By Kate
Holton
LONDON (Reuters) - Two people smugglers were
found guilty on Monday of the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese men, women and
children who suffocated to death in the back of a refrigerated truck in October
last year as they tried to make their way to Britain.
The discovery of so many dead people - some as young as 15 - shocked
Britain and Vietnam, and shone a spotlight on the illicit global trade that sends
the poor of Asia, Africa and the Middle East on perilous journeys to the West.
As oxygen levels fell in the back of the truck, some tried desperately
to escape, but in vain. Others used mobile phones to say their last farewells
to devastated relatives on the other side of the world.
“This is an unimaginably tragic case: 39 vulnerable people desperate for
a new life were driven to put their trust in a network of unscrupulous people
smugglers,” said Russell Tyner, a prosecutor in the Organised Crime Division.
----
Two of the smuggling team had overseen two similar journeys earlier that
month.
“The men who were found guilty today made their money from misery,” said
Ben Julian Harrington, the chief constable of Essex Police.
Most of those who died were from Nghe An and
Ha Tinh provinces in north-central Vietnam, where poor job prospects,
environmental disasters and the promise of financial reward abroad fuel
migration.
More
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-bodies-vietnam/vietnamese-truck-deaths-2-men-found-guilty-of-manslaughter-of-39-people-idUKKBN28V1O8
Winter
Watch.
From around mid-October, the northern
hemisphere snow cover usually rapidly expands, while the Arctic ice gradually
expands back towards its winter maximum.
Over simplified, a rapid expansion of
both, especially if early, can be a sign of a harsher than normal arriving northern
hemisphere winter. Perhaps more so in 2020-2021 as we’re in the low of the
ending sunspot cycle, which possibly also influenced this year’s record
Atlantic hurricane season.
Update: we seem to have started new sunspot cycle 25 this month,
though it’s unlikely to affect 2020-2021s coming winter.
Northern Eur-Asia turned snowy fast in
mid-October. The Arctic sea ice
expansion was slow, and from a very low level at the end of September, but with
the vastly expanded snow cover, sea ice formation sped up.
The Laptev Sea ice was back to normal
at the end of November. The failure of
the Kara Sea ice still to return to normal, leads me to bet on a warmer western
European winter ahead.
Arctic
and Antarctic Sea Ice.
http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/
Covid-19 Corner This
section will continue until it becomes unneeded.
Taiwan’s First Case Since April;
U.S. Relief Bill: Virus Update Bloomberg News December
21, 2020, 6:08 PM EST Updated on December 22, 2020, 12:49 AM EST
Taiwan reported the first locally transmitted infection
since April, ending what was the world’s longest stretch without a domestic
infection. A cluster in Sydney has grown to 90. California’s overburdened
hospitals face the prospect of even more patients, while hospitalizations in
Texas surpassed 10,000 for the first time in five months.
The U.S. Senate passed a giant year-end spending bill
Pfizer Inc. partner BioNTech SE is exploring options to
boost capacity. Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine won the backing of a key
European review panel, clearing the way for inoculations to start before
year-end. More than 2.1 million people have been vaccinated
Why the U.K. ’s Mutated Coronavirus Is Fanning Worries: QuickTake
Key Developments: Global Tracker : Cases pass 77.3 million; deaths
surpass 1.7 millionU.S. Hot Spots : Covid killing
faster in rural areas than citiesBeer, restaurants and Nascar
win tax breaks in virus-relief bill A fresh virus wave is
testing South Korea’s no-lockdown strategy Covid Wreaked Havoc on
Airlines in 2020. Here’s How, in Charts More
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-21/california-sees-deeper-crisis-bidens-get-vaccine-virus-update?srnd=coronavirus
Putin lauds AstraZeneca as it
signs vaccine tie-up deal with Russia December 21, 2020
1:18 PM By Andrew Osborn , Vladimir
Soldatkin
MOSCOW
(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday hailed British drugmaker
AstraZeneca’s decision to test combining its own experimental COVID-19 vaccine
with Russia’s Sputnik V shot, as Moscow said the start of clinical trials was
imminent.
Putin was speaking by video conference at a virtual event that saw
AstraZeneca sign a memorandum of cooperation with Russia’s Gamaleya Institute,
which developed Sputnik V, Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund, and Russian
drugmaker R-Pharm.
Clinical trials, still under way, have shown Sputnik V has an efficacy
rate of over 90%, higher than that of AstraZeneca’s own vaccine and similar to
those of U.S. rivals Pfizer and Moderna.
Putin praised Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca’s chief executive, who had
dialled in by video conference.
“I want to single out your pro-active stance to achieve goals that are
highly important, not just for your company, but in reality and without
excessive bombast or exaggeration, for humanity,” said Putin.
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of RDIF, told the event that clinical trials
combining the Russian and British vaccines would start soon in three countries.
He did not name the countries, but mentioned some of them were in the
Middle East and the former Soviet Union.
Dmitriev has previously said Russia believes the combination will boost
the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Kate Bingham, chair of Britain’s vaccine task force, said this month the
UK would start trials next year using combinations of different kinds of
vaccine for the initial and booster vaccinations, in the hope that a
“mix-and-match” approach might maximise the immune response.
More
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-astrazeneca-russia/putin-lauds-astrazeneca-as-it-signs-vaccine-tie-up-deal-with-russia-idUKKBN28V1MB?il=0
New UK COVID-19 strain may just
be 'tip of the iceberg' Ben-Gurion University professor
tells 'Post' that mutation unlikely to immediately impact effectiveness of the vaccine. By IDAN ZONSHINE
DECEMBER 20, 2020 14:44
British Prime
Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday that due to the emergence of a
new, fast spreading
variant of the novel coronavirus, the country's
Christmas plans would have to be canceled, imposing an effective lockdown on
more than 16 million people.
Johnson
said that the new strain was up to 70% more transmissible than the original
virus, leading him to rethink Britain's planned easing of restrictions for the
holiday.
Prof.
Jacob Moran-Gilad, a medical specialist in clinical microbiology and public health
from Ben-Gurion University’s School of Public Health, and a member of Israel’s
Pandemic Management Team, spoke with The Jerusalem Post on Sunday, saying that
while coronavirus mutations are relatively commonplace, the new mutation in the
UK may be “just the tip of the iceberg.”
“While
it has not yet been definitively proven that the strain is more infectious,”
Moran-Gilan said, “the numbers Johnson presented on Saturday were a projection,
based on data that shows a recent rise in infections in areas where this
specific mutation was found.”
“Mutations
in viruses are nothing new, neither are they new to COVID-19,” he said. He said
that there are currently more than 1,000 known mutations to the novel
coronavirus that was first found in Wuhan, most of which are inconsequential.
Both
the new UK variant, and a Danish variant which
recently resulted in a mass-culling of minks in the country, made changes to
the virus’s spike protein, though Moran-Gilad said the two are otherwise
unrelated.
“Mutations
that are related to the spike protein can affect the dynamics of the disease,
seeing as it is a deciding factor in the infection process. For example, the
mutation might affect the ways in which the virus connects with cells in the
respiratory system,” Moran-Gilan said, emphasizing that this looks like the
most probable negative consequence that could arise from the new UK strain.
“That’s
what doctors in England are currently most worried about. It has not yet been
proven, but there is circumstantial evidence that suggests that might be the
case,” he said.
A
consequence of the new strain that would be less likely, according to
Moran-Gilad, is a decrease in the amount of cases tests will be able to reveal.
“While
the spike protein is used in diagnostic screening, testing and genome
sequencing for the novel coronavirus has advanced greatly,” he told the Post.
“Since every lab test looks for several target areas within the virus capable
of detection, a mutation in a single protein is unlikely to lead to
underdiagnosis.”
While
the new mutation could potentially affect the effectiveness of a vaccine,
COVID-19’s rate of mutation (around one mutation every two weeks, according to
Moran-Gilad) indicates that a process like this would likely take years.
“There
are new mutations to this virus all the time, most of them are
inconsequential,” Moran-Gilad said. “There’s no reason to think that a specific
mutation means we all wake up in the morning and suddenly see the vaccine
doesn’t work. It’s not an all-or-nothing effect, and there is currently no
indication that this specific mutation harms the vaccine’s effectiveness in any
way.”
“Our
immune system creates a wide range of antibodies to this virus, it’s not just
one type of antibody. Therefore, even if there is a mutation which would
potentially affect the vaccine’s effectiveness, it wouldn’t have a dramatic
effect,” he added.
“The
British are currently the world leaders in their rate of genetic sequencing for
COVID-19 patient samples. That’s why they’re the ones that find these things.
It’s very likely that what we are seeing in Britain is just the tip of the
iceberg. There are most likely a lot of mutations we don’t yet know about
because most of the world doesn’t consistently survey and track the mutation,”
he said.
“We
place the focus on Britain, because that’s where the reports are coming from,
but this is probably a universal issue,” Moran-Gilad said.
https://www.jpost.com/health-science/bgu-prof-to-post-uk-covid-19-strain-may-be-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-652701
EXPLAINER: Are new coronavirus
strains cause for concern? By
MARILYNN MARCHIONE December 21, 2020
Reports from Britain and South Africa of new
coronavirus strains that seem to spread more easily are causing alarm, but
virus experts say it’s unclear if that’s the case or whether they pose any
concern for vaccines or cause more severe disease.
Viruses naturally evolve as they move through
the population, some more than others. It’s one reason we need a fresh flu shot
each year.
New variants, or strains, of the virus that
causes COVID-19 have been seen almost since it was first detected in China
nearly a year ago.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson
announced new restrictions because of the new strain. Several European Union
countries and Canada were banning or limiting some flights from the U.K. to try
to limit any spread.
Here’s what is known about the situation.
WHAT’S CONCERNING ABOUT THE RECENT STRAIN FOUND
IN ENGLAND?
Health experts in the U.K. and U.S. said the
strain seems to infect more easily than others, but there is no evidence yet it
is more deadly.
Patrick Vallance, the British government’s chief
scientific adviser, said that the strain “moves fast and is becoming the
dominant variant,” causing over 60% of infections in London by December.
The strain is also concerning because it has so
many mutations — nearly two dozen — and some are on the spiky protein that the
virus uses to attach to and infect cells. That spike is what current vaccines
target.
“I’m worried about this, for sure,” but it’s too
soon to know how important it ultimately will prove to be, said Dr. Ravi Gupta,
who studies viruses at the University of Cambridge in England. He and other
researchers posted a report of it on a website scientists use to
quickly share developments, but the paper has not been formally reviewed or
published in a journal.
More
https://apnews.com/article/europe-england-coronavirus-pandemic-africa-south-africa-74ea2d47820b8dcac02f95ad9440f533?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Dec21_Morning_Wire_Automated&utm_term=Morning%20Wire%20Subscribers
Next, some vaccine links
kindly sent along from a LIR reader in Canada. The links come from a most
informative update from Stanford Hospital in California.
World
Health Organization - Landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines . https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/draft-landscape-of-covid-19-candidate-vaccines
NY
Times Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker . https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html
Stanford
Website . https://racetoacure.stanford.edu/clinical-trials/132
Regulatory
Focus COVID-19 vaccine tracker . https://www.raps.org/news-and-articles/news-articles/2020/3/covid-19-vaccine-tracker
Some other useful Covid links.
Johns Hopkins Coronavirus
resource centre
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
Rt Covid-19
https://rt.live/
Covid19info.live
https://wuflu.live/
Centers for Disease Control
Coronavirus
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
The Spectator https://data.spectator.co.uk/city/national
Technology Update.
With events happening
fast in the development of solar power and graphene, I’ve added this section.
Updates as they get reported.
New discovery brings analogue
spintronic devices closer Date: December 18, 2020
Source: University of Groningen
Summary: The observation of nonlinearity in electron
spin-related processes in graphene makes it easier to transport, manipulate and
detect spins, as well as spin-to-charge conversion. It also allows analogue
operations such as amplitude modulation and spin amplification. This brings
spintronics to the point where regular electronics was after the introduction
of the first transistors.
The observation of nonlinearity in electron spin-related processes in
graphene makes it easier to transport, manipulate and detect spins, as well as
spin-to-charge conversion. It also allows analogue operations such as amplitude
modulation and spin amplification. This brings spintronics to the point where
regular electronics was after the introduction of the first transistors. These
results by University of Groningen physicists were published in the journal Physical
Review Applied on 17 December.
Spintronics is a type of electronics that uses the spin of electrons (a
magnetic moment that can have the values 'up' or 'down') to transport signals.
Spin transport in the 2D carbon material graphene is excellent; however,
manipulation of spins is not. This requires the addition of ferromagnets (for
spin injection and detection) or heavy-atom materials with high spin-orbit
coupling, which allow the manipulation of spins.
Nonlinear
Scientists from the University of Groningen have now shown that
nonlinear effects that are particular to electron spin can be achieved using 2D
boron nitride. Previously, they had already shown that injecting a current
through a boron nitride bilayer, to which a small DC bias current was applied,
resulted in a very high spin polarization, which means that there is a large
difference between the numbers of spin-up and spin-down electrons. They have
now shown that the polarization increase can be attributed to nonlinear
processes that influence the electron spins.
---- The ability to modulate a spin signal, rather
than just switch it on or off, also makes it easier to construct spintronic
devices. Omar: 'They could be used in spin-based neuromorphic computing, which
uses switches that can have a range of values, rather than just 0 or 1.' It
also seems possible to create a spin current amplifier, which produces a large
spin current with a small bias voltage. 'It may be there already, but we still
have to prove it,' says Omar.
Spintronics
All these effects were measured both at low temperatures and at room
temperature and could be used in applications such as nonlinear circuit
elements in the fields of advanced spintronics. 'Spintronics is now at the
point where regular electronics was after the introduction of the first
transistors. We could now build real spintronic devices,' concludes Omar.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201218112516.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fmatter_energy%2Fgraphene+%28Graphene+News+--+ScienceDaily%29
"I
see you don't understand, and I must explain it to you. Well, very long ago, on
the spot where the Wild Wood waves now, before ever it had planted itself and
grown up to what it now is, there was a city--a city of people, you know. Here,
where we are standing, they lived, and walked, and talked, and slept, and
carried on their business. Here they stabled their horses and feasted, from
here they rode out to fight or drove out to trade. They were a powerful people,
and rich, and great builders. They built to last, for they thought their city
would last for ever."
Kenneth
Grahame. The Wind in the Willows.
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