Meet the Arab-Israeli, Palestinian women making an impact on society: Khaled Abu Toame – Nadia Issam Harhash

NADIA HARHASH, a Palestinian journalist and author from east Jerusalem, is known for her criticism of Palestinian Authority leaders and corruption. As a result, the mother of four has received numerous threats. Last year, an unidentified arsonist set her car on fire in front of her home in the Beit Hanina neighborhood.

“Palestinian women continue to face many challenges,” Harhash said. “Our entire life is one big challenge. However, I am here to live up to my expectations. I cannot do that without fulfilling my own aspirations. We are born to be free, to make life better. In my case, it is not taken for granted.

“Life is a daily struggle for women like me. After all, I am a mother, and it is not just about me; it is about this generation that is growing and deserves a better life, to live better.”

Harhash is determined to pursue her role as a writer with the hope of improving living conditions for women and all Palestinians.

Source: Meet the Arab-Israeli, Palestinian women making an impact on society: Khaled Abu Toame – Nadia Issam Harhash

Instagram’s algorithm pushes users towards COVID-19 misinformation, study finds

Instagram‘s algorithm is recommending COVID-19 and anti-vaccination misinformation to potentially millions of users, according to new research. The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) used test accounts to investigate the recommendations on Instagram’s Explore page and new Suggested Post feature. They found that the tools encourage users to view misinformation and then push those who engage with the posts towards other extremist content: If a user follows anti-vaxxers, they are fed QAnon conspiracism and antisemitic hate; if they engage with conspiracies, they are fed electoral and anti-vaxx misinformation. The researchers generated the recommendations by creating 15 Instagram profiles and following different lists of accounts, from health authorities to anti-vaxxers.  Source: Instagram’s algorithm pushes users towards COVID-19 misinformation, study finds

Mexico to Rely on Chinese-Made COVID-19 Vaccines

Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the Mexican government has signed agreements for 12 million doses of the yet-to-be-approved Sinopharm vaccine and “increased to a total of 20 million doses its contracts for the Coronavac dose made by China’s Sinovac,” according to the LA Times . However, Ebrard has continued to refuse to answer any question on the vaccine’s efficacy.

Sinopharm has said its vaccine is 79% effective based on interim data from clinical trials (which according to the LA Times, was kept a secret), but like other Chinese firms, it has not publicly released its late-stage clinical trial data. Experts in Hong Kong have assessed the efficacy of the Sinovac vaccine at about 51%. That shot has already been approved for use in Mexico.

Source: Mexico to Rely on Chinese-Made COVID-19 Vaccines

Coronavirus tracker: California reported 4,890 new cases, 168 new deaths and 23 fewer hospitalizations as of Monday – San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Statewide 4,205 people were reported hospitalized with coronavirus-related infections on Monday. That’s a 81.6% drop since the Jan. 1 high of 22,853 people who needed hospital care.

Source: Coronavirus tracker: California reported 4,890 new cases, 168 new deaths and 23 fewer hospitalizations as of Monday – San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Nearly 400 infected with new coronavirus variant found in Japan

Nearly 400 people in Japan have been infected with a new variant of the novel coronavirus different from those found in Britain, South Africa and Brazil, Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases said Tuesday.

While differing from those discovered earlier in the three countries, the new strain found in Japan shares some commonality with those from South Africa and Brazil, the institute said. It is suspected that the commonality may cause more reinfection and that current vaccines may be less effective against it.

Source: Nearly 400 infected with new coronavirus variant found in Japan

Brazil coronavirus: Outbreak spawns new variants, threats – The Washington Post

“All of the variants of concern are more transmissible … and this means an accelerated phase of the epidemic. A disaster.”

Scientists across Brazil expressed deep pessimism for the coming weeks. The ICU occupation rate is at least 80 percent in most states, much higher in some. Patients are being transferred from state to state — sometimes traveling hundreds of miles — in a nationwide hunt for hospital resources. Without ventilators, nurses have pumped infected patients’ lungs manually. Cemeteries are running out of space to put the bodies. Refrigerated containers wait outside hospitals to take the overflow. People all over the country are dying at home, unable to get treatment.

The situation is unpredictable for both Brazil and the world. As viruses course through a population, they inevitably mutate. Most genetic changes are functionally insignificant. The coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 117 million people worldwide, has produced countless variants.

But uncontrolled outbreaks in communities with mounting immunity, scientists say, can give rise to more dangerous variants. It’s not by coincidence that one of the world’s most virulent variants emerged in Manaus, one of the world’s hardest-hit cities.

Source: Brazil coronavirus: Outbreak spawns new variants, threats – The Washington Post

Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine may be made in Italy as Europe seeks to expand options – The Washington Post

The deal, first reported by Bloomberg News, would see Swiss pharmaceutical firm Adienne Pharma & Biotech SA manufacture the Russian vaccine in the Milan region, according to the firm’s president, Antonio Francesco Di Naro. Source: Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine may be made in Italy as Europe seeks to expand options – The Washington Post