Current news
IN SEARCH:
WILL A VACCINE BE FOUND?
-SNigdha dhameja
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The virus poses a problem for world economies and the welfare of people all around. However, several leading countries have teamed up the best of their scientific minds, in a bid to find a vaccine before the world is consumed into chaos.
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India itself has tried over 30 attempts at the vaccine and trusted news sources report that there has been a tie-up between Oxford University and the Serum Institute of India to produce a vaccine using a weakened strain of adenovirus, the microbe that causes the common cold. Production is said to start in June, without any studies or research proving its ability to combat the virus. Phase I of testing has begun on human subjects recently.
The seemingly unending search of the coronavirus vaccine.
Source: The Indian Express
As of May 23rd, the number of cases has surged to approximately 5.3 million, with 2.06 million recovered and 400 thousand deaths worldwide. The need for a vaccine is increasing with the number of cases globally. A fifth of the total cases are in the US.
The Trump administration introduced a private-public partnership called Operation Warp Speed to find a vaccine. $1.2 billion has been invested in this firm, the cause being to speed up the development of a cure. The vaccine is being produced by biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.
However, seasoned scientists believe that the promise of a vaccine by October is ‘unrealistic’. Anthony Fauci, head of the Coronavirus Task Force assembled by the White House has proposed an 18-month timeline for the vaccine. This timeline has been rejected by Adrian Hill, head of the vaccine project, alongside Sarah Gilbert, claiming that it can be developed in far less time.
There is yet to be a vaccine that safely stops the transmission of COVID-19 from a host to a healthy person. One of the top US scientists who is leading research on the cure for HIV says that we may never find a vaccine to curb the spread of the virus.
devastation of habitat:
cyclone amphan doubles over covid-19
-lauren carvalho
The last three months have brought untold misery, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. But the horror has been compounded, in just three days, by the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Amphan. It originated from the Bay of Bengal on 13th May 2020, causing a trail of destruction across vast swaths of eastern India and Bangladesh.
An aerial view of the ‘super’ cyclone Amphan.
Source: Skymet Weather
So what is the rising concern over Cyclone Amphan?
For one, it is a cyclone in which wind speeds cross 220 kmph. The strong winds, tidal waves and heavy rains have caused physical damage and severe flooding. The cyclone knocked down trees and brought heavy rains, sending hoards of poor villagers scrambling to safety. The emergency response was also complicated by the coronavirus. India and Bangladesh are still under lockdown and people were fearful about the spread of infection while being packed into crowded evacuation shelters during the rough storms. Indian television channels displayed several images of trees snapping, waves cresting sea walls and buildings being blown apart by the rushing winds.
India and Bangladesh are struggling with the rise in coronavirus infections. Just this week, India reported that it had crossed 100,000 cases. South Asia is no stranger to cyclones, but there is an added challenge: preventing the spread of the disease while packing people into shelters.
There are several refugee camps and villages where people are quite oblivious
to social – distancing and the spread of infection. Well, it is definitely not the biggest of their problems - they now face one of the biggest cyclones that have ever hit the Indian subcontinent in all of history. In these dire circumstances, we can’t do much for those hit by the cyclone, but pray for their safety and welfare.
People seeking shelter, after being devastated with the might of the cyclone.
Source: Hindustan Times
the murder of george floyd:
one race pays the price for a centuried mindset
-SNigdha dhameja
The Facts:
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George Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020, by Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis police officer. He kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes, ultimately leading to suffocation and death. Three more officers were bystanders.
The reason for his arrest was that he allegedly used a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes from a nearby shop. After being cornered by the police officers, he was forced out of his vehicle, handcuffed and then Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck.
A screenshot of Trump's tweet.
source: fox5dc.com
Derek Chauvin has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
The three other officers have been fired.
Derek Chauvin has had a history of being racist, amassing around 18 complaints, which have been closed without reason.
Protests in Minneapolis beg justice for black citizens who face such discrimination. Donald Trump has involved the National Guard in this matter, and has labelled the protestors as ‘thugs’.
The Opinion:
Before you read this, I would like to justify my anger for this.
I am not a minority, compared to where I live in the world. I have not faced any sort of racial discrimination in my life. I may not be privileged because of the colour of my skin, but I am privileged nevertheless. What maddens me is that people on the other side of the world, who have done nothing wrong are being killed. All lives matter. But today, with the onslaught of all the racial discrimination going against black people, they need to be the ones getting justice right now.
My opinion rests with the majority: George Floyd should not have been killed. There is no doubt that race was a factor in his murder, which is common to many police shootings and killings that have taken place across America. His murder has gained traction because of the status quo; the world has a lot going on right now. In the US, the Minneapolis protestors demanding justice for Floyd are contrasted by the ‘Karens’ who demand the right to haircuts, massages, and the ability to walk freely without a mask.
Let’s see what the American government has to say about this. Donald Trump released tweets glorifying violence against the protestors. He used the phrase ‘when the looting starts, the shooting starts’ in his response, which broke Twitter’s rules, as his tweet instigated violence.
Not only that, but he also called the mostly-white people asking for services such as haircuts ‘very good people’. Looks like racism doesn’t stem from just the law enforcement, but from the White House itself.
George Floyd’s murder has been discussed thoroughly by news sites and the media, but what will continue to run on, even after the ‘trend’ on social media dies down, is the thirst for justice for all the black lives lost unfairly. Minneapolis protests have reached an intensity where the President has taken a personal interest. And by ‘interest’, I mean ‘keeping the National Guard on standby’. Using software to detect the faces of protestors. Calling people who only want to be treated as equals, as ‘thugs’.
Race has been a defining factor, almost a judgement of your character. Being white makes you a seemingly ‘better’ person, but a darker skin colour earns you the right to die. From where did such connotations stem in today’s world? Yesterday’s ideas have been replaced by newer, fresher ones. If we continue to use a mindset that expired generations ago, we might as well go back a couple hundred years ago and live with people who thought the same.
An image from the Minneapolis protests.
source: latimes.com
George Floyd committed a minor crime. The charges he deserved did not amount to death. Derek Chauvin has been apprehended, but if you’re familiar with the term ‘ third-degree murder and manslaughter’, it means that the perpetrator has unintentionally killed someone.
Derek Chauvin murdering George Floyd was not an ‘unintentional’ murder. It was a product of hate, of thoughts that categorize people based on their colour. His sentence has been far too lenient, and this act is something worthy of a much heavier charge.
My thoughts are with all the people that have faced unlawful and undeserved discrimination against their race. I pity those who have been conditioned into racist thoughts, actions and behaviour. And for now, I hope people have learned to respect and treat each other with the same compassion that they show for conspicuous, unnecessary things.
You'll get your haircut, Karen. After George Floyd gets justice.