#COVID-19 India updates

[iakshaysrivastav]

India's COVID-19 Vaccination Success: A Global Leader

India’s COVID-19 vaccination journey is a testament to resilience and innovation, propelling it to the forefront of global healthcare. With over 2.2 billion doses administered as of 2024, India’s campaign stands among the largest and most complex vaccination efforts worldwide. Significant progress has been made. However, the road to achieving full immunization has been riddled with challenges.…

[thelocalreport8]

Covid JN.1 LIVE: 63 cases of new variant reported in 24 hours, Karnataka Cabinet sub-committee meeting today

COVID-19 JN.1 Variant News Live Updates: Amid growing concerns over rising cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1, a total of 63 cases of the sub-variant have been detected in India as of Sunday. Citing Health Ministry sources, ANI on Monday reported that Goa is the biggest contributor to the cases, where 34 cases were reported in a single day. Apart from Goa, nine are from Maharashtra, eight from…

[shaktiknowledgeblog]

Covid 19 in India | Coronavirus | COVID19 | covid19 cases | Covid19 Top updates | Covid19 news | Today Covid case

Covid 19 in India: First death from Corona after three months in Bengal, 1890 infected confirmed in 24 hours 1,051 patients have also recovered in the same period, which has increased the number of patients recovering from the corona to 4,41,63,883। As a result, India’s recovery rate is 98.79 percent. Image Source: FREEPIKFirst death from Corona after three months in Bengal Covid 19 in India:…

[suchananewsblog]

Home décor: All things niche and natural

Home décor: All things niche and natural

It’s a prolonged winter in many parts of India and home becomes the comfort zone most of the time. The décor and accents that make your space also determine the calm you can afford when news of another pandemic threat do the rounds. You could still be on the lookout for anything that exudes verve and joy. Pinklay: Blending heritage into contemporary designs Daisy Tanwani studied mass media with a…

[newscast1]

China slams 'distorted' reports on Covid response, eases further curbs

China slams ‘distorted’ reports on Covid response, eases further curbs

China will resume issuing passports for tourism in another big step away from anti-Covid controls, that isolated the country for almost three years, as it further eases curbs amid a massive spike in infection. A health worker waits for people to take swab samples to test for the Covid-19 coronavirus inside of a compound in the Jing’an district in Shanghai. (Photo: AFP) By India Today Web Desk:…

[nationalistbharat]

CoronaVirus:कोरोना वायरस से चीन के हालात बिगड़े,भारत सतर्क

CoronaVirus:कोरोना वायरस से चीन के हालात बिगड़े,भारत सतर्क

नई दिल्ली:अपने पहले और दूसरे दौर में तबाही मचाने के बाद चीन में कोरोना(CoronaVirus)के नए वैरिएंट BF.7 से संक्रमण के मामलों में हो रही बेतहाशा बढ़ोतरी को देखते हुए भारत सरकार भी सतर्क हो गई और इस महामारी से निपटने के लिए राज्य सरकार को भी दिशा-निर्देश जारी किया गया है.चीन में कोरोना(CoronaVirus) से हालात बिगड़ते जा रहे हैं. जीरो-कोविड पॉलिसी खत्म होने के बाद वहां कोरोना के मामलों में भारी इजाफा हो…

[srilanka1234]

The convention celebrates the Indian diaspora around the world and commemorates the contribution of the overseas Indian population towards India’s progress, according to a statement.

[somerabbitholes]

dear miss c! you're doing the lord's work by helping out us less read folks.

would you mind suggesting some works (books/papers/articles /essays) related to the following topics:

1. Poverty (in the Post Pandemic world)

2. Power and Crisis

3. Women in the Workforce

4. State of education in Rural India during Crisis

5. Neo-colonialism

I'm asking a lot, but help a girl out plis 🫶🏼

thankyou. 🕊️💌

Hello! I can't address all of these, but here's what I have:

Poverty

The Roots of the Global South’s New Resentment by Mark Suzman (Foreign Affairs)

COVID 19, Consumption and Inequality by Mudit Kapoor, Shamika Ravi and A. K. Shiva Kumar

Covid-19 and poverty vulnerability by Fabian Mendez Ramos and Jaime Lara

Workforce Participation

Workfare as an Effective Way to Fight Poverty: The Case of India’s NREGS by Shamika Ravi and Monika Engler

Empowerment and Microfinance in India by Shamika Ravi, Ashok Rai

Neocolonialism

The Great Divergence by Kenneth Pomeranz: not neocolonialism per se, but discusses the origins of current global inequality in wealth distribution, and it traces this to colonialism

Conflict, Competition and Cooperation in the Sociology of Development and Social Transformations by Ulrike Schuerkens

An Introduction to World-systems Perspective by Thomas Shannon: the world-systems theory is pretty much the foundation of how neocolonialism is thought about, and this is a good introduction to it

Postmodern Imperialism: Geopolitics and the Great Games by Eric Walberg: on the long tail of imperialism and colonialism 

Happy reading! Also, I'll update this if I find more resources for you.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

As flu season nears, so do new COVID-19 variants.

A newly discovered COVID strain known as XEC continues to spread rapidly across multiple countries, including the United States and California.

First appearing in late June in Berlin, the XEC COVID-19 strain has spread across Europe, North America, and Asia, totaling around 550 samples, according to Australia-based data integration specialist Mike Honey.

The variant has been recorded in 27 countries, including China, Ukraine, Norway, and Poland.

COVID in California XEC is spreading rapidly worldwide, but there have been only 23 cases in the United States, including three in California.

“We are still in early days, so it could be a dominant strain, or it could fizzle out and die. It’s very difficult to predict. It does have some advantages in the lab over currently circulating strains, predominantly the KP strains," Chief Dr. Dean Blumberg of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Health told ABC Sacramento.

Omicron variant KP.3.1.1, also known as deFLuQE, made up over half (52.7%) of COVID-19 cases between Sept. 1 and Sept. 14. However, XEC and a variant known as MV.1 seem poised to become the next dominant strains, scientists say.

"At this juncture, the XEC variant appears to be the most likely one to get legs next," Scripps Research Translational Institute Director Eric Topol wrote on X.

California has seen a slowdown in COVID-19 infections and deaths since late August, the California Department of Public Health reported.

"While COVID-19 levels had increased over the summer to levels comparable to last summer, they are now decreasing as seen in both decreasing SARS-CoV-2 test positivity and detections in wastewater," officials told KCRA 3 Sacramento in a statement.

COVID XEC symptoms The CDC has not confirmed whether the XEC variant has any unique symptoms. USA TODAY has contacted CDC officials for comment.

The agency continues to outline the primary COVID-19 symptoms, which can appear between two to 14 days after exposure to the virus and can range from mild to severe.

These are some of the symptoms of COVID-19:

Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache Loss of taste or smell Sore throat Congestion or runny nose Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea

The CDC said you should seek medical attention if you have the following symptoms:

Trouble breathing Persistent pain or pressure in the chest New confusion Inability to wake or stay awake Pale, gray or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds

What is variant MV. 1? First documented in Maharashtra, India, in late June, COVID-19 variant MV.1 has been recorded in nine countries, including the United States, Honey reported.

It's spread across four continents in countries including Portugal, Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands. In the United States, it's mainly been seen in the northeast, according to Honey.

How can we protect ourselves from XEC and other variants? The CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older, with some exceptions, receive an updated 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the virus, regardless of whether you have previously been vaccinated or infected.

[farhan29174]

Treadmill Market Outlook | Forecast 2024-2034

The Treadmill market report offered by Reports Intellect is meant to serve as a helpful means to evaluate the market together with an exhaustive scrutiny and crystal-clear statistics linked to this market. The report consists of the drivers and restraints of the Treadmill Market accompanied by their impact on the demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the report includes the study of prospects available in the market on a global level. With tables and figures helping evaluate the Global Treadmill market, this research offers key statistics on the state of the industry and is a beneficial source of guidance and direction for companies and entities interested in the market. This report comes along with an additional Excel data-sheet suite taking quantitative data from all numeric forecasts offered in the study.

Get Sample PDF Brochure @ https://www.reportsintellect.com/sample-request/2911451

Key players offered in the market: BH Fitness Cybex Dyaco ICON Health &Fitness Impulse Johnson Health Life Fitness Nautilus Precor Shuhua Sole Star Trac Strength Master

Additionally, it takes account of the prominent players of the Treadmill market with insights including market share, product specifications, key strategies, contact details, and company profiles. Similarly, the report involves the market computed CAGR of the market created on previous records regarding the market and existing market trends accompanied by future developments. It also divulges the future impact of enforcing regulations and policies on the expansion of the Treadmill Market.

Scope and Segmentation of the Treadmill Market

The estimates for all segments including type and application/end-user have been provided on a regional basis for the forecast period from 2024 to 2034. We have applied a mix of bottom-up and top-down methods for market estimation, analyzing the crucial regional markets, dynamics, and trends for numerous applications. Moreover, the fastest & slowest growing market segments are pointed out in the study to give out significant insights into each core element of the market.

Treadmill Market Type Coverage: - Single Function Treadmill Multifunctional Treadmill

Treadmill Market Application Coverage: - Home Commercial

Regional Analysis:

North America Country (United States, Canada) South America Asia Country (China, Japan, India, Korea) Europe Country (Germany, UK, France, Italy) Other Countries (Middle East, Africa, GCC)

Also, Get an updated forecast from 2024 to 2034.

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The comprehensive report provides:

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Covid-19 Impact Analysis: Our research analysts are highly focused on the Treadmill Market covid-19 impact analysis. A whole chapter is dedicated to the covid-19 outbreak so that our clients get whole and sole details about the market ups & downs. With the help of our report the clients will get vast statistics as to when and where should they invest in the industry.

About Us: Reports Intellect is your one-stop solution for everything related to market research and market intelligence. We understand the importance of market intelligence and its need in today's competitive world.

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[mediamonarchy]

https://mediamonarchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240228_MorningMonarchy.mp3 Download MP3 Food costs, covert gardening and deep fried toothpicks + this day in history w/cyber lettuce and our song of the day by The Lethargics on your #MorningMonarchy for February 28, 2024. Notes/Links: Apple Kills Its Electric Car Project; The car, which Apple spent billions of dollars researching, had been intended as a rival to Tesla’s E.V.s, which include autonomous driving features. https://archive.is/7UaAG Bill Gates Partner GAVI Vaccine Alliance Targets Online Memes https://reclaimthenet.org/bill-gates-partner-gavi-vaccine-alliance-targets-online-memes How memes became health disinformation super-spreaders https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/how-memes-transformed-pics-cute-cats-health-disinformation-super-spreaders “Memes Save Lives”: Stigma and the Production of Antivaccination Memes During the COVID-19 Pandemic https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20563051231224729 Image: The guy who discovered milk trying to explain what he was doing https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/601835364159586344/1211245925352341564/image.png?ex=65ed7fac&is=65db0aac&hm=50f6ab7342ee84e85d97077cb2e0b1a1223063e1832a509998038bb2a59efcc8& Image: Bill Gates Partner GAVI Vaccine Alliance Targets Online Memes – Graffiti Version https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/601835364159586344/1211117025137524817/bill-gates-targets-memes.jpg?ex=65ed07a0&is=65da92a0&hm=9488fdf585ce8fe0fc2d67a0ea78b06f309aa5da7e85f759becaa0d037e3670b& New York Times writer says he was chided during staff orientation for liking Chick-Fil-A’s spicy chicken sandwich 🤣 https://vxtwitter.com/Not_the_Bee/status/1762165629652766910 // https://notthebee.com/article/just-in-case-you-were-wondering-how-insane-the-new-york-times-is Image: @Hybrid’s Cover Art – The Spicy Scoop’s ‘Red Hot Regret’ https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/983208466481029191/1212263370842050600/20240228_MorningMonarchy.jpg?ex=65f1333e&is=65debe3e&hm=f30fb9f29fb6c3326bf0950f05ad0528c7a78b48495751b4b4dd1a604203ff70& Wendy’s planning Uber-style ‘surge pricing’ where burger prices fluctuate based on demand https://nypost.com/2024/02/26/business/wendys-planning-surge-prices-based-on-fluctuating-demand/ Biden makes unexpected trip to Walter Reed for ‘physical’ as mental fitness speculation mounts https://nypost.com/2024/02/28/us-news/biden-heads-to-annual-physical-as-hunter-arrives-for-impeachment-deposition/ Farm Income Expected to Continue Steep Decline in 2024 https://www.lancasterfarming.com/farming-news/ag-business/farm-income-expected-to-continue-steep-decline-in-2024/article_bab62d90-cf5c-11ee-b20d-ab0e4a64a9c1.html Video: Farm Journal – AgDay Minute: Food costs hit 30-yr high (Audio) https://youtu.be/mvGxTT2eqlg X admits to taking down India farmers’ protest posts https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-68366859 Amish farmer Amos miller update: upcoming hearing Feb 29th Lancaster co., pa https://x.com/freewill_farmer/status/1760999470387372490 #MounseyMinute: The first segment of the “Mounsey Minute” series on Media Monarchy aired recently! https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/the-first-segment-of-the-mounsey #MounseyMinute/#MorningMonarchy: January 24, 2024 – First installment of the Mounsey Minute @ 40:48 https://mediamonarchy.com/20240124morningmonarchy/ MP3: #MounseyMinute – Covert Food Gardening In the Age of Front Lawn Fanaticism (Audio) https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/597898944584089623/1212243255668768808/20240228_MounseyMinute.mp3?ex=65f12082&is=65deab82&hm=290efc2dc4904cc5cf2629ae3e58b1d45e99bcc15b002a6b8083fbb6886be7d9& #MounseyMinute: Covert Food Gardening In The Era Of The Lawn Nazis https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/covert-food-gardening-in-the-era #MounseyMinute: The Future of Food (Is Ours to Decide) https://corbettreport.com/the-future-of-food-is-ours-to-decide/ #MounseyMinute: Buy Gavin’s Book ‘Recipes For Reciprocity’ https://recipesforreciprocity.com/ Why is the ONS suddenly changing the “excess deaths” numbers? https...

[theculturedmarxist]

[...]

Cases aren't the only thing dropping either — so is surveillance of the virus. We're doing less testing and less sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 genetics.

Given all this, the question begs to be asked: Are we letting our guard down while waving the Mission Accomplished flag?

When asked if there is adequate surveillance for new variants happening, Dr. Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), flatly said no.

"Current trends in reported COVID-19 cases are underestimates of the true number of global infections and reinfections as shown by prevalence surveys," Harris told Salon in an email. "This is partly due to the reduction in testing and delays in reporting in many countries. Reduction in testing means a reduction in genetic sequencing, as you need to find the virus first in order to sequence it."

"We continually call on member states to maintain strong testing and sequencing in order to identify new variants but also to understand the level of SARS-CoV-2 transmission going on in their populations," Harris continued. "This virus remains unstable — it has not settled into a predictable pattern, which means surveillance systems need to be sensitive to pick up the early signs of another surge."

XBB.1.5, nicknamed by some as "Kraken," is thus far the dominant variant for most of 2023, with estimated cases of Kraken exceeding 70 percent since the week of Feb 11. It has far eclipsed the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 variants. Meanwhile BA.2 and BA.5, the two variants that dominated case counts for most of 2022, have all but disappeared.

According to the latest CDC variant tracking data, the only other variants really circulating in the U.S. are XBB.1.5's offspring: XBB.1.9 and XBB.1.5.1. Meanwhile, XBB.1.16 is spreading rapidly in India and could eventually make its way to North America. Notably, XBB was first detected in Singapore before its offspring made the jump across the Pacific, though XBB.1.5 was first detected in the U.S. and likely originated in the Northeast.

All these names may sound like gobbledygook to most non-experts — and there is a reason it's so confusing. When variants of the virus mutated and evolved into new strains with significant advantages over old lineages, the WHO began giving these "variants of concern" names from the Greek alphabet. Hence, variants like delta and gamma made headlines when they emerged and began to spread — but the WHO has yet to assign any variants a new Greek name since omicron surged in late 2021. Instead, we have this alphabet soup of named variants, all of which are technically different sub-strains of omicron.

Even a minor variation in a virus' genetics can equate to a huge difference in how well immunity from vaccines and previous infections can stop them. If the virus evolves some kind of advantage — as viruses are prone to do and just as SARS-CoV-2 has done many times throughout the pandemic — another surge is not out of the question.

In mid-March, the WHO updated their definition of what makes COVID variants threatening and currently classifies XBB.1.5 as a "variant of interest," which means it is seen as less threatening than previous variants of concern.

Nonetheless, some virologists have argued that XBB and its close relatives are so genetically different from the very first strain of SARS-CoV-2 that it should technically be renamed a new virus, SARS-CoV-3.

"XBB.1.5 does show a growth advantage and a higher immune escape capacity, but evidence from multiple countries does not suggest that XBB and XBB.1.5 are associated with increased severity or mortality," Harris said. "In countries where the variant has driven an increase in cases, the waves are significantly smaller in scale compared to previous waves."

That's good news, but as the virus bounces between hemispheres, it may gain new mutations that allow it to infect more effectively or evade immunity. Some of our treatments, but not all, have stopped working against XBB strains. Monoclonal antibodies don't stop it, but antiviral drugs like Paxlovid and bivalent booster vaccines are still very effective.

But the combined lack of public interest in the pandemic, exemplified in victory marches from political leadership, has led to a shrinking pool of data on COVID as there is less funding afforded to tracking and research. As we've seen in previous surges, the situation can change without warning. The situation is made worse by wild animals that harbor COVID, a viral reservoir that could spill back to humanity if given the opportunity.

"The level of genomic surveillance has been dropping off, and there are also indications that funding for wastewater monitoring will be ending in some places," Dr. T. Ryan Gregory, an evolutionary and genome biologist at the University of Guelph in Canada, told Salon in an email. "We have far less information than we used to, which hampers the ability to detect and track new variants. It's also worth noting that India and China include about one-third of the world's population, and we have very little information on variants there."

While overall trends are down, many people would be especially vulnerable to a COVID infection right now, according to Dr. Rajendram Rajnarayanan, an assistant dean of research and associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology campus in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

"Very few of us have had the bivalent booster, so in terms of protection, we are kind of vulnerable," Rajnarayanan told Salon. He noted that COVID is still a serious, life-threatening disease for immunocompromised people and those over 70. Most people who got bivalent booster shots — if they did so at all — received the jab in the fall. By now, that immunity has likely waned and there hasn't been much communication about when or if a new booster will come out later this year. According to NPR, the Food and Drug Administration has said it will allow some people over the age of 65 to get a second bivalent booster, but it hasn't been officially announced yet.

So while infections are trending downward, immunity is as well. In the past, major gaps in immunity have been followed by major surges, such as with delta and omicron.

"When there is a big pause, and some new variant comes, we are not really protected. But when there are repeated waves, the previous wave usually protects the next wave." Rajnarayanan said. "Every time the variant goes down, something goes up later on. Just the gap between the two peaks has changed."

Despite the unpredictability of SARS-CoV-2, the strategy for fighting it hasn't changed. Masking in public, improving indoor ventilation, testing when appropriate, staying home when sick and keeping up with vaccines when possible are good strategies for keeping the virus at bay. But overall, it's not enough to say the emergency is over. We need to be strategic and keep a close eye on the evolution of COVID as well.

"People have changed, our approaches have changed, and we don't need any modern approaches to defeat this virus," Rajnarayanan said. "We know how to do this . . .  we have to do it collectively. That's all there is to it."

[chocolateandsilver]

The Restrict Act 2023

About the Restrict Act

There’s a lot of information/misinformation I’ve been seeing about the Restrict Act. I’ve stared at the damn bill for around thirty hours at this point, so I thought I’d give people a summary of what it’s actually doing as well as what it isn’t doing, to help you avoid misinformation.

Buckle in, folks, because this is going to be a long post. I know Tumblr is allergic to nuance, but hopefully you’ll be able to see both the good and the bad in this bill by the time I’m done, and be able to understand what’s actually going on. If you just want to see problems with the act, the last section is devoted to that.

tl;dr good in spirit because of the rising rate of infrastructure cyberattacks, but the letter of the law could use a little work to make sure that the government can't overstep

Why the Restrict Act?

Let’s start with the why. Why does the US government feel like this Act is necessary? The stated purpose is: “To authorize the Secretary of Commerce to review and prohibit certain transactions between persons in the United States and foreign adversaries, and for other purposes.” Which is a bunch of legalese, so I’ll give you some examples of things that are happening in the real world which the government wants more authority to look into.

The author of the bill, Sen. Warner, specifically cited Huawei and Kapersky as companies that were doing Suspicious Things, so we’ll look at those first.

Huawei: Huawei is a telecommunications company. The US, Australia, Canada, Sweden, UK, Lithuania, and Estonia have all taken various actions against Huawei over the last decade or so. In 2012, a malicious software update was installed on Huawei devices in Australia, attacking Australia’s telecommunications network. In 2021, a Washington Post review suggested that Huawei was involved in mass surveillance programs. In 2014, a Huawei engineer was caught hacking a cell phone tower in India

Kapersky: The UK, Lithuania, the Netherlands, the EU, Germany, and Italy have all taken action against Kapersky. This company produces antivirus software, and was accused of working on secret projects with Russia’s Federal Security Service, especially in the wake of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Allegedly, the company used the popular antivirus software to secretly scan for classified documents and other information, and allegedly stole NSA information.

In addition to these two companies, there have been tons of cyberattacks worldwide.

Half of the United States’ fuel supply was compromised due to a hack on Colonial Pipeline, shutting down fuel for some areas in the American southeast for days

A hacking group disrupted Iranian steel factories and even started a fire

Costa Rica had to declare a national emergency after government systems were hit, including systems for exports, pensions, taxes, welfare, and even Covid-19 testing.

A ransomware attack caused a major outage to emergency health services in the UK

The stated purpose of this act is to give the USA some kind of formal process to make decisions when something like this is suspected of happening, and when it’s caused by a “foreign adversary.”

What’s a foreign adversary?

A foreign adversary is a country that has engaged in a “long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States or security and safety of United States persons.”

The bill kindly provides us with a list of six countries that fit this description: China(including Hong Kong), Cuba, Iran, Korea, Russia, and Venezuela

The Secretary of Commerce can add/remove countries to this list at any time, as long as Congress is informed within 15 days of the reasoning behind that decision.

Once Congress is informed, Congress can disagree via joint resolution (So both Houses have to vote to disagree with the Secretary of Commerce’s decision). If Congress disagrees, there’s a whole complicated process for getting the label added/removed.

We’ll get into the ethics later, in the Genuine Problems section.

For the rest of this post, I’ll be saying Scary Countries instead of foreign adversaries, so that it’s easier for people to understand.

What is the United States allowed to investigate using this Act?

So first we’re going to define some things, because the Act is very specific about what the United States can investigate.

The bill defines something called a “covered transaction,” which is basically a financial or technological action taken by a Scary Country or on behalf of a Scary Country. For the rest of this post, I’ll be saying Scary Action instead of covered transaction.

The bill also defines something called a “covered holding,” which is essentially any group that is partially or fully owned by a Scary Country, on behalf of a Scary Country, or that falls under a Scary Country’s jurisdiction, even with degrees of separation. The group has to affect either 1+ million Americans or has to have sold 1+ million units of a tech product to Americans. This group is usually a company, but it can be other things, too. For the rest of this post, I’ll be saying Scary & Important Group instead of covered holding.

The Secretary of Commerce is allowed to find/investigate/stop any Scary Action or Scary & Important Group that wants to do one of the following:

sabotage information and communications tech in the US

damage critical infrastructure or the digital economy of the US

interfere with a Federal election

undermine democratic processes

Pose any other unacceptable risk to the USA.

This is a list of Really Bad Things, so from now on I’m going to call it the List of Really Bad Things.

If it’s a Scary & Important Group instead of a Scary Action, the Secretary will refer the information to the President, who will then decide what to do to stop the threat. Otherwise, if it’s just a Scary Action, the Secretary has the authority to stop it.

If the Secretary finds out that something Scary is going on and that it falls under the List of Really Bad Things, the Secretary is REQUIRED to publish information in a DECLASSIFIED form about why they thought there was a threat and what was done to stop it, as long as none of the information is already classified. (This is a good thing!)

Process

First, the Secretary is given authority to find and investigate Scary Actions and Scary & Important Groups. The Secretary is also allowed to delegate this to Federal officials. Something key here is that the bill says that Federal officials can only have investigative powers that are “conferred upon them by any other Federal law.” They don’t get any extra powers. Anyone who tells you otherwise is panicking too hard to properly read the bill.

So what happens if, in the course of investigation, the Secretary finds out that a Scary Action or Scary & Important Group is trying to do a Really Bad Thing? Simple. The Attorney General will bring the case to an “appropriate district court.” The max fine for a civil penalty for an individual here is $250,000. For a criminal penalty for an individual, the max fine is $1 million and/or 20 years in prison, as well as giving up any of the things they used to do Really Bad Stuff with.

If someone is found guilty, they can appeal that decision, but only to the District of Columbia Circuit. Note that this is only for appeals! Otherwise, everything will be through the normal federal district courts.

If the appeal fails, too, the US will file all of the information that they used to make any big decisions with the court, and will give the defendant all of the information that is not classified, so that the defendant can ask for a full review.

Once the United States has stopped a Scary Action or a Scary & Important Group from doing Really Bad Things, it’s illegal to go around/against any of the actions that US has taken to do that.

Specifically, the bill says that “no person may cause or aid, abet, counsel, command, induce, procure, permit, or approve the doing of any act prohibited by, or the omission of any act required by any regulation, order, direction, mitigation measure, prohibition, or other authorization or directive issued under, this Act.”

Yes, this is legitimately scary. We’ll get into the ethics later, in the Genuine Problems section.

Myths

The bill gives the USA power to ban VPNs!

No. Unless the VPN company is trying to do one of the Really Bad Things under the instruction of a Scary Country or is suspected of doing one of the Really Bad Things, the VPN company will be fine.

The bill gives the USA power to investigate way more than they could before!

No. “In conducting investigations described in paragraph (1), designated officers or employees of Federal agencies described that paragraph may, to the extent necessary or appropriate to enforce this Act, exercise such authority as is conferred upon them by any other Federal law, subject to policies and procedures approved by the Attorney General” (emphasis mine).

Important here is “exercise such authority as is conferred upon them by any other Federal law” — this act is not giving them additional leeway. Really, the USA is making use of the lack of privacy that’s already baked into law in order to investigate.

If TikTok is banned and I use a VPN to access it, I could go to jail for 20 years!

Possible but severely unlikely, at least according to this law. Let’s go through some scenarios:

Scenario 1: The USA takes TikTok to court. In the decision, the USA says the TikTok app is no longer allowed to be on any app store. In this case, using a VPN to access TikTok would still be allowed, since the ban is for TikTok’s actions, not US citizens’ actions.

Scenario 2: The USA takes TikTok to court. In the decision, the USA says that TikTok is required to have some kind of filter banning US IP addresses. In this case, using a VPN to access TikTok would still be allowed, since the ban is for TikTok’s actions, not US citizens’ actions.

Scenario 3: The USA enacts a law forbidding citizens from accessing TikTok. This is unlikely, since the USA would have to have an entirely separate non-court procedure to do this, which is only kind of in the scope of the law. I guess it’s possible, but it’s skating on thin ice. In this case, using a VPN to access TikTok would be a crime. 4. If you’re charged, you have to go to the DC Circuit Court and not any of the other courts!

Actually, you’d first be charged under an ordinary district court in your state. If you decide to appeal, however, then you have to appeal to DC.

Genuine Problems

Adding a Scary Country to the list seems really easy. There’s nothing to stop the government from adding every single country to the list and then investigating every single action. Granted, it’s highly unlikely that this would happen, simply because then the amount of information would be difficult to go through, but it’s possible.

In the list of Really Bad Things, there’s an additional list item saying “otherwise poses an undue or unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the safety of United States persons.” Who determines that?

The definition of a Scary Action is ridiculously broad. It covers any financial or technology-related action. That could refer to a lot of different things.

While the bill is clearly intended only to prosecute people doing Really Bad Things, the wording is kind of vague in some places, and could be used to prosecute others, too.

Specifically, I’m thinking about this clause:

“no person may cause or aid, abet, counsel, command, induce, procure, permit, or approve the doing of any act prohibited by, or the omission of any act required by any regulation, order, direction, mitigation measure, prohibition, or other authorization or directive issued under, this Act”

Yeah this could definitely be used for overreach. It’s far too broad. If there was an infrastructure attack on the USA that affected the police dept, and an ACAB armchair activist tweeted “haha karma” would that count as grounds for prosecution? I have a genuine problem with this clause. The loopholes here are ridiculously large.

Overall, it seems as though this bill is aimed at large companies rather than citizens, but there are definitely loopholes for the government to exploit.

[shaktiknowledgeblog]

Covid 19 in India | Coronavirus | COVID19 | covid19 cases | Covid19 Top updates | Covid19 news | Today Covid case

Covid 19 in India: First death from Corona after three months in Bengal, 1890 infected confirmed in 24 hours 1,051 patients have also recovered in the same period, which has increased the number of patients recovering from the corona to 4,41,63,883। As a result, India’s recovery rate is 98.79 percent. Image Source: FREEPIKFirst death from Corona after three months in Bengal Covid 19 in India:…

[bolllywoodhungama]

The Trial's pivotal Track was inspired by a Sushant Singh Rajput, Rhea Chakraborty, and Arnab Goswami episode.

Three years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic was causing havoc in India, but the Sushant Singh Rajput death case was also receiving attention from the media and some online users. Rhea Chakraborty's portrayal as the villain eventually turned the situation into a media spectacle. A number of outrageous accusations—the majority of which lacked any supporting evidence—were made against her in connection with the actor's death. This iconic episode is covered in a key track in the most recent web series, The Trial, which debuted today on Disney+ Hotstar.

In the leading role, Kajol plays a mother trying to support her family after her husband is implicated in a bribery and sex scandal in The Trial. To make ends meet, she must work at a law firm. Every episode depicts Noyonika Sengupta (Kajol) battling a different case. The death of cricketer Mohit Singh, which occurred in mysterious circumstances, is one such case that is quite memorable. Juhi Bhatia, his girlfriend, has been detained on suspicion of aiding suicide. Despite the fact that the deceased is depicted as a sportsman, it is obvious that the Sushant Singh Rajput case served as inspiration for the film's creators.

The 2020 case is also notable because popular news anchor Arnab Goswami tried his best to persuade his viewers that Sushant Singh Rajput was killed by Rhea Chakraborty by presenting them with various theories. Daksh Rathod (Atul Kumar), a character based on him, also treats Juhi in the same way. Daksh Rathod is depicted as working for SNP News while Arnab happens to be the owner of Republic Network.

Crucial track in Kajol’s The Trial inspired by Sushant Singh Rajput – Rhea Chakraborty – Arnab Goswami episode : Bollywood News

Get more Bollywood News Updates only on Bollywood Hungama

[newscast1]

China censors report on this city seeing half a million Covid cases a day

China censors report on this city seeing half a million Covid cases a day

Amid the reports of crematoriums being flooded with bodies and hospitals running out of space, a Chinese health official claimed that half a million people in Qingdao city are being infected with Covid every day. New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 24, 2022 12:16 IST Patients lie on their beds at Central Hospital in Zhuozhou city in northern China’s Hebei province on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. Nearly three…