Daily Digest 9/9 — Brazil Truckers Block Highways; US Jobless Claims Reach a Pandemic Low…

Economy

Brazil truckers block highways, Bolsonaro asks protestors to stand down – Yahoo

Brazilian truckers staged demonstrations throughout Brazil on Wednesday, partially blocking key routes in several states and prompting President Jair Bolsonaro to ask the protestors to stand down.

Truckers sympathetic to the president had partially blockaded highways in 16 states as of the late evening, briefly shutting down traffic in two locations, according to a statement from the Infrastructure Ministry.

US jobless claims reach a pandemic low as economy recovers – AP

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 310,000, a pandemic low and a sign that the surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant has yet to lead to widespread layoffs.

Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that jobless claims dropped from a revised total of 345,000 the week before. The number of applications has fallen steadily since topping 900,000 in early January, reflecting the steady reopening of the economy after the pandemic recession.

Why Woolworths, Coles and Aldi shelves across Sydney are looking bare – News.com.au

Empty supermarket shelves are greeting customers at NSW stores in what is a flow-on effect of the state’s ongoing coronavirus lockdown. Over the weekend, as the state entered its 11th week of lockdown, frustrated shoppers at Woolworths, Coles and Aldi stores in Greater Sydney took to social media to share pictures of seriously depleted shopping aisles.

Photos show the fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy and bakery sections all looking a little bare.
However, the sad-looking aisles aren’t a result of panic buying.  Instead, with Covid-19 widespread in the community, increasing numbers of supermarket employees have been forced into isolation, seriously disrupting supply chains.

Woolworths currently has more than 3,300 staff members in self-isolation while Coles has just under 1800 people in quarantine. Aldi also admitted self-isolation orders for staff were causing disruptions in the supply chain.

Environment

The 4 things needed to reach Biden’s ambitious 2050 solar goal – TechCrunch

A report on the future of solar energy from the Department of Energy paints a sunny picture, if you will, of the next three decades, at the end of which nearly half the country’s energy will be provided by the sun. But for that to happen, big pushes need to happen along four major lines: better photovoltaics, more energy storage, lower soft costs, and putting about a million people to work.

Here’s what the report says needs to happen in each of these sectors in order to meet the ambitious goals it sets out.

Climate cooperation actually means climate competition to both China and the US – Quartz

Last week’s meetings in China between US climate envoy John Kerry and Chinese leaders yielded no concrete agreements or public pledges between the world’s two largest carbon emitters on how to jointly tackle the climate crisis.

Fraught US-China relations did not help.

But another reason for the impasse could be that for Beijing and Washington, the prospect of global climate cooperation is creating a strong undercurrent of climate competition.

Health

NIH orders $1.67M study on how COVID-19 vaccine impacts menstrual cycle – NY Post

The National Institutes of Health has announced a $1.67 million study to investigate reports that suggest the COVID-19 vaccine may come with an unexpected impact on reproductive health.

It’s been a little over six months since the three COVID-19 vaccines in the US — Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — became widely available to all adults. But even in the early days of vaccine rollout, some women were noticing irregular periods following their shots, as reported first by the Lily in April.

Shana Clauson, 45, spoke to the Washington Post’s women’s news site at the time, and again this week, about her experience after getting the jab — revealing that her period arrived earlier and heavier than what she considers normal. She was one of many who gathered on social media to share what they were seeing.

Israeli experts analyze mRNA COVID vaccines long-term effects – Jerusalem Post

As thousands of Israelis rush back to their health funds in search of a third COVID-19 vaccine shot and a Green Pass from isolation after traveling abroad, others are asking if another injection of messenger RNA is safe.

The American Food and Drug Administration provided full approval of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine last week, but noted in its press release that “information is not yet available about potential long-term health outcomes.”

However, Tal Brosh, head of the Infectious Disease Unit at Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital, told The Jerusalem Post that while he cannot claim to know what is going to happen in 10 years, “there is no true reason to think there are any significant long-term effects” of the vaccine.

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