Swedish military ramps up presence in Baltic Sea due to Russian activity

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Sweden has increased its military readiness on the isle of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.

Lyssna: Swedish military ramps up presence in Baltic Sea region due to Russian activity

Sweden has ramped up its military readiness this week in the Baltic Sea and on Gotland in response to what a high ranking official in the Armed Forces called a “deteriorating security situation in the region”.

It follows concerns over increased Russian activity in the Baltic Sea and heightened tensions in nearby Belarus.

“The focus of the high readiness action is to reinforce naval surveillance in the Baltic Sea, at sea and from the air,” Jan Thornqvist, the Swedish Armed Forces’ Commander of Joint Operations, said in a statement. “The military presence in Gotland is also increased.”

For analysis, Radio Sweden speaks to Anna Wieslander, secretary general for the Swedish Defence Association and a director at the American think tank, Atlantic Council.

Click the play button to hear her interview.

Dave Russell
david.russell@sverigesradio.se

Africa’s triumph over wild polio shows the power of regional unity | Matshidiso Moeti | Global development | The Guardian

Africa has declared victory over a virus that once paralysed 75,000 children on the continent every year.

Four years have now passed since wild polio was last detected in Africa. After a year of rigorously evaluating polio data from all 47 countries in the WHO’s African region, an independent body of experts announced during a virtual ceremony on Tuesdaythat the continent was free of wild polio.

 

Source: Africa’s triumph over wild polio shows the power of regional unity | Matshidiso Moeti | Global development | The Guardian

Kenosha Police Look for Armed Man Who Shot Jacob Blake Protesters – white militia…

“They’re a militia,” Beth said. “They’re like a vigilante group.”

On Tuesday, a group calling itself the Kenosha Guard, asked members and followers on Facebook to come downtown and be prepared to defend the city.

One post read: “Any patriots willing to take up arms and defend out (sic) City tonight from the evil thugs? Nondoubt (sic) they are currently planning on the next part of the City to burn tonight!”

Source: Kenosha Police Look for Armed Man Who Shot Jacob Blake Protesters

Moana & The Tribe (feat Jani Lauzon): TŪ

Tū is the first music video from Moana’s sixth album ONO. Featured artist Jani Lauzon (first nation Métis from East Cootenay Canada) was filmed on the deserted streets of Toronto during their lockdown. Tū is a celebration of the ritual of tohi, to instil insight and wisdom, implant courage and fortify the newborn against evil – also a dedication to Tūmatauenga, the god of war, hunting, cooking, fishing and food cultivation. Directed by Vinnie Carter, with lyrics by Scotty Morrision,. The video Tū was funded by Te Mangai Paho.

We mustn’t understate the importance of anyone’s life when it comes to Covid deaths | Matt Beard | Opinion | The Guardian

However, this isn’t the way that rightwing agitators want to use the distinction. They’re concerned with cases where a death can be related to Covid-19 but can’t solely be attributed to it because of other health factors in play. For them, the only way you can die from Covid-19 is if it’s the only thing that can plausibly be said to kill you.

This is an unusual claim. We don’t think that way about any other event. When we describe the deaths that emerged from the second world war, we include those who died from starvation who would have otherwise survived. When we measure alcohol related deaths, we include those who died from drink-driving. Similarly, we should consider that people whose existing conditions were exacerbated by Covid-19 to the point where they died, to have died from the virus.

And yet, despite the ease with which we can dismiss the argument, there’s something more revealing at play here. The grammatical distinction of dying with v dying from hides a much more serious distinction that informs what’s going on here. Namely, a distinction between deaths that matter and deaths that don’t.

 

Source: We mustn’t understate the importance of anyone’s life when it comes to Covid deaths | Matt Beard | Opinion | The Guardian

Non-woven masks better to stop Covid-19, says Japanese supercomputer

“What is most dangerous is not wearing a mask,” Tsubokura said, according to the Nikkei. “It’s important to wear a mask, even a less effective cloth one.”

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Disposable medical face masks beat those made of cotton or polyester in simulation

Face masks made from non-woven fabric are more effective at blocking the spread of Covid-19 via airborne respiratory droplets than other types that are commonly available, according to modelling in Japan by the world’s fastest supercomputer.

Fugaku, which can perform more than 415 quadrillion computations a second, conducted simulations involving three types of mask, and found that non-woven masks were better than those made of cotton and polyester at blocking spray emitted when the wearer coughs, the Nikkei Asian Review said.

Continue reading…

Obesity increases risk of Covid-19 death by 48%, study finds | World news | The Guardian

Obesity increases the risk of death from Covid-19 by nearly 50% and may make vaccines against the disease less effective, according to a comprehensive study using global data.

The research from leading global experts warns that the risks for people with obesity are greater than previously thought.

The study, commissioned for the World Bank, will increase the pressure on governments to tackle obesity, including in the UK where the prime minister, Boris Johnson, has put himself at the head of a drive to reduce the nation’s weight.

The US and the UK have some of the highest obesity rates in the world. US government data shows more than 40% of Americans have obesity. In England, it is more more than 27% of adults.

 

Source: Obesity increases risk of Covid-19 death by 48%, study finds | World news | The Guardian