tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28167655959436160362024-02-19T09:18:36.243-08:00News worldShahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.comBlogger241500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-85133996668845387082021-06-11T08:45:00.002-07:002021-06-11T08:45:48.815-07:00Apple announces new iphone privacy<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7PcQjiohZ8TcEor5YQFZqKNGXg1HWRlNh7Q4T8yK_wdzlV-iBCc8Nkj7ssB_c9mg3TxlFsD1UneGZlJV35yElbWDpYVIL1DM39ozqIwXvgDxozqlD13Y13oI6BovCxLf4C5ofX2Js_ok/s320/846401_8280055_tim-cook3b_updates.webp" width="320" /></div><p></p><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Apple on Monday said it is ramping up privacy and expanding
features in new iPhone operating software to be released later this
year.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Silicon Valley technology colossus opened its annual
developers conference by teasing improvements to security, privacy and
interoperability of its devices, even as the company remains under fire
for its tight control of its App Store.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"All of this incredible
software will be available to all of our users this fall," Apple chief
executive Tim Cook said during the Worldwide Developers Conference
opening presentation.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"I am so excited for these new releases and how they will make our products even more powerful and more capable."</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The
next version of iPhone operating software, called iOS 15, will have
improved privacy features including overviews of how apps access
smartphone cameras or microphones as well as data such as location or
contacts.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"We don´t think you should have to make a trade-off
between great features and privacy," said Apple senior vice president of
software engineering Craig Federighi.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Apple added notifications
on "tracking" in the current version of its mobile operating system, to
the chagrin of app-makers such as Facebook that contended it would
undermine the targeting of ads that support free online content.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The update comes with Apple being challenged on several fronts over its control of apps on its ecosystem.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Fortnite
maker Epic Games has accused Apple in a lawsuit of having a monopoly
power with its App Store that serves as the sole gateway onto iPhones or
iPads.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Apple booted Fortnite from its App Store last year after Epic dodged agreed-upon revenue sharing with the iPhone maker.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The
European Union has formally accused Apple of unfairly squeezing out
music streaming rivals based on a complaint brought by Sweden-based
Spotify and others, which claim the California group sets rules that
favor its own Apple Music.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, who has
described Apple as a rival, on Monday put out work that creators will
continue to pay nothing to host paid or subscription events at the
leading social network until the year 2023.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"And when we do
introduce a revenue share, it will be less than the 30 percent that
Apple and others take," Zuckerberg said in a post at his Facebook page.</span></p>
<div class="clearfix"></div>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-44388923007461146812021-06-11T08:33:00.002-07:002021-06-11T08:33:39.750-07:00After Pandemic- Auckland stands out as most liveable country<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMioDLxYePMIjb-tp-SaYmq-JYIR93CyJ6c0TyYh7m_rkvXnOolVMlTkp9z0fbBn6Je4F_PaubGlDKa1Y2dLlEnV_rft5JezwsmuwFds78PCNNS_qJLpeyhbDOIrM8gAMakWiDSDCXbqL0/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="700" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMioDLxYePMIjb-tp-SaYmq-JYIR93CyJ6c0TyYh7m_rkvXnOolVMlTkp9z0fbBn6Je4F_PaubGlDKa1Y2dLlEnV_rft5JezwsmuwFds78PCNNS_qJLpeyhbDOIrM8gAMakWiDSDCXbqL0/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The pandemic has shaken up the rankings of the world´s most liveable cities,
a study released on Wednesday showed, with metropolises in Australia, Japan and
New Zealand leaping ahead of those in Europe.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Auckland tops The Economist´s annual survey of the world´s most liveable
cities in 2021 followed by Osaka and Tokyo in Japan, Adelaide in Australia and
Wellington in New Zealand, all of which had a swift response to the Covid
pandemic.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"Auckland rose to the top of the ranking owing to its successful the approach in containing the Covid-19 pandemic, which allowed its society to
remain open and the city to score strongly," the Economist Intelligence
Unit said.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In contrast, "European cities fared particularly poorly in this year´s
edition."</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"Vienna, previously the world´s most liveable city between 2018-20,
fell to 12th. Eight of the top ten biggest falls in the rankings are European
cities," according to the study.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The biggest fall overall among the European cities was the port city of
Hamburg in northern Germany, which fell 34 places to 47th.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The trend was motivated by a "stress on hospital resources" which
the study said increased for most German and French cities and resulted in a
"deteriorated healthcare score".</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Pressure on European health systems also had a knock-on effect on culture
and overall liveability because of restrictions on movement, the Economist
said.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The most notable rise was recorded by Honolulu, Hawaii, in the United
States, which came 14th in the ranking and moved up 46 places because of its
containment of the pandemic and fast vaccination program.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Damascus remains the city where life is most difficult because of Syria´s
ongoing civil war.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p></div><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-32868267164579887592021-06-06T22:06:00.002-07:002021-06-06T23:29:27.129-07:00Israel's Yair Lapid says 'obstacles' remain in bid to oust Benjamin Netanyahu<div class="detail-heading" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px;"><div class="detail-left-tittle mob_detail" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); border-top: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); box-sizing: border-box; float: left; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 10px 0px; width: 330px;"><div class="category-share" style="background-color: white; bottom: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(230, 230, 230) 0px -4px 6px -3px; box-sizing: border-box; float: left; left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; position: fixed; width: 360px; z-index: 99;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /><br /><br /></ul></div></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div></div><div class="story-detail" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; float: left; width: 330px;"><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px;"></div><div class="medium-insert-images norender-embeds ui-sortable medium-insert-active" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px;"><figure contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><img alt="" class="" data-cfsrc="https://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2021-05-31/842695_2312443_Untitled-1_updates.jpg" src="https://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2021-05-31/842695_2312443_Untitled-1_updates.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 330px;" /><figcaption class="" contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: transparent solid 0px; position: relative; z-index: 1;">Israel´s centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid delivers a statement to the press at the Knesset (Israeli parliament) in Jerusalem on May 31, 2021. — AFP</figcaption></figure></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Israeli Opposition leader Yair Lapid on Monday said many obstacles remain before a diverse coalition can be built to oust veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but voiced hope it will achieve the "greater goal".</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Lapid, a secular centrist, has been locked in talks with the right-wing nationalist Naftali Bennett on the terms of a "change alliance" that also hinges on an array of other parties ahead of a Wednesday midnight deadline.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Former TV anchor Lapid's chances of success rose when tech millionaire Bennett, despite their ideological differences, said Sunday he would join a "national unity government" in which the two men would take turns to serve as premier.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Israel's latest political turmoil comes more than two months after Israel's fourth inconclusive election in less than two years, and could topple the right-wing leader known as Bibi, who has ruled for a total of 15 years.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The intense political bargaining follows Israel's bloody 11-day military conflict with Islamist group Hamas in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, that ended with a May 21 ceasefire.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A viable anti-Netanyahu coalition would still need the support of other parties and lawmakers to gain a majority of 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset, Israel's legislature.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But while Lapid warned of remaining hurdles, he also sought to strike a cautiously upbeat note.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"We'll have to overcome them together," he told members of his Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"That's our first test — to see if we can find smart compromises in the coming days to achieve the greater goal."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Netanyahu, in power for the past 12 years following an earlier three-year term, has been fighting for his political life, warning on Sunday of "a left-wing government dangerous to the state of Israel".</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The 71-year-old is Israel's longest serving prime minister, and the first to face criminal charges while in office — on fraud, bribery and breach of trust charges, which he denies.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The combative premier lashed out at Bennett, accusing him of "the scam of the century" for running on a right-wing platform, but then joining a prospective government that includes liberal parties.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Lapid, 57, is seeking to cobble together a diverse alliance which would include Bennett, a supporter of Jewish settlements in the Israel-occupied West Bank, as well as Arab-Israeli lawmakers.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In order to build such an anti-Netanyahu bloc, he must sign individual agreements with seven parties, whose members would then vote in parliament to confirm the coalition.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Among them are the centrist Blue and White party of Defence Minister Benny Gantz, and the hawkish New Hope party of Netanyahu's former ally Gideon Saar.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Bennett allowed "us to make the change we are looking in Israeli politics, which makes him qualified to be the next prime minister," Gantz said Monday.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Avigdor Lieberman's pro-settlement Yisrael Beitenu party, as well as the historically powerful centre-left Labour party and the dovish Meretz party, would also join.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Netanyahu's conservative Likud party won 30 seats in the last election on March 23, the best result of any party, but far short of a majority.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In a last-ditch bid Sunday, Netanyahu offered a three-way power sharing deal to his rivals Bennett and Saar — but Saar refused.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Bennett accused Netanyahu of seeking to take down the political right and "the whole country with him on his personal last stand"</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Lapid's party, with 17 seats of its own, had mustered a total of 51 votes of support from left, centre and right-wing parties before Bennett joined him.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Bennett's Yamina ("Rightward") bloc has seven seats, but one lawmaker swore he would not cooperate with the anti-Netanyahu camp.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">To win the backing of four more lawmakers, needed to achieve the required 61 seats, Lapid is counting on parties representing Arab citizens of Israel, which have not yet announced their intentions.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">They would have to support a coalition including Bennett, even though he has previously directed the Yesha Council which represents Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"The left is making far from easy compromises here," Bennett acknowledged Sunday.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">According to Israeli media, the coalition agreement would allow Bennett to head the government for the first two years, to be followed by Lapid.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It would end the long reign of Netanyahu, who first rose to power 25 years ago on a wave of opposition to Shimon Peres, the architect of the Oslo Peace Accords.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Despite the threat against him, it is too early to count out the wily political operator Netanyahu, said political scientist Jonathan Rynhold of Bar Ilan University.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"It's never done until it's done, particularly because, even if they (the alliance) got by far the best hand, Bibi is the best card player by miles, you can't count him out," he said.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If Lapid fails to muster a coalition, and lawmakers cannot agree on another</span><span style="font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px;"> leader, Israelis will return, yet again, to the polls.</span></p></div>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-68413661149413124562021-06-06T19:14:00.002-07:002021-06-06T23:29:37.489-07:00Palestinian activist twins detained in east Jerusalem<div class="detail-heading" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px;"><div class="detail-left-tittle mob_detail" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); border-top: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); box-sizing: border-box; float: left; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 10px 0px; width: 330px;"><div class="category-share" style="background-color: white; bottom: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(230, 230, 230) 0px -4px 6px -3px; box-sizing: border-box; float: left; left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; position: fixed; width: 360px; z-index: 99;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /><br /></ul></div></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div></div><div class="story-detail" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px; width: 330px;"><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="medium-insert-images norender-embeds ui-sortable medium-insert-active" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table;"><figure contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; left: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative; top: 0px;"><img alt="" data-cfsrc="https://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2021-06-07/845563_6006770_Palestinian-twins_updates.jpg" src="https://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2021-06-07/845563_6006770_Palestinian-twins_updates.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 330px;" /><figcaption contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: transparent solid 0px; position: relative; z-index: 1;">Mona El-Kurd and her twin brother Mohammed El-Kurd. — Photos courtesy Middle East Eye & AFP</figcaption></figure></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;"> Israeli police on Sunday detained the prominent activist El-Kurd twins, whose campaign against the threatened expulsion of Palestinian families from homes in the Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah has found a global audience.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">On Sunday morning police arrested Mona el-Kurd, 23, at her home in Sheikh Jarrah, where a legal battle between Israeli settlers and several Palestinian families has crystallised anger over Israel's settlement movement.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">They also left a summons for her twin brother, Muhammad, their father told <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">AFP</i>.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Israeli police told <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">AFP</i> that Mona was "suspected of having participated in riots and other recent incidents in Sheikh Jarrah".</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">They did not give details on the status of Mohammad, who had handed himself in after the summons, but family lawyer Nasser Odeh indicated that the 23-year-old remained under investigation.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Protesters had gathered outside the east Jerusalem police station, where their father, Nabil el-Kurd, told <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">AFP</i> said his daughter's arrest was part of "an operation to terrorise the parents, because the voice that emerged from the neighbourhood was thanks to its youth".</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Protests in Sheikh Jarrah spread early last month into the city's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, sparking a crackdown by Israeli security forces against Palestinians there that further inflamed tensions.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Hamas, the group that controls the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, responded by launching rockets towards Israel on May 10.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">What followed was 11 days of bombardments by Israeli forces in the Strip.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">While Palestinians and their backers see the issue as a microcosm of Israeli efforts to push them out of the highly contested city, Jewish settlers and their supporters have labelled it a property dispute to be decided by Israeli courts.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">The el-Kurd twins, from one of the families that faces being ousted from their home, have led an active protest movement on the streets and online.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">They have gained hundreds of thousands of followers on platforms including Twitter and Instagram, using the hashtags #SheikhJarrah and #SaveSheikhJarrah to bring their neighbourhood´s plight global attention.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Video posted online on Sunday showed Mona being led away in handcuffs.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Speaking to journalists outside the police station, their father said that Palestinian residents would stay in Sheikh Jarrah to "document the facts and show the terrorism practiced by the Israeli government."</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">"Our weapon is the tongue and the camera," he said. "Muhammad and Mona made the whole world turn around for our cause."</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Last month, as tensions in Jerusalem mounted during the build-up to the Gaza fighting, the Israeli supreme court postponed a hearing in the Sheikh Jarrah cases until further notice.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Under Israeli law, if Jews can prove that their families lived in east Jerusalem before the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that created the state of Israel, they can request the "return" of their property, even if Palestinian families have been living there for decades.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Palestinians whose ancestors became refugees in the 1948 war have no means to retrieve their homes or land in modern-day Israel.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Israeli right groups Ir Amim says up to 1,000 Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah and the nearby Silwan district face being displaced.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Sheikh Jarrah has also drawn the attention of press freedom watchdogs, as journalists say they have been targeted by police while trying to report on demonstrations there.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">On Saturday Israeli forces arrested <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Al Jazeera</i> reporter Givara Budeiri "in a brutal manner", the network said in a statement, adding that authorities had destroyed a videographer's camera as he was trying to work.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Budeiri was released from custody several hours after her arrest.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Al Jazeera</i> television's acting director-general, Mostefa Souag, decried "the systematic targeting of our journalists", dubbing it "in total violation of all international conventions".</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">The Paris-headquartered Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has voiced concern over Israel´s "disproportionate use of force against journalists".</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">It criticised "attacks" on reporters filming in Sheikh Jarrah, the detention of Palestinian reporters, and the Jewish state's demolition of a tower in the besieged Gaza Strip where news outlets operated.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">During their military campaign in Gaza, Israel levelled the 13-storey building that housed the Qatar-based <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Al Jazeera</i> television along with the US news agency <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Associated Press</i> after warning the structure's owner to evacuate.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Israel defended the strike, alleging the building also hosted a Palestinian "terrorist" intelligence office.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Al Jazeera's</i> Jerusalem bureau chief, Walid al-Omari, accused Israel of trying "to silence media that are witnessing, documenting and reporting the truth".</p></div>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-57731243557179521512021-06-06T06:41:00.003-07:002021-06-06T23:29:51.129-07:00Violence against Palestinians triggered 'uncomfortable' Israel-UAE conversations<p> </p><div class="detail-heading" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px;"><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div></div><div class="story-detail" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; float: left; width: 330px;"><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px;"></div><div class="medium-insert-images norender-embeds ui-sortable" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px;"><figure contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><img alt="" data-cfsrc="https://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2021-06-06/845490_2980192_UAE_Israel_updates.jpg" src="https://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2021-06-06/845490_2980192_UAE_Israel_updates.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 330px;" /><figcaption contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: transparent solid 0px; position: relative; z-index: 1;">Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, co-founder of the UAE-Israel Business Council and deputy mayor of Jerusalem, poses for a photo during an interview with AFP in the Gulf emirate of Dubai on June 3, 2021.Photo: AFP </figcaption></figure></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The violence by Israel in Gaza created "uncomfortable conversations " between business partners from UAE and Israel months after the two countries recognised each other, the deputy mayor of Jerusalem told AFP.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But the conversations were "open" and "everybody was very moderate and understanding", Fleur Hassan-Nahoum said.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Speaking on the sidelines of a bilateral investment conference in Dubai, Hassan-Nahoum, co-founder of the UAE-Israel Business Council, also expressed hope that trade between the two countries would exceed the billion-dollar mark in the coming year.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The UAE in 2020 became only the third Arab country to establish full ties with Israel, under a Washington-backed deal condemned by the Palestinians.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The two sides have since announced a string of deals on investment, business cooperation and visa-free travel.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The two sides have since announced a string of deals on investment, business cooperation and visa-free travel.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But last month, Israeli violence in Jerusalem sparked an 11-day flare-up that saw Israeli jets pound the Gaza Strip, while Palestinians retaliated by firing rockets into Israel.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"It wasn't easy," Hassan-Nahoum said of the atmosphere between Israeli business leaders and their UAE counterparts.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"I am involved in a lot of different forums of Israelis and Emiratis and there were some uncomfortable conversations, but it was important that we had those conversations," she said.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"We had very open conversations on areas of disagreements... people had a lot of questions about the (Israeli) military campaign" which involved air and mortar strikes on Gaza, she added.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box;">'Proportionality'</b><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"We are definitely at the beginning of this relationship... one of the most important things about having a long-lasting relationship is to build trust," Hassan-Nahoum said.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"After many years of not having this friendship I think it takes time."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The main questions centred on the "proportionality" of Israel's response to rocket attacks from Gaza, but also "about Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem, about what happened in Al-Aqsa mosque," she said.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Gaza violence took place when Hamas retaliated by firing volleys of rockets into Israel after between Israeli security forces stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque, angering Palestinian worshippers.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It also followed weeks of clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protestors in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood against the planned expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in favour of Jewish settlers.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Israeli strikes on Gaza killed 260 Palestinians, including 66 children, and wounded over 1,900 people, the Gaza health ministry says.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Rockets and other fire from Gaza killed 13 people in Israel, including a child and an Arab-Israeli teenager, an Israeli soldier, one Indian, and two Thai nationals, medics and the military say. Some 357 people in Israel were wounded.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">An Egyptian-mediated truce has so far held.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Israeli massacre put a pause on months of warming relations, prompting the UAE to publicly criticise Israel over its actions, while some Emirati social media users called for a boycott.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"Israel lost the public relations campaign it carried out... to improve its image and gain acceptance," prominent business lawyer Habib al-Mulla said on Twitter, denouncing Israeli "provocations".</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">'We will get there'</span></b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But Hassan-Nahoum vowed to press ahead with ties that have already produced trade worth "about half a billion dollars so far".</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"A few months ago it was like 300 million and I think that (there) has been a real push in the last few months," she said, noting that this figure "would have been much higher" in the absence of the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"I think it would have been already in the billion dollars mark — but we will get there, inshallah, next year," she said.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This week's trade fair sought to pave the way for cooperation deals in the fields of health, renewable energy and technology.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">UAE officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In a further sign that the commercial relationship remains broadly on track, Israel and the UAE this week also agreed a bilateral tax treaty.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But a visit to Dubai by Israeli Tourism Minister Orit Farkash-Hacohen to attend a travel industry forum in mid-May was cancelled.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The UAE was the third Arab country to normalise ties with Israel, following Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan have since followed suit.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Abraham Accords swept away decades of consensus that there should be no relations with Israel until it makes peace with the Palestinians.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Palestinians have condemned the normalisation agreements as "a stab in the back".</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Last month's violence also saw Israel's other new Arab partners publicly criticise Israeli actions.</span></p></div>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-46722975403368857852021-06-05T08:29:00.001-07:002021-06-06T23:29:59.188-07:00India's rural population afraid of coronavirus test and vaccination<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Np36ti9YDzId-QzlsIBB_5ZtnEs1zHeSDbgJjpqPbSkAfJ4FwR3ym-mRU6Ia0gXVZzatllGyExPTE3W0mHKB6pDMlz2mMNhtxkEmjGBEbemYBM6V-j_jIZszFI1CUmHEa-G0sTTS2jXA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="704" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Np36ti9YDzId-QzlsIBB_5ZtnEs1zHeSDbgJjpqPbSkAfJ4FwR3ym-mRU6Ia0gXVZzatllGyExPTE3W0mHKB6pDMlz2mMNhtxkEmjGBEbemYBM6V-j_jIZszFI1CUmHEa-G0sTTS2jXA/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A health worker (right) speaks to a family during a
coronavirus vaccine awareness campaign in Kalwa village, Haryana state, India.
Photo: AFP<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">When health worker Neelam Kumari knocks on doors in Indian
villages the occupants sometimes run out the back, terrified that she wants to
vaccinate them against Covid-19. With India's devastating recent virus surge easing in
cities, the deadly pandemic is ravaging the vast poverty-stricken rural
hinterland. But here, ignorance and fear rule.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>"A lot of people in my village don't want to take the
vaccine. They fear that they will die if they take it," Kumari told AFP in
Dhatrath, a collection of two-story buildings in Haryana state with buffaloes
wandering the streets."One of the villagers was so angry that he beat up a
(health) worker who was trying to convince him to take the vaccine."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Just 15 percent of people in rural areas, compared with 30
percent in towns and cities have received at least one vaccine dose so far --
even though two-thirds of cases are being reported in the countryside,
according to an analysis by The Hindu daily. Rumors are shared online or spread through messaging apps
like WhatsApp. Fears that 5G causes Covid-19 led to mobile towers being
attacked in Haryana.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"People do not even step forward for testing as they
think the government will declare them Covid-positive even if they are
not," Shoeb Ali, a doctor in Miyaganj village in the northern state of
Uttar Pradesh, told AFP.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">- 'Deaths after shots' -</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This fear pervades despite the sight of bodies dumped in
rivers and hundreds of shallow graves suggesting that Covid-19 is raging in
India's hinterland where 70 percent of the 1.3-billion population lives. In Nuran Khera village in Haryana, residents are reluctant
to get inoculated even though they said many households reported having fever
-- and dozens of people dying.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>"Even after opening up a vaccine center here, nobody is
ready to take it," villager Rajesh Kumar, 45, told AFP."I won't take the vaccine because it has many side
effects. People get sick after getting vaccines."In other states, reports have emerged of people jumping into
rivers or fleeing into forests just to escape mobile health teams.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hom Kumari, a health worker at Bhatau Jamalpur village in
Uttar Pradesh, said some locals seemed impossible to convince."What do we tell someone who says, 'If I'm destined to
live, I will, even without the vaccine'?," she asked.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Health facilities are also few and far between and some
people believe that going to a public hospital is more dangerous than staying
away."People who went to hospital never came back,"
another villager in Nuran Khera, who gave his first name as Kuldip, told AFP.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Kumar said that when his wife fell sick, a private clinic
wanted 50,000 rupees ($700) in advance to treat her. A doctor at a public
hospital said to take her home." My neighbors started saying she has corona. They were
frightened," he added. "I took care of her and on the third day she
was back on her feet."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Virus has also dealt the Indian economy a heavy blow,
and villagers are often more worried about making ends meet, said community
health specialist Rajib Dasgupta."It's extremely difficult to communicate why
vaccination is important until some of those distressed conditions are
alleviated," Dasgupta told AFP.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Experts say that India needs to apply the lessons learned in
its polio vaccination campaign in the 2000s for children under five. The program succeeded after trusted community leaders were
involved to spread the message to parents that inoculation was safe.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> U</o:p>sing a similar approach, religious leaders in Uttar Pradesh
were recently called in to encourage their followers to get vaccinated for
coronavirus. Navneet Singh, who oversees immunization efforts in
Haryana's Jind district, says that face-to-face communication had helped ensure
that nearly 70 percent of over-45s in Kalwa and neighboring villages have
received at least one shot.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Kalwa health worker Sheela Devi said her "heart was
pounding" when her name was included in the vaccination list, but she was
reassured when she saw the local doctor getting the shot. Now she works every day in the village, going door-to-door
trying to talk people around, with some success.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"Gradually they were convinced that even if they get
corona after getting vaccinated, they won't need hospitalization. They can take
medicines and recover at home," the 45-year-old told AFP.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p></div><p><br /></p>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-86419809911939946842021-06-04T06:18:00.000-07:002021-06-04T06:18:45.857-07:00Study Confirms It’s Possible to Catch COVID Twice : By Brenda Goodman, MA <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvfVraaLjBhyphenhyphendQvnF92l4UC_s-E5_l1DU7W6HCBcWHsQFfqsDJzBjIeQfIW-tBi9NZ70Hig2HUE_m4j1bBoA8QRQYSEvkr5WZZ6VP6Te6V2WRnHDXKrQjgX3aQ0rZMWMcswl9B0zQUavg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="529" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvfVraaLjBhyphenhyphendQvnF92l4UC_s-E5_l1DU7W6HCBcWHsQFfqsDJzBjIeQfIW-tBi9NZ70Hig2HUE_m4j1bBoA8QRQYSEvkr5WZZ6VP6Te6V2WRnHDXKrQjgX3aQ0rZMWMcswl9B0zQUavg/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>Researchers in Hong Kong say they’ve confirmed that a person can be infected
with COVID-19 twice.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<p>There have been sporadic accounts on social media sites of people who say they’ve
gotten COVID twice. But scientists have been skeptical about that possibility,
saying there’s no evidence it happens.</p>
<p>The new proof comes from a 33-year-old man in Hong Kong who first caught
COVID-19 in March. He was tested for the <a href="https://www.webmd.com/lung/coronavirus">coronavirus</a> after he
developed a <a href="https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/overview">cough</a>, <a href="https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/understanding-sore-throat-basics">sore
throat</a>, <a href="https://www.webmd.com/lung/what-is-a-fever">fever</a>, and headache for 3 days. He stayed in the hospital until he twice tested negative
for the virus in mid-April.</p>
<p>On Aug. 15, the man returned to Hong Kong from a recent trip to Spain and
the U.K., areas that have recently seen a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. At the
airport, he was screened for COVID-19 using a test that checks saliva for the
virus. He tested positive, but this time, had no symptoms. He was taken to the
hospital for monitoring. His viral load -- the amount of virus he had in his
body -- went down over time, suggesting that his <a href="https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/immune-system-function">immune system</a>
was taking care of the intrusion on its own.</p>
<p>The special thing about his case is that each time he was hospitalized,
doctors sequenced the genome of the virus that infected him. It was slightly
different from one infection to the next, suggesting that the virus had mutated
-- or changed -- in the 4 months between his infections. It also proves that it’s
possible for this coronavirus to infect the same person twice.</p>
<p>Experts with the World Health Organization responded to the case at a news
briefing Monday.</p>
<p>“What we are learning about infection is that people do develop an immune
response. What is not completely clear yet is how strong that immune response
is and for how long that immune response lasts,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, Ph.D.,
an infectious disease epidemiologist with the World Health Organization in
Geneva, Switzerland.</p>
<p>A study on the man’s case is being prepared for publication in the journal <em>Clinical
Infectious Diseases</em>. Experts say the finding shouldn’t cause alarm, but it
does have important implications for the development of <a href="https://www.webmd.com/lung/what-is-herd-immunity">herd immunity</a> and
efforts to come up with <a href="https://www.webmd.com/lung/covid-19-vaccine">vaccines</a>
and treatments.</p>
<p>“This appears to be pretty clear-cut evidence of reinfection because of
sequencing and isolation of two different viruses,” says Gregory Poland, MD, an
expert on vaccine development and immunology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,
MN. “The big unknown is how often is this happening,” he says. More studies are
needed to learn whether this was a rare case of something that is happening often.</p>
<h2>Past Experience Guides Present</h2>
<p>Until we know more, Poland says the possibility of getting COVID-19 twice
shouldn’t make anyone worry.</p>
<p>This also happens with other kinds of coronaviruses -- the ones that cause
common <a href="https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/default.htm">colds</a>.
Those coronaviruses change slightly each year as they circle the globe, which
allows them to keep spreading and causing their more run-of-the-mill kind of
misery.</p>
<p>It also happens with seasonal flu. It is the reason people have to get
vaccinated against the flu year after year, and why the flu vaccine has to
change slightly each year in an effort to keep up with the ever-evolving
influenza virus.</p>
<p>“We’ve been making <a href="https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/prevention-15/vaccines/fact-sheet-vaccines">flu
vaccines</a> for 80 years, and there are <a href="https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/clincial-trial-guide-patients">clinical
trials</a> happening as we speak to find new and better influenza vaccines,”
Poland says.</p>
<p>There has been <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7386497/">other evidence</a>
the virus that causes COVID-19 can change this way, too. Researchers at Howard
Hughes Medical Center, at Rockefeller University in New York, recently used a
key piece of the SARS-CoV-2 virus -- the genetic instructions for its spike
protein -- to repeatedly infect human cells. Scientists watched as each new
generation of the virus went on to infect a new batch of cells. Over time, as
it copied itself, some of the copies changed their genes to allow them to
survive after scientists attacked them with neutralizing antibodies. Those
antibodies are one of the main weapons used by the immune system to recognize
and disable a virus.</p>
<p>Though that study is still a preprint, which means it hasn’t yet been
reviewed by outside experts, the authors wrote that their findings suggest the
virus can change in ways that help it evade our immune system. If true, they
wrote in mid-July, it means reinfection is possible, especially in people who
have a weak immune response to the virus the first time they encounter it.</p>
<h2>Good News</h2>
<p>That seems to be true in the case of the man from Hong Kong. When doctors
tested his blood to look for antibodies to the virus, they didn’t find any.
That could mean that he either had a weak immune response to the virus the
first time around or that the antibodies he made during his first infection
diminished over time. But during his second infection, he quickly developed
more antibodies, suggesting that the second infection acted a little bit like a
booster to fire up his immune system. That’s probably the reason he didn’t have
any symptoms the second time, too.</p><p><br /></p></div><p><br /></p>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-32313021891877108062021-06-03T08:07:00.000-07:002021-06-03T08:07:07.157-07:00How Hong Kong’s young innovators are using technology to build a safer society?<p> by: <a href="https://www.scmp.com/author/eric-cheung"><b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #001246; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Eric Cheung</span></b></a><span class="article-authorname--more"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #000d37; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"> and </span></span><span class="article-authorname"><b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #000d37; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/author/trishna-mahtani"><span style="color: #001246;">Trishna Mahtani</span></a></span></b></span></p><h2 style="background: white; margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">·</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Victor Lee has
developed robots that can automatically disinfect shopping malls and deliver
meals in quarantine hotels<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2><p><span class="article-authorname"><b>
</b></span></p><h2 style="background: white; margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mattis Tsang says dedication was crucial as
he built a flight simulator to train pilots and students with an emphasis on
aviation safety</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h2><h2 style="background: white; margin-left: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Inside Hong Kong’s busy K11 Musea shopping mall in Tsim
Sha Tsui on the southern tip of Kowloon, a fleet of robots with expressive eyes
can be seen moving along different floors and spraying disinfectant into the
air.</span><!--[if !supportLists]--></span></h2>
<p class="generic-articlebody" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">Named Jasmine, each of these disinfection robots is
equipped with two vents, four wheels and a tank that can store up to 10 liters
of sterilising solution. They also have sensors that are able to detect
obstacles, giving them the ability to move around and sanitise different areas
without the need for human guidance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="generic-articlebody" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">The robots are the brainchild of Victor Lee, a Hong Kong
engineer who founded autonomous robotics start-up Rice Robotics two years ago,
and now serves as the company’s CEO. His company is based at Hong Kong Science
Park.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="generic-articlebody" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">His product is a timely creation amid the ongoing
Covid-19 pandemic, as companies seek new ways to strengthen hygiene standards
and boost customer confidence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvohxWByXdHtw_9xpX0Qj8EhlLQIo3cxT_LJAKKc8uU2XREHl7_LPdHpEkzcVZNL6-Rvz6WojDC2K-j-cZrEt75vy2OTxSZFoiGUrSftcjzVZyhJWwRgIzryR5zCRGF2ETOAaTtc5stx8B/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="976" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvohxWByXdHtw_9xpX0Qj8EhlLQIo3cxT_LJAKKc8uU2XREHl7_LPdHpEkzcVZNL6-Rvz6WojDC2K-j-cZrEt75vy2OTxSZFoiGUrSftcjzVZyhJWwRgIzryR5zCRGF2ETOAaTtc5stx8B/w609-h181/image.png" width="609" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #6f6f6f; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The Jasmine disinfection robots, developed
by Rice Robotics, can be seen disinfecting different floors inside Hong Kong’s
busy K11 Musea shopping mall. Photo: K11 / HKSTP<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #6f6f6f; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></p><p></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have found a lot of
demand for new products and new technology,” Lee says. “Our clients want a
robot that can carry out disinfection in an area without human intervention,
and that’s why we came up with the robot.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #222222; padding: 0in;">Building robots for a safer
tomorrow</span></strong><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, Lee’s ambition goes well beyond finding
solutions for the pandemic era. He first started Rice Robotics after realizing
that automation has huge potential to make work more efficient for humans.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">His inspiration came from a trip to Silicon Valley five
years ago, where Lee noticed robots travelling on sidewalks to pick up and
deliver meals. “I really wanted to bring that type of autonomous robot into
Asia – not just Hong Kong, but all of Asia,” he says.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglk9cEbiJ_dqQPV_iDZOyGIYAgOt8Yn5tZ693hpqvlGBgvClWzwWWiId5QiG1dOySOHwBTjBcJgkkWNXZjTQIEGbPO4kqIT98RfUg1v89uF4nAogenvPwLXy4b05n2MNEE31EZZa7z22sZ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="976" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglk9cEbiJ_dqQPV_iDZOyGIYAgOt8Yn5tZ693hpqvlGBgvClWzwWWiId5QiG1dOySOHwBTjBcJgkkWNXZjTQIEGbPO4kqIT98RfUg1v89uF4nAogenvPwLXy4b05n2MNEE31EZZa7z22sZ/w562-h181/image.png" width="562" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #6f6f6f; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Victor Lee (left) says his inspiration for Rice
Robotics came from a trip to Silicon Valley, where he noticed robots traveling
on sidewalks to pick up and deliver meals.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #6f6f6f; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">At the beginning of Rice Robotics’ business journey, Lee’s
team focused its attention on creating a relatively simple solution: a robot
that hotels could use to automatically deliver food and daily necessities to
guest rooms.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">
<p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">Rice, as this compact delivery robot is called, is less
than 80cm tall and is capable of navigating around a multi-storey hotel by
itself. After a staff member enters a room number, the robot gets on the
elevator and makes its way to the doorstep of the designated room, before
sending a message to notify the guests inside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">Rice has proven to be very popular during the pandemic as
Hong Kong’s designated quarantine hotels, such as Nina Hotel Island South
(formerly known as L’hotel Island South) in Wong Chuk Hang, sought ways to
protect their employees from coronavirus risks while providing necessary
services.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">“Our clients needed a robot to deliver meals to
quarantine rooms to reduce human-to-human contact,” Lee says.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2JAeEMuTQ2Q6SICWi49lpZkabF6GQisw3zF5oOaC388NwmXOCM0rRPwA_9YtLEtTZdlADRO4Jbi8Q7Yd5V7IyrbIIjdHbZgXDH0UU7MDf-8QYA4eQFVKAB7bMKAXxYmy-jWB21HY8uDg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="976" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2JAeEMuTQ2Q6SICWi49lpZkabF6GQisw3zF5oOaC388NwmXOCM0rRPwA_9YtLEtTZdlADRO4Jbi8Q7Yd5V7IyrbIIjdHbZgXDH0UU7MDf-8QYA4eQFVKAB7bMKAXxYmy-jWB21HY8uDg/" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #6f6f6f;">The Rice delivery robots can travel on
elevators to deliver meals in quarantine hotels, allowing the establishments to
protect their employees while providing necessary services.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Besides quarantine hotels, Rice robots have also been
deployed at the Tokyo headquarters of Japanese tech company SoftBank, where
they are used to deliver snacks and drinks from a convenience store. Japan’s
postal service has also used the robots to deliver mail in a residential
neighbourhood in Chiba prefecture.<o:p></o:p></p></span><p></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">There are some concerns across society that automation
may take over jobs and replace humans, but Lee says he has focused on designing
robots that fit into existing workflows to assist workers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">We want to make robots as common as
smartphones and laptops in the future<span class="quote-body-containerauthor"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #999999; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Victor Lee, founder and CEO of Rice Robotics</span></span></h2><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">The delivery robots, for example, have enhanced both
safety and efficiency for hotel staff serving travellers in quarantine, as they
no longer have to go to multiple rooms in person to fulfil requests for meals
and other items.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
</p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">“[Robots] can help humans accomplish a lot of repetitive
work, and it allows us to focus on something more valuable,” Lee says.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">Lee says that being based at Hong Kong Science Park, a
key hub for research and development (R&D) providing various forms of
support for tech ventures to develop their businesses, has provided him with
valuable opportunities to connect with clients in the city and around the
world.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">“Hong Kong always has the best resources for forming any
type of companies, including robotics companies,” he says. “If you look at
local universities, there are a lot of students with great talents in robotics
… we believe there is huge potential in this market.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #222222; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Elevating aviation safety and
know-how</span></strong><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">Another company that has leveraged technology to improve
safety and efficiency is Mattis Tsang, a Hong Kong pilot who co-founded
aviation education start-up Aerosim with the goal of making air travel safer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">The company, which was founded in 2014, builds flight
simulators that provide a more accessible option for aviation training and also
help students better understand pilot procedures and safety practices.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">According to Tsang, who is also Aerosim’s managing
director, the company’s mission is based on the realisation that the majority
of aviation accidents could have been prevented by better-trained pilots.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
</p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">The US Federal Aviation Administration estimates that
human error is a contributing factor in up to 80 per cent of aircraft accidents
– for example, a pilot having a delayed response to an emergency situation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">Tsang’s work as a university lecturer several years ago
also provided inspiration for Aerosim. He noticed that many aviation
engineering students would get bored because the courses lacked practical,
hands-on experience. But at that time, flight simulators could cost hundreds of
thousands of US dollars each, making them too expensive to introduce into
classrooms.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">“As aviators, we are trying to make flight simulators
more accessible,” Tsang says.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">To lower costs, his team carefully planned the design of
the flight simulators so that they could be made with more affordable
materials. Hong Kong Science Park, where Aerosim is based, also suggested
expanding the scale of production by building more simulators to be used for
STEM education in primary and secondary schools.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
</p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">In 2019, Aerosim unveiled its first simulator, which
resembles the flight deck of a single- or twin-engine aircraft. When seated at
the device, users can control the simulation through a flight control system
and can also practise monitoring engine performance and the altimeters through
a built-in digital display.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXKgtdyKknQwQlMTZRj26mV9eIlJogRv8h6Qm7ZCsBFS7vEyMMZcF6MIFn4ztoItc3ac2qU_5Fp3GOQsmaGxTLkfX2AgPIMh5edxAL35ieEc76x5byIA1F726_wkKsquIwSiYebTc_8kw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="976" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXKgtdyKknQwQlMTZRj26mV9eIlJogRv8h6Qm7ZCsBFS7vEyMMZcF6MIFn4ztoItc3ac2qU_5Fp3GOQsmaGxTLkfX2AgPIMh5edxAL35ieEc76x5byIA1F726_wkKsquIwSiYebTc_8kw/" width="320" /></a></div><p class="generic-articlebody" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Aerosim’s flight simulators resemble the flight deck
of a single- or twin-engine aircraft. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">and allow users to practice using a flight control
system and monitoring engine performance </span><p></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">Tsang says the simulators are useful for training pilots
in how to respond to different emergencies so that they can build up safety
awareness. The devices also feature an artificial intelligence-powered gaze-tracking system that helps ensure pilots are looking at the right spot at certain
moments.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">With the pandemic causing flight disruptions around the
world, Tsang sees new opportunities for Aerosim as pilots look for ways to
practice their skills while many aircraft remain grounded.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">As aviators, we are trying to make flight
simulators more accessible attic<span class="quote-body-containerauthor"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #999999; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"> Tsang, co-founder and managing director of Aerosim</span></span></span></div><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">“We have an increasing number of inquiries from pilots of
all kinds – private and commercial – who are trying to gain their recency in
flying an aircraft,” he says.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">Tsang believes that technology can go a long way towards
elevating safety standards in the aviation sector by assisting pilots, rather
then replacing them. “It will help pilots understand more about themselves, and
check whether they are doing well or if they need a bit of improvement,” he
says.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">He also regards Hong Kong as having been a favorable the environment in which to start his business because of its close proximity to
other markets.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">“Next to Hong Kong, we have the Greater Bay Area, which
is a market with 72 million people,” Tsang adds. “Hong Kong can also be our
springboard to places like Southeast Asia and Australia, where there is great
potential in aviation.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #222222; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Guiding the next generation of
pioneers</span></strong><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">Offering advice to other young tech pioneers looking to
make a difference in the world, Lee of Rice Robotics emphasizes that
perseverance is key.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">“You have to spend a lot of time talking to clients, and
making sure they understand your product and you understand their needs,” he
says.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">Lee also points out that setting up his company in Hong
Kong Science Park allowed him to obtain support in R&D, as well as for
marketing his products to clients in the city and across the region.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">For example, Lee was able to test his disinfection robot
at a hotel partnered with the R&D hub and tech incubator before it was sold
to the wider market.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
</p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">Tsang says one advantage of starting a tech venture at a the well-established incubator is the ability to connect with other innovators who
share similar dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJtcwS267qnPXi_AEPfQf9aaCffXKKt2i2209k-BQjYk-x6YNPD_GbrpKBpzT_pwJaB-I83NRodOy-ueACurDwAzOQZcNNQo2q5o77Eu5oNfuVyG99FJwASnBKVYETbFKJj6GcPsDt6gs/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="976" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJtcwS267qnPXi_AEPfQf9aaCffXKKt2i2209k-BQjYk-x6YNPD_GbrpKBpzT_pwJaB-I83NRodOy-ueACurDwAzOQZcNNQo2q5o77Eu5oNfuVyG99FJwASnBKVYETbFKJj6GcPsDt6gs/" width="320" /></a></div><p class="generic-articlebody" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #6f6f6f;">Tsang, whose tech venture is based in Hong
Kong Science Park, says making connections with fellow innovators opens up
opportunities for developing new ideas.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">“There are different entrepreneurs, and it is like having
a peer support network,” he says. “Ultimately, you have synergy, and probably
we could do some businesses together or get some great ideas together.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">To anyone who wishes to achieve success in innovation,
Tsang advises that they be fearless and fully dedicated to their goals.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
</p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">“If you are going to create something or look for new
solutions, you are going to work very long hours and sacrifice a lot of your
personal life,” he adds. “You need to be really, really passionate about your
role or your job.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><em><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #222222; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is
running HK10X, an initiative that celebrates the success of Hong Kong’s
pioneering innovators. Find out more </span></em><em><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.hk10x.com/" target="_blank"><span class="text"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #222222; font-family: inherit, serif; padding: 0in; text-decoration-line: none;">here</span></i></span></a> <a href="https://www.scmp.com/native/tech/topics/pioneering-spirit/article/3134618/how-hong-kongs-young-innovators-are-using?module=lead_hero_story_6&pgtype=homepage" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">https://www.scmp.com/native/tech/topics/pioneering-spirit/article/3134618/how-hong-kongs-young-innovators-are-using?module=lead_hero_story_6&pgtype=homepage</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Courtesy: South China Morning Post</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span></p></div><p class="generic-articlebody" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span></p><p class="generic-articlebody" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p>
Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-6336718849653333112021-06-02T00:49:00.003-07:002021-06-02T00:50:08.603-07:00How badly Trump damaging republicans and the politics.<p> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Republican party has been badly damaged by Trump’s nonserious and jugular attitude which is never expected from the Head of superpower,who rule the world.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Trump didnot seem to realize that his amassed wealth cannot win election for him.He had been criticized a lot for his immaturity on number of issues.This is probably the first time that he pleaded for rigging and manoevering the american elections.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But this happened even in states where republican had never lost elections.This rhetoric of him is badly damaging the republicans rather than focusing on next elections Trump has directed their attention on false apprehensions of turning around the table through his legal battle ,which will set a bad precedence for the superpower and the great people.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Now its also a challenge for Biden administration to devise international policies and domestic policies in line with national objectives and interests .The solution lies in aggressive actions for fulfillment to reverse the damages of previous regime and their remnants</span>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But stillthe Biden's focus will remain focused on afghanistan soil, middle east ever changing scenario and deeper entry of china in middle east and europe markets,and above all to safeguard Israeli interests at every forum</p>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-40824522408227509292021-06-01T20:26:00.005-07:002021-06-01T20:27:26.130-07:00World's five emerging economies seeks to speed up Covid <p> </p><div class="detail-heading" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px;"><h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #181716; font-family: inherit; font-size: 22px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></h1><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div></div><div class="story-detail" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px; width: 330px;"><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="medium-insert-images norender-embeds medium-insert-active ui-sortable" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table;"><figure contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><img alt="" data-cfsrc="https://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2021-06-02/843298_5925737_vaccination_updates.jpg" src="https://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2021-06-02/843298_5925737_vaccination_updates.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 330px;" /></figure></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Five of the world´s biggest emerging economies Tuesday called for the development and delivery of Covid-19 vaccines to be sped up, reiterating that measures such as waiving intellectual property rights over jabs could help poorer nations battle the pandemic.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">The joint statement by the so-called "BRICS" group -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- followed an online summit chaired by India´s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">The foreign ministers said "extensive immunisation" would help bring the pandemic to an end, highlighting the "urgency for expeditious development and deployment of Covid-19 vaccines, especially in developing countries".</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">They also expressed support for the global campaign led by South Africa and India at the World Trade Organization to temporarily waive IP rights for Covid-19 vaccines.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Sharing vaccine doses, technology transfers, developing local production and supply chains as well as price transparency would also boost the fight against infectious disease, the statement added.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">South Africa´s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor earlier Tuesday reiterated Pretoria´s position that "none of us are safe until all of us are safe".</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Securing a waiver agreement "will allow use of intellectual property, the sharing of technologies and technology transfer," Pandor told the BRICS meeting, enabling "the production of vaccine therapeutics and wider distribution".</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Supporters of the move argue it will spur production of low-cost generic vaccines, helping poor countries that are struggling to immunise their people.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">The US under President Joe Biden has thrown its weight behind the bid alongside China, but other pharmaceutical heavyweights including the EU, Britain and Japan are reluctant.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Opponents argue waiving patents will damage intellectual property rights and erode the profit incentive, ultimately affecting pharmaceutical research and development.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Pharmaceutical companies also point out that manufacturing a vaccine requires know-how and technical resources which cannot be acquired at the flip of a switch.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Pandor, speaking by video link from Pretoria, said "millions of people in wealthier nations have been vaccinated, while billions of people in poorer countries still wait and are still vulnerable to infection, disease and death".</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Just two percent of global vaccines have been administered in sub-Saharan Africa, according to WHO figures -- a situation that Pandor described as a "global gap of vaccine access".</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Sixty-three countries have backed the Indian-South African proposal, but unanimity among all 164 WTO member states is needed for agreement.</p></div>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-57486572244294098562021-06-01T20:06:00.007-07:002021-06-01T20:06:52.318-07:00Latest developments about coronavirus pandemic around the globe<div class="detail-heading" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px;"><div class="detail-left-tittle mob_detail" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); border-top: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); box-sizing: border-box; float: left; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 10px 0px; width: 330px;"><div class="category-share" style="background-color: white; bottom: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(230, 230, 230) 0px -4px 6px -3px; box-sizing: border-box; float: left; left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; position: fixed; width: 360px; z-index: 99;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; float: left; list-style: none; margin: 2px; width: 27px;"><img class="relatedPostImage" src="https://www.thenews.com.pk//assets/front/images/facebook.svg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle; width: 27px;" /></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; float: left; list-style: none; margin: 2px; width: 27px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/share?text=Latest%20developments%20about%20coronavirus%20pandemic%20around%20the%20globe&url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/839920-latest-developments-about-coronavirus-pandemic-around-the-globe" style="background-color: transparent; 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clear: both;"></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div></div><div class="story-detail" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px; width: 330px;"><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="medium-insert-images norender-embeds medium-insert-active ui-sortable" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table;"><figure contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><img alt="" data-cfsrc="https://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2021-05-26/839920_4110380_coronavirus2_updates.jpg" src="https://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2021-05-26/839920_4110380_coronavirus2_updates.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 330px;" /></figure></div></div><p><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px;">Here are tH</span></p><p><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px;">Here are latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:</span></p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">- Jabs for adolescents -</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">US biotech firm Moderna says that trials have shown its Covid-19 vaccine is "highly effective" in adolescents aged 12-17 and it will seek regulators´ approval in June.</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">- Half US adults jabbed -</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Half of all US adults will have received full Covid-19 vaccines on Tuesday, the White House says.</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">President Joe Biden has set a target of having 70 percent of adults vaccinated with at least one dose by July 4. The current figure is almost 62 percent.</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">- Few ´breakthrough´ cases -</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">About 0.01 percent of people who have been fully vaccinated became infected with Covid-19 between January and April, a US government study confirming the shots´ high efficacy shows.</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">- Origin probe call -</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">The United States leads calls at the World Health Organization for a more in-depth probe of the pandemic origins, after an international mission to China earlier this year proved inconclusive.</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">- Olympics still going ahead -</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">A new US travel warning for Japan over virus risks will not affect this summer´s pandemic-postponed Olympic Games, the Japanese government and Tokyo 2020 organisers say.</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">- EU travel pass -</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">EU leaders back a Covid pass that they hope will unlock tourist travel in July with half of the bloc´s inhabitants soon to have at least one vaccine shot.</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">- Returned vaccines -</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">South Sudan will return 72,000 doses of donated Covid-19 vaccines after concluding it cannot administer them before they expire, a health ministry official says.</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">- 3.4 million dead -</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">The pandemic has killed at least 3,475,079 people worldwide since the virus first emerged in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data.</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">The US is the worst-affected country with 590,574 deaths, followed by Brazil with 449,858, India with 307,231, Mexico with 221,695 and Britain with 127,724.</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">The figures are based on reports by the health authorities in each country, but do not take into account upward revisions carried out later by statistical bodies.</p><p style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">The World Health Organization says up to three times more people have died directly or indirectly due to the pandemic than official figures suggest</p>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-17208133079266966052021-06-01T19:16:00.003-07:002021-06-01T20:13:44.419-07:00Ford focuses on fully electric vehicles<div class="detail-heading" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333;"><div class="detail-left-tittle mob_detail" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); border-top: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); box-sizing: border-box; float: left; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 10px 0px; width: 330px;"><div class="category-share" style="background-color: white; bottom: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(230, 230, 230) 0px -4px 6px -3px; box-sizing: border-box; float: left; left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; position: fixed; width: 360px; z-index: 99;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; float: left; list-style: none; margin: 2px; text-align: justify; width: 27px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><img class="relatedPostImage" src="https://www.thenews.com.pk//assets/front/images/twitter.svg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle; width: 27px;" /></span></li><li class="whatsapp-icon-share" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; float: left; list-style: none; margin: 2px; text-align: justify; width: 27px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><img class="relatedPostImage" data-cfsrc="https://www.thenews.com.pk//assets/front/images/whatsapp_dark.png" src="https://www.thenews.com.pk//assets/front/images/whatsapp_dark.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle; width: 27px;" /></span></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="story-detail" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; float: left; width: 330px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Ford once again is ramping up investment in zero-emission cars and expects 40 percent of volume by 2030 to be comprised of fully electric vehicles, the company announced Wednesday.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The US automaker said it will increase investment in electric vehicles, components and infrastructure to more than $30 billion by 2025, boosting the amount from the $22 billion target set in February.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The company last week unveiled an all-electric version of its bestselling F-150 truck in an eco-friendly reinvention of a flagship American car brand, and said it has received 70,000 reservations from customers in just one week.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7e2Kutrk8POUPXZaJLpnszouAY_uOJuv-S75Qk0wokUfIuSMhCjDvNVkKgU20V7YzymL1Q_u7qXvb-N7BGWjuneuYQlt2T8Nld0CNnBmAHZ8VgI-yVwq7oQd2ONcRqZGORk6B4-XmE7_/s1920/ford-4770228_1920.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7e2Kutrk8POUPXZaJLpnszouAY_uOJuv-S75Qk0wokUfIuSMhCjDvNVkKgU20V7YzymL1Q_u7qXvb-N7BGWjuneuYQlt2T8Nld0CNnBmAHZ8VgI-yVwq7oQd2ONcRqZGORk6B4-XmE7_/s320/ford-4770228_1920.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"This is our biggest opportunity for growth and value creation since Henry Ford started to scale the Model T, and we´re grabbing it with both hands," Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a statement.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Farley and other executives presented the plans in a virtual meeting with financial analysts and other stakeholders.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Besides the battery-powered F-150, called the Lightning, Ford has begun selling the electric Mustang Mach-E sport utility vehicle and will soon bring the E-Transit cargo van to showrooms.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The company also is investing in producing its own batteries, and recently announced a joint venture with South Korea´s SK Innovation.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Farley said the goal is to reduce the cost of batteries by 40 percent by 2025.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Manufacturers have joined the growing move towards zero-emission vehicles to help address global warming.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Ford´s main rival General Motors pledged in January to stop making diesel- or gasoline-powered cars by 2035.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">German automaker Volkswagen also intends to offer 70 electric models by 2030 and sell 26 million units in 10 years.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Industry analyst Karl Brauer of used car site iSeeCars, said Ford´s target "represents a safe balance of aspiration and reality, particularly for a company so heavily reliant on trucks and SUVs."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">While other automakers are pledging higher numbers, "none of them have relied on trucks and SUVs sales as heavily as Ford."</span></p><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">- Tesla at the top -</span></h3><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Elon Musk´s Tesla remains the dominant force in the electric car market, with a valuation of $580 billion compared to Ford´s $51 billion.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But with growing public interest for emissions-free vehicles, new entrants have joined the market including start-ups Rivian and Lucid.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">However, electric cars still only accounted for 2.5 percent of all US sales in the first quarter, according to the specialist firm Cox.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">US President Joe Biden has made the development of electric cars a priority.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">His plan for massive investments in infrastructure currently under discussion provides several incentives, including the construction of a national network of 500,000 charging stations by 2030 and the conversion of 20 percent of school busses to run off electricity.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Ford also is taking on Tesla, setting a goal of "having about one million vehicles that are capable of receiving over-the-air system updates on the road by the end of this year, exceeding Tesla´s volume by July 2022."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Among the initiatives presented Wednesday as part of the "Ford+" plan to boost growth, the company also announced creation of Ford Pro, a global vehicle services and distribution business devoted to commercial and government customers.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The company also has teamed up with Google to employ its cloud computing platform and also will employ Amazon´s voice program and other services from Apple and Microsoft.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Ford shares gained 8.5 percent</p></div>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-75181627010945671062021-06-01T19:09:00.004-07:002021-06-01T20:07:11.866-07:00 US to transfer Bagram Air Base to Afghan forces in 20 days, says official<p><br /></p><div class="detail-heading" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px;"><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div></div><div class="story-detail" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: Domine, serif; font-size: 14px; width: 330px;"><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"></div><div class="medium-insert-images norender-embeds ui-sortable" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table;"><figure contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><img alt="" class="" data-cfsrc="https://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2021-06-01/843201_3374266_156872_8237794_updates_updates.jpg" src="https://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2021-06-01/843201_3374266_156872_8237794_updates_updates.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 330px;" /><figcaption class="" contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: transparent solid 0px; position: relative; z-index: 1;">Bagram Airbase. Photo: Tolo News</figcaption></figure></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">KABUL: An Afghan official said on Tuesday that the US will hand over its main Bagram Air Base to Afghanistan's military in about 20 days, as Washington moves ahead with withdrawal of its troops from the country.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">The vast base, built by the Soviets in the 1980s, is the biggest military facility used by US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, with tens of thousands of troops stationed there during the peak of America's military involvement in the violence-wracked country.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">"I can confirm we will hand over Bagram Air Base," a US defence official told <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">AFP</i> without specifying when the transfer would take place.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">An Afghan security official said the handover was expected in about 20 days and the defence ministry had set up special committees to manage it.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">In Washington, the Pentagon indicated that the pace of the withdrawal was picking up. As of Monday, US Central Command estimated it had completed 30-44 percent of the so-called "retrograde" process.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">It has shipped the equivalent of 300 loaded C-17 transport planes out of the country.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">In April, President Joe Biden set a target of September to remove all the 2,500 US troops and some 16,000 civilian contractors out of the country, aiming to end the US military´s two-decade-old presence.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Handing over bases</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Bagram base was the centre for nationwide command and air operations for the past two decades.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">It also houses a prison that held thousands of Taliban and militant inmates over the years.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Washington had already handed over six military bases to Afghan forces before May 1, when it began accelerating the final withdrawal of troops.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Last month it completed the withdrawal from Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan, once the second-largest foreign military base in the country.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">The US withdrawal comes despite bloody clashes across the country between the Taliban and Afghan forces.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Peace talks were launched in September in Qatar, but so far have failed to strike any deal to end a war that has killed tens of thousands of people over nearly two decades.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">On Tuesday, a group of Afghan government negotiators was headed to Doha in the hope of resuming stalled talks.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">"Our team is ready for serious negotiations. There is no military solution to this conflict," Najia Anwari, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Peace, told AFP, adding that no date had been fixed for resuming the talks.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Fawzia Koofi, one of four women negotiators from the government team, said on Twitter that she hoped for a "meaningful and result based negotiation this time to end the bloodshed and suffering of my people".</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">"We need to see more willingness and sincerity in the talks as the few months ahead of us are crucial for Afghanistan and the region."</p><div class="medium-insert-embeds norender-embeds" contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><figure style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="medium-insert-embed" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="embed_external_url tweetPost" id="1399662312517165058" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 469px; width: 330px;"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; max-width: 550px; width: 330px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" class="" data-tweet-id="1399662312517165058" frameborder="0" id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=AFP&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2hvcml6b25fdHdlZXRfZW1iZWRfOTU1NSI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJodGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3R3ZWV0X2VtYmVkX2NsaWNrYWJpbGl0eV8xMjEwMiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJjb250cm9sIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH19&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1399662312517165058&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenews.com.pk%2Flatest%2F843201-us-to-transfer-bagram-base-to-afghan-forces-in-20-days-says-official&sessionId=9b939894dafde162b9ef2c878d506deb7c05e7f5&siteScreenName=thenews_intl&theme=light&widgetsVersion=82e1070%3A1619632193066&width=550px" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; flex-grow: 1; height: 469px; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 330px;" title="Twitter Tweet"></iframe></div></div></div></figure><div class="medium-insert-embeds-overlay" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px;">Last month the two sides had agreed to speed up the talks, with the Taliban saying the dialogue would begin after the festival of Eid al-Fitr that ended on May 16.</p></div>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-1976602497263700182021-05-31T06:47:00.000-07:002021-05-31T06:47:24.963-07:00Israel’s Natanyahu may be unseated as prime minister<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UKM6Mu3qehGMn4WpERRE21QkxQbXEihm_I5iveFAirC22W1kHKFBnrmVgSrPIXJUOh8NdnKLU8oDURttbvSCnMc07C3PRGpsf0akVfeCDY-Kf8mTsoL0inFISmcYE_PL84hUkTsgitIG/s600/depositphotos_303373330-stock-photo-prime-minister-israel-benjamin-netanyahu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UKM6Mu3qehGMn4WpERRE21QkxQbXEihm_I5iveFAirC22W1kHKFBnrmVgSrPIXJUOh8NdnKLU8oDURttbvSCnMc07C3PRGpsf0akVfeCDY-Kf8mTsoL0inFISmcYE_PL84hUkTsgitIG/s320/depositphotos_303373330-stock-photo-prime-minister-israel-benjamin-netanyahu.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />Israeli nationalist hardliner Naftali Bennett said Sunday he
would join a potential coalition government that could end the rule of the
country’s longest-serving leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Lawmakers opposed to right-wing Netanyahu have been in
intense talks ahead of a Wednesday deadline, as a ceasefire held following the
latest deadly military conflict in the Gaza Strip.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Netanyahu, 71, who faces trial on fraud, bribery, and breach
of trust charges, which he denies, has clung to power throughout a period of the political turmoil that has seen four inconclusive elections in under two years.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>A March vote saw Netanyahu’s Likud party gain the most seats
but he again failed to form a government.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Opposition leader and former TV anchor Yair Lapid now has
until Wednesday evening to build a rival coalition.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Lapid, 57, is seeking a diverse alliance with the Israeli media
has dubbed a bloc for "change", which would include Bennett as well
as Arab-Israeli lawmakers.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In his determination to bring down the hawkish prime
minister, Lapid has offered to share power and let Bennett, 49, serve the first
term in a rotating premiership.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Bennett, after meeting members of his religious-nationalist
Yamina party, said Sunday: "I will do everything to form a national unity government
with my friend Yair Lapid."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Lapid and Bennett’s parties started talks on Sunday night to
formalize the deal, they said in a statement.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Religious-nationalist Yamina won seven seats in March 23
elections, but one member has refused to join an anti-Netanyahu coalition.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Netanyahu, who has been in office for 12 consecutive years
after an earlier three-year term, in his own televised address minutes later
lashed out at the plan, calling it "a danger for the security of
Israel".</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>- ‘Desperate position’ - </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">He had earlier Sunday tried to cling to power by offering
his own, last-ditch power-sharing agreement to several former allies including
Bennett. He warned Israel would otherwise be ruled by a dangerous
"left-wing" alliance. Lapid has until Wednesday 11:59 pm local time (2059 GMT) to
build a coalition of at least 61 deputies, a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>A Lapid government would also include the centrist Blue and
White party of Netanyahu’s rival Benny Gantz and the hawkish New Hope party of
his former ally Gideon Saar. Avigdor Lieberman’s pro-settlement Yisrael Beitenu party as
well as historically powerful Labour and the dovish Meretz party would also
join.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The shaky arrangement would need the backing of some Arab-Israeli
lawmakers of Palestinian descent in order to pass a confirmation vote in
parliament. The intense talks follow weeks of escalating tensions
between Israel and the Palestinians. The Israeli airstrikes ended with a May 21 truce, as well
as violence in the occupied West Bank and in mixed Jewish-Arab towns in Israel,
initially appeared to leave Netanyahu more likely to hold onto power.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But political scientist Gayil Talshir at Hebrew University
told AFP on Sunday that Israel was now "closer than ever" to the coalition of change, adding: "Netanyahu is in a desperate position".Netanyahu’s Likud party won 30 seats in the March elections
but failed to form a governing coalition after his far-right partners refused
to sit with Arab factions or receive their support.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Lapid, whose party won 17 seats, was then given four weeks
to form a government.Netanyahu had previously pushed for yet another election --
Israel’s fifth in a little more than two years.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>- More elections? -</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>On Sunday Netanyahu offered his own proposal of a rotation
agreement with Bennett and Saar. But Saar on Twitter said he remained committed
to "replacing the Netanyahu regime".Netanyahu in a video then called on Saar and Bennett to
"come now, immediately" to meet him and join a three-way rotation
government, warning they were "in a crucial moment for the security,
character and future of the state of Israel".</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Lapid’s "change" coalition also still faced
several obstacles. Some right-wing lawmakers object to a partnership with
politicians from Israel’s Arab minority, around a fifth of the population. The recent Gaza crisis sparked inter-communal clashes
between Jewish and Arab Israelis in mixed cities.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Arab politicians have also been divided about joining the government headed by Bennett, who supports expanding Israeli settlements in the
occupied West Bank, where Palestinians hope to create a state.Even with support from an Arab party, a new coalition in
Israel is unlikely to reverse years of Israeli settlement construction or bring
peace any time soon with Hamas in Gaza.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If the anti-Netanyahu camp does not manage to form a
government on time, a majority of 61 lawmakers could vote to ask the president
to name a new premier. Another scenario would see the country return, yet again, to
the polls.</span></p><p>
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p></p>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-48101626329680512202021-05-31T06:34:00.003-07:002021-05-31T06:34:37.503-07:00Abduction of Nigerian children from Islamic seminaries: who did it?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8GE00TW9dDeaObJLQAxG7sJNUdoNgN_oFmjtz-Z4PXLWLa6ODxSU48C8p61squaKtuLYNy9R8wc5uMpyOaXPN6WeQnSq79Cbbe2vscZpprxPu5HKm7UmxbtAip2mEDTh9i68UM5q7r8E/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="436" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8GE00TW9dDeaObJLQAxG7sJNUdoNgN_oFmjtz-Z4PXLWLa6ODxSU48C8p61squaKtuLYNy9R8wc5uMpyOaXPN6WeQnSq79Cbbe2vscZpprxPu5HKm7UmxbtAip2mEDTh9i68UM5q7r8E/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Gunmen kidnapped scores of children from an Islamic seminary
in central Nigeria, officials said, the latest in a string of such incidents
plaguing the populous African nation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Some 200 children were at the school in Niger state on
Sunday during the attack, the local government tweeted, adding "an
unconfirmed number" was taken. The abduction came a day after 14 students from a university
in northwestern Nigeria were freed after 40 days in captivity.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Niger state police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said the
attackers arrived on motorbikes in Regina town and started shooting
indiscriminately, killing one resident and injuring another, before kidnapping
the children from the Salihu Tanko Islamic school.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>One of the school's officials, who asked not to be named,
said the attackers initially took more than 100 children "but later sent
back those they considered too small for them, those between four and 12 years
old".<o:p> </o:p>The state government, in a series of tweets, said the
attackers had released 11 of the pupils who were "too small and couldn't
walk" very far.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In a later Twitter thread, the state added the governor Sani
Bello had directed "security agencies to bring back [the] children as soon
as possible".</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">- 'Bandits' -</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Armed gangs are terrorizing inhabitants in northwest and
central Nigeria by looting villages, stealing cattle, and taking people
hostage.Such seizures have become a frequent way for criminals to
collect ransoms.Since December 2020, before the attack on Sunday, 730
children and students had been kidnapped.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On April 20, gunmen known locally as "bandits"
stormed Greenfield University in northwestern Nigeria and kidnapped around 20
students, killing a member of the school's staff in the process.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Five students were executed a few days later to force
families and the government to pay a ransom. Fourteen were released on Saturday. Local press said that the families had paid a ransom
totaling 180 million nairas ($440,000) for their release.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">- 'Kidnappings must stop' -Africa's most populous country has been plagued by
kidnappings for years, with criminals largely targeting the wealthy and
prominent.But more recently, the pool of victims has expanded with the
poor now also taken for ransom.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Earlier this month, hundreds of protesters partially blocked
a motorway into the capital Abuja after a spate of kidnappings in the area.Marching along the highway, a dozen young men chanted:
"We won't accept this, kidnapping must stop!"</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The criminal gangs maintain camps in the Rugu forest which
straddles northern and central Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Their motives have been financial with no ideological
leanings, but there is growing concerned they are being infiltrated by jihadists
from the northeast waging a 12-year-old insurrection to establish an Islamic
state.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>The kidnappings in the northwest are also
complicating challenges facing Buhari's security forces, battling a more than
decade-long northeast Islamist insurgency</span></p>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-46018298118286205792021-05-30T10:56:00.005-07:002021-05-30T10:56:53.928-07:00Why such a huge increase in Dubai’s property buying spree? <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWaUrYMTEE18DWeZJrSWk8wux2Wn24ct7DgeLX1KQTMRpRVbxqgCff-K3BiPtHRjOK-3uWxgMS7rvqtf0XO4LhV2r2f2VtVCIaJqTzm7bYRlNy6TU_dueiLpohLOgW56gNW1E-e-yccao/s2048/pexels-jensen-r-1450458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWaUrYMTEE18DWeZJrSWk8wux2Wn24ct7DgeLX1KQTMRpRVbxqgCff-K3BiPtHRjOK-3uWxgMS7rvqtf0XO4LhV2r2f2VtVCIaJqTzm7bYRlNy6TU_dueiLpohLOgW56gNW1E-e-yccao/s320/pexels-jensen-r-1450458.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Under pandemic, this new property buying spree in Dubai is a
new wave of recovery and boom for Dubai. People from all over the world
especially from the European sector are making a huge investment in Dubai’s property. The
sale and purchase of Dubai’s property are being done like hotcakes. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The hottest segment of the market is the Luxury villas
in which people from Europe has been showing keen interest in specific
interest in Dubai's signature Palm Jumeirah man-made island, as well as golf
course estates.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Since 2014 the Dubai’s property<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>has been on the decline which was compounded by
last year’s pandemic but now all of a sudden the lockdown in most of the
countries, Dubai has proved to be a heaven for investors from the world over. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zhann Zochinke, chief
operating officer of consultancy Property Monitor said because of corona Dubai
has slammed its doors shut but now after that lockdown period we started to see
transaction volumes increase, and they really haven´t stopped since.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">He said that<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>there
has been a significant increase in business volume<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and monthly gains show a quite healthy
recovery of the economy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Gulf emirate became one of the first destinations to reopen
to visitors, last July, pairing the open-door policy with strict rules on
masking and social distancing, and an energetic vaccination program that has
produced some of the highest inoculation rates globally.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Despite a surge in coronavirus cases in the new year after
holidaymakers descended en masse, life has continued largely as normal with
restaurants and hotels open, and few of the restrictions that have blighted
life elsewhere.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A lot of investors are coming from Europe as the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>relaxed residency rules and a decision to
allow full foreign ownership of firms are giving added<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>advantage under the pandemic situation
worldwide.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This has further given a boost to the tourism industry, which is
a major contributor of economic growth which is not short of oil of other
middle east countries.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Travel and tourism firms recorded the most notable
bounce in performance, amid increasing hopes of a rise in tourism activity
later in the year, boosted by the rapid vaccine roll-out," said the
research firm´s economist David Owen.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After years of torpor when homeowners watched their equity
drain away, the surge in luxury properties above 10 million dirhams ($2.7
million) has been striking, with 90 transactions in April compared to around
350-400 on a regular yearly basis, according to Property Monitor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A mansion on the Palm has sold for 111.25 million dirhams,
the highest price reached in years in the precinct which features 16
"fronds" lined with show-stopping houses and supercars parked in the
driveways.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The highest-priced property now available on the block is a
vast Italian-inspired modern villa positioned at the end of one of the fronds,
complete with 180-degree beach frontage, which is being offered for 100 million
dirhams.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After it languished on the market during the gloomy days at
the height of the pandemic, the developers are hoping that one of the new breed
of cashed-up Europeans will be tempted by the infinity pool, private cinema,
and acres of marble and glass.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"I think people have started to realize that Dubai is
not just a construction site anymore, which it was maybe 10 years ago when we
had the most amount of cranes in the world," said Matthew Bate, CEO of
BlackBrick, one of the agencies representing the property.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"People are now looking at Dubai and saying -- I'm going
to make this my primary home. I can work from Dubai and still manage a business
in Europe or North America or Asia," he said.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"So I think what Covid ultimately did, it opened the
doors for us to the rest of the world."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In a market where many fortunes have been made and lost,
there is nervousness about whether the recent giddy rises can be sustained.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sales of properties above 10 million dirhams rose 6.7% in
April compared to the previous month, and 81 villas were sold on the Palm in
April alone compared to 54 in all of 2020, according to Property Monitor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Even with the remarkable gains, the market is still off its
highs of 2014, and the apartment market is trailing far behind.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The financial services firm Morgan Stanley, however, said in
a recent report that the rally isn't likely to stop soon.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Robust demand, peaking supply growth, and long lead
times for new projects could lead to a tighter-than-expected market over the
next several years," it said.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It credited "a wave of government reforms over the past
12 months, attractive mortgage rates, and a shift in demand patterns due to
Covid-19".</span></p>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-45449758462572228302021-05-30T00:47:00.004-07:002021-05-30T00:50:45.473-07:00 Stricter control of biolabs if any future pandemic to avoid; Scientists say<p> </p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AZhMW_hVIuRQg9SdC2d3bSJLVhdYPCXB8m-VpoBv9dtqvAnaPgeiI0v11ckMlF967tXpJrtrG6U_p8GHZgeC9I108P81HURzSIfhsMBCKfuUxanhlJk8Dk-NwBFzhpRLlDksOM2TFNvY/s700/842164_655504_wuhab-lab2_updates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="700" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AZhMW_hVIuRQg9SdC2d3bSJLVhdYPCXB8m-VpoBv9dtqvAnaPgeiI0v11ckMlF967tXpJrtrG6U_p8GHZgeC9I108P81HURzSIfhsMBCKfuUxanhlJk8Dk-NwBFzhpRLlDksOM2TFNvY/w200-h114/842164_655504_wuhab-lab2_updates.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> The theory that Covid-19 might be the result of
scientific experiments have thrown a spotlight on the work of the world´s most
secure Biolabs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">While the evidence linking SARS-CoV-2 to the Wuhan Institute
of Virology in China is strictly circumstantial, a number of experts want
tougher controls on such facilities over fears that accidental leaks could
touch off the next pandemic.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Here´s what you should know.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">- 59 top facilities -<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Wuhan lab belongs to the most secure class, commonly
referred to as biosafety level 4, or BSL4.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">These are built to work safely and securely with the most
dangerous bacteria and viruses that can cause serious diseases for which there
are no known treatment or vaccines.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"There are HVAC filtration systems so that the virus
can´t escape through exhaust; any wastewater that leaves the facility is
treated with either chemicals or high temperatures to make sure that there´s
nothing alive," Gregory Koblentz, director of the Biodefense Graduate
Program at George Mason University told AFP.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The researchers themselves are highly trained and wear
hazmat suits.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There are 59 such facilities across the world, according to
a report Koblentz co-authored that was released this week.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"There are no binding international standards for safe,
secure, and responsible work on pathogens," the report, called Mapping
Maximum Biological Containment Labs Globally said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">- Accidents do happen -<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Accidents can happen, sometimes at the top-tier facilities,
and much more frequently at lower rung labs of which there are thousands.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Human H1N1 virus -- the same flu that caused 1918
pandemic -- leaked in 1977 in the Soviet Union and China and spread worldwide.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In 2001, a mentally disturbed employee at a US bio lab mailed
out anthrax spores across the country, killing five people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Two Chinese researchers exposed to SARS in 2004 spread the
disease to others, killing one.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In 2014, a handful of smallpox vials were uncovered during
an Food and Drug Administration office move.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Lynn Klotz, a senior science fellow at the Center for Arms
Control and Non-Proliferation, has been sounding the alarm for many years about
the public safety threats posed by such facilities.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"Human errors constitute over 70 percent of the errors
in laboratories," he told AFP, adding that US researchers have to rely on
data from Freedom of Information requests to learn of these incidents.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">- ´Gain of function´ controversy -<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There is a disagreement between the US government, which
funded bat coronavirus research in Wuhan, and some independent scientists,
about whether this work was controversial "gain of function" (GOF)
research.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">GOF research entails modifying pathogens to make them more
transmissible, deadlier, or better able to evade treatment and vaccines -- all
to learn how to fight them better.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This field has long been contentious. The debate reached a
fever pitch when two research teams in 2011 showed they could make bird flu
transmissible between mammals.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Harvard epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch told AFP he was
concerned "that it would create a strain of virus that if it infected a
laboratory worker could not just kill that laboratory worker... but also cause
a pandemic."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"The research is not required and does not contribute
to the development of drugs or vaccines," added molecular biologist
Richard Ebright of Rutgers University, one of the staunchest opponents of this
kind of research.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In 2014 the US government announced a pause in federal funding
for such work, which gave way in 2017 to a framework that would consider each
application on a case-by-case basis.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But the process has been criticized as lacking transparency
and credibility.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As late as last year, a nonprofit received funding from the
US on research to "predict spillover potential" of bat coronavirus to
humans in Wuhan.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Questioned by Congress this week, Francis Collins and
Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health denied this amounted to gain
of function research, but Ebright said it clearly does.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">- The path ahead -<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">None of this means that Covid-19 definitely leaked from a
lab -- in fact there is no hard scientific evidence in favor of natural origin
or lab accident scenario said, Ebright.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But there are certain lines of circumstantial evidence in
favor of the latter. For instance, Wuhan is around 1,000 miles north of bat
caves that harbor the ancestor virus, well out of the animals´ flight range.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Scientists from Wuhan were however known to be carrying out
routine trips to those caves to take samples.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Alina Chan, a molecular biologist from the Broad Institute,
said there were no signs of risky pathogen research dying down in the wake of
the pandemic -- in fact "it´s possibly expanded."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Last year, Chan published research showing that unlike
SARS, SARS-CoV-2 was not evolving fast when it was first detected in humans --
another piece of circumstantial evidence that could point to lab origin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Chan considers herself a "fence-sitter" on the
competing hypotheses but does not favor banning risky research, fearing it
would then go underground.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">One solution "might just be as simple as moving these
research institutes out into extremely remote areas...where you have to
quarantine for two weeks before we re-enter human society," she said.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-29900062474195240252021-05-28T23:12:00.002-07:002021-05-28T23:13:03.896-07:00Eat healthy chinese foods and get optimum benefits<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vEKKgj4xGp91SJr8GwDkSb3fFY0kYkE5LTaO7mpDKqGP2OjEatr9k55c52og-n-0AF89_h19eLQA58RkcD8yD7vtvUlxzmIYy1rZHuTorg8Wq1Lb1KbgyvrmuwuZiCYiYz25YKi7Lywd/s453/chinese-food-951889__340.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="453" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vEKKgj4xGp91SJr8GwDkSb3fFY0kYkE5LTaO7mpDKqGP2OjEatr9k55c52og-n-0AF89_h19eLQA58RkcD8yD7vtvUlxzmIYy1rZHuTorg8Wq1Lb1KbgyvrmuwuZiCYiYz25YKi7Lywd/s320/chinese-food-951889__340.webp" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /> Like many cultures, food is a central part of Chinese
heritage and identity. Unfortunately, many loved and commonly eaten Chinese
dishes are high in fat and drenched in sodium-packed sauces. That’s not to say
you can’t indulge every once in a while, but it’s important to know your best
bets for preparing or ordering a healthy Chinese food meal.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">During holidays, such as Chinese New Year, deep-fried meats,
egg rolls, dumplings, and cakes are served, making it difficult to eat
healthfully during the holiday season. Plus, anytime you walk into a Chinese
food restaurant in the United States, the menus are full of meat-centered, oily
meals served with heaps of carbohydrates. But these choices do not represent
the traditional Chinese diet.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Traditionally, steamed vegetables have been the main staple of
Chinese food. These steamed vegetables and tea, combined with only occasional
red meat and minimal fried food, led to immense health benefits for Chinese
people. Their traditional plant-based diet has been shown to be one of the main
factors in decreased rates of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity among rural
Chinese people.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> An</span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">other main staple of the traditional Chinese food diet is
rice. For a healthier, more fiber-filled side dish try eating brown rice
instead of plain white rice. Sandra Wong, D.O., a family medicine physician
with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, says there are also many healthy options
for noodles, which are also popular in Chinese food culture.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">“For the most nutritious noodles, choose 100 percent
buckwheat soba noodles, whole-grain udon noodles, brown rice noodles and
Shirataki noodles,” Dr. Wong says.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Soba noodles are made from wholegrain buckwheat flour,
making them a good source of protein, fiber, potassium, and B vitamins. When
choosing udon noodles and rice noodles, Dr. Wong says to opt for whole wheat
and avoid their less nutritious counterparts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Traditional udon noodles are usually refined so choose
whole-grain udon noodles, which have more protein and fiber,” she says. “Rice
noodles are made from rice flour and typically are low in protein and fiber so
choose higher-nutrient brown rice versions.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Dr. Wong says shirataki noodles, which are made from the
root of the konjac yam, are extremely healthy as they are high in fiber and
water. A popular weight-loss food, these noodles are low in carbohydrates as
well as calories and are naturally gluten-free. They also contain a type of
soluble fiber called glucomannan that, when combined with water, drastically
increases in volume. This promotes a sense of fullness and helps aid in stool
elimination.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Terence Lin, M.D., internal medicine and interventional
cardiology specialist with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, says healthy
carbohydrates are important, but it’s easy to eat too much of a good thing if
you aren’t mindful of your eating habits.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">“The proper portion size for rice and noodles is generally
about a half-cup cooked or one-quarter cup if measured dry. This is one
serving, and is about the size of half of a tennis ball,” Dr. Lin says.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">When you are cooking a meal or going out to a restaurant,
remember that there are many options that are both healthy and represent
authentic Chinese food. In addition to selecting a healthy carbohydrate, try to
choose a low-sodium, low-fat vegetable dish with chicken or tofu as your main
course. Identify healthy choices that you can consistently follow in order to
make successful lifestyle changes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Tips for Preparing Healthy Chinese Food</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Instead of eating your favorite salty or oily dish every day
or once a week, only eat it once a month as a special treat. Get your family on
board to designate one day a month for your favorite dish, and stick to
vegetable-based dishes for the rest of the month.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Consider saving high-fat, special dishes for big events,
like family banquets.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Decrease soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce used in
preparing your favorite meal. Decrease chili and hot sauce use. Instead, choose
dried, crushed or freshly sliced pepper. Avoid monosodium glutamate, also known
as MSG.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Reduce the amount of cooking oil you use.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Instead of frying food with cooking oil, try steaming,
boiling, roasting or stewing your food with alternative ingredients. For
example, instead of cooking oil, use rice wine, tomato juice, ginger, garlic,
pepper, or other low- or non-fat seasonings and cooking ingredients.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">For roast duck, take a serrated knife and cut off the fat in
between the skin and the meat. For roast pork and other meats, cut off the
pieces of fat before eating.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Avoid eating the skin on meat, or only eat half of the skin
that is put on your plate. Avoid eating any high-sodium seasoning traditionally
served with the dish.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Often at Chinese banquets, there are several bottles of soda
in the middle of the table. If you really love soda, try drinking one cup of
soda with ice. After that, stick to water or tea. Avoid soda outside of these
special occasions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Avoid eating instant noodles, such as Cup of Noodles,
Instant Lunch or Top Ramen, as they have extremely high levels of sodium and
fat. If your family does give you some to eat, try limiting the amount of
seasoning you put into the broth to half of the packet. Alternatively, try
putting some additional water into the noodle mix in order to dilute the sodium
and fat content.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Tips for Eating at a Chinese Restaurant<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Choose your main course wisely. Avoid fat, salt, and excess
carbohydrates. Pick something from the vegetarian section. Eat a dish with tofu
as a source of protein, instead of beef or pork.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Choose brown rice over white rice, and avoid fried rice and
chow mein altogether.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Cut down on your portion size by sharing a plate and an
appetizer with a friend or family member. Pack your food to take home when it
arrives to avoid overeating.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Choose steamed foods over fried foods.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Avoid eating too much fish that is high in mercury, such as
shark fin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Fill up on soup.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Drink tea or water, not soda or alcohol.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Eat fruit as a dessert instead of other sweetened desserts.
Skip the fortune cookie as it’s not even a Chinese treat.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Ask for the sauce, such as sweet and sour sauce, on the
side.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Eat with chopsticks to slow down your meal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Make half your plate vegetables. Eat only a quarter of a
plate of carbohydrates and a quarter of a plate of protein.</span></p><div class="col-lg-8 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-12" style="box-sizing: border-box; flex: 0 0 100%; max-width: 100%; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; position: relative; width: 360px;"><h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-top: 3px;">Great Health Benefits </h1><h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-top: 3px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Chinese food is very nutritional, but it is also very balanced and provides everything your body and metabolism needs to be healthy.</span></h1><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Even though Chinese people on average eat 30% more calories than Americans (according to the study from 1990) and they have same activity patterns, they don’t have problems with obesity. This is attributed to the fact that Chinese cuisine avoids sugar and nutrient-free food.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the west, vegetables are “add-ons” to other dishes, but in Chinese cuisine, vegetables are put in central position. Chinese believe that large portion of vegetables can be perfectly balanced with small part of meats. Meats are important because they add complex carbohydrates.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Chinese foods are very low on sugar, refined carbs and high fat, which enabled our bodies to easily recognize when it is full. This enables people who eat Chinese food to eat more appropriate amount of food and not overstuff their bodies with unnecessary calories. Western food on the other hand, fools our bodies into recognizing its limits much later than it is optimal.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Chinese food also balances the food intake by focusing much on liquid foods (soups and watery porridges). Western food is often dry, requiring from users to drink more water during day. With regular intake of Chinese food there is no need for that, and appetite will be much better controlled.</span></li></ul><div class="d-xl-none d-lg-none" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">All Chinese foods are made on the principle of Yin (wet and moist foods that cool you down) and Yang (dry and crisp foods that heat you up). Almost all foods in Chinese cuisine are made to have equilibrium between yin and yang ingredients. Protein foods are seen as Yang, while carbohydrates are yin.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Chinese almost never salad like we do in the west (raw). They cook almost all their salads at least a little, which helps our bodies to easily absorb their nutrients.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Chinese cooks did not forgotten ancient tradition that foods can hold excellent medicinal properties. Yin and Yang approach to food also stabilizes the health of our metabolisms, with chilies that promote digestion, garlic to fight toxins and many others.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Chinese teas are also excellent supplement to already balanced food cuisine. Green tea in particular is very famous for health benefits fighting heart diseases, digestion and lowering chance of cancer.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Chinese foods use almost zero milk products, meats are used just a little to provide balance to the meal, while great focus is placed on rice, noodles and vegetables.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Chinese food is almost always presented in small bite-sized pieces. This is beneficiary because our stomach will more easily process that kind of food (and preparing such food is easier because cut pieces can be cooked more quickly).</span></li></ul></div><div class="col-lg-4 col-md-12 col-sm-12 margintop10" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 10px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; position: relative; width: 360px;"><div class="row" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; margin-left: -15px; margin-right: -15px;"><div class="d-xl-none d-lg-none" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="d-xl-none d-lg-none" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="col-lg-12 col-md-4 col-sm-4 col-6" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; flex: 0 0 50%; max-width: 50%; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; position: relative; text-align: justify; width: 180px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="col-lg-12 col-md-4 col-sm-4 col-6" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; flex: 0 0 50%; max-width: 50%; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; position: relative; text-align: justify; width: 180px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div></div>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-51463423137250302021-05-28T22:25:00.007-07:002021-05-28T22:26:09.401-07:00Softening of guidance for vaccination of 12 years old kids<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1zF56-RHQ9LrFyJnsE0HfOmuGB19AWLAkHnlbToP5mpcEjdvGO-b3tyDmPXYy2gHCpUcgi8fUyX9S4FYvODF2Er3Wu0g641t48XnSd8coc3Z3zu6xJn1sXU-mJxahf423H2lzWqYZJzE/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="543" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1zF56-RHQ9LrFyJnsE0HfOmuGB19AWLAkHnlbToP5mpcEjdvGO-b3tyDmPXYy2gHCpUcgi8fUyX9S4FYvODF2Er3Wu0g641t48XnSd8coc3Z3zu6xJn1sXU-mJxahf423H2lzWqYZJzE/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised
earlier guidelines regarding mask use and vaccinations at summer camps. The
updated guidelines, released Friday, now say that at camps where everyone has
been fully vaccinated, campers can sing, play sports and weave baskets
mask-free – except where required by local law.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">"In a camp setting where everybody is fully vaccinated,
there's no need for masking, there's no need for distancing. There's no need
for screening, testing," said Cmdr. Erin Sauber-Schatz, lead of the CDC's
Community Interventions and Critical Populations Task Force, which wrote the
guidance.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">"There is the potential, towards mid-to-late summer,
[for campers] to have a pre-pandemic camp experience when everyone is fully
vaccinated, if that is offered," she added.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Confused By CDC's Latest Mask Guidance? Here's What We've
Learned</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">SHOTS - HEALTH NEWS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Confused By CDC's Latest Mask Guidance? Here's What We've
Learned<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The agency's change in guidance was prompted by improvements
to vaccine policies and pandemic trends since the last iteration of camp
guidance in April, Sauber-Schatz said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In May, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for use in children ages 12 to 15, and the CDC has
issued guidance saying that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear
masks. "We're also continuing to see cases, hospitalizations and deaths
fall," she said. "So this is translating to lower levels of community
transmission, which is also making the camp experience safer."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">More 2.5 million adolescents ages 12 to 15 have been vaccinated
since the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for this age group, according to CDC
data.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">At camps where not everyone is vaccinated, the guidance
said, vaccinated people still do not need to wear masks. But unvaccinated
people are "strongly encouraged" to wear masks indoors, and also
outdoors, in crowded situations.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">"Maybe you have a bunch of kids together and you're
shouting out camp cheers or singing songs," Sauber-Schatz said. "We
know that COVID-19 has spread in scenarios where the respiratory droplets can
go further, which is anytime you raise your voice. So in those higher-risk
situations, even outdoors, it makes sense to wear a mask."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The CDC is also recommending that masking and distancing
continue for all people with weakened immune systems.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The CDC's earlier guidance for camps was criticized as too
restrictive, leading members of Congress to call on the agency to soften the
policy.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The new guidance may be good news for camps that have high
rates of vaccinated campers. But the nearly 6 million adolescents ages 12 to 17
who have been vaccinated so far represent just 23% of that age group, the CDC
said. While some smaller camps may be able to require full vaccination for
counselors and campers, the more typical camp experience will include a mix of
unvaccinated and vaccinated people.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But given how complicated it could be to run a mixed camp,
some camps may choose simply to go with a policy that requires masks for
everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In that sense, it will be more like a recent in-person
schooling, where children are masked and physically distanced in indoor
settings, said Sara Bode, a pediatrician at Nationwide Children's Hospital in
Columbus, Ohio, who serves on the Council on School Health for the American
Academy of Pediatricians.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Enforcing different rules based on vaccination status seems
unrealistic, Bode said, so "most camps that I've talked to, even if they
have some vaccinated [campers], even if their staff are fully vaccinated, will
be requiring masks for everyone."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Even so, Bode said, camps that abide by the CDC guidelines
will be able to provide safe, fun respites for kids who have been in front of
screens all year. "Having that opportunity for unstructured play, peer
interaction, getting outside, interacting with adults that are not their family
members — these are all critical things for kids with their social-emotional
growth and development," she said.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Here are highlights of the new guidance from the CDC
website:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Camps should strongly encourage all staff and campers ages
12 and up to get vaccinated before the camp session.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If everyone at camp is vaccinated, it's OK to operate at
full capacity with no masks and no social distancing (except where local rules
are in conflict).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">For unvaccinated adults or kids, masking indoors is
recommended.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Camps should be supportive of kids or staff who choose to
wear masks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Camps should organize campers into cohorts to remain
together for the whole camp session, mixing as little as possible with other
campers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If a camp does experience an outbreak of COVID-19, people
who test positive for the coronavirus should isolate and unvaccinated contacts
should be quarantined. (Vaccinated contacts don't have to be.)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Local rules and regulations may supersede this guidance so
camps should comply with what's required locally.</span></p>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-36165447752439939122021-05-26T05:13:00.003-07:002021-05-26T05:13:43.774-07:00 Understanding 5G<div id="body" style="background-color: white; border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Aktiv Grotesk", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><div class="cf group u-pt-6" id="main" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 24px 0px 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><div class="cf" id="content-primary" role="main" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><div class="group" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><div class="group-inner article" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: auto; max-width: 1310px; padding: 0px 15px; position: relative; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><div class="article-inner" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><div class="s-text" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><h1 class="no-caps" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 25px; font-weight: 200; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;"><br /></h1></div></div><div class="intro-image" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; display: table; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><div class="carousel flexslider carousel--slim initiated-carousel" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; position: relative; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><ul class="slides cf" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="slide flex-active-slide" data-slide-layout="3" data-thumb="/filtered/73797/rszww80h49-90/5gwoman_880x480-407805954-rszww80h49-90.jpg" style="backface-visibility: visible; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; float: left; margin: 0px -330px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px; position: relative; transition: opacity 0.35s ease 0s; width: 330px; z-index: 2;"><div class="slide-inner" style="background: 0px 0px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; height: auto; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><img alt="5G Woman" draggable="false" height="480" src="https://www.home.sandvik/filtered/73797/rszw-90/5gwoman_880x480-407805954-rszw-90.jpg" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: 330px;" width="880" /></div></li></ul><ol class="flex-control-nav flex-control-paging" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></ol></div></div><div class="article text" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px; max-width: 950px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><div class="article-inner" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><div style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><div class="intro" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">A data-driven "fourth industrial revolution" has long been predicted. Now, the backbone for that platform is finally becoming a reality. The long-promised benefits of cyber-physical industrial systems are within sight.</p></div><div class="social-media-share social-media-share--small u-mt-0 u-mb-6" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding: 0px; position: relative; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s; z-index: 1;"><br /></div><div class="social-media-share social-media-share--small u-mt-0 u-mb-6" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding: 0px; position: relative; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s; z-index: 1;"><ul class="u-px-0" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 6px;"><li style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin: 6px 0px 6px 6px; padding: 0px; position: relative; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"><span class="icon icon-linkedin" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-right-color: rgb(0, 153, 255); border-style: solid; border-top-color: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 36px; left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-align: left; top: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s; width: 40px;"><svg class="i--linkedin"><use xlink:href="/gui/i/icons.svg#linkedin"></use></svg></span><span class="structural" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); height: 1px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 41px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: fixed; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s; width: 1px;">SHARE ON LINK</span></li></ul></div><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">The year 2019 will be remembered as the year that true cellular connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT) finally got going. Nowadays not a week goes by without a new announcement of a new 4G NB-IoT / LTE-M network rollout. Yet the future for industry is already racing towards the fifth generation (5G) of wireless communication technology.</p><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">5G promises lightning-fast speed, barely noticeable latency (or communication response time) and vastly increased capacity. All four major U.S. carriers have green-lighted test networks and partial implementations in some cities.</p><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">The benefits of marrying the physical world with digital technologies have been discussed for what seems like a generation. Many industries could use the intelligence gleaned from connected systems to gain critical insights about their operations and how to make improvements that will make a genuine difference to their bottom line. While 4G is already creating dramatic improvements for industries around the world, it’s 5G that’s creating the greater buzz.</p><h2 style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px;">Data alone is not enough</h2><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">Jani Vilenius, Director of Research and Technology at Sandvik, says that data is already driving industry around the world: “Everyone is already collecting, and to a certain extent using data. But improved connectivity is needed to truly utilize the data and add business value. When we add more Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and voice/image recognition into everyday systems, the bandwidth requirements mean 5G is inevitable to leverage the new capabilities.”</p><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">Industry 4.0 was supposed to bring about these benefits, but up until now there’s been a crucial element missing. Turning the idea of a collaborative, adaptive, real-time industrial digital system into a reality needs a truly agile communications infrastructure.</p><h2 style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px;">Beyond incremental improvement</h2><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">You can be forgiven for thinking the move from 4G to 5G is merely about incremental speed improvements, with little need for all the hype. After all, the 4G/LTE (Long Term Evolution) communications architecture of today has hooked up approximately 3 billion mobile devices.</p><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">But in truth, the difference between 4G and 5G is not like comparing one iPhone model with the next, it’s more like comparing a horse and buggy to an electric race car.</p><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">Yes, 3G and 4G technology is most often equated with smartphones. That’s because the systems were designed for voice and mobile data respectively. And while it’s true that 5G’s dramatic speed increases will mean so much more than just higher-quality streaming and lightning quick downloads, the fact that it’s been designed from the ground up for data connectivity will be the game changer.</p><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">Faster connectivity and low-to-no latency will unlock operational benefits in every industry on the planet. Up until now there has been only talk, but with test systems now in place, those operational benefits are becoming clear.</p><h2 style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px;">Taking the connected factory to the next level</h2><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">In a market reliant on data-intensive machine applications, the higher speeds and low latency of 5G is required for the effective use of autonomous robotics technology, wearables and virtual reality.</p><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">Unlike previous jumps in levels of technology in industry, 5G won’t fundamentally redesign the production line. But what it will do is offer manufacturers an opportunity to build smart factories that can adapt to changing market conditions.</p><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">The increasing capabilities of smart devices and the factories that make them won’t just impact competition within a set industry. As competition shifts from product-based to system-based, formerly clear industry boundaries will be blurred. Traditional manufacturing companies may soon find they are competing as part of a much broader automation industry, for example.</p><h2 style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px;">Healthcare: Enabling remote surgery</h2><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">The low latency of 5G is set to revolutionize the healthcare industry, most notably in the operating theater. Experienced surgeons can advise more junior colleagues via a video connection or could even operate the surgical device remotely. You could be forgiven for thinking this sounds unlikely, yet it’s already happened.</p><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">In early 2019, the world’s first live surgery via remote assistance took place successfully in China. An experienced surgeon inserted a stimulation device in the brain of a Parkinson's patient. The almost instantaneous latency of 2 milliseconds allowed the surgeon to accurately conduct the procedure as if they were right next to the patient, whereas in fact they were 3,000 kilometers away. The latency resembles surgery using a traditional cabled monitor solution.</p><h2 style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px;">Autonomous technology on the road and underground</h2><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">The improvements to network latency will give applications and devices the ability to communicate in close-to real-time. This should ease the safety concerns of autonomous vehicles, providing them the ability to constantly communicate with the ever-changing environment around them.</p><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">This of course will have significant impact on mining operations, something Sandvik is aware of. Already, Sandvik has signed an agreement with Nokia to further develop solutions based on private LTE and 5G technology, much of which will take place at the Sandvik test mine in Tampere, Finland.</p><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">“Our focus to date has been on private LTE technology, which offers speed, latency, reliability and privacy benefits over Wi-Fi. It’s one of the technologies our customers are asking for now,” explains Vilenius. The benefit to Sandvik in focusing on LTE is simple. (LTE stands for Long-term Evolution and isn’t as much a technology as it is the path followed to achieve 4G speeds).<span class="caption right" style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; clear: right; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto 18px; max-width: 200px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s; width: auto;"><img alt="" height="300" src="https://www.home.sandvik/4a94b7/contentassets/73b61fe815704c22b1de0628e5c2f121/jani_vilenius_200x300.jpg" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px 0px 5px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="200" /><span style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Jani Vilenius, Director of Research and Technology at Sandvik</span></span>Customer demand is there, and the hardware can easily be upgraded to 5G when the time comes.</p><blockquote style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ff6a00; font-size: 20px; line-height: 26px; margin: 39px 0px 25px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; position: relative;"><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">Improved connectivity is needed to truly utilize the data and add business value</p></blockquote><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">That’s because 5G will be used to augment and enhance existing LTE networks rather than replace them. Even so, telecommunications companies are facing a substantial investment. But rather than holding back the rollout, that very fact could speed things up.</p><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">Management consulting firm McKinsey & Company believes that the trend of network sharing will accelerate, decreasing what would otherwise be a daunting cost of 5G implementation. Network sharing enables operators to reduce the total cost of ownership while improving network quality by sharing both active and passive equipment. “Simulations from one case showed that by sharing 5G small-cell deployment and building a common, nationwide 5G IoT macro layer, operators could reduce 5G-related investments by more than 40 percent,” said a spokesperson.</p><h2 style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px;">Researching the business models of the future</h2><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">In addition to the Sandvik test mine, Finland is also the home for significant research. Aalto University’s Industrial Internet Campus is a cross-disciplinary platform that provides a testbed for future solutions for industrial partners including Sandvik’s partner Nokia.</p><p style="border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;">Project areas include intelligent construction sites, energy usage optimization in smart buildings, and the factory of the future. The 5G meets Industrial Internet (5G@II) project looks at how to provide a cost-effective, globally secure and secure foundation for a future 5G-driven industrial internet. Specifically, the team aims to create a blueprint of a 5G service management system by trialing it on real industrial use cases.</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="scripts" style="background-color: white; border: 0px solid; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Aktiv Grotesk", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 162ms ease 0s, border 162ms ease 0s, background 162ms ease 0s, opacity 162ms ease 0s;"></div>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-73497813391004536232021-05-25T08:54:00.001-07:002021-05-25T08:54:41.981-07:00Pharma firms, G20 leaders pledge vaccines for poorer nations<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVDLfV4OQS6hwGRQx19vhwbqpmA9w5QpN2VdMG_WqCzfNHhHMpG9BD3PGpWEXIEki05C_B7MKjlTHppHId9mxtWgy47RLqykv3njOTmEbsQVIJOmArjTR_m-FqmT3xgNZZrEyQjvkpcDr/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="700" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVDLfV4OQS6hwGRQx19vhwbqpmA9w5QpN2VdMG_WqCzfNHhHMpG9BD3PGpWEXIEki05C_B7MKjlTHppHId9mxtWgy47RLqykv3njOTmEbsQVIJOmArjTR_m-FqmT3xgNZZrEyQjvkpcDr/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Coronavirus vaccine producers promised billions of doses for
poorer countries at a G20 health summit Friday, where leaders vowed to expand
access to jabs is the only way to end the pandemic.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>The bosses of Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson
announced they would supply around 3.5 billion vaccine doses at cost or discount
too low- and middle-income countries this year and next.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, the European Union pledged to donate 100 million
doses and invest in regional manufacturing hubs in Africa to reduce the
continent´s reliance on imports.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus hailed the "generous announcements", but warned, "in
the coming months, we will need hundreds of millions more doses."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In their summit declaration, the Group of 20 most powerful
countries emphasized the importance of open supply chains and equitable access
to tools to tackle COVID-19.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"It is a very clear 'no' to health nationalism,"
said European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who co-hosted the summit
with Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy, the current G20 chair.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But the five-page text, containing a list of 16 principles,
stopped short of endorsing the contentious idea of a temporary global waiver on
patent protection for coronavirus vaccines to boost global production.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Instead, it called for other tools such as "data
sharing, capacity building, licensing agreements, and voluntary technology and
know-how transfers on mutually agreed terms."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Vaccinate the world<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The summit was billed as an attempt to learn lessons from
the pandemic, which has killed more than 3.4 million people globally since the
COVID-19 virus emerged in late 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The final declaration emphasized the need for investment in
global healthcare systems, improved data sharing, and surveillance of human and
animal diseases.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But while many rich countries are enjoying a slowdown in
infections thanks to vaccination drives, many others are still battling fresh
surges — and the pressing need to help them dominated the day's discussions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"As we prepare for the next pandemic, our priority must
be to ensure that we all overcome the current one together," Draghi told
the summit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"We must vaccinate the world — and do it fast."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In Washington, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report
emphasized the same message, with a $50-billion (41-billion euro) plan to end
the pandemic focused heavily on expanding the rollout of vaccines.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It noted that as of last month, less than two percent of
people in Africa had been vaccinated while more than 40% of the population in
the United States and more than 20% in Europe had received at least one dose.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">'Share dollars and doses'<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In an announcement at the summit, Pfizer promised two
billion vaccine doses and Moderna "up to" 995 million by the end of
2022 at cost or discount to poorer nations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Johnson & Johnson unveiled a deal with the Covax
vaccine-sharing program for 200 million doses this year, and said it was
discussing the "potential supply" of an additional 300 million for
2022.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Much of this will be provided through the vaccine-sharing
program Covax, to which Germany and France also pledged 30 million doses by
the end of this year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A Covax spokesman told AFP it had secured enough doses
through existing and ongoing deals to vaccinate up to 30% of the populations in
92 low- and medium-income countries — about 1.8 billion doses.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But further support is needed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The WHO's Access to Covid Tools (ACT) Accelerator, which
aims to help develop and ensure access to vaccines, medicines, and tests against
COVID-19 and strengthen healthcare systems, is still $18.5 billion short of its
funding target for this year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Rome summit brought together some 20 heads of state and
government alongside organizations such as the WTO, African Union, and World
Bank — as proof that the world can come together to deal with COVID-19.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Microsoft founder and billionaire health philanthropist Bill
Gates was also invited and used his speech to call on rich nations to
"share dollars and doses."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Earlier this month, an influential report warned that the catastrophic scale of coronavirus pandemic could have been prevented.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
said a "toxic cocktail" of dithering and poor coordination meant the
warning signs went unheeded.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-57145542090859071922021-04-26T06:16:00.004-07:002021-05-09T06:34:00.974-07:00World has transformed<p> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"> The societies have been changed significantly overrun by materialism and changed norms.Earlier the ethical and social values reigned supreme.It was a family cohesion and every member of society was associated with each other.The care and social responsibility in the family was overwhelmingly felt.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">With the industrial revolution and ushering of innovative technology and revelation of materialistic values, the structure of the society overturned.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Not only this but this extraneous influence of materialism and consumerism affected the whole fabric of family structure and other aspects of life like judiciary,education,health,etc has the bad affects and all services are now commercialized.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">What does the human need i.e basic need like health, education,food and shelter and above all justice.So such services should have been provided free of charge but for human survival and fulfillment of these basic needs, the havenots and poor who couldnot afford to pay for these services are exploitrd by the have or rich people.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This has been going on even before the dawn of materialism, the major shift is that these services are beyond the reach of poor people.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This change is prevalent everywhere ,whether developed or underdeveloped societies.The mutinational and their increased role in commercialize the life, has changed the consumer pattern of the people.This has led to change in cultural and social values</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There seem no end to it ,the per capita income is not growing with the flood gates of market products and shopping malls.Income is getting less and consumption is growing thus leaving a huge gap between income and expenditure.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Especially the technology and innovative new gadgets are hardly to meet the competition.The advancement in electronic equipments,mobile laptops even car models attract the consumers to replace or buy the new product.Similarly the food markets and travel adventures have all changed the spectrum of life.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This doesnot seem to have any end .With the growth of materialism and consumerism,we are getting far away from family lives and norms .This has made the man to live away from nature and thus even with all the comforts and modernity ,the man is unsatisfied and mentally disturbed rather not peaceful.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So there is great need to return to family structure and materialistic values should be ignored and need not to be controlling the mind snd heart.</span></p>Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-67882082601234584792019-11-09T21:14:00.002-08:002021-04-29T06:22:47.950-07:00Eating no sugar diet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Fact-check: Eating a no-sugar diet does not cause cancer cells to 'die naturally'</h1>
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<a accesskey="L" class="rsbtn_play" data-rsevent-id="rs_673918" href="https://app-as.readspeaker.com/cgi-bin/rsent?customerid=9520&audiofilename=fact-check-eating-a-no-sugar-diet-does-not-cause-cancer-cells-to-die-naturally&lang=en_uk&readid=storydetailarea&url=" rel="nofollow" role="button" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; cursor: pointer; display: inline; float: left; font-family: "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans", Lucida, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: auto; padding: inherit; position: static; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="rsbtn_left rsimg rspart" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-image: url("img/rs_button.png"); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; float: left; height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><span class="rsbtn_text" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-image: url("img/rs_button.png"); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -641px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; line-height: 16px; margin: 5px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 20px; position: relative;"><span style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">Listen</span></span></span><span class="rsbtn_right rsimg rsplay rspart" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-image: url("img/rs_button.png"); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -26px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; float: left; height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 42px;"></span></a></div>
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<figure contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><img alt="" class="medium-zoom-image" src="https://www.thenews.com.pk//assets/uploads/updates/2019-11-09/553215_6282278_15_updates.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: zoom-in; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; transition: all 300ms ease 0s; vertical-align: top; width: 700px;" /><figcaption class="" contenteditable="false" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(239, 239, 239); box-sizing: border-box; color: #585656; font-family: Knowledge-Light; font-style: italic; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: transparent solid 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 1;">Eating a no-sugar diet does not cause cancer cells to 'die naturally'. Photo: AFP</figcaption><div class="zoom-icon" style="background: url("../../images/zoom-in.png") 5px center / 20px 20px no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; bottom: 38px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 30px; left: 5px !important; opacity: 0.7; position: absolute; right: inherit !important; top: 5px; width: 30px;">
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A Thai-language Facebook post claims that eating a sugar-free diet will cause cancer cells to "die naturally". The misleading post, which also claims that hot lemon water and coconut oil cure cancer, has been shared tens of thousands of times. Similar misleading claims have circulated in social media posts from Africa to the United States. But the claims are all false; numerous doctors, cancer charities, and scientific studies all say that eating a sugar-free diet, drinking hot lemon water, and taking spoonfuls of coconut oil are not cures for cancer.</div>
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The post was published <a href="https://perma.cc/LXQ7-BNKT" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">here</span></a> on a Thailand-based Facebook page on July 8, 2019, where it has been shared more than 39,000 times.</div>
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The lengthy Thai-language caption translates to English in part as: “#howdocancerpatientsdie? Russian research found out that the cause of cancer patients’ death is from carelessness."</div>
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The post claims: "If patients stop eating sugar, cancer cells will die naturally."</div>
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It also claims: "Mixing lemon with hot water and drinking it for three months is actually better than chemotherapy.</div>
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It adds a final claim: "Take spoonfuls of organic coconut oil morning and night, and cancer cells will gradually disappear.”</div>
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Below is a screenshot of the misleading Thai-language post:</div>
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<figure contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><img alt="" class="medium-zoom-image" src="https://www.thenews.com.pk//assets/uploads/updates/2019-11-09/553215_1016839_cancer1_updates.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: zoom-in; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; transition: all 300ms ease 0s; vertical-align: top; width: 502px;" /><div class="zoom-icon" style="background: url("../../images/zoom-in.png") 5px center / 20px 20px no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; bottom: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; height: 30px; left: 5px !important; opacity: 0.7; position: absolute; right: inherit !important; top: 5px; width: 30px;">
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Similar claims about cancer cures have also been shared in Thai-language posts <a href="https://perma.cc/B4RL-ZLGF" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">here</span></a>, <a href="https://perma.cc/L5D4-PZ2W" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">here</span></a>, <a href="https://perma.cc/9VLH-Q4LH" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">here</span></a>, <a href="https://perma.cc/3CSU-GYSR" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">here</span></a>, <a href="https://perma.cc/7RYV-D54M" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">here</span></a>, and<a href="https://perma.cc/7W63-SGJ2" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"> here</span></a>.</div>
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Similar claims about a no-sugar diet's cancer-killing abilities, and the benefits of hot water and lemon and coconut oil, have been in English on Facebook pages from <a href="https://perma.cc/7TGR-6XA5" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">America</span></a> to <a href="https://perma.cc/7TJU-XGN9" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Kenya</span></a>.</div>
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No-sugar?</h3>
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Multiple doctors told AFP that the claim that a sugar-free diet causes "cancer cells (to) die naturally" is false; scientific studies also show that normal, healthy cells need sugar for energy.</div>
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Dr. Punlert Tanyakul, an oncologist at Phyathai Hospital in Bangkok, told AFP by phone on November 11, 2019, warned against a no-sugar diet.</div>
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“It is certainly not good to cut sugar out of your diet as sugar is needed for every human being’s body. If you don’t have any sugar in your body, body cells will not be able to survive and will be unable to function."</div>
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But he added that "consuming too much sugar could increase the risks of cancer.”</div>
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Glucose is a primary energy source for most cells, according to <a href="http://https//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5425736/pdf/12551_2015_Article_186.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">this</span></a> report published by the US-based National Library of Medicine.</div>
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The report states in part: “Glucose is a primary energy source for most cells and an important substrate for many biochemical reactions. As glucose is a need of each and every cell of the body, so are the glucose transporters”.</div>
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<a href="https://www.vejthani.com/th/2018/09/%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B0%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%87%E0%B8%87-%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%9A-%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B2/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">This </span></a>report, 'Curing cancer with effective methods for the better lives of patients', written by Dr. Isara Anongchanya for the Vejthani Hospital in Bangkok does not list a sugar-free diet as a cure for cancer.</div>
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The "effective methods" for treating cancer listed in the report include: surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, immunotherapy, and bone marrow/stem cell transplantation.</div>
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This article published by UK based cancer charity Cancer Research UK states there is no evidence that a sugar-free diet can lower the risk of getting cancer or increase the chances of surviving it after diagnosis.</div>
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Cancer Research also published a video on YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=CrPTa64gFsg" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">here</span></a> headlined: "Does Sugar Feed Cancer".</div>
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"Fact: cutting out processed sugar won't kill cancer cells" the video report says.</div>
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The Cancer Research written report states in part: “Cancer cells usually grow quickly, multiplying at a fast rate, which takes a lot of energy. This means they need lots of glucose. Cancer cells also need lots of other nutrients too, such as amino acids and fats; it’s not just sugar they crave.</div>
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“Here’s where the myth that sugar fuels cancer was born: if cancer cells need lots of glucose, then cutting sugar out of our diet must help stop cancer growth, and could even stop it developing in the first place. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. All our healthy cells need glucose too, and there’s no way of telling our bodies to let healthy cells have the glucose they need, but not give it to cancer cells.</div>
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“There’s no evidence that following a 'sugar-free' diet lowers the risk of getting cancer, or boosts the chances of surviving if you are diagnosed.”</div>
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Lemon water </h3>
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AFP has previously fact-checked claims that drinking hot lemon water can cure cancer in <a href="https://factuel.afp.com/non-leau-chaude-et-le-citron-ne-guerissent-pas-le-cancer" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">this </span></a>report published in French on June 18, 2019.</div>
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Professor Nicolas Boissel, a specialist in blood cancer at the Saint-Louis hospital in Paris, told AFP: "Neither hot water, nor lemon, nor sugar-free diets have proven anti-cancer action. Lemon derivatives (like many other plants for that matter) have shown anti-cancer activity. This probably explains the confusion.”</div>
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Coconut oil </h3>
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The misleading post also claims: "Take spoonfuls of organic coconut oil morning and night, and cancer cells will gradually disappear.”</div>
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Multiple other Thai-language posts on Facebook make similar claims about the purported role of coconut oil as a cure for cancer, for example <a href="https://perma.cc/7EC5-BWX3" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">here</span></a>, <a href="https://perma.cc/S9M7-3VHA" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">here</span></a>, and <a href="https://perma.cc/W5CX-NC73" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">here</span></a>.</div>
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Below is a screenshot of one of the misleading Facebook posts:</div>
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<figure contenteditable="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><img alt="" class="medium-zoom-image" src="https://www.thenews.com.pk//assets/uploads/updates/2019-11-09/553215_3298952_coconutoil_updates.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: zoom-in; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; transition: all 300ms ease 0s; vertical-align: top; width: 501px;" /><div class="zoom-icon" style="background: url("../../images/zoom-in.png") 5px center / 20px 20px no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; bottom: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; height: 30px; left: 5px !important; opacity: 0.7; position: absolute; right: inherit !important; top: 5px; width: 30px;">
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The misleading post's caption says: “Coconut oil’s effectiveness in killing colon cancer cells is as high as 93%” and it shares a link to a<a href="https://perma.cc/3G62-6A5S" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"> post </span></a>with the same headline on a real estate blog.</div>
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The claim is false.</div>
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There is some evidence that lauric acid, which is found in coconut oil, could inhibit cancer cells’ growth, according to<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5601385/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"> this</span></a> study published by the US-based National Library of Medicine in 2017.</div>
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But the study cautioned that: "additional studies are warranted to further corroborate (lauric acid's) usefulness in more comprehensive therapeutic approaches.”</div>
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Oncologist Dr Punlert told AFP that the claim that taking "spoonfuls of organic coconut oil" would cause cancer to disappear was incorrect.</div>
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“The claim is false. We haven’t seen any evidence or information about the cancer treatment related to coconut oil in the human body.”</div>
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This claim has previously been fact-checked by Africa Check in a June 2019 report published <a href="https://africacheck.org/fbcheck/no-role-for-coconut-oil-in-cancer-treatment-in-humans-and-its-not-good-for-the-heart/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">here</span></a>.</div>
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Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816765595943616036.post-60584340728824366412019-11-09T21:11:00.003-08:002021-05-05T05:42:41.859-07:00Superfast 5G network growing leaving europe behind by 2025.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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USA, China, Japan and Korea to dominate 5G: study</h1>
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China, the United States, Japan and Korea will account for more than half of the world’s subscribers to super-fast 5G mobile networks by 2025, leaving Europe lagging, a study showed on Thursday.</div>
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Europe, moving more slowly to build 5G networks, will lag in terms of consumer take-up. Yet the picture looks different in business, where 5G will be able to run ‘smart’ factories using connected robots, devices and sensors.</div>
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“It’s going to be a small cluster of countries that leads adoption in 5G, with the rest of the world following,” Tim Hatt, head of research at GSMA Intelligence, told Reuters.</div>
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“China, Japan, Korea and the US – between those, you’re looking at well over half of worldwide 5G subscribers by 2025.”</div>
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The rapid rollout of 5G networks, with speeds fast enough to download a movie to a smartphone in seconds, has surprised many. Nokia, the world’s No.2 network vendor behind Huawei, recently suspended its dividend to invest in upgrading the 5G gear it sells to carriers.</div>
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In Korea, 66 percent of mobile connections will be 5G by mid-decade, GSMA Intelligence forecast in a 100-page study, followed by the United States on 50 percent and Japan on 49 percent.</div>
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In terms of sheer numbers, China will predominate with 600 million 5G connections. Worldwide, 1.57 billion people are expected to adopt 5G by 2025 - or 18% of total mobile users.</div>
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Early experience shows that carriers can hike 5G prices by 15 percent -20 percent, offering ‘more for more’ unlimited data plans. But, if the past is anything to go by, those gains will eventually be competed away.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Graphic: Forecast 5G Penetration in 2025, here</span></div>
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<h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 20px;">
Europe lags - Or does it?</h3>
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With standards to enter force in a couple of years that will support the development of the industrial ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT), such usage is seen by European industry as a more promising way to recoup the vast outlays needed for 5G.</div>
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Rather than sell to enterprise clients, Hatt said carriers would be better off teaming up with them on projects in the IoT - a market that GSMA Intelligence forecasts will be worth $1 trillion in 2025, roughly equal to total mobile industry revenue last year.</div>
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Yet of that, only 5% will come from connectivity, forcing carriers to compete with global consulting firms and Silicon Valley tech giants like Amazon or Microsoft for the rest of the pie, said Hatt.</div>
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4G rolls on</h3>
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For developing nations, it’s the spread of affordable connectivity through older 4G technology - and not 5G - that will affect the lives of billions of people for years to come, the research arm of telecoms industry group GSMA found.</div>
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Looking to emerging markets like Nigeria, Mexico, India or Indonesia, a combination of cheap Android smartphones and affordable data still offers growth potential.</div>
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GSMA Intelligence forecasts that 59 percent of total worldwide mobile connections will be 4G in 2025.</div>
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“For a lot of these countries 5G is just not on the horizon right now,” said Hatt.</div>
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“That 4G generation (is) for the most part mobile only. They don’t have computers... This is a whole new ball game and the operators are pretty well positioned to take advantage of that.”</div>
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Shahzad Ashraf Butthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06082088367251583927noreply@blogger.com0