Вакцина “путинка” или вторая серия мультиков с ракетами обиженного карлика пукина

Вакцина “путинка” или вторая серия мультиков с ракетами обиженного карлика пукина.

Обиженного карлика пукина все чаще тянет показать что-то впереди планеты всей. И если раньше был космос, а к нему – нефть и газ, которыми можно было хвастаться как чем-то «самым-самым», то теперь ситуация изменилась. Приходится показывать мультики с ракетами и тому подобную дичь. Но во всех таких мероприятиях читается желание всех опередить хоть в чем-то. Из этого разряда новость, объявление которой обиженный карлик пукин взял на себя лично
 

 
 
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The Infodemic: Is Asymptomatic Spread of the Coronavirus ‘Very Rare’?

Fake news about the coronavirus can do real harm. Polygraph.info is spotlighting fact-checks from other reliable sources here​.Daily DebunkClaim: Asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is “very rare.”Verdict: MisleadingRead the full story at: Health FeedbackSocial Media DisinfoScreenshotCirculating on social media: Claim that Samsung is running a giveaway to help students who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.Verdict: FalseRead the full story at: PesaCheck​Factual Reads on CoronavirusThe ever-expanding list of COVID-19 symptoms
We last wrote about COVID-19 symptoms at the end of April. Since then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added several new symptoms of possible infection: congestion, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.
— MITMedical, August 11

Israel Hospital Tests Ultra-Quick Saliva Coronavirus Test

A newly developed saliva test is aiming to determine coronavirus infections in less than a second, Israel’s largest hospital said Thursday, August 13. In an initial clinical trial, a new artificial intelligence-based device was able to identify evidence of the virus in the body at a 95% success rate, according to Sheba Medical Center. Patients wash their mouth and spit into a vial, which is examined by a small spectral device. The device essentially shines light and analyses the reaction of the saliva. An algorithm determines whether the reaction lines up with COVID-19 samples. With machine learning, the results should get more accurate over time as more samples are testing. (REUTERS) 

WHO Official Urges Equitable Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccine in Africa

A senior World Health Organization official is calling for the equitable distribution of a future COVID-19 vaccine in Africa, warning that the virus will continue to spread if some countries are left behind. WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti sees worrying signs that nations in Africa may be among those last in the queue of low-income countries to receive a vaccine against COVID-19.  She notes some high-income countries that are financing the production or research of vaccines are reserving supplies for themselves.While it is understandable that governments would want to protect their own people, she tells VOA she hopes they are considering the needs of other countries as well. “We are continuing to analyze how this would work,” said Moeti. “We are continuing to advocate very strongly for this equity principle to be adhered to and respected by everyone and that we all work together to make sure that countries, low-income countries, least developed countries are not disadvantaged when it comes time to having access to a vaccine.”  Moeti warns it would be short-sighted of wealthy countries to think only of themselves.  In this interconnected world, she says, no one is safe until everyone is safe, adding a virus knows no borders.  She says COVID-19 will continue circulating around the world until everyone is protected from its deadly sting.She says a vaccine is not a magic bullet and nations must not wait to take action until a safe, effective vaccine is developed—a process that will take many months.  In the meantime, she says it is absolutely essential that countries continue to identify cases, trace contacts, isolate them and minimize the spread of the virus.“Even more importantly, people’s understanding, knowledge and behavior to protect themselves, prevent the virus, prevent themselves spreading to others by wearing masks, by physical distancing whenever it is feasible, by hygiene measures, hand washing, cleaning surfaces in different places are very, very important,” said Moeti.  Moeti notes even when a vaccine is available and affordable, it will take some time to roll it out.  Until then, she says, preventive measures must continue.Latest reports put the number of coronavirus cases in Africa at nearly 1.1 million, including more than 23,000 deaths.  Moeti says cases are increasing as the virus moves from high density urban areas to rural areas that have a lower population density and as communities ease up on lockdown restrictions.She says countries must remain vigilant as curbing COVID-19 is a marathon and not a sprint.

Kenya’s Souvenir Beadmakers Struggle as Tourism Opens for Annual Wildlife Migration

The annual Great Migration of wildlife across Tanzania and Kenya usually attracts thousands of tourists on safari, bringing income to trades that depend on them — such as souvenir makers.  But, as the COVID-19 pandemic has dropped tourism numbers, Kenya’s craftsmen and women are suffering.  In Narok, Kenya, women who specialize in beadwork for tourists have seen their incomes drop to a fraction of what they were last year, as Lenny Ruvaga reports from Narok.   Camera: Amos Wangwa
Producer: Barry Unger  

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Calls for Speedy Formation of New Government

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called for the speedy formation of a new government Thursday as lawmakers approved the government’s two-week state of emergency after the recent devastating explosion that killed scores of people and injured thousands of others.Lebanese state media said Berri urged lawmakers at parliament’s first legislative session since the August 4 blast to begin “speeding up the formation of a (new) government.” Lebanon declares state of emergencyLebanon’s Parliament met Thursday for the first time since last week’s blast that killed over 170 people. A state of emergency was declared after another night of protests as citizens continue to cry out for accountability. Plus, an update on the Japanese bulk carrier that struck a coral reef off the coast of Mauritius and leaked 1,000 tons of oil. And how scientists plan on bringing back the Malaysian variant of the Sumatran rhinoceros.Lawmakers have begun consultations on forming a new cabinet, a process complicated by divisions in a country governed by a sectarian power-sharing system. Parliament approved the state of emergency to suppress resurgent protests over corruption, mismanagement and negligence by the long-entrenched political elite.Hundreds of people have been injured in clashes with security forces who fired tear gas.WHO Appeals for $76 Million to Help LebanonMassive August 4 blast put hospitals and clinics out of commissionPrime Minister Hassan Diab announced his government’s resignation Monday night in the aftermath of the blast. The resignations were confirmed at Thursday’s legislative session.U.S. diplomat David Hale was to visit Beirut Thursday to emphasize the need for reform, the U.S. Embassy said.The Lebanese government took office in January with support from Iran-backed Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah and other parties. Hezbollah, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization, and its allies have a majority of seats in parliament.According to the U.S. Embassy, Hale “will underscore America’s willingness to support any government that reflects the will of the people and is genuinely committed to and acting upon such a reform agenda.”The massive blast, which killed 172 people, injured about 6,000 others and left about 300,000 homeless, is blamed on the detonation of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored for six years at the Port of Beirut.Rebuilding is expected to cost billions of dollars. Economists have forecast the damage could erase up to 25% of the country’s economic output.Humanitarian aid is being provided to Lebanon, but foreign countries have made clear they will not provide funds to help the country avoid economic collapse without reform.

Facebook Beefs Up Anti-Misinfo Efforts Ahead of US Election

Beginning Thursday, U.S. Facebook users who post about voting may start seeing an addendum to their messages — labels directing readers to authoritative information about the upcoming presidential election.
It’s the social network’s latest step to to combat election-related misinformation on its platform as the Nov. 3 election nears — one in which many voters may be submitting ballots by mail for the first time. Facebook began adding similar links to posts about in-person and mail-in balloting by federal politicians, including President Donald Trump, in July.
These labels will link to a new voter information hub similar to one about COVID-19 that Facebook says has been seen by billions of users around the world. The labels will read, “Visit the Voting Information Center for election resources and official updates.”
Despite such efforts, Facebook continues to face widespread criticism around how it handles misinformation around elections and other matters. The company has generally refused to fact-check ads by politicians, for instance, and a two-year audit of its civil rights practices faulted the company for leaving U.S. elections “exposed to interference by the President and others who seek to use misinformation to sow confusion and suppress voting.”
The effectiveness of such labels will depend on how well Facebook’s artificial intelligence system identifies the posts that really need them, said Ethan Zuckerman, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Civic Media. If every post containing the word “vote” or “voting” gets an informational link, he said, “people will start ignoring those links.”
Facebook expects the voter hub to reach at least 160 million people in the U.S., said Emily Dalton Smith, who serves as head of social impact at the company. The primary focus is registering people to vote, she said, but the information people see will evolve throughout the election season.
“This is a unique election and a unique election season,” she said. “Certainly we have never gone through an election during a global pandemic.”
Other tech companies, Twitter and Google, which owns YouTube, have undertaken similar efforts around the November election. Twitter said it is working on expanding its policies to address “new and unique challenges” related to this year’s elections, including misinformation around mail-in voting.
Looking ahead to November, Facebook said it is “actively speaking with election officials about the potential of misinformation around election results as an emerging threat.”
The company did not give details on the potential threats, but said that a prolonged ballot process where results are not immediately clear “has the potential to be exploited in order to sow distrust in the election outcome.”
“One way we plan to fight this is by using the Voting Information Center and the US Elections digest in Facebook News to make sure people have easy access to the latest, authoritative information and news on and after Election Night,” Naomi Gleit, vice president of product management and social impact, wrote in a blog post.

В путляндии опять отрицательный прорыв: Польша дала супер-пенделя газпрому

В путляндии опять отрицательный прорыв: Польша дала супер-пенделя газпрому.

Хорошо известно, что Польша имеет давние счеты с газпромом, который потрепал нервы не только поляком, но и многим покупателям своего газа в период, когда был фактическим монополистом на газовом рынке Европы
 

 
 
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Так званий суддя-хвойда павло вовк: ти не цар і Бог, ти ч*рт в мантії, люди по тебе прийдуть!

Так званий суддя-хвойда вовк: ти не цар і Бог, ти ч*рт в мантії, люди по тебе прийдуть!

Скандальний дегенерат-суддя ОАСК павло вовк написав пост, у якому згадав мене та всіх, хто приходив на мою підтримку, назвавши нас божевільними.
Відповідаю вовку.

Блог про українську політику та актуальні події в нашій країні
 

 
 
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Стратегический ударный БПЛА Украины Сокол-200 с ракетами и большой дальностью полета!

Стратегический ударный БПЛА Украины Сокол-200 с ракетами и большой дальностью полета!
 

 
 
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Банщик-проститутка забрал себе яхту “Виктория”, которую Фургал выставил на торги!

Банщик-проститутка забрал себе яхту “Виктория”, которую Фургал выставил на торги!

Последние новости путляндии и мира, экономика, бизнес, культура, технологии, спорт
 

 
 
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Обиженный карлик цап-царап доигрался, его затягивают в турецкую петлю

Обиженный карлик цап-царап доигрался, его затягивают в турецкую петлю.

Ударные дроны готовы, пушки заряжены, добро пожаловать в провинцию Идлиб, обиженный карлик пукин!
 

 
 
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Chinese Cities Find Virus in Brazilian Chicken Wings, Ecuadorian Shrimp Packaging

Two cities in China have found traces of the new coronavirus in imported frozen food and on food packaging, local authorities said on Thursday, raising fears that contaminated food shipments might cause new outbreaks.A sample taken from the surface of frozen chicken wings imported into the southern city of Shenzhen from Brazil, as well as samples of outer packaging of frozen Ecuadorian shrimp sold in the northwestern Xi’An city, have tested positive for the virus, local authorities said on Thursday.The discoveries came a day after traces of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 were found on the packaging of frozen shrimp from Ecuador in a city in eastern Anhui province. China has been stepping up screenings at ports amid the concerns over food imports.Shenzhen’s health authorities traced and tested everyone who might have come into contact with potentially contaminated food products, and all results were negative, the city’s notice said.The Brazilian embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters could not immediately reach the Ecuadorean embassy in Beijing.”It is hard to say at which stage the frozen chicken got infected,” said a China-based official at a Brazilian meat exporter.The Shenzhen Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters said the public needed to take precautions to reduce infection risks from imported meat and seafood.The health commission of Shannxi province, where Xi’An city is located, said authorities are testing people and the surrounding environment connected to the contaminated shrimp products sold in a local market.In addition to screening all meat and seafood containers coming into major ports in recent months, China has suspended some meat imports from various origins, including Brazil, since mid-June.The first cluster of COVID-19 cases was linked to the Huanan seafood market in the city of Wuhan. Initial studies suggested the virus originated in animal products on sale at the market.Li Fengqin, who heads a microbiology lab at the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment told reporters in June the possibility of contaminated frozen food causing new infections could not be ruled out.Viruses can survive up to two years at temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius, but scientists say there is no strong evidence so far the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can spread via frozen food.Xinfadi market in China’s capital city Beijing, a sprawling food market linked to cluster infections in June, where virus was found on the chopping board on which imported salmons were handled, will be reopened from the weekend.How the virus entered the market in the first place is yet to be determined, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in its latest update of the investigation in July.

Hong Kong Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai Says He Will Not Back Down, Despite Arrest

Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, who has been released on bail after his arrest Monday, said Thursday he has accepted imprisonment as his “destiny” and that the widespread support he has received proves his struggle for democracy is a worthy cause.Lai, 71, was one of 10 people arrested Monday for violating the national security law imposed by China on July 1. Among them, two were his sons, four were senior executives at Lai’s Next Digital company, and three were activists, including 23-year-old Agnes Chow. Local news reports say he was released on bail and that $6.5 million of his assets have been frozen.The arrest of Lai, a high-profile supporter of the pro-democracy movement, and the police raid on the Apple Daily newspaper owned by Next Digital this week have stoked widespread fears of the end of Hong Kong as a city where information and opinions are freely aired.Speaking in public for the first time since his release, Lai said in an Apple Daily live link Thursday morning that he had his moments of doubt when he was handcuffed and struggled to sleep on the floor in custody.“If I knew I would end up here, or eventually in prison, would I have changed myself?” he said has asked himself.“[But] my character is my destiny. Once I accepted my destiny, all of a sudden, I felt the grace of God, the blessing of God, and I was totally relieved. And I left myself to my destiny and accepted it,” said Lai, a Catholic.“It was such a wonderful feeling … culminating in such a situation. It was like God telling me, ‘Don’t fear, just do what you have to do, I’m with you,’” he said.He said he was overwhelmed by the public support for him and his paper.After Apple Daily’s office was raided by around 200 police officers, Next Digital’s share price more than doubled on Monday and rocketed five times again the next day to reach a six-year high.The paper said it printed 550,000 copies of Tuesday’s paper, compared with the usual run of around 70,000. People lined up in the early hours of Tuesday to buy the paper, which sold out across Hong Kong. Some bought multiple copies to leave on the streets for others.Lai said he was filled with emotion when he was released, to be greeted by supporters, who were shouting for joy. He said the images of 200 police officers raiding the newsroom have angered many as it was “a violation of the people’s belief in the freedom of the speech.”“It shows that people really support us, they give us so much comfort to be part of this community,” he said. “I was so touched. This has reaffirmed that whatever I’ve done wrong in the past, what I’m doing now is right. The message is: ‘Let’s go on!’”Likening freedom to oxygen, he said, “The oxygen is getting thin, we’re all choking, [but] we’re still taking care of each other and we keep resisting and fighting for the rule of law and freedoms.”Lai said he was relieved that he had not been taken to mainland China and the police who dealt with his case were Hong Kongers.However, as Lai’s charges included subversion and collusion with a foreign country, which are new offenses under the new national security law, analysts have warned that under the law’s Clause 55 and 56, he risks being sent to China for trial, and could be given the maximum, life imprisonment.After Lai’s arrest, the Chinese government’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office accused him and his paper of being a mastermind behind protests in Hong Kong, using his media platforms to “fabricate and spread rumors and to incite and support violence,” and of providing financial support for anti-China and pro-independence forces.It called for “severe punishment” of those who “collude with foreign forces” and “act as their agents” to harm national security by “secession, subversion and infiltration.”Lai said China does not understand that Hong Kong’s best assets are the rule of law and its civil liberties, and that they are the foundation of its success as an international financial center. He conceded, though, that Hong Kongers are helpless against such a powerful country.“It’s a long fight, I agree. We cannot be radical, we cannot confront them face to face,” he said.  “We are just eggs and they’re the wall. We have to be flexible and innovative, and patient but to achieve [our goal], that’s the way.”Wiping away tears from time to time during the livestream, Lai said the international support meant “what we are doing is right.”“I am in my 70s and there was never a time when I felt so moved and so happy, knowing that I’ve been doing the right thing. I’m near the end of my life, it’s a very precious feeling,” he said.

Portland Police Use Tear Gas to Disperse Protesters

Police in the northwestern U.S. city of Portland, Oregon, used tear gas Wednesday night to disperse protesters at a building that houses a police precinct and jail.Authorities declared the latest in what have been several months of nightly protests a riot and said some demonstrators engaged in criminal activity that included setting fires and lighting fireworks outside a federal courthouse.The protests began after the death in police custody of George Floyd in the state of Minnesota, with those in Portland and many other places across the country calling for police reforms and steps to address racial inequality.Portland gained prominence when federal agents deployed there in July over the objections of local officials.They have since withdrawn. 

US, Slovenia to Sign 5G Joint Declaration

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is meeting Thursday with leaders in Slovenia, where they are set to sign a joint declaration on 5G technology.Over the past year, European countries including Poland, Estonia and the Czech Republic have signed agreements with the United States pledging that 5G suppliers would not be subject to control by a foreign government without independent judicial review, which effectively excludes Chinese firms.Pompeo’s visit to Slovenia is the first by a U.S. secretary of state since 2011.His schedule Thursday includes meetings with Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, Foreign Minister Anze Logar and President Borut Pahor.The State Department said some of the key topics in the talks would be nuclear energy, Western Balkan integration and energy issues.Pompeo was in the Czech Republic on Wednesday and said there that China’s economic power is in some ways a greater global threat than the Soviet Union was during the Cold War.“The challenge of resisting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) threat is in some ways more difficult,” Pompeo said in a speech to the senate in the Czech Republic. “The CCP is already enmeshed in our economies, in our politics, in our societies in ways the Soviet Union never was.”Pompeo’s remarks came after China’s ambassador to London accused the United States last month of instigating conflict with Beijing before the November U.S. presidential election.US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, center, arrives for a meeting of the senate in Prague, Czech Republic, Aug. 12, 2020.U.S.-China relations have deteriorated sharply this year over issues such as Beijing’s management of the coronavirus, its security clampdown in Hong Kong and activities in the disputed South China Sea.Pompeo held talks with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis in Prague earlier Wednesday on the second day of his weeklong visit to central Europe.The two leaders discussed nuclear energy cooperation and the Three Seas Initiative, a political platform to promote connectivity among nations in central and eastern Europe by supporting infrastructure, energy and digital interconnectivity projects.The initiative gets its name from the three seas that border the region: the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas.The chief U.S. diplomat began the day taking part in a roundtable discussion with a group of leaders from tech companies from the U.S. and the Czech Republic to highlight the benefits of U.S. investment, and according to the State Department, “underscore the attractiveness of the United States as an investment destination for Czech start-ups.”Pompeo’s trip this week will also include stops in Vienna, Austria; and Warsaw, Poland.The trip comes as the Pentagon prepares to move forward with a plan to pull almost 12,000 troops from Germany and redeploy part of the U.S. forces to Poland and other NATO nations, raising concerns at home and in Europe even as senior FILE – A view of a Verizon 5G promo poster during the coronavirus pandemic on May 13, 2020, in New York City.Austria hosts the International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations in charge of monitoring Iran’s adherence to the 2015 nuclear deal from which the U.S. has withdrawn.Pompeo will also hold talks with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, as Washington is calling on other members of the U.N. Security Council to indefinitely extend an arms embargo on Iran that is set to expire on October 18.In Warsaw, the chief U.S. diplomat will meet with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz on deepening defense ties, recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, securing 5G networks, and improving regional energy and infrastructure through the Three Seas Initiative. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus.Pompeo will also meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda, who visited the White House in late June.Poland sees Nord Stream 2, which would double Russia’s gas export capacity via the Baltic Sea, as a threat to Europe’s energy security.Last month, the State Department said people making investments or engaging in activities related to Nord Stream 2, including pipe-laying vessels and engineering service in the deployment of the pipelines, could face U.S. sanctions.”It’s a clear warning to companies: aiding and abetting Russia’s malign influence projects will not be tolerated,” said Pompeo during a July 15 news conference.”Let me be clear. These aren’t commercial projects. They are the Kremlin’s key tools to exploit and expand European dependence on Russian energy supplies,” Pompeo said. 

2 US Men Charged with Selling Bogus COVID-19 Cure Arrested in Colombia

Two U.S men charged with selling a bleach-like chemical concoction billed as a cure for COVID-19 and other diseases are under arrest in Colombia.The Associated Press quoted authorities as saying Mark and Joseph Grennon were arrested Tuesday in the beach town of Santa Marta, where the father-and-son team shipped their “Miracle Mineral Solution” to the United States, Colombia and Africa.Prosecutors say seven Americans died from using their product.Mark Grenon, the archbishop of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing in Bradenton, Florida, promoted the substance as a sort of sacrament with healing powers.Grenon ignored a Miami federal judge’s order in April to stop selling the substance, which has been legalized in Bolivia despite opposition from medical experts.Grenon and his three adult sons, including Joseph, are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to violate the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act and criminal contempt.  

Official: Afghan-Taliban Talks Would Need ‘Maximum Flexibility’ By Both Sides

A senior official in Afghanistan said Wednesday that a team of state representatives will begin formal peace negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar “early next week” to try to negotiate a political solution to the country’s long war.Mustafa Mastoor, the Afghan Minister of Economy, said the peace process has “opened a new chapter of hope” in the war-torn country’s history and both sides needs to seize it. He was speaking to an online forum arranged by a Pakistan-based think tank, the Lahore Center For Peace Research (LCPR).“Negotiations will hopefully start early next week. The Islamic Republic (of Afghanistan) side is fully prepared for a good and a positive start and expects the Taliban side to have the same intentions,” said the Afghan minister.The much-awaited first ever formal peace talks between Afghan warring sides are a product of the agreement the U.S. signed with the Taliban in February to close the nearly 19-year-old war with the Islamist insurgency and withdraw American troops from the country.Members of a Taliban negotiating team enter the venue hosting U.S.-Taliban talks in the Qatari capital Doha, Aug. 29, 2019.Mastoor stressed both sides will need to be ready for compromises to seize “the narrow window for peace” created after years of hostilities to help sustain the dialogue.“Considering the global experience, they will start with easier issues, moving towards the tougher ones at the later stage. Knowing this noble goal, maximum flexibility and concessions will be needed by both sides,” the Afghan minister stressed.Mastoor went on to caution that the level of exceptions in the run-up to the talks is “realistically low” considering the complexity of the war.“A win win at the end of the process could be difficult but accommodation of a possible maximum views of both sides for an agreed efficient governance system are feasible and possible,” he said.Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen told VOA on Tuesday that his group stands by the agreement with the U.S. and will enter negotiations with an intention to find a solution to the Afghan war provided the other side also intends to do so, underscoring the deeply rooted mutual trust deficit.US drawdownThe agreement calls on all American and coalition troops to leave Afghanistan by May 2021 in return for the Taliban’s counterterrorism guarantees and a pledge to open negotiations with other Afghan groups.The U.S. military drawdown has already started, bringing the number of U.S. troops from around 13,000 at the time of the singing of the deal to around 8,600. President Donald Trump has said there will be less than 5,000 troops left in Afghanistan by the November U.S. presidential elections.The intra-Afghan talks were to be launched in early March but they were delayed because of a controversial prisoner swap between the Afghan government and the Taliban, as stipulated in the agreement.Kabul has promised to release a last group of 400 Taliban prisoners this week that will conclude the swap, removing the last hurdle in the way to peace negotiations.Stage Set for Afghan Peace Talks as Ghani Orders Release of 400 Taliban PrisonersA traditional Loya Jirga allowed Ghani to free the prisoners so hoped-for peace talks with the insurgent group could begin The government, which was not part of the agreement, was required to free a total of 5,000 insurgent inmates in exchange for 1,000 Afghan security personnel the Taliban was holding captive.The insurgents freed all the detainees and they are waiting for their remaining prisoners to be released before coming to the negotiating table.SkepticismCritics remain skeptical about whether the Taliban will stick to its commitments and desist from attempting to regain power after the withdrawal of international forces.Michael Kugelman, a Washington-based South Asian affairs’ expert, while speaking at Wednesday’s online conference warned that foreign troop drawdown is strengthening the Taliban’s bargaining power and leverage ahead of their talks with Afghan rivals.“The Taliban knows that potentially it could have a major battlefield advantage and it could easily decide to leave talks and return to the fight if it seas U.S. troops continuing to leave,” observed Kugelman.“The more quickly U.S. troops leave Afghanistan once peace talks start the less likely that there will be a Taliban peace deal,” the U.S. expert noted.Afghan Minister Mastoor in his speech, however, saw the talks with the Taliban a rare opportunity for bringing peace to the country and the region.Pakistan’s Role“We all know that it was not possible without the support of regional and international players, specifically Pakistan and the United States,” Mastoor noted in his speech Wednesday.Pakistan, where Taliban leaders have for years sheltered among several million Afghan refugees the country still hosts, facilitated the U.S.-Taliban deal by bringing senior insurgent representatives to the negotiating table two years ago.The presence of insurgents in the neighboring country has long been a primary source of Kabul’s political tensions with Islamabad.“I think the current peace process is another test for both countries. Pakistan, as a neighbor and as a country closer to Taliban, can play a significant role in the peace process and its success as they already played,” Mastoor said.Pakistani officials, however, insist that promoting normal ties, particularly economic and trade connectivity, with landlocked Afghanistan is at the center of Islamabad’s policy toward the neighboring country.“The intra-Afghan process that begins in about a week’s time is really an Afghan process,” said Moeed Yusuf, an assistant on national security to the Pakistani prime minister.Yusuf made the remarks on Monday while delivering a public talk at an online forum arranged by Washington’s Atlantic Council think tank.“Pakistan and others will help as much as we can, but we are really desperately hoping for is a constant process that gets to a solution of whatever the Afghans want for their country and you will find Pakistan supporting that,” Yusuf said.

US Skeptical about Russian Claim of Effective COVID-19 Vaccine

Two top U.S. health officials are expressing skepticism about Vladimir Putin’s claim that Russian scientists have come up with the world’s first safe and effective vaccine.“I seriously doubt that they’ve done that,” infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said. But he added that he hopes Moscow has indeed “actually definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective.”Fauci said a number of U.S. labs are working on a vaccine and could, if they wanted to, roll them out anytime.“If we wanted to take the chance of hurting a lot of people or giving them something that doesn’t work, we could start doing this, you know, next week if we wanted to. But that’s not the way it works,” Fauci said in remarks to be broadcast Thursday by National Geographic.Fauci has said he hopes to have millions of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine ready in the U.S. by early 2021 but has warned there is no way to guarantee the long-term effectiveness of a vaccine.Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar thumbs up as he visits a mask factory with Director of the American Institute in Taiwan William Brent Christensen, right, in New Taipei City, Aug. 12, 2020.Meantime, U.S. Health and Human Services chief Alex Azar said during a visit to Taiwan on Wednesday that developing a COVID-19 vaccine is “not a race to be first.”He said the Trump administration is working with the U.S. pharmaceutical industry to “deliver as quickly as we can for the benefit of the United States’ citizens, but also for the people of the world, safe and effective vaccines.”The Food and Drug Administration must approve any vaccine of any kind before it is distributed to doctors and other health care professionals.China on Wednesday called Azar’s performance in handling COVID-19 in the U.S. “the worst in the world” and said his trip to Taiwan was a stunt.“He ignored millions of Americans suffering from the virus and went to Taiwan to put on a political show,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijan said. “His behavior proves once again that in the eyes of U.S. politicians, American lives mean nothing when compared with their selfish political gains.”The Trump administration has accused China of trying to cover up the outbreak of COVID-19 when it began in Wuhan in December and failing to contain the disease — allegations China denies.Azar said if the coronavirus outbreak started in Taiwan or the U.S., it could have been “snuffed out easily.”People wearing face masks wait their turn to be called for a PCR test for the COVID-19 outside a local clinic in Santa Coloma de Gramanet in Barcelona, Spain, Aug. 11, 2020.Spain’s Galicia region has banned cigarette smoking in the streets, in outdoor restaurants, and anywhere social distancing is impractical.Although it’s unclear if cigarette smokers are more susceptible to COVID-19, smoking contributes to the underlying health problems that make recovery from the disease much more difficult. Second-hand cigarette smoke is also a health hazard.Officials in Spain’s Aragon region have ordered a military field hospital, and testing in Catalonia, including its capital Barcelona, is being expanded after Spain reported 1,700 hundred new COVID cases in just 24 hours Wednesday.Greece reported 262 new cases Wednesday — its highest one-day total since the outbreak began — and Italy is ordering visitors from Greece, Spain, Croatia and Malta to be tested for COVID-19 when they cross the border. Italy is a popular vacation spot for tourists from those four nations.The pandemic continues to have an effect on the sporting world. Two major U.S. college athletic conferences — the Big Ten and the Pac-12 — announced Tuesday they are postponing their upcoming fall football seasons.Now, one of the world’s top golf tournaments — The Masters — will be played this year with no spectators.It’s the third major U.S. golf match to be fan-free this year. The PGA Championship was played last week with no one watching from the sidelines. The U.S. Open, which was moved from June to September, will also have no spectators.The Masters is usually held every April at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. The club has been closed because of the coronavirus, and this year’s tournament has been postponed until November.Pop singer and guitarist Trini Lopez, best known for his smash recordings of “If I Had a Hammer” and “Lemon Tree” in the 1960s, has died from COVID-19. He was 83 years old.Along with his hit records, Lopez was also an actor, appearing on television and co-starring in the 1967 World War II film “The Dirty Dozen.”

Trump Plans Campaign Swing Next Week as Counter to Democrats’ Convention

President Donald Trump is planning to visit four election battleground states next week as the Republican competes for attention with Democrats who will formally nominate Joe Biden as their presidential candidate.A source familiar with the planning said Trump plans stops in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona and Pennsylvania, all of them states that may prove crucial to determining the winner of the Nov. 3 election.Democrats are holding their mostly virtual convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next week. The Milwaukee Sentinel Journal said the Trump campaign was considering holding an event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.Trump, struggling to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and economic recession, has been looking for ways to blunt the momentum of Biden after the Democrat chose California Senator Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate.The incumbent president, seeking a second four-year term, trails Biden in many opinion polls both nationally and in many swing states, although Trump insists he is making up ground.Trump’s travel next week is likely to be a mix of official White House and campaign-related events. He is planning a stop in Biden’s home town of Scranton, Pennsylvania, the source said.The Trump campaign declined to comment on next week’s travel.Typically a candidate from one party will sit out most of the week in which the opposing party holds its nominating convention since most of voters’ attention will be focused on the convention.But Trump has shown himself to be no adherent to political tradition and with his campaign appearances reduced by the pandemic, he is under pressure to get out more and make the case for why he should be re-elected.