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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>Prioritizing Pregnant Women for COVID-19 Vaccination</strong> -
<div>
Even though evidence for safety and efficacy is emerging, most countries do not offer vaccination to pregnant women, despite they being at higher risk of complications from COVID-19. We did a web search on policies for COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant women in two sets of countries – those bearing a high burden of COVID-19 cases, and a second set with a high burden of maternal and under five mortality globally. Of the top 20 COVID-19 affected countries, nine allow vaccination of pregnant women, of which two preferentially vaccinate pregnant women. In contrast, four of the 20 high under-five mortality countries allow vaccination of pregnant women, while none has included them in the preferential group. India and Indonesia with one fifth of world’s population fall in both the groups, but do not include pregnant women for COVID-19 vaccination.For COVID-19 not to further aggravate the already heavy burden of maternal and under five mortality, there is a strong case for inclusion of pregnant women as a high priority group for COVID-19 vaccination. We recommend including COVID-19 vaccination in the routine protocol for antenatal care in all countries, particularly India and Indonesia in view of their high dual burden.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/5yxh7/" target="_blank">Prioritizing Pregnant Women for COVID-19 Vaccination</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>To Clot or Not to Clot? Ad is the Question - Insights on Mechanisms Related to Vaccine Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia</strong> -
<div>
Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), or thrombotic thrombocytopenic syndrome (TTS), has caused global concern. VITT is characterized by thrombosis and thrombocytopenia following COVID-19 vaccinations with the AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCov-19 and the Janssen Ad26.COV2.S vaccines. The clinical features of VITT include thrombosis, typically cerebral venous thrombosis, and severe thrombocytopenia developing 5 to 24 days following first dose of vaccine, with elevated D-dimer, and antibodies specific to platelet factor 4 (PF4), signifying platelet activation. As of June 1, 2021, over 1.93 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered worldwide. Currently, 467 VITT cases (0.000024%) have been reported across the UK, Europe, Canada and Australia. Clinically, VITT presents similarly to a rare autoimmune condition called “spontaneous/autoimmune heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia” (HIT) without prior heparin exposure. Guidance on diagnosis and management of VITT has been reported but the pathogenic mechanism of VITT is not fully elucidated. A definite causal relationship with the vaccine material is yet to be confirmed. To date, it is established that IgG antibodies recognizing PF4 activate platelets through FcγRIIA, however it remains unclear what triggers production of these antibodies. The fact that VITT, has only been described in association with adenoviral vector-based DNA virus vaccines, but not mRNA/lipid-based vaccines, raises the likelihood that the syndrome is somehow linked to the vector or other constituents in the vaccine preparation. Here, we propose and discuss potential mechanisms in relation to adenovirus induction of VITT. We discuss adenovirus immunogenicity and interactions with platelets and other host proteins, the role of PF4 and platelet activation. Whilst confirming a single mechanism underpinning VITT is challenging, we provide insights and clues into areas warranting investigation into the mechanistic basis of VITT, highlighting the unanswered questions. Further research is required to help solidify a pathogenic model for this condition.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/d8ut5/" target="_blank">To Clot or Not to Clot? Ad is the Question - Insights on Mechanisms Related to Vaccine Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The SARS-CoV-2 spike reversibly samples an open-trimer conformation exposing novel epitopes</strong> -
<div>
Current COVID-19 vaccines and many clinical diagnostics are based on the structure and function of the SARS-CoV-2 spike ectodomain. Using hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry, we have uncovered that, in addition to the prefusion structure determined by cryo-EM, this protein adopts an alternative conformation that interconverts slowly with the canonical prefusion structure. This new conformation-an open trimer-contains easily accessible RBDs. It exposes the conserved trimer interface buried in the prefusion conformation, thus exposing potential epitopes for pan- coronavirus antibody and ligand recognition. The population of this state and kinetics of interconversion are modulated by temperature, receptor binding, antibody binding, and sequence variants observed in the natural population. Knowledge of the structure and populations of this conformation will help improve existing diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.11.451855v1" target="_blank">The SARS-CoV-2 spike reversibly samples an open-trimer conformation exposing novel epitopes</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Efficacy and safety of Andrographis paniculata extract in patients with mild COVID-19: A randomized controlled trial</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of Andrographis paniculata extract (APE) in adults with mild COVID-19. Methods: The alcoholic extract of the aerial part of A. paniculata was used. In this randomized, double- blinded, placebo-controlled trial, adults with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, and mild symptoms were randomized 1:1 to receive APE (60 mg andrographolide, t.i.d, for 5 days) versus placebo, plus standard supportive care. Blood tests for CRP, liver and renal assessment were performed on Days 1, 3, and 5. The outcomes were occurrence of pneumonia detected by chest X-ray, nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 detection by rRT-PCR, changes of CRP levels, and adverse drug reactions. Results: Patients were randomized to receive APE (n=29) or placebo (n=28). Pneumonia occurrence during illness was 0/29 (0%) versus 3/28 (10.7%), (p=0.039); and patients with nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 detection on Day 5 were 10/29 (34.5%) versus 16/28 (57.1%), (p=0.086), for those who received APE and placebo, respectively. All three patients with pneumonia had substantially rising serum CRP; and high CRP levels on Day 5. None had evidence of liver or renal impairment. Conclusion: This AP-extract treatment regimen was potentially effective and safe in adults with mild COVID-19. The rising of CRP suggested disease progression. Further studies are needed.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article- link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.08.21259912v1" target="_blank">Efficacy and safety of Andrographis paniculata extract in patients with mild COVID-19: A randomized controlled trial</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The role of personality, conspiracy mentality, REBT irrational beliefs, and adult attachment in COVID-19 related health behaviors</strong> -
<div>
We investigated irrational beliefs defined in rational-emotive cognitive-behavior therapy (REBT), attachment anxiety and avoidance, and conspiracy mentality as mediators of the relationship between HEXACO and Disintegration traits and COVID-19 health behaviors. Structural equation modeling on a sample of 287 participants, showed that Disintegration (D) was related to all mediating variables, highlighting the importance of D in the emergence of irrational beliefs. Conspiracy mentality mediated the effect of D in low adherence to recommended health behaviors - RHB , negative vaccination behavior, and greater use of pseudoscientific practices - PSP . Attachment anxiety mediated the relationship between high D, high Emotionality (E), and low Honesty (H) and lower adherence to RHB. Higher adherence to RHB predicted positive vaccination behavior, whilst there was no relationship between PSP use and vaccination behavior. REBT irrational beliefs and attachment avoidance were not found to be significant mediators of the relationship between personality traits and COVID-19 health behaviors.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/q2nye/" target="_blank">The role of personality, conspiracy mentality, REBT irrational beliefs, and adult attachment in COVID-19 related health behaviors</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Behavioural Insights and the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> -
<div>
Behavioural sciences has complemented medical and epidemiological sciences in the response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. As vaccination uptake increases across the EU/EEA, and we move from the pandemic to an endemic phase, behavioural science research will remain important for both pandemic policy and communication. From a behavioural science perspective, the following four areas are key in the next stage of the pandemic response: 1) Attaining and maintaining high levels of vaccination in all groups in society, including in socially vulnerable populations, 2) Ensuring continued adherence to basic prevention measures, at least until sufficient people in all groups in society have been well-informed and vaccinated, 3) Promoting and supporting safe travelling and holidays, and 4) Facilitating population preparedness and willingness to support and adhere to the reimposition of restrictions locally or regionally whenever outbreaks may occur. Based on mixed-methods research, expert consultations and engagement with communities, behavioural scientists advising on pandemic policies and communication thus have important contributions to make to prevent and effectively respond to local or regional outbreaks, and to minimize socio-economic and health disparities. In this Perspective we briefly outline these topics from a European perspective, while recognizing the importance of considering the specific context in individual countries.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/kun3j/" target="_blank">Behavioural Insights and the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The Effect of Face Masks on Forensic Face Matching: An Individual Differences Study</strong> -
<div>
In the forensic face matching task, observers are presented with two unfamiliar faces and must determine whether they depict the same identity. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some governmental authorities require the use of face masks in public spaces. However, face masks impair face identification by disrupting holistic processing of faces. The present study explores the effect of face masks on forensic face matching. Compared to a full-view condition, performance decreased when a face mask was superimposed on one face (Experiment 1) and both faces (Experiment 2) of a pair. Although a positive correlation between the full-view and the mask conditions was found, high proficiency in the full-view condition did not always generalize to the mask condition. Additionally, the mask generally has a more negative impact in those participants with better performance in the full-view condition. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/gw95t/" target="_blank">The Effect of Face Masks on Forensic Face Matching: An Individual Differences Study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The Relations of Social Support and Social Connectedness to Well-being during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-cultural generalizability across 49 countries</strong> -
<div>
Physical distancing has proven effective in preventing the spread of the COVID-19, yet decreasing social interactions may be harmful to well-being. The current study investigated the protective roles of social support and social connectedness on well-being during the pandemic in many countries. Specifically, we examined how the changes of social connectedness toward different social ties (i.e., family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors) as indirect effects to explain the relationship between social support and well-being, using survey data from 16,685 individuals from 49 countries. Results from multilevel structural equation modeling showed that i) social support was positively related to well-being, ii) people who felt increased social connectedness to family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors were likely to experience better well-being than those who did not feel more connected during the COVID-19, iii) changes of connectedness to family, friends, colleagues and neighbors could serve as indirect effects between social support and well-being; the indirect effects from family and friends were more potent than colleagues and neighbors, and iv) the indirect effects were similar across all countries. Our findings highlighted the benefits of social support and social connectedness to well-being during the pandemic.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/7fqvs/" target="_blank">The Relations of Social Support and Social Connectedness to Well- being during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-cultural generalizability across 49 countries</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The sensitivity improved two-test algorithm “SIT2”: a universal optimization strategy for SARSAQ-CoV-2 serology</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background Reliable antibody tests are an essential tool to identify individuals who have developed an adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2. However, attempts to maximize the specificity of SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests have come at the cost of sensitivity, exacerbating the total test error with increasing seroprevalence. Here, we present a novel method to maximize specificity while maintaining or even increasing sensitivity: the “Sensitivity Improved Two-Test” or “SIT<sup>2</sup>” algorithm. Methods SIT<sup>2</sup> involves confirmatory re-testing of samples with results falling in a predefined retesting-zone of an initial screening test, with adjusted cut-offs to increase sensitivity. We verified and compared the performance of SIT<sup>2</sup> to single tests and orthogonal testing (OTA) in an Austrian cohort (1,117 negative, 64 post-COVID positive samples) and validated the algorithm in an independent British cohort (976 negatives, 536 positives). Results The specificity of SIT<sup>2</sup> was superior to single tests and non-inferior to OTA. The sensitivity was maintained or even improved using SIT<sup>2</sup> when compared to single tests or OTA. SIT<sup>2</sup> allowed correct identification of infected individuals even when a live virus neutralization assay could not detect antibodies. Compared to single testing or OTA, SIT<sup>2</sup> significantly reduced total test errors to 0.46% (0.24-0.65) or 1.60% (0.94-2.38) at both 5% or 20% seroprevalence. Conclusion SIT<sup>2</sup> proved to be the best diagnostic choice at both 5% and 20% seroprevalence in all tested scenarios. It is an easy algorithm to apply to different available SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing systems and can potentially be helpful for the serology of other infectious diseases.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.11.05.20226449v3" target="_blank">The sensitivity improved two-test algorithm “SIT2”: a universal optimization strategy for SARSAQ-CoV-2 serology</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The Role of CRP, Interleukin-6 and Their Derived Immune-Inflammatory Indices in Early Prediction of Severity and Mortality of COVID-19 Patients</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: In coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), finding sensitive biomarkers is critical for detecting severe cases early and intervening effectively. Objectives: To compare and evaluate the prognostic value of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and their derived immune-inflammatory indices (CRP/albumin (CRP/alb), lymphocyte/CRP (L/CRP), and lymphocyte/IL-6 (L/IL-6)) in COVID-19 patients. Methods: On admission, 85 confirmed COVID-19 patients9 measured and collected laboratory data were obtained and compared. Results: Levels of CRP, IL-6 and CRP/alb were significantly higher (P=0.001) in severe patients and in non-survivors, but L/CRP and L/IL-6 were significantly lower (P=0.001). The best predictive performance for COVID-19 severity was observed at 1.65 for CRP/alb and 260.86 for L/CRP with 84.7% diagnostic accuracy for both. The best diagnostic accuracy for COVID-19 in-hospital mortality was 87.1% by IL-6 at 120 pg/ml and 85.9% by L/IL-6 at 5.40. The performance of the combined prediction was better than the single prediction by one biomarker. IL-6 was an independent risk factor associated with severe disease development (odds ratio (OR): 1.033; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.002-1.066). Conclusions: Pretreatment values of CRP, IL-6 and their derived indices could be included in the diagnostic work-up of COVID-19 to stratify disease severity and predict outcomes.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.28.21259644v2" target="_blank">The Role of CRP, Interleukin-6 and Their Derived Immune-Inflammatory Indices in Early Prediction of Severity and Mortality of COVID-19 Patients</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The Clinical Utility of Serial Procalcitonin and Procalcitonin Clearance in Predicting the Outcome of COVID-19 Patients</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) represents a great threat to global health. Sensitive tests that effectively predict the disease outcome are essentially required to guide proper intervention. Objectives: To evaluate the prognostic ability of serial procalcitonin (PCT) measurement to predict the outcome of COVID-19 patients, using PCT clearance (PCT-c) as a tool to reflect its dynamic changes. Methods: A prospective observational study of inpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 at the Quarantine Hospitals of Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. During the first five days of hospitalization, serial PCT and PCT-c values were obtained and compared between survivors and non-survivors. Patients were followed up to hospital discharge or in-hospital mortality. Results: Compared to survivors, serial PCT levels of non-survivors were significantly higher (p&lt;0.001) and progressively increased during follow-up, in contrast, PCT-c values were significantly lower (p&lt;0.01) and progressively decreased. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that by using the initial PCT value alone, at a cut off value of 0.80 ng/ml, the area under the curve for predicting in-hospital mortality was 0.81 with 61.1% sensitivity and 87.3% accuracy. Serial measurements showed better predictive performance and the combined prediction value was better than the single prediction by the initial PCT. Conclusions: Serial PCT measurement could be a useful laboratory tool to predict the prognosis and outcome of COVID-19 patients. Moreover, PCT-c could be a reliable tool to assess PCT progressive kinetics.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.14.21258855v2" target="_blank">The Clinical Utility of Serial Procalcitonin and Procalcitonin Clearance in Predicting the Outcome of COVID-19 Patients</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Markers of immune activation and inflammation in individuals with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
BACKGROUND: The biological processes associated with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) are unknown. METHODS: We measured soluble markers of inflammation in a SARS-CoV-2 recovery cohort at early (&lt;90 days) and late (&gt;90 days) timepoints. We defined PASC as the presence of one or more COVID-19-attributed symptoms beyond 90 days. We compared fold-changes in marker values between those with and without PASC using mixed effects models with terms for PASC and early and late recovery time periods. RESULTS: During early recovery, those who went on to develop PASC generally had higher levels of cytokine biomarkers including TNF-alpha (1.14-fold higher mean ratio, 95%CI 1.01-1.28, p=0.028) and IP-10 (1.28-fold higher mean ratio, 95%CI 1.01-1.62, p=0.038). Among those with PASC, there was a trend toward higher IL-6 levels during early recovery (1.28-fold higher mean ratio, 95%CI 0.98-1.70, p=0.07) which became more pronounced in late recovery (1.44-fold higher mean ratio, 95%CI: 1.11-1.86, p&lt;0.001). These differences were more pronounced among those with a greater number of PASC symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent immune activation may be associated with ongoing symptoms following COVID-19. Further characterization of these processes might identify therapeutic targets for those experiencing PASC.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article- html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.09.21260287v1" target="_blank">Markers of immune activation and inflammation in individuals with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Protective Immunity against COVID-19</strong> -
<div>
Tuberculosis and Covid-19 infection measure two quite different diseases- TB is caused by a sort of bacterium whereas Covid-19 is caused by a virus. However, the BCG immunizing agent would possibly facilitate individuals build immune responses to things aside from TB, inflicting “off-target effects,” In different words, in run format, individuals started learning positive in obtaining the immunizing agent that had nothing to try and do with TB, several studies showed however the BCG immunizing agent affects individuals with kind one although the precise mechanism for these off-target effects of the BCG immunizing agent is not clear, it’s believed that the immunizing agent will cause a nonspecific boost of the reaction. There is presently no immunizing agent or treatments approved by the United States of America Food and Drug Administration for the novel coronavirus. BCG is usually innocuous with the most facet impact the event of inflammation at the positioning of injection. Supported by these observations BCG so emerges as a possible candidate for the development of innate and adjustive reactions which can be non-specifically taking care of mycobacterium and different infectious agents against that vaccine remains not on the market.
</div>
<div class="article- link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/bdkg8/" target="_blank">Protective Immunity against COVID-19</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Simplified point-of-care full SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing using nanopore technology</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: The scale of the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic warrants the urgent establishment a global decentralized surveillance and warning system to recognize local outbreaks and the emergence of novel variants-of- concern. Among the available deep-sequencing technologies, nanopore-sequencing could be an important cornerstone, since it is mobile, scalable and acquisition investments are comparably low. Therefore, streamlined and efficient nanopore- sequencing protocols need to be developed and optimized for SARS-CoV-2 variants identification, in particular for smaller hospital laboratories with lower throughput. Results: We adapted and simplified existing workflows using the <i>midnight</i> 1,200 bp amplicon split primer sets for PCR, which produce tiled overlapping amplicons covering almost all of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Subsequently, we applied the Oxford Nanopore Rapid barcoding protocol and the portable MinION Mk1C sequencer in combination with the ARTIC bioinformatics pipeline. We tested the simplified and less time- consuming workflow on confirmed SARS-CoV-2-positive specimens from clinical routine and identified pre-analytical parameters, which may help to decrease the rate of sequencing failures. Duration of the complete pipeline was approx. 7 hrs for one specimen and approx. 11 hrs for 12 multiplexed barcoded specimens. Conclusions: The adapted protocol contains less processing steps. Diagnostic CT values are the principal criteria for specimen selection. Subsequent to diagnostic qRT-PCR, multiplex library preparation, quality controls, nanopore sequencing and the bioinformatic pipeline can be completely conducted within one working-day.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.08.21260171v2" target="_blank">Simplified point-of-care full SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing using nanopore technology</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Using big data analytics to explore the relationship between government stringency and preventative social behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
We evaluated the association between preventative social behaviour and government stringency. Additionally, we sought to evaluate the influence of additional factors including time, need to protect others (using the reported number of COVID-19 deaths as a surrogate measure) and reported confidence in government handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used repeated national cross-sectional surveys the UK over the course of 41 weeks from 1st April 2020 to January 28th, 2021, including a total of 38,092 participants. Preventative social behaviour and government stringency index scores were significantly associated on linear regression analyses (R2 =0.6468, p&lt;0.001, and remained significant after controlling for the effect of reported COVID-19 deaths, confidence in government handling of the pandemic, and time (R2=0.898, p&lt;0.001). Longitudinal data suggest that government stringency is an effective tool in promoting preventative social behaviour in the fight against COVID-19.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.09.21260246v1" target="_blank">Using big data analytics to explore the relationship between government stringency and preventative social behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom</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>Phase 1 Study to Assess Safety, Tolerability, PD, PK, Immunogenicity of IV NTR-441 Solution in Healthy Volunteers and COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: NTR-441;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Neutrolis<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>COVID-19 Vaccinations With a Sweepstakes</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Philly Vax Sweepstakes<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:  <br/>
University of Pennsylvania;   Philadelphia Department of Public Health<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>Covid-19 Virtual Recovery Study</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: Strength RMT;   Behavioral: Strength RMT and nasal breathing;   Behavioral: Endurance RMT;   Behavioral: Endurance RMT and nasal breathing;   Behavioral: Low dose RMT<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Mayo Clinic<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>A Study to Evaluate MVC-COV1901 Vaccine Against COVID-19 in Adolescents</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19 Vaccine<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: MVC-COV1901(S protein with adjuvant);   Biological: MVC-COV1901(Saline)<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp.<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 on Sequential Immunization of Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine and Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (Ad5 Vector)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Ad5 vectored vaccine;   Biological: Inactive SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (Vero cell)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Jiangsu Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;   CanSino Biologics Inc.<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 Amantadine Treatment in COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Patients With Moderate or Severe COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Amantadine<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Noblewell;   Medical Research Agency (ABM);   Leszek Giec Upper-Silesian Medical Centre of the Silesian Medical University in Katowice<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>Covid-19 Patients Management During Home Isolation</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Procedure: Oxygen therapy and physical therapy;   Device: Oxygen therapy<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Cairo University<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 Different Use of The Aerosol Box in COVID-19 Patients; Internal Jugular Vein Cannulation</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Procedure: Internal jugular vein cannulation<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Research and Training Hospital<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>Remdesivir- Ivermectin Combination Therapy in Severe Covid-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Ivermectin<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Assiut 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>Short Term, High Dose Vitamin D Supplementation in Moderate to Severe COVID-19 Disease</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: cholecalciferol 6 lakh IU<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research<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>Immunogenicity and Safety of an Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine;   Biological: 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine;   Biological: Inactivated Hepatitis A Vaccine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Role of Chlorhexidine in Minimizing the Viral Load Among COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Chlorhexidine digluconate, povidone iodine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   King Abdulaziz 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 1 Intranasal Parainfluenza Virus Type 5-SARS CoV-2 S Vaccine in Healthy Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: CVXGA1 low dose;   Biological: CVXGA1 high dose<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   CyanVac LLC<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>“CHANGE COVID-19 Severity”</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Magnesium Citrate plus probiotic<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Vanderbilt University Medical Center<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>Efficacy, Immunogenicity, and Safety of the Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine (TURKOVAC) Versus the CoronaVac Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: TURCOVAC;   Biological: CoronaVac<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Health Institutes of Turkey<br/><b>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>Catalytic Dyad Residues His41 and Cys145 Impact the Catalytic Activity and Overall Conformational Fold of the Main SARS-CoV-2 Protease 3-Chymotrypsin-Like Protease</strong> - Coronaviruses are responsible for multiple pandemics and millions of deaths globally, including the current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Development of antivirals against coronaviruses, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for COVID-19, is essential for containing the current and future coronavirus outbreaks. SARS-CoV-2 proteases represent important targets for the development of antivirals because of their role in the…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Pulmonary Covid Fibrosis a New Pharmaceutic Approach</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: This study proposes to inhibit phosphodiesterase by vasodilatation of the pulmonary vascular bed and the MUC1 over expression by interleukin6, the Sildenafil with the SGLT2 and N-Acetylcysteine.</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>Review of the potential of mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of infectious diseases</strong> - The therapeutic value of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for the treatment of infectious diseases and the repair of disease-induced tissue damage has been explored extensively. MSCs inhibit inflammation, reduce pathogen load and tissue damage encountered during infectious diseases through the secretion of antimicrobial factors for pathogen clearance and they phagocytose certain bacteria themselves. MSCs dampen tissue damage during infection by downregulating the levels of pro-inflammatory…</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>RIG-I-Like Receptor-Mediated Recognition of Viral Genomic RNA of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 and Viral Escape From the Host Innate Immune Responses</strong> - RIG-I-like receptors (RLR), RIG-I and MDA5, are cytoplasmic viral RNA sensors that recognize viral double-stranded RNAs and trigger signals to induce antiviral responses, including type I interferon production. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. However, the RLR role in innate immune response to SARS-CoV-2 has not been fully elucidated. Here, we studied the roles of RLR in cytokine expression responding to SARS-CoV-2 and…</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>Interleukin-1- Receptor Kinase 4 Inhibition: Achieving Immunomodulatory Synergy to Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19</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>Case Report: Adult Post-COVID-19 Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome and Thrombotic Microangiopathy</strong> - CONCLUSION: Our case suggests that that TMA could play a central role in the pathophysiology of post-COVID-19 MIS-A, making complement blockers an interesting therapeutic option.</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 MERS-CoV N Protein Regulates Host Cytokinesis and Protein Translation via Interaction With EF1A</strong> - Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a pathogen causing severe respiratory disease in humans that emerged in June 2012, is a novel beta coronavirus similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV). In this study, immunoprecipitation and proximity ligation assays revealed that the nucleocapsid (N) protein of MERS-CoV interacted with human translation elongation factor 1A (EF1A), an essential component of the translation system with important roles in protein…</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 piperazine based compounds as potential inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 Protease Enzyme: Synthesis and molecular docking study</strong> - Structurally diverse piperazine-based compounds hybrid with thiadiazole, isatin or with sulfur/nitrogen, functionalities were synthesized. The structures of the new compounds were established based on their spectral data and elemental analysis. The physicochemical, bioactivity scores and pharmacokinetic behavior of all the prepared ligands were evaluated using in silico computational tools. The new piperazine ligands have been screened for their inhibition activity against SARS-CoV-2 protease…</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>High-throughput analysis of the interactions between viral proteins and host cell RNAs</strong> - RNA-protein interactions of a virus play a major role in the replication of RNA viruses. The replication and transcription of these viruses take place in the cytoplasm of the host cell; hence, there is a probability for the host RNA-viral protein and viral RNA-host protein interactions. The current study applies a high-throughput computational approach, including feature extraction and machine learning methods, to predict the affinity of protein sequences of ten viruses to three categories of…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Molnupiravir inhibits the replication of the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoCs) in a hamster infection model</strong> - The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoCs) has exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently available monoclonal antibodies and vaccines appear to have reduced efficacy against some of these VoCs. Antivirals targeting conserved proteins of SARS-CoV-2 are unlikely to be affected by mutations arising in VoCs, and should therefore be effective against emerging variants. We here investigate the efficacy of Molnupiravir, currently in phase II clinical trials, in hamsters infected with…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>In silico investigation on the inhibitory effect of fungal secondary metabolites on RNA dependent RNA polymerase of SARS-CoV-II: A docking and molecular dynamic simulation study</strong> - The newly emerged Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly outspread worldwide and now is one of the biggest infectious pandemics in human society. In this study, the inhibitory potential of 99 secondary metabolites obtained from endophytic fungi was investigated against the new coronavirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) using computational methods. A sequence of blind and targeted molecular dockings was performed to predict the more potent compounds on the viral enzyme. In the next…</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>Plitidepsin for the management of a cancer patient infected with SARS-CoV-2 while receiving chemotherapy</strong> - Plitidepsin is a cyclic peptide that inhibits the host protein elongation factor alpha 1, thus blocking viral replication. A hospitalized patient with stage IIIB gastric signet ring cell carcinoma and multiple comorbidities developed Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) shortly after receiving his first chemotherapy course. He was treated with plitidepsin on a compassionate use basis. The patient showed a substantial acute reduction in viral load 4 days after initiating plitidepsin treatment and was…</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>MPI8 is Potent Against SARS-CoV-2 by Inhibiting Dually and Selectively the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease and the Host Cathepsin L</strong> - A number of inhibitors have been developed for the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (MPro) as potential COVID-19 medications but little is known about their selectivity. Using enzymatic assays, we characterized inhibition of TMPRSS2, furin, and cathepsins B/K/L by more than a dozen of previously developed MPro inhibitors including MPI1-9, GC376, 11a, 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3. MPI1-9, GC376 and 11a all contain an aldehyde for the formation of a reversible covalent hemiacetal adduct with the MPro active site…</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>Peptidomimetic alpha-Acyloxymethylketone Warheads with Six-Membered Lactam P1 Glutamine Mimic: SARS-CoV-2 3CL Protease Inhibition, Coronavirus Antiviral Activity, and in Vitro Biological Stability</strong> - Recurring coronavirus outbreaks, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, establish a necessity to develop direct-acting antivirals that can be readily administered and are active against a broad spectrum of coronaviruses. Described in this Article are novel α-acyloxymethylketone warhead peptidomimetic compounds with a six-membered lactam glutamine mimic in P1. Compounds with potent SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease and in vitro viral replication inhibition were identified with low cytotoxicity and good…</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>Poor humoral and T-cell response to two-dose SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA vaccine BNT162b2 in cardiothoracic transplant recipients</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: The findings of poor immune responses to a two-dose BNT162b2 vaccination in cardiothoracic transplant patients have a significant impact for organ transplant recipients specifically and possibly for immunocompromised patients in general. It urges for a review of future vaccine strategies in these patients.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Advanced Machine Learning System combating COVID-19 virus Detection, Spread, Prevention and Medical Assistance.</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU329799475">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Differential detection kit for common SARS-CoV-2 variants in COVID-19 patients</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU328840861">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 anti-viral therapeutic</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU327160071">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A POLYHERBAL ALCOHOL FREE FORMULATION FOR ORAL CAVITY</strong> - The present invention generally relates to a herbal composition. Specifically, the present invention relates to a polyherbal alcohol free composition comprising of Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract, Ocimum sanctum leaf extract, Elettaria cardamomum fruit extract, Mentha spicata (Spearmint) oil and Tween 80 and method of preparation thereof. The polyherbal alcohol free composition of the present invention possesses excellent antimicrobial properties and useful for oral cavity. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN325690740">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因及其应用</strong> - 本发明属于生物技术领域，具体涉及新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因及其应用。本发明的新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因，其核苷酸序列如SEQIDNO.1或SEQIDNO.6所示。本发明通过优化野生型新型冠状病毒南非B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因序列，并结合筛选确定了相对最佳序列，优化后序列产生的克隆表达效率比野生型新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD序列表达效率大幅提高，从而，本发明的新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因可以用于制备新型冠状病毒疫苗。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN328990628">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>检测新型冠状病毒中和抗体的试剂盒及其应用</strong> - 本发明涉及生物技术领域，具体而言，提供了一种检测新型冠状病毒中和抗体的试剂盒及其应用。本发明提供的检测新型冠状病毒中和抗体试剂盒，具体包括（a）或（b）两种方案：（a）示踪物标记的RBD三聚体抗原，包被在固体支持物上的ACE2，以及，含有0.2‑10mg/mL十二烷基二甲基甜菜碱的工作液；（b）示踪物标记的ACE2，包被在固体支持物上的RBD三聚体抗原，以及，含有0.2‑10mg/mL十二烷基二甲基甜菜碱的工作液；其中，RBD三聚体抗原利用二硫键将刺突蛋白的RBD与S2亚基完全交联得到。十二烷基二甲基甜菜碱会显著提高RBD三聚体抗原与新冠中和性抗体结合速度，提升阳性样本平均发光强度，缩短检测时间。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN328990376">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>一种检测SARS-CoV-2的引物组合物及其应用</strong> - 本发明涉及一种检测SARS‑CoV‑2的引物组合物及其应用。所述引物组合物包括SEQ ID NO:1~SEQ ID NO:12所示的核酸序列。本发明利用所述引物组合物进行逆转录巢式PCR，并结合Sanger测序，能够快速、准确地获取SARS‑CoV‑2基因信息，从而能够实现快速检测SARS‑CoV‑2以及判断SARS‑CoV‑2突变株，且具备良好的准确性、灵敏度、特异性以及重复性。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN328990422">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>一种新冠病毒肺炎重症化预测系统及方法</strong> - 本发明涉及疾病预测技术领域，公开了一种新冠病毒肺炎重症化预测系统及方法，包括以下步骤：步骤一，采集患者血常规信息和用户信息；步骤二，将患者血常规信息按照用户信息进行等级分类；步骤三，将已经等级分类的患者血常规信息与对应等级的标准信息进行比较；步骤四，当患者血常规信息在标准信息范围内则判定患者为轻症患者，当患者血常规信息在标准信息范围外则判定患者为重症患者。本发明能够准确快速地区分轻症和重症。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN328308318">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>MEDIDOR DE SATURACION</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=ES325874099">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>폐마스크 밀봉 회수기</strong> - 본 발명은 마스크 착용 후 버려지는 일회용 폐마스크를 비닐봉지에 넣은 후 밀봉하여 배출함으로써, 2차 감염을 예방하고 일반 생활폐기물과 선별 분리 배출하여 환경오염을 방지하는 데 그 목적이 있다. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=KR325788342">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
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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>Why Did the Police Shoot Matthew Zadok Williams?</strong> - Outside Atlanta, a mother and five sisters look for answers. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/us-journal/why-did-the-police-shoot-matthew-zadok-williams">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What’s Next for the Campaign to Break Up Big Tech?</strong> - A judge recently dismissed two antitrust cases against Facebook. But what appeared to be a setback for the effort may actually provide a road map for how it can succeed. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/whats-next-for-the-campaign-to-break-up-big-tech">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What We Need to Learn from the Tragedy in Surfside</strong> - It is possible that South Florida, where climate change is a particularly acute problem, is nearing a point at which even the best-constructed buildings are under threat. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/07/12/what-we-need-to-learn-from-the-tragedy-in-surfside">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Biden’s Invisible Ideology</strong> - The President has deployed an exasperating but effective strategy to counter Trumpism. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/bidens-invisible-ideology">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Richard Branson’s Plan to Beat Jeff Bezos to Outer Space</strong> - The two billionaires have been duelling for years to make commercial space flights a reality. Now, on Sunday, Branson is going himself. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/richard-bransons-plan-to-beat-jeff-bezos-to-outer-space">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The spiritual bankruptcy of bottled water</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Bottles of water" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/4CQkUiaCdrpR7YZTqla31G0VJOU=/112x0:689x433/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69569933/social_image_water.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Christine Mi
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Selling out a national resource, at 75 billion bottles every year.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ILTGbl">
</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Text: “If you grew up in the US, you might recognize these bottles. The
labels conjure the sublime beauty and abundance of America’s outdoors.” Drawing of bottled water with a bubble on one
that reads: “Ice Mountain, the brand extracted from springs in Michigan, was ‘inspired by the glaciers that once covered
the northern US’”" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/By4bjbrQ8bMQOohfJWNyYX0fyF8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696074/1_Water1.jpg"/>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Text: “Bottled water consumption, in the US and globally, has grown dramatically in the last decade. Americans
drank the equivalent of 342 standard individual bottles per person in 2020, up from approximately 210 bottles in 2010.”
with a drawing of charts that illustrate this, using water droplets to represent 10 bottles.&amp;nbsp;" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iEE59BtXWrAGjaRLpsb9Xr-kPyA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696080/2_water_graphic.jpg"/>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="“A lot of bottled water, like Coke’s Dasani, comes from the tap. But some, like Arrowhead, is pumped directly from
natural springs. Called spring water, this allows companies to sell the idea of nature and purity. And drinkable water
is far from available to everyone. In 2016, the year that Michigan declared a state of emergency over Flint’s lead-
contaminated water, bottled water outsold soda.&amp;nbsp; The more we distrust the water from our faucets, the more
bottled water we consume.”" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/65qof5XItrxjhJvIOaMa7-36J6M=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696084/3_Water_spring.jpg"/>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt="“Bottled water wasn’t inevitable. It became a viable business opportunity after the invention of the PET
(polyethylene terephthalate) bottle in 1973.&amp;nbsp; Lightweight, unbreakable bottles revolutionized the beverage
industry, making it possible to easily ship billions of individually packaged drinks.&amp;nbsp;The health-conscious
consumer was on the rise, too. Marketers warned people that they were at risk of dehydration, so they’d better always
have bottled water on hand.”" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rTHM9hw1eP-
jifN-602QKpn2EBo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696091/4_water_pet.jpg"/></p>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="“Americans now buy an unfathomable 75 billion plastic water
bottles per year, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, and that number grows by billions more each year. The
vast majority of them end up in landfills. Bottled water companies make pledges to use more recycled plastic, but it’s
nowhere near enough to offset the growth of plastic waste.” Drawing of a garbage dump." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/0ioTa0vYGEiIK41qkxGlLYVzk6o=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696108/5_water_landfill2.jpg"/>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="“About 8 million metric tons of plastic enters the ocean per year, most of it trapped along coastlines, buried in
sediment, and elsewhere in the ocean that is not well known.” Image: the earth’s oceans from space." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DtilAKOkr4RoBwroZouGpj7y1RU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696111/6_water_coastlines.jpg"/>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="“The problem goes even deeper than plastic; it’s about who owns our water. During the Flint water crisis, the
city’s majority-Black residents were paying some of the highest bills in the country for poisoned water.&amp;nbsp;A few
hours away, Nestlé, the Swiss multinational that until recently owned America’s most iconic spring water brands, was
pumping water for its Ice Mountain label virtually for free.” Drawing of a faucet pouring black water over Detroit." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1eNHoRz2thk1OKWvq-biKE-bln4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696113/7_water_faucet.jpg"/>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="“Indigenous communities have often led the fight to protect ecosystems from corporate control.” Drawing of a person
reading a newspaper with the headline: “1836 treaty puts Michigan tribes at center of Nestle water bid”" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0IWAEeUhybLTphNStoenUR-mKpc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696117/8_water_treaty.jpg"/>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A man saying “What is important is not the value of the resource solely, whether that be water, whether that be
plants, whether that be fish. It’s also the relationship that we as tribal people have with those resources.” label:
Frank Beaver, the natural resources department director for the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, and a member of the
Grand Traverse Band." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/_4EFEgQixqZrT-K533uds4IWdBE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696133/9_water_beaver1.jpg"/>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="“Commodifying water can be seen as a kind of desecration. Nestlé’s North American water brands were recently sold
to private equity firms and given a new name: BlueTriton Brands, named for an ancient Greek god of the
sea.&amp;nbsp;BlueTriton’s water operation is extraordinarily unpopular with the people of Michigan. More than 80,000
people submitted public comments against the corporation’s plan to pump more water, compared to only 75 in favor. In
2018, the state gave them a permit anyway.”" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/oRo_GakrZ1MQVEKRjgySuwVS7dk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696632/10_water_triton.jpg"/>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="“When capitalism and democracy disagree,” Beaver says, “it seems like democracy loses a lot and capitalism
wins.”&amp;nbsp;" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d1nHbNjErAcNfLyPI6YX6gNhX78=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696633/11_water_beaver2.jpg"/>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="“Flint had no democratic representation because they’d been placed under emergency financial management by the
state. That was when the city started sourcing water from the corrosive Flint River, which led to the water
crisis.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;“I had water coming out my tap looking like straight Hennessy,” remembers Flint resident and
organizer Nayyirah Shariff. “I had rashes. A lot of folks didn’t know that city council was powerless.”&amp;nbsp;" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JGL5_7vgmT890mEBchqgT96io_o=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696637/12_water_flint1.jpg"/>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="“Bottled water has a way of making itself seem like the natural solution in times of crisis, and Flint became
dependent on it. Companies including Nestlé, Coke, and Pepsi donated millions of bottles to the city, and the state paid
to provide residents free bottled water.”" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EGF75ImKK-
mBcGVysHt0je2w8yw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696641/13_water_bottledcrisis.jpg"/>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<pre><code> &lt;img alt="“We were advocating for cisterns and water buffaloes. The governor decided that this was what our </code></pre>
recovery was going to look like. And it was extremely insulting,” Shariff says.&amp;nbsp;" src=“https://cdn.vox- cdn.com/thumbor/UHXN3Yqa1xFY0NC_yMIhy-DY80g=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox- cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696642/14_water_flint2.jpg” /&gt;
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="““Failure to invest in our public water system has contributed to the loss of trust in that system,” says water
expert Peter Gleick from The Pacific Institute. “And in the meantime, the bottled water industry capitalizes on that
lack of trust.”&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/v8puRYhNCyMcEIwvVFmXgtvnnfE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696644/15_water_peter.jpg"/>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Bottled water alone isn’t responsible for our plastic crisis or the breakdown in local water systems. But it has
fundamentally redefined our relationship with this essential, finite resource. 23. “Nobody owns water,” says Michigan-
based environmental lawyer Jim Olson. “If you own land, you do not own the water.” Yet by taking water and selling it
back to us, bottled water makers have staked a claim on what belongs to us all." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/JNzOQTNymWWoV0qMCDEP_qUMbPE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22696646/16_water_final.jpg"/>
</figure>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="qpsJGh"/>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2fbtxk">
Sources:
</p>
<ul>
<li id="nQx6T2">
<a href="https://www.icemountainwater.com/faq">Frequently Asked Questions</a>, Ice Mountain Water
</li>
<li id="qiBxOU">
“<a href="https://www.beveragemarketing.com/news-
detail.asp?id=654">Bottled Water, Unbowed by the Covid-19 Crisis, Grows Again in 2020,</a>” Beverage Marketing Corporation, May 2021
</li>
<li id="GEnlIH">
“<a href="https://bottledwater.org/wp-
content/uploads/2021/03/2019BWstats_BMCarticle_BWR_JulyAug2020_lowres.pdf">Bottled Water 2019: Slower but Notable Growth</a>,” by John G. Rodwan, Jr. 
</li>
<li id="DqRq6g">
<a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/plastic-
water"><em>Plastic Water: The Social and Material Life of Bottled Water</em></a>, by Gay Hawkins, Emily Potter, and Kane Race, MIT Press
</li>
<li id="MvfUpE">
“<a href="https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/bottled-water-
everywhere-keeping-it-safe">Bottled Water Everywhere: Keeping it Safe</a>,” US Food and Drug Administration
</li>
<li id="vJXnnW">
“<a href="https://www.beveragemarketing.com/news-detail.asp?id=438">Bottled Water Becomes Number-One Beverage in the U.S.</a>,” Beverage Marketing Corporation, March 2017
</li>
<li id="91Cr5Y">
“<a href="https://napcor.com/news/4970-2/">NAPCOR Releases 2019 PET Recycling Report</a>,” National Association for PET Container Resources
</li>
<li id="1Lb7Mc">
<a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516588&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.penguinrandomhouse.com%2Fbooks%2F550935%2Fwhat-
the-eyes-dont-see-by-mona-hanna-attisha%2F&amp;referrer=vox.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vox.com%2Fthe-
goods%2F2021%2F7%2F12%2F22554546%2Fbottled-water-michigan-waste-flint-plastic" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City</em></a>, by Mona Hanna-Attisha, One World
</li>
<li id="QKydk3">
“<a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-
water-crisis/2016/02/16/study-flint-paid-highest-rate-us-water/80461288/">Flint residents paid America’s highest water rates</a>,” <em>Detroit Free Press</em>, by John Wisely, February 2016
</li>
<li id="hVqz4W">
“<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/03/599207550/michigan-oks-nestl-water-extraction-despite-
over-80k-public-comments-against-it">Michigan OKs Nestlé Water Extraction, Despite 80K+ Public Comments Against It</a>,” NPR, by Bill Chappell, April 2018
</li>
<li id="XfowBw">
<a href="https://islandpress.org/books/bottled-and-
sold"><em>Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water</em></a><em>, </em>by Peter Gleick, Island Press
</li>
<li id="r9Xn0q">
“<a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/2017/06/nestle_waters_michigan_tribes.html">1836 treaty puts Michigan tribes at center of Nestle water bid</a>,” MLive, by Garret Ellison, June 2017.
</li>
<li id="YxUfmf">
“<a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768">Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean</a>,” Science, February 2015.
</li>
</ul>
<div>
<div id="1yAbOc">
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How online fundraising led voters to donate more money than they realized</strong> -
<figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xBl4mdmJxbqC-B-
ekM4xmnjtoQs=/0x0:2667x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69568227/818990318.jpg.0.jpg"/></p>
<figcaption>
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined three other states’ attorneys general in questioning tactics used by major campaign fundraising organizations. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
</figcaption></figure></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Dark patterns are increasingly used to trick even savvy web users.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8DaTrs">
Navigating ethics and privacy online is difficult, and it only gets worse when money is involved. With so much of our identities already online, many are now realizing that their wallets are the privacy boundary they aren’t willing to cross.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iGQcn8">
During the presidential race last fall, some Americans unknowingly crossed this boundary while donating money using online fundraising services, and four state attorneys general are currently trying to uncover more information. In late April, the attorneys general for New York, Minnesota, Maryland, and Connecticut <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/09/politics/political-fundraising-winred-actblue/index.html">sent letters</a> to two online fundraising services requesting information on their use of prechecked boxes that opted contributors into a recurring donation schedule. Two organizations received these letters: WinRed, which accepts donations for Republican candidates, and ActBlue, its Democratic equivalent.
</p>
<h2 id="oElHlN">
One campaign donation turned into thousands of dollars
</h2>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DHBVuY">
A <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/03/us/politics/trump-donations.html">New York Times</a> investigation in April showed how WinRed had used prechecked boxes in their online donation forms which automatically opted donors into monthly or even weekly donations after they voluntarily donated an initial sum, similar to a subscription service. In situations like this, the onus is on the user to deselect the service rather than actively select participation. However, enough users missed the boxes for the scheme to be a fundraising success.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="clkIbM">
The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/03/us/politics/trump-donations.html">New York Times article</a> found that “a clear pattern emerged. Donors typically said they intended to give once or twice and only later discovered on their bank statements and credit card bills that they were donating over and over again.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RhXzQw">
Both ActBlue and WinRed used prechecked boxes without explicitly informing their users throughout the 2020 election, but not to the same degree, a fact illustrated by<strong> </strong>comparing the scale of donation refunds. WinRed, a for-profit donation service, was repeatedly<strong> </strong>flagged for fraud, and the Trump campaign ended up <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2021/04/03/trump-campaign-reportedly-forced-to-refund-more-
than-122-million-to-donors/?sh=4d0b840158a3">refunding $122 million</a>, more than 10 percent of what it raised on WinRed in 2020. The Biden campaign, via<strong> </strong>ActBlue, which is <a href="https://support.actblue.com/donors/about-actblue/why-is-actblue-a-nonprofit/">a nonprofit organization</a>, refunded 2.2 percent of online donations.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZkuadQ">
Throughout the election, other<strong> </strong>groups also<strong> </strong>used the precheck tool, including <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/07/us/politics/republicans-donations-trump-
defector.html?searchResultPosition=3">the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee</a>. However, the DCCC stated that the user receives a notification directly after the donation is processed alerting them to their decision.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LFBhM2">
After receiving the letter requesting information from the attorneys general, ActBlue <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/06/us/politics/fec-trump-donations.html">said in May</a> that it was phasing the use of this tool out, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/08/us/politics/prechecked-boxes-donations-winred-act-
blue.html?action=click&amp;module=Spotlight&amp;pgtype=Homepage">beginning on July 1</a>, ActBlue now requires any fundraiser that still uses prechecked boxes to explicitly ask users to donate on a recurring basis. WinRed, on the other hand, has been pushing back. In fact, the company has <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/09/politics/political-
fundraising-winred-actblue/index.html">sued Minnesota</a> to stop the scrutiny, saying that federal law oversees its activities and state consumer protection laws should not concern them. In a <a href="https://winred.com/blog/winred-
takes-legal-action-against-democrat-attorneys-general/">statement on its website</a>, WinRed accuses the attorneys general of “exploiting their positions of power for partisan gain” and calls the inquiry itself “unlawful, partisan, and hypocritical.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sDKohG">
Worth noting is that many Americans using online platforms to donate are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/03/us/politics/trump-donations.html">working-class men and women</a>, retirees, and veterans who were not financially able to give recurring sums of money. The New York Times investigation found that some contributors who had donated and subsequently been caught in the donation trap only realized the extent of the damage once their rent payments bounced or their credit cards were rejected. And most of the people getting caught in deceptive donation tactics are older, a trend that is consistent<strong> </strong>across both parties. Data analyzed by the Times shows that the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/26/us/politics/recurring-donations-
seniors.html?partner=slack&amp;smid=sl-share">average age of donors</a> who received refunds is about<strong> </strong>65 for ActBlue and almost 66 from WinRed. In addition, according to federal records, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/26/us/politics/recurring-donations-seniors.html?partner=slack&amp;smid=sl-
share">56 percent</a> of WinRed’s online contributions come from retired Americans, which means that older Americans are donating more, and getting refunded more due to dissatisfaction.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Tw3Y6L">
Since May, legislation has been introduced in the House and the Senate to ban the use of prechecked boxes at the federal level. But <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22351108/dark-patterns-ui-web-design-privacy">Vox’s Sara Morrison</a> writes that, as online capabilities grow, legislation surrounding online privacy laws will not be easy to formulate: “The line between deliberate deception and legally urging a user to make a choice that materially benefits a company can be blurry.”
</p>
<h2 id="rXsNGz">
Making choices online isn’t as straightforward as you think
</h2>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dkT1wt">
Whether or not WinRed cooperates with the states’ request for information, the fact remains that they were able to take over $100 million from Americans all over the country with a few clicks. This not only indicates a misplaced trust in digital spaces, it also shows that websites are willing to exploit this trust for their gain — and many people are only starting to realize how much the digital spaces they frequent can get away with. A large part of this is the use of dark patterns.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3vorGx">
Sara Morrison <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22351108/dark-patterns-ui-web-design-privacy">defines dark patterns</a> as “design that manipulates or heavily influences users to make certain choices,” while Harry Brignull, who <a href="https://www.darkpatterns.org/">coined the term</a>, wrote that a dark pattern is “a user interface carefully crafted to trick users into doing things they might not otherwise do.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BaziVb">
The problem is that we don’t know when<strong> </strong>we’re being tricked. When trust is breached, as in the case of the prechecked boxes, the resulting loss is monetary and there are ways to quantify it, like referencing a bank account. When the loss is personal information, it’s harder to notice, and in many cases, harder to understand why we should<strong> </strong>care.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U2Rdhq">
As Morrison reports, one example is careful word choice: like Instagram preferring “activity” and “personalized” rather than “tracking” or “targeted.” This obscures<strong> </strong>the real meaning of what a user is agreeing to and leads to more people allowing the app permissions. Because users don’t often<strong> </strong>know what they’re agreeing to, and the results of clicking an “allow” button are not usually intrusive, it’s easier to do this than to constantly be barraged by follow-up requests.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="y6wPeV">
In addition to hiding information in fine print, as WinRed did with its prechecked boxes, some <a href="https://www.inputmag.com/features/pop-
up-ads-ads-are-trying-to-shame-you">websites use emotional manipulation</a> to get the information they want. The signup button to receive a fashion newsletter might say “I love wearing nice clothes,” while the opt-out button might say, “I don’t have a washing<strong> </strong>machine.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rLKP1k">
WinRed <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/03/us/politics/trump-donations.html">used this tactic on its donation page</a> in messages like: “If you UNCHECK this box, we will have to tell Trump you’re a DEFECTOR &amp; sided with the Dems.” Whether this type of user shaming is in conjunction with saying no to a newsletter or no to your presidential candidate, dark patterns are designed to get more people to say yes online.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gPFBC6">
As of now, the attorneys general are waiting for more information from both WinRed and ActBlue on their transparency practices. WinRed has argued that state players should not be involved in this issue, but the attorneys general take another perspective, stating that online donation policies affect individuals at a state level and thus the issue lands under their jurisdiction.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5SDpmP">
“Every Minnesotan is protected under the law from fraud and deception,” John Stiles, deputy chief of staff to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/09/politics/political-fundraising-
winred-actblue/index.html">told CNN</a>. “It’s the attorney general’s job to protect Minnesotans and enforce those laws, no matter who may break them.”
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>The US is leaving Afghanistan. The Taliban is gaining. What happens now?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Two soldiers sit on an armored vehicle." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/ZHeryEnR__le0VrrUlm_3IR1O6M=/116x0:3264x2361/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69567146/1233821469.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
The Afghan National Army keeps watch after the US forces left Bagram airfield in the north of Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 5, 2021. | Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
An expert on an unpredictable, uncertain future.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IXDFWq">
“Is the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan inevitable?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AR7xLG">
That’s the question a reporter <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1413202372860469254?s=20">put to</a> President Joe Biden this week at a press conference on the US’s drawdown in Afghanistan.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6EQ74E">
“No, it is not,” Biden <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1413202372860469254?s=20">said</a>, noting that Afghan government troops greatly outnumber the Taliban and are “as well-equipped as any army in the world.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TbNiTs">
That may be true, but numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. The Taliban has rapidly <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/9/taliban-afghanistan-border-crossing-iran">expanded its territorial control</a> over the last week and is closing <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/even-taliban-
are-surprised-how-fast-they-re-advancing-afghanistan-n1272236">in on the capital, Kabul</a>. On Monday, more than <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/05/afghan-soldiers-flee-tajikistan-taliban/">1,000 Afghan soldiers reportedly fled into neighboring Tajikistan</a> to escape a Taliban advance. A US intelligence assessment has said the Afghan government <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/afghan-government-could-collapse-six-months-after-u-s-
withdrawal-new-intelligence-assessment-says-11624466743">could fall in six months</a> once US and other international troops leave.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="R7oY6z">
It makes it hard to see a Taliban takeover as anything other than extremely likely, if not truly inevitable. For that reason, it’s worth thinking about what it would actually mean if that were to happen. What does that look like? And how should the Biden administration respond?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="A7rGQB">
I spoke with Madiha Afzal, a fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank and an expert on the region, to talk through some of these questions.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Jm0irX">
Afzal’s not necessarily convinced that a full Taliban takeover is imminent. “It could happen down the road, but not without some significant fighting,” she told me. But, she said, “The fundamental question facing the Biden administration is, whatever government setup emerges in Afghanistan, will it pose a threat to the US?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NJtB0A">
Our conversation, edited for length and clarity, is below.
</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="0s17eT"/>
<h4 id="UJcsUZ">
Jen Kirby
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5pczF7">
I know it’s a very complicated situation on the ground in Afghanistan, but can you give a basic overview of the landscape right now as the US withdraws?
</p>
<h4 id="HICTIr">
Madiha Afzal
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="W8kqbC">
I think many of us feared that with withdrawal, without a peace deal between the Taliban and Kabul, the most likely outcome would be some kind of a civil war. Not necessarily an imminent Taliban takeover, but a civil war that could be a protracted one.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eBGMmm">
Now, given <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57748695">the losses</a> that Afghan security forces have suffered in the last few days after US forces <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bagram-afghanistan-airfield-us-
troops-f3614828364f567593251aaaa167e623">departed the Bagram Air Base</a>, those rapid losses have led some to believe it’s only a matter of time before the Taliban takes over — and, in fact, that military takeover might be more likely, that the fight will soon move to provincial capitals and cities and the Afghan security forces will have the same kind of losses they’ve faced over the last few days.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DUSSQr">
But that may not necessarily be the case. It could be that the fight is stronger in Afghan cities, provincial capitals, certainly in Kabul. There’s also the question of what happens if the Taliban gets to Kabul and tries to take over Kabul. Does the US step in in some way? Do NATO forces step in some way? That’s a question that was raised, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/us/politics/afghanistan-airstrikes-us-troop-withdrawal.html">at least in some recent reporting</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2a8Lbg">
So I think the most likely outcome is fighting that will soon move to Afghanistan’s provincial capitals. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that a full Taliban takeover is imminent. It could happen down the road, but not without some significant fighting.
</p>
<h4 id="H5703Q">
Jen Kirby
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zevpji">
As you said, it’s hard to know what will happen. But, from the US perspective, is that the key goal? To keep the central government and Afghan security forces intact? Or do you think the US government is thinking about the strategy differently as it leaves?
</p>
<h4 id="tBPhgD">
Madiha Afzal
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DmXULz">
That thinking is probably still evolving as the US views what is happening. I think an eventual outcome, if one thinks about it — and this could be down the road — could be a part of Afghanistan ruled by the Taliban, and one part of it, perhaps, ruled by a government that is friendlier to the United States.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZySimf">
Would the US step in in some way to avoid Kabul being taken over by the Taliban? I think that’s a question. In all the discussions that the US has been having with Pakistan and other countries trying to establish over the horizon counterterrorism capabilities, we don’t really have a satisfactory answer there, I think because nothing has really been decided.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bAXMtP">
With all those discussions, to me, the fundamental question facing the Biden administration is, whatever government setup emerges in Afghanistan, will it pose a threat to the US?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CDu4rI">
Even if it’s complete — let’s go to the extreme — even if it’s a complete Taliban takeover, does it pose a threat to the United States or not? The US doesn’t have to give it aid. The US doesn’t have to give it legitimacy. The US may even sanction it. It has certain tools. But if it exists, like it did in the 1990s, does it give haven to al-Qaeda? Does it allow its soil to be used to attack the United States?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dxvMwP">
That’s when this government becomes a problem for the United States. So if it’s a small part of Afghanistan, or a significant part of Afghanistan, that is being ruled by a Taliban government, again, the same question arises.
</p></li>
</ul>
<h4 id="C7nyYf">
Jen Kirby
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ERKmPN">
So the question is not so much whether or not the Taliban will take over, but rather in what form, and if it acts like a rogue actor. But if the Taliban doesn’t, say, give safe harbor to terrorists, then the US may not be as concerned, even if that’s an uncomfortable position after 20 years of nation- building.
</p>
<h4 id="ir9VK3">
Madiha Afzal
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nbt4XV">
Exactly. President Biden has been talking about the terrorist threat from Afghanistan being a key concern. He <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-
remarks/2021/07/08/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-drawdown-of-u-s-forces-in-afghanistan/">alludes to that repeatedl</a>y, saying, basically, “Look, the terrorist threat has morphed, it has gone elsewhere.” So, at least for his administration, the central question around the Taliban’s ascendance would be: What kind of threat does it pose to the US?
</p>
<h4 id="FRG8wf">
Jen Kirby
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="veeCA3">
This may be an impossible question to answer, but do we have a sense of what the Taliban might do, learning the lessons of 20 years? Perhaps they’re less eager to host terrorists? Or maybe not?
</p>
<h4 id="yhswIw">
Madiha Afzal
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="I17D6V">
The answer to that is probably a little bit mixed, and maybe not satisfactory because there is a lot we don’t know. The Taliban is good at rhetoric. It’s good at propaganda. What it says is not what actually happens.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8qtAsx">
We should be very wary when it comes to the Taliban. There’s also a divide between the Taliban political leadership — which seems to know how to use rhetoric and propaganda — versus rural Taliban or foot soldiers who a) believe in the same draconian, regressive forms of governance they did in the 1990s, and b) believe that they’ve won a jihadist victory. And this means you don’t compromise, going back to the way things were in the 1990s.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mWGa08">
The Taliban political leadership isn’t fully clear on what it wants in terms of girls’ education, women going to work, and so on. It has just said it’s going to be in line with Islam.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G5rldP">
I think we ought to be wary of how much the Taliban has changed. That being said, they seem to enjoy international legitimacy. Now, whether that’s just because they want to use that to make the US get out of Afghanistan and then essentially go back to the ways of the 1990s, that could be.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CWkGG0">
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/09/iran-and-russia-move-to-fill-diplomatic-vacuum-in-
afghanistan">They’re on a diplomatic tour of sorts</a>, having just gone to Iran. They sometimes visit Pakistan. They’re making relationships with other countries, it seems, and countries beyond those they were in touch with in the 1990s.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uEcyTg">
So will they want to be a pariah state, isolated as they were in the ’90s? I’m not quite sure about that. They certainly want to fully take over Afghanistan at whatever cost. What they want after that, in terms of their relationship with other countries and their international status, that’s something where people think, “Maybe we can get them to moderate based on their desire for international legitimacy.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="44zqUE">
That’s the open question. I am severely skeptical of that.
</p>
<h4 id="QFa3R9">
Jen Kirby
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NzC3cT">
That makes me think of <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2020/2/29/21158939/us-taliban-sign-peace-deal-troops-afghanistan">the US peace deal with the Taliban</a>, brokered under the Trump administration,<strong> </strong>which seemed to give the Taliban the type of legitimacy it craved. Was that, in retrospect, a turning point for the Taliban? Did that have any influence?
</p>
<h4 id="YGaQwq">
Madiha Afzal
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zkFpDq">
Absolutely. I think the US-Taliban deal <a href="https://www.state.gov/wp-
content/uploads/2020/02/02.29.20-US-Afghanistan-Joint-Declaration.pdf">signed in Doha</a> gave the Taliban more legitimacy than anything until then. The Taliban has been building on that legitimacy since then. The fact that the Afghan government in Kabul wasn’t even party to that deal, that the US agreed with the Taliban on things that it then got the Afghan government to do, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-taliban-factbox/afghan-
prisoner-release-what-it-is-what-it-means-for-peace-idUSKCN2550BS">such as the release of prisoners</a>. These are all things that really bolstered the Taliban, whether we like it or not.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0bnb7K">
And, in some sense, it’s become an actor that is much more confident in itself after that. People talk about Pakistan using its leverage over the Taliban. Well, a lot of other actors now have less leverage over the Taliban to get them to do what they want because the Taliban has been granted this international legitimacy, by the US more than anyone else.
</p>
<h4 id="xZCBuO">
Jen Kirby
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0E4Pye">
So from a US standpoint, do you try to leverage that? Now that you’ve had these negotiations with the Taliban, do you try to work the gears diplomatically and try to engage?
</p>
<h4 id="41VkqI">
Madiha Afzal
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gUvR00">
Sadly, I think an unconditional withdrawal basically makes the peace process redundant. The Taliban has shown that by its military strategy since.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="56nm9L">
Where our leverage existed was in this little time period that we had between the Doha deal being signed and our final withdrawal. So, to me, our troops — as cynical as that sounds — are where the leverage lay because that’s what the Taliban wanted. It wanted US troops to leave. But it didn’t have to grant the US anything. It didn’t have to do anything to get the troops to leave, so we lost that leverage by the unconditional withdrawal that the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/4/25/22402539/afghanistan-military-withdrawal-
final-biden-september-11th">president announced in April</a>.
</p>
<h4 id="4UUFx6">
Jen Kirby
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IMW6ki">
So essentially the US said, “Do those things and we’ll leave.” And then they didn’t and we left anyway, but we still want them to do those things.
</p>
<h4 id="yiSaer">
Madiha Afzal
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KdzWdM">
Exactly. So you can see how the incentives fall away for the Taliban.
</p>
<h4 id="w07fep">
Jen Kirby
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PGCnmV">
Does the US, do you think, still have to take the lead when it comes to the future of Afghanistan? Or do you think it will shift elsewhere, maybe to NATO or the United Nations?
</p>
<h4 id="b3pMzP">
Madiha Afzal
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Wyu8Uk">
I think the Biden administration has been trying to say, “Look, regional countries have a responsibility here, and they really need to step up.” Pakistan, Russia, China — obviously Turkey’s important, India. That’s where the Biden administration is pointing the finger. It depends on the outcomes. But I think there’s a serious credibility problem for the US if it just looks away.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EGEcut">
President Biden has, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/07/08/remarks-
by-president-biden-on-the-drawdown-of-u-s-forces-in-afghanistan/">in terms of promising assistance</a>, basically said, “This is a new chapter where the partnership is not a military one, but we will be there for you in other ways.” I think the US feels some burden of responsibility and, I think, will not look away entirely — though the Biden administration would probably like to focus on other things.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wumMy6">
I think this is an administration that does care about its perception in the world, and does not want to be thought of as abandoning Afghanistan. But whether that in practice has any major effect beyond — not necessarily lip service, but rhetorical support, we’ll have to see.
</p>
<h4 id="BygMet">
Jen Kirby
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sepW4m">
I’m wondering if there is another way to protect some of the gains in Afghanistan, especially around human rights, but maybe not around the paradigm of a centrally functioning Afghan government. Is there such an approach for the US to take?
</p>
<h4 id="hzXmvL">
Madiha Afzal
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vu522A">
The US cannot be the one to sustain a centrally functioning government in Afghanistan. Again, Biden <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/25/us/politics/biden-afghanistan-withdrawal.html">talked about that quite candidly</a>, saying it’s very difficult. So how can those gains be protected? I think the US is banking on — kind of pun intended — assistance: security, financial, economic, humanitarian, all sorts of assistance. And that the Taliban will, militarily, face pushback.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZHsBgT">
So perhaps it is looking at some outcome where there could be a decentralized framework, where the cities have a different set-up versus the rural areas, and large swaths of the country are ruled by the Taliban.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IDSnKK">
All of this will really depend on how things go militarily — whether the Afghan security forces are really able to put up a fight in those areas. Because remember that many of the gains we talk about — schools, employment — these were felt and seen in the urban areas and not in the rural areas. So in some sense, the rural areas being taken over by the Taliban may get some measure of stability in whatever form because the fighting stops.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="om2KHl">
And so what happens to the urban areas? Is there a way for the US to help the Afghans hold on to those gains a little bit longer? There’s a segment of Afghan society that doesn’t want to let those gains go. I also know that many of them are leaving. It’s a very dynamic situation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4FSxDQ">
So that one is hard to talk about without knowing how things are going to go militarily. There is a bit of a wait-and-see approach because the assistance announced is what it is. Given that and given the fighting power of the Afghan security forces, can they put up a fight?
</p>
<h4 id="91z37s">
Jen Kirby
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="imffDa">
Do you think there is any scenario where the US would recommit or intervene militarily in Afghanistan to do that?
</p>
<h4 id="NjoCUk">
Madiha Afzal
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="e3dgaA">
That’s a big question — the million-dollar question. People have talked about, well, if an ISIS-like situation emerges, as with post-Iraq withdrawal and the rise of ISIS. That’s not what we are necessarily worried about in Afghanistan. I think the terrorism threat that emerges from Afghanistan will not be something we see in the short term. It’s not going to be quick.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7oji84">
The worry is that once the Taliban has taken over some parts of Afghanistan [and US troops have left], they start to let al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups do what they want, and then al-Qaeda regroups or other terrorist groups [get stronger], and then perhaps begin posing a threat to the United States. That’s the worry.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wn6RXW">
In that case, though, the US assumes counterterrorism capabilities are going to be enough. So, honestly, in this administration, I don’t really see that happening. I don’t see the US military becoming involved again in Afghanistan.
</p>
<h4 id="nEkpWZ">
Jen Kirby
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eE6hJd">
It does seem very bleak, if I’m being honest. If there is a best-case scenario for Afghanistan right now, even against long odds?
</p>
<h4 id="x8BSoO">
Madiha Afzal
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iYjCCu">
Up to the US-Taliban deal signed in Doha, I thought maybe we could actually get a decent deal signed. That was a pretty bad deal to begin with. Once it was signed, things have just been downhill from there. So I thought things looked bleak in February 2020.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sbmPqX">
They look far worse now. I am wary enough of the Taliban that I don’t see any evidence that they will either go for a peace deal or change their ways, not want a military takeover. I think perhaps the hope — and hope is not a strategy — the hope lies in perhaps the Afghan government and security forces being able to muster something up to hold them back. And I’m very sadly watching with worry.
</p>
<h4 id="r6lpBQ">
Jen Kirby
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mO1ais">
Even in that scenario, it seems as if it will just generate more fighting, more violence, which will be felt by the people of Afghanistan.
</p>
<h4 id="JIR6wa">
Madiha Afzal
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RVYRTL">
That’s absolutely right. In the medium term, that just means bloodshed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3byqXv">
I can’t imagine what those in Afghanistan are thinking about the future. It requires a lot of bravery just to be there, just to continue to go on doing the jobs they’re doing. Women journalists in particular — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/world/asia/afghanistan-women-journalists.html">so many attacked in the last few months</a>. Going to school may mean you don’t go home. It’s just horrible.
</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>National sports awards selection process to be delayed to include Olympic medallists</strong> - More than 120 Indian athletes would be vying for medals at the Games amid strict health safety protocols because of the COVID-19 pandemic.</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>Boris Johnson slams racial abuse against England’s Euro 2020 team</strong> - Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, the three players who missed England’s penalties on July 11, were the victims of a stream of abuse on Twitter and on their Instagram accounts.</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>Racist abuse targets English players who missed penalties</strong> - The FA said in a statement it was “appalled” by the abuse of the three players.</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>Ronaldo finishes as top scorer at Euro 2020</strong> - The Portugal forward finished as the top scorer with five goals.</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>Bangladesh crushes Zimbabwe by 220 runs</strong> - Spinner Mehidy Hasan returns a match-haul of nine wickets</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>Kerala’s back-up Emergency Operations Centre to be established at the Secretariat in the capital</strong> - Additional support aimed at strengthening Kerala’s disaster response mechanism</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>‘Focus is on growth of IT sector in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities’</strong> - Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan says Hubballi region has been given prominence in Karnataka government’s Beyond Bengaluru policy</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>Teenager booked for communal speech at Haryana event</strong> - Youth earlier involved in shooting at anti-CAA protest in Delhi.</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>Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar briefly loses ‘blue badge’ on Twitter after he changes username</strong> - The blue badge for Chandrasekhar, who assumed charge as MoS of the IT Ministry, was restored within a few hours.</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>Abhaya murder case: petition challenges grant of parole to Father Kottoor, Sister Sephy</strong> - High Court Bench directs State prosecutor to file a statement</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>Euro 2020: Italy fans ecstatic after England defeated in Wembley final</strong> - The Italian team is given a hero’s welcome as it arrives home after defeating England on penalties.</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>Racist abuse of England players condemned</strong> - England manager Gareth Southgate says online racist abuse of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka is “unforgivable”, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the FA condemn the social media posts.</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>UK PM urges caution over 19 July unlocking</strong> - Boris Johnson warns that Covid cases, currently at 30,000 a day, will rise as restrictions end.</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 leads prayers from hospital balcony after colon surgery</strong> - Francis thanks well-wishers from his hospital balcony following treatment for a colon problem.</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>Georgia: Cameraman dies after attack at anti-Pride march</strong> - Lekso Lashkarava, who was badly injured, was found dead in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Sunday.</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>Archaeologists “flabbergasted” to find Cerne Giant’s origins are medieval</strong> - “Everyone was wrong, and that makes these results even more exciting.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1779346">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How much shipping can we get through a warming Arctic?</strong> - Research discusses the logistic, social, and ecological impacts of a warm Arctic. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1779267">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Creepypasta and the search for the ghost in the machine</strong> - Stories of haunted video games have circulated for decades. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1779035">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The weekend’s best tech deals: Nintendo Switch Lite, MacBook Air, and more</strong> - Dealmaster also has deals on Dell monitors, good board games, and portable SSDs. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1779054">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>When science breaks bad: A rogues’ gallery of history’s worst scientists</strong> - A new book catalogs some of the greatest ethical lapses done in the name of science. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1779135">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>One day, a wife came home early and found her husband in their bedroom making love to a very attractive young woman. Naturally, she was very upset.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“You are a disrespectful pig!” she cried. “How dare you do this to me! I’m a faithful wife, the mother of your children! I’m leaving you. I want a divorce right away!”
</p>
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The husband replied, “Hang on just a minute love, so at least I can tell you what happened.”
</p>
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“Go ahead,” she sobbed, “but they’ll be the last words you’ll say to me!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So the husband began, “Well, I was getting into the car to drive home, and this young lady here asked me for a lift. She looked so down and out and defenseless that I took pity on her and let her into the car.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I noticed that she was very thin, not well dressed and very dirty. She told me that she hadn’t eaten for three days. So, in my compassion, I brought her home and warmed up the enchiladas I made for you last night. The ones you wouldn’t eat because you’re afraid you’ll put on weight. The poor thing devoured them in moments!
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Since she needed a good clean-up, I suggested a shower, and while she was doing that, I noticed her clothes were dirty and full of holes so I threw them away. Then, as she needed clothes, I gave her the designer jeans that you have had for a few years, but don’t wear because you say they are too tight.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I also gave her the underwear that was your anniversary present, which you don’t wear because I don’t have good taste. I found the sexy blouse my sister gave you for Christmas that you don’t wear just to annoy her and I also donated those boots you bought at the expensive boutique and don’t wear because someone at work has a pair the same.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The husband took a quick breath and continued, “She was so grateful for my understanding and help that as I walked her to the door, she turned to me with tears in her eyes and said…” “Do you have anything else that your wife doesn’t use?”
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/littleboy_xxxx"> /u/littleboy_xxxx </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/oihbfp/one_day_a_wife_came_home_early_and_found_her/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/oihbfp/one_day_a_wife_came_home_early_and_found_her/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>My wife and I wanted the sex of our baby to be a secret. She and I were sure the baby would be a girl, with four names, and we picked Alyssa Cassidy Shea Smith to be her name.. but there was always that doubt in the back of our minds.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The delivery day came at last. My wife was going into labor, and cried out a final reminder: “Don’t forget, her name is Alyssa Cassidy Shea Smith!”
</p>
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“I know honey! Just be strong, you got this!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Oh! I almost forgot,” she said, just before the epidural took over. “We need a boy name, just in case he’s a boy.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
18 hours later, a boy was born. I’m nothing if not a good listener.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Our bouncing 8 pound, 6 oz child was named according to mom’s wishes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Justin Casey Zaboi Smith
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Idk why she’s so mad.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/ChefJordan24"> /u/ChefJordan24 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/oi90hd/my_wife_and_i_wanted_the_sex_of_our_baby_to_be_a/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/oi90hd/my_wife_and_i_wanted_the_sex_of_our_baby_to_be_a/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>What did one bloody tampon say to the other bloody tampon?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Nothing, they’re both stuck up cunts.
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/DaddyPepeElPigelo"> /u/DaddyPepeElPigelo </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/oiere4/what_did_one_bloody_tampon_say_to_the_other/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/oiere4/what_did_one_bloody_tampon_say_to_the_other/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Dylan was practicing his golf swing in his front yard when he swung a little too hard and sent the ball through his neighbors window. He rang the bell but nobody answered so he opened the door to see an old lamp lying near broken glass and a huge fat Arabian man wearing a turban sitting on the couch</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Dylan asked, “Who are you?” The fat man replied, “I am a genie you have freed from that lamp.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Dylan questioned, “Oh man, do I get three wishes?” The genie replied, “Since you freed me by accident you only get two and I get one.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Dylan thought about it and realized what he wanted, “I want to be the best golfer ever.” The surprised genie said, “You sure? Most people wish for money, but okay. Now your wife gets one wish.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Dylan brought over his wife who wished right away, “I want a million dollars every week of my life.” The genie said, “Granted. And now for my wish, I have been cramped up in that lamp for many years so its been a while since I’ve been with a woman. I want one day of wild, crazy sex with your wife, Dylan.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Dylan said, “No way!” The genie replied, “Not even for a million dollars a week?” Dylan turned to his wife, who said, “I guess for all that, I should. Well, not until Dylan leaves.” Dylan said, “Okay, have fun, I guess,” and left.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Dylan’s wife then proceeded to have wild sex for the rest of the day with the genie. When they were finished, the genie asked how old her husband was. She said, “Forty-five.” The Genie laughed and said, “Isn’t he a little old to be believing in genies?”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/littleboy_xxxx"> /u/littleboy_xxxx </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/oi4srt/dylan_was_practicing_his_golf_swing_in_his_front/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/oi4srt/dylan_was_practicing_his_golf_swing_in_his_front/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>The Pope had become very ill and was taken to many doctors, all of whom could not figure out how to cure him</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Finally, he was brought to an old physician. After about an hour’s examination he came out and told the cardinalsthat he had some good news and some bad news.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The bad news was that the Pope had a rare disorder of the testicles. The good news was that all the Pope had to do to be cured was have sex.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Well, this was not good news to the cardinals, who argued about it at length.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Finally, they went to the Pope with the doctor and explained the situation. After some thought, the Pope stated, “I agree, but under four conditions.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The cardinals were amazed and there arose quite an uproar. Over the noise a
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
single voice asked, “And what are the four conditions?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The room stilled. There was a long pause.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The Pope replied, “First, the girl must be blind, so that she cannot see who she
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
is having sex with.
</p>
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Second, she must be deaf, so that she cannot hear who she is having sex with.
</p>
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And third, she must be dumb so that if somehow she figures out who she is
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
having sex with, she can tell no one.”
</p>
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After another long pause a voice arose and asked, “And the fourth condition?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The Pope replied, “Big tits.”
</p>
</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/orgasmic2021"> /u/orgasmic2021 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/oinftb/the_pope_had_become_very_ill_and_was_taken_to/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/oinftb/the_pope_had_become_very_ill_and_was_taken_to/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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