All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

UK variant has mutated again, scientists say

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The Kent variant now dominant in the UK appears to be undergoing some “worrying” new changes.

Study: Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine appears safe, effective – The Washington Post

Roy, a professor of virology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said there should no longer be any doubts about the Russian vaccine. She said the high level of antibodies produced by Sputnik V suggest that it could also protect against some of the new COVID-19 variants that have been detected recently, but more studies are needed to verify that. Source: Study: Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine appears safe, effective – The Washington Post

‘Vladimir the Poisoner’ A translation of Alexey Navalny’s speech in court on February 2 — Meduza

The main thing in this whole trial isn’t what happens to me. Locking me up isn’t difficult. What matters most is why this is happening. This is happening to intimidate large numbers of people. They’re imprisoning one person to frighten millions.

We’ve got 20 million people living below the poverty line. We have tens of millions of people living without the slightest prospects for the future. Life is bearable in Moscow, but travel 100 kilometers in any direction and everything’s a mess. Our whole country is living in this mess, without the slightest prospects, earning 20,000 rubles [$265] a month. And they’re all silent; they try to shut people up with these show trials. Lock up this one to scare millions more. One person takes to the streets and they lock up another five people to scare 15 million more.

I hope very much that people won’t look at this trial as a signal that they should be more afraid. This isn’t a demonstration of strength — it’s a show of weakness. You can’t lock up millions and hundreds of thousands of people. I hope very much that people will realize this. And they will. Because you can’t lock up the whole country.

Source: ‘Vladimir the Poisoner’ A translation of Alexey Navalny’s speech in court on February 2 — Meduza