Bahrain celebrates International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
Bahrain attaches great and continuous attention to the fight against drugs, psychotropic substances and illicit trafficking in them, under an integrated national plan, security, legislative, preventive and therapeutic measures, and an active community partnership in addressing this crime as a serious international scourge with devastating effects on the security and safety of states, societies and the public health of the population and the future of the next generations.
Bahrain’s participation in the on June is in response to UN General Assembly Resolution 42/112 of 1987. The theme this year is “Share Facts On Drugs, Save Lives” in light of the growing cognizance of the importance of community awareness of its security and health risks, combating misinformation, promoting sharing the facts on drugs and strengthening international cooperation towards a world free of drug abuse. The Ministry of Interior, led by General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior, has accomplished advanced achievements in combating drugs and protecting the community from their risks.
The ministry, through the Drug Enforcement Administration within the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Evidence, and in cooperation with the relevant security agencies, and the community partnership completed 257 initiatives or 97% of the objectives of the National Anti-Drug and Psychotropic Substances plan is in its first phase since its launch on June 25, 2015 under the umbrella of the National Anti-Narcotics Commission, with the participation of 24 government agencies and national entities, and its success in tackling drugs on several security, legislative, preventive and therapeutic levels.
George Floyd killer sentenced to 22.5 years in prison
A Minnesota judge sentenced former police officer Derek Chauvin to 22.5 years in prison on Friday for the murder of George Floyd during an arrest in May 2020 on a Minneapolis sidewalk, video of which sparked global protests. A jury found Chauvin, 45, guilty on April 20 of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after a trial that was widely seen as a landmark in the history of U.S. policing. read more Before the sentence was handed down, Floyd’s brothers told the court of their anguish, Chauvin’s mother insisted on her son’s innocence, and Chauvin himself briefly offered condolences to the Floyd family.
Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill said it was important to recognize the pain of the Floyd family and acknowledged the global notoriety of the case only to say it would not sway him. Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year prison sentence, double the upper limit indicated in sentencing guidelines for a first-time offender. read more Cahill ruled earlier this month that prosecutors have established grounds for giving Chauvin a harsher sentence. The defense had asked for probation and had unsuccessfully sought a retrial ahead of an expected appeal.
Cases of COVID-19 occurred far earlier than first recorded: Study
The first cases of Covid-19 likely occurred in China between early October and mid-November 2019, according to new data modelling that suggests the virus spread around the world far more quickly than was previously realized. The first case was likely to have been on November 17, researchers said, in an analysis published in the journal PLOS Pathogens. Officially, the first cases of Covid-19 were recorded in early December 2019, in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, although experts have long thought the virus was spreading between people before that.
This is also the view held by the team of World Health Organization (WHO) scientists tasked with studying the origin of the Covid-19 outbreak at the start of the year. The data researchers, led by David Roberts of the University of Kent in Britain, calculated the most likely period of time it would have taken the pathogen to jump from animals to humans, based on information about the first confirmed cases in China and abroad.
They relied on a mathematical model from the field of conservation that is used to make predictions about the extinction of species. The model suggests that the virus is likely to have spread worldwide as early as January. (Reuters)
MIAMI BUILDING COLLAPSE: Number missing rises to 159
Rescue workers scouring the debris of a collapsed condo building in a Miami suburb said they heard sounds in the rubble overnight, as officials on Friday raised the number of people unaccounted for to 159 and the confirmed death toll to four. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters that three more bodies were pulled from the wreckage overnight.
Another person was reported to have died on Thursday. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said they heard sounds in the rubble overnight, but said it could be either falling debris or people tapping.
On Thursday, search teams detected sounds of banging and other noises but no voices coming from the mounds of debris. Early that morning, a large section of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, a barrier island town across Biscayne Bay from the city of Miami, crumbled to the ground, authorities said. Footage captured by a security camera nearby showed an entire side of the building suddenly folding in two sections, one after the other, at about 1:30 a.m. (0530 GMT), throwing up clouds of dust.
COVID-19: Israel reimposes masks amid new virus fears
Israel reintroduced the mandatory wearing of face masks indoors on Friday in a bid to counteract rising coronavirus infection rates. The measure was almost completely lifted in mid-June, but from Friday everyone was required to wear a face mask again indoors, the Health Ministry said.
People are only exempt from the rule when exercising or at home. It also doesn’t apply to small children. The ministry also recommended wearing a mouth-and-nose covering during large outdoor events like the Pride Parade taking place in Tel Aviv on Friday.
Scientists hail stunning ‘Dragon Man’ discovery
Chinese researchers have unveiled an ancient skull that could belong to a completely new species of human. The team has claimed it is our closest evolutionary relative among known species of ancient human, such as Neanderthals and Homo erectus.
Nicknamed “Dragon Man”, the specimen represents a human group that lived in East Asia at least 146,000 years ago. It was found at Harbin, north-east China, in 1933, but only came to the attention of scientists more recently. An analysis of the skull has been published in the journal The Innovation.
One of the UK’s leading experts in human evolution, Prof Chris Stringer from London’s Natural History Museum, was a member of the research team. The researchers say the discovery has the potential to rewrite the story of human evolution. Their analysis suggests that it is more closely related to Homo sapiens than it is to Neanderthals. They have assigned the specimen to a new species: Homo longi, from the Chinese word “long”, meaning dragon.
“We found our long-lost sister lineage,” said Xijun Ni, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Hebei GEO University in Shijiazhuang. Dragon Man had large, almost square eye sockets, thick brow ridges, a wide mouth, and oversized teeth. Prof Qiang Ji, from Hebei GEO University, says it is one of the most complete early human skull fossils ever discovered.
“It has a mosaic combination of primitive and (more modern features), setting itself apart from all the other species of human,” the researcher explained. The scientists believe that Dragon Man was powerfully-built and rugged. But little is known about how he lived, because his skull was removed from the site in which it was found. That means that there is currently no archaeological context, such as stone tools, or other elements of culture.
The skull was reportedly discovered in 1933 by a construction worker helping build a bridge on the Songhua river running through Harbin, in Heilongjiang province, which translated means Black Dragon River, hence the new human’s name..
The city was under Japanese occupation at the time. Suspecting its cultural value, the Chinese worker smuggled it home, to keep it out of the hands of occupiers. He hid it at the bottom of his family’s well, where it remained for around 80 years. The man told his family about the skull before he died, which is how it eventually got into the hands of scientists.
More funds approved for COVAX vaccines, tighter access planned
The board of the GAVI vaccine alliance has approved a further $775 million to fund the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to lower-income economies over the next two years, as it plans to accelerate the rollout, it said on Friday. The total funds available to cover the cost of delivering the vaccines will rise to $925 million, GAVI said in a statement issued after a two-day board meeting.
COVAX, run jointly with the World Health Organization, has delivered 90 million doses to 132 countries since February, but has faced major supply issues since India suspended vaccine exports. It is scaling up and now estimates that its goal of delivering 1.8 billion doses to lower income economies would be reached in the first quarter of 2022, GAVI said.
GAVI’s board also set new terms for accessing vaccines, which will disincentivise middle-income nations from participating by insisting they pay for COVAX vaccines fully in advance next year.
“Starting in 2022, the model will enable self-financing participants that rely on the facility to access doses to continue procuring vaccines through COVAX under revised terms and conditions,” it said.
GAVI estimates that membership of the scheme may shrink to 120-130 next year, from about 190 countries now, an internal document shows. The changes mean countries in Latin America and the Middle East, as well as the likes of South Africa, could face higher costs to access the scheme and would need to borrow money to secure doses. However, the poorest countries, mostly in Africa and Southeast Asia, will keep the same conditions, with little or no costs to buy vaccines.
‘No spectators’ still possible for Tokyo Olympics: Hashimoto
A “no-spectator games” remains an option for the Tokyo Olympics, which open officially in just four weeks, the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee said on Friday. The admission by Seiko Hashimoto comes only four days after she announced on Monday that up to 10,000 local fans would be allowed into venues – with numbers not to exceed 50% of venue capacity regardless of indoor or outdoor events.
Organizers put off the decision on local fans for several months, and fans from abroad were banned months ago. The move to allow fans went against many medical experts who have said the safest Olympics would be with no fans due to coronavirus.
“What I feel is that no spectating should remain an option for us as we look into things,” Hashimoto said at a news conference. “The situation is changing from time to time so that is why we need to remain flexible and prompt in responding to any change. A no-spectator games is one of our options.”
Read & Watch the latest news happening around the World with one Click – “STARVISION NEWS 3D PRO (26 June 2021)”
3D Pro: http://bit.ly/SVNews3DPro-26June2021
