U.S. disseminates political, information, moral virus with conspiracy theory on coronavirus origin
(Xinhua) 16:52, June 01, 2021

BEIJING, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government has recently joined forces with some unscrupulous media outlets to hype up the so-called "laboratory leak" conspiracy theory on the origin of COVID-19 during the virtual World Health Assembly, which has drawn concern and criticism from the international community.

For political purposes, the U.S. side continues to cross the moral bottom line, maliciously concocting conspiracy theories and spreading misinformation, which has fueled an anti-science trend, exacerbated racial discrimination, and undermined the global fight against the pandemic.

The United States has indeed become the creator and disseminator of a political, information and moral virus.

POLITICAL VIRUS

U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement on Wednesday that he has called for a U.S.-based probe into the origin of COVID-19, and given U.S. intelligence agencies 90 days to report on whether the virus originated from an animal source or from a laboratory accident.

Meanwhile, U.S. media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal have once again hyped up the lab leak conspiracy theory on the origin of the virus.

However, according to a report on the global tracing of the virus origin released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 30, the introduction of COVID-19 through a laboratory incident was considered to be an "extremely unlikely" pathway.

Washington is using virus origin-tracing to create chaos in order to serve its own political purposes. It is trying to politicize the scientific agenda based on the presumption of guilt.

Experts have pointed out that origin-tracing is a scientific issue which should be carried out jointly by scientists across the world. Most countries have reached a consensus that this issue should not be politicized.

Recently, the WHO has reiterated its call for a "de-politicized environment" for studying the origin of the COVID-19 virus. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, called on "everyone out there to separate, if they can, the politics of this issue from the science."

"If you expect scientists to do their work, if you expect scientists to collaborate and actually get the answers that you want, actually seek in a non-blaming environment to find the origin of the virus, so we may all learn how to prevent this happening in the future, we would ask that this be done in a de-politicized environment where science and health are the objective of this and not (put the) blame on politics," he said.

Jeremy Farrar, director of charitable foundation Wellcome Trust, and a renowned medical researcher, has said that there is no place for "unsubstantiated rumor, or conspiracy theories often fueled for political purposes" when it comes to COVID-19 origin-tracing.

"The origins of SARS-CoV-2 are not yet certain -- it is possible the origin will never be fully established -- but nature is a powerful force and, in my view, the most likely scenario is that the virus crossed from animals to humans. The best scientific evidence available to date points to this," said Farrar in a statement provided to Xinhua.

INFORMATION VIRUS

Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, some U.S. politicians have ganged up with media outlets to construct narratives by cutting out facts and fabricating lies, in an attempt to misguide and control international public opinion.

A report published on Feb. 12 by The New York Times deliberately distorted and garbled the remarks by members of a WHO expert team sent to China on a COVID-19 origin-tracing mission.

In response, British zoologist Peter Daszak, a member of the WHO team misquoted by the U.S. media, clarified immediately via Twitter that "this was NOT my experience on the WHO mission."

"As lead of animal/environment working group I found trust & openness with my China counterparts. We DID get access to critical new data throughout. We DID increase our understanding of likely spillover pathways," Daszak wrote.

A so-called timeline by The Washington Post published on May 25, which tried to fan the lab leak conspiracy theory, was also strongly refuted by experts.

Kari Debbink, assistant professor at the Department of Natural Science of Bowie State University in the United States, tweeted that the timeline is "trash."

"This piece presents facts from a highly biased perspective meant to mislead people into thinking a lab leak is extremely likely," she wrote.

Ryan, the WHO senior official, said it's "quite disturbing" to see over the past few days "more and more and more discourse in the media with terribly little actual news or evidence or new material" concerning the possible origin of COVID-19.

Such media outlets as Fox News and The Washington Post have "fished" the story on the lab leak conspiracy theory "out of the right-wing's political wet market and polished it off for public consumption," said a report by U.S. independent news website Grayzone in late April last year. "Though neither outlet published a single piece of concrete evidence to support their claims."

Experts have pointed out that it is neither professional nor scientific for the United States to apply intelligence to the origin-tracing of COVID-19.

"The U.S. intelligence forces were asked to show if they had any information that might be helpful. They haven't done that as yet," Dominic Dwyer, a member of the WHO team sent to China and a professor at the University of Sydney, said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Friday.

"The fact that President Biden says he's getting conflicting reports from his intelligence agencies, to me, suggests there is no clear evidence, otherwise it would be obvious what was going on," he said.

MORAL VIRUS

Analysts said politicizing COVID-19 origin-tracing is an unethical and unpopular move that will only encourage discrimination and hatred against Asians, hinder fact- and science-based international cooperation on origin-tracing, and erode global anti-pandemic efforts.

To draw public attention to the problem, a group of 27 prominent public health scientists from outside China issued in February 2020 a co-signed statement in British medical journal The Lancet and warned that "the rapid, open, and transparent sharing of data on this outbreak is now being threatened by rumors and misinformation around its origins."

"We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin," said the scientists.

Sadly, the warning has been neglected in the United States. Whenever scientists speak out against conspiracy theories, they will be attacked by right-wing U.S. politicians and media practitioners. According to research by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, anti-Asian hate crimes rose by 149 percent in 2020 in 16 U.S. cities.

Citing some scientists, an article published Thursday in British scientific journal Nature said "the rhetoric around an alleged lab leak has grown so toxic that it's fuelling online bullying of scientists and anti-Asian harassment in the United States, as well as offending researchers and authorities in China whose cooperation is needed."

Hume Field, a science and policy advisor for China and Southeast Asia of EcoHealth Alliance in New York, told Xinhua on Friday that politicizing science just generates "doubt" and "mistrust" between Chinese and Western scientists, and fundamentally undermines joint global efforts needed to prevail against the virus and the pandemic.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)

Commentary: Discredited American reporter plays disinformation game again
(Xinhua) 16:04, June 01, 2021

NEW YORK, June 1 (Xinhua) -- After being ridiculed and debunked for about a whole year, the "lab-leak conspiracy" concerning COVID-19's origin suddenly gained traction over the past week, with all U.S. media reports citing a story by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that quoted dubious sources.

It was not the first time that the U.S. mainstream media had willingly played a role in the U.S. war of disinformation. By readily following the White House's old playbook of manipulating media reports to sell its wicked agenda, some U.S. reporters and their employers are endangering not only their careers, but global efforts to fight an unprecedented global health crisis.

By quoting a so-called "previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report," the WSJ story hinted a far-fetched connection between the "sick staff" of a Wuhan lab and the COVID-19 outbreak.

Yet the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which had not been exposed to the virus before Dec. 30, 2019, has not registered any infection among its staff and graduate students.

What is more, when the name of Michael R. Gordon appeared as the first writer of the WSJ story, people should have second thoughts before believing the theory proposed in the story.

Gordon was a correspondent for The New York Times (NYT) before joining WSJ in late 2017. His credibility as a reporter was tarnished on multiple occasions for inaccurate coverage and relying on anonymous sources.

For example, on Sept. 8, 2002, Gordon and Judith Miller published a report titled "U.S. Says Hussein Intensifies Quest for A-Bomb Parts," which played a key role in raising public support for the unjustified Iraq War. The only sources for his story were either "anonymous American officials" or "Intelligence experts."

Gordon, on his own, or with Miller, wrote some of the key, and badly misleading or downright inaccurate, articles about the fabricated Iraqi possession of weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the 2003 invasion, including the infamous "aluminum tubes" story.

SourceWatch, run by the Center for Media and Democracy, said that in late 2006, Gordon also wrote a series of reports touting an escalation in Iraq, while "there were of course plenty of Iraqis and some Americans Gordon could also have found, eager to say the exact opposite."

Gordon's WSJ story on the COVID-19 origin is strongly reminiscent of the botched U.S. war of disinformation ahead of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. First, Gordon obtained so-called "information" from "a previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report," and recounted it with amplification. Other media followed up, widely citing the Gordon story to hype up the topic. A few days later, the White House called for an intelligence report on the origins of COVID-19 within 90 days.

As U.S. reporters Amy Goodman and David Goodman said in 2004, this was the "classic disinformation two-step," in which the White House first leaks a lie to a U.S. media outlet, and the latter publishes it as a startling expose; then, the White House conveniently masquerades behind the credibility of the media.

Tracing the origin of COVID-19 should be both scientific and professional, and there should be no room for either political manipulation or media fabrication. Otherwise, global efforts to fight the virus and save lives would be seriously hampered.

By engaging in troubling coverage on the origin of COVID-19, Gordon has made himself an accomplice in the botched U.S. war of disinformation. His credibility as a reporter is tainted every time when his tricks are exposed, and this is just another instance of this.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)

UPDATED

Naomi Osaka withdraws from French Open amid feud over press conferences

Naomi Osaka competes at the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on March 29. File photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI | License Photo

May 31 (UPI) -- Japanese women's tennis star Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open Monday amid a controversy over her reluctance to attend press conferences due to her stated mental health concerns.

The second-seeded Osaka, who was scheduled to face Ana Bogdan following Sunday's first-round victory over Patricia Maria Tig, said in a statement posted to her Twitter account that it was "the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being" to withdraw.

Speaking of her decision last week to skip mandatory skip press conferences during Roland Garros because of what she called the media's disregard of athletes' "mental health," the Osaka wrote she recognized her move has taken the focus off the tennis being played in Paris.

"I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer," she stated. "More importantly I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly."

RELATED Tennis star Naomi Osaka fined $15K for not speaking to French Open media

In her original statement issued Wednesday, the 23-year-old star said she would not be conducting any press interviews during the tournament.

"We're often sat there and asked questions that we've been asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds and I'm just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me," she wrote.

Osaka said she expected to be fined for her actions, and after skipping the press conference following Sunday's win over Tig, the four Grand Slam tournaments indeed announced she would face a $15,000 penalty.

RELATED Reflective Naomi Osaka thrives on perspective for tennis hot streak

On Monday, Osaka stated her reluctance to engage in press interviews stems from acute social anxiety and is not meant personally.

The four-time Grand Slam tourney winner wrote she has suffered from "long bouts of depression" since the 2018 US Open final, when she defeated Serena Williams in a controversial match during which her opponent received a game penalty.

"Anyone that knows me knows I'm introverted, and anyone that has seen me at the tournaments will notice that I'm often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety," Osaka wrote.

RELATED Australian Open: Naomi Osaka wins fourth Grand Slam

She apologized to some journalists and wrote of experiencing "huge waves of anxiety" before speaking with the media.

"So here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self‑care and skip the press conferences," she stated. "I announced it preemptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.

"I wrote privately to the tournament apologizing and saying that I would be more than happy to speak with them after the tournament as the slams are intense."

upi.com/7101142

Naomi Osaka Receives Support From Steph Curry, AOC After Withdrawing From French Open Over Mental Health Concerns

By Katherine HugginsMay 31st, 2021,

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Tennis champion Naomi Osaka received support from prominent athletes and politicians following her withdrawal from the French Open due to mental health concerns.

Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, announced her departure from the tournament on Monday, noting that she will also be taking “some time away from the court.”

She explained that the required press interviews stressed her, and that she gets “huge waves of anxiety” before speaking “to the world’s media.” Osaka announced last Wednesday that she would not be doing press at the French Open, because she believes it to be harmful to athletes’ mental health.

On Sunday, she was fined $15,000 over her refusal to speak to the media, which the French Open said was a breach of contract.

Several athletes expressed support for Osaka’s decision to prioritize her mental health.

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry wrote on Twitter that he had “major respect” for her announcement.

“You shouldn’t ever have to make a decison like this-but so damn impressive taking the high road when the powers that be dont protect their own,” Curry said.

Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant chimed in as well, writing “we with you” to Osaka.

Osaka received support from NFL players as well, with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson similarly writing “We are with you… #Courage.”

“I support you Naomi,” wrote Tyler Lockett, a wide receiver for the Seahawks.

“As human beings we have to do better at supporting each other,” Lockett said. “Mental health is real. And to fine a person for trying to protect their peace is not giving somebody a safe place to be a persons best self.”

Politicians also offered words of support to Osaka on Monday.

“Proud of you,” wrote Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro (D) tweeted that Osaka could “spark needed changes” in post-game press conferences and commended her for “revealing as she has been about her mental health.”

“A post-game press conference is often qualitatively different from other press events,” Castro wrote. “The questions center a lot on the athlete’s psychology. Politicians or others don’t often get probed like that. So Osaka’s connection between this experience and her mental health rings true.”

He later added, “I hope it will inspire sports organizations and the sports journalism industry to show maturity as well—make positive changes. It’s past time.”

In response to Osaka’s withdrawal, the French Open released a statement Monday saying they “wish her the best and quickest possible recovery.” They added that they “remain very committed to all athletes’ well-being and to continually improving every aspect of players’ experience in our Tournament, including with the Media, like we have always strived to do.”

Serena Williams Speaks Out with Support for Naomi Osaka After Her Withdrawal from French Open

TUE, 01 JUNE 2021 

Serena Williams has sent a message of support for Naomi Osaka after the young tennis star decided to withdraw from the 2021 French Open.

Naomi previously announced that she wouldn’t be doing press at the tournament and would accept any fines that were imposed on her. She said the press conferences were affecting her mental health as they gave her anxiety during an already stressful time. Eventually, Naomi decided to withdraw from the tournament completely after she was threatened with expulsion.

While doing her own press conference after a win in round one on Monday (May 31), Serena commented on the news.

“Honestly I just found out before I walked into the press conference, so that’s the extent of it right now for me,” Serena told reporters.

Serena was asked about Naomi‘s comments about the press conferences affecting her mental health.

“The only thing I feel is that I feel for Naomi. I feel like I wish I could give her a hug because I know what it’s like. Like I said, I’ve been in those positions. We have different personalities, and people are different. Not everyone is the same. I’m thick [skinned]. Other people are thin. Everyone is different and everyone handles things differently,” Serena said. “You just have to let her handle it the way she wants to, in the best way she thinks she can, and that`s the only thing I can say. I think she`s doing the best that she can.”

“You have to be able to make an effort and say, I need help with A, B, C, and D, and talk to someone,” she continued. “Whether it`s someone at the WTA or whether it’s someone in your life. Maybe it’s someone that you just talk to on a weekly basis. I’ve been in that position, too. I’ve definitely had opportunities to talk to people, kind of get things off my chest that I can`t necessarily talk to anyone in my family or anyone that I know.”


Support for Naomi Osaka after her withdrawal from French Open in row about post-match media duties

Japan's Naomi Osaka celebrates after defeating Romania's Patricia Maria Tig during their first round match of the French open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Sunday, May 30, 2021 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)


Nick Mulvenney
June 01 2021 

Leading figures in tennis and sport have rallied to support Naomi Osaka after the women's world number two withdrew from the French Open in a row about post-match media duties, saying she had been suffering from "depression" and "anxiety".

One of the biggest names in sport, Osaka stunned the tennis world when she pulled out of the Grand Slam after being fined and threatened with expulsion for refusing to show up at an obligatory news conference on Sunday.

The four-times Grand Slam champion had signalled her intentions to skip her media duties to protect her mental well-being on social media and returned to Twitter on Monday to announce her withdrawal.

"I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can go back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris," she wrote.


ARCHIVE: Naomi Osaka says quarantine gave her a 'chance to slow down'.

While her original stance had earned little backing from her fellow professionals, most of whom saying that dealing with the media was part of the job, her withdrawal triggered a wave of support from around the sporting world.

"So proud of you," multiple Grand Slam winner Venus Williams posted on Twitter. "Take care of yourself and see you back winning soon!"

Williams's sister Serena and younger American players Coco Gauff and Sloane Stephens also chimed in with messages of support as the focus shifted from Osaka's responsibilities to her wellbeing.

Billie Jean King echoed comments from fellow women's tennis trailblazer Martina Navratilova about the importance of mental health.

"It's incredibly brave that Naomi Osaka has revealed her truth about her struggle with depression," King wrote on social media.

"Right now, the important thing is that we give her the space and time she needs. We wish her well."

There were also messages of support posted on social media from athletes in other sports, with golf's Michelle Wie, NFL players Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett as well as multiple Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt offering their backing.

"You shouldn't ever have to make a decision like this -- but so damn impressive taking the high road when the powers that be don't protect their own. Major respect," wrote NBA All Star Steph Curry.

There was some criticism of Roland Garros organisers for their handling of the matter.

French Tennis Federation President Gilles Moretton read a prepared statement on Monday offering Osaka their support but the irony of him not taking questions, given the context of the row, was not lost on some.

"So the FFT handled the Ms Osaka mental health concerns without empathy or sensitivity. Then the FFT President refuses to take questions at a presser. An own goal," wrote former Australian tennis official Richard Ings.

Japan's Osaka, who according to sports business website Sportico earned $55.2 million over the past 12 months, is expected to be one of the biggest attractions at the Tokyo Olympics in July and August.

The 23-year-old concluded her statement by saying she would be taking some time away from tennis and organisers of that already troubled event will be desperately hoping she will be back on court long before the Games get underway

Israeli Court Extends Detention of 2 Journalists
MAY 31, 2021

An Israeli court on Friday extended the detention of two Palestinian journalists detained by police in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem.

The lawyer representing the Palestinian journalists, Jad Qadmani, said the Israeli magistrate court in West Jerusalem extended the detention of Al-Qafiyah television reporter Ziynet al-Halawani and cameraman Wahbi Mekkiye at the request of the prosecutor’s office.

He told Anadolu News Agency that Israeli police brutally attacked the journalists and footage of the attack was presented to the court. “However, the court decided to extend the detention period of the two journalists for a few more days,” he said.

The journalists were detained while on duty late Thursday.

Mekkiye was beaten and sustained injuries while police tried to detain him.

Makkiye and Halawani spent the night in a detention center.

Israeli Assault on Journalist Caught on Video

 MAY 10, 2021

Another Anadolu Agency correspondent in Jerusalem, Esat Firat, was injured Monday after being attacked by the Israeli police at Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

While covering the events on the complex, a stun grenade thrown by the Israeli police hit Firat, causing bleeding in the right side of his abdomen.

Medical units intervened to treat his injury.

Firat was the third Anadolu Agency journalist attacked by the Israeli police. Earlier, two photographers were targeted while they were covering the Israeli forces’ attacks on worshipers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Earlier on Monday, Fayez Abu Rumaila, an Anadolu Agency photojournalist in occupied East Jerusalem, said he was brutally attacked by Israeli occupation forces while covering clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

Abu Rumaila said he was doing his job at Al-Aqsa Mosque in the morning before heading to a field clinic to photograph Palestinians injured during the clashes.

“Israeli police forces stormed the clinic and attacked us brutally,” he said, noting that he had bruises all over his body.

Israeli forces “put me in a corner and assaulted me with rifle butts, batons, hands and legs … and threw me under their feet on the ground,” the photojournalist recalled.

 

Abu Rumaila continued: “The soldiers kept assaulting me until an officer came and took me from their hands … I told them that I am a journalist, but they kept beating me everywhere.”

For his part, Mustafa Kharouf, another Anadolu Agency photojournalist, said he was hit by a rubber bullet in the chest while he was providing aid to an injured medic.

Kharouf said Israeli forces pushed them outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, adding that when he left Jerusalem’s Old City and headed towards his vehicle near the wall of Al-Rahma Cemetery, he found a medic injured by a stun grenade shrapnel.

“The injured paramedic was lying next to his car, so I tried to fulfill the humanitarian call and provided aid to him,” Kharouf said.

“I began calling for paramedics near him to rescue their wounded colleague until a soldier shot me with a rubber bullet in my chest,” he said.

Anadolu Agency has issued a statement calling on Israel to respect human rights and internationally-recognized protections on journalists.

Anadolu Agency Director General Serdar Karagoz on Twitter criticized the Israeli police’s mistreatment of the agency staff.

“Our cameraman Fayez Abu Rumaila was attacked by Israeli police while he was recording the injustices taking place in Jerusalem,” Karagoz said.

“I urge Israeli officials to act with respect for human rights, the law, and journalism,” he stressed.

On Monday morning, the Israeli police forces stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacked Palestinian worshippers inside the compound.

More than 305 Palestinians were injured in the attacks, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Hundreds of Palestinians had gathered inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound at dawn to prevent Israeli settlers from storming the holy site.

Extremist Jews have called for storming Al-Aqsa Mosque to celebrate the anniversary of the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel occupied East Jerusalem, as “Jerusalem Day” according to the Hebrew calendar.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the “Temple Mount,” claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Israeli invasion of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

In Gaza, traumatised Palestinians tend to shell-shocked pets

By AFP

PUBLISHED:  1 June 2021    

Palestinian cat owner Amani Abu Shaaban holds her pet cat at a veterinary clinic in Gaza City

A smashed goldfish bowl, panicked birds in a cage, scores of animals needing treatment. The loss or injury of treasured pets has added to the grief and trauma of Gaza residents after last month's deadly conflict.

Neriman, a nine-year-old Palestinian girl, clutched a glass jar holding her goldfish Hoor, delighted it had survived after her other one, Hooriya, died in an Israeli air strike in Gaza City.

In the latest war, Israeli strikes on Gaza killed 254 Palestinians, including 66 children, as well as some fighters, authorities there say.

Fire by Palestinian militants claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child, a teenager and an Israeli soldier.

Pets also suffered, as well as the children who owned them.

"I was so sad that Hooriya died and I cried when I buried her in the field," said Neriman, of her first fish, whose name meant "Mermaid" in Arabic.

"But I was so happy that Hoor had survived," she added of her second fish.

At an animal clinic in Gaza City, Amani Abu Shaaban held a fluffy cat to her chest as they waited to see a vet.

"My cat has been very scared since the war. She refuses to eat, and her hair is falling out," she said.

"Even the sound of a mobile phone ringing freaks her out."

Nearby, vet Mutasem Qaddoura examined two cats, one after the other.

One needed an operation for a broken leg, the other was dehydrated and malnourished.

Dozens of pets owners have flocked to his clinic since Gaza's May 21 ceasefire though supplies to treat them are scarce.

"The state of veterinary medicine is disastrous in Gaza," Qaddoura said.

"We use X-ray machines intended for humans and platinum screws meant to fix children's bones to treat the animals."

- Pets left behind -

Neriman and her family had been forced to flee their home on May 13, after an Israeli officer warned neighbours of an imminent strike on a nearby bank.

In the panic she left behind her fish, as well as two parakeets, Alloosh and Malloosh, given to her by her father for her sixth birthday.

But soon after, she started worrying.

A worker tends to a dog at the Sulala dog shelter in Gaza City which has received several wounded animals after the 11-day conflict between Israel and the Islamist Hamas controlling the Palestinian enclave

"I just had to go home with my father to get them," she said.

When they returned, she found a special outfit she had laid out on her bed for the Eid holidays covered in rubble, the bed collapsed and the windows blown in.

"I heard Alloosh and Malloosh chirping under the rubble, and I found the fish bowl broken," she said.

Hooriya had died, but they saved Hoor, a scene shown in a video which has since gone viral on social media.

- Desperate dogs -

South of Gaza city, 30-year-old Adel al-Wadia said he had tried to feed some of the dogs at the coastal strip's main dog shelter during the bombing.

"They were howling with fear and hunger and it made me sad, so I risked trying to get as close as possible to give them food," he said.

Palestinian dog owner Mahmud Abu Edda arrives at a veterinary clinic in Gaza City

The shelter's founder, Saeed el-Aer, said he returned after the ceasefire to find many of his canine wards scared and famished.

Dozens had panicked and escaped during the 11-day war, and several were wounded, he said.

"At least three dogs need an operation, including one who needs a paw amputated," he said.

Other animals were even less lucky.

Aer pointed to an area beyond the shelter's fence.

"Over there, we buried the donkey and the horse after we found they had died from shrapnel wounds," he said.

Milky Way's central black hole could be a ball of dark matter

By Michael Irving
May 31, 2021

X-ray: NASA/CXC/Nanjing Univ./P. Zhou et al. Radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA

Like most galaxies, the Milky Way is thought to host a supermassive black hole in its center – but perhaps its dark heart is made of different stuff. A new study proposes that it could instead be a dense core of dark matter, made up of hypothetical particles called “darkinos.”

The Milky Way is held together by a huge mass in the middle, equivalent to about 4 million Suns. Known as Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), this massive object can’t be directly seen, but its existence can be inferred from the motions of stars around it. A supermassive black hole is the most logical candidate – but maybe it’s not the only explanation.

The doubts were seeded seven years ago. A gas cloud named G2 was found to be orbiting Sgr A*, due to pass perilously close to the object in early 2014. Astronomers watched with anticipation – if Sgr A* was a supermassive black hole as expected, then G2 should be torn to shreds before their eyes.

But surprisingly, G2 survived the sweep without issue. That’s led some scientists to speculate that perhaps it isn’t a gas cloud but a bloated dusty star, with enough gravity to keep its shape. In the new study however, the researchers questioned not the identity of G2, but Sgr A* itself.

                                 CHANDRA X RAY TELESCOPE DOWNTOWN OF THE MILKY WAY


Scientists at the International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics (ICRA) in Italy simulated what would happen if they replaced the supermassive black hole with a clump of dark matter. This mysterious stuff is already thought to be concentrated in the center of the galaxy, holding the whole thing together with its gravity.

The ICRA team found that if dark matter had certain properties, it could accurately account for a range of observations, in some cases better than the black hole model. This dark matter would consist of darkinos, neutral ultralight particles belonging to a group called fermions. These darkinos would clump together in the center of the galaxy, and spread into a more diffuse cloud further out.

A key characteristic of fermions is that only one of them can occupy a particular quantum state at a time in a given space, which limits how densely they can be packed together. As such, the core of this ball is a far less extreme environment than a supermassive black hole, which would allow G2 to pass by unscathed.

But that’s not the only observation that the model fits. The team found that if darkinos had a mass of around 56 keV, the simulation accurately predicted the motions of a cluster of nearby stars called the S-stars, as well as the rotation curve of the Milky Way’s outer halo.

As intriguing as the darkino hypothesis is, the case is far from settled. The supermassive black hole idea remains the most likely story, because it explains well-observed physics in a relatively simple way – and besides, we see black holes at the center of most other galaxies.

Still, it pays to keep an open mind, and the team says that further data releases could shed light on the idea, one way or the other.

The research was published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, with an earlier paper on the subject appearing in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Source: INAF via Live Science

NASA’s Curiosity rover has captured amazing images of clouds on Mars

Shining, iridescent, noctilucent clouds as seen from the surface of the Red Planet

By Kim Lyons May 29, 2021

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured these clouds just after sunset on March 19th, the 3,063rd Martian day, or sol, of the rover’s mission. The image is made up of 21 individual images stitched together and color corrected so that the scene appears as it would to the human eye. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

NASA’s Curiosity rover has captured images of clouds on Mars— as described in its blog post: “wispy puffs filled with ice crystals that scattered light from the setting sun, some of them shimmering with color.”

According to NASA clouds are rare in the thin atmosphere of Mars, but usually form at its equator during its coldest time of year. Scientists noticed that last year — two years ago in Earth time— there were clouds beginning to form earlier than expected, so this year they were ready

A gif of clouds drifting above Mount Sharp on Mars, taken by NASA’s Curiosity rover on March 19th. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

The images are not only stunning, they’ve provided new insights to the Curiosity team at NASA. The early clouds are at higher altitudes than most Martian clouds— which typically hover about 37 miles above the planet’s surface and are made up of water ice. The higher-altitude clouds are likely made of frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice, NASA says.

Curiosity provided both black-and-white and color images— the black-and-white photos show the rippled details of the clouds more clearly.

Curiosity took these images of clouds on Mars just after sunset on March 31st. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

But it’s the color photos taken from the rover’s mast camera and stitched together from multiple images that are really breathtaking. NASA describes them:


Viewed just after sunset, their ice crystals catch the fading light, causing them to appear to glow against the darkening sky. These twilight clouds, also known as “noctilucent” (Latin for “night shining”) clouds, grow brighter as they fill with crystals, then darken after the Sun’s position in the sky drops below their altitude. This is just one useful clue scientists use to determine how high they are.

Curiosity also captured images of iridescent “mother of pearl” clouds, with pastel colors throughout. Mark Lemmon, an atmospheric scientist with the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado said in NASA’s post that those colors come from cloud particles nearly identical in size. “That’s usually happening just after the clouds have formed and have all grown at the same rate,” he explained.

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover spotted these iridescent, or “mother of pearl,” clouds on March 5th, the 3,048th Martian day, or sol, of its mission. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Lemmon said he marvels at the colors that show up in these clouds; reds and greens and blues and purples. “It’s really cool to see something shining with lots of color on Mars.”

Very cool.

Covid 19 coronavirus: British WHO scientist dismisses Wuhan lab leak claims as 'conspiracy theories'

30 May, 2021 

A security officer moves journalists away from the Wuhan Institute of Virology after a World Health Organisation team arrived for a field visit on February 3. Photo / AP

Daily Telegraph UK
By: Bill Gardner

A British scientist who took part in a World Health Organisation mission to investigate whether Covid leaked from a Wuhan laboratory has suggested that China has been "misunderstood" over its refusal to address growing suspicions about the origins of the disease.

Dr Peter Daszak said he sympathised with the Chinese government for refusing to give "oxygen" to "conspiracy theories", and cast doubt on US intelligence suggesting that three workers at the Wuhan lab fell ill shortly before the first recorded case of Covid-19.

It comes after US President Joe Biden ordered his officials to redouble their efforts to investigate the origins of the pandemic, including any possibility that the search might lead to a Chinese laboratory.

British agents are understood to be assisting the investigation, and now believe it is "feasible" that the Wuhan lab may have been the source of the virus, according to reports.

Daszak, a leading zoologist, was a key member of the WHO team that decided it was "extremely unlikely" that Covid-19 had escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology after a three-week visit to China in January.

Critics suggested that the visit had been heavily stage-managed by Beijing after the scientists visited a propaganda museum detailing Wuhan's fight against Covid-19 on their second day.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has conceded that the organisation's report into the origin of Covid-19 was not "extensive enough". Photo / AP

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO's director-general, later conceded that the team's report was not "extensive enough" after 14 countries, including the US and UK, made a joint statement to express concerns over its conclusions.

Daszak has also been accused of an apparent conflict of interest after it emerged that his non-profit organisation EcoHealth Alliance had been funding the Wuhan Institute of Virology for years, and that he had collaborated with the institute's Shi Zhengli to investigate and catalogue bat coronaviruses across China.

Daszak told a podcast this week that he believed the Chinese had fallen victim to "conspiracy theories", and he dismissed new intelligence reports as "political, not scientific".

He added that he sympathised with the Chinese government, which has been repeatedly accused of refusing to co-operate with international investigators.

Speaking about his visit to Wuhan, Daszak said: "One thing that I learned from the lab director I thought was very interesting. We were asking him all these questions about - they call them rumours over there, we call them conspiracy theories. And he said, basically, we've not responded to those rumours, because if you do that, you give them oxygen.

"So I think people misunderstand the Chinese, the Chinese government. Here's a Chinese government worker, senior level, running a lab, not speaking up when they're accused. The reason is, he stated quite clearly, they don't want to give oxygen to these conspiracies. They're all unfounded."

Daszak also cast doubt on US intelligence suggesting that three workers at the Wuhan Institute had fallen ill shortly before the first patient with Covid-like symptoms was recorded in the city on December 8, 2019.

"There's no evidence of hospitalisation, and it's unclear what they were sick with," he said. "It's not something that you could really reasonably launch a major audit of."

Daszak gained his worldwide reputation after turning Gerald Durrell's conservation charity, previously known as The Wildlife Trust, into an organisation hunting down new viruses around the world.

Earlier this year it emerged that Daszak's EcoHealth Alliance had funnelled money into research into coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology until funding was blocked by US authorities on safety grounds.

'Conflicts of interest'

The National Institutes of Health said its US$3.7 million (NZ$5.1m) grant to EcoHealth Alliance would be restored only if outside experts could establish whether staff had the Covid-19 virus "in their possession" prior to December 2019.

"Peter Daszak has conflicts of interest that unequivocally disqualify him from being part of an investigation of the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic," Richard Ebright, a bio-security expert and professor of chemical biology at Rutgers University in New Jersey, said at the time.

Daszak has previously rejected the suggestion that his connections to the lab would compromise his impartiality.

Play Video After a global team of researchers descended on Wuhan in January to investigate the origins of the virus, scientists revealed their findings. Video / AP

"My relationship with China, my work here, my connections to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and Shi Zhengli are very well known. And they're really well known because I've spent 20 years or 15 years publishing the data. I think that's a pretty worthwhile thing that we've been doing," he said in March.

On Sunday a government minister said the World Health Organisation must be allowed to fully investigate the origins of the Covid pandemic after the Sunday Times reported that British agents now believe it is "feasible" that the crisis began with a coronavirus leak from the Wuhan research laboratory.

The newspaper reported that the development, which Beijing has angrily denied, has prompted US diplomatic sources to share their concerns that "we are one wet market or bio lab away from the next spillover".

Nadim Zahawi, the UK's vaccine minister, said: "I think the WHO at every step of the way has tried to share as much data with the world as it is able to verify.

"This is a very difficult situation, as we've seen around the world, not just in the WHO but in our own country, with our own evidence gathering, and of course advice, and in other countries, every country, whether it's Singapore or Australia or New Zealand or elsewhere.

"We have all had to collect evidence and then act upon it and I think it is only right that the WHO is allowed to conduct its investigation