Brazil Bans Masks

[Brief] In the face of political protests across the nation, Brazil has banned the wearing of masks in public demonstrations.

The ban was signed by Geraldo Alckmin, the governor of Sao Paulo state, and will go into effect upon regulation–which can take up to 180 days.

The ban has sparked a further protest against the Brazilian government. A Thursday protest has been planned for in Sao Paulo.

The protest will take place at Roosevelt Square between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

The penalty attached to mask wearing at public demonstrations has yet to be decided.

By James Haleavy

 

Brazil Bans Masks

Russian Population's Support of Annexation of Crimea Dropping, Not Rising--Poll

Enthusiasm about the annexation of Crimea among Russians has dropped in the past few months, according to a Lebada Center poll. The news was reported by the opposition’s Dozhd news–a report that contrasts with the reports of official Russian government news outlets, which have reported that Russians are becoming more accepting of the annexation of Crimean into the Russian Federation.

Russian media outlets have been reporting the poll as showing that more Russians support the annexation–citing a number of 73 percent up from 64 percent. However, Dozhd has reported that this figure shows merely that 73 percent of Russians consider Crimea to be part of Russia, up from 64 percent.

The poll asked Russians about the joy they experienced as a result of the annexation of Crimea as well as approval of the nation’s leadership and the willingness of Russians to reduce personal spending to finance the new region of Russian territory.

Joy about the annexation has dropped from 23 percent to 16 percent. Approval of the actions of the Russian government regarding Crimea dropped from 47 percent to 40 percent. Pride in Russia as a result of the annexation dropped from 37 percent to 30 percent.

Commenters have seen a connection between rising criticism of the Russian government and the recent formation of “anti-Maidan popular militias,” called druzhinniki, which will begin work in several regions of Russia this month, including Crimea.

The officially stated purpose of the druzhinniki militias is to monitor the situation, prevent anti-government opposition, acts of provocation and non-systemic opposition that may threaten the constitutional order, and otherwise assist police.

The poll was taken August 22-25 in 134 Russian cities and towns and 1,600 Russian participants.

By Day Blakely Donaldson

 

Russian Population's Support of Annexation of Crimea Dropping, Not Rising--Poll

Pennsylvania Releases Information About Fracking Contamination for First Time: 243 Cases of Private Drinking Water Contamination Revealed

The state of Pennsylvania has made its first admission that oil and gas drilling operations in the state have been contaminating private drinking wells for years. The state made public 243 cases of contamination in 22 counties which had remained unreported since 2008–the first year of the Marcellus shale play boom.

“This is something that should have been made public a long time ago,” said the Pennsylvania Sierra Club chapter member, Thomas Au.

The release of information came after years of requests by news agencies such as the AP under the Freedom of Information Act and by groups filing lawsuits.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection posted details about the 243 cases online Thursday. The agency said that it had conducted a “thorough review” of its paper files.

The DEP did not immediately issue a statement with the information release.

The earliest cases released by the DEP were from 2008–six years ago. Cases from the current year were also released.

Problems detailed included methane gas contamination, wastewater spills and other pollutants, and dry or undrinkable wells.

Although some of the problems were reported to have been temporary, landowners names were redacted, so information about whether the problems were resolved was not available.

Earlier this year, the state admitted that it had received hundreds of complaints regarding fracking-related water issues in 2012 and 2013, but had not released details.

Last month, the state’s auditor general Eugene DePasquale, reported that the DEP’s system of handling complaints was “woefully inadequate.” The auditor general said that the DEP could not even determine whether all complaints had been entered into a reporting system. DePasqualel made 29 recommendations for improvement.

DePasquale said at the time that the state’s sudden, extremely profitable Marcellus boom had “caught the Department of Environmental Protection unprepared to effectively administer laws and regulations to protect drinking water and unable to efficiently respond to citizen complaints.”

Pennsylvania is currently six years into a natural gas boom. The Marcellus Shale play lies under West Virginia, New York and Ohio, in addition to Pennsylvania. The boom took off in 2008 and has seen the Marcellus become the most productive natural gas field in the US. More than 6,000 shale gas wells have been drilled in the Marcellus, generating billions of dollars in revenue.

By Sid Douglas

Pennsylvania Releases Information About Fracking Contamination for First Time: 243 Cases of Private Drinking Water Contamination Revealed

Ebola Genome Sequencing Being Undertaken by Harvard Team to Discover Weaknesses in Virus Genome, Which Has Mutated Hundreds of Times Already

The largest Ebola outbreak in history, which began in Guinea earlier this year before spreading to other West African nations, has become the subject of a gene sequencing study by a Harvard team already well-versed in similar viruses. The research has discovered that the current Ebola outbreak has already mutated hundreds of times and continues to mutate rapidly. Scientists will use the data from genome sequencing to find weaknesses in the virus, which can be attacked with drugs.

The Harvard team already is fluent and actively working on similar viruses in West Africa. The team had been working on Lassa Virus before taking on Ebola.

Pardis Sabeti

Pardis Sabeti, a computer geneticist at Harvard University, said that the team’s experience with Lassa Virus was helpful in understanding Ebola because of the similar symptoms of the two viruses, particularly hemorrhagic fever.

“If you look at the three published Guinean strains,” commented Sabeti, “these are all linked. These all appear to be one chain of events.

Read more: “When Well-Managed, an Ebola Outbreak Can Be Stopped” – UN with Affected Nations Launch Joint $100 Million Response Plan

“It seems that there is one entry into Sierra Leone, that spread throughout.

“We see hundreds of mutations–over 300 mutations–that separate this virus from past viruses. We see 55 mutations that have just happened within the course of this outbreak event. And we also see hundreds of mutations that are happening within individuals–things that one day may become common in the population and fixed between individuals.

“Many of those are functional, so we’re going to be paying attention to those.

“The understanding of the pathogenesis,” said Christian Happi, Director of the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infections Disease in Nigeria, referring to the development of drugs or vaccines, “that actually provides crucial information for going on to develop whatever tools.”

Drugs and vaccines are built on protein sequences, which are build on the genome sequence. Scientists will be able to use the research data to see how genome sequences are changing and identify which parts of the Ebola virus will be vulnerable and which parts will disappear from the strain.

“The type of genome sequencing we do informs whether or not the drugs, the vaccines, the diagnostics that we are using are going to be viable as the virus continues to mutate and change,” said Sabeti.

The Harvard team has already been active in West Africa during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. They set up diagnosis and surveillance on the ground.

By James Haleavy

 

Ebola Genome Sequencing Being Undertaken by Harvard Team to Discover Weaknesses in Virus Genome, Which Has Mutated Hundreds of Times Already

Russian Soldiers Families to Russian Government: "Give Us Back Our Children" Killed in Undeclared War [with video]

The families of the Russian soldiers recently captured in Ukraine are pleading with the Russian government to return their children from what Russians are increasingly referring to as an “undeclared war” in Eastern Ukraine. The families appealed directly to the Russian president and military leaders to return the soldiers alive and well, and asked for those in power to “help them.”

“Dear President, Minister of Defense, military commanders, my child, Yegor Potchoyev, is now a captive of the territory of Ukraine,” said the mother of the soldier in a plea to the Russian government. “In the name of Christ, I beg you: give me back my child, return him alive, and all the other boys who are with him in captivity.

“Son, boys, we are with you. Whatever happens, we’ll get you out of this fix. If the military leaders won’t do it, then we will, your mothers.”

Read more: Head of Russian Soldiers’ Mothers Group Denounces Putin for Sending Soldiers to “the Bloody Battlefields” in Undeclared War 

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied Russia’s involvement in Ukraine since its military mission in Crimea in late February and March, the first news of the deaths of Russian soldiers’ has reached the Russian public. The news reached Russians through Russian independent media and Ukrainian channels.

The Ukrainian government televised the capture of 10 regular Russian soldiers, paratroopers apprehended in Eastern Ukraine.

Other Russian soldiers were missing and some killed, reportedly.

The prominent Russian group Soldiers’ Mothers has been loudly declaiming Putin and the government for its actions in Ukraine–which the group has called an “undeclared war.”

“Two days ago everything was different,” said another captured soldier’s family member. “I’m a patriot of my country and if the president and the minister of foreign affairs say none of our troops are in Ukraine, they’re only at the border, how can we not believe him? I love our president, honestly.

“But now we’ve all changed our opinion, because of this case. Now, of course, I believe our troops are taking part in a war.”

The families of the captured soldiers asked for the safe return of their children, and pled, “Save them. Help us. Return them home alive and well.”

By Day Blakely Donaldson

Russian soldiers families in video published by Telegraph.uk

 

Russian Soldiers Families to Russian Government: "Give Us Back Our Children" Killed in Undeclared War [with video]

4,000 Migrants Picked Up in One Weekend by Italian Navy

Over the weekend, the Italian Navy picked up nearly 4,000 migrants trying to reach Italian shores from North Africa.

The Italian Navy uses helicopters, patrol boats and frigates in its Mare Nostrum operation, which was launched last October after 360 migrants drowned off the coasts of Sicily, and is reported to cost $12.5 million per month.

The purpose of the operation is to rescue would-be refugees while arresting human traffickers.

Refugees travelling to Italy by boat continue to increase. The refugees come from Syria, Iraq and the Middle East, in addition to North African nations, and are often fleeing conflict areas.

In 2014, so far nearly 110,000 would-be refugees have been rescued, according to the UN’s refugee agency, but nearly 2,000 migrants have died making the journey.

Many of the human traffickers’ boats are launched from Libya, where an ongoing civil war continues to rage between Islamist forces and their opponents.

Mare Nostrum is being considered for expansion to an international level.

By Sid Douglas.

4,000 Migrants Picked Up in One Weekend by Italian Navy

Russians Are Protesting the War in Ukraine, and Are Being Arrested by Russian Police [with video]

In recent weeks, Russians have been attempting to demonstrate against the Russian war in Ukraine–an action that has been difficult because the Russian government has recently passed laws limiting free assembly in Russia. In Moscow Sunday night, Russian protesters attempted to demonstrate against Russia’s undeclared war and were arrested by Russian police.

The protesters attempted to hold a candlelight vigil composed of 2,249 candles–equivalent to the number of civilians already reported killed in Eastern Ukraine, but were prevented from doing so by Russian police.

“Respected citizens! Extinguish the candles. This is forbidden in a public place!” police announced before extinguishing the candles.

Protesters questioned the law prohibiting candles in a public place, and were arrested by police.

Dmitry Kartsev, an employee of Gazeta.ru and a participant in the aborted vigil, was arrested after saying, “I have come to remember those who have died on both sides of the conflict taking place in Ukraine.”

“I’m not an activist at all. I’m a person who is bitter, that people died–died due to stupidity,” said another participant. “People died who don’t even know the truth about what is happening. I have a friend who went to Donbass as a volunteer. And died. That’s it, the man is gone.”

The number of 2,249 was reported by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights last week. A later number, tallied by UNOHCHR and reported by Reuters, was 2,593, excluding Malaysia Airlines MH17 victims.

“People, what’s wrong with you This is not your war, and it’s your children who will die.”

Another participant, who also took part in an extension of the demonstration in another, less public locale, said of the further action, which was seen by very few, “That was useless, even laughable. “But something had to be done. You don’t want to lose the remnants of your human face.”

Also over the weekend, in several Russian cities Russians protested against Putin and the denial of their constitutional rights to assembly, and were arrested.

A new phenomenon also occurred with regards to the protests. Lone protesters have begun protesting in the streets. The protesters are proceeding on the presumption that, unlike group protests, single protesters do not require permts for demonstration. However, five people were arrested by Russian police for solitary protests, including composer Aleksandr Manotskov.

By Day Blakely Donaldson

Manezhku for and against the war with Ukraine

Russians Are Protesting the War in Ukraine, and Are Being Arrested by Russian Police [with video]