Unreliable data: how doubt snowballed over Covid-19 drug research that swept the world
‘It was so weird’Chaccour’s first surprise was that the study had found 52 Covid-19 patients who had received ivermectin. The paper found mortality of the Covid-19 patients on mechanical ventilation and in the control group was 2%. He has not yet adequately explained how the firm gathered the data for its ivermectin study. Photograph: Vimeo/Sapan DesaiInstead of answering his questions about the data, Chaccour says, Desai flattered him and spoke enthusiastically about potential collaboration. It found common drugs given for heart disease were not associated with a higher risk of death in Covid-19 patients.
Source:The Guardian
June 04, 2020 12:06 UTC
Genetics is not why more BAME people die of coronavirus: structural racism is | Winston Morgan
Coronavirus does discriminate, because that’s what humans do | Rebecca Solnit Read moreIndeed, race is a social construct with no scientific basis. They are followed by Pakistanis/Bangladeshis (just over four times more likely to die), and then Chinese and Indians (just over 2.5 times). Yet, at least in the UK, Covid-19 can apparently separate Indians and Pakistanis, suggesting genetics have little to do with it. Death from Covid-19 is also linked to pre-existing conditions that appear in higher levels in black and south Asian groups, such as diabetes. The argument that this may provide a genetic underpinning is only partly supported by the limited evidence that links genetics to diabetes.
Source:The Guardian
June 04, 2020 12:00 UTC
Putin declares emergency after Nornickel Arctic diesel spill
Norilsk Nickel blamed the spillage of 20,000 tonnes of fuel on melting permafrostRussia has ordered a state of emergency after a company co-owned by three oligarchs spilt more than 20,000 tonnes of diesel fuel into a river inside the Arctic circle. President Putin attacked Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel), one of the world’s biggest metals producers, after claims of delays in reporting the accident at a Siberian power plant it owns on Friday. Nornickel said that the spill near Norilsk, 1,800 miles northeast of Moscow, had been caused by “a sudden sinking of supports of the storage tank”. The plant is in an area built on permafrost, which has been melting because of global warming. The company said that it assumed that “abnormally mild temperatures could have caused permafrost thawing, resulting in partial subsidence of the tank’s supports”.
Source:The Times
June 04, 2020 11:14 UTC
UK declares more coronavirus deaths in one day than EU states combined
The number of people reported dying of coronavirus in the UK exceeds that in all of the EU countries combined, according to the latest mortality figures. In the most recent daily toll, 359 people were reported dead in the UK. According to the most recently reported figures elsewhere, that compares to 345 in the 27 EU countries. Neither do they always reflect the same recording period — with some countries having a significant lag in logging deaths. Britain’s figure also includes deaths that occurred more than a fortnight ago, when the outbreak was more severe.
Source:The Times
June 04, 2020 11:14 UTC
Greece to test all Britons arriving from blacklisted airports
Visitors arriving from airports on the blacklist will have to wait for a day for the results of their testsBritish tourists flying from a limited number of UK airports will be able to enter Europe without being tested and quarantined under measures that have emerged today. A “blacklist” of 13 UK airports has been drawn up by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to single out those in areas with the highest coronavirus infection rates. Greece confirmed that the system would be employed to determine who will be routinely tested on arrival from June 15 when it opens up its borders to tourists. People from high-risk areas will be tested and told to self-isolate for at least seven days, rising to 14 days if the test is positive. However, the Greek tourism minister confirmed that the “more difficult travelling arrangement” would not routinely apply
Source:The Times
June 04, 2020 11:14 UTC
Chelsea tipped to complete Aubameyang transfer from Arsenal if two conditions are met
Chelsea are on the hunt for a new striker as part of a squad overhaul at Stamford Bridge, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has emerged as a potential target for the Blues. What Jadon Sancho must do to trigger Chelsea transferHow Chelsea could raise £180m through player sales to fund Sancho moveAubameyang has been prolific since his £56million move from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018, scoring 61 goals in 97 appearances for the Gunners across all competitions. Recent reports have suggested Arsenal may look to cash in this summer to avoid losing Aubameyang for free next season, but former Chelsea ace Craig Burley says this will only happen if the price is right. Speaking to ESPN, Burley said: "Look, is Aubameyang one of the hottest strikers around? JUST IN: Hakim Ziyech arrival is bad news for Chelsea favourite as Lampard faces tough decisions
Source:Express
June 04, 2020 10:59 UTC
St Petersburg death tally casts doubt on Russian coronavirus figures
New mortality data from Russia’s second-largest city has reignited questions about whether the country’s official tally has discounted thousands of deaths tied to the coronavirus outbreak. St Petersburg issued 1,552 more death certificates this May than in the previous year, a nearly 32% rise indicating that hundreds of deaths tied to the pandemic are not reflected in the city’s official coronavirus death toll for the month of 171. That means potentially 1,000 additional deaths in St Petersburg in May tied to the pandemic. Russian officials have aggressively denied that the data on coronavirus deaths is being massaged. Russian officials have told the public to expect a sharp rise in mortality from Russia’s coronavirus outbreak, the third largest in the world after the US and Brazil.
Source:The Guardian
June 04, 2020 10:26 UTC
Movement to defund police gains 'unprecedented' support across US
Activists say the way to stop police brutality and killings is to cut law enforcement budgets and reinvest in services. Some lawmakers now agreeThe movement to defund the police is gaining significant support across America, including from elected leaders, as protests over the killing of George Floyd sweep the nation. But police budgets have not been affected, and some mayors are even seeking to expand law enforcement funding. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Protesters demonstrate on 2 June 2020, during a Black Lives Matter protest at Washington Square in New York City. We’ve been thinking every day about how social services and the public safety net are failing people.
Source:The Guardian
June 04, 2020 09:56 UTC
The George Floyd protests – and riots – are a rebellion against an unjust system | Philip McHarris
Social transformation has long been forged in the ashes of rebellion, though today rebellion is only acknowledged as a potent tool in retrospect. A local store called the police on George Floyd after he allegedly tried to use a counterfeit $20 bill. Soon after, George Floyd was gratuitously murdered by four police officers. They are the system Read moreThe protests are about George Floyd, and so many others that are harassed, brutalized and killed by police every day. It was a store that called the police on George Floyd when they could have mediated the encounter without police involvement altogether.
Source:The Guardian
June 04, 2020 09:11 UTC
New York police take seconds to restore reputation for brutality
In the case of the New York police department, an institution with an already troubled history, the clip lasted all of 27 seconds. Was it appropriate for an NYPD officer forcibly to remove the coronavirus mask of a black protester whose arms were raised in the air, then pepper-spray his face? Though that sentiment applies nationwide, Adams believes New York stands out as having a “horrible history of police brutality”. In 1997, Haitian immigrant Abner Louima was handcuffed by an NYPD officer and sexually assaulted with a broken broomstick. The sister Police Benevolent Association of New York City has also spoken to its members in inflammatory terms about them being “under attack by violent, organized terrorists while New York City council and other politicians sit at home demanding we ‘de-escalate’”.
Source:The Guardian
June 04, 2020 09:00 UTC
From Upper Dicker to the United States: duo set for football adventure
Rex Lane Copyright: freelanceRex Lane has signed to Bates College while Tom Collins will join fellow former Bede’s pupil Matt Pickering at Dartmouth College. Tyler Sheikh, head coach of Bates College men’s soccer team, said: “We expect big things from Rex. “He’ll be a thorn in the side of NESCAC defences all four seasons with us. Tom Collins Copyright: freelance“He’s a natural scorer who will push our returning and incoming attackers to new heights. Our interactions with Tom made it clear that he was the type of guy we wanted in our locker room.
Source:Express
June 04, 2020 09:00 UTC
Australian universities to close campuses and shed thousands of jobs as revenue plummets due to Covid-19 crisis
Experts say the number of job losses over the 38 universities could reach into the tens of thousands and would affect administrative staff to professors. In Deakin’s criminology school, one position is going but all seven staff must reapply for the remaining jobs. “Our financial modelling shows that we face revenue losses in 2020 of between $30-$34m, and between $60-$120m per year in 2021 and 2022,” it told staff this week. “For weeks now, Labor has been urging the federal government to act to help universities and save jobs,” Labor’s education spokeswoman, Tanya Plibersek, said. “But Scott Morrison hasn’t done anything to help, and now jobs are being lost, with thousands more to come.
Source:The Guardian
June 04, 2020 08:24 UTC
Revenue soars at IG
Good morning. Business is booming for IG, which is good news for its shareholders but probably less so for its retail clients, 76 per cent of whom lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with the group. Before publishing full-year results next month, IG has reported that revenue more than doubled year-on-year in the fourth quarter, having risen to approximately £259 million, up from £117.9 million in the same period last year. Full-year net trading revenue is expected to be £649 million, up from £476.9 million. “Financial market volatility has remained elevated and the group has continued to see high levels of client trading activity,” IG stated.
Source:The Times
June 04, 2020 08:03 UTC
Chernobyl and The Crown lead Bafta TV nominations
Chernobyl, the miniseries about the nuclear power plant disaster in 1986, leads the Bafta TV awards nominations with 14, while Netflix’s The Crown has received seven nominations, including best drama series. The TV nominations were far more diverse, with representation of BAME actors in all categories, except for lead actress. It took six nominations in total with only Fleabag, the Crown and Chernobyl getting the same number or more. Omissions included Top Boy, which was not nominated for best drama, while many had tipped Aisling Bea to be nominated for her comedy This Way Up. Best comedy entertainment programme is between The Graham Norton Show, Dave’s Taskmaster, BBC’s The Ranganation and the only nominee to be featured last year, Channel 4’s The Last Leg.
Source:The Guardian
June 04, 2020 08:01 UTC
Revealed: UK banks and investors' $2bn backing of meat firms linked to Amazon deforestation
British-based banks and finance houses have provided more than $2bn (£1.5bn) in financial backing in recent years to Brazilian beef companies which have been linked to Amazon deforestation, according to new research. Thousands of hectares of Amazon are being felled every year to graze cattle and provide meat for world markets. All three meat companies have been linked to deforestation in their supply chains, though they say they are working to monitor their suppliers and mitigate risks. Schroders held $14m in Marfrig bonds and $12m in Minerva bonds, while Standard Life Aberdeen held $10m in Marfrig bonds and $3m in JBS shares. “No UK financial institution should be profiting from the destruction of rainforest or other precious habitats in Brazil or elsewhere.
Source:The Guardian
June 04, 2020 07:52 UTC