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<title>30 November, 2023</title>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Human Cytokine and Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Protein Interactivity Using Large-Scale Virtual Screens</strong> -
<div>
In the battle against the ever-changing SARS-CoV-2 landscape, understanding the interactions between viral proteins and the human immune system is paramount as it helps to explain potential factors contributing to diverse immunological responses in infected individuals. In this study, we employed state-of-the-art molecular docking tools to conduct large-scale virtual screens, predicting the binding affinities between 64 human cytokines against 17 coronavirus nucleocapsid proteins. Our comprehensive in silico analyses reveal specific changes in cytokine-nucleocapsid protein interactions, shedding light on potential modulators of the host immune response during infection. These findings offer valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying viral pathogenesis and may guide the future development of targeted interventions. This manuscript serves as insight into the comparison of deep learning based AlphaFold2-Multimer and the semi-physicochemical based HADDOCK for protein-protein docking. We show the two methods are complementary in their predictive capabilities. We also introduce a novel algorithm for rapidly assessing the binding interface of protein-protein docks using graph edit distance: graph-based residue assessment function (G-RAF). The high-performance computational framework presented here will not only aid in accelerating the discovery of effective interventions against emerging viral threats, but extend to other applications of high throughput protein-protein screens.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.28.569056v1" target="_blank">Human Cytokine and Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Protein Interactivity Using Large-Scale Virtual Screens</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Mechanism-based classification of SARS-CoV-2 Variants by Molecular Dynamics Resembles Phylogenetic Tree</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemics has demonstrated the vulnerability of our societies to viral infectious disease. The mitigation of COVID-19 was complicated by the emergence of Variants of Concern (VOCs) with varying properties including increased transmissibility and immune evasion. Traditional population sequencing proved to be slow and not conducive for timely action. To tackle this challenge, we introduce the Persistence Score (PS) that assesses the pandemic potential of VOCs based on molecular dynamics of the interactions between the SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) and the ACE2 residues. Our mechanism-based classification approach successfully grouped VOCs into clinically relevant subgroups with higher sensitivity than classical affinity estimations and allows for risk assessment of hypothetical new VOCs. The PS-based interaction analysis across VOCs resembled the phylogenetic tree of SARS-Cov-2 demonstrating its predictive relevance for pandemic preparedness. Thus, PS allows for early detection of a variant's pandemic potential, and an early risk evaluation for data-driven policymaking.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.28.568639v1" target="_blank">Mechanism-based classification of SARS-CoV-2 Variants by Molecular Dynamics Resembles Phylogenetic Tree</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Functional and antigenic characterization of SARS-CoV-2 spike fusion peptide by deep mutational scanning</strong> -
<div>
The fusion peptide of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is functionally important for membrane fusion during virus entry and is part of a broadly neutralizing epitope. However, sequence determinants at the fusion peptide and its adjacent regions for pathogenicity and antigenicity remain elusive. In this study, we performed a series of deep mutational scanning (DMS) experiments on an S2 region spanning the fusion peptide of authentic SARS-CoV-2 in different cell lines and in the presence of broadly neutralizing antibodies. We identified mutations at residue 813 of the spike protein that reduced TMPRSS2-mediated entry with decreased virulence. In addition, we showed that an F823Y mutation, present in bat betacoronavirus HKU9 spike protein, confers resistance to broadly neutralizing antibodies. Our findings provide mechanistic insights into SARS-CoV-2 pathogenicity and also highlight a potential challenge in developing broadly protective S2-based coronavirus vaccines.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.28.569051v1" target="_blank">Functional and antigenic characterization of SARS-CoV-2 spike fusion peptide by deep mutational scanning</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>copepodTCR: Identification of Antigen-Specific T Cell Receptors with combinatorial peptide pooling</strong> -
<div>
T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire diversity enables the orchestration of antigen-specific immune responses against the vast space of possible pathogens. Identifying TCR/antigen binding pairs from the large TCR repertoire and antigen space is crucial for biomedical research. Here, we introduce copepodTCR, an open-access tool for the design and interpretation of high-throughput experimental assays to determine TCR specificity. copepodTCR implements a combinatorial peptide pooling scheme for efficient experimental testing of T cell responses against large overlapping peptide libraries, useful for "deorphaning" TCRs of unknown specificity. The scheme detects experimental errors and, coupled with a hierarchical Bayesian model for unbiased results interpretation, identifies the response-eliciting peptide for a TCR of interest out of hundreds of peptides tested using a simple experimental set-up. We experimentally validated our approach on a library of 253 overlapping peptides covering the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. We provide experimental guides for efficient design of larger screens covering thousands of peptides which will be crucial for the identification of antigen-specific T cells and their targets from limited clinical material.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.28.569052v1" target="_blank">copepodTCR: Identification of Antigen-Specific T Cell Receptors with combinatorial peptide pooling</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Reasons for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in German-speaking Switzerland: An online survey among vaccine hesitant 16-60 year olds</strong> -
<div>
Background: Several research studies have examined the reasons why people are hesitant to be vaccinated against COVID-19. However, there is no published data to date on Switzerland. Identifying these reasons among the Swiss population who are vaccine hesitant may help inform campaigns to encourage vaccine confidence. Aims: The primary aim of this study is to identify the reasons for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 among Swiss residents who are vaccine hesitant. The secondary aim is to examine whether reasons differ by age, gender, education, and likelihood of accepting a vaccination to better target campaigns and design interventions. Design: An online survey asked participants to indicate the reasons why they were hesitant to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Setting: German-speaking Swiss Cantons, the survey was administered online between 5 May 2021 and 16 May 2021. Participants: The participants in this analysis were a sample of (N=1191) Swiss residents age 16-60 years old from German-speaking Cantons, who could answer an online survey in German, who had yet not been vaccinated, who had not yet registered for a vaccination appointment, and who did not indicate that they would definitely be vaccinated if offered the chance. Findings: Among people who are vaccine hesitant in Switzerland, the most common reasons for being hesitant were side-effect, safety, and effectiveness concerns. It was also common for people to indicate that they were healthy/at low risk, would decide later, and that they wanted to build immunity naturally. Less common, but still prevalent concerns included wanting more information, thinking COVID-19 was not a real threat, and concerns that the vaccine may serve another purpose. Differences in reasons for being vaccine hesitant were found by age, gender, education, and likelihood of accepting a vaccination if offered. Conclusions: To increase the likelihood of accepting a vaccination, vaccination campaigns should address side-effect, safety, and effectiveness concerns. Campaigns could also consider informing people why it is necessary for people in lower risk groups to be vaccinated, and why vaccination is preferable to infection for building immunity. While campaigns may be effective in reaching some of the population, alternative strategies might be necessary to strengthen the trust relationship with vaccines and vaccine providers in some groups. Less prevalent concerns, such as not liking needles, could be addressed through individual level interventions.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/hnzke/" target="_blank">Reasons for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in German-speaking Switzerland: An online survey among vaccine hesitant 16-60 year olds</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Expression and fusogenic activity of SARS CoV-2 Spike protein displayed in the HSV-1 Virion.</strong> -
<div>
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is a zoonotic pathogen that can cause severe respiratory disease in humans. The new SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of the current global pandemic termed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has resulted in many millions of deaths world-wide. The virus is a member of the Betacoronavirus family, its genome is a positive strand RNA molecule that encodes for many genes which are required for virus genome replication as well as for structural proteins that are required for virion assembly and maturation. A key determinant of this virus is the Spike (S) protein embedded in the virion membrane and mediates attachment of the virus to the receptor (ACE2). This protein also is required for cell-cell fusion (syncytia) that is an important pathogenic determinant. We have developed a pseudotyped herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) recombinant virus expressing S protein in the virion envelop. This virus has also been modified to express a Venus fluorescent protein fusion to VP16, a virion protein of HSV-1. The virus expressing Spike can enter cells and generates large multi-nucleated syncytia which are evident by the Venus fluorescence. The HSV-1 recombinant virus is genetically stable and virus amplification can be easily done by infecting cells. This recombinant virus provides a reproducible platform for Spike function analysis and thus adds to the repertoire of pseudotyped viruses expressing Spike.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.28.568860v1" target="_blank">Expression and fusogenic activity of SARS CoV-2 Spike protein displayed in the HSV-1 Virion.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Streamlining Computational Fragment-Based Drug Discovery through Evolutionary Optimization Informed by Ligand-Based Virtual Prescreening</strong> -
<div>
Recent advancements in computational methods provide the promise of dramatically accelerating drug discovery. While mathematical modeling and machine learning have become vital in predicting drug-target interactions and properties, there is untapped potential in computational drug discovery due to the vast and complex chemical space. This paper advances a novel computational fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) method called Fragments from Ligands Drug Discovery (FDSL-DD), which aims to streamline drug design by applying a two-stage optimization process informed by machine learning and evolutionary principles. In this approach, in silico screening identifies ligands from a vast library, which are then fragmentized while attaching specific attributes based on predicted binding affinity and interaction with the target sub-domain. This process both shrinks the search space and focuses on promising regions within it. The first optimization stage assembles these fragments into larger compounds using evolutionary strategies, and the second stage iteratively refines resulting compounds for enhanced bioactivity. The methodology is validated across three diverse protein targets involved in human solid cancers, bacterial antimicrobial resistance, and SARS-CoV-2 viral entry, demonstrating the approach's broad applicability. Using the proposed FDSL-DD and two-stage optimization approach yields high-affinity ligand candidates more efficiently than other state-of-the-art computational methods. Furthermore, a multiobjective optimization is presented that accounts for druglikeness while still producing potential candidate ligands with high binding affinity. In conclustion, the results demonstrate that integrating detailed chemical information with a constrained search framework can markedly optimize the initial drug discovery process, offering a more precise and efficient route to developing new therapeutics.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.27.568919v1" target="_blank">Streamlining Computational Fragment-Based Drug Discovery through Evolutionary Optimization Informed by Ligand-Based Virtual Prescreening</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Epitope mapping of SARS-CoV-2 RBDs by hydroxyl radical protein footprinting reveals the importance of including negative antibody controls.</strong> -
<div>
Understanding protein-protein interaction is essential when designing drugs or investigating biological processes. A variety of techniques can be employed in order to map the regions on proteins that are involved in binding eg., CryoEM, X-ray spectroscopy, linear epitope mapping, or mass spectrometry-based methods. The most commonly utilized mass spectrometry-based techniques are cross-linking and hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX). An alternative technique for identifying residues on the three-dimensional structure of proteins, that are involved in binding, can be hydroxyl radical protein footprinting (HRPF). However, this method is currently hampered by high initial cost and complex experimental setup. Here we set out to present a generally applicable method using Fenton chemistry for mapping of epitopes in a standard mass spectrometry laboratory. Furthermore, the described method illustrates the importance of controls on several levels when performing mass spectrometry-based epitope mapping. In particular, the inclusion of a negative antibody control has not previously been widely utilized in epitope mapping by HRPF analysis. In order to limit the number of false positives, we further introduced quantification by TMT labelling, thereby allowing for direct comparison between sample conditions and biological triplicates. Lastly, up to six technical replicates were incorporated in the experimental setup in order to achieve increased depth of the final analysis. Both binding and opening of regions on receptor-binding domain (RBD) from SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein, Alpha and Delta variants, were observed. The negative control antibody experiment combined with the high overlap between biological triplicates resulted in the exclusion of 40% of the significantly changed regions, including both binding and opening regions. The final identified binding region was mapped to a three-dimensional structure and agrees with the literature for neutralizing antibodies towards SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein. The presented method is straightforward to implement for the analysis of HRPF in a generic MS-based laboratory. The high reliability of the data was achieved by increasing the number of technical and biological replicates combined with negative antibody controls.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.27.564378v2" target="_blank">Epitope mapping of SARS-CoV-2 RBDs by hydroxyl radical protein footprinting reveals the importance of including negative antibody controls.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Generation and evaluation of protease inhibitor-resistant SARS-CoV-2 strains</strong> -
<div>
Since the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the search for antiviral therapies has been at the forefront of medical research. To date, the 3CLpro inhibitor nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid) has shown the best results in clinical trials and the greatest robustness against variants. A second SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitor, ensitrelvir (Xocova), has been developed. Ensitrelvir, currently in Phase 3, was approved in Japan under the emergency regulatory approval procedure in November 2022, and is available since March 31, 2023. One of the limitations for the use of antiviral monotherapies is the emergence of resistance mutations. Here, we experimentally generated mutants resistant to nirmatrelvir and ensitrelvir in vitro following repeating passages of SARS-CoV-2 in the presence of both antivirals. For both molecules, we demonstrated a loss of sensitivity for resistance mutants in vitro. Using a Syrian golden hamster infection model, we showed that the ensitrelvir M49L mutation confers a high level of in vivo resistance. Finally, we identified a recent increase in the prevalence of M49L-carrying sequences, which appears to be associated with multiple repeated emergence events in Japan and may be related to the use of Xocova in the country since November 2022. These results highlight the strategic importance of genetic monitoring of circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains to ensure that treatments administered retain their full effectiveness.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.22.568013v1" target="_blank">Generation and evaluation of protease inhibitor-resistant SARS-CoV-2 strains</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Identification of the host reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 and determining when it spilled over into humans</strong> -
<div>
Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan in 2019 its host reservoir has not been established. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on whole genome sequences (WGS) of 71 coronaviruses and a Breda virus. A subset comprising two SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan viruses and 8 of the most closely related coronavirus sequences were used for host reservoir analysis using Bayesian Evolutionary Analysis Sampling Trees (BEAST). Within these genomes, 20 core genome fragments were combined into 2 groups each with similar clock rates (5.9x10 -3 and 1.1x10 -3 subs/site/year). Pooling the results from these fragment groups yielded a most recent common ancestor (MRCA) shared between SARS-COV-2 and the bat isolate RaTG13 around 2007 (95% HPD: 2003, 2011). Further, the host of the MRCA was most likely a bat (probability 0.64 - 0.87). Hence, the spillover into humans must have occurred at some point between 2007 and 2019 and bats may have been the most likely host reservoir.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.25.568670v1" target="_blank">Identification of the host reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 and determining when it spilled over into humans</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>XBB.1.5 monovalent mRNA vaccine booster elicits robust neutralizing antibodies against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants</strong> -
<div>
COVID-19 vaccines have recently been updated with the spike protein of SARS-Co-V-2 XBB.1.5 subvariant alone, but their immunogenicity in humans has yet to be fully evaluated and reported, particularly against emergent viruses that are rapidly expanding. We now report that administration of an updated monovalent mRNA vaccine (XBB.1.5 MV) to uninfected individuals boosted serum virus-neutralization antibodies significantly against not only XBB.1.5 (27.0-fold) and the currently dominant EG.5.1 (27.6-fold) but also key emergent viruses like HV.1, HK.3, JD.1.1, and JN.1 (13.3-to-27.4-fold). In individuals previously infected by an Omicron subvariant, serum neutralizing titers were boosted to highest levels (1,764-to-22,978) against all viral variants tested. While immunological imprinting was still evident with the updated vaccines, it was not nearly as severe as the previously authorized bivalent BA.5 vaccine. Our findings strongly support the official recommendation to widely apply the updated COVID-19 vaccines to further protect the public.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.26.568730v1" target="_blank">XBB.1.5 monovalent mRNA vaccine booster elicits robust neutralizing antibodies against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Variant- and Vaccination-Specific Alternative Splicing Profiles in SARS-CoV-2 Infections</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, and its subsequent variants has underscored the importance of understanding the host-viral molecular interactions to devise effective therapeutic strategies. A significant aspect of these interactions is the role of alternative splicing in modulating host responses and viral replication mechanisms. Our study sought to delineate the patterns of alternative splicing of RNAs from immune cells across different SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccination statuses, utilizing a robust dataset of 190 RNA-seq samples from our previous studies, encompassing an average of 212 million reads per sample. We identified a dynamic alteration in alternative splicing and genes related to RNA splicing were highly deactivated in COVID-19 patients and showed variant- and vaccination-specific expression profiles. Overall, Omicron-infected patients exhibited a gene expression profile akin to healthy controls, unlike the Alpha or Beta variants. However, significantly, we found identified a subset of infected individuals, most pronounced in vaccinated patients infected with Omicron variant, that exhibited a specific dynamic in their alternative splicing patterns that was not widely shared amongst the other groups. Our findings underscore the complex interplay between SARS-CoV-2 variants, vaccination-induced immune responses, and alternative splicing, emphasizing the necessity for further investigations into these molecular cross-talks to foster deeper understanding and guide strategic therapeutic development.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.24.568603v1" target="_blank">Variant- and Vaccination-Specific Alternative Splicing Profiles in SARS-CoV-2 Infections</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Evolution-guided large language model is a predictor of virus mutation trends</strong> -
<div>
Emerging viral infections, especially the global pandemic COVID-19, have had catastrophic impacts on public health worldwide. The culprit of this pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, continues to evolve, giving rise to numerous sublineages with distinct characteristics. The traditional post-hoc wet-lab approach is lagging behind, and it cannot quickly predict the evolutionary trends of the virus while consuming high costs. Capturing the evolutionary drivers of virus and predicting potential high-risk mutations has become an urgent and critical problem to address. To tackle this challenge, we introduce ProtFound-V, an evolution-inspired deep-learning framework designed to explore the mutational trajectory of virus. Take SARS-CoV-2 as an example, ProtFound-V accurately identifies the evolutionary advantage of Omicron and proposes evolutionary trends consistent with wet-lab experiments through in silico deep mutational scanning. This showcases the potential of deep learning predictions to replace traditional wet-lab experimental measurements. With the evolution-guided large language model, ProtFound-V presents a new state-of-the-art performance in key property predictions. Despite the challenge posed by epistasis to model generalization, ProtFound-V remains robust when extrapolating to lineages with different genetic backgrounds. Overall, this work paves the way for rapid responses to emerging viral infections, allowing for a plug-and-play approach to understanding and predicting virus evolution.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.27.568815v1" target="_blank">Evolution-guided large language model is a predictor of virus mutation trends</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Modulation of human kinase activity through direct interaction with SARS-CoV-2 proteins</strong> -
<div>
The dysregulation of cellular signaling upon SARS-CoV-2 infection is mediated via direct protein interactions, with the human protein kinases constituting the major impact nodes in the signaling networks. Here, we employed a targeted yeast two-hybrid matrix approach to identify direct SARS-CoV-2 protein interactions with an extensive set of human kinases. We discovered 51 interactions involving 14 SARS-CoV-2 proteins and 29 human kinases, including many of the CAMK and CMGC kinase family members, as well as non-receptor tyrosine kinases. By integrating the interactions identified in our screen with transcriptomics and phospho-proteomics data, we revealed connections between SARS-CoV-2 protein interactions, kinase activity changes, and the cellular phospho-response to infection and identified altered activity patterns in infected cells for AURKB, CDK2, CDK4, CDK7, ABL2, PIM2, PLK1, NEK2, TRIB3, RIPK2, MAPK13, and MAPK14. Finally, we demonstrated direct inhibition of the FER human tyrosine kinase by the SARS-CoV-2 auxiliary protein ORF6, hinting at pressures underlying ORF6 changes observed in recent SARS-CoV-2 strains. Our study expands the SARS-CoV-2 - host interaction knowledge, illuminating the critical role of dysregulated kinase signaling during SARS-CoV-2 infection.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.27.568816v1" target="_blank">Modulation of human kinase activity through direct interaction with SARS-CoV-2 proteins</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Antiviral innate immune memory in alveolar macrophages following SARS-CoV-2 infection.</strong> -
<div>
Pathogen encounter results in long-lasting epigenetic imprinting that shapes diseases caused by heterologous pathogens. The breadth of this innate immune memory is of particular interest in the context of respiratory pathogens with increased pandemic potential and wide-ranging impact on global health. Here, we investigated epigenetic imprinting across cell lineages in a disease relevant murine model of SARS-CoV-2 recovery. Past SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in increased chromatin accessibility of type I interferon (IFN-I) related transcription factors in airway-resident macrophages. Mechanistically, establishment of this innate immune memory required viral pattern recognition and canonical IFN-I signaling and augmented secondary antiviral responses. Past SARS-CoV-2 infection ameliorated disease caused by the heterologous respiratory pathogen influenza A virus. Insights into innate immune memory and how it affects subsequent infections with heterologous pathogens to influence disease pathology could facilitate the development of broadly effective therapeutic strategies.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.24.568354v1" target="_blank">Antiviral innate immune memory in alveolar macrophages following SARS-CoV-2 infection.</a>
</div></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Randomized Trial Evaluating a mRNA VLP Vaccine’s Immunogenicity and Safety for COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 Infection <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: AZD9838; Biological: Licensed mRNA vaccine <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: AstraZeneca <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Effect of Metformin in Reducing Fatigue in Long COVID in Adolescents</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Metformin; Other: Placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Trust for Vaccines and Immunization, Pakistan <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>“The Effect of Aerobic Exercise and Strength Training on Physical Activity Level, Quality of Life and Anxiety-Stress Disorder in Young Adults With and Without Covid-19”</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Aerobic Exercise and Strength Training <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Pamukkale University <br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Vale+Tú Salud: Corner-Based Randomized Trial to Test a Latino Day Laborer Program Adapted to Prevent COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: COVID-19 Group Problem Solving; Behavioral: Standard of Care; Behavioral: Booster session <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston; National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Safety Study of SLV213 for the Treatment of COVID-19.</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: Placebo for SLV213; Drug: SLV213 <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Collection of Additional Biological Samples From Potentially COVID-19 Patients for Monitoring of Biological Parameters Carried Out as Part of the Routine</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: SARS CoV 2 Infection <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Diagnostic Test: RIPH2 <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: CerbaXpert <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Promoting Engagement and COVID-19 Testing for Health</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: COVID-19 Test Reporting; Behavioral: Personalized Nudges via Text Messaging; Behavioral: Non-personalized Nudges via Text Messaging <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Emory University; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK); Morehouse School of Medicine; Georgia Institute of Technology <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Development and Qualification of Methods for Analyzing the Mucosal Immune Response to COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Certain Disorders Involving the Immune Mechanism <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Sampling; Biological: PCR (polymerase chain reaction) SARS-CoV-2 <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University Hospital, Tours <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Water-based Activity to Enhance Recovery in Long COVID</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: WATER+CT; Behavioral: Usual Care <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: VA Office of Research and Development <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Mitigating Mental and Social Health Outcomes of COVID-19: A Counseling Approach</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Social Determinants of Health; Mental Health Issue; COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Individual counseling; Behavioral: Group counseling; Other: Resources <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Idaho State University <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Efficacy of Two Therapeutic Exercise Modalities for Patients With Persistent COVID</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Persistent COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: exercise programe <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Facultat de ciencies de la Salut Universitat Ramon Llull <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Performance Evaluation of the Lucira COVID-19 &amp; Flu Test</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Influenza <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: Lucira COVID-19 &amp; Flu Test <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Lucira Health Inc <br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Robotic Assisted Hand Rehabilitation Outcomes in Adults After COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Robotic Exoskeleton; Post-acute Covid-19 Syndrome; Rehabilitation Outcome; Physical And Rehabilitation Medicine <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: Training with a Robotic Hand Exoskeleton <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Valladolid; Centro Hospitalario Padre Benito Menni <br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Cognitive Rehabilitation in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Post-COVID-19 Syndrome <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: CO-OP Procedures; Behavioral: Inactive Control Group <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Missouri-Columbia; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Antiviral peptides inhibiting the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 investigated by computational screening and in vitro protease assay</strong> - The main protease (Mpro) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) plays an important role in viral replication and transcription and received great attention as a vital target for drug/peptide development. Therapeutic agents such as small-molecule drugs or peptides that interact with the Cys-His present in the catalytic site of Mpro are an efficient way to inhibit the protease. Although several emergency-approved vaccines showed good efficacy and drastically dropped the…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Plant-Derived Natural Compounds as an Emerging Antiviral in Combating COVID-19</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a human virus that burst at Wuhan in China and spread quickly over the world, leading to millions of deaths globally. The journey of this deadly virus to different mutant strains is still ongoing. The plethora of drugs and vaccines have been tested to cope up this pandemic. The herbal plants and different spices have received great attention during pandemic, because of their anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties in…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Enumeration of olive derived lignan, pinoresinol for activity against recent Omicron variant spike protein for structure-based drug design, DFT, molecular dynamics simulations, and MMGBSA studies</strong> - The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first found in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Because the virus spreads quickly, it quickly became a global worry. Coronaviridae is the family that contains both SARS-CoV-2 and the viruses that came before (i.e., MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV). Recent sources portray that the COVID-19 virus has affected 344,710,576 people worldwide and killed about 5,598,511 people in the last 2 years. The B.1.1.529 strain, later called “Omicron,” was named a Variant of…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Amplification of poly(I:C)-induced interleukin-6 production in human bronchial epithelial cells by priming with interferon-γ</strong> - Proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 was associated with disease severity in patients with COVID-19. The mechanism underlying the excessive IL-6 production by SARS-Cov-2 infection remains unclear. Respiratory viruses initially infect nasal or bronchial epithelial cells that produce various inflammatory mediators. Here, we show that pretreatment of human bronchial epithelial cells (NCl-H292) with interferon (IFN)-γ (10 ng/mL) markedly increased IL-6 production induced by the toll-like…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Diabetic individuals with COVID-19 exhibit reduced efficacy of gliptins in inhibiting dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4). A suggested explanation for increased COVID-19 susceptibility in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)</strong> - AIMS: Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) has been proposed as a coreceptor for SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry. Considering that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been identified as the most important risk factor for SARS-CoV-2, and that gliptins (DPP4 inhibitors) are a prescribed diabetic treatment, this study aims to unravel the impact of DPP4 in the intersection of T2DM/COVID-19.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Engineering irradiated tumor-derived microparticles as personalized vaccines to enhance anti-tumor immunity</strong> - The inadequate activation of antigen-presenting cells, the entanglement of T cells, and the highly immunosuppressive conditions in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are important factors that limit the effectiveness of cancer vaccines. Studies show that a personalized and broad antigen repertoire fully activates anti-tumor immunity and that inhibiting the function of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β facilitates T cell migration. In our study, we introduce a vaccine strategy by engineering…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Willow (<em>Salix</em> spp.) bark hot water extracts inhibit both enveloped and non-enveloped viruses: study on its anti-coronavirus and anti-enterovirus activities</strong> - CONCLUSION: Salix spp. bark extracts contain several virucidal agents that are likely to act synergistically and directly on the viruses.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Unveiling the role of PUS7-mediated pseudouridylation in host protein interactions specific for the SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a positive single-stranded RNA virus, engages in complex interactions with host cell proteins throughout its life cycle. While these interactions enable the host to recognize and inhibit viral replication, they also facilitate essential viral processes such as transcription, translation, and replication. Many aspects of these virus-host interactions remain poorly understood. Here, we employed the catRAPID algorithm and utilized the…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Case report: Supratherapeutic tacrolimus concentrations with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in a lung transplant patient: a case report using Rifampin for reversal</strong> - Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) is an antiviral drug used to treat COVID-19, nirmatrelvir, a SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitor, works by inhibiting viral replication in the early stages, and ritonavir is a strong cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A inhibitor that helps the nirmatrelvir reach and maintain the therapeutic concentrations. Paxlovid has a potential risk of drug interaction by elevating the plasma concentration of other drugs metabolized by CYP3A, like tacrolimus. This report examines the…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 induces inflammation and EMT of lung epithelial cells and fibroblasts through the upregulation of GADD45A</strong> - Lung epithelial cells and fibroblasts poorly express angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, and the study aimed to investigate the role of the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on inflammation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in two lung cell lines and to understand the potential mechanism. Lung epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) and fibroblasts (MRC-5) were treated with the spike protein, then inflammatory and EMT phenotypes were detected by…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Exploring Novel Vitamin K Derivatives with Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity</strong> - From our compound library of vitamin K derivatives, we found that some compounds exhibited anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in VeroE6/TMPRSS2 cells. The common structure of these compounds was menaquinone-2 (MK-2) with either the m-methylphenyl or the 1-naphthyl group introduced at the end of the side chain. Therefore, new vitamin K derivatives having more potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity were explored by introducing various functional groups at the ω-position of the side chain. MK-2 derivatives with a…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The role of tocilizumab in the treatment of post-transfusion hyperhaemolysis</strong> - Hyperhaemolysis syndrome (HHS) is a serious complication of transfusion mostly reported in patients with sickle cell disease. HHS is characterised by the destruction of both donor and autologous red blood cells. Tocilizumab is a recombinant humanised monoclonal antibody that inhibits the binding of interleukin-6 and has been used in the treatment of severe/critical coronavirus disease 2019 infection but also some cases of HHS. We describe two further cases of HHS successfully treated with…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Immune responses and clinical outcomes following the third dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-BNT162b2 vaccine in advanced breast cancer patients receiving targeted therapies: a prospective study</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm that the immune response to tozinameran is impaired by CDK4/6 inhibitors, increasing the odds of breakthrough infections despite the third vaccine dose. Current evidence recommends maintaining efforts to provide booster immunizations to the most vulnerable cancer patients, including those with advanced breast cancer undergoing CDK4/6 inhibition.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Targeting Viral ORF3a Protein: A New Approach to Mitigate COVID-19 Induced Immune Cell Apoptosis and Associated Respiratory Complications</strong> - Infection with SARS-CoV-2 is a growing concern to the global well-being of the public at present. Different amino acid mutations alter the biological and epidemiological characteristics, as well as immune resistance of SARS-CoV-2. The virus-induced pulmonary impairment and inflammatory cytokine storm are directly related to its clinical manifestations. But, the fundamental mechanisms of inflammatory responses are found to be the reason for the death of immune cells which render the host immune…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 N protein induced acute kidney injury in diabetic db/db mice is associated with a Mincle-dependent M1 macrophage activation</strong> - “Cytokine storm” is common in critically ill COVID-19 patients, however, mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we reported that overexpression of SARS-CoV-2 N protein in diabetic db/db mice significantly increased tubular death and the release of HMGB1, one of the damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), to trigger M1 proinflammatory macrophage activation and production of IL-6, TNF-α, and MCP-1 via a Mincle-Syk/NF-κB-dependent mechanism. This was further confirmed in vitro that…</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An “Academic Transformation” Takes On the Math Department</strong> - A series of cuts at West Virginia University has largely affected the humanities, but any program that is not seen as marketable may get the axe. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/us-journal/an-academic-transformation-takes-on-the-math-department">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Dead Children We Must See</strong> - It’s time for Americans to rethink their squeamishness about releasing the photos of the youngest victims of mass violence. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-dead-children-we-must-see">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What Would a Lasting Peace Between Israel and Palestine Really Look Like?</strong> - The need for a new paradigm after October 7th. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/what-would-a-lasting-peace-between-israel-and-palestine-really-look-like">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>When Your Own Book Gets Caught Up in the Censorship Wars</strong> - I had envisioned book bans as modern morality plays—but the reality was far more complicated. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/essay/when-your-own-book-gets-caught-up-in-the-censorship-wars">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Death of a Relic Hunter</strong> - Bill Erquitt was an unforgettable character among Georgia’s many Civil War enthusiasts. After he died, his secrets came to light. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/the-death-of-a-relic-hunter">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>The truth about Napoleon and Josephine’s marriage, divorce, and lasting legacy</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A man in 19th Century formal dress puts a crown on the head of a woman in the same." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PVNFEjQLNQTlb4Fl0q0vJEA4Mnk=/184x0:1144x720/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72915844/img2.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) crowns his wife Josephine (Vanessa Kirby) Empress of France. | Columbia Pictures
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The Bonaparte marriage, not quite explained by Ridley Scott’s new movie.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0t8Z7G">
What viewers might want or expect from Ridley Scott’s <em>Napoleon</em> — epic scenes of war, sexily torn bodices, and a very short emperor — won’t be exactly what they get. The battle scenes drag on, the ruler is shown to be a truly appalling lover — neighing as foreplay and thrusting like a hammer — and Joaquin Phoenix is a perfectly reasonable 5-foot-8. What they will get, however, besides a difficult-to-place tone and the sight of a horse exploding from cannon fire, is a whole lot of Napoleon’s (Phoenix) relationship with Josephine (Vanessa Kirby), his wife of 14 years and the empress of France. The movie goes deep into their love story: his letters, her affairs, his affairs, and ultimately their very strange divorce ceremony, necessary because Josephine — six years older than Napoleon — couldn’t give the upstart emperor an heir.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZTIABg">
In the film, the ceremony is attended by luminaries and family, and stresses the couple’s love for each other even through the dissolution of their <a href="https://www.vox.com/unions">union</a>. “You have embellished my life for 15 years, the memories of which have been etched in my heart,” Napoleon reads during his speech. Josephine tries to get through her similarly loving speech and the insistence that they’re doing this for the good of France, but she struggles and Napoleon shakes and slaps her, telling her to do it for her country. Bizarre, to say the least. It leaves viewers wondering how much of this relationship — and its undoing — is fact and how much is fiction.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9ypOmT">
But before we dive into that divorce ceremony and whether it really went down like that — and why — a little background on the world’s favorite little man in a funny hat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="txpAQ7">
Napoleon didn’t start off as royalty, but rather as a French army officer from a minor Italian noble family from Corsica. But he was a voracious reader and brilliant military strategist, which caused him to rise further in the ranks. Louis Sarkozy, son of former French President Nicholas Sarkozy and author of the upcoming book <a href="https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Napoleons-Library-Hardback/p/49300"><em>Napoleon’s Library: The Emperor, His Books and Their Influence on the Napoleonic Era</em></a>, says that Napoleon was “an amazing, multifaceted character.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D5vFtk">
After the infamous French Revolution that deposed (to put it gently) King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, via guillotine, Napoleon’s power and influence grew with his military and political victories, eventually leading him to stage a coup and become first consul of the French Republic in 1799<strong> </strong>— alongside two other consuls, Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès and Pierre-Roger Ducos, who were mere figureheads —<strong> </strong>before declaring himself Emperor of France in 1804. <a href="https://ksh.roma.it/romanticism/1804">Legend</a> (and the movie) says he snatched the crown from Pope Pius VII and crowned himself, an unheard-of act that demonstrated a lack of respect for the Church. (Perhaps this was the error he sought to correct by handling his divorce very — some might say too — respectfully.)
</p>
<div class="c-wide-block">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A man in a wide hat in front of the pyramids" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/P3SriSEcIoT-2wZPSJZYSk24-c8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25120415/img4.jpg"/> <cite>Columbia Pictures</cite>
<figcaption>
Napoleon in Egypt, thinking about his wife cheating on him.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ut2E9R">
As a member of the aristocracy that France had turned on — Josephine was once imprisoned in the Bastille, as the movie shows — Napoleon’s choice of wife was beneficial for him politically. <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/modernlanguages/academic/ka/">Katherine Astbury</a>, professor of French studies at the University of Warwick, tells Vox that “Josephine was an important part of Napoleon’s policy to reconcile those who had been on opposing sides during the Revolution. Her position in society enabled her to smooth over political differences. As wife of the first consul and then empress, her role was to enhance the glory of the regime.” Josephine was a dazzling host and diplomat, presenting France as a prosperous and sophisticated nation during a time when many were wondering if the recent executions meant it had turned barbaric. In fact, Astbury says, Josephine spent far more on clothing than Marie Antoinette, famously reviled for her extravagance.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QxkAl5">
And during his reign, Napoleon did a lot. “He invented the <a href="https://www.napoleon-series.org/military-info/organization/c_armycorps.html">[Corps d’Armée]</a> system, a way to move armies in the field, which was absolutely revolutionary,” Sarkozy tells Vox. “It’s why he won so many battles in the beginning. It was virtually copied by everybody. His Egyptian expedition pretty much created modern archeology, and his discovery of the Rosetta Stone led to the deciphering of the hieroglyphs.” Sarkozy goes so far as to call him a “sublime genius,” albeit one “full of faults.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RWjLjn">
One of those faults, it is necessary to point out, is him reinstating slavery in Haiti after it had been abolished. This is one of the many reasons historians, like University of Virginia African Diaspora Studies professor <a href="https://dh.library.virginia.edu/people/prof-marlene-l-daut">Marlene L. Daut</a>, caution us against <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/18/opinion/france-year-of-napoleon.html">making a hero of Napoleon</a>. “Napoleon Bonaparte theoretically embraced this notion of revolution and breaking the chains of human beings everywhere. But he reinstated slavery in Haiti after it had been abolished in 1802, so he seemed to believe that actually that should only be the case for white people,” says <a href="https://history.case.edu/faculty/gillian-weiss/">Gillian Weiss</a>, professor of history at Case Western University and author of <a href="http://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=17698"><em>Captives and Corsairs: France and Slavery in the Early Modern Mediterranean</em></a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CcmwJm">
Josephine was born to a noble family in Martinique, a Caribbean country and French colony. The movie shows Josephine having a Caribbean multiracial maid but doesn’t explore her family’s connection to slavery: They owned a sugar plantation. In 2020, antiracism protesters in Martinique tore down a statue of the former empress that had been commissioned by Bonaparte’s nephew Napoléon III in 1859. The statue of Josephine had also been decapitated in 1991, so safe to say Black Caribbeans are no big fans of the Bonapartes. Josephine is a complicated character in the film as well, although not for her family’s economic interest in oppressing people: She’s shown — accurately — to have had affairs that became the talk of France and a feature of the newspapers. Surprisingly, this wasn’t what led to the divorce, which Astbury points out was actually an annulment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nKU31m">
Like any conqueror, Napoleon needed an heir. However, because Napoleon was self-crowned and self-made, having children was arguably even more crucial to his reign. Sarkozy tells Vox that Napoleon’s urge to secure his reign was the primary reason for the divorce. “He used to always say that the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/house-of-Bourbon">Bourbons</a>, the French kings who were before him, that they had a thousand years to build their legitimacy. He did not have a thousand years. He barely had 10. He wanted to cement his dynasty. So, how do you do that? You have a son. And unfortunately, Josephine was unable to produce a son.”
</p>
<div class="c-float-right c-float-hang">
<aside id="BmLKD3">
<q>“He wanted to cement his dynasty. So, how do you do that? You have a son. And unfortunately, Josephine was unable to produce a son.” </q>
</aside>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8xy4hf">
As much as he loved Josephine, being six years older than him, she was unable to have any more children — she had two with her first husband, the Vicomte de Beauharnais, but none with Napoleon. In the movie, Napoleon’s overbearing mother forces him to have sex with an 18-year-old girl to see if he can get her pregnant, determining if the lack of pregnancy was Jospehine’s or Napoleon’s fault. In real life, cheating on Josephine wasn’t as unpleasant or forced a task. “I think we count throughout his life about 22 to 24 mistresses, including two or three illegitimate children,” says Sarkozy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1FRd9C">
But children born outside of marriage can’t inherit the throne. The movie even shows Napoleon considering pawning off one of his other kids as Josephine’s child. But ultimately, the political mastermind knows he must have an heir from his marriage to protect his legacy. So he pushes on with the annulment and the ceremony: public display, speeches, and all. He then went on to marry the sister of the Austrian archduke, Marie Louise, duchess of Parma, making her the new empress of France.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QmoMNL">
“Legislation was introduced in 1806 to strengthen the idea of a hereditary empire, and one of the clauses said that members of the imperial family could not divorce,” says Astbury. “It took a lot of maneuvering for Napoleon to get out of his marriage to Josephine in order to have an heir.” She points to an 1807 police report that gives an indication of how people felt at the time, with some at court saying that the empress is an asset to the empire, while others feel that the need for an heir overrides other concerns.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EvSXFL">
It was out of this mixture of his love for Josephine and the importance of making sure he didn’t appear to discard her that the divorce ceremony was conceived. Astbury says the ceremony was “politically useful … Josephine shows that she is doing this of her own free will. The speech she gives has been carefully prepared in conjunction with Napoleon so that Josephine is not humiliated by her inability to bear him an heir.” In real life, Josephine’s speech <a href="https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/timelines/napoleons-divorce/">read</a>: “I know how much this act, called for by politics and greater interests, has pained [Napoleon’s] heart; but glorious is the sacrifice that he and I make for the good of our nation.” To prevent her from even more humiliation, Josephine had the title of empress dowager after the divorce, got to keep their residence Malmaison, and received a hefty allowance. In real life and in the movie, Josephine seems to accept this halfway position she has in Napoleon’s life — not a wife but not quite an ex either. “One day you will know what I have sacrificed for you,” she whispers to Napoleon’s son, Napoleon François Charles Joseph, when he introduces her to him.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EcWtxA">
But divorcing Josephine was arguably useless, mostly because the alliance with Austria was a failure. “It was a mistake because Austria’s conflicts with France were irreconcilable,” says Sarkozy. “The two areas where Austria wanted to extend its influence were the same areas France wanted to extend its influence, northern Italy and Germany. So even though he married the daughter of the archduke, a couple years later, he was already back at war with them.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AF5KFA">
Like many historians and Napoleon’s advisers of the day, Sarkozy thinks <a href="https://www.vox.com/russia">Russia</a> would have been the superior choice of ally; he should have married the Tsar’s sister instead, as he is shown in the film requesting. “Had Russia been chosen and seduced by France and had the continental blockade not been imposed, I think it would’ve worked out a lot better,” Sarkozy says. “Although I’m speaking with the benefit of hindsight. Who knows what decisions I would’ve made were I present in 1810?”
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A young and beautiful woman in a crown." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rcOsCnGaR0tsmseRyvqCd11ZXD8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25120417/img3.jpg"/> <cite>Columbia Pictures</cite>
<figcaption>
Vanessa Kirby, who plays Josephine in <em>Napoleon</em>, is 35 to Joaquin Phoenix’s 49.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ofAmSy">
As for preserving his dynasty, well, it’s complicated. While he had a son with Marie Louise, Napoleon’s reign ended after he lost in Russia and went into exile on the island of Elba, then reclaimed his power and lost again at Waterloo, going into exile for good this time on St. Helena, a small island in the middle of the Atlantic, 1,200 miles from the coast of southwestern Africa — France really wanted him out of there. His son, Napoleon François Charles Joseph, had a short and disputed reign as Napoleon II for only <a href="https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/biographies/napoleon-ii/">20 days </a>, eventually being succeeded — with a king in between — by his cousin Napoleon III. (Napoleon III was, ironically, the son of Josephine’s only daughter, Hortense, and Bonaparte’s brother Louis.) After the third and final Napoleon, France went back to being a Republic with a proper president, and the short but memorable Bonaparte dynasty was effectively over.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zsFm7z">
Who do we blame for the fall of the empire and Napoleon? Could it be that maybe the “greatest general of all time” wasn’t really all that? Were they unavoidable military and political miscalculations? Or did the empire die the day of that divorce ceremony?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ufrY3W">
The movie plays with the idea that Napoleon’s fall was due to him divorcing Josephine. When the then-general first hears of the affair Josephine carried on while he was in Egypt, he comes to her and tells her to say she is nothing without him. Tearfully, she agrees, but later that same night, turns it back on him. “You want to be great. You are nothing without me. Say it. You are just a brute that is nothing without me,” Kirby’s Josephine tells Phoenix’s Napoleon, and he says it back. After she dies and he is in exile, he hears her voice from the dead saying, “I let you loose and let you come to ruin, next time I will be emperor and you will do as I say.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zpCExm">
However, Sarkozy refutes the idea that the divorce led to Napoleon’s ruin.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SNuHI6">
“That’s absolutely bogus,” Sarkozy says. “I know Ridley Scott focuses a lot on their love relationship, and there’s a good reason because, listen, it’s an awesome story. I mean, his letters to her are amazing. But the idea that the fault of the empire is reducible to him divorcing Josephine is complete nonsense. The empire fell because of crucial military and political decisions. It did not fall because of his personal life.” Astbury also says that Josephine didn’t have much influence over Napoleon politically.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2YT60p">
However, Astbury says that the desire for a son and the fulfillment of that desire may have made Napoleon more autocratic and imperialist, which ultimately did lead the empire to fall. “Most historians agree that the Empire was at its height in 1807 and things deteriorated after that as Napoleon became more and more autocratic. The desire to leave France in safe hands became a growing concern (he didn’t feel his brother Joseph was the right man for the job) and intensified after his son was born in 1811,” says Astbury.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left c-float-hang">
<aside id="rjaDd6">
<q>“The birth of an heir accelerated the fall of the Empire, but I think the Allies would have decided to act sooner rather than later anyway” </q>
</aside>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="C9t6sa">
Hyperfocusing on his legacy made Napoleon reach further and further across Europe to expand his empire, which Astbury says made Britain, Austria, Prussia [now called Germany], and Russia “finally unified in their desire to do something to keep him in check. Each of the other monarchs would benefit from France being pushed back. Russia wanted to regain control of Poland, Prussia was keen to expand its borders, Austria wanted to reassert its power, and Britain was keen to expand its colonies. Forcing France back to its natural borders (that is to say up to the Rhine) or even further back to the borders of 1790 would rebalance the geopolitics of the continent.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JVIlcz">
Astbury’s conclusion is this: “The birth of an heir accelerated the fall of the Empire, but I think the Allies would have decided to act sooner rather than later anyway.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ymh44G">
The moral of the story, then, seems to be that unchecked ambition and rampant imperialism, all fueled by the desire to leave behind a legacy and a male heir, is what led to the fall of the French Empire. This might be where the idea that the divorce led to Napoleon’s fall comes from, even if historians agree that’s not quite accurate — or at least not the whole story.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UveJXC">
Poetically, though, Napoleon expressed feeling as though the loss of Josephine impacted him politically. “Napoleon used to always talk about his star, his star meaning his luck that allowed him to rise,” Sarkozy says. “And toward the end of his life, in exile, he does make a comment that his star began to fade when he divorced Josephine. But I don’t think he would have agreed that it was the reason why the empire fell.” Still, it makes for a heartwarming last line in a movie that otherwise offers little insight into the notorious ruler. As Scott’s vision of Josephine intones from beyond the grave, “Come to me, Napoleon, and let us try this again.”
</p></li>
<li><strong>There are now more land mines in Ukraine than almost anywhere else on the planet</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A red sign with a skull and crossbones reads, in Russian, “Danger. Mines.” It appears on a fence in front of an open field beside a dirt road." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OiTd5k_UtjJt-mrOqiu3PqgOlmo=/0x0:5115x3836/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72915817/1704263478.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
A mine warning sign is seen in the area where demining takes place, Kharkiv Region, north-eastern Ukraine. | Vyacheslav Madiyevskyi / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Ukraine is staring down a massive humanitarian challenge — now and into the future.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZNKAJN">
ukraThe sign is red, marked with a skull and crossbones and a warning: “Danger mines!” In parts of Ukraine that were contested or controlled by Russian forces, these are reminders that even in territory Ukraine has defended or retaken, the land itself is not fully liberated from war.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kRNjWe">
<a href="https://www.vox.com/russia">Russia</a>’s full-scale invasion has made Ukraine one of the most mined countries in the world. In less than two years, the conflict has potentially created one of the largest demining challenges since World War II.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uTnaLO">
This includes anti-tank mines, which target vehicles — though if triggered, they do not distinguish between a battle tank and a school bus. There are also anti-personnel mines, which are intended to kill or hurt people, and more makeshift explosives, like booby traps, that serve similar aims. Unexploded artillery and cluster munitions also litter the landscape. <a href="https://www.vox.com/23819064/ukraine-war-counteroffensive-russia-mines-tanks">Both sides have been firing off tens of thousands of rounds of artillery each da</a>y. Even if only a small percentage of those are duds, they can still detonate, maim, and kill, sometimes long after the fighting.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Fg84nK">
About 174,000 square kilometers of Ukraine is suspected to be contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance, called UXOs. It is an area about the size of Florida, about 30 percent of Ukraine’s territory. This estimate accounts for land occupied by Russia since its full-scale invasion, along with recaptured areas, everywhere from the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/despite-losing-limbs-ukrainian-sappers-return-work-clearing-land-mines-2023-10-25/">Kharkiv region</a> in the east to areas around Kyiv, like <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/15/background-briefing-landmine-use-ukraine">Bucha</a>. <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/13/landmine-use-ukraine">According to Human Rights Watch</a>, mines have been documented in 11 of Ukraine’s 27 regions.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uyU3usBxDom6woLuwmuk0CoiKqM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25118044/Screenshot_2023_11_28_at_1.24.59_PM.png"/> <cite>Source: State Emergency Service of Ukraine, <a class="ql-link" href="https://mine.dsns.gov.ua/" target="_blank">https://mine.dsns.gov.ua/</a></cite>
<figcaption>
Map of Ukrainian territories that could potentially be contaminated by explosive objects as of April 2023.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BLZaAI">
Still, the 174,000 square kilometer figure is likely an overestimate, experts and international deminers say. Russia would not have the time, ability, or need to mine every inch of contested land. But until deminers or officials can confirm areas suspected of contamination free from it, the outcomes look the same. That land is off-limits.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MdEqfn">
“For every football pitch that is contaminated, there’s probably 100 football pitches that are not,” said Paul Heslop, chief technical adviser and program manager for mine action at the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine. “The humanitarian impact comes from the land that is contaminated because obviously you don’t get hurt if you walk through a minefield that isn’t a minefield,” Heslop added. “But the economic impact, and perhaps the social impact, and the impact on the global <a href="https://www.vox.com/economy">economy</a>, on global food security, is coming from the 100 minefields that are not minefields.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YKEu93">
What is known — that Ukraine is heavily mined and polluted by unexploded remnants of war — and what is not — where, exactly, these dangers exist — are twin problems Ukraine faces. It takes resources, people, and time to declare places largely free from hazards.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wfdVow">
And, right now, a lot of Ukrainian land is still inaccessible, under Russian control or too close to the front lines. That makes it unsafe for humanitarian deminers and vulnerable to recontamination. In the areas deminers can access, it takes even more resources and time to map those locations and then undertake the meticulous and perilous process of clearing mines and returning the land, fully, back to Ukraine.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Q59rK8">
But until either happens, it deepens and compounds the crisis for Ukrainian civilians in wartime. If a power station is suspected of being mined, technicians might not be able to quickly restore electricity if it goes out. An ambulance might have to take a longer route to the hospital to avoid particular roads.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1ODCqZ">
The scale of the problem is so vast in Ukraine and the resources so finite — even with <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-says-allies-commit-244-mln-humanitarian-demining-2023-07-26/">increasing</a> international assistance and support — that authorities must prioritize. What can’t be investigated or cleared immediately may get cordoned off and marked with a warning sign.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bFeXmY">
The risks remain. As of this summer, the HALO Trust, an international demining NGO, <a href="https://www.halotrust.org/latest/halo-updates/news/james-cleverly-visits-halo-ukraine/#:~:text=It%20has%20recorded%20over%20700,in%20Kharkiv%20and%20Mykolaiv%20regions.">recorded</a> at least <a href="https://www.halotrust.org/latest/halo-updates/news/james-cleverly-visits-halo-ukraine/#:~:text=HALO%20has%20visited%20over%20800,too%20low%20because%20of%20underreporting.">700 civilian casualties because of land mines</a>, likely an undercount. In 2022 alone, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines <a href="http://www.icbl.org/media/3389440/landmine-monitor-2023_web.pdf">recorded more than 600 casualties from mines in Ukraine</a>, a tenfold increase from 2021. The Ukrainian government said in November <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-says-more-260-civilians-092639040.html">that mines and explosives have killed 260 civilians </a>in 20 months of war. These mines and other unexploded devices will continue to complicate any rebuilding efforts and will injure and kill civilians now and potentially long after the hostilities end.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HHo4O3">
Even when the guns have stopped firing, said Erik Tollefsen, head of the Weapon Contamination Unit at the <a href="https://twitter.com/ICRC">International Committee of the Red Cross</a>, “the land mines remain active.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LmHkaa">
This is a long-term challenge. Deminers are still <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/us-helps-to-remove-landmines-left-behind-after-wars-in-southeast-asia-/7041176.html">clearing mines and cluster munitions</a> from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia used by Americans in the Vietnam War. Farmers in Belgium and France, <a href="https://theworld.org/stories/2023-08-04/iron-harvest-belgian-team-unearths-unexploded-ammunition-wwi">even now, find</a> unexploded World War I shells buried in fields.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yuUUBk">
Ukraine already had demining operations ongoing before Russia’s full-scale invasion, to find ordnance from World War II and from Russia’s 2014 incursion. Deminers in Ukraine are still finding munitions from the WWII era now, as they begin, bit by bit, to rescue territory from the ongoing war.
</p>
<h3 id="BMCNwn">
Why Ukraine may be one of the biggest clearance challenges since World War II
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Kh3jVT">
The front line in the Ukraine war may be the the most heavily mined terrain on the planet. Russian troops built a formidable defensive belt, laid and relaid, that <a href="https://www.vox.com/23819064/ukraine-war-counteroffensive-russia-mines-tanks">stymied</a> Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aWpHQN">
Ukraine, too, <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/04/12/why-so-many-russian-tanks-fall-prey-to-ukrainian-mines">has laid anti-tank mines to slow Russian advances</a>, and Western partners — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/us/politics/ukraine-weapons-land-mines.html">including the US</a> — have transferred anti-tank mines to Ukraine. Human Rights Watch <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/13/landmine-use-ukraine">has also alleged</a> that Ukrainian troops fired anti-personnel mines near the town of Izium, in the <a href="https://www.vox.com/c/world-politics/2023/5/10/23630754/russia-ukraine-war-kharkiv-city-transformed">Kharkiv</a> region, which it recaptured from Russia last year. Ukraine is party to the <a href="https://www.apminebanconvention.org/en/newsroom/article/article/landmine-treaty-president-to-engage-with-ukraine-on-allegations-of-use-of-prohibited-weapon/">1997 convention that bans the use of anti-personnel mines</a> (Russia is not), and Ukrainian authorities have <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/30/ukraine-promises-inquiry-banned-landmine-use">said they will investigate</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pRemkb">
The Ukrainian front line extends <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/russia-ukraine-front-line-map/">hundreds of miles</a>, a daunting minefield. But the boundaries are clear and have been largely static, especially in the past year. Deminers know mines will be found here when the war ends.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KsIjYp">
The challenge exists when mines are not placed in patterns or appropriately mapped (as militaries are supposed to do), and instead are laid haphazardly or in a rush — or with the intention of terrorizing, as Russia has done in its withdrawal from parts of Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities have reportedly <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-mining-everywhere-ukraine-explosives-fridges-toys-books-military-engineers-2023-8">found mines in refrigerators or in toys</a>. Russian troops have planted <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQdsUbNSnzA">booby traps</a> or <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/10/world/europe/russia-booby-traps-ukraine-war.html">grenades rigged with tripwires</a>, making them even trickier to remove. Retreating Russian forces <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-landmine-strewn-front-even-corpses-can-kill-2023-08-03/">have booby trapped the bodies of dead soldiers</a>. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy <a href="https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/yevropa-ne-maye-prava-reaguvati-movchannyam-na-te-sho-vidbuv-74029">has accused</a> Russia of mining the bodies of people killed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PomtpR">
“The Russians are incredibly crafty when it comes to placing booby traps, and they do it to catch out the unwary,” said Col. Bob Seddon, former head of bomb disposal in the British Army. “It’s not always to catch out the military that we’ve seen. In some of the villages and towns that the Russians have abandoned, they have left booby traps in civilian dwellings to catch out civilians returning.”
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A person in a field with a metal detector." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vHdtvKUr7H-kWYfofmTotoW-k4k=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25118720/1701277315.jpg"/> <cite>Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
A deminer of the charitable fund Demining of Ukraine uses a metal detector to search for mines in the field near the town of Derhachi, Kharkiv region, on October 1, 2023.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/k0LRc67ixyIGWWuH3vNAMGhg0GU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25118710/1485205647.jpg"/> <cite>Scott Peterson/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
A Ukrainian poster warning of booby traps left behind by Russian invasion forces after they retreated from this Donbas city last October is stuck to the boarded door of an administration building in Lyman, Ukraine, on April 24, 2023.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YPpyvl">
Mines are only one slice of the larger problem of UXO contamination. “It’s the artillery shells, and then it’s everything that is used in the course of the battle and is potentially hazardous because it’s explosive, and it hasn’t already exploded,” said Suzanne Fiederlein, director of the <a href="https://www.jmu.edu/cisr/">Center for International Stabilization and Recovery</a> at James Madison University. Cluster munitions, which the <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/7/7/23785820/cluster-bombs-ukraine-united-states-biden-treaty">US started sending to Ukraine this summer</a>, release dozens of bomblets when fired, which scatter about and don’t always immediately explode as they should. But these cluster bombs, along with other kinds of artillery, can still be triggered later, detonating if they’re just slightly disturbed or picked up or moved.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NPFzB5">
“Just everywhere you can imagine, these things are just lying in wait,” said Col. Matt Dimmick (Ret.), Europe Regional Program Manager for Spirit of America, describing the aftermath of combat.
</p>
<h3 id="kawNSC">
How to demine Ukraine
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="93MFWK">
Military deminers and combat engineers must clear mines quickly, often under fire, so troops can advance. It is not about removing every single explosive, but instead creating a safe path to breach defensive lines.
</p>
<div id="q1K3SN">
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;">
</div>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BvT2gv">
<em>[In the video above, the Ukrainian band Океан Ельзи has made a music video for its song “I’m going home” that follows the training and journey of a deminer.]</em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aOfpiu">
Humanitarian demining and clearance operate under a different set of rules. The standard is clear everything, with as much confidence as possible. Ukraine also has its own national mine action standards, developed from its robust experience of clearing ordnance from World War II and the 2014 conflict in the Donbas.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AWpIwo">
The first step is determining where the mine or ordnance contamination might be. Right now, Ukraine is working with that wide, wide net — basically, anywhere Russian troops entered or held — and needs to whittle away from there. The process begins with a nontechnical survey, which is a kind of fact-finding mission. Some places are easy to pinpoint: If active fighting occurred or a land mine or bomb goes off, it is a pretty sure sign the land is hazardous.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dj1g8i">
It can also mean scouring social media posts and local news reports. “This is people with binoculars, people going out with rudimentary search equipment to try and determine where the limits of explosive ordnance contamination exist,” Seddon said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4Lvh1I">
Teams will interview locals, the mayor, policemen, or even the military to try to gather more information. Satellite imagery helps, as do evolving technologies like drones and thermal imaging.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DmHq1C">
As the potential contaminated area narrows, the techniques become more precise: teams on the ground using metal detectors or dogs. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JviHMKvQIJA">Patron is Ukraine’s official mine-sniffing mascot</a>.) The goal of all of this is to reduce and reduce the area to what actually needs to be cleared to finally allow teams to go in and start to remove the mines.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3aXBvk">
Except, right now in Ukraine, not every mine and unexploded ordnance can be removed. It is an active conflict, and an overhead strike or heavy shelling can recontaminate the land almost instantly. Ukraine does not have the resources, equipment, or people to remove every land mine right now.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mHfEbP">
<a href="https://www.me.gov.ua/Documents/Detail?lang=en-GB&amp;id=0e02d844-e2b4-4919-83c8-1aca4c53d7ff&amp;title=DeputyMinisterOfEconomyOfUkraineBezkaravainyiIhor">Ihor Bezkaravainyi</a>, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Economy who oversees land mine clearance, said Ukraine is prioritizing “demining for civilian needs.” The aim is to make the land as usable and as safe as possible until everything can be cleared at a later time. “We can’t demine all dangerous parts of Ukraine at the same time,” he said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FBTyge">
Critical infrastructure is Ukraine’s top priority, such as roads, electricity lines, gas and water pipes, and power stations. So is civilian safety, making sure people can return to schools or hospitals safely. Then comes areas that intersect with Ukraine’s economy, specifically the grain fields that underpin the country’s agricultural sector.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2emDMq">
This kind of mine clearance is what Heslop called “outcomes driven.” Full clearance — that is, removing every single mine — is not feasible with stretched resources and a fluid conflict. Instead, deminers may clear an area around a power station so workers can access it for necessary repairs and maintenance, but marking off the rest for future operations. Teams might remove mines so a farmer can plant at least some of his acreage, but not all of it. In a war, those are the trade-offs Ukraine has to make.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vUmLq2">
“We cleared this area and the power transformer was installed and 5,000 people got electricity. We cleared this area and a bridge was rebuilt, which took down the travel time to a hospital from four hours to 15 minutes,” Heslop said.
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“Every task we do — because we’ve got so few people at the moment — has to have impact, has to have a positive outcome, has to be helping Ukraine in some way,” he added.
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<h3 id="zvW6aj">
This is a long-term challenge for Ukraine, one that gets worse the longer the war goes on
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="R7VOej">
Ryan Hendrickson, a retired Green Beret for the US Army Special Forces and <a href="https://linktr.ee/rmhendrickson.tipofthespear">founder of Tip of the Spear Landmine Removal</a>, has been working with a team with on mine clearance in Ukraine. He said in early 2022, when Russia started leaving places like Bucha and Irpin to focus on the Donbas, people slowly started returning to their homes. It reminded him a bit of the aftermath of a hurricane or flood: people returning to see what’s left.
</p>
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<img alt="A person in camouflage kneels in a wintry field holding a spool of wire." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4_Tcb9BqQQNb_v-yEuXFlw1THAk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25118703/1745610947.jpg"/> <cite>Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
An EOD expert remotely removes a mine as a consolidated squad of the Explosives Service of Ukraine carries out demining works in Kharkiv Region, northeastern Ukraine, October 24, 2023.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nO6rPB">
As they returned, so did the risks of land mines and other munitions buried among the ruins. The fear is that people, lives already disrupted by war, cannot wait for demining operations. Residents want to restart and rebuild, so they will move and sort through the rubble themselves. Farmers want to plow their fields, and so they’ll rig up makeshift machines to try to pull mines up themselves.
</p>
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“People just can’t wait for the scarce resource, the clearance resources, so they take matters into their own hands, and perhaps put themselves at risk, but they need to pay the bills and feed their families,” Alex van Roy, of the Fondation Suisse de Déminage (FSD), said.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JENUQx">
Education and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQk5K957xNw">awareness campaigns</a> attempt to mitigate this risk. In Ukraine, announcements warning of land mines broadcast on the radio and blast out across social media. Animated ads run on trains, especially important to warn any Ukrainians who may be newly returning to their homes. Kids get coloring books, warning them not to touch things that look like mines. Patron, Ukraine’s mine-sniffing dog, visits schools and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMSS6diyXQE">stars in music videos</a>. Teams go door to door. There are murals everywhere. “It looks like propaganda, but we need to do it because it’s simple rules, and all Ukrainians must know about it,” Bezkaravainyi said.
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<em>[Patron’s theme song is shown in the video above.] </em>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jv87pv">
These tools fill the gaps until Ukraine can scale up, which can probably only happen on a large scale when the fighting ends. The US has pledged more than $182 million for humanitarian demining efforts, and other international donors and organizations are dedicating resources there. Ukrainian groups and figures sometimes crowdfund on social media, like Ukrainian comedian Mark Kutsevalov, who is raising money for demining equipment, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CzweY6tNd9c/">documenting his efforts on Instagram</a>.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nuIuAH">
But the World Bank estimates <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/07/1138477">it will cost about $37 billion</a> to demine Ukraine. Even with assistance and expertise from international NGOs and other organizations, much demining <a href="https://u24.gov.ua/">is done by Ukrainians themselves</a> — school teachers, taxi drivers, and moms who are trained in the incredibly dangerous work. Ukraine has about <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/more-than-260-civilians-killed-after-stepping-mines-explosives-ukraine-2023-11-01/">3,000 demining specialists</a>, <a href="https://www.mining.com/ukraines-new-mine-action-centre-to-train-3000-deminers-with-investment-from-metinvest/">with plans to train more</a>, though Ukrainian officials have <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-says-more-260-civilians-092639040.html">said they need thousands more</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iduOnI">
Ukraine’s deep experience with demining has also become something of a hindrance, as rules put in place to protect safety procedures and processes add to the bureaucracy and red tape. Officials in Ukraine are aware of these challenges, but changing the laws requires acts of Parliament. Some of it, too, is Ukraine’s desire to show its population that demining is a priority and that the government is capable of delivering to its population.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hfyJYq">
This is a problem for Ukraine now, as the war, and if and when the fighting ends. This isn’t a new lesson of conflict; the world’s experiences with the long-tail dangers to civilians from mines and artillery led to global conventions banning anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions. But the efforts to protect civilians, in the near- and long-term, often collide with the realities of the battlefield. Militaries use land mines because, on the battlefield, they believe they work in combat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YDfLaX">
But the weapons themselves do not discriminate between tank or ambulance, soldier or civilian. Which means, in Ukraine, some cities and towns exist in a precarious limbo, free of Russian occupation, but not its remnants. “I used to go here before February 24. I could go over here,” Hendrickson said, describing the frustration of some Ukrainian communities. “Why can’t I go there now? Why is there red tape and a mine sign in front of this? I want my land back. I want my home back. I want — boom.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lcp8lj">
<em>Translation and additional reporting by Olena Lysenko.</em>
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>There’s less meat at this year’s climate talks. But there’s plenty of bull.</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A crowd of people hold signs with slogans about eating meat and climate change." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uHBKkiTpvFqDPATuQUepZrd51WI=/197x0:4160x2972/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72915721/AP19263520216279.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Climate protesters demonstrate in London in 2019 ahead of a UN summit in New York. Meat and dairy production account for a large share of the climate crisis but get little to no attention from world leaders at climate talks. | Frank Augstein/AP
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Meat and dairy are driving the climate crisis. Why won’t world leaders at COP28 do anything about it?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="70ICNM">
Over the next two weeks, an estimated 70,000 people will gather in Dubai for the United Nations COP28 summit. It’s the world’s largest and highest-stakes climate conference, where world leaders gather every year to assess the state of <a href="https://www.vox.com/climate">global warming</a> and set targets to slow it down.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OlNM0C">
As attendees break for meals between meetings, negotiations, and panel discussions, they may notice one striking difference between COP28 and past UN climate conferences: There won’t be much meat on the menu. After a months-long effort by the youth-led <a href="https://foodatcop.com/?p=2130">Food@COP</a> coalition, the United Arab Emirates environment minister, Mariam Almheiri, <a href="https://www.zawya.com/en/press-release/events-and-conferences/he-mariam-almheiri-unveils-cop-first-as-uae-targets-climate-conscious-catering-for-set-piece-climate-conference-m01izjl1">announced</a> last month that two-thirds of the food served at the event will be plant-based.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9C8GQg">
“We know that our food systems are intrinsically linked to the fate of our natural world, and so we have made the progressive decision to ensure that we explore how the catering provided across the event can be responsible and climate conscious,” Almheiri said in a <a href="https://www.zawya.com/en/press-release/events-and-conferences/he-mariam-almheiri-unveils-cop-first-as-uae-targets-climate-conscious-catering-for-set-piece-climate-conference-m01izjl1">press release</a>.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mQIBr7">
Almheiri was alluding to a fact often overlooked in climate discussions: <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/greenhouse-gas-emissions-food">One-third</a> of global greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to food, with meat and dairy accounting for the <a href="https://josephpoore.com/Science%20360%206392%20987%20-%20Accepted%20Manuscript.pdf">lion’s share</a> of it but providing just <a href="https://josephpoore.com/Science%20360%206392%20987%20-%20Accepted%20Manuscript.pdf">18 percent</a> of the world’s calories. Meat and dairy production are also leading causes of other environmental ills, including <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/drivers-of-deforestation">deforestation</a>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22287498/meat-wildlife-biodiversity-species-plantbased">biodiversity loss</a>, <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-intensive-lower-carbon-animal-farming-could-raise-pandemic-risks/">pandemic risk</a>, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth">water pollution</a>. Dairy production alone emits more greenhouse gases than <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/29/plans-to-present-meat-as-sustainable-nutrition-at-cop28-revealed">global aviation</a>. Plant-based foods typically have a much <a href="https://www.vox.com/22787178/beyond-impossible-plant-based-vegetarian-meat-climate-environmental-impact-sustainability">smaller carbon footprint</a>, and require far less <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/10/20/23924061/public-grazing-land-cattle-meat-carbon-opportunity-cost">land</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23655640/colorado-river-water-alfalfa-dairy-beef-meat">water</a>.
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<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Several young pigs look through the bars of a dark metal enclosure." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MjXocEopDnIp6-vQITEiGrcmVn4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25120956/WAM34948.jpg"/> <cite>Nova Dwade/We Animals Media</cite>
<figcaption>
Juvenile pigs at a factory farm in Lombardo, Italy.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JWyZlP">
COP’s catering move marks a notable change from the meat-heavy menus typically found at the annual conference, which some have <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/meat-menu-not-agenda-cop27-climate-conference-2022-11-15/">criticized</a> as misaligned with its very goal. But a plant-based shift is unlikely to be found where it would count the most — in the conference negotiations where climate targets are set.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="13grpp">
As greenhouse gas emissions from animal agriculture have become increasingly difficult to ignore, global policymakers now stand at a fork in the road on how to address them. <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(19)30245-1/fulltext">Numerous</a> environmental <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/4/22/23036010/eat-less-meat-vegetarian-effects-climate-emissions-animal-welfare-factory-farms">scientists</a>, including some who’ve published studies on the matter for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/03/ipcc-land-use-food-production-key-to-climate-crisis-leaked-report">the UN,</a> have called on wealthy countries to cut back on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/10/huge-reduction-in-meat-eating-essential-to-avoid-climate-breakdown">meat</a> and eat more plant-based meals — a sure way to slash agricultural emissions, but politically challenging.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1gA13c">
Down another path lies the more politically palatable, yet far less effective, approach of continuing to eat record amounts of meat in the West while deploying a host of technologies and farming practices, each of which can only marginally shave off livestock emissions.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VskGxa">
The world needs a mix of both approaches, but policymakers, out of political expediency and corporate capture, are barreling down the second path, a choice they’ll likely come to regret as climate change intensifies.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w2kOyH">
“We have only one planet, and we’re not going to be able to feed everyone with the diet of the Europeans,” said Raphael Podselver, director of UN affairs for the nonprofit ProVeg International.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dNhvtZ">
And certainly not with the diet of Americans, who eat almost <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-meat-consumption-by-type-kilograms-per-year?country=USA~Europe+%28FAO%29">70 percent more meat</a> per capita than Europeans, and <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-meat-consumption-by-type-kilograms-per-year?country=OWID_WRL~USA">200 percent more</a> than the global average — so much that if the US sustains its current level of meat consumption and doesn’t change its farming practices, while the energy and <a href="https://www.vox.com/transportation">transportation</a> sectors decarbonize, agriculture could become the <a href="https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2023/02/will-agriculture-be-americas-leading-source-greenhouse-gas-emissions">biggest source</a> of America’s emissions by 2050. That would be a climate travesty, and one that could be averted — if only American and other world leaders were willing to address the cow in the room.
</p>
<h3 id="lBaV9X">
Why rich countries won’t commit to eating less meat
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Fdq6TH">
COP28 will dedicate more attention to food emissions than previous COP summits, including a few panel discussions on plant-based eating and <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23849473/cell-cultivated-meat-impossible-beyond-alternatives-vegan-investment-report-infrastructure">meat alternative technology</a>. The UN will also launch a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-26/eat-less-meat-is-message-for-rich-world-in-food-s-first-net-zero-plan">new report</a> that will call for, among other priorities, lowering meat consumption in rich countries in order to improve <a href="https://www.vox.com/public-health">public health</a> and lower agricultural emissions. But some environmental and <a href="https://www.vox.com/animal-welfare">animal welfare</a> advocates worry the topic will get short shrift at COP’s negotiations.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zGkUOa">
“Meat and livestock — it’s just not really a focus or discussion point for the main negotiated process at all,” said Lana Weidgenant, a campaigner for ProVeg International who worked on the COP28 menu effort.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Eix22c">
There are a few ways countries set climate targets at COP. The main one is through a country’s <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/all-about-ndcs#:~:text=Simply%20put%2C%20an%20NDC%2C%20or,update%20it%20every%20five%20years.">Nationally Determined Contribution</a> (NDC), a plan that outlines how they will mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change, and how progress will be monitored. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), only a few countries mention making diets more sustainable in their NDCs — and they’re all low- and middle-income countries that already eat relatively small amounts of animal products.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="p19dLI">
Another avenue nations use to set climate goals at COP is through joint work programs, in which countries come together to coordinate on specific issues. One focuses on agriculture, but at <a href="https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/cp2022_10a01_adv.pdf">last year’s COP</a>, there was no mention of shifting diets to be more plant-based — only of tinkering with how farmed animals are raised as a means to reducing emissions.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="o3LlIA">
Reached for comment on whether the US will propose shifting diets to be more plant-based or <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23849473/cell-cultivated-meat-impossible-beyond-alternatives-vegan-investment-report-infrastructure">investing in meat alternative technologies</a> at COP28, the US Department of Agriculture didn’t directly respond, but pointed Vox to its investments in so-called <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/8/13/23301768/inflation-reduction-act-agriculture-meat-dairy-farming-plant-based">“climate-smart” farming practices</a>, like paying farmers to plant cover crops and improve manure management, through the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/8/8/23296951/inflation-reduction-act-biden-democrats-climate-change">Inflation Reduction Act</a>. But these are <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/167267/climate-farming-inflation-reduction-act">unlikely</a> to make much of a dent in emissions and in some cases, could further expand livestock production.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7BriQg">
For example, as part of its climate-smart agriculture program, the US is funding meat giant Tyson Foods to develop <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/9/8/23863100/tyson-climate-friendly-beef-burger-usda">“climate-friendly” beef</a>. Neither the USDA nor Tyson have disclosed what makes it “climate-friendly,” a label that might cause people to eat even more beef — which has the highest carbon footprint of any food — and thereby further increase agricultural emissions.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Two people atop a building’s front face hold a huge yellow banner reading “COP: Invest in a plant-based future.”" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ig63EFsBK7I-ssvmM6UM1Z2Fps4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25120847/AP21299449866313.jpg"/> <cite>Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP</cite>
<figcaption>
Environmental protestors with Animal Rebellion drop a sign calling for an investment in plant-based farming at government offices in London in 2021.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Sb3aUa">
Canada’s agriculture agency pointed Vox to its <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/protein-industries-canada-supercluster-kicks-into-high-gear-700404731.html">significant investments</a> in developing the country’s plant-based protein industry, but didn’t directly respond about its NDC or agricultural negotiations. The agriculture agencies of the United Kingdom and Australia didn’t respond to requests for comment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FEmSYu">
The European Commission (the <a href="https://www.vox.com/european-union">EU</a>’s executive branch) pointed to an <a href="https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-14286-2023-INIT/en/pdf">updated version</a> of its NDC and <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_23_5275">recent remarks</a> made by its climate action commissioner, each of which calls for emissions reductions in agriculture but don’t contain any specifics on how that could be achieved.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GTQWZh">
The COP28 <a href="https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-15436-2023-INIT/en/pdf">“Leaders Declaration”</a> on sustainable agriculture has received a lot of buzz and is expected to be signed by close to <a href="https://civileats.com/2023/10/16/will-a-food-and-ag-focus-at-cop28-distract-from-the-uaes-fossil-fuel-economy/">100 world leaders</a>. But it won’t do much — it merely commits governments to include agriculture in their NDCs by the time COP30 is held in 2025, and it doesn’t name any specific actions, nor any mention of livestock emissions and plant-based diets.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hLPwt5">
The disinterest from Western governments in shifting diets isn’t surprising — meat remains the <a href="https://thebreakthrough.org/journal/no-15-winter-2022/meat-vortex-alternative-protein">third rail</a> of climate politics. It tastes good, it’s become a mainstay of Western diets, and it’s become linked to ideals like <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-are-low-and-middle-income-countries-bound-to-eat-more-meat/">prosperity</a> and <a href="https://qz.com/622306/men-think-they-need-to-eat-meat-to-be-manly-and-its-making-them-sick">masculinity</a>. Taking it off the menu to help save the planet isn’t <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/163079/convince-people-eat-less-meat">politically popular</a>, so even eco-minded politicians, <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23778399/media-ignores-climate-change-beef-meat-dairy">environmental activists, and climate reporters</a> largely avoid the issue.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qsn9cj">
“Countries are realizing now at least that they have to include food systems within the NDCs — we’re seeing some progress around that,” Podselver said. “But there is still a lack of connection with the key topic, which is of course livestock, and I would say the rebalancing of protein intake between the [global] North and the South.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EBlNEK">
Podselver said that in his conversations with European COP delegates, there’s acknowledgment that the West needs to cut back on meat, but it’s rarely said publicly due to fear of being attacked from “all corners.” From <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2021/4/26/22403599/biden-red-meat-ban-burger-kudlow">the US</a> to <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/163079/convince-people-eat-less-meat?blinkaction=newsletter!amp_newsletter">Spain</a> to <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23627509/netherlands-dairy-cow-protests-seeds-farming-agriculture-climate">the Netherlands</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22360062/meat-vegetarian-vegan-lyon-france-culture-identity">beyond</a>, policy discussions around shrinking the livestock sector or reducing meat consumption can quickly set off inflammatory debate and even <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/dutch-farmers-emissions-global-right-wing-culture-war-rcna60269">conspiracy theories</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iUOAy9">
The livestock industry also has <a href="https://www.lighthousereports.com/investigation/animal-welfare-wrecked/">immense sway</a> in <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22379909/big-meat-companies-spend-millions-lobbying-climate">policymaking</a>, and increasingly, a big presence at COP. Last year, Desmog, an outlet that tracks corporate influence and greenwashing, <a href="https://www.desmog.com/2022/11/18/big-agribusiness-delegates-double-cop27/">reported</a> there were twice as many delegates with ties to agribusiness at COP27 compared to the previous year. Two executives from JBS, the world’s largest meat company, served as <a href="https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/PLOP_COP27.pdf">official Brazilian delegates</a> under the country’s ministry of agriculture.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gTZr6u">
This year, according to leaked documents <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/29/plans-to-present-meat-as-sustainable-nutrition-at-cop28-revealed">seen by Desmog and the Guardian</a>, animal agriculture lobbyists plan to push the idea that meat is beneficial to the environment.
</p>
<h3 id="TlcAoq">
The imbalance in meat consumption between the Global North and South
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="i0M008">
In the Global North, where meat consumption is incredibly high, there’s consensus among climate scientists that people need to change their diets — eat more plant-based food and a lot less meat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qe7HXQ">
But governments and industry have instead heavily favored employing different farming practices and techno-fixes like changing livestock feed and <a href="https://www.vox.com/genetics">genetics</a>, improving manure and fertilizer management, and reducing farm animal mortality rates. These practices have limited potential in cutting livestock emissions in the Global North because meat and dairy are already produced efficiently relative to the rest of the world (that efficiency largely stems from factory farming, which has resulted in <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/9/12/23339898/global-meat-production-forecast-factory-farming-animal-welfare-human-progress">horrific conditions</a> for animals).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wyVnWr">
Other practices often touted by the livestock industry, like <a href="https://www.iatp.org/emissions-impossible-europe">carbon-offsetting schemes</a>, <a href="https://civileats.com/2021/09/20/are-biogas-subsidies-benefiting-the-largest-industrial-animal-farms/">converting</a> methane from livestock manure into energy, and using the beef and dairy industry’s <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-10-19/beef-industry-falsely-claims-low-cow-carbon-footprint">preferred metric</a> for calculating methane emissions, amount to little more than greenwashing, some <a href="https://www.desmog.com/2023/09/21/a-guide-to-six-greenwashing-terms-big-ag-is-bringing-to-cop28/">environmentalists say</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="q2RVUt">
While this year’s official COP programming will give some attention to plant-based eating and meat alternative technology — the meat-free menus, <a href="https://www.cop28.com/en/schedule/the-food-we-eat-at-cop-walking-the-talk">around</a> <a href="https://www.cop28.com/en/schedule/alternative-protein">four</a> out of 50 or so<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.cop28.com/en/schedule/why-alternative-proteins-are-the-most-value-add-climate-tech-investment">panel</a> <a href="https://www.cop28.com/en/schedule/sustainable-consumption-healthy-affordable-food-for-all-and-reducing-food-waste">discussions</a> — the event will likely focus more attention on the approaches the livestock industry favors.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="n aerial view of feedlots and long rectangular shelters." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6yv7Zc2gW3OpCqnklq_MM4g0loU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25120952/WAM31541.jpg"/> <cite>Vince Penn/We Animals Media</cite>
<figcaption>
This cattle ranch in California is one of the largest feedlots in the United States. The site is almost 800 acres (3.2 square kilometers); for perspective, this is almost as large as Central Park in New York City.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="N8KVAu">
The UAE environmental minister’s office and the COP28 office didn’t respond to an interview request for this story.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5hyCZX">
The best argument for pursuing the industry-friendly approach is that meat demand is already high in wealthy countries and on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, and if people are going to eat more of it, governments and businesses should do everything in their power to reduce emissions per pound of meat. But this approach has to be paired with an even bigger effort to reduce meat consumption in the Global North and prevent consumption levels in the Global South from reaching unsustainable levels.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eIHQbL">
The EAT-Lancet Commission — a <a href="https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/eat-lancet-commission-2-0/the-commission/">panel</a> of distinguished nutrition, agriculture, and climate experts — recommends no more than <a href="https://eatforum.org/lancet-commission/eatinghealthyandsustainable/#:~:text=Go%20easy%20on%20meat%20consumption,grams%20of%20fish%20per%20week.">57 pounds</a> of meat per person per year for optimal personal and planetary health, far less than the <a href="https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2021/05/an-overview-of-meat-consumption-in-the-united-states.html">264 pounds</a> of meat Americans consume annually. In fact, most of the world exceeds the commission’s recommendation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="u2GNGv">
In 2020, 55 percent of the global population lived in a country where annual per capita meat consumption exceeded the EAT-Lancet benchmark of 57 pounds of meat. If you exclude <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/07/08/eight-in-ten-indians-limit-meat-in-their-diets-and-four-in-ten-consider-themselves-vegetarian/">India</a>, where most people avoid meat or intentionally eat less of it for religious and cultural reasons, that figure shoots up to almost three-quarters of the global population.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ifHVAp">
One event at COP28 will likely square these competing approaches — dietary change versus farming practices and<strong> </strong>techno-fixes — that lie at the heart of the debate over how to shrink agriculture’s carbon footprint. On the final day of the conference, the FAO will publish a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-26/eat-less-meat-is-message-for-rich-world-in-food-s-first-net-zero-plan">new report</a> intended to be a “roadmap” for what the farming sector must do by 2050 to ensure an abundant, healthy food supply while keeping global warming under 1.5°C.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XAz3dJ">
David Laborde, division director of the FAO’s agrifood economics division, said different regions will need to take different approaches. In low-income countries, where people often lack diverse diets and suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, Laborde said, “We need to increase animal product consumption” and “train farmers to increase their productivity in a sustainable manner.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="i0Yem1">
But “in the Global North, we have to change our diets,” Laborde said. “But also, we want to do it in a way that people understand why and it remains a choice for consumers.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oiGHb0">
The report came about after <a href="https://www.fairr.org/investor-statements/roadmap-to-2050">pressure</a> from Farm Animal Investment Risk &amp; Return (FAIRR), an organization that leverages the power of investors to address the environmental and social risks of factory farming. Helena Wright, FAIRR’s policy director, told Vox a <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050">similar</a> 2021 report by the International Energy Agency was influential in pushing the energy sector to decarbonize, and she hopes FAO’s new report will do the same for the food sector. FAIRR endorses a variety of approaches, including industry-friendly changes like tinkering with how livestock are fed and farmed, as well as longer-term efforts like shifting diets to be more plant-based.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dsLlvI">
“I think it’s really all of the above,” Wright said.
</p>
<h3 id="h6Gwad">
How we might be able to cut back on meat
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EEduSP">
So, what can be done to move the dietary needle in wealthy countries with minimal public pushback? “We need to change diets, but how we are going to get there — that’s the complicated part to some extent,” Laborde of FAO said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Woa8lr">
A logical place to start would be flipping which food groups get preferential treatment in food and farming policy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ugGX94">
Meat and dairy aren’t cheap and plentiful in the Global North because of the inherent economics of food production, but rather due to decades of deliberate governmental policy that has heavily favored the livestock industry over more sustainable protein sources, like <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/5/12/23717519/beans-protein-nutrition-sustainability-climate-food-security-solution-vegan-alternative-meat">beans and lentils</a>, or newer alternatives like <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/5/28/18626859/meatless-meat-explained-vegan-impossible-burger">Beyond burgers</a> made from pea protein.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kuWgq9">
For example, the US livestock industry is <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/8/31/23852325/farming-myths-agricultural-exceptionalism-pollution-labor-animal-welfare-laws">exempt</a> from numerous animal welfare, labor, and pollution regulations. Many voters <a href="https://thefern.org/ag_insider/majority-want-more-oversight-of-cafos-poll-finds/">often</a> <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23745935/proposition-12-pigs-pork-california-eggs-veal-hens">support</a> closing these loopholes, and doing so would make the price of animal products more appropriately reflect their costs to society, helping to level the <a href="https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2023/08/usda-livestock-subsidies-top-59-billion">playing field</a> on which other, more sustainable foods compete against meat and dairy. So would reforming <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/unearthed-a-rallying-cry-for-a-crop-program-that-could-change-everything/2015/02/01/ea7988b2-a741-11e4-a06b-9df2002b86a0_story.html">agricultural subsidies</a>, which heavily favor livestock companies. For example, the federal government leases <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/10/20/23924061/public-grazing-land-cattle-meat-carbon-opportunity-cost">10 percent of the continental US</a> to ranchers to graze their cattle at astonishingly low prices, and over the last 25 years, the majority of the near <a href="https://www.ewg.org/research/updated-ewg-farm-subsidy-database-shows-largest-producers-reap-billions-despite-climate">half a trillion dollars</a> in subsidies for farmers have gone to those who grow crops fed to livestock or used in biofuels.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iSKMRA">
Governments could also consider <a href="https://time.com/6330520/climate-warning-labels-on-meat-study/">labeling</a> foods with their carbon footprint to help consumers make more informed food choices, Laborde of the FAO said. He also pointed out that governments around the world can help shift diets by changing what type of food they buy for public services like school cafeterias, a strategy that’s been <a href="https://www.fedgoodfoodpurchasing.org/impact-analysis">proposed</a> by ​US environmental advocates. The US could also commit to stop <a href="https://money.cnn.com/2011/08/16/news/economy/chicken_prices/index.htm#:~:text=The%20Department%20of%20Agriculture%2C%20keenly,its%20national%20Feeding%20America%20programs.">buying up</a> excess meat and <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/10/13/13268980/cheese-glut-united-states">dairy</a> when corporations overproduce, like the purchase of <a href="https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/market-news/nppc-applauds-usda-s-50-1m-pork-purchase">$50 million in pork</a> earlier this year or the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2016/10/11/usda-announces-plans-purchase-surplus-cheese-releases-new-report">$20 million cheese buy</a> of 2016.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hoxm8u">
<a href="https://gfi.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/State-of-Global-Policy-Report_2022.pdf">Some countries</a> — including <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23627509/netherlands-dairy-cow-protests-seeds-farming-agriculture-climate">the Netherlands</a>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23273338/germany-less-meat-plant-based-vegan-vegetarian-flexitarian">Germany</a>, <a href="https://gfieurope.org/blog/denmark-publishes-worlds-first-national-action-plan-for-plant-based-foods/">Denmark</a>, <a href="https://www.proteinindustriescanada.ca/news-releases/trio-of-canadian-companies-set-to-revolutionize-plant-based-food-market-with-plant-based-salmon-fillet">Canada</a>, and <a href="http://koreabizwire.com/south-korea-unveils-ambitious-plan-to-cultivate-thriving-plant-based-food-industry/262752">South Korea</a> — have started implementing some of the above-mentioned <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy">policies</a> on a small scale. For example, the Netherlands’ agriculture agency, in partnership with the country’s largest agricultural research university, is working to <a href="https://www.wur.nl/en/newsarticle/five-major-players-launch-masterplan-for-protein-transition-as-economic-engine-in-the-netherlands.htm#:~:text=The%20ambition%20of%20the%2087,the%20food%20industry%20and%20consumers.">double legume consumption</a> by 2030. Denmark recently announced a plan to increase plant-based food consumption in schools and further develop its meat-alternative industry. South Korea’s agriculture minister plans to establish a research center for alternative meat and dairy and increase exports of plant-based products.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/62fsNH5ylkJK19SYO4iZy_Iefws=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25121852/GettyImages_1135200151.jpg"/> <cite>Spencer Platt/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Cafeteria workers prepare a plant-based lunch during a visit by then-New York Mayor Bill de Blasio at PS130, a Brooklyn public school, for an announcement about a Meatless Monday program.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="05iLtA">
These ideas haven’t yet found their way into global climate commitments, and changing that would take real political courage (and persuasion), which likely won’t be found at COP28. But you could look at it another way: This year’s conference — more than any previous year’s — will at least get the broader climate community talking about food emissions, including livestock’s outsize role.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7m32y1">
“The fact that we’re even talking about food and agriculture now,” said Weidgenant, “it’s huge progress.”
</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Christofle obliges in the A. Campbell Trophy</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Misty, Sea The Sun and Baby Bazooka impress</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Synthesis, High Speed Dive, Bruce Almighty, River Of Gold and Vysa impress</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sprinter Omkar Nath killed in bike accident</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Jimmy George Award for Sreeshankar</strong> -</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>CMWSSB cannot disconnect water, sewage connection of entire apartment complex due to default committed by few residents: Madras High Court</strong> - Justice C. Saravanan says, the dues from the defaulters can be collected from them individually by invoking the Revenue Recovery Act of 1890 and that all residents cannot be put to incovenience by disrupting essential utility connections</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Andhra Pradesh Congress president calls on AICC treasurer Ajay Maken</strong> - Rudra Raju is said to have briefed Maken on Congress party’s position in the State and the steps being taken to strengthen the party at the grassroots</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Social audit workshop by Mahatma Gandhi University</strong> - The event is part of preparing a report on social audit experiences in Kozhikode, Ernakulam, Idukki, and Pathanamthitta districts</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Last date for payment of Intermediate exam fees in Andhra Pradesh extended</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Kharge, Rahul and Priyanka post on ‘X’ seeking Telangana support for Congress</strong> - People of Telangana have decided that they will choose a transparent, people-friendly government, with a safety net for the disadvantaged, Kharge posted</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Key Dutch party sees ‘no basis’ for talks with Wilders</strong> - Anti-Islam populist leader Geert Wilders needs the backing of other parties to become prime minister.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Russia: LGBT groups could be declared ‘extremist’ in court ruling</strong> - Russia’s supreme court could rule that the so-called LGBT “movement” is an extremist organisation.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Germany teens held for alleged Christmas market attack plot</strong> - Police are said to have intervened to be on the safe side, after a specific target was identified.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Russia warns of tension as Finland shuts last border crossing</strong> - Finland closes the eighth crossing on its long Russian border, prompting Kremlin condemnation.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sticky Vicky: Legendary Benidorm dancer dies aged 80</strong> - The X-rated performer had a legendary status among Brits travelling to the Spanish resort on holiday.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>My long quest to revive a ’90s Windows gaming cult classic</strong> - <em>Pendulumania</em> is a testament to addictive game design and Windows app portability. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1986792">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Elon Musk on X antisemitism controversy: “Don’t advertise. Go f*** yourself”</strong> - Musk says X advertiser backlash is “going to kill the company.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1987322">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>2 municipal water facilities report falling to hackers in separate breaches</strong> - The facilities, in Pennsylvania and Texas, serve more than 2 million residents. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1987313">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>With another record broken, the world’s spaceports are busier than ever</strong> - No turning back? We can expect even more launches worldwide next year. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1987238">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Nvidia CEO: US chip independence may take 20 years to achieve</strong> - US may take twice as long as Biden expects to build its own chip supply chain. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1987284">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>While on vacation in Mexico, a guy went to see the bullfights.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When it was over he went to a nearby restaurant. The waiter recited the menu and then said, “Since today there was a bullfight, we also have fresh testicles on the menu if you’d like to try them.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The guy was always up for something new so he ordered them. They arrived and they were absolutely delicious; tender, flavorful, and unlike anything he’d ever eaten.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Exactly a year later he was back in Mexico on business, and he and his co-worker found themselves with an extra day to kill.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“How about the bullfights?” He suggested. “Afterward we can get a beer at this restaurant nearby.” His friend agreed and they went to the fights only to be told they were already over.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Let’s go get a beer then,” remembering the testicles he said, “we can eat, too. They have this dish you’re going to love.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
They ordered the testicles but when the dish arrived the testicles were much smaller, weren’t nearly as flavorful, and kind of disappointing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When they were done he asked the waiter what happened to the dish. They had been so much better last year.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The waiter leaned closer and said, “Señor, the bull doesn’t always lose.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/ODaferio"> /u/ODaferio </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/187efcf/while_on_vacation_in_mexico_a_guy_went_to_see_the/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/187efcf/while_on_vacation_in_mexico_a_guy_went_to_see_the/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A woman walks into her bathroom to see her husband sucking in his stomach. “You know that won’t help you lose weight,” she says.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I know that,” says the husband. “But it will help me see the numbers.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/wimpykidfan37"> /u/wimpykidfan37 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1872gso/a_woman_walks_into_her_bathroom_to_see_her/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1872gso/a_woman_walks_into_her_bathroom_to_see_her/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What’s the safest band to air drum to while driving?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Def Leppard
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/redvis5574"> /u/redvis5574 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1875cjk/whats_the_safest_band_to_air_drum_to_while_driving/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1875cjk/whats_the_safest_band_to_air_drum_to_while_driving/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What can you say both during sex and at a funeral?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I thought he’d last longer
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Tall_Acadia8838"> /u/Tall_Acadia8838 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/186px55/what_can_you_say_both_during_sex_and_at_a_funeral/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/186px55/what_can_you_say_both_during_sex_and_at_a_funeral/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>People said I’d never get over my obsession with Phil Collins.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
But take a look at me now.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Fearchar"> /u/Fearchar </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1873uct/people_said_id_never_get_over_my_obsession_with/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1873uct/people_said_id_never_get_over_my_obsession_with/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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