News (1)
Pfizer CEO: Oral anti-covi drug may be launched at the end of the year
Reporter : Cheng Rong / Source : Vision Times / https://www.secretchina.com/news/gb/2021/04/28/970109.html / Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Image : The entrance of Pfizer's world headquarters in Manhattan, New York, USA. (Coolcaesar / CC BY-SA 4.0)
Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla, on 27 April 2021 said that he hopes the company is in early trials of the phase of oral anti-covi drug therapy which will be completed before the end of 2021.
When asked about the timetable, Paula told the CNBC co-host: "...If everything goes well, we implement it at the speed so far, we do it, and if the regulators do the same, they do too. I do this, I hope before the end of this year."
Fox News, this week asked Pfizer to confirm the timetable, although a spokeswoman was unwilling to give an answer without data.
Pfizer spokesperson Jerica Pitts wrote in an email statement, "This project is in the first phase and we need data to be able to speculate on any results or timetable."
In an interview with CNBC, Paula described several advantages of this pill.
Paula said: "One of them is that you don't need to go to the hospital for treatment. So far, all injections are like this, but you can get it at home. This may be a game change."
Dr. Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer’s chief scientific officer and president of global research, development and healthcare, previously explained that this therapy can “prescribe the patient at the first sign of infection” without the need for hospital care .
The so-called "protease inhibitor" drug candidates work by preventing virus replication. If the virus cannot replicate, then it cannot further infect the host. Pfizer previously announced that laboratory studies have shown that the drug candidate is effective against SARS-CoV-2 (covi, CCP virus, the virus that causes covid) and other coronaviruses. The company is also studying an intravenous protease inhibitor in a phase 1b trial as an option for hospitalized patients.
Paula believes that this pill will be able to resist mutant strains because it does not target the surface spike protein of the virus.
Paula continued, "The mechanism of action, it is like this. It is expected that it will not be affected by mutations, especially because it does not affect spikes. We all know that all the mutations we hear now are spikes. Seen in protein. This drug does not work against that (spike protein), so this leads us to believe that it will be more effective for many variants."
Paula pointed out that there may be more updates on research progress this summer.
News (2) to (5) / Reporters : Luo Ya and Zhang Yujie / Editor : Li Qiong / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/27/n12909711.htm / Direct translation
News (2)
The Chinese Communist Party behaves abnormally towards the epidemic in India
The SARS-CoV-2 (CCP virus, covi, novel coronavirus) epidemic in India is out of control, and India is currently the most severely affected country in the world. While the CCP claimed to be assisting India, its state-owned airline company suspended the flight of medical supplies. Australian scholar Qin Jin told The Epoch Times that this is the CCP’s consistent political retaliation method. The families of the victims of the epidemic in mainland China said that the CCP has lied for a long time and denied its responsibilities for the epidemic in every possible way. The essence of this can be seen from its suppression of the people in China.
The epidemic in India continues to spread. Last week alone, the number of new cases in a single week reached 2.25 million, and last Sunday (25th) there were 350,000 new cases in a single day, setting the world record for single-day confirmed diagnoses for the fourth consecutive day. At present, the death toll from the CCP virus in India has soared by nearly 90%, and one person dies every four minutes in the capital.
The CCP claimed to aid India, but the Times of India disclosed on 26 April that Sichuan Airlines Logistics, a subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned Sichuan Airlines, issued a letter on Monday to suspend cargo flights on six routes including Xi'an and Delhi on 15 April. The report also mentioned that the suspension of cargo flights by Sichuan Airlines will suspend India's procurement of oxygen machines and other medical supplies from China. At present, Indian private companies are also purchasing medical supplies from China, and the suspension of cargo flights hinders India from purchasing urgently needed items at this critical moment.
Indian traders also found that the price of Chinese related materials has increased by 35% to 40%, and the freight price has also increased by about 20%.
In this regard, the CCP claimed that Sichuan Airlines decided on its own anti-epidemic policy, and said that the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and other countries have also restricted Indian flights but in fact, countries have not restricted the flight of medical supplies. On the contrary, they are actively assisting in the fight against SARS-CoV-2.
The United States said on 26 April that it will urgently provide India with the raw materials, medical equipment and protective equipment needed to produce vaccines. British medical supplies arrived in India on the 27th; France and Germany also pledged to provide rapid support; Taiwan has begun to coordinate domestic resources to accelerate the humanitarian relief process.
News (3)
Scholar: The CCP deliberately makes things difficult for India, political revenge
Qin Jin, chairman of the Front for a Democratic China and a PhD in sociology from the University of Sydney, Australia, told the Epoch Times reporter on 27 April that Sino-Indian relations are tense. The CCP is using its usual methods of political suppression to retaliate against India. The Indian government and people should use this incident to be wary of the CCP.
Qin Jin said, "I think this is a deliberate attempt by the Chinese Communist Party to make things difficult for India, because the Chinese Communist Party is very good at doing such things. The East is not bright, the West is bright, and which pot is not opened. Since the relationship with India is very tense, on the border there have been conflicts, and this time it can take care of other things about the epidemic in India. There is no doubt that it can retaliate against India in this way."
Qin Jin took Australia as an example and said that Australia proposed to conduct an independent investigation in the CCP virus, and the Chinese Communist Party retaliated against Australia, which made it extremely difficult for Australian products to enter the mainland. He said, "The official Chinese (CCP) statement about this (the suspension of Indian flights) was not deliberate. I hope the Indian government can see this issue clearly. If you want to communicate with the CCP, the CCP will definitely come up with various ways to do so including retaliation. The CCP uses idiomatic techniques and tactics against India."
However, Qin Jin also stated that the CCP will not do any good to itself by doing so. He said, "(The CCP) will not necessarily bring any benefits to the CCP if it is backlashed by India and other countries. For example, Australia has now cancelled the One Belt One Road agreement between the CCP and the Victorian province, which will be beneficial to the CCP’s global expansion. It's a big setback."
News (4)
What is the root of the Indian tragedy? The CCP is the real "fire arson"
Regarding what the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying said on April 26 to provide assistance to India, American commentator and China expert Gordon G. Chang tweeted: "Thank you (China), You can help India—and the world—as long as you tell the source of Covid-19. #coronavirus #WuhanLab"
Qin Jin also told the Epoch Times reporter that the root cause of all is the Wuhan CCP virus, which has brought about changes throughout the world. Now India is suffering so much from the Wuhan epidemic.
He said, "The former Australian Minister of Immigration once said that some political parties set fires while fighting fires. They set fires and they acted as firefighters. They seemed to work hard. In fact, if you don't set fires at first, you don't need to put out fires at all. Use this to extend the idea that the virus was originally in the laboratory, and the laboratory leak came from Wuhan. The crux and the root of the problem are all in Wuhan. Now the Chinese (CCP) government has taken out a very innocent face, and it helps to save this. The world, in fact, is playing the role of firefighters to fight fires for everyone to see, and people in the world who have suffered fires must thank it."
News (5)
Family members of victims: The CCP "helps" other countries and suppresses its citizens
In response to the CCP’s actions, Zhang Hai, a family member of a victim of Wuhan CCP virus, disclosed to Epoch Times reporters on the 27th that the CCP did not respond to the victims and their families while helping other countries at home, and used various means to suppress it.
He said: "I always think that our country (the CCP) helps this and that country, but has ignored our new crown victims' families so far. If you want to speak up, you want to appeal, it will give you all kinds of suppression and all kinds of Smearing, all kinds of stigmatization, all kinds of surveillance. You don't treat your own people kindly, and you don't treat the people as humans at all."
Zhang Hai is from Wuhan and currently lives in Shenzhen. His father died of covid on 1 February 2020. Zhang Hai and the families of other victims sued the Wuhan government but they were officially dismissed and interrogated. After they were interviewed by the Associated Press, they were threatened by the CCP, their WeChat accounts blocked, and silenced.
Zhang Hai revealed that the victims of the CCP virus did not receive any compensation or apology. They were suppressed and monitored as long as they spoke. He said, "They (the CCP) do everything they want. There is no lower limit for using the next three abuse methods. They track you. I was in Wuhan some time ago. There are cars and people stalking you, harassing you, and at the same time, they are stalking you. They warn others not to associate with me, trying to divide our victimized family members."
He said that the origin of the CCP virus is Wuhan, and the Communist Party denies its crimes in every possible way. He said, "The epidemic itself broke out in Wuhan. You (the CCP) caused so many people in Wuhan and caused the (epidemic) to spread globally. You (the CCP) did not apologize. You said that you are a country under the rule of law. We sue, you (the CCP) said that you would not file a case, and you did not give anything (written reply), just verbal. Therefore, ordinary people like us are not (being) treated as people in the eyes of the government." "You (the CCP) deliberately commit crimes. The Communist Party has not recognized criminal acts in every possible way so far."
Zhang Hai said that the CCP officials have always told lies, and the society under the CCP’s rule has been distorted as a result, and those who tell the truth have been suppressed. He said, "Hua Chunying, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China, has been telling lies for a long time. What 1.4 billion Chinese people can publish their opinions and comments on the Internet, she can tell lies and talk nonsense but I can’t tell the truth. So it’s forbidden."
He said angrily: "Our current society is particularly abnormal and distorted. Everything has to be lied. The living space of people who tell the truth will become smaller and smaller. It will isolate you and discredit you. I feel particularly sad for the Chinese."
News (6) to (7) / Editor : Li Hao / Publisher : "Yokogawa View" Production Team / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/27/n12909690.htm / Direct translation
News (6)
The first evidence disclosed by the British newspaper
The British "Daily Mail" published an article on Saturday, stating that the documents they obtained indicate that the CCP initiated a search for new animal viruses and the biological "dark matter" involved in their infection at least 9 years ago. The so-called "dark matter" should be Unknown pathogens and pathogenic mechanisms.
The project leader is academician Xu Jianguo, and the leaders of the five research groups are Shi Zhengli, Cao Wuchun and others. Earlier, the U.S. State Department and senior officials did mention that the Wuhan Institute of Virology is part of the military’s biological weapons research and development. The sequence analysis of Yan Limeng and others showed that the CCP virus was found in addition to the spike protein gene sequence and the military’s Nanjing Military Region Research Institute. The two Zhoushan bat coronaviruses announced are highly similar.
Although the document disclosed by the British newspaper was not seen, the project mentioned in it started in 2012, which obviously coincides with a publicly announced project accepted by the National Natural Science Foundation in 2018. Project acceptance mentioned that after 5 years, the time also coincides.
Four of the five project leaders in the project are related to the CCP virus epidemic, and the two key figures proving the cooperation between Wuhan Institute of Virology and the military, Shi Zhengli and Cao Wuchun, Cao is the current major general, Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences Director, Director of the State Key Laboratory of Biosafety of Pathogenic Microorganisms, Member of the Military Biosafety Expert Committee, and Member of the Anti-Terrorism (Biological) Emergency Response Expert Committee of the Ministry of Health. The so-called biological counter-terrorism is related to the development of biological weapons. He is the person in charge of the team sent to take over the Wuhan Virus Institute, second only to Chen Wei.
What does it prove? Shi Zhengli and the military are working together under the same project, which is at least cooperation. With military-civilian cooperation in China, it is unlikely that the military will completely separate from the overall scientific development and engage in projects on its own.
Is this part of the military's biological weapons development? The military develops biological weapons, not necessarily in the name of biological weapons, but often in the name of defense. In the past, the Academy of Military Sciences had specialized in researching athletes avoiding drug inspections to improve athletic performance, and it was nominally researching how to test athletes' medications.
The acceptance of the project on January 19, 2018 mentioned that the project “prospectively proposed the risk of potential new infectious diseases in my country, including West Nile virus, Zika virus, SARS-like coronavirus, goat anaplasma, and Alzheimer’s disease. Infections of Escherichia bottii, etc.". Less than two years after acceptance, the Chinese Communist Party virus broke out in Wuhan, one of the research groups, and it has raged the world so far. It is no coincidence that the topic of the project is "The discovery of animal-derived pathogens and their pathogenicity studies on humans."
From this point of view, the CCP said that there was no preparation and no experience in the early stage of the outbreak, so the claim that all the samples were destroyed is not valid. There is only one possibility, which is to destroy the evidence intentionally.
The "Daily Mail" also pointed out that Shi Zhengli's team deleted the virus sample database from the Internet in September 2019. The article only said that a few weeks before the outbreak, the analysis now shows that the evidence should be destroyed in advance when the outbreak first broke out in the laboratory in the fall.
If it is such a large-scale study, why can't I find direct evidence? There are two types of evidence: human evidence and physical evidence. In fact, these institutions have people studying in the United States and American collaborators. It is impossible not to disclose them at all. But the direct participants will not admit it because they are facing ruin and will be investigated, and those who know it will not admit it because they have interests, and they also face the problem of accountability.
In fact, we have already seen similar situations, such as the crime of live organ harvesting. There are not a few participants and insiders. Why is no one out there? For the same reason, people in the circle dare not admit it, and confession is a crime against humanity. Individuals have to bear criminal responsibility, and people outside the circle lack evidence.
Is the evidence enough? Simon, the Nazi hunter, was a talented architect. People said that he could reconstruct the original building from the bricks and building materials scattered in the ruins. That was to put the scattered evidence into the full picture of the original Holocaust system. More than a thousand Nazis were sent to court.
But this has a prerequisite, that is, the Nazis have been defeated, the whole world is chasing blame, and there is a strong but not big Israel behind it. None of these are currently available. A Jew discovered that Aikman, the main executor of Hitler’s final solution, was hiding in Argentina, and the report was given to Simon, who verified it and gave the report to Mossad. Since then, Mossad has taken over the investigation. And handling, prohibiting civilians from intervening to ensure their safety.
The final result is known. Mossad kidnapped Aikman from Argentina and returned to Israel for trial and sentenced to death. This is the only Nazi war criminal who may be tried by Israel, because Israel was not yet at the time of the Nuremberg trial.
News (7)
The trend of U.S. population migration from Blue states to Red states
According to the results of the U.S. Census, due to demographic changes, some states have reduced the number of seats in Congress, and some have increased. It is worth noting that the population of New York State and the number of seats in Congress have continued to decrease, and California, the sunniest and most attractive place for immigrants in the past few decades, is number one. The number of seats for parliamentarians was reduced due to the decrease in population. Although generally speaking, the number of rust states has decreased and the number of sunshine states has increased, but from another perspective, it can be said that most of the increase is in the Red state, and the decrease is in the Blue state.
Especially compare California and Texas. These two states are both large in land and population, and are also the states with the largest migration of people. In the past ten years or so, the population of California has continued to move to Texas, mainly to evade California’s taxation and ultra-left policies. This can be seen as an American style. Vote with your feet. Many start-up companies are engaged in research and development in California, because California's technological strength is concentrated. Once they have a product, they move to Texas.
Because development depends on investment, it is not profitable, and there is no tax. If the product is profitable, there is no state tax when moving to Texas. This allows politically conservative states with small governments and low taxes to attract capital, talent, and technology. By increasing the number of seats in Congress, the political influence of conservatives can also be increased.
However, it also brings another side effect. A large number of immigrants bring not only economic benefits, but also a lot of leftist ideas and voters. Politically, the red state has begun to turn blue. So now many Texans say that immigrants from California are welcome, but hope Keep leftist ideas in California.
In the past, some people always said that the quality of Chinese is not good. Since voting with their feet, they are not trying to integrate into the country of their choice, but to change the United States into the China under the rule of the CCP that they have fled from. In fact, the same is true for Americans. From this point of view, it makes sense to compare communist socialism to a human cancer.
China’s census results have been delayed, and data needs to be adjusted for population decline? Now it seems to have begun to spread through foreign media. We will have the opportunity to discuss this topic later.
The Arizona audit went hand in hand. After the general election, various red states in the United States, or states in which the Republican Party controls the Congress, began various legislative actions to make up for the situation, and continued efforts to explore the general election issues, the most typical of which is Arizona.
The Arizona State Senate announced the hiring of 4 independent companies to audit 2.1 million votes in Maricopa County. Maricopa is the largest county in Arizona, where 62% of the population and the capital, Phoenix, are located in this county.
The audit started last Friday. The Democrats of the state tried to delay the audit on security grounds. The judge agreed, but the Democrats refused to pay a security deposit of $1 million, so the audit continued. The Republican Party installed 9 cameras to broadcast live audits to the public 24 hours a day.
On Sunday, the judge in the case, Coury, withdrew from the case on the grounds of avoiding suspicion, and a judge, Martin, has been appointed to take over. The Democratic Party of the state is doing its utmost to prevent the audit from proceeding and has dispatched hundreds of lawyers. If the conservatives are gathering forces to fight after the election, Arizona is the first battlefield to meet each other.
Judge Coury’s reason for avoiding suspicion was that a legal adviser from the auditing company had worked in his office within 5 years but the real reason is not necessarily this, I believe he is under great pressure.
So the original hearing on Monday should be held by the new judge Martin on Tuesday. One of the reasons the Democratic Party opposes is that the boss of the leading audit company supports the "Stop Steal" campaign. President Trump tweeted repeatedly, criticizing the governor for not providing necessary or additional security protection for the audit, supporting the state Senate's audit and criticizing the efforts of Democrats to prevent the audit.
From an overall point of view, both parties regard this audit as crucial, because the audit results will prove or deny the accuracy and legality of the votes and vote counts in the general election process. It is not only the result of a state in Arizona that affects the result, this state Biden won 10,000 votes. If it is overturned, the votes of other controversial swing states will have good reasons for questioning. It is not difficult to understand that one side is bound to win, and the other side is strictly guarding against it. Of course, everyone knows what is the real reason for opposing the audit. If there are no ghosts in your heart, what are you afraid of?
News (8) to (9) / Reporter : Wu Weina / Compiled by Gao Shan / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/27/n12909703.htm / Direct translation
News (8)
Help India fight the epidemic, the United States provides oxygen cylinders and other epidemic prevention materials
The United States has decided to support India’s epidemic prevention by providing it with oxygen cylinders, oxygen generator systems, oxygen concentrators, ventilators, treatment devices, and individuals Protective equipment, tests and other related materials to help this South Asian country cope with the surge of SARS-CoV-2 (CCP virus) infection cases.
But some critics say that Biden's assistance has been late and progress is slow.
In the past five days, the number of CCP virus infections in India has increased by more than 300,000 daily, setting a new world record. On April 26, there were 352,991 new infections. Since the beginning of the epidemic, more than 17 million cases of infection have been recorded.
A senior White House government official said at a press conference on April 26: “India is now facing a surge in (infected cases). We are currently exploring various aspects of support, and the support we are providing will immediately play a role in the local area.”
He said: "In response to India's request, we are exploring plans to provide oxygen cylinders and related materials. These are resources specifically requested by India and are very high on their priority list."
On the day of the media conference call, US President Joe Biden had a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders agreed to “closely cooperate” to fight the epidemic and protect their “communities and citizens” Health".
On 26 April, Biden posted a message on Twitter: “Just as India provided assistance to the United States when our hospital was tense at the beginning of the epidemic, we are determined to provide assistance when India needs it.”
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also had a conversation with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. He talked about the fight against smallpox, polio and HIV in the United States and India. "In terms of long-term cooperative relations. Sullivan told Dorval that the United States will send a team of public health consultants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to work with the U.S. Embassy, The Minister of Health of India cooperated with the Indian outbreak intelligence personnel.
National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement: “The United States has identified the source of specific raw materials urgently needed for the Covisshield vaccine in India and will immediately Provided by India."
News (9)
Biden responds to criticism
Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Wilson Center and senior assistant for South Asian affairs in Washington, told The Epoch Times that the Biden administration’s decision to provide assistance to India “is certainly a The “Popular Decision” is also a “valuable and comprehensive assistance program”, but it should have come earlier.
He said that this is more an expression of support and solidarity for the Indian people, rather than providing assistance, because India and the United States have a "broad partnership."
Kugelman said, "The U.S. response to public diplomacy could have been better. This information could have been delivered faster. But I think what is important in the end is that aid is coming."
Dr. Harsh Pant, research director and strategic research project leader of the Observer Research Foundation, based in New Delhi, also said that the United States has been a little late in responding to this “tragedy”.
He said, "I think that the US side has remained completely silent in the past few days. It has been clearly visible in India. I think the Indian side has an angry feeling about it."
The Indian media took note of the speech by Ned Price, the spokesperson of the US State Department, at a press conference on April 22. In response to a question about whether the United States will support India in the recent crisis in India, Price replied that the United States has a "special responsibility" to take care of its citizens first.
A few days later, Sullivan's attitude in his letter to Dorval became more supportive.
Earlier this month, the US Navy's Seventh Fleet conducted a "free navigation" operation through the Indian Special Economic Zone near Lakshadweep Islands without India's prior consent. Although the U.S. government later stated that this was an unintentional move, Pant said that the Indian side was "connecting various things" and led to the Indians' negative attitude towards the Biden administration.
In addition to providing oxygen cylinders, the US government is also exploring the availability of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, and is cooperating with India to ensure that US equipment is compatible with Indian equipment and provide necessary training.
Other types of assistance that the United States is providing include treatment, personal protective equipment, and virus testing. The United States is also providing commercial supplies of the therapeutic drug Remdesivir to Indian patients.
News (10) to (13) / Reporter : Zhang Chunzhi / Editor : Fang Ping / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/27/n12909718.htm / Direct translation
News (10)
The virus mutates at an alarming rate, the U.S. also has three mutant variants from India
India’s second wave of covid has intensified in recent days. The number of confirmed cases and deaths has set a record. Hospitals are overwhelmed. It is too late for cremation. However, what is even more worrying is that India has exposed a new threat-the triple-mutant B.1.618 variant virus. Vinod Scaria, a researcher at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) of the Science and Industrial Research Council in New Delhi, said this new variant is more contagious and may escape any type of immune barrier.
Researchers believe that this triple-mutation variant evolved from the previous double-mutation B.1.617 variant that appeared in India, and the recent out-of-control of the epidemic in India is related to the widespread spread of the B.1.617 double mutation.
According to reports, the double-mutant B.1.617 variant is dominant in all states in India with a surge in infection cases, such as Maharashtra, Delhi, and Chhattisgarh. Today, this double-mutant virus has been further mutated into a new three-mutation variant, called the B.1.618 variant (also known as the Bengal variant). In addition to India, the triple mutant B.1.618 variant has also been found in the United States, Singapore, Switzerland and Finland.
Skaria said in its Twitter on 20 April that the earliest sequence of this new triple-mutant B.1.618 variant was isolated from a sample collected from a patient in West Bengal on 25 October 2020. The last time it was detected was on 17 March. In the past three months in West Bengal, the proportion of the three mutants has "remarkably increased", but researchers still have many "unknowns" about the virus strain.
According to a research report quoted by "India Today", the three-mutation B.1.618 variant may constitute "up to 15%" of the virus genome in West Bengal between January and March this year.
News (11)
Three mutant variants spread faster, evade immunity
Dr. Madhukar Pai, a professor of epidemiology at McGill University, said in a recent interview, "The triple-mutation B.1.618 variant is a more easily transmitted variant virus that is causing many people to get sick quickly."
Amulya Panda, Director of the National Institute of Immunology (NII) of the Prime Minister’s Office of India, said, "The three-mutation B.1.618 variant spreads faster, causing more patients to have symptoms of dyspnea, but it seems to be compared with the previous virus fatality rate. It is not very dangerous."
The three-mutation B.1.618 variant lacks two amino acids H146 and Y145 (the effect remains to be studied), and has two mutations in the spike protein E484K and D614G. Studies have found that viruses with the D614G mutation spread faster; while E484K is the main mutation in the South African and Brazilian variants. This mutation changes the shape of the virus surface, causing antibodies to fail to recognize, thereby reducing the effects of vaccines and antibodies.
Sreedhar Chinnaswamy, a researcher at the National Institute of Biomedical Genome Research in India, told the Times of India that this three-mutation variant carries the E484K mutation that can escape the immune system. This means that even if it has been infected with other SARS-CoV-2 strains before, or has already if you have been vaccinated, there is no guarantee that you will not be infected with this variant.
According to weather.com, the online database GISAID shows that B.1.618 is the third most common variant in India in the last 60 days and has caused nearly 12% of infections. On the other hand, the double mutation B.1.617 caused 28% of infections. Another variant frequently found in sequencing is the British B.1.1.7 variant virus.
News (12)
Double mutant Indian variants have also appeared in California
In early April of this year, scientists at Stanford University announced that they had confirmed the nation's first "double mutant" B.1.617 variant virus. The variant strain was found in samples collected from the North Kawan District. Scientists believe that a few people may have been infected with this new variant. B.1.617 double mutation variant contains two original mutations of L452R and E484Q that have swept the world. The L452R mutation is the main mutation of the native California variant CAL.20C, which is thought to be related to the large-scale outbreak of the CCP virus in California a while ago. The E484Q mutation is similar to the E484K mutation, which can cause the virus to evade the immune system.
India’s B.1.617 double mutant was first discovered in October last year. In less than half a year, the variant has continued to mutate to the more terrifying triple mutant virus, which has also caused more people to worry about the covi mutant virus.
News (13)
CCP virus's amazing ability to mutate
In addition to the Indian double and triple mutation variants, the main COVID-19 variants that have been discovered so far include the British variant, the Brazilian variant, the South African variant, and the California variant (West Coast variant).
Scientists say that COVID-19 has the amazing ability to mutate and change its structure according to the scale of transmission. As the virus spreads widely, its mutations are increasing. Every infected person is a hotbed of possible mutation. The current major COVID-19 variant viruses are mutating in the direction of being more contagious, spreading faster, and evading immunity.
According to reports, after the first wave of the epidemic in India, positive antibodies accounted for more than half of the tests in many places, and the proportion of antibodies in some places even reached the high proportion required for herd immunity. However, in the face of this second wave of mutant virus-led epidemics, even areas with a high proportion of antibodies did not seem to show resistance.
At present, the proportion of variant virus cases in the United States is still low. However, the outbreaks of variant viruses in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and India in these countries have also made other regions more worried.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of April 27, more than 20,915 cases of the British B.1.1.7 variant virus have been found in 52 states across the United States; 453 cases of the South African B.1.351 variant virus have been found in 36 states; There are 497 cases of Brazilian P.1 variant virus found in 31 states.
There were 1001 cases, 18 cases and 41 cases in the British variant, South African variant, and Brazilian variant in California. In addition, California Governor Newsom said on 9 February that 1,200 cases of the West Coast covi variant have been detected throughout the state.
News (14)
CDC relaxes guidelines for outdoor masks, Biden explains in speech
Reporter : Zhang Ting / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/27/n12909515.htm / Direct translation
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday (27 April 2021) relaxed guidelines for outdoor masks. People who are fully vaccinated against covid do not need to wear masks when walking, hiking, biking, running alone or gathering in small groups outdoors but they still need to wear masks in crowded occasions. President Biden explained the new guidelines that day.
This is an important step for the United States to relax its anti-epidemic guidelines. The CDC said that in indoor and outdoor public places where the risk of COVID-19 transmission is high, vaccinated persons should still wear masks, such as concerts, sports events and other crowded places.
The CDC also stated that fully vaccinated people should still wear masks when they have indoor gatherings with unvaccinated people, or go to barbershops, hair salons, shopping malls, museums, cinemas, or crowded places of worship. If the vaccinated person sings in the indoor choir, they should also wear a mask.
President Biden delivered a speech on the North Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, reiterating the CDC's latest epidemic prevention guidelines.
"Earlier today, the CDC made a major announcement. Starting today, if you are fully vaccinated, and outdoors, and not in a large crowd, you do not need to wear a mask." Biden said. However, he also emphasized that in crowded spaces, such as concerts, it is still necessary to wear a mask even when outdoors.
Biden also said that if you are gathering with a group of friends in the park or going to a picnic, "you can do without a mask."
"If you are vaccinated, you can do more safely indoors and outdoors." Biden continued, "For those who have not been vaccinated, this is another good reason to be vaccinated. This is In order to save your life and the lives of those around you, this is to restore normal life."
Earlier Tuesday, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at the White House covid briefing before Biden’s speech that current scientific evidence shows that in many cases, fully vaccinated people No need to wear a mask, especially when outdoors.
Valensky further said that those who are fully vaccinated, either 14 days after the second Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks after receiving a dose of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, can be with vaccinated or unvaccinated people. Attend small outdoor gatherings or dine with friends from multiple families without wearing a mask.
At the briefing, Varensky also stated that less than 10% of recorded viral transmissions occur outdoors. As vaccination rates increase and the rate of new cases declines, the CDC has incentives to update its guidelines.
The CDC said on its website that, except in certain crowded environments and places, fully vaccinated people can gather or carry out activities outdoors without wearing a mask. The update also clarified that fully vaccinated employees no longer need to be restricted from work as long as they show no symptoms after being exposed to an environment where the virus may spread.
News (15)
The advantages of covi vaccination in CCP China
Reporter : Luo Ya / Editor : Li Qiong / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/27/n12909328.htm / Extract translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
In mainland China, because the CCP has not announced any abnormalities or fatalities after vaccination, many people are worried about the safety of the vaccine and refuse to receive vaccination. Has become a political task. In order to complete the task of inoculation, all localities resorted to various methods such as lure and intimidation. Shanghai’s Yangpu District has been exposed to the launch of a five-star hotel travel reward package upon registration; there are also local street publicity and inoculations to give a bonus of 200 RMB.
Ms. Lin, a white-collar worker in Shanghai, disclosed to The Epoch Times that there are now more incentives for those who have not yet been vaccinated in Kongjiang Street, Yangpu District, Shanghai. "As long as you sign up for the injection, it is a five-star hotel + Flower Expo for two days and one night, chartered. No need for a car. You are a resident of Yangpu District, other districts will do, as long as you go to Yangpu to register with Jiangjiang."
Ms. Lin also said, “Now the neighborhood committee asks the residents who have not been vaccinated door to door when to vaccinate. No matter whether you are preparing for pregnancy or not, if you continue this way, you will not give up unless you are pregnant and show them a B-ultrasound sheet. Otherwise, you will be asked for pregnancy. ."
"In some places, in order to increase the number of vaccinations, people were hired to advertise. I saw a man on the sidewalk of Baotou Road with a billboard on his head and neck that said '200 yuan for the CCP virus vaccination'. At the same time the tweeter kept playing the good news, the CCP virus vaccination award. 200 RMB per person.'" she said.
In addition to vaccinations, bonuses and travel packages, the community was exposed to the checkpoints and continuously broadcasted through loudspeakers, "With vaccinations, get vouchers to enter and leave the community, and free vaccinations will expire at the end of this month."
The netizen "Shanshan is late" said sarcastically, "The party is really upset to vaccinate the people. From the delivery of eggs to movie tickets, to the prize of 100 cash, it has now risen to 200 RMB. The market is now bullish, folks. , Wait a minute, maybe one shot will reward more than tens of millions, and getting rich overnight is not a dream!"
Mr. Wu, a citizen near the South China Seafood Market in Wuhan, told The Epoch Times that this vaccination incentive is a strategy to promote vaccination and is to attract people who are greedy for cheap.
Mr. Wu also believes that whether it is to induce or intimidate, "It is difficult to say whether these practices will work. After all, everyone dare not make fun of life safety. It may be different from place to place, but based on the overall trend of the country, the CCP does fight vaccines. The fact that there are fewer people is very anxious, and the CCP does everything possible to deceive people for vaccination."
He also introduced that his community has been urging him, and he sends text messages to notify him to get vaccinations every other time. "There are very few people around me who go to fight. I am going to wait for the imported vaccines to come in, and see if I can find a relationship to fight the import."
He analyzed that the CCP used to emphasize domestic vaccines and discredit foreign vaccines. Now it is introducing imported vaccines. "(This) shows that the CCP really wants more people to get vaccines. It no longer cares whether it is domestically produced or not. (Is it) it can be used as political achievements."
"On the one hand, it should be because the actual epidemic situation is more serious than the official announcement. On the other hand, it is true that the CCP is worried that after other countries have established herd immunity, the compulsory lockdown of the city will be too costly to play." He said.
News (16)
Over 100 people in the U.S. Embassy in India are reported to have contracted covid
Reporter : Li Yan / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/27/n12909341.htm / Direct translation
The second wave of the CCP virus epidemic in India has worsened, and many embassies in India have suspended visas and other foreign operations. There was more news on Tuesday (April 27) that hundreds of people were diagnosed in the US Embassy in India, and two employees died. The US Embassy spokesperson responded.
The second wave of covid in India has continued to worsen, with an average of more than 300,000 new cases per day recently. What's more serious is that the surge in patients has led to the collapse of the medical system, the lack of various medical resources such as oxygen, and the difficulty of finding hospital beds. Embassies in various countries in India are also affected.
The Central News Agency reported that the epidemic in New Delhi, the capital of India, has deteriorated rapidly. The city government announced that the city has been closed for six days in order to control the epidemic and announced an extension of the lockdown measures for one week. However, officials, necessary service personnel and diplomats are allowed to work normally.
However, most foreign embassies in New Delhi have switched to work from home, and visa services have also been suspended. Some European embassies are even considering temporarily withdrawing their officials in that country.
CNN quoted an unnamed source on Tuesday as saying that more than 100 people at the US Embassy in India have been diagnosed with the disease in recent weeks and two employees have died as a result.
However, the source did not disclose in detail which United States agency in India and other relevant information the confirmed and deceased came from.
The United States currently has an embassy in Delhi and consulates in five different cities. There are two to three thousand American officials and employees.
A source told CNN that some employees of US agencies in India are frustrated that they have not been prioritized vaccinations while many European and American diplomats have already been vaccinated.
A spokesperson for the US Embassy in India said on Tuesday that they are monitoring the outbreak in India and taking necessary measures to protect the health and welfare of employees, including providing them with vaccines.
Speaking of reports about embassy staff being affected by the CCP virus, a spokesperson for the US embassy told Asia International News (ANI), “We are closely monitoring this situation and are taking necessary measures to protect the health and safety of our employees. Well-being, including providing them with vaccines. Due to privacy issues, we cannot share more information."
The spokesperson also expressed sympathy to the Indian people, "We express our deepest sympathy to the Indian people who are suffering in this global pandemic."
According to the latest government data, India has reported 3,23,144 new cases and 2,771 deaths in the past 24 hours.
News (17)
Worldwide inflation and bubbles
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Foreign media reported that at present, whether it is construction wood, raw materials, Bitcoin to stocks, many assets have soared at the same time, which was quite rare in the past, making senior investors quite uneasy.
Jeremy Grantham, founder and chief investment strategist at GMO Asset Management, said: "This time is very different from the bubble we have experienced in the past. The previous bubble appeared when the economy seemed perfect, but this time it started to rise when the economy was hit hard. "
He has accurately predicted many economic crises in the past, including the Japanese asset bubble in late 1980, the tech dot bubble in 2000, and the 2008 sub-prime storm. He is regarded as a "legendary disaster prophet".
The face of "everything is rising" is reminiscent of the "Roaring’20s" and the dot-com bubble. Both experienced dramatic crashes, and it took many years for the stock market to return to its former level. Investment experts worry that history will repeat itself and even speculate that the correction may be even greater.
In fact, data shows that the current price-earnings ratio of the US Standard Index is about 26 times. But another measure-the CAPE Shiller P/E ratio (CAPE Shiller P/E ratio) has risen to a 20-year high of 37.6 times.
News (18)
Myanmar's NUG disappointed with ASEAN consensus
Source : The Irrawaddy
Myanmar’s civilian National Unity Government (NUG) has responded to the “five-point consensus” on the crisis in the country agreed by ASEAN leaders in Jakarta on April 24, saying that the discussions didn’t reflect the true situation and aspirations of Myanmar’s people.
Prime Minister Mahn Winn Khaing Thann of the NUG also rejected the first point of the consensus, which states that “all parties shall exercise utmost restraint”, as wrong because the sole perpetrator of the violence is the military.
“I wish to highlight that the violence is one-sided and committed by only one party,” he was quoted as saying in the NUG statement released on Tuesday in response to the ASEAN-junta consensus.
The regional bloc declined to invite representatives of the NUG recently formed by elected lawmakers from the 2020 general election, and which has the mandate and support of the Myanmar people. Instead ASEAN invited coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to the summit, which comes after at least 750 civilians have been killed by the regime’s forces.
Prime Minister Mahn Winn Khaing Thann said that while the NUG didn’t have the opportunity to brief the bloc about the daily reality of life under military rule that the people of Myanmar face, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing was given the opportunity to justify the military’s actions regarding law and order and stability in the country. That is despite the fact that the documented visual and reported evidence points to the contrary.
The five-point consensus released hours after the ASEAN meeting on Saturday lists five points: 1) the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar and that all parties shall exercise utmost restraint; 2) constructive dialogue among all parties concerned to seek a peaceful solution in the interests of the people; 3) mediation to be facilitated by an envoy of ASEAN’s chair, with the assistance of the secretary-general; 4) humanitarian assistance provided by ASEAN’s Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre); and 5) a visit by the special envoy and delegation to Myanmar to meet all parties concerned.
Many people in Myanmar are distressed by the first item and disappointed by ASEAN’s exclusion of the NUG from the summit, and believe it shows that ASEAN does not understand the true situation in Myanmar.
Since the Feb. 1 coup, human rights violations such as the use of excessive or lethal force against unarmed civilians have been committed exclusively by the military. Just hours after the announcement of the five-point consensus, the military and police were harassing people who were banging pots and pans in protest at the junta, the prime minister said in the statement.
The prime minister called on ASEAN in the statement to engage with the NUG as the true representative government of the people of Myanmar. He also called for the NUG to be consulted on the ASEAN envoy’s mission and mandate, humanitarian assistance mission and also to establish accountability mechanisms for monitoring the regime’s compliance with the five-point consensus.
The statement added that while it appreciated that ASEAN wishes to facilitate constructive dialog among key stakeholders, there must be an unconditional release of political prisoners, including President U Win Myint and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, before any such dialog can take place.
The bloc failed to urge the military to release the political prisoners arrested by the regime since the coup, while only some ASEAN leaders have called individually for that. At least 4,484 people have been arrested since the military overthrew the elected civilian government. 3,441 of them, including elected leaders, lawmakers, activists and student protesters, are still being detained by the junta.
The NUG prime minister expressed his thanks to Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for reiterating their call for the release of political prisoners in the Tuesday statement.
The NUG also stressed the importance of including representatives of the civil disobedience movement and ethnic armed organizations in the dialog process to ensure that all voices against military rule in Myanmar are heard by ASEAN.
During the meeting with the assembled leaders of Southeast Asian nations, the coup leader said he is not opposed to a role for the bloc but made no vows to end the use of force or to free detainees.
In an announcement made on Monday, two days after the meeting, the coup leader said he would carefully consider ASEAN leaders’ recommended steps for solving the political crisis in his country after the situation stabilizes.
News (19)
Fighting resumes in Chin State after talks with Myanmar military fail
Source : The Irrawaddy
Fighting resumed in Mindat in Chin State at 6 pm on Tuesday, after a few hours’ peace following moves by junta forces to hold negotiations with the town’s civilian defense force.
Clashes have been taking place in Mindat since April 24 but have intensified since Monday. On Tuesday morning, three soldiers were killed by civilian fighters. At least 16 junta soldiers have been killed by Tuesday morning after resistance fighters attacked reinforcements on their way to the mountainous town.
“Firing has resumed in the town,” said a Mandate resident on Tuesday evening. “I just got back home from the town center. It means the negotiations have failed. I think the fighting will intensify tonight,” he said.
The junta forces told community leaders that their troops must be allowed to enter the town while residents insisted on the release of detainees.
Fighting erupted in Mindat on April 24 after the police refused to release six anti-regime protesters. Residents said they have used traditional firearms to defend themselves after the military shot first.
The Irrawaddy could not yet independently confirm why the negotiations failed. A resident said young activists have refused to believe a town “elder”, U Shwe Naing, who took part in the negotiations.
News (20)
CCP China's census becomes a mystery under the epidemic. Insider: The numbers are quite sensitive
Reporter : Li Yun / Editor: Li Quan / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/04/28/a103105936.html / Direct translation / Image : A Wuhan hospital where many elderly died during the epidemic.
At the time of the outbreak of the CCP virus, the statistics of the seventh census in China have become a mystery. On the 27th, a person familiar with the matter said that the Chinese census was completed in December last year, but it was not announced for a long time because the new data was "very sensitive." Some population experts said that there might be big news behind the population data.
On 27 April, the "Financial Times" stated that despite the easing of the Chinese Communist government's strict family planning policy, China's population may decline for the first time since 1949 on record.
According to people familiar with government investigations, the latest Chinese census was completed in December last year, but it has not yet been announced. It is estimated that the actual total population of China is less than 1.4 billion. But as early as 2019, China's population has exceeded 1.4 billion.
People familiar with the matter said that this number is very sensitive and can only be released after multiple government departments have reached a consensus on the data and its meaning.
A researcher at the Beijing-based China and Globalization Think Tank said, "The results of the census will have a huge impact on how Chinese people view their country and how various government departments work, and they need to be handled very carefully. "
People familiar with the matter said that the results of this census will reflect the first population decline since the Great Famine in the 1960s. The great famine was caused by the "Great Leap Forward" policy initiated by Mao Zedong and caused at least 45 million deaths.
Analysts say that China’s population may soon be surpassed by India’s 1.38 billion people. This may cause huge losses to the world's second largest economy, affecting everything from consumption to caring for the elderly.
The CCP government was originally scheduled to issue a census in early April. On 15 April, Cheng Longqian, Deputy Director of the Anhui Provincial Bureau of Statistics, said at a provincial meeting that we must pay attention to changes in census data and report to the local party committee and government in a timely manner; attach importance to response to public opinion; strictly abide by the regulations on data confidentiality and not use the bulletin before it is released.
Vice Governor of Shandong Province Wang Shujian also stated at the provincial census work meeting that in order to allow all parties to better understand the census data, it is necessary to strengthen public opinion monitoring and response, take the initiative to explain doubts to the public, and guide public opinion.
On 16 April, a spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics of the Communist Party of China also stated that part of the reason for the delay in the Chinese population report was that "more preparations were needed" before the official announcement. The spokesperson said, "The speed and scale of China's population crisis are faster and larger than we imagined, and this may cause catastrophic effects."
However, the above-mentioned explanation by the Chinese Communist Party and the delay in the population report have aroused public criticism.
On 20 April, Yi Fuxian, a well-known demographer and author of the book "The Empty Nest of Great Powers," said on Twitter that from the current situation, the real data of this census may be far from outside expectations, regardless of the authorities. Whether or not the data is adjusted artificially before the census results are announced to the public may trigger a public opinion storm.
He believes that the actual population of the country in 2020 will not exceed 1.28 billion. The statement of "changes in census data" put forward by the Anhui authorities shows that the possibility that the CCP authorities will artificially adjust statistical data cannot be ruled out. The implication is that there will be "shattering news."
The Central Bank of the Communist Party of China issued a document on its WeChat official account, acknowledging for the first time that China's population situation has reversed and that the rate of population decline will be beyond imagination. Therefore, it is recommended to fully liberalize and encourage childbirth, and no longer hesitate to wait and see.
At the same time, since the outbreak of the CCP virus, the CCP authorities have concealed information about the actual number of infections and deaths and research results, and have also continuously disclosed this. This has also been questioned as one of the reasons for the sharp decline in the population.
The CCP virus epidemic has lasted for more than a year, and the relevant death and confirmed data officially released by the CCP have been generally questioned.
During the Chinese New Year, in Wuhan, Hubei Province, where the epidemic first broke out, locals bought flowers to pay tribute to their loved ones, causing the whole city to close the flower market. Therefore, the outside world questioned the actual number of deaths due to the infection in the local area.
According to the Hubei Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, in the first quarter of 2020, among the elderly over 80 years old (75 years old in the Shennongjia Mountain area) in Hubei Province, more than 150,000 elderly people suddenly disappeared from the allowance list.
In this regard, Radio Free Asia quoted an anonymous scholar’s analysis that China’s ageing is currently becoming more and more serious, and the number of elderly people is increasing year by year. However, the Hubei Civil Affairs Department’s data on the elderly allowance has fallen precipitously. This situation is very abnormal. It reported that this is only the case of people over 80 years old, and the actual breakdown of the information has been strictly sealed, and the overall picture of the death toll caused by the epidemic cannot be known to the outside world.
News (20) to (25) / Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA / Images : Reuters, UIA and China Postal Airlines
News (21)
What does Chernobyl look like from the air? Sightseeing flight by Ukraine International Airlines
On 25 April 2021, Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) operated a 1-hour and 23-minute sightseeing flight over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. At 1.23 am on 26 April 1986, the No. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded. The radiation dose released by this disaster was more than 400 times that of the Hiroshima atomic bomb during World War II, causing a loss of about 200 billion U.S. Dollars. The accident is considered to be the most serious nuclear power accident in history, and it is also the first major accident to be rated as a seventh-level event by the International Nuclear Event Scale.
The passengers departed from Boryspil International Airport in Kiev at 8.20 am. After leaving, the plane turned right before flying in the direction of the Dnieper River. The plane did not fly directly over the power plant, but flew back and forth several times at an altitude of less than 5,000 feet, which means that passengers on both sides of the plane can see Chernobyl clearly. After returning to Kiev, passengers can board a Boeing 777 plane of UIA and interact with the pilots.
News (22)
China Postal Airlines launches Nanjing - Kansai flight on 27 April 2021
At 10.36 am on 27 April 2021, China Postal Airlines flight CF235 took off smoothly from Nanjing Lukou International Airport and landed at Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan on time at 12.42 pm. The successful maiden flight from Nanjing to Osaka marked the official opening of China Postal Airlines' "Nanjing-Osaka" international cargo and mail route.
The Nanjing-Kansai route mainly carries international EMS and cross-border e-commerce mail from Nanjing, Suzhou, and Wuxi. It will fly three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It is expected that the annual cargo and mail volume will exceed 1,500 tons. Before the opening of the direct cargo and mail route from Nanjing to Japan, mail sent from Jiangsu to Japan mainly exited the Shanghai port, and the average time limit from receipt to exit was about 6 days. Now the average time limit for exit from Nanjing port is 3-4 days, saving 2-3 days.
The original routes of China Postal Airlines' independent network to Japan are "Pudong-Kansai", "Yiwu-Kansai", "Pudong-Narita" and "Zhengzhou-Narita". With the opening of the "Nanjing-Kansai" route, China Postal Airlines has increased the number of flights to Osaka to 15 flights per week, and the total number of flights to Japan is 22 flights per week.
News (23)
Turkey shuts down the country on 29 April 2021 to curb the spread of the pandemic
In order to curb the spread of the pandemic, Turkish President Erdogan announced on Monday (26 April) that from 29 April to 17 May, local time, Turkey will implement a complete blockade. During this period, face-to-face teaching at schools will be suspended, and inter-provincial travel will continue to be restricted. But the manufacturing and food industries are not restricted.
This is Turkey's first comprehensive blockade since the outbreak of the epidemic in March last year.
Erdogan said that now Europe is entering a phase of deregulation, and Turkey must reduce the number of new confirmed cases in a single day to less than 5,000. Otherwise, from tourism to trade and education, they have to face serious consequences.
The recent epidemic situation in Turkey has been severe. In the past 24 hours, the number of new confirmed cases in Turkey has risen to 37,312. On 16 April, the number of new confirmed covid cases in the country once climbed to 63,000.
The Turkish government has implemented stricter epidemic prevention measures from 14 April, such as extending the "foot-free" period and prohibiting dining in restaurants. At that time, Erdogan said that if the epidemic does not improve significantly after two weeks, he will take more stringent measures.
News (24)
Pakistan International Airlines will lay off half of its employees
In order to survive, Pakistan International Airlines stated that half of its 14,000 employees will be laid off.
Bloomberg reported that the airline has been at a loss for more than a decade. In order to turn losses into profits, the company also decided to replace some of its passenger aircraft and terminate the loss-making flight routes.
In May 2020, a Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane crashed in Karachi, killing 97 passengers on the plane. Only two survived. The pandemic has made the airline worse, with a net loss of 34.6 billion rupees in 2020.
Pakistani officials said that the cabinet has approved Pakistan International Airlines to reorganize. It also requires the airline to improve its debt and explore outsourcing management contracts or sell 26% of the airline's shares.
This reorganization plan was blocked in the past because of demonstrations by the company's employees or opposition.
Pakistani officials stated that the airline will become a very streamlined and efficient organization, with the goal of making the company profitable by 2023.
News (25)
Tribute to the legend of Embraer - Ozires Silva Unit and painted huge art murals
Embraer announced that the company is now naming its main industrial park in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, as "Ozires Silva Unit". To celebrate Ozires Silva's 90th birthday, the company held a series of tribute activities this year including this. In 1969, the engineer and former Air Force officer led a group of visionary partners to establish Embraer.
In the online event where the news was announced, the 115-square-meter art mural painted on the outer wall of the company's delivery centre hangar (near the company's visitor main entrance) was also unveiled. This 11.5-meter-high and 10-meter-long 3D artwork highlights Ozires Silva and the Bandeirante turboprop. This aircraft is a legendary project in the history of Embraer aviation, and it directly contributed to the birth of Embraer.
"I am honored to announce that Embraer has decided to name our historic industrial park 'Ozires Silva Unit', and through the creation of huge art murals, the base has been given a new look. This dream and the achievements of the leaders who have completed one of Brazil’s most ambitious technological projects deserve such praise,” said Francisco Gomes Neto, CEO of Embraer. "The collaborators of the painting drew inspiration from the engineer Ozires Silva. The creativity, sensitivity, courage and perfectionism of the entire drawing team also reflect the company's innovative genes."
The tribute event was jointly initiated by Embraer and Instituto Embraer to preserve and promote the company's historical memory. The creation and drawing of this artwork was organized and carried out by the Embraer Aircraft Coating Team. The team was responsible for the lifelike image and creative design of the demonstration flight prototypes and test flight exteriors that the company provided to customers around the world. They are widely praised all over the world. This art mural was painted by Embraer employees Clodoaldo Quintana, Diego dos Santos Costa, Luiz Roberto Tenório de Almeida and Moises dos Santos Costa.
The industrial park, now named "Ozires Silva Unit", was put into operation on 2 January 1970. There are many historically significant Embraer aircraft such as Bandeirante, Xavante, Ipanema, Xingu, Brasília, Tucano, AMX, ERJ145 series, and business jet products. Industrial models have been manufactured here. At present, the park is mainly dedicated to the research, development, manufacturing and support of the first and second generation of commercial aircraft E-Jets products.
In the past few decades, with the development and growth of various departments of Embraer in Brazil and around the world, the company's first headquarters was once known as the "Faria Lima Unit", which was derived from the name "Faria Lima Unit". The name of the main road of the industrial plant and São José dos Campos Airport.
Engineer Ozires Silva as born on 8 January 1931 in the inland city of Bauru, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. To commemorate his 90th birthday, Embraer developed the art mural and the factory named in a series of tribute activities within.
News (26)
106 Boeing 737 MAX grounded due to electrical failure
On 9 April, Boeing issued a statement stating that it would resolve a potential electrical problem before some 737MAX aircraft continue to operate. This proposal is made to verify that a power system component has sufficient grounding paths. Subsequent analysis found that the problem may also affect the backup power control unit, a circuit breaker panel, and the main dashboard.
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said last week that a total of 106 Boeing 737MAX aircraft were grounded due to electrical failures worldwide and are still looking for a solution.
The FAA stated that it has verified that all airlines that own the affected aircraft have voluntarily grounded the aircraft. The FAA will issue an airworthiness directive as soon as possible, requiring all affected aircraft to take measures before further flight, while Boeing will develop a proposed repair plan. A Boeing spokesperson said: "We will continue to work closely with regulators and our customers to resolve this issue."
Of the 106 affected aircraft, 71 are registered in the United States, so what are the specific airlines affected?
1. Asia:
In mainland China, the affected airlines include Shandong Airlines and XiamenAir, with 7 and 10 737MAX8s respectively. However, since the Civil Aviation Administration of China has not approved the 737MAX, it has no actual impact.
In India, SpiceJet, the country's second-largest airline, has also been affected. However, as the Civil Aviation Authority of India has not yet re-certified the 737MAX, the airline's 13 MAX8s have not been actually affected.
SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, is also affected, but because SilkAir and Singapore Airlines have merged, these six 737MAX8s are currently owned by Singapore Airlines.
2. North America:
Southwest Airlines, the world's largest 737MAX operator, has confirmed that 30 737MAX8s are affected, accounting for about half of the airline's 737MAX8 total. American Airlines grounded 17 of its 24 aircraft of the same model, while United Airlines grounded 16 of its 30 Boeing 737MAX9.
Another North American airline company affected by potential problems is Canada’s WestJet, where 1 of its 14 737MAX8s was affected.
Canadian Sunwing Airlines has a total of 6 737MAX, and the number of affected aircraft is not yet known.
3. Europe:
Icelandair, Neos Air Italy, TUI and Turkish Airlines are also on the affected list. Icelandair has 5 737MAX8 and 1 MAX9. Currently, 5 have been grounded. Neos Aviation has 2 MAX8s, both of which have been grounded. Of the 19 MAX8s of TUI Aviation, 6 are in flight operation. Turkish Airlines has 11 MAX8s and 1 MAX9, and 2 MAX8s are in flight operation.
4. South America and the Caribbean
In South America, Copa Airlines and GOL Airlines are affected. Copa Airlines has a total of 13 MAX9s, of which 7 have been grounded.
In the Caribbean, Cayman Airways and Valla Jets are affected. Among them, Cayman Airlines operates three 737MAX8s. Since Cayman Air has only seven aircraft in total, even the grounding of only one aircraft would have a huge impact.
News (27) to (31) / Editor : Chu Tian / Source : VOA via Apollo / https://www.aboluowang.com/2021/0428/1586088.html / Direct translation
News (27)
Ukraine releases relevant files of the former Soviet secret police on Chernobyl
On the occasion of the Chernobyl nuclear accident 35 years ago, Ukraine released relevant files of the former Soviet secret police KGB. This accident not only caused a devastating blow to the image and credibility of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, it also promoted the collapse of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the disintegration of the Soviet Union to some extent.
News (28)
Lies spread, truth hidden, conspiracy theories to excuse responsibility created
26 April is the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine. The National Security Agency of Ukraine released a batch of files on the Chernobyl nuclear accident by the former Soviet secret police KGB on the same day. These materials include the first report by the person in charge of the nuclear power plant after the accident, conversations with front-line operators, messages from KGB informants, evacuation plans for tens of thousands of residents around the nuclear power plant, and so on. A statement issued by the National Security Agency of Ukraine at the same time stated that people should know the truth of this incident and the world should know the consequences of this nuclear accident.
Ukraine has declassified all the KGB files left there a few years ago. However, it can still be seen from the files just released that how the Soviet Communist Party authorities ignored nuclear power and the safety of people’s lives, and how they are similar to many practices of today’s Putin authorities, lying and covering up the truth after the incident.
On 26 April 1986, after the explosion of Unit 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the CPSU authorities immediately wanted to create a conspiracy theory and tried to find a scapegoat to justify themselves. For this reason, the KGB prepared a blacklist of unreliable residents in the area around Chernobyl on the second day after the accident, as well as those who have contacts with foreign countries and want to visit Chernobyl. List of foreign delegations.
The KGB paid special attention to the activities of Ukrainian nationalist forces. One of the reports stated that Ukrainian nationalists tried to gain access to the soil contaminated by nuclear radiation in the Chernobyl area through the Internet in the capital, Kiev, in order to discredit the leadership of the CPSU on the international stage.
News (29)
Special KGB operation deceives reporters from CPSU to ignore nuclear power and people’s safety
A French journalist stationed in the Soviet Union tried to take the nuclear-contaminated soil and water collected in Chernobyl out of the Soviet Union in October 1987, but the KGB successfully organized a special secret operation, using a Replace it with clean soil and water.
The KGB report also showed that before the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the CPSU authorities had received many warnings about the unreliability and danger of the nuclear power plant. As early as 1983, a research report warned the authorities of the Soviet Communist Party that, due to the lack of safety measures, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was the least safe of all nuclear power plants in the Soviet Union at that time. In the event of an accident, the level of nuclear radiation will be 60 times that of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
The KGB report shows that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant had many accidents before the nuclear accident on April 26, 1986. In 1982, Chernobyl's first unit had a nuclear leak. In 1984, both units 3 and 4 had failed.
The KGB report stated that a few months after the nuclear accident, on July 8, 1986, the CPSU authorities ordered all information about the Chernobyl nuclear accident to be kept confidential, which involved the residents’ illnesses after they were exposed to nuclear radiation. , The scale of the disaster relief work, the nuclear radiation situation, the composition of the mixture emitted into the air after the explosion, the cause of the accident, the characteristics of the damage, etc.
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The Communist Party of the Soviet Union is dying of the Communist Party’s prestige
A major Ukrainian media reported on the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident that after the nuclear accident, the leaders of the CPSU covered up the truth from the very beginning and released false news, and the lies continued.
Many analysts said that in order not to disrupt the May Day atmosphere that year, the CPSU authorities did not immediately inform the people of the truth of the accident and the risk of nuclear radiation after the explosion. Instead, they organized organizations including the capital, Kiev and the vicinity of Chernobyl. Residents of Ukrainian cities took to the streets. While concealing the truth from the people, many local Communist Party leaders urgently evacuated their families from Kiev and other places by plane. When the truth was gradually exposed, these all became important factors that pushed Ukrainian society to decide to separate from the Soviet Union.
Current affairs commentator Nikolsky said that it was only a few days after the nuclear accident that the authorities organized the evacuation of residents around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and missed the opportunity.
Nikolsky said that when the Soviet Union and today's Russian officials mention the Chernobyl nuclear accident, they usually promote some heroic actions in the disaster relief process. But more importantly, the Chernobyl nuclear accident also changed the national destiny of the Soviet Union to some extent.
ACT-1, Nikolsky: "What I want to say in particular is that it was this incident that completely wiped out the prestige of the Communist Party among the people and society. Because the entire party mechanism and the entire Soviet system are hiding information. I still remember that in the Soviet era, various natural disasters were generally not disclosed to the public for many years."
The then leader of the CPSU, Gorbachev, later recalled that the KGB, local Ukrainian bureaucrats and local communist organizations, as well as experts in the field of nuclear energy in the Soviet Union, etc. reported different information to him. He did not know who to trust.
Some analysts said that the Soviet Communist Party system at that time was already dying. It was not until Northern Europe and some other European countries detected nuclear pollution in the air within their own borders and the European media reported this that the Soviet leadership realized the seriousness of the matter.
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Nuclear pollution has a huge impact
In addition to the surrounding areas of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the capital Kiev and other Ukrainian regions, the areas most affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident are neighboring Belarus and some areas in western Russia.
On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, Belarusian opposition leader Jikhanovskaya, currently in exile in Lithuania, stated that she herself is a Chernobyl girl. Because when the incident happened, she was only 3 years old and lived with her parents in a nuclear-contaminated area in Belarus. She said that after the nuclear accident, many parents in Belarus, Ukraine, and western Russia were panicked, and people desperately wanted to send their children to a safe area.
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Australia found alternative markets and increased export volume
Editor : Chu Tian / https://www.aboluowang.com/2021/0427/1585685.html / Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
After China-Australia relations became increasingly tense due to political disputes, the CCP tried to use trade sanctions to intimidate, but Australia did not back down. Many Australian industries succeeded in finding alternative markets and got rid of last year’s low ebb, and the export volume even reached the level before the CCP sanctions. ,even more.
In April last year, the Australian government called on the international community to launch an independent investigation into the source of the Wuhan pneumonia (Chinese Communist virus) epidemic. It also has concerns about Hong Kong, South China Sea, Xinjiang and other issues. It has annoyed the Beijing authorities. Products such as coal are subject to trade sanctions, banning imports or imposing high tariffs.
However, the Australian government has become increasingly tough on the CCP under public opinion. Not only has it announced the withdrawal of the "One Belt One Road" agreement signed between Victoria and the CCP recently, various industries have also succeeded in finding alternative markets.
The BBC Chinese website on 26 April reported that in May 2020, the Ministry of Commerce of China imposed a 6.9% countervailing duty on barley imported from Australia on the grounds of countering the Australian government's subsidies to domestic farmers, which officially ignited the war. The total value of Australia's barley exports to China plummeted from US$130 million in April 2020 to US$64 million in May, and the total global export volume dropped to 40% of April's. But by February this year, the total export volume of Australian barley exceeded 130 million US dollars, exceeding the level before the Chinese Communist Party sanctions in May 2020.
Other goods subject to import tariffs imposed by the CCP have similar situations. In October last year, the Chinese Communist Party ordered cotton mills to stop purchasing Australian cotton. The amount of cotton exported from Australia fell from 34 million U.S. dollars in October to about 640,000 U.S. dollars in January this year. However, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Thailand and other countries quickly made up for China’s Vacancy, by February, Australia's global cotton exports have recovered to about 90% of October 2020.
In addition, the Chinese government once ordered importers to stop purchasing Australian coal in October 2020, which caused Australia’s coal exports to China to fall from a peak of approximately US$1.1 billion in May 2020 to only US$22 million in February this year. The increase in coal exports from India, South Korea and other countries kept the total exports stable.
Some industries are still affected. Among them, Australian wine exports fell from the peak of 150 million U.S. dollars in October last year to less than 10 million U.S. dollars in December. Although some wineries successfully reselled their wines to markets such as the United Kingdom and the United States, some small-scale wines It is not easy for wine merchants to develop markets outside of China in the short term.
However, the irony is that the CCP originally wanted to use trade sanctions against Australia, but the alternative source of procurement was members of the "Five Eyes Alliance" that opposed the CCP’s position, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, as well as CCP's border foe India.
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Research: India's epidemic reached its peak in May, may increase by 440,000 in a single day
Editor : Zhang Ting / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/27/n12908611.htm / Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA / Image : Prakash Singh / Getty Images
The Indian Institute of Technology Kampo and Hyderabad have predicted that the second covid wave in India will reach its peak in mid-May. The highest number of active cases treated may reach 4 million, and the number of new cases in a single day may reach 440,000.
The Central News Agency quoted The Hindu as a report on Tuesday (April 27) that the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) and Hyderabad (IIT Hyderabad) used models to predict the second wave of COVID-19 in India .
The forecast report shows that the second wave of active covid cases in India may reach a peak between 3.8 million and 4 million between May 14 and 18. It may reach 440,000 cases between the 8th.
The researchers pointed out that India is expected to have a significant decline in active covid cases in late May.
The research team predicted last week that the second covid wave in India may reach its peak between 11 and 15 May. Active cases will reach 3.3 million to 3.5 million during this period, and begin to decline sharply by the end of May. .
However, due to the rapid deterioration of the pandemic in India recently, the research team re-adjusted the model to make predictions.
India added 352,991 covid cases in a single day on Monday, and the death toll in a single day was 2,812; as of noon on Tuesday, the cumulative number of cases exceeded 17.64 million, the number of active cases reached 2.885,038, and the cumulative death toll reached 197,955. The epidemic situation continues to rise.
Independent predictions made by Gautam Menon, a professor of physics and biology at Ashoka University in India, and his research team believe that the second peak of the epidemic in India will appear between mid-April and mid-May. .
The epidemic in India is out of control. Prime Minister Modi said that India is being hit by a "virus storm". There were 2.25 million new cases in a single week, and the death toll increased by nearly 90%. One person died every four minutes in the capital. Some crematoriums are too busy to cremate the remains, and the actual death toll may be even higher.
Due to the rapid deterioration of the epidemic, various medical resources such as oxygen supply, medicines, and ventilators have been lacking in hospitals across India. Many hospitals in various regions have begun to refuse to treat covid patients, and the medical system has collapsed. If the epidemic continues to reach its peak in mid-May, experts predict that if medical supplies continue to be unable to make up, the death toll will be even greater.
So far, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Belgium have all responded to the lack of medical materials in India, and have issued or will issue aid materials such as ventilators, protective equipment, and vaccine raw materials.
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India variant virus strain, WHO: Cases in at least 17 countries
Editor : Wang Ruoyu / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/28/n12910566.htm / Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
India has suffered a second wave of epidemics, and new cases of SARS-CoV-2 (CCP virus, covi) infection have set world records in the past few days. The number of confirmed cases in a single day around the world has skyrocketed for many consecutive days. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused a surge in cases in India, has confirmed cases in at least 17 countries.
India’s severe epidemic has now become the focus of global attention. In just one day on the 27th, the number of new infections in the country reached 350,000 in a single day. It not only broke the global record once again, but its number of deaths in a single day has also continued to record highs. This raging epidemic is more likely to spread to the world.
Agence France-Presse reported that the WHO stated that as of the 27th, the "Global Influenza Data Sharing Platform" (GISAID) received more than 1,200 sequences showing that the first COVID-19 variant strain B.1.617 that appeared in India was at least Confirmed cases have been detected in 17 countries.
The WHO said in its weekly epidemic report that most of the sequences uploaded to the GISAID open database came from India, the United Kingdom, the United States and Singapore.
It is reported that the Indian variant virus of B.1.617 was first discovered in October 2020.
The BBC recently reported that from January to March this year, 220 of the 361 samples of the COVID-19 virus collected in the western Indian state of Maharashtra (Maharashtra) had the variant virus detected. He also pointed out that since February 22, the United Kingdom has found 103 cases of the Indian variant.
The WHO recently listed the variant virus B.1.617 as a "variant of interest", but so far, it has not listed this variant as a "variant of concern".
The label "must pay attention to variants" would mean that B.1.617 is more dangerous than the original virus, such as it may be easier to spread, more deadly, or have the ability to resist vaccines.
The WHO admitted that a preliminary model based on the sequence obtained by GISAID shows that "the growth rate of B.1.617 is higher than other existing virus strains in India, suggesting that it may increase its transmission power."
However, the WHO also emphasized that other spreading virus strains have also shown increased transmission, and various factors "may have played a significant role in the surge in the epidemic in India."
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Trudeau: Canada may have a vaccine passport in the future
Reporter : Li Ping / Editor : Wenfang / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/4/28/n12909478.htm / Direct translation
Image : Biometric technology company iProov and network security company Mvine have developed a "vaccine passport", which is currently being tested in the British National Health Service after receiving funding from the British government. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The European Union announced its vaccine passport plan for the first time in March 2021, and on 26 April it is confirmed that 27 EU countries are currently discussing with the US government International vaccine passport (Digital Green Certificate) cooperation. Currently the European Union only discusses vaccine cooperation with the United States, and does not involve other countries.
Canada is still studying
On Tuesday (27 April), Prime Minister Trudeau said that Canada may eventually have a vaccine passport but there are no details yet.
Health Canada’s response is that countries are currently discussing the issue of vaccine passports, and Canada is also studying issues such as resumption of work and production and border reopening, but the government’s primary purpose is to ensure the health and safety of Canadians. Future measures will continue to be based on science and evidence. Formulate.
A spokesperson for Health Canada said that although technology has proven effective in preventing the virus from the several vaccines currently approved in Canada, whether the person concerned still becomes an asymptomatic infected person carrying and spreading the virus after vaccination, thereby posing a public health threat. Based on sufficient scientific evidence, Health Canada will only take further action after all these issues have been scientifically explained.
The Ministry of Health also stated that the Canadian vaccination certificates are kept by the provincial and territorial governments. Even if Canada finally joins the vaccine passport program, the provincial and territorial governments still need to cooperate.
Trudeau mentioned last month that the government may launch an international travel vaccine passport. He said that vaccine passports are currently being discussed enthusiastically in various countries, and Canada should also discuss it.
What is the use of a vaccine passport?
The vaccine passport proposed by the European Union will provide all relevant information such as whether the holder has been vaccinated, which vaccine has been vaccinated, whether the virus has tested negative, and whether it has tested positive before and has recovered. EU countries issue vaccine passports for their citizens through their own hospitals, testing centers or national medical management agencies.
The EU proposes that once the vaccine passport is officially launched, as long as the holder has been injected with any vaccine approved by the EU, the EU member states must recognize each other. The EU currently approved vaccines include 4 vaccines including Janssen, Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.
The EU also said that individuals who have not yet approved a vaccine in the EU will be released by the country of destination. An EU spokesperson told CBC News that the EU is also considering mutual recognition of vaccine certificates issued by countries outside the EU as long as they meet EU standards.
However, the EU said that even if the vaccine passport is introduced, whether normal travel will resume or not will still depend on the specific situation of the EU and other countries around the world.
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