Fake news about the coronavirus can do real harm. Polygraph.info is spotlighting fact-checks from other reliable sources here​. Daily Debunk”What Science Says About Children, COVID-19 and School Reopenings,” FactCheck.org, July 24.Social Media DisinfoScreenshotCirculating on social media: Photo claiming to show crowds protesting in Berlin against coronavirus restrictions.Verdict: FalseRead the full story at: ReutersFactual Reads on CoronavirusEverything you need to know about the UK’s new 90-minute coronavirus test
Two new coronavirus tests that can return results in just over an hour are set to be released in the UK, the government has announced.
— Euronews, August 3
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New York City’s health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, resigned Tuesday, expressing her “deep disappointment” with the way New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has handled the COVID pandemic and his use of the department’s expertise.In her resignation letter, sent to de Blasio and members of the media, Barbot said, “I leave my post today with deep disappointment that during the most critical public health crisis in our lifetime, that the Health Department’s incomparable disease control expertise was not used to the degree it could have been.”Earlier this year, the New York Times reported de Blasio initially ignored Barbot’s advice about canceling large gatherings and closing businesses. Last month, he stripped control of the city’s COVID-19 contact-tracing program from the health department, and placed the program under Health and Hospitals, the agency that runs the city’s public hospitals.Barbot’s replacement was announced as Dr. Dave Chokshi—a Rhodes Scholar who served at the Louisiana Department of Health during Hurricane Katrina and was the principal health adviser to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Obama administration.At his Tuesday news conference, de Blasio thanked Barbot for her service and the important work she did during the crisis. He told reporters it became clear it was time to move forward and “create a new approach” for how to handle the pandemic.Earlier this year, New York City was the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, with daily deaths passing 400 per day. But this past month, the city saw the lowest number of hospitalizations since the pandemic began. 
 
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The World Health Organization says mothers’ milk is best for babies and that even goes for mothers who are infected with the novel coronavirus.  As the world celebrates World Breastfeeding Week (August 1 to 7), health agencies are encouraging women to breastfeed their babies for a healthier planet.    Breastfeeding advocates are concerned that support services for new mothers are being interrupted because of COVID-19.  They say social distancing rules are making it more difficult for them to receive the support and encouragement to nurse their babies.   Lawrence Grummer-Strawn, head of a WHO unit focused on food and nutrition in healthcare systems, says WHO and U.N. Children’s Fund are calling for increased investment to ensure women breastfeed their babies.    “That is particularly important at this time because we have documented through modeling that about 820,000 children’s lives are lost every year because of the lack of breastfeeding.  And, economically, there are losses of about $300 billion per year in economic productivity lost because of the lack of breastfeeding,” he said.    Health agencies say breastfeeding protects children against diarrhea, the top killer in low-income countries.  It protects babies against respiratory infections, leukemia and childhood obesity.  It also protects mothers against breast and ovarian cancers and type-2 diabetes.   Grummer-Strawn tells VOA women sick with COVID-19 should not be afraid of breastfeeding their newborns.  He says their babies will be safe.  He adds mothers who breast feed their infants exclusively for six months will give them the best start in life.     “The reason for that is that the risks of transmission of the COVID-19 virus of a COVID-positive mother to her baby seem to be extremely low,” he said.  “We have never documented anywhere around the world any transmission through breast milk.  That does not mean that it could not be possible somewhere, but it would appear to be extremely rare.”   Grummer-Strawn says the WHO is very concerned about what he calls the underhanded practices of the baby formula industry.   He says companies bribe health care workers to encourage mothers to bottle-feed their babies and provide free samples to mothers to get them hooked on their product.     In the context of COVID-19, he says, many companies present themselves as experts that can provide mothers with advice and support in these difficult times.  He says doctors appearing on their websites offer advice about baby care in the time of COVID-19, which carry negative messages about breastfeeding.    
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The advent of the smartphone has changed human behavior.  Will smart glasses be the next big intelligent technology? Google tried it more than six years ago with the Google Glass. It did not take off, largely because of privacy concerns. But companies big and small in several countries are still working on smart glasses, including Facebook. There are also reports that Apple is working on a version. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has more on what’s currently on the market and their varied applications.
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Reports that manufacturing activity in the United States and other nations has begun to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic sent Asian markets soaring Tuesday. Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei index ended its trading session 1.7% higher. Sydney’s S&P/ASX index earned 1.8%.  The KOSPI index in Seoul rose 1.2%, and Taipei’s TSEC index gained 1.5%. In late afternoon trading, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index is 2% higher, Shanghai’s Composite index is slightly lower at 0.1%, and Mumbai’s Sensex is up 1.5%. In commodities trading, gold is selling at $1,990.50, an increase of 0.2%.  U.S. crude is selling flat at $40.98 per barrel, while Brent crude is also virtually unchanged, selling at $43.29 per barrel. All three major U.S. indices are trending upward in futures trading.  
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Japan’s Nippon Steel says it will appeal a ruling by South Korea’s highest court for the seizure of its assets to compensate four South Koreans who were forced into labor during Japan’s brutal colonial occupation of the Korean peninsula between 1910 and 1945.   The Supreme Court issued a ruling in 2018 ordering Nippon to pay $38,000 to the four South Koreans who were forced to work in Japanese factories during World War Two.  An earlier court ruling froze more than 80,000 shares of a joint venture between Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal and South Korean steelmaker POSCO. The decision angered Tokyo, claiming the issue of compensation for Korean forced laborers was settled by the 1965 treaty that normalized bilateral relations between the Asian neighbors. The treaty included $800 million in reparations paid by Japan in the form of economic aid and loans. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government responded to the court ruling by removing Seoul from its list of preferred trading partners, which allowed for the quick approval of critical products used by South Korean electronics manufacturers.   South Korea removed Japan from its list of preferred trading partners in return. Japan’s 35-year colonial occupation has left a bitter legacy among South Koreans, with hundreds of thousands subjected to numerous atrocities, including the so-called “comfort women” who were forced into sexual slavery in Japanese military brothels. 
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The U.N. Secretary-General warned Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic has caused the largest disruption to education in history and risks creating a “generational catastrophe” if governments do not make education a priority.  “Now we face a generational catastrophe that could waste untold human potential, undermine decades of progress and exacerbate entrenched inequalities,” António Guterres said in a video message.In this file photo taken on Feb. 8, 2020, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the African Union headquarters.Before the virus began multiplying across the globe, more than 250 million school-age children were out of school. That number soared to over a billion by mid-July, as 160 countries closed schools in a bid to slow the virus’s spread.   Children and babies have developed COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, but many have no symptoms. Those that do get ill tend to have more mild symptoms and do not require hospitalization. However, there have been some fatalities. Scientists also caution that children can transmit the virus to adults.     But as children stay home from school in massive numbers, the United Nations warns that the economic impact of the pandemic could mean that almost 24 million young people may drop out or not have access to school next year.  “We are at a defining moment for the world’s children and young people,” Guterres said. “The decisions that governments and partners take now will have lasting impact on hundreds of millions of young people, and on the development prospects of countries for decades to come.”Students wear face masks as a preventive measure against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in their classroom at the Jean Benoit College in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on June 1, 2020.He urged governments to prioritize education funding in COVID-19 recovery plans, as well as to target those most at risk of losing out on education, including young girls, the disabled, minority groups and persons in emergency situations, such as refugees. “Once local transmission of COVID-19 is under control, getting students back into schools and learning institutions as safely as possible must be a top priority,” the U.N. chief said. “It will be essential to balance health risks against risks to children’s education and protection, and to factor in the impact on women’s labor force participation.”A teacher screens students as schools begin to reopen after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown in Cape Town, July 24, 2020.Guterres urged governments to seize the opportunity that the pandemic has presented to reimagine education and build it back in a forward-looking manner, including investing in digital infrastructure.  “As the world faces unsustainable levels of inequality, we need education — the great equalizer — more than ever,” he said. “We must take bold steps now to create inclusive, resilient, quality education systems fit for the future.”  To that end, an international coalition that includes U.N. agencies, NGOs dedicated to children and education, as well international and regional financial institutions, are launching a “Save our Future” campaign. It aims to harness momentum and political will for education as a critical component of pandemic recovery.    
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The deaths of a number of African American men in police custody have led to a reexamination of U.S. law enforcement and calls to defund local police. One retired police official in Los Angeles says partnerships between the police and community can be part of the solution. Mike O’Sullivan reports.Camera:  Mike O’Sullivan       Produced by:  Rob Raffaele 
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Kenyan health care providers say cancer patients are being greatly affected by restrictions to help contain the coronavirus and its impact on the economy. According to physicians, COVID-19 has made access to treatment extremely difficult. So far, Kenya has more than 22,000 COVID-19 cases and has reported about 370 deaths. VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo reports.Produced by: Mary Cieslak
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Press groups called for justice Monday after unidentified gunmen in southern Mexico killed a journalist along with a police officer assigned to protect him after a 2016 attack. Pablo Morrugares was the fifth journalist to be killed in Mexico this year, in attacks that are increasingly killing police guards assigned to the victims. More than 140 journalists have been killed in the past 20 years. The prosecutors’ office in Guerrero state said Morrugares and a state police officer were at a restaurant Sunday when they were killed in a hail of bullets. Authorities found 55 shell casings from assault rifles at the scene in the city of Iguala. The killers apparently opened fire from a passing vehicle. Morrugares was director of the P.M Noticias Guerrero website, which frequently reports on the gang violence that plagues the region. Local media reported that threats against Morrugares had been displayed in the past on banners hung by roadsides, a tactic frequently used by drug gangs in Mexico. On Monday, the Inter American Press Association called on authorities to investigate the crime. It said Morrugares and his wife had survived a previous attack in 2016, when attackers opened fire on their car. The group called on Mexican authorities to provide better funding and protection for journalists registered in a government protection program. While the Mexican government has sometimes assigned police bodyguards for threatened journalists, killers have increasingly been gunning down both the journalists and their guards. In May, gunmen killed the owner of a newspaper and one of the policemen who had been assigned to protect him in northern Sonora state, following earlier threats. 
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