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<title>08 June, 2023</title>
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<title>Covid-19 Sentry</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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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>Emotional distress and affective knowledge representation one year after the Covid-19 outbreak</strong> -
<div>
This study examines whether the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the affectivity of the population extend one year after the outbreak. In an online-mobile session, participants completed surveys (i.e. demographic characteristics, positive-negative affectivity, interoceptive awareness) and a similarity judgment task of triplets of emotional concepts, from which we derived 2D maps of their affective knowledge representation. Compared with pre-pandemic data derived from a comparable population, we report three main findings. First, we observed enhanced negative affectivity during the pandemic, but no changes in positive affectivity levels. Second, increased self-reported interoceptive awareness compared to pre-pandemic data, with greater attention to bodily sensations and adaptive aspects of interoceptive sensitivity. Furthermore, female participants reported higher scores than males on the questionnaire subscales of Emotional Awareness and Attention Regulation. Third, the effect of pandemic-related conditions is also apparent in the mental organization of emotional concepts, especially for female participants (i.e., reduced coherence in the organization of the concepts along the arousal dimension and more misclassification of concepts based on arousal) and participants who did not perform physical activity (a collapse of the arousal dimension). Some of the effects of the pandemic, thus, persist about a year after the outbreak. These results advise providing programs of psychological and emotional assistance throughout the pandemic beyond the outbreak, and that age-dependent gender differences should be accounted for to define tailored interventions. Physical activity might relieve pandemic-related stressors, so it should be promoted during particularly stressful periods for the population.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/gmazn/" target="_blank">Emotional distress and affective knowledge representation one year after the Covid-19 outbreak</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Re-annotation of SARS-CoV-2 proteins using an HHpred-based approach opens new opportunities for a better understanding of this virus</strong> -
<div>
Since the publication of the genome of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, in January 2020, many bioinformatic tools have been applied to annotate its proteins. Although effcient methods have been used, such as the identification of protein domains stored in Pfam, most of the proteins of this virus have no detectable homologous protein domains outside the viral taxa. As it is now well established that some viral proteins share similarities with proteins of their hosts, we decided to explore the hypothesis that this lack of homologies could be, at least in part, the result of the documented loss of sensitivity of Pfam Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) when searching for domains in "divergent organisms". In order to improve the annotation of SARS-CoV-2 proteins, we used the HHpred protein annotation tool. To avoid "false positive predictions" as much as possible, we designed a robustness procedure to evaluate the HHpred results. In total, 6 robust similarities involving 6 distinct SARS-CoV-2 proteins were detected. Of these 6 similarities, 3 are already known and well documented, and one is in agreement with recent crystallographic results. We then examined carefully the two similarities that have not yet been reported in the literature. We first show that the C-terminal part of Spike S (the protein that binds the virion to the cell membrane by interacting with the host receptor, triggering infection) has similarities with the human prominin-1/CD133; after reviewing what is known about prominin-1/CD133, we suggest that the C-terminal part of Spike S could both improve the docking of Spike S to ACE2 (the main cell entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2) and be involved in the delivery of virions to regions where ACE2 is located in cells. Secondly, we show that the SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a protein shares similarities with human G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) belonging mainly to the "Rhodopsin family"; on the basis of the literature, we then show that specific G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) of this family are known to form ion channels; we emphasize this is consistent with a recent Cryo-EM structure of SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a suggesting that it can form a non-selective Ca2+-permeable cation channel; furthermore, we highlight that some of the GPCRs identified as sharing similarities with ORF3a are targeted by antibodies in patients with COVID-19 and Long-COVID, suggesting that these similarities may trigger some of the observed autoimmune responses. We conclude that the approach described here (or similar approaches) opens up new avenues of research to better understand SARS-CoV-2 and could be used to complement virus annotations, particularly for less-studied viruses.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.06.543855v1" target="_blank">Re-annotation of SARS-CoV-2 proteins using an HHpred-based approach opens new opportunities for a better understanding of this virus</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Independent regulation of Z-lines and M-lines during sarcomere assembly in cardiac myocytes revealed by the automatic image analysis software sarcApp</strong> -
<div>
Sarcomeres are the basic contractile units within cardiac myocytes, and the collective shortening of sarcomeres aligned along myofibrils generates the force driving the heartbeat. The alignment of the individual sarcomeres is important for proper force generation, and misaligned sarcomeres are associated with diseases including cardiomyopathies and COVID-19. The actin bundling protein, -actinin-2, localizes to the Z-Bodies of sarcomere precursors and the Z-Lines of sarcomeres, and has been used previously to assess sarcomere assembly and maintenance. Previous measurements of -actinin-2 organization have been largely accomplished manually, which is time-consuming and has hampered research progress. Here, we introduce sarcApp, an image analysis tool that quantifies several components of the cardiac sarcomere and their alignment in muscle cells and tissue. We first developed sarcApp to utilize deep learning- based segmentation and real space quantification to measure -actinin-2 structures and determine the organization of both precursors and sarcomeres/myofibrils. We then expanded sarcApp to analyze M-Lines using the localization of myomesin and a protein that connects the Z-Lines to the M-Line (titin). sarcApp produces 33 distinct measurements per cell and 24 per myofibril that allow for precise quantification of changes in sarcomeres, myofibrils, and their precursors. We validated this system with perturbations to sarcomere assembly. Surprisingly, we found perturbations that affected Z-Lines and M-Lines differently, suggesting that they may be regulated independently during sarcomere assembly.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.11.523681v2" target="_blank">Independent regulation of Z-lines and M-lines during sarcomere assembly in cardiac myocytes revealed by the automatic image analysis software sarcApp</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Estimating the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination against COVID-19 hospitalisation and death: a cohort study based on the 2021 Census, England.</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objective: To estimate the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination against hospitalisation for COVID-19 and death involving COVID-19 in England using linked population level data sources including the 2021 Census. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: England, 21 March 2021 to 20 March 2022. Participants: Individuals alive and aged 16+ on 21 March 2021, resident in England, enumerated in the 2021 Census as a usual resident, and able to link to an NHS number. A sample of 583,840 individuals was used for the analysis. Exposures: COVID-19 vaccination: first dose, second dose and third dose/first booster dose, with categories for time since each dose. Main outcome measures: Hospitalisation for COVID-19 or death involving COVID-19. An adjusted Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the hazard ratio for the outcomes for vaccinated participants for different doses and time since dose compared to unvaccinated individuals. Vaccine effectiveness was estimated as (1 minus hazard ratio)x 100%. A control outcome of non-COVID-19 death was also assessed. Results: Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation for COVID-19 was 52.1% (95% confidence interval 51.3% to 52.8%) for a first dose, 55.6% (55.2% to 56.1%) for a second dose and 77.6% (77.3% to 78.0%) for a third dose, with a decrease in vaccine effectiveness 3+ months after the third dose. Vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 mortality was 58.7% (52.7% to 63.9%) for a first dose, 88.5% (87.5% to 89.5%) for a second dose and 93.2% (92.9% to 93.5%) for a third dose, with evidence of waning 3+ months after the second and third doses. For the second dose, which is the most comparable across the different time-periods, vaccine effectiveness was higher against COVID-19 hospitalisation but slightly lower against COVID-19 mortality in the Omicron dominant period than the period before the Omicron variant became dominant. Vaccine effectiveness against both COVID-19 hospitalisation and mortality was higher in general for mRNA vaccines than non mRNA vaccines, however this could be influenced by the different populations given each vaccine vector. Non-zero VE against non-COVID-19 mortality indicates that residual confounding may impact the results, despite the inclusion of up-to-date socio-demographic adjustments and various sources of health data, with possible frailty bias, confounding by indication and a healthy vaccinee effect observed. Conclusions: The vaccine effectiveness estimates show increased protection with number of doses and a high level of protection against both COVID-19 hospitalisation and mortality for the third/booster dose, as would be expected from previous research. However, despite the various sources of health data used to adjust the models, the estimates for different breakdowns and for non-COVID-19 mortality expose residual confounding by health status, which should be considered when interpreting estimates of vaccine effectiveness.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.06.23290982v1" target="_blank">Estimating the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination against COVID-19 hospitalisation and death: a cohort study based on the 2021 Census, England.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Impact of CoronaVac on Covid-19 outcomes of elderly adults in a large and socially unequal Brazilian city: A target trial emulation study</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: Although CoronaVac was the only Covid-19 vaccine adopted in the first months of the Brazilian vaccination campaign, randomized clinical trials to evaluate its efficacy in elderly adults were limited. In this study, we use routinely collected surveillance and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and testing data comprising the population of the fifth largest city of Brazil to evaluate the effectiveness of CoronaVac in adults 60+ years old against severe outcomes. Methods: Using large observational databases on vaccination and surveillance data from the city of Fortaleza, Brazil, we defined a retrospective cohort including 324,302 eligible adults aged ≥ 60 years to evaluate the effectiveness of the CoronaVac vaccine. The cohort included individuals vaccinated between January 21, 2021, and August 31, 2021, who were matched with unvaccinated persons at the time of rollout following a 1:1 ratio according to baseline covariates of age, sex, and Human Development Index of the neighborhood of residence. Only Covid-19-related severe outcomes were included in the analysis: hospitalization, ICU admission, and death. Vaccine effectiveness for each outcome was calculated by using the risk ratio between the two groups, with the risk obtained by the Kaplan-Meier estimator. Results: We obtained 62,643 matched pairs for assessing the effectiveness of the two-dose regimen of CoronaVac. The demographic profile of the matched population was statistically representative of the population of Fortaleza. Using the cumulative incidence as the risk associated with each group, starting at day 14 since the receipt of the second dose, we found an 82.3% (95% CI 66.3 - 93.9) effectiveness against Covid-19-related death, 68.4% (95% CI 42.3 - 86.4) against ICU admission, and 55.8% (95% CI 42.7 - 68.3) against hospital admission. Conclusions: Our results show that, despite critical delays in vaccine delivery and limited evidence in efficacy trial estimates, CoronaVac contributed to preventing deaths and severe morbidity due to Covid-19 in elderly adults.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.06.23291015v1" target="_blank">Impact of CoronaVac on Covid-19 outcomes of elderly adults in a large and socially unequal Brazilian city: A target trial emulation study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Upper limb functional recovery in chronic stroke patients after COVID-19-interrupted rehabilitation: An observational study</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: Upper limb function of chronic stroke patients declined when outpatient rehabilitation was interrupted, and outings restricted, due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. In this study, we investigated whether these patients recovered upper limb function after resumption of outpatient rehabilitation. Methods: In this observational study, 43 chronic stroke hemiplegic patients with impaired upper extremity function were scored for limb function via Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity (FMA-UE), Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) after a structured interview, evaluation, and intervention. Scores at 6 months and 3 months before and 3 months after rehabilitation interruption were examined retrospectively, and scores immediately after resumption of care and at 3 and 6 months after resumption of care were examined prospectively. The amount of change for each time period and an analysis of covariance was performed with time as a factor and the change in FMA-UE and ARAT scores as dependent variables and by setting statistical significance at 5%. Results: Time of evaluation significantly impacted total, part C, and part D of FMA-UE as well as total, pinch, and gross movement of ARAT. Post-hoc tests showed that the magnitude of change in limb function scores from immediately after resumption of rehabilitation to 3 months after resumption was significantly higher than the change from 3 months before to immediately after interruption for total, and part D of FMA-UE, and grip, and gross movement of ARAT (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions: The results suggest that upper limb functional decline in chronic stroke patients, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic-related therapy interruption and outing restrictions, was resolved after approximately 3 months of resumption of rehabilitation therapy. Our data can serve as reference standards for planning and evaluating treatment for chronic stroke patients with impaired upper limb function due to inactivity.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.05.23290309v1" target="_blank">Upper limb functional recovery in chronic stroke patients after COVID-19-interrupted rehabilitation: An observational study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Metformin reduces SARS-CoV-2 in a Phase 3 Randomized Placebo Controlled Clinical Trial</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Current antiviral treatment options for SARS-CoV-2 infections are not available globally, cannot be used with many medications, and are limited to virus-specific targets.1-3 Biophysical modeling of SARS-CoV-2 replication predicted that protein translation is an especially attractive target for antiviral therapy.4 Literature review identified metformin, widely known as a treatment for diabetes, as a potential suppressor of protein translation via targeting of the host mTor pathway.5 In vitro, metformin has antiviral activity against RNA viruses including SARS-CoV-2.6,7 In the COVID-OUT phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of outpatient treatment of COVID-19, metformin had a 42% reduction in ER visits/hospitalizations/death through 14 days; a 58% reduction in hospitalizations/death through 28 days, and a 42% reduction in Long COVID through 10 months.8,9 Here we show viral load analysis of specimens collected in the COVID-OUT trial that the mean SARS-CoV-2 viral load was reduced 3.6-fold with metformin relative to placebo (-0.56 log10 copies/mL; 95%CI, -1.05 to -0.06, p=0.027) while there was no virologic effect for ivermectin or fluvoxamine vs placebo. The metformin effect was consistent across subgroups and with emerging data.10,11 Our results demonstrate, consistent with model predictions, that a safe, widely available,12 well-tolerated, and inexpensive oral medication, metformin, can be repurposed to significantly reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral load.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.06.23290989v1" target="_blank">Metformin reduces SARS-CoV-2 in a Phase 3 Randomized Placebo Controlled Clinical Trial</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>OpenSAFELY: The impact of COVID-19 on azathioprine, leflunomide, and methotrexate monitoring, and factors associated with change in monitoring rate.</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented pressure on healthcare services. This study aimed to investigate if disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) safety monitoring was affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A population-based cohort study was conducted with the approval of NHS England, using the OpenSAFELY platform to access electronic health record data from 24.2 million patients registered at general practices using TPP9s SystmOne software. Patients were included for further analysis if prescribed azathioprine, leflunomide, or methotrexate between November 2019 and July 2022. Outcomes were assessed as monthly trends and variation between various sociodemographic and clinical groups for adherence with standard safety monitoring recommendations. Findings: An acute increase in the rate of missed monitoring occurred across the study population (+12.4 percentage points) when lockdown measures were implemented in March 2020. This increase was more pronounced for some patient groups (70-79 year-olds: +13.7 percentage points; females: +12.8 percentage points), regions (North West: +17.0 percentage points), medications (Leflunomide: +20.7 percentage points), and monitoring tests (Blood Pressure: +24.5 percentage points). Missed monitoring rates decreased substantially for all groups by July 2022. Substantial and consistent differences were observed in overall missed monitoring rates between several groups throughout the study. Interpretation: DMARD monitoring rates temporarily deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Deterioration coincided with the onset of lockdown measures, with monitoring rates recovering rapidly as lockdown measures were eased. Differences observed in monitoring rates between medications, tests, regions, and patient groups, highlight opportunities to tackle potential inequalities in the provision or uptake of monitoring services. Further research should aim to evaluate the causes of the differences identified between groups. Funding: None. Keywords COVID-19, electronic health records, general practice, primary health care, antirheumatic agents, methotrexate, azathioprine, leflunomide.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.06.23290826v1" target="_blank">OpenSAFELY: The impact of COVID-19 on azathioprine, leflunomide, and methotrexate monitoring, and factors associated with change in monitoring rate.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Social genomics, cognition, and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Introduction - Adverse psychosocial Adverse psychosocial exposure is associated with increased proinflammatory gene expression and reduced type-1 interferon gene expression, a profile known as the conserved transcriptional response to adversity (CTRA). Little is known about CTRA activity in the context of cognitive impairment, although chronic inflammatory activation has been posited as one mechanism contributing to late-life cognitive decline. Methods - We studied 171 community-dwelling older adults from the Wake Forest Alzheimers Disease Research Center who answered questions via a telephone questionnaire battery about their perceived stress, loneliness, well-being, and impact of COVID-19 on their life, and who provided a self-collected dried blood spot sample. Of those, 148 had adequate samples for mRNA analysis, and 143 were included in the final analysis, which including participants adjudicated as having normal cognition (NC, n = 91) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 52) were included in the analysis. Mixed effect linear models were used to quantify associations between psychosocial variables and CTRA gene expression. Results - In both NC and MCI groups, eudaimonic well-being (typically associated with a sense of purpose) was inversely associated with CTRA gene expression whereas hedonic well-being (typically associated with pleasure seeking) was positively associated. In participants with NC, coping through social support was associated with lower CTRA gene expression, whereas coping by distraction and reframing was associated with higher CTRA gene expression. CTRA gene expression was not related to coping strategies for participants with MCI, or to either loneliness or perceived stress in either group. Discussion - Eudaimonic and hedonic well-being remain important correlates of molecular markers of stress, even in people with MCI. However, prodromal cognitive decline appears to moderate the significance of coping strategies as a correlate of CTRA gene expression. These results suggest that MCI can selectively alter biobehavioral interactions in ways that could potentially affect the rate of future cognitive decline and may serve as targets for future intervention efforts.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.31.23290618v2" target="_blank">Social genomics, cognition, and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Data-driven recombination detection in viral genomes</strong> -
<div>
Recombination is a key molecular mechanism for the evolution and adaptation of viruses. The first recombinant SARS-CoV-2 genomes were recognized in 2021; as of today, more than seventy SARS-CoV-2 lineages are designated as recombinant. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, several methods for detecting recombination in SARS-CoV-2 have been proposed; however, none could faithfully reproduce manual analyses by experts in the field. We hereby present RecombinHunt, a novel, automated method for the identification of recombinant genomes purely based on a data-driven approach. RecombinHunt compares favorably with other state-of-the-art methods and recognizes recombinant SARS-CoV-2 genomes (or lineages) with one or two breakpoints with high accuracy, within reduced turn-around times and small discrepancies with respect to the expert manually-curated standard nomenclature. Strikingly, applied to the complete collection of viral sequences from the recent monkeypox epidemic, RecombinHunt identifies recombinant viral genomes in high concordance with manually curated analyses by experts, suggesting that our approach is robust and can be applied to any epidemic/pandemic virus. Although RecombinHunt does not substitute manual expert curation based on phylogenetic analysis, we believe that our method represents a breakthrough for the detection of recombinant viral lineages in pandemic/epidemic scenarios.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.05.543733v1" target="_blank">Data-driven recombination detection in viral genomes</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Atypical Chemokine Receptor 1 (Ackr1)-deficient Mice Resist Lethal SARS-CoV-2 Challenge</strong> -
<div>
High pro-inflammatory chemokine levels have been reported in blood and lung in patients with COVID-19. To investigate specific roles in pathogenesis, we studied the regulation of chemokine ligands and receptors in the lungs of 4-6-month-old wild type C57BL/6 mice infected with the MA10 mouse-adapted strain of SARS-CoV-2. We found that atypical chemokine receptor 1 (Ackr1, also known as Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines/DARC) was the most highly upregulated chemokine receptor in infected lung, where it localized to endothelial cells of veins and arterioles. In a screen of 7 leukocyte chemoattractant or chemoattractant receptor knockout mouse lines, Ackr1-/- mice were unique in having lower mortality after SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly in males. ACKR1 is a non-signaling chemokine receptor that in addition to endothelium is also expressed on erythrocytes and Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. It binds promiscuously to both inflammatory CC and CXC chemokines and has been reported to control chemokine availability which may influence the shape of chemotactic gradients and the ability of leukocytes to extravasate and produce immunopathology. Of note, erythrocyte ACKR1 deficiency is fixed in sub-Saharan African populations where COVID-19 has been reported to result in low mortality compared to worldwide data. Our data suggest the possibility of a causal contribution of ACKR1 deficiency to low sub-Saharan COVID-19 mortality and identify ACKR1 as a possible drug target in the disease.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.05.543759v1" target="_blank">Atypical Chemokine Receptor 1 (Ackr1)-deficient Mice Resist Lethal SARS-CoV-2 Challenge</a>
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<li><strong>Widespread impact of immunoglobulin V gene allelic polymorphisms on antibody reactivity</strong> -
<div>
The ability of human immune system to generate antibodies to any given antigen can be strongly influenced by immunoglobulin V gene (IGV) allelic polymorphisms. However, previous studies have provided only a limited number of examples. Therefore, the prevalence of this phenomenon has been unclear. By analyzing &gt;1,000 publicly available antibody-antigen structures, we show that many IGV allelic polymorphisms in antibody paratopes are determinants for antibody binding activity. Biolayer interferometry experiment further demonstrates that paratope allelic mutations on both heavy and light chain often abolish antibody binding. We also illustrate the importance of minor IGV allelic variants with low frequency in several broadly neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus. Overall, this study not only highlights the pervasive impact of IGV allelic polymorphisms on antibody binding, but also provides mechanistic insights into the variability of antibody repertoires across individuals, which in turn have important implications for vaccine development and antibody discovery.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.06.543969v1" target="_blank">Widespread impact of immunoglobulin V gene allelic polymorphisms on antibody reactivity</a>
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<li><strong>Early acquisition of S-specific Tfh clonotypes after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is associated with the longevity of anti-S antibodies</strong> -
<div>
SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been used worldwide to combat COVID-19 pandemic. To elucidate the factors that determine the longevity of spike (S)-specific antibodies, we traced the characteristics of S-specific T cell clonotypes together with their epitopes and anti-S antibody titers before and after BNT162b2 vaccination over time. T cell receptor (TCR) {beta} sequences and mRNA expression of the S-responded T cells were investigated using single-cell TCR- and RNA-sequencing. Highly expanded 199 TCR clonotypes upon stimulation with S peptide pools were reconstituted into a reporter T cell line for the determination of epitopes and restricting HLAs. Among them, we could determine 78 S epitopes, most of which were conserved in variants of concern (VOCs). In donors exhibiting sustained anti-S antibody titers (designated as "sustainers"), S-reactive T cell clonotypes detected immediately after 2nd vaccination polarized to follicular helper T (Tfh) cells, which was less obvious in "decliners". Even before vaccination, S-reactive CD4+ T cell clonotypes did exist, most of which cross-reacted with environmental or symbiotic bacteria. However, these clonotypes contracted after vaccination. Conversely, S-reactive clonotypes dominated after vaccination were undetectable in pre-vaccinated T cell pool, suggesting that highly-responding S-reactive T cells were established by vaccination from rare clonotypes. These results suggest that de novo acquisition of memory Tfh cells upon vaccination contributes to the longevity of anti-S antibody titers.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.06.543529v1" target="_blank">Early acquisition of S-specific Tfh clonotypes after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is associated with the longevity of anti-S antibodies</a>
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<li><strong>A Global Experiment on Motivating Social Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong> -
<div>
Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e. a controlling message) compared to no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly-internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared to the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly-internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing: Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/n3dyf/" target="_blank">A Global Experiment on Motivating Social Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic</a>
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<li><strong>A global test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion regulation strategy which modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries/regions (N = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vs. both control conditions) had consistent effects in reducing negative emotions and increasing positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world to build resilience during the pandemic and beyond.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/m4gpq/" target="_blank">A global test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic</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>Extracorporeal Photopheresis as a Possible Therapeutic Approach to Adults With Severe and Critical COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Procedure: Extracorporeal photopheresis<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Del-Pest Central Hospital - National Institute of Hematology and Infectious Diseases<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>A Clinical Trial on Booster Immunization of Two COVID-19 Vaccines Constructed From Different Technical Routes</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Prototype and Omicron BA.4/5 Bivalent Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine(Adenovirus Type 5 Vector) For Inhalation;   Biological: Bivalent COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine;   Biological: Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (Adenovirus Type 5 Vector) For Inhalation<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Zhongnan Hospital;   Institute of Biotechnology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, PLA of China<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 COVID19 Vaccine on the Market</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: Recombinant new coronavirus vaccine (CHO cell)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biologic Pharmacy Co., Ltd.;   Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention;   Guizhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention;   Hainan Center for Disease Control &amp; Prevention<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>ACTIV-6: COVID-19 Study of Repurposed Medications - Arm B (Fluvoxamine)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Fluvoxamine;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Susanna Naggie, MD;   National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS);   Vanderbilt University Medical Center<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>Evaluation of Home Use COVID-19 Frequent Antigen Testing and Data Reporting</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Diagnostic Test: SARS CoV-2 antigen tests<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   IDX20 Inc;   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>Mitoquinone/Mitoquinol Mesylate as Oral and Safe Postexposure Prophylaxis for Covid-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   SARS-CoV Infection;   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Mitoquinone/mitoquinol mesylate;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center<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>Pycnogenol® in Post-COVID-19 Condition</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post COVID-19 Condition;   Long COVID<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Pycnogenol®;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Zurich<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 Bailing Capsule on Pulmonary Fibrosis After COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Pulmonary Fibrosis;   COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Bailing capsule<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang 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>Evaluating Emetine for Viral Outbreaks (EVOLVE)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Emetine Hydrochloride;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Johns Hopkins University;   Nepal Health Research Council;   Bharatpur Hospital Chitwan;   Stony Brook University;   Rutgers 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>Phase 3 Study of Novavax Vaccine(s) as Booster Dose After mRNA Vaccines</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: NVX-CoV2373;   Biological: SARS-CoV-2 rS antigen/Matrix-M Adjuvant<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Novavax<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>A Study to Learn About How Loss of Liver Function Affects the Blood Levels of the Study Medicine Called PF-07817883.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: PF-07817883<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Pfizer<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>Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibodies for Long COVID (COVID-19)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Long COVID;   Post-Acute Sequela of COVID-19;   Post-Acute COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: AER002;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Michael Peluso, MD;   Aerium Therapeutics<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>Study to Assess Safety, Reactogenicity and Immunogenicity of the repRNA(QTP104) Vaccine Against SARS-CoV-2(COVID-19)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: QTP104 1ug;   Biological: QTP104 5ug;   Biological: QTP104 25ug<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Quratis Inc.<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>Effects of Individual Tailored Physical Exercise in Patients With POTS After COVID-19 - a Randomized Controlled Study</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome;   COVID-19;   Post COVID-19 Condition;   Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Individual tailored exercise<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Karolinska Institutet;   Karolinska University Hospital<br/><b>Enrolling by invitation</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>Modifying Adiposity Through Behavioral Strategies to Improve COVID-19 Rehabilitation</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post-COVID Conditions;   Obesity<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: 12-weeks of Weight Loss;   Behavioral: 12-weeks of Weight Stability<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   VA Office of Research and Development;   South Texas Veterans Health Care System;   Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center<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>SARS-CoV-2 infection impairs NK cell functions <em>via</em> activation of the LLT1-CD161 axis</strong> - CONCLUSION: We propose a novel mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 inhibition of NK cell functions via activation of the LLT1-CD161 axis.</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>DPP-4 inhibitors for treating T2DM - hype or hope? an analysis based on the current literature</strong> - DPP-4 inhibition is an interesting line of therapy for treating Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and is based on promoting the incretin effect. Here, the authors have presented a brief appraisal of DPP-4 inhibitors, their modes of action, and the clinical efficiency of currently available drugs based on DPP-4 inhibitors. The safety profiles as well as future directions including their potential application in improving COVID-19 patient outcomes have also been discussed in detail. This review also…</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>Failure of TRPC6 inhibition to prevent COVID-19 deterioration: more questions than answers</strong> - No abstract</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 CH24H metabolite, 24HC, blocks viral entry by disrupting intracellular cholesterol homeostasis</strong> - Cholesterol-24-hydroxylase (CH24H or Cyp46a1) is a reticulum-associated membrane protein that plays an irreplaceable role in cholesterol metabolism in the brain and has been well-studied in several neuro-associated diseases in recent years. In the present study, we found that CH24H expression can be induced by several neuroinvasive viruses, including vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), rabies virus (RABV), Semliki Forest virus (SFV) and murine hepatitis virus (MHV). The CH24H metabolite,…</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>Novel Fluorescent Benzothiazolyl-Coumarin Hybrids as Anti-SARS-COVID-2 Agents Supported by Molecular Docking Studies: Design, Synthesis, X-ray Crystal Structures, DFT, and TD-DFT/PCM Calculations</strong> - This study revealed the design and preparation of new 3-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-2H-chromen-2-one derivatives 9a-h. The structures of the synthesized products were elucidated by their spectroscopic data and X-ray crystallography for compounds 9a and 9d. The prepared new compounds were measured for their fluorescence, and a good result indicated that the emission efficiency was decreased by increasing the electron-withdrawing groups from the unsubstituted compound 9a to the highly substituted…</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 dual nature of constraints on foreign worker participation in sports and physical activity in South Korea during COVID-19</strong> - This study provides a different understanding of the constraints imposed by the pandemic and the official and unofficial restrictions that accompanied it. It is an empirical effort demonstrating that the pandemic’s effects are not purely negative, but rather, also helped to produce positive and productive practices that draw upon both the inhibiting and enabling features of the constraints it triggered. Engaging with “productive power” in Foucault by considering constraints as practices that…</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>Swine acute diarrhoea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV) Nsp5 antagonizes type I interferon signaling by cleaving DCP1A</strong> - Swine acute diarrhoea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV), which is a recently discovered enteric coronavirus, is the major aetiological agent that causes severe clinical diarrhoea and intestinal pathological damage in pigs, and it has caused significant economic losses to the swine industry. Nonstructural protein 5, also called 3C-like protease, cleaves viral polypeptides and host immune-related molecules to facilitate viral replication and immune evasion. Here, we demonstrated that SADS-CoV nsp5…</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 and safety of single-dose ivermectin in mild-to-moderate COVID-19: the double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled CORVETTE-01 trial</strong> - CONCLUSION: In patients with COVID-19, single-dose ivermectin was ineffective in decreasing the time to a negative RT-PCR test.</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>An efficient computational protocol for template-based design of peptides that inhibit interactions involving SARS-CoV-2 proteins</strong> - The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) complex of SARS-CoV-2 lies at the core of its replication and transcription processes. The interfaces between holo-RdRp subunits are highly conserved, facilitating the design of inhibitors with high affinity for the interaction interface hotspots. We, therefore, take this as a model protein complex for the application of a structural bioinformatics protocol to design peptides that inhibit RdRp complexation by preferential binding at the interface of its…</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>Ebselen derivatives inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication by inhibition of its essential proteins: PL<sup>pro</sup> and M<sup>pro</sup> proteases, and nsp14 guanine N7-methyltransferase</strong> - Proteases encoded by SARS-CoV-2 constitute a promising target for new therapies against COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^(pro), 3CL^(pro)) and papain-like protease (PL^(pro)) are responsible for viral polyprotein cleavage-a process crucial for viral survival and replication. Recently it was shown that 2-phenylbenzisoselenazol-3(2H)-one (ebselen), an organoselenium anti-inflammatory small-molecule drug, is a potent, covalent inhibitor of both the proteases and its potency was evaluated 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>One Week of Oral Camostat Versus Placebo in Non-Hospitalized Adults with Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19: A Randomized Controlled Phase 2 Trial</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: In a phase 2 study of non-hospitalized adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, oral camostat did not accelerate viral clearance nor time to symptom improvement, nor reduce hospitalizations or deaths. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04518410.).</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>A clinical pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction study between dextromethorphan and emvododstat, a potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitor</strong> - CONCLUSION: Emvododstat appears to be a strong CYP2D6 inhibitor. No drug-related treatment emergent adverse effects (TEAEs) were considered to be severe or serious.</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 PRMT5/WDR77 complex restricts hepatitis E virus replication</strong> - Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the main pathogenic agents of acute hepatitis in the world. The mechanism of HEV replication, especially host factors governing HEV replication is still not clear. Here, using HEV ORF1 trans-complementation cell culture system and HEV replicon system, combining with stable isotope labelling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) and mass spectrometry (MS), we aimed to identify the host factors regulating HEV replication. We identified a diversity of host…</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>Gasdermin D-mediated pyroptosis: mechanisms, diseases, and inhibitors</strong> - Gasdermin D (GSDMD)-mediated pyroptosis and downstream inflammation are important self-protection mechanisms against stimuli and infections. Hosts can defend against intracellular bacterial infections by inducing cell pyroptosis, which triggers the clearance of pathogens. However, pyroptosis is a double-edged sword. Numerous studies have revealed the relationship between abnormal GSDMD activation and various inflammatory diseases, including sepsis, coronavirus disease 2019 (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>Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity of Adamantanes In Vitro and in Animal Models of Infection</strong> - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had devastating effects worldwide, with particularly high morbidity and mortality in outbreaks on residential care facilities. Amantadine, originally licensed as an antiviral agent for therapy and prophylaxis against influenza A virus, has beneficial effects on patients with Parkinson’s disease and is used for treatment of Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, acquired brain injury, and various other neurological disorders. Recent observational data…</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>What if We’re Thinking About Inflation All Wrong?</strong> - Isabella Weber’s heterodox ideas about government price controls are transforming policy in the United States and across Europe. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/persons-of-interest/what-if-were-thinking-about-inflation-all-wrong">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What Does the Debt-Ceiling Agreement Say About the U.S. Political System?</strong> - The bipartisan deal showed that the government is still capable of avoiding a self-inflicted disaster, but a credit-ratings agency warns it is suffering from slow rot. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/what-does-the-debt-ceiling-agreement-say-about-the-us-political-system">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Irrational Exuberance of a Non-Catastrophe</strong> - The bipartisan debt deal was a win for both Biden and McCarthy, but it might not have been the breakthrough Washington was waiting for. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/the-irrational-exuberance-of-a-non-catastrophe">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What the Shakeup at CNN Says About the Future of Cable News</strong> - Will Chris Licht’s attempts to move the network toward the center outlast his own brief tenure as C.E.O.? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-communications/what-the-shakeup-at-cnn-says-about-the-future-of-cable-news">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Day That Wildfire Smoke Shrouded New York City</strong> - As the world warms and Canada burns, what once seemed unprecedented is becoming familiar. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-local-correspondents/trying-to-breathe-in-a-city-of-smoke">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>How $900,000 in direct cash giving was stolen from the poorest of the poor</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="People wait outdoors in a crowd. The central figure stands with their hands on their head." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/w2ywizfXBVIiAkqYyG7ewEK2eZc=/350x0:5149x3599/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72351193/GettyImages_156897555.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
A displaced Congolese listens with others for their names called out, on November 24, 2012, in Mugunga, during a food distribution exercise conducted by humanitarian agencies. | Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images
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</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Why openness about fraud — and a plan to fix it — is key to more effective philanthropy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iMjhjb">
GiveDirectly is a charity that we’ve <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/8/31/23329242/givedirectly-cash-transfers-rory-stewart">written about a lot</a> here at Future Perfect. Their project is, on the surface, incredibly simple: send cash straight to the poorest people in the world, so they can spend it on whatever they need. The big idea is that cash has far less overhead than other forms of philanthropy, can be used for almost anything, and respects the recipients, who know better than anyone else what they need.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wNUnMh">
GiveDirectly started only a decade ago, but it’s grown into a major force in international aid. Not only has it moved hundreds of millions of dollars in cash transfers to the global poor every year, but it has also funded large-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of cash transfers, growing the evidence about where they help and how they can (and can’t) change people’s lives.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MB7Eto">
This week, GiveDirectly is coming forward about another, less-discussed piece of the global aid picture: fraud and theft. In a <a href="https://www.givedirectly.org/drc-case-2023/">detailed report released earlier this week</a>, they explain how nearly a million dollars was stolen in 2022 from GiveDirectly aid recipients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZUO3jS">
That’s less than 1 percent of the money GiveDirectly moved last year, but it has had an enormous impact on the intended recipients in the DRC, where <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/drc/overview">more than half the population</a> lives on less than $2.15 a day, and has prompted some major organizational policy changes to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SeFuIi">
The report sheds some light on an issue that almost every aid organization faces — but that no one wants to talk about. The worry is that if you tell your donors about theft and fraud that occurs on your watch, your donors will give to other organizations that <em>don’t </em>talk openly about these issues. But they’re issues that every organization trying to transfer money or any other kind of aid at scale faces — and only by talking openly about theft can organizations design better procedures to prevent it.
</p>
<aside id="ZoAcwX">
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</aside>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ex7cnx">
“You end up in a situation where no one shares” the details of theft and fraud cases, Tyler Hall, the communications director for GiveDirectly, told me. “It’s bad for the recipient because if we’re not able to actively talk about this, how to safely deliver money in really difficult contexts, we’re not going to get better at doing this.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PKtmKP">
So let’s dig into fraud: how it happens, how it gets caught, and whether it undermines the case for helping the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.
</p>
<h3 id="DBkuKe">
One-off versus systematic aid theft
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Eqgdtd">
An “ordinary” case of attempted aid fraud, Hall told me, is a one-off, small-scale incident: “Usually we’re finding somebody got manipulated by a family member or a local money agent lied about what percentage they take off the top.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Mm1hs2">
That’s a problem GiveDirectly attempts to tackle, because if recipients are exploited, then they’re not benefiting from the aid. GiveDirectly does information campaigns about how much money agents are allowed to charge in fees, warning everyone not to pay more than what is permitted. They tell recipients they do not have to share their money with community leaders or aid workers or anyone else who might claim they are owed some. They estimate some money is still lost to theft and fraud, but it’s a very small percentage of the overall money successfully moved. (GiveDirectly estimates its annual loss from fraud — even including this event — at 1 percent or less.) In some ways, this is the cost of doing philanthropy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="32Jbqt">
What the GiveDirectly team discovered in January of this year, though, was something very different from that. To understand it, you have to know a little about how GiveDirectly verifies that the money it donates makes it to where it was meant to go.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qNQYWi">
The process, GiveDirectly wrote in a blog post released this Monday, involves “separate census, registration, pre-pay audit, post-pay audit, and follow-up call” steps. Different groups of people are responsible for getting a census of the village, registering recipients for payments, auditing those registrations, checking that those recipients got money, and following up with the recipients later. That way, if there’s a thief involved at any step, it’ll be quickly caught at the next step.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eey6Fl">
In most countries, the staff members who conduct registration of recipients help those recipients get an account with an independent money agent, but due to the ongoing war in the DRC, GiveDirectly waived that step, and allowed registration of recipients directly with GiveDirectly’s enrollment team.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vIwq0P">
“We now know,” GiveDirectly’s new blog post reveals, “that while enrolling villages in South Kivu, some staff conspired to register payment SIMs to the recipients’ names (per the special exception granted), pocket those registered SIMs, and put different SIMs in recipients’ phones. … Fraud checks are not just done by the enrollment team, but are further validated during visits from a completely separate internal audit team and follow-ups from our call-center, all of which are supported by our back office team. In this case, conspirators recruited local staff in every layer of this system in order to suppress evidence of the fraud, including complaints from families who had not received their promised funds. Further still, they conspired with third-party mobile money agents to transfer funds from these stolen SIMs.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6APavs">
GiveDirectly’s system of separated teams was meant to serve as a check against theft: if anyone did attempt theft, it’d be caught immediately by the audit team. But because the conspirators had arranged to work in all of those offices, they were able to get away with the fraud for about five months, before it was caught in January 2023. About $900,000 was lost, and 1,700 families in need were stolen from. GiveDirectly has paused operations in the DRC while they adjust their procedures.
</p>
<h3 id="COr2dC">
A path to fixing fraud
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jVMUVH">
Obviously, an incident like this is a tragedy on multiple levels. First, thousands of families in desperate poverty are going hungry because the money that was promised to them was stolen. (GiveDirectly is trying to ensure they eventually receive the promised funds.) Second, theft, as rare as it might be, undermines donors’ confidence. And it’s simply an extraordinary betrayal to learn that your own aid staff was signing recipients up for aid and then pocketing the money. I’m sad and angry that this happened.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KSqdKp">
I’m also deeply grateful that GiveDirectly is being so open about it. (They actually reached out to ask if I’d be willing to write about this for a larger audience.) People sometimes shoplift from stores, but no one thinks that undermines the case for having stores.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2gOBoB">
Addressing theft is a crucial priority for doing cash transfers — without good procedures, theft would certainly be more widespread — but a single instance of theft doesn’t, to my mind, change the importance of getting aid to the people who need it most. And by describing exactly how the aid was stolen, GiveDirectly has risked its own reputation to help every other nonprofit out there that might have similar vulnerabilities, and make it easier for everyone to design procedures that even organized thieves can’t beat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WwL7ot">
Part of getting charity right is admitting when you got it wrong. It’s only with accountability and transparency that we can build systems that truly work to help the people who need it most. And so, while I’m appalled that this happened, I’m happy that we’re able to report on it. I think that’s the first step toward a world where it doesn’t<em> </em>keep happening, and where it’s possible to move huge sums of money in a transparent way.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HQzkwx">
<em>A version of this story was initially published in the Future Perfect newsletter. </em><a href="https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/A2BA26698741513A"><em><strong>Sign up here to subscribe!</strong></em></a>
</p></li>
<li><strong>Now might be a good time to consider quitting crypto</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A phone screen displaying a site that reads, “Jump start your crypto portfolio.”" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gNtQMJudH10Q4xqUVbuJOUjJ3X8=/445x0:4000x2666/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72351120/1258513251.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
The Securities and Exchange Commission unveiled a slew of charges this week against two large, popular cryptocurrency exchanges, Coinbase and Binance. | Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
What the SEC’s lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase mean for the future of cryptocurrencies — and for you.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="28E6Kz">
For a long time, the crypto industry has been a Wild West with few regulations and laws governing it — a fact that many crypto enthusiasts saw as a feature, not a bug.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LQMA0j">
Unlike registered securities — as in, <a href="https://www.vox.com/stock-market">stocks</a> — cryptocurrencies and crypto exchanges didn’t have to disclose much of anything to customers, and the list of <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-largest-crypto-hacks-and-scandals-of-2022-and-how-they-happened-11672417318">lies and frauds rocking the industry</a> has continued to pile up. That freewheeling era now appears to be coming to an end.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zHcoNt">
This week, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a federal agency that regulates securities and protects investors, filed lawsuits against <a href="https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/2023/comp-pr2023-101.pdf">Binance</a> and <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2023-102">Coinbase</a>, two of the world’s biggest crypto exchanges, on which investors buy and trade a large offering of cryptocurrencies. The SEC’s main allegation against Coinbase is that it’s running an unregistered securities exchange — like if the Nasdaq independently operated without any regulatory oversight. Binance faces the same charge, as well as additional accusations that it appropriated billions of dollars in customers’ funds for its CEO’s trading firm, misled its customers, lied to regulators, and more. Binance has about 90 million users, according to <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/exchanges/binance/">CoinMarketCap</a>, while Coinbase reported that it had <a href="https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1679788/000167978823000031/coin-20221231.htm">110 million verified users</a> as of 2022.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KxlQj9">
That the agency is going after such behemoths — after bringing cases against the most egregious bad actors, such as <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23458837/sam-bankman-fried-ftx-sbf-downfall-explained">Sam Bankman-Fried</a>, as well as celebrity crypto endorsers like Kim Kardashian (who paid a <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/10/3/23384955/kim-kardashian-crypto-ethereum-max-emax-sec">$1.26 million fine</a>), <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2023-59">Lindsay Lohan</a>, and Jake Paul — sends a clear message. It’s no longer calling out a few rotten apples; it’s saying the whole enterprise needs to be scrutinized under a regulatory lens. (Disclosure: This August, Bankman-Fried’s philanthropic family foundation, Building a Stronger Future, awarded Vox’s Future Perfect a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/1/7/21020439/support-future-perfect">grant</a> for a 2023 reporting project. That project is now on pause.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tMHD3R">
At their core, the SEC’s lawsuits against the two companies are the most decisive actions to date in the prolonged battle to settle what cryptocurrencies and crypto exchanges even are. Are they being used as digital money, or is crypto — whether it’s ethereum, tether, or cardano — like a share of a company where investors are speculating on making a profit as “share” prices go up?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6tN6GP">
The latest legal action represents an existential threat to the entire industry. So, whether you have $20 or $200,000 in assets on a crypto exchange, should you be worried?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D2ni0t">
“It’s a very scary situation for any customer,” says John Reed Stark, a former SEC enforcement attorney. “I think anyone who has crypto on any exchange should take it off of that exchange immediately. Period, end of story.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1yfznc">
In a lengthy statement, Binance <a href="https://www.binance.com/en/blog/ecosystem/sec-complaint-aims-to-unilaterally-define-crypto-market-structure-8707489117122437402">denied the SEC’s allegations</a> and claimed that its litigation would “undermine America’s role as a global hub for financial innovation and leadership.” Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong <a href="https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1666129111025324035">tweeted</a> similarly that the approach of regulating crypto through enforcement was “harming America.” In a statement to <a href="https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/6/7/23752748/coinbase-binance-sec-lawsuit-crypto">Vox’s Sara Morrison</a>, Coinbase’s chief legal officer and general counsel Paul Grewal bemoaned what he called the SEC’s “enforcement-only approach” and called for clarity in the agency’s rules.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qG8Jgs">
In Stark’s view, chances are good that the SEC will prevail. “The SEC has brought <a href="https://www.sec.gov/spotlight/cybersecurity-enforcement-actions">close to 150 cases</a> in the area of crypto,” says Stark. While many of those cases are still pending, the SEC’s track record so far has been extremely strong. If the latest lawsuits stand in court, the exchanges will have to become compliant under the SEC’s regulatory rules — and if not, they could shut down in the US. It’s possible that Binance and Coinbase (and other exchanges) could cease operations, but that doesn’t necessarily mean customers would be unable to get their money out.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="k6tOIX">
There would likely be an orderly wind-down of operations, according to crypto researcher and critic Molly White, who writes about the scandals and scams within the <a href="https://www.vox.com/crypto">cryptocurrency</a> industry on her site <a href="https://web3isgoinggreat.com/">Web3 Is Going Just Great</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4cVk0n">
Below, we’ve provided the answers to a few more questions you might have about the current crypto turmoil, including what it means for you.
</p>
<h3 id="nb4FwV">
What is the SEC upset about?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OAgfvq">
There are clear reasons for individual crypto investors to be concerned: The SEC has asked for an <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/06/sec-asks-for-emergency-order-to-freeze-binance-us-assets-anywhere-in-the-world.html">emergency order from the court</a> to freeze Binance US’s assets. According to Stark, this move suggests that the SEC has strong evidence of wrongdoing and believes it will win its case. It also shows that the agency believes investor funds might be at risk. There’s a precedent for this fear: As you may remember, another crypto exchange, FTX, found it difficult to return customers’ money because, as <a href="https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/ftx-says-8-9-billion-in-customer-funds-are-missing-c232f684">bankruptcy proceedings have revealed</a>, the firm’s financial records are such a jumbled mess that it’s hard to account for what’s missing and what has possibly been stolen.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hZq9cS">
The SEC’s take on crypto exchanges is clear: They are flouting the law as unregistered stock exchanges. Even Binance executives knew it, the <a href="https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/2023/comp-pr2023-101.pdf">SEC’s complaint</a> argues: Binance’s former chief compliance officer admitted once that the company was “operating as a fking unlicensed securities exchange in the USA bro.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fuvtCX">
The complaint against US-based Coinbase, which came a day after the lawsuit against Binance, alleges that it’s an unregistered securities exchange that’s putting customers at risk without proper SEC-required disclosures and protections — a charge that would apply to any crypto exchange. The case against Binance, which operates internationally but has a separate US arm, goes deeper, laying out alleged deceptions. The 13 charges filed against the exchange and its CEO, Changpeng Zhao, include allegations that it misused and commingled its customers’ funds — accusations not dissimilar to those <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2022-219">made against FTX and its former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried</a> (who is also <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23458837/sam-bankman-fried-ftx-sbf-downfall-explained">facing criminal charges</a>).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X6p2tm">
The agency is also accusing a separate trading firm owned by Zhao of artificially inflating the volume of crypto being traded on Binance US, an illegal market manipulation tactic called wash trading. SEC chair Gary Gensler said in a <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2023-101">press release</a> that Zhao and his company had “engaged in an extensive web of deception, conflicts of interest, lack of disclosure, and calculated evasion of the law.” The SEC’s charges against Binance follow a <a href="https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8680-23">Commodities Futures Trading Commission lawsuit</a> filed earlier this year.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/t6ntsMR4QJgE1tJLdbepuZsTuwQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24709957/1424028312.jpg"/> <cite>Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler, pictured testifying before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee in 2022, has made clear his intention to bring crypto under the agency’s regulatory control, insisting the tokens are securities.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h3 id="uKGW6G">
Why is the crackdown happening now?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="INdzMa">
Crypto exchanges have been around for a while. So, why now? “It’s kind of a strategic time for the SEC to take these actions, with the recent-ish downfall of FTX, and Celsius and Voyager — these very high-profile collapses,” says White. Coinbase received a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/coinbase-issued-wells-notice-by-sec-2023-03-22/">notice from the SEC in March</a> that all but declared the agency’s intention to sue.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="p4b5D4">
A lot of the crypto hype also has died down, particularly after the high-octane explosion of FTX last fall, which helped cement public wariness around the lack of transparency and risk management on exchanges. The SEC also recently received firm <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/09/us/politics/crypto-regulation-biden.html">backing from the Biden administration</a>, which has signaled its intention to work with agencies on regulating crypto.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="p7t5Su">
“I also think that the SEC are getting to a stage where they really need to take some major action that would support the things that they’ve been saying more broadly about the crypto industry,” White continued. Gensler has been making clear that he believes that most cryptocurrencies are securities since his appointment in 2021. In addition to its high-profile lawsuits, the SEC has been beefing up its <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2022-78">crypto enforcement unit</a> and its budget; in fiscal year 2021, the agency requested a <a href="https://www.sec.gov/files/secfy21congbudgjust.pdf">$1.9 billion budget</a> from Congress. For fiscal year 2024, it’s asking for <a href="https://www.sec.gov/files/fy-2024-congressional-budget-justification_final-3-10.pdf">$2.4 billion</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="GhjlG7">
What does this mean for people who have money in these exchanges?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Lh075P">
As Bloomberg columnist Matt Levine quipped in <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-06-06/the-sec-comes-for-crypto">Tuesday’s column</a>, “If you are trading crypto, you simply cannot be too squeamish about strict adherence to US securities law.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B6IRuC">
Given the SEC’s signaled intent to aggressively get crypto in line and under its authority, it’s reasonable that investors with a great deal of money in crypto exchanges are spooked. The agency’s complaints call out more than a dozen specific cryptocurrencies that it claims are being sold and offered as securities on Binance and Coinbase, including a popular token called Solana.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2G2s5d">
Some anxiety is apparent: The share price of Coinbase, a publicly traded company listed on the Nasdaq, initially fell by almost <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/COIN/chart?p=COIN#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">20 percent</a> according to Yahoo Finance, though it has since rallied. On June 6, the day after the SEC announced its lawsuit against Binance and the day it announced its separate lawsuit against Coinbase, more than <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2023/06/06/binance-lawsuit-triggers-700m-in-withdrawals-metaverse-tokens-named-by-sec-lead-decline/">$700 million </a>was withdrawn from Binance and about <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2023/06/06/coinbase-traders-withdraw-600m-in-a-day-amid-sec-lawsuits/">$600 million</a> was withdrawn from Coinbase, according to cryptocurrency news site CoinDesk, which <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/24/media/coindesk-scoop-ftx-reliable-sources/index.html">broke the story</a> that culminated in FTX’s downfall.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Db2Wck">
The situation right now doesn’t yet compare to the panic last winter, when investors withdrew as much as <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/14/investing/binance-withdrawals-crypto-intl-hnk/index.html">$3 billion</a> from Binance over a 24-hour period in the aftermath of Bankman-Fried’s arrest. (Binance CEO Zhao was the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/technology/ftx-binance-crypto-explained.html">catalyst for a massive withdrawal of funds</a> from Bankman-Fried’s exchange, FTX, eventually leading to the exchange’s implosion and bankruptcy.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CAhaYh">
Stark says the comparatively muted response among investors is both surprising and not. When it comes to any kind of investing, the sound financial advice is to be careful of risk and do your due diligence. Yet “due diligence” is almost impossible with crypto, precisely because it’s unregulated. At the same time, crypto enthusiasts tend to be a group that distrusts government regulation; a common narrative among the crypto crowd is that decentralized, alternative digital currencies are actually safer than the US dollar because power and authority aren’t concentrated in just a few institutions.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Bvcf5r">
White says that whether someone should take their money out depends on whether they believe there’s going to be a bank run that collapses the entire exchange, a la FTX. But FTX collapsed because it didn’t have enough cash on hand for the billions in withdrawals that investors suddenly were trying to make — it was in <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/26/investing/ftx-creditors-wall-street/index.html">significant debt</a>, didn’t have enough money in reserves, and Bankman-Fried allegedly had been freely using customers’ funds at his personal trading firm.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X8x5ck">
Binance, for its part, has said that all of its assets are fully backed; during last December’s onslaught, in which $1.9 billion in funds were withdrawn, a company spokesperson said that it had <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/binance-sees-withdrawals-19-billion-last-24-hours-data-firm-nansen-says-2022-12-13/">“more than enough funds”</a> to process withdrawals. As a public company, Coinbase reports audited quarterly financial statements showing how much money they have in reserves. “I feel like if there was a major risk of a quote-unquote bank run happening, we sort of would have seen it by now,” White says.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2LugOJ">
White notes that there’s always a risk with unregulated crypto exchanges that aren’t required to disclose much of anything and aren’t required to have risk management controls in place. That is, after all, the thrust of why the SEC is going after them.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TYBBAq">
“I think a lot of people within and outside of the cryptocurrency industry will argue that keeping cryptocurrency assets on exchanges is not necessarily the best idea to begin with,” White says. The general advice is to keep your crypto in an <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/hot-wallet-vs-cold-wallet">offline storage device</a> that you have direct access to. But for avid crypto traders, the point is to buy and sell quickly — to trade, not just leave crypto in an offline “wallet.” And the risk and lack of transparency in crypto exchanges is probably no surprise to them, either. “I think that anyone who is shocked by [what Binance is being accused of] probably hasn’t been paying that much attention,” White says.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0pJmzC">
But plenty of lay investors have money in Coinbase and other exchanges, too, and the reality is that Coinbase and every other crypto exchange all lack investor protections — there are no audits or inspections from the SEC, no insurance, and no licensure requirements of people involved in crypto, says Stark.
</p>
<h3 id="k2ezii">
What’s going to happen to cryptocurrency now?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AcuVhl">
The outcome of the SEC’s complaints could take years to litigate, according to Ciamac Moallemi, a business professor at Columbia University. “I think one data point is to look at the accusations against Ripple,” he says. The SEC <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2020-338">filed a complaint</a> accusing the digital payment network of selling unregistered securities back in December 2020. That case is still pending.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pSjkk8">
“Assuming that these complaints stand up in court, I don’t think that there’s a scenario in which Coinbase or Binance — particularly Binance — become compliant,” White says. “The business model of cryptocurrency in general and cryptocurrency platforms really relies on not abiding by the regulations that are in place.” Their business model is “regulatory arbitrage”: using loopholes or structuring their companies in countries with friendly crypto regulations. FTX, for example, was <a href="https://time.com/6266711/ftx-bahamas-crypto">headquartered in the Bahamas</a>. One possible scenario here is that the lawsuits could culminate in Binance ceasing operations in the US, and Coinbase shutting down entirely.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ij8hWh">
Perhaps what should worry crypto traders most of all is just how <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/11/crypto-peaked-in-nov-2021-investors-lost-more-than-2-trillion-since.html">much of the crypto and Web3 hype has died down</a>, a potential sign that the boom days are over. The <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/learn/what-are-crypto-whales-and-why-are-they-important/">crypto whales have made their billions</a> and are off to the next big thing, while the average crypto trader is left holding the bag. In November 2021, the crypto industry’s market cap reached <a href="https://fortune.com/2021/11/09/cryptocurrency-market-cap-3-trillion-bitcion-ether-shiba-inu/">$3 trillion</a>. Its market cap is now around $1.1 trillion, according to <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/">CoinMarketCap</a>. “Every private equity firm is moving on — obviously to the area of <a href="https://www.vox.com/2023/4/28/23702644/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-technology">artificial intelligence</a>,” says Stark. “And they’re not coming back.”
</p></li>
<li><strong>Why is eastern Canada on fire — and when will the smoke clear?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A smoky haze casts an orange glow on uplit fountains in the foreground and a bridge in the distance." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/onmbjVPGMnQ3CpxUrNgXts-XxvQ=/52x0:3725x2755/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72350172/IMG_5134.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
A view of the Williamsburg Bridge from Domino Park in Brooklyn, New York, on June 7. | Courtesy of Natalie Kelapire
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
4 basic questions about Canada’s wildfires, answered.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2Cyrgr">
East Coasters finally understand what it’s like to live in California.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mlJP70">
Earlier this week, a giant cloud of wildfire smoke from Canada wafted into New York City, Boston, and other eastern metropolises, engulfing skylines and putting millions of people at risk from air pollution. Wednesday evening, NYC had the <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/6/7/23752290/air-quality-levels-wildfire-smoke-clear-canada-ny-causes-aqi-health-symptoms">worst air quality</a> of any major city in the world.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A time-lapse image of the New York City skyline being obscured by smoke." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8gVqVDS5ZofJenOXWzM9EWdCAYs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24710115/giphy__10_.gif"/> <cite>New York State Mesonet/University at Albany</cite>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ynOhG2">
It’s not only large northeastern cities that are smothered in smoke. States as far west as Minnesota and as far south as South Carolina have watched their air quality plummet, in some cases reaching <a href="https://twitter.com/ryans_wx/status/1666236267804205057">record levels of pollution</a>. It’s <a href="https://twitter.com/MarshallBBurke/status/1666126781949304832">likely</a> one of the worst wildfire smoke events in the last two decades in North America.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9b6cIU">
Across the eastern seaboard, most of the smoke comes from forest fires in Quebec, a Canadian province in the far east that borders Maine. <a href="https://sopfeu.qc.ca/">More than 140</a> fires were burning in the region as of Wednesday afternoon, most of which were not contained.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xTfehW">
This situation is both frightening and usual. While Canada is, on the whole, prone to wildfires, the fires usually aren’t this severe in the east — and especially not so early in the year. Plus, weather patterns have to be just right to bring the smoke hundreds of miles south into the US.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pFWUvt">
One big question now is whether these wildfires in Canada will become more common in the years ahead — and what that means for US cities that are not accustomed to smoke.
</p>
<h3 id="yteP5E">
<ol type="1">
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">Why is eastern Canada burning?
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4OU1Gx">
The summer often brings severe wildfires to western Canada, especially as <a href="https://www.vox.com/climate">climate change</a> continues to dry out vegetation and heat up the land. 2021 was a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/7/25/22592004/wildfires-climate-change-reconciliation-bill">particularly devastating</a> year, with blazes destroying entire towns.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mcx1fD">
Provinces in the east — including Quebec and Nova Scotia — are somewhat more safeguarded from fires, or at least big ones. Air coming off the North Atlantic Ocean typically keeps the region humid and cooler, making it less likely to burn, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/why-are-wildfires-raging-canadas-eastern-nova-scotia-province-2023-06-02/">per Reuters</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="K0sR0S">
The forests out east also tend to be less flammable, Reuters notes. Unlike western forests, which are dominated by fire-prone evergreens, eastern forests also have broadleaf trees, which are less flammable (their branches start higher off the ground and their leaves contain more moisture).
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DH0QBxp8q0V6K6Bp5lOA3DgVH2A=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24710151/AP23158554570755.jpg"/> <cite>CIRA/NOAA via AP</cite>
<figcaption>
A satellite image shows smoke drifting south from wildfires burning in Quebec (on the right) and Ontario (on the left) on June 7.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Yv8XWl">
Still, under the right conditions, eastern forests can burn, too.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="a29U6H">
This spring brought the right conditions across parts of the east — namely, low humidity and rainfall, and lots of heat. Between March and May, for example, Nova Scotia’s capital, Halifax, received only about a third of its average rainfall. And when forests are dry, they ignite more easily.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0npxk9">
“What’s unique about this year is that the forests are so dry that the fires are many times larger than they normally are,” Matthew Hurteau, a biology professor at the University of New Mexico, <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/6/7/23752290/air-quality-levels-wildfire-smoke-clear-canada-ny-causes-aqi-health-symptoms">told Vox’s Rachel DuRose</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QtjN0o">
Still, there needs to be a source of ignition. For the fires out east, that was likely a combination of lightning strikes and people, such as campers who didn’t put out their campfires (they’re both pretty typical sources of wildfires).
</p>
<h3 id="oQNYCY">
<ol start="2" type="1">
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">When will the smoke disappear and the fires stop?
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kyCKEF">
The reason there’s so much smoke leaking south into the US is, in a word, weather. Wind is pushing smoke south from Quebec and parts of Ontario and into a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/canada-wildfires-air-quality-8af805b127ba4d4f5933463cf8fdc746">region of low pressure</a> that is then flinging it toward the East Coast.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U8ifDR">
Accordingly, it will take a change in weather to bring relief to smoke-smothered cities — though don’t expect that in the immediate term. <a href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/worst-air-quality-in-20-years-grips-new-york-city-creates-apocalyptic-looking-skyline/1537145">Meteorologists suggest</a> that in places like New York City, the air quality will continue to be poor — or even worsen — Wednesday night and into Thursday. Changes in wind patterns and potential rain could, however, bring relief to much of the East Coast this weekend and early next week.
</p>
<div id="sQQm81">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Very thick plume of smoke has moved over New York City, turning the sky orange. This will continue progressing southeast through the afternoon toward southeast Pennsylvania, probably reaching the DC area tonight.<br/><br/>Read more: <a href="https://t.co/LgjN7mxogb">https://t.co/LgjN7mxogb</a> <a href="https://t.co/qPzqBWtBpn">pic.twitter.com/qPzqBWtBpn</a>
</p>
— Capital Weather Gang (<span class="citation" data-cites="capitalweather">@capitalweather</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/capitalweather/status/1666496337762738187?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2023</a>
</blockquote></div></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f0ibvL">
Longer term, things look a bit more dire, especially for regions closer to the blazes. Forecasters predict Canada will face dry and, in some places, warmer-than-average conditions this summer, so the recipe for wildfires could persist for months. As long as there’s a risk of fire, there’s a risk of far-ranging smoke.
</p>
<h3 id="rWimwP">
<ol start="3" type="1">
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">Is wildfire smoke really that dangerous?
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lsY9Pe">
Yes, very much so, especially for people who already have lung or heart conditions, people who are pregnant, and children. Here’s how Vox’s resident physician and health reporter, Keren Landman, put it:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eCfVgC">
Breathing polluted air affects the body in a few different ways. Larger pieces of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9329703/">particulate matter</a> — tiny particles of soot and dust — can irritate the linings of people’s airways in their noses, mouths, throats, and lungs. And smaller bits, along with toxic gases and molecules called volatile organic compounds, can sneak from the lungs into the bloodstream, where they can travel to other organs and cause a wide range of short- and long-term problems.
</p>
</blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JP8tED">
You can find her full story on the health risks of inhaling smoke <a href="https://www.vox.com/science/2023/6/7/23752310/wildfire-canada-air-quality-smoke-asthma-copd-lung-heart-disease">here</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zeaCJl">
People who live in large cities like New York and Boston are already exposed to sources of air pollution including car exhaust. <a href="https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/fine-particulate-matter-wildfire-smoke-more-harmful-pollution-other-sources">Research suggests</a> that wildfire smoke can be several times more harmful than other sources.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ft3S2F">
Thankfully, there are pretty easy ways to avoid dangerous exposure, <a href="https://www.vox.com/22664710/wildfires-air-quality-pollution-aqi-health-app">as my colleague Rebecca Leber writes</a>: Stay indoors when you can, wear an N95 mask when you can’t, and pay attention to outdoor air quality forecasts the same way you do the weather.
</p>
<h3 id="g6kvrB">
<ol start="4" type="1">
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">Are smoky skies the new normal for East Coasters and the upper Midwest?
</li></ol></h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="x7aMtY">
The world is heating up due to climate change, and warm air can suck moisture out of trees and other plants, making them more flammable. As a result, warming is making fire seasons in Canada, the US, and elsewhere, longer and more severe. Wildfires are now <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-wildfires">burning larger areas</a>, compared to past decades.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Tw2Myx">
“As the atmosphere warms, the ability to suck moisture out of the fuel [trees and other vegetation] increases almost exponentially,” said Mike Flannigan, a wildland fire professor at the University of Alberta. “So unless we get more rain to compensate for that drying effect, our fields are going to be drier. Most of the models of future fire seasons for Canada look like no change in precipitation or even drier.”
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eC5j04iORMUqGhya9S2dSkjGjnI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24710164/AP23153453748291.jpg"/> <cite>Communications Nova Scotia /The Canadian Press via AP</cite>
<figcaption>
Firefighters spray water on a forest fire in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, on June 1, 2023.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7oPuh5">
That doesn’t mean that the eastern US will be engulfed in smoke every summer — again, the wind patterns have to be just so — but it does make such a frightening event more likely. What cities on the East Coast are seeing is very much a warning sign of what climate change can bring.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UPInmW">
<em>Rachel DuRose contributed reporting to this story.</em>
</p>
<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>WTC Final Day 2 | India fights back by removing Head and Smith; Australia 422/7 at lunch</strong> - Steve Smith and Travis Head have knocked off milestones and India has taken out both batters on the second morning of the World Test Championship final at the Oval</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>This medal-winning athlete from Chennai re-enters sports after 20 years, hoping to inspire his sons</strong> - Forty two-year-old shotput, discus and javelin gold medallist Naveen Howie tells us about his comeback to sport after a 20-year pause</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>WTC Final | Hayden, Ponting slam India’s decision to drop Ashwin</strong> - Ashwin, who is the No. 1 bowler in Test cricket and India’s leading wicket-taker in the 2021-23 WTC cycle, was dropped as the Rohit Sharma-led side bolstered the pace ammunition by playing four seamers.</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>India suffer 1-4 loss to Netherlands in FIH Pro League</strong> - Skipper Harmanpreet Singh (11’) scored India’s lone goal despite the visitors being awarded as many as five penalty corners and a penalty stroke</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>Morning Digest | Opposition meeting to be held in Patna on June 23; 10 Manipur MLAs issued notice for ‘separatism’, and more</strong> - Here’s a select list of stories to read before you start your day</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>Child protection staff withdraw stir</strong> - Talks held by Minister for Women and Child Development and Finance departments with CITU leadership</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>Chandrayaan-3 will be launched in mid-July: ISRO Chairman</strong> - Chandrayaan-3 satellite has been moved from UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru to Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota</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>Monsoon-preparedness: arrangements in full swing in the district</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>Watch | Behind the scenes at the Kumbakonam temple car festival</strong> - A video on what it takes to move Kumbakonam’s 500-tonne Sarangapani temple car each year</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>India, U.S. need to have much stronger relationship, says Congressman Shri Thanedar</strong> - Prime Minister Modi is visiting the U.S. from June 21-24 at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden</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>Ukraine dam: Floods devastate tracts of rich farmland</strong> - The long-term consequences for agriculture will be severe in one of Ukraine’s most fertile areas.</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>Ukraine airdrops water bottles to people stranded by floods</strong> - Supplies are delivered to those trapped by floodwaters in Russian-controlled areas of the Kherson region.</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>Ukraine war: Deserters risk death fleeing to Romania</strong> - Men desperate to avoid serving in the army are crossing the mountainous Romanian border to escape.</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>Ukraine dam: The city of Kherson which has had enough</strong> - Many are trapped in their homes downstream from the breached dam and water levels are still rising.</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>Pope Francis, 86, has abdominal surgery</strong> - The three-hour operation at a Roman hospital was completed without complications, says the Vatican.</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>Boeing hit with a lawsuit over alleged “theft” of SLS rocket tools</strong> - “Without the engines installed and fitted perfectly, the rocket could not launch.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1946274">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>AI system devises first optimizations to sorting code in over a decade</strong> - Writing efficient code was turned into a game, and the AI played to win. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1946264">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Robocalls claiming voters would get “mandatory vaccines” result in $5M fine</strong> - Black people targeted with conspiracy theory about voting and mandatory vaccines. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1946192">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>New York’s air quality reaches “hazardous” level, by far the worst in the world</strong> - Wildfire smoke conditions worsened across much of Northeast US on Wednesday. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1946005">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Autonomous Waymo car runs over dog in San Francisco</strong> - The vehicle was in autonomous mode with a safety driver present in a 25 mph zone. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1946090">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>A woman walks into a pharmacy and asks “Do you sell condoms for extremely large penises?”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Yes we do,” said the pharmacist. “Do you need to buy some?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“No,” she replied, “but if you don’t mind I’m just going to wait here.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Major_Independence82"> /u/Major_Independence82 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/143t6d8/a_woman_walks_into_a_pharmacy_and_asks_do_you/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/143t6d8/a_woman_walks_into_a_pharmacy_and_asks_do_you/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Indians on a remote reservation in Oklahoma asked their new chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild:</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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The Indians on a remote reservation in Oklahoma asked their new chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild:<br/> Since he was a chief in modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky, he couldn’t tell what the winter was going to be like.<br/> Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.<br/> But, being a practical leader, after several days, he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked. “Is the coming winter going to be cold?”<br/> “It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold.” The meteorologist at the weather service responded.<br/> So the chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared.<br/> A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. “Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?”<br/> “Yes.” The man at National Weather Service again replied. “It’s going to be a very cold winter.”<br/> The chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.<br/> Two weeks later, the chief called the National Weather Service again. “Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?”<br/> “Absolutely.” The man replied. “It’s looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters we’ve ever seen.”<br/> “How can you be so sure?” The chief asked.<br/> The weatherman replied. “The Indians are collecting a shitload of firewood”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/iamdecal"> /u/iamdecal </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1442q4l/the_indians_on_a_remote_reservation_in_oklahoma/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1442q4l/the_indians_on_a_remote_reservation_in_oklahoma/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>By legalizing Cannabis and same-sex marriage we finally interpreted the bible correctly:</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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“A man who lays with another man should be stoned.” [Leviticus 20:13 esv]
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/HelpingHandsUs"> /u/HelpingHandsUs </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14462un/by_legalizing_cannabis_and_samesex_marriage_we/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/14462un/by_legalizing_cannabis_and_samesex_marriage_we/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>One man asks another: “Would you fuck another man for $100?”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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“What?! Hell no, I’m not gay man!”
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“Would you do it for $10.000?”
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“Whoa, that’s a lot of cash bro, but no man, I’d be scarred for life, I’m not gay”
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“Would you do it for $1M?”
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“Well… shit, yes, for a million I would”
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“You see, it’s not that there’s no gays, it’s just that there’s not enough money around”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/crazy4llama"> /u/crazy4llama </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/143pyut/one_man_asks_another_would_you_fuck_another_man/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/143pyut/one_man_asks_another_would_you_fuck_another_man/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The intelligent blonde</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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A blonde enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, “This is the dumbest blonde in the world. Watch while I prove it to you.” The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the blonde over and asks, “Which do you want?” The blonde takes the quarters and leaves. “What did I tell you?” said the barber. “That blonde never learns!” Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same blonde coming out of the ice cream parlor. “Hey there, may I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?” The blonde licked her cone and replied: “Because the day I take the dollar the game is over!”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/EducationalRent4595"> /u/EducationalRent4595 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/143t6jz/the_intelligent_blonde/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/143t6jz/the_intelligent_blonde/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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