denouncing the court and anti-abortion Republicans as “extremists.” Omar’s criticism comes in response to the House passing legislation that would codify abortion rights and protect reproductive rights after the court reversed the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The bill, however, is likely doomed in the 50-50 Senate. “Grateful to everyone who is helping us fight against extremists who want to control every aspect of our lives,” Omar said in a tweet. “Freedom is a cornerstone of our country and we...

Ever borrowed some pine straw from a neighbor’s yard or stayed in a motel room with someone of the opposite sex to whom you weren't married? If so, take caution: In North Carolina, if they meet certain parameters, these acts could place you on the wrong side of the law. While every region has its own unusual or unique laws, the Tar Heel state stands out for some of the strangest legislation to be found in the lower 48. So if you’re considering a drunken Bingo binge or find yourself coveting the neighbor's grease vat, you might want to think...

J. Milton Bowers was found guilty of murder. So he committed another one to free himself.J. Milton Bowers was not a particularly creative murderer at first. He had found a reliable scheme, a scheme used by many murderers before and since, and he stuck with it. In 1885, the San Francisco physician was on his third wife. His previous two had both died suddenly after he’d taken out large life insurance policies on them. And wife No. 3, poor Cecelia, had recently become one of the city’s most-insured civilians when her husband took out five different policies on her. They...

**SNIP** Even in her hometown of New York City, a candidate she backed for mayor was defeated by the more moderate Eric Adams. The two have developed a fraught relationship, sparring over everything from the city budget and policing to his choice of words when describing some workers as 'low skill.' And the woke congresswoman has also come under fire in the past for wearing a dress to the celebrity-packed Met Gala with the words 'Tax the Rich' scrawled across the back, with some saying it was hypocritical to wear the dress while attending the ultra-exclusive event full of the...

PASADENA, CA — While out with friends, local man Kevin Bann put up a valiant effort to feign enjoyment of an orange watery substance with little slimy balls floating in it. His friends have confirmed he is "very cool" and "with the times." "It's more the aesthetic, not the taste…but I do like the taste!" Mr. Bann hastened to clarify his enjoyment of the tea when he sensed raised eyebrows from his friends. Sources have confirmed that Mr. Bann stumbled over himself protesting his enjoyment, adding "of course, I like slimy little balls of food in my drinks!" Some outlets...

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive intensified its legal standoff with Hungary on Friday by taking the country to the EU’s highest court over a restrictive law on LGBT issues and media freedom. The EU had already tried for a year to make Hungary change a law that bans content portraying or promoting homosexuality. The European Commission said it “discriminates against people on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity.” “The Commission considers that the law violates the internal market rules, the fundamental rights of individuals (in particular LGBTIQ people) as well as — with regard to...

More than half of all Americans say religious tolerance for Christians is on the decline, even as more than a third also believes Christians complain too much about how they are treated in society, a newly released Lifeway Research survey suggests. In a study of just over 1,000 Americans conducted last September, 54% said religious liberty in the United States is in decline, including around a quarter (24%) who strongly agree with that statement. Almost a third (32%) of respondents disagreed, while 14% said they weren't sure. An even greater percentage of Americans believe religious tolerance for Christians in America...

VATICAN CITY -- When Pope Francis travels to Canada to apologize to Indigenous communities for the way the Catholic Church joined efforts to uproot them from their traditional culture and spirituality, their traditions will be on full display. The First Nation, Métis and Inuit people will welcome Pope Francis to their lands July 24-29 wearing their traditional dress, speaking their languages, performing their songs and dances and sharing elements of their traditional styles of prayer. Father Cristino Bouvette, a priest of the Archdiocese of Calgary, Alberta, has been working with the pope's master of liturgical ceremonies, Msgr. Diego Giovanni Ravelli,...