Editor (2022-03-19). Ralph Nader: The Biggest Business in America? Defrauding Uncle Sam and You. scheerpost.com [ By Ralph Nader | The biggest business in America is stealing and defrauding the federal government, Uncle Sam and you the taxpayers. In terms of sheer stolen dollars, the total amount is greater than the annual sales of Amazon and Walmart over the past two years. | Before getting to the real big stuff, start with how much was stolen or not delivered by the contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just in one program, John Spoko—Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), estimated that $30 billion of…

Linda-Gail Bekker, Nigel Garrett, Ameena Goga, Lara Fairall, Tarylee Reddy, Nonhlanhla Yende-Zuma, Reshma Kassanjee, Shirley Collie, Ian Sanne, Andrew Boulle, Ishen Seocharan, Imke Engelbrecht, Mary-Ann Davies, Jared Champion, Tommy Chen, Sarah Bennett, Selaelo Mametja, Mabatlo Semenya, Harry Moultrie, Tulio de Oliveira, Richard John Lessells, Cheryl Cohen, Waasila Jassat, Michelle Groome, Anne Von Gottberg, Engelbert Le Roux, Kentse Khuto, Dan Barouch, Hassan Mahomed, Milani Wolmarans, Petro Rousseau, Debbie Bradshaw, Michelle Mulder, Jessica Opie, Vernon Louw, Barry Jacobson, Pradeep Rowji, Jonny G Peter, Azwi Takalani, Jackline Odhiambo, Fatima Mayat, Simbarashe Takuva, Lawrence Corey, Glenda E Gray, Sisonke Protocol Team, Sisonke Study Team (2022-03-19). [Articles] Effectiveness of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine in health-care workers in South Africa (the Sisonke study): results from a single-arm, open-label, phase 3B, implementation study. thelancet.com The single-dose Ad26.COV2.S vaccine shows effectiveness against severe COVID-19 disease and COVID-19-related death after vaccination, and against both beta and delta variants, providing real-world evidence for its use globally.

Wolfgang Preiser, Therese Fish (2022-03-19). [Comment] Sisonke: reaching several goals together. thelancet.com Research infrastructure and expertise from decades of HIV and tuberculosis research enabled several COVID-19 vaccine trials to be conducted in South Africa. The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine procured by the South African Government did not protect against infection with the beta (B.1.351) variant of concern1 in a phase 1/2 trial and was therefore abandoned in early 2021.2 A single dose of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine had been shown to be effective against the beta variant of SARS-CoV-2 by the ENSEMBLE trial,3 but as of early 2021 it was not yet authorised by the national regulator.

Marzieh Rahmani (2022-03-18). Iraqi forces detain top ISIL chieftain in W Iraq. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Mar. 18 (MNA) — The Iraqi security forces neutralized movements of ISIL terrorists in western Iraq, arresting an ISIL element, Iraqi sources reported on Friday.

Marzieh Rahmani (2022-03-18). Israel bases to be targeted if Iraq Kurdistan not remove them. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Mar. 18 (MNA) — The spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says the elite military force will not hesitate to strike other Israeli bases in Iraqi Kurdistan region if its officials do not dismantle them.

Marzieh Rahmani (2022-03-18). Balad airbase in Iraq's Saladin targeted by rockets. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Mar. 18 (MNA) — Iraqi sources reported late Thursday that the Balad airbase in Saladin province that hosts US forces came under rocket attack.

ecns.cn (2022-03-18). CDC: U.S. wastewater samples show rise in coronavirus. ecns.cn Samples from U.S. wastewater sites have shown an increase in the coronavirus this month in a third of locations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed, suggesting that cases in key cities including New York are rising.