Nearly half of US states have joined growing opposition to a highly unusual bankruptcy plan that would protect the wealth of the Sackler family after it made billions of dollars from selling the drug that kickstarted the US opioid epidemic. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/11/opioid-crisis-sacklers-proposal-shield-wealth

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that if wealthy nations hogged COVID-19 shots while millions in poor countries died waiting for them it would amount to “vaccine apartheid”. https://nypost.com/2021/05/10/south-africa-warns-vaccine-apartheid-if-countries-hog-shots/

Medical teams are making long, at times difficult journeys to vaccinate people all over the world against COVID-19. Their job takes them over mountains and across water, by boat or by plane — or by foot. https://p.dw.com/p/3tCps

The Associated Press’ top editor on Sunday called for an independent investigation into the Israeli airstrike that targeted and destroyed a Gaza City building housing the AP, broadcaster Al-Jazeera and other media, saying the public deserves to know the facts. https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-israel-business-israel-palestinian-conflict-government-and-politics-abd641af1607fbae7f49e1cce7dbc49e

An outside audit three years ago of the major East Coast pipeline company hit by a cyberattack found “atrocious” information management practices and “a patchwork of poorly connected and secured systems,” its author told The Associated Press.
“We found glaring deficiencies and big problems,” said Robert F. Smallwood, whose consulting firm delivered an 89-page report in January 2018 after a six-month audit. “I mean an eighth-grader could have hacked into that system.” https://apnews.com/article/va-state-wire-technology-business-1f06c091c492c1630471d29a9cf6529d

The pandemic brought about a pet adoption boom - but now, US shelters are struggling to take in growing numbers of cats and dogs.
"It is so hard for the animals," says one shelter employee working to match dogs with temporary homes.
So what's behind this surge of sent-back pets? https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-57003843

Covid vaccines in use in Europe appear to protect against all new variants but progress in region remains “fragile” and international travel should be avoided to prevent pockets of transmission quickly spreading into “dangerous resurgences”, the World Health Organization has said. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/20/covid-still-a-threat-to-europe-travel-should-be-avoided-says-who

Three of six trained labrador retrievers have debuted as Thailand's coronavirus sniffer machines at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, going through hundreds of sweat samples per day as they join the fight to detect infected asymptomatic patients amid a third wave of the Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand. https://youtu.be/wWgxGE3LeAo

This is so sad despite it's being good if you get the drift...... Keith Magee wrote a letter to his Black son on the one year anniversary of George Floyd's death, where Magee describes the fear he feels for his son as a Black child and why this inspired Magee to move to the United Kingdom. https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2021/05/25/father-pens-letter-to-black-son-keith-magee-newday-vpx.cnn

In 2020, Vietnam earned widespread praise for its coronavirus response, which had kept case numbers relatively low in comparison to other countries. Now, Vietnam is experiencing a record high in new COVID cases. Authorities are locking down entire streets, closing businesses, and curbing tourism to stop the spread. https://p.dw.com/p/3tuZ2

Authorities in Sri Lanka have said debris from a burning container ship has caused "probably the worst beach pollution in our history."
The country's Marine Protection Authority (MEPA) said the microplastic pollution could cause years of ecological damage to the Indian Ocean island.
A vessel, carrying tonnes of chemicals, caught fire as it waited to enter Colombo harbour last week. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-57292558

If the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread worldwide, vaccines could become ineffective and strains could escape immunity. The right vaccines need to go to the places where they are needed. https://p.dw.com/p/3uII1

The president said he was “pulling out all the stops” to drive up the vaccination rate.
Among those efforts is a promotional giveaway announced Wednesday by Anheuser-Busch, saying it will “buy Americans 21+ a round of beer” once Biden’s 70% goal is met.
“Get a shot and have a beer,” Biden said, advertising the promotion even though he himself refrains from drinking alcohol. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-government-and-politics-health-8168ae1c68ca955b620082d862c911ad

The US is pushing to have 70% of adults get at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by July 4, but an expert said that number is important to reach at the state level too — and those states who are falling well below may be vulnerable to another outbreak.
"There are 12 states that are already at 70%. I worry about the ones that are way below that, and they are sitting ducks for the next outbreak of Covid-19 — which shouldn't have to happen now," said National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/04/health/us-coronavirus-friday/index.html

Facebook Inc has suspended former US President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts for two years.
He was barred indefinitely from both sites in January in the wake of posts he made on the US Capitol riots, but last month Facebook's Oversight Board criticised the open-ended penalty.
Facebook said Mr Trump's actions were "a severe violation of our rules".
The social media giant is also ending a policy shielding politicians from some content moderation rules. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57365628

The COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech appears to put young men at elevated risk of developing a heart muscle inflammation called myocarditis, researchers in Israel say. In a report submitted today to the Israeli Ministry of Health, they conclude that between one in 3000 and one in 6000 men ages 16 to 24 who received the vaccine developed the rare condition. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/06/israel-reports-link-between-rare-cases-heart-inflammation-and-covid-19-vaccination

Throughout 2020, the notion that the novel coronavirus leaked from a lab was off-limits. Those who dared to push for transparency say toxic politics and hidden agendas kept us in the dark. https://wwwizzards.com/Covid19

Government health officials on Monday approved the first new drug for Alzheimer’s disease in nearly 20 years https://apnews.com/article/science-government-and-politics-business-health-2147d824af9cfde629041d83d9ca7a8d

British holidaymakers who dashed back from Portugal before the country came off the green travel list have spoken of their frustration, calling it an "absolute joke". https://youtu.be/dy1BJ2Zp4fM

This year, Auckland in New Zealand rose to the top of the index owing to its successful approach in containing the covid-19 pandemic. Its society largely remained open and the city scored strongly on a number of metrics including education, culture and environment. https://youtu.be/jY3gYFgx3vE