Fourth US lawmaker tests +ve for Covid after riot at Capitol

US Representative Andriano Espaillat on Thursday said he had tested positive for Covid-19, becoming the fourth member of Congress to announce they had contracted the coronavirus disease following a mob attack on the US Capitol last week.

“I am following guidance from my physician and quarantining at home after having tested positive for Covid-19,” he wrote on Twitter.

Espaillat is the latest lawmaker to test positive for Covid-19 in what has become a partisan issue, with Democrats blaming Republicans for not wearing masks while sheltering in secure areas on January 6, as supporters of Republican President Donald Trump stormed the building.

Only Democrats have reported testing positive following the episode so far. The 66-year-old New York City Democrat said he received a second dose of coronavirus vaccine last week but noted that vaccinations take time to become effective.

Trump ban is a nuke blast in cyber space: Russia

Russia has compared the decision of social media giants to suspend Trump’s accounts to a “nuclear blast in cyber space” with the consequences hard to predict. “The decision of US internet platforms to block the head of state can be compared to a nuclear blast in cyber space,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

“It’s not the destruction that’s scary but the consequences,” she added. “A blow has been dealt against democratic values proclaimed by the West.”