COVID-19: GLOBAL IMPACT
Facebook falsehood warning Facebook will soon let you know if you saw or interacted with dangerous coronavirus misinformation on the site. The new notice will be sent to users who have liked, reacted to, or commented on posts featuring harmful or false claims about Covid-19 after they have been removed by moderators. The alert, which will start appearing on Facebook in the coming weeks, will direct users to a site where the World Health Organisation lists and debunks virus myths and rumours. The latest move is part of an unprecedented effort by Facebook, Google and Twitter that includes stricter rules, altered algorithms and thousands of fact checks to contain the spread of bad information online.
Bolsonaro fires health minister Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro fired his health minister yesterday after a series of disagreements over efforts to contain the new coronavirus, removing his government’s popular pointman on pandemic response just weeks before experts expect the virus’ peak in the South American country. Luiz Henrique Mandetta, an orthopaedist, garnered popular support for his pandemic response that included promotion of broad isolation measures enacted by state governors. Bolsonaro repeatedly characterised the virus as a “little flu”, said shutting down the economy would cause more damage than confining only high-risk Brazilians, and touted the yet-unproven efficacy of an anti-malarial drug.
El Salvador president defies court Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, said he would not obey the country’s Supreme Court after it ruled authorities could not detain people who disobeyed lockdown measures. The police have been taking violators to mandatory quarantine centres at hotels or other improvised facilities for up to 30 days, to ensure they were not spreading the new coronavirus. The court ruled that people must obey orders to stay home. But it also ruled that such forced transfers violated the Constitution and were not backed up by law. El Salvador has 164 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and six deaths.
Helmets help police spot infected
Police in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are being equipped with a helmet that could quickly identify people suffering from coronavirus, it has been claimed. The Chinese-made helmet, resembling technology seen in the RoboCop films, was originally designed to track down criminals through facial recognition and read car number plates automatically. But the UAE interior ministry’s official Happiness and Positivity Council said it would now be repurposed to remotely monitor people who may have Covid-19, by checking their body temperature with thermal cameras from up to five metres away. The helmets were designed by Kuang-Chi technology, based in Shenzhen, in southern China’s Guangdong province, and have been used in several Chinese cities including
Shanghai, Chengdu and Shenzhen. As well as being equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 5G connectivity, the helmets are fitted with an infrared camera that can record the temperatures of more than 100 people in under two minutes, according to claims from the manufacturer.
Crime boss set free, journos held An organised-crime boss serving a prison sentence in Turkey was set free yesterday as Turkish authorities continued releasing thousands of inmates to ease overcrowding during the coronavirus pandemic while moving to keep government critics behind bars. Far-right mob boss
Alaattin Cakici was released from an Ankara prison and planned to “sequester” at a friend’s hotel in western Turkey, defence lawyer Zeynep Ciftci tweeted. The 67-yearold was imprisoned for convictions on charges that included instigating murder, armed attack, money laundering, leading an illegal organisation and insulting the president. Cakici had served 16 years of his decades-long sentences before his release. At the same time, scores of journalists, activists, and politicians and members from opposition parties are ineligible for early release under penal legislation that took effect this week. The law, which was fast-tracked as Turkey responded to the pandemic, does not apply to people charged with or convicted of sex and drug crimes, murder in the first degree, or violating Turkey’s intelligence law. It also excludes inmates held on terror charges, a crime of which numerous government critics stand accused.
Kim Jong-un’s curious absence North Korea marked the most important date on its annual calendar on Thursday — but leader Kim Jongun was not seen. Kim’s unprecedented absence from the “Day of the Sun”, the birthday of Kim Il-sung, his grandfather and founder of the state, sparked speculation that he may either have contracted coronavirus or be trying to avoid the illness. Other analysts suggested that it could be a deliberate move to underline a shift away from the reign of his father and grandfather. “This is unprecedented,” said James Brown, an expert on North Korea’s economy at the Tokyo campus of Temple University. “And it is particularly interesting because the trend in recent weeks is for Kim to be more visible.”
Older people in vaccine study
A US study of a potential Covid-19 vaccine is being expanded to include older adults, the age group most at risk from the new coronavirus. The vaccine, made by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc, is being tested in healthy young and middle-aged adults in Seattle and Atlanta. Moderna announced yesterday the study was expanding to include older adults, divided into two age groups — 51 to 70 and those over 70. During the week, NIH infectious disease chief Dr Anthony Fauci told The Associated Press the safety study was showing “no red flags” and he hoped the next phase of testing could begin around June.
UN: Yemen ceasefire expected The UN special envoy for Yemen said yesterday that the threat of the new coronavirus had galvanised peace efforts and he expects the country’s warring sides to agree on a lasting cease-fire and peace talks “in the immediate future”. The envoy, Martin Griffiths, told the UN. Security Council that talks with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Iranbacked Shi’ite rebels known as Houthis “are making very good progress”.