Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

Alexei Navalny: Plane to bring ‘poisoned’ Russian critic to Germany

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Opposition figure Alexei Navalny is in a coma in a Siberian hospital after falling ill on a plane.

California firefighters stretched to limits as wildfires double in size

California has requested for reinforcements as the fire department is strapped for manpower and equipment. Wildfires doubled in size, and evacuations are underway.

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California has requested for reinforcements as the fire department is strapped for manpower and equipment. Wildfires doubled in size, and evacuations are underway.

Covid-19: Nine new community cases in NZ | RNZ News – (what a real leader sounds like-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern)

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern: “Villifying those who have caught the virus, or those who helped keep us safe by getting tested is something that I simply will not tolerate. It is those who shame others, those who seek to blame, they are the dangerous ones. They are the ones who cause people to hesitate before getting a test, they are the ones who make people feel afraid.”

She said New Zealanders needed to stick together, supporting each other and acting responsibly to defeat Covid-19.

Source: Covid-19: Nine new community cases in NZ | RNZ News

Genetically-modified mosquitoes to be released in Florida Keys to fight diseases – National | Globalnews.ca (does not address human urban growth fosters increase in disease carrying mosquito population)

Whether or not the modified mosquitoes can efficiently crash the population of these mosquitoes in Florida remains an open question, some experts say.

“The mosquitoes created in a lab have not gone through a natural selection process, in which only the fittest survive and mate. Once they are released in the natural environment, will they be as fit as the naturally occurring males and able to outcompete them for mates?” said Max Moreno, an expert in mosquito-borne diseases at Indiana University who is not involved in the company or the pilot project.

Another question is whether the mosquitoes may have other unintended effects on the environment. If a spider, frog or bird eats the mosquito, will the modified protein have any effect on the predator?

 

Source: Genetically-modified mosquitoes to be released in Florida Keys to fight diseases – National | Globalnews.ca

Coronavirus: Humidity key to minimize virus transmission — study

“Authorities should include the humidity factor in future indoor guidelines,” said CSIR’s Mishra.

“Based on research findings, for future scenarios, setting a minimum RH standard in public buildings” said the report, “will not only reduce the impact of COVID-19, but it will also reduce the impact of further viral outbreaks.”

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Dry rooms and air-conditioned indoor spaces hike Covid-viral infection, conclude Indian and German researchers in their meta-study. They’re urging optimum humidity standards for building interiors and public transport.

Coronavirus: Why Spain is seeing second wave – BBC News

Growers and packing companies have been criticised for not providing accommodation for migrant workers, leading them to travel between shelters and fields or subsist in insanitary shanties.

“Everything happening in Aragón is very much connected to outbreaks among the seasonal fruit-pickers. There should have been more anticipation of the problems that could arise due to the accommodation situation of these workers,” explains Juan González Armengol, president of the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (Semes).

Worst of all, more than 55 care homes for the elderly in Aragón have registered cases since the end of the state of emergency.

 

Source: Coronavirus: Why Spain is seeing second wave – BBC News

Getting Tested For COVID And Want Results Fast? It’s Still A Crapshoot

People wait on a line to receive a COVID-19 test at a temporary test site in Sunset Park on Aug. 13th, 2020.

One Brooklyn woman got tested two weeks ago in preparation for a visit with her mother. She’s still waiting for the results. People wait on a line outside in the a city park to receive a COVID-19 test at a temporary test site in Sunset Park on Aug. 13th, 2020.

People wait on a line to receive a COVID-19 test at a temporary test site in Sunset Park on Aug. 13th, 2020.

One Brooklyn woman got tested two weeks ago in preparation for a visit with her mother. She’s still waiting for the results. [ more › ]

A cup of tea, then screams of agony: how Alexei Navalny was left fighting for his life

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The Russian opposition activist became violently ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow

For Alexei Navalny it was another routine trip to the regions. Specifically to Siberia’s biggest city, Novosibirsk, and to its alluring neighbour, Tomsk. “An excellent city. One of the most beautiful in our country,” Navalny enthused on Instagram, posting a photo from Tomsk on Wednesday with a group of young supporters.

Navalny is Russia’s most prominent opposition activist. He made no secret of why he had flown to Tomsk, known for its wooden mansions and enlightened university. The goal, he wrote, was to back independent candidates ahead of local elections next month. And, of course, to kick out the “crooks” from Vladimir Putin’s ruling United Russia party.

Continue reading…

Four Vietnamese arrested for coronavirus PPE scam targeting US buyers

Vietnamese police have arrested four men accused of defrauding more than 5,000 Americans trying to buy Covid-19 protective equipment online out of nearly US$1 million (S$1.3 million), the Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday (Aug 20).

The arrests of the four, aged between 22 and 36, were made following a joint investigation by the ministry and US Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Homeland Security Investigations, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

In March, the four began operating 110 websites that offered personal protection equipment (PPE), including hand sanitisers, masks and disinfectant wipes, and received money from the Americans via their Paypal accounts, the ministry said.

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HANOI (REUTERS) – Vietnamese police have arrested four men accused of defrauding more than 5,000 Americans trying to buy Covid-19 protective equipment online out of nearly US$1 million (S$1.3 million), the Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday (Aug 20).

The arrests of the four, aged between 22 and 36, were made following a joint investigation by the ministry and US Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Homeland Security Investigations, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

In March, the four began operating 110 websites that offered personal protection equipment (PPE), including hand sanitisers, masks and disinfectant wipes, and received money from the Americans via their Paypal accounts, the ministry said.

The four never had the products offered on the websites and their victims never received what they paid for, the ministry said.

“This investigation resulted in significant financial losses to people who were already facing enormous challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink said in a statement on the embassy’s website.

Speaking at a regular press briefing on Thursday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said Vietnam was determined to “prevent and strictly deal with any trade fraud” and highly appreciated the coordination from the United States.

The ministry said the four had been charged with”appropriation of property using a computer network, telecommunications network or electronic device”, a crime that carries a prison term of up to 20 years.

Reuters could not immediately reach their lawyers for comment.

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