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Added on the 19/01/2022 16:04:51 - Copyright : France 24 EN
Between COVID-19 and various efforts across the country to make it downright difficult to vote, the challenges of voting are becoming increasingly obvious. Following the lead of major retails, US tech giants like Twitter and Salesforce are giving their employees Election Day off in order to vote. According to Business Insider, rideshare company Uber is giving employees the day off as part of their 'Get Out the Vote' effort. Uber is providing links to voter registration sites through its app, and will assist in getting voters to the polls on election day. Other companies, like Apple and Facebook, are encouraging employees to volunteer to be poll workers.
Buenos Aires, May 14 (EFE).- Argentina has ‘high expectation’ that its ongoing clinical trial, in which people who have recovered from COVID-19 donate their blood plasma for the treatment of other patients, will be successful. "Beyond the fact that there are still no communications to ensure the safety and efficacy of this type of treatment, the preliminary studies are very encouraging," said Arnaldo Medina, secretary of health quality of the Argentine government in a meeting with foreign media on Thursday at the Hospital El Cruce in the Buenos Aires provincial city of Florencio Varela.(Camera: ALBERTO CARATOZZOLO) FOOTAGE SHOWS A PATIENT DONATING HIS BLOOD PLASMA AND A PRESS CONFERENCE AT HOSPITAL EL CRUCE IN BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA. SOUNDBITES: ARNALDO MEDINA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH QUALITY OF THE ARGENTINE GOVERNMENT; DANIEL FONTANA, COORDINATOR OF THE DIRECTORATE OF BLOOD AND TRANSFUNCTIONAL MEDICINE; CAMILA CORBATTA, ARGENTINE BIOCHEMIST AND FORMER COVID-19 PATIENT; OSCAR TORRES, PRESIDENT OF THE ARGENTINE ASSOCIATION OF HEMOTHERAPY, IMMUNOHEMATOLOGY AND CELL THERAPY. TRANSLATIONS:Medina: Beyond the fact that there are still no communications to ensure the safety and efficacy of this type of treatment, the preliminary studies are very encouraging," said Arnaldo Medina, secretary of Health Quality of the Argentine Government (02:12-02:28).Fontana: (the private and public sectors expect) that next July there will be at least partial results that allow us to see the pros and cons that plasma transfusion may have (02:28-02:45).Medina: We are still in the initial stages, and we just began with first patients. We expect (to carry out the trial on) a large number of patients. We are starting the marketing first to reach convalescent patients to donate, (02:45-03:09).Corbatta: For me it is a very good opportunity because it is a little while that we have to be plugged into the machine and we can give a possibility to people who are having a bad time (03:09-03:22).Corbatta: When the symptoms disappeared, they tested me again. They did two consecutive test on me which came out negative so they discharged me (03:22-03:32).Corbatta: If this serves to relieve another, it is worth it for me (03:32-03:36).Torres: In Argentina it has not been seen to have had any adverse effects so far and the data is being gathered to see to what extent it has been effective," said Oscar Torres, president of the Argentine Association of Hemotherapy, Immunohematology and Cell Therapy. (03:36-03:48)
Did you give birth during the pandemic? Were you pregnant at the time? Have your say and help the UK Covid-19 Inquiry to understand the impact of Covid-19 and shape the future of generations to come.
Colombo, Mar 23 (EFE/EPA).- Tharindu Kavinda Prasad, an exorcist, holds a burning torch in his hand and starts shaking violently as a part of a ritual to expel supposed demons possessing a young woman with persisting backache, in Kandy province in central Sri Lanka.Although such superstitious practices have been prevalent in the Buddhist majority island nation for ages, the Covid-19 pandemic has seen their popularity rise significantly. (Camera: CHAMILA KARUNARATHNE).SHOT LIST: A RITUAL TO EXPEL SUPPOSED DEMONS POSSESSING A YOUNG WOMAN IN COLOMBO, SRI LANKA. SOUND BITES: THARINDU KAVINDA PRASAD, EXORCIST; AND UDESHIKA WICKRAMARATHNE, PATIENT. TRANSLATION:1. THARINDU KAVINDA PRASAD: "My devalaya (shrine) is located in this village. I am functioning this devalaya for about eight years now. I got this gift from my grandfather. Right now, the devalaya is functioning by giving priority to Bhadrakali goddess, and also Kadawara and Kambili gods. So, people with various issues come here. My main priority is to give protection against harms caused by supernatural powers. I also treat various diseases. I use my gift for that. And I cure uncurable illnesses. Through this gift I also do other rituals. So, I do these kinds of work here". 2. UDESHIKA WICKRAMARATHNE: "I had a backache for a long period of time. I took medicine but that didn’t work. After that we came to this devalaya after hearing about it. Here I was told that they have to do a ritual and put a talisman. Today I put a talisman. Now my illness is cured".
Falls Chruch, Apr 30 (EFE/EPA).- A team of mostly volunteers from a mosque in Virginia on Thursday donated about six hundred and fifty hot meals via a drive-thru pick up point to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic.Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center has begun donating hundreds of hot meals, currently about 650 meals daily, to give to people at a drive-thru they've created.The donations are intended to help aid people during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and the drive-thru will continue during Ramadan through 23 May. The mosque is one of the largest in the Washington, DC area and plans to increase the number of daily meal donations at the drive-thru in May. Muslims around the world celebrate the holy month of Ramadan by praying during the night time and abstaining from eating, drinking, and sexual acts during the period between sunrise and sunset (Camera: MICHAEL REYNOLDS).FOOTAGE SHOW VOLUNTEERS PREPARING HOT MEALS AND DISTRIBUTING THEM TO PEOPLE AT A DRIVE-THRU DONATION POINT AT DAR AL-HIJRAH ISLAMIC CENTER, FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA, US.
Nur-Sultan, Oct 06 (EFE), (Camera: Dogan Yildyz, Marat Kurakov and Kulpash Konyrova).- Like an oasis in the desert, the barren Kazakh steppe guards a secret: A pink lake which the locals want to include on the map of the country's sacred places to ensure its preservation.The water of Lake Kobeituz, located about 160 kilometres from Nur-Sultan, the Kazakh capital, varies in color, from a pale pink to a dark purple, depending on the time of day and the local weather.However, the lake does not always have this range of colors, as it turns pink once every several years, when the summer is especially hot.It is a very rare and short-lived natural phenomenon, which attracts the attention of tourists.There are few lakes of this type in the world, with the best known being Lake Hillier in Australia, Retba in Senegal and Laguna Rosa in Spain.According to scientists, Kobeituz and its "sister" lakes are stained pink due to the presence of a microalgae called Dunaliella salina that causes the water's striking color thanks to a high salt concentration.A PINK LAKE WITH HISTORYKazakh elders are among the few locals who remember the history of Kobeituz as the lake's beauty dazzles visitors while its past is ignored."The land in this area was under the rule of Bogenbay Batir (a national hero and one of its most prominent military men of the 18th century). The lake was named in honor of his grandson, Kobey," the patriarch from one of the local villages, Kairken Zhakyp, said.He also explained that "tuz" means "salt", which is why the lake's name can be translated as salty Kobey.CLOSED DUE TO THE PANDEMICWhen Kazakhstan introduced restrictions to curb the coronavirus pandemic, closing most tourist attractions, Kobeituz was one of the rare exceptions that remained open to the public."We learned of the existence of a pink lake here with salts and mud with healing properties and we decided to see it," a local tourist told Efe, adding that he travels around the country without fear of contracting COVID-19, because he has already recovered from the disease.However, soon after, the authorities were forced to restrict access to the lake due to the large number of visitors who flocked there because of the lack of other leisure activities.The large number of local tourists set off the alarms as experts warned of the consequences of the pilgrimage to the lake's delicate ecosystem.Visitors filled the surrounding area with litter and one resident from the Kazakh capital even drove his car into the water.According to specialists, the damage caused to the lake could take around 15 years to recover.The uproar caused by the behaviour of some tourists, drew complaints from the Kazakh government, resulting in the Ministry of Ecology of Kazakhstan declaring the area a special protection zone.PRECIOUS SALTSDuring the summer, Kobeituz appeared in the Kazakh media on more than one occasion and not for its exceptional color.The press and social media in particular saw advertisements from people who wanted to take advantage of the uncertainty created by the coronavirus to sell salt from the lake as a remedy for the disease.The authors of the scam claimed that the mineral from Kobeituz was a cure for many evils, including COVID-19.For the salt's alleged benefits and healing properties, sellers asked online for up to 5,000 tenge (about $12) per kilo.A LOOK TOWARDS THE FUTUREThe Ministry of Ecology told Efe that not only Kobeituz but other "unique places" in the Central Asian country are now under their control.Among the measures to ensure their preservation, authorities have increased fines for causing damage to nature.At the same time, the ministry spokesperson, Samal Ibraeva, said experts were aware of the impossibility of keeping access to the pink lake closed for a long time.The government's efforts, she said, would focus on creating conditions for sustainable tourism.The ministry said it was confident that with time and the necessary infrastructure, Kobeituz would be able to attract not only local tourists, but also international visitors.The head of the local department for language development, Saylau Zhalkibaev, told Efe that local residents were calling for Kobeituz to be included in the country's map of sacred places to protect it from mass pilgrimages and preserve its delicate ecosystem."This status will also allow us to give talks about the history of this place for school children, as well as for local and foreign travelers," he explained.ECOLOGY TRAININGTo avoid further incidents at Kobeituz and other tourist spots in the country, authorities plan to introduce "ecology culture" classes.According to the Ministry of Ecology spokesperson, this year, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for a new subject to be taught in the country's schools: "ecology."The director of a tourist company based in the Kazakh capital, Nuria Bashirova, confirmed the need for these measures."At present, our tourists are discovering the wonderful jewels that nature has given our country, which has not benefited these places," the director of The Velvet Season said.Bashirova explains that the situation is due in the first place to the lack of environmental culture and also to the lack of access to places with great tourist potential.SHOT LIST: FOOTAGE OF LAKE KOBEITUZ, TOURISTS AND POLICE. SOUND BITES BY THE PATRIARCH OF ONE OF THE VILLAGES IN THE AREA, KAIRKEN ZHAKYP, BY A TOURIST, BY MINISTRY OF ECOLOGY SPOKESPERSON SAMAL IBRAYEVA, BY THE HEAD OF THE LOCAL DEPARTMENT FOR THE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, SAYLAU ZHALKIBAEV, AND BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE TOURIST COMPANY THE VELVET SEASON IN THE KAZAKH CAPITAL, NURIA BASHIROVA .INCLUDES PHOTOS BY TWITTER USER @YAKOVFEDOROV OF THE DAMAGE TO THE LAKE.KAIRKEN ZHAKYP: “Around the lake there were and still are "zhailauz" or summer pastures where horses graze. And near the lake, our ancestors used to pitch tents to slaughter rams, rest and enjoy the lake and its extraordinary color."LOCAL TOURIST: "The whole family came here. We all had coronavirus. We recently learned of the existence of a pink lake here with salts and mud with healing properties, and we decided to see it.”SAMAL IBRAYEVA: “The first step is to toughen the penalties for damaging nature by increasing fines. One of the main tasks of our department is to protect our rivers, lakes and mountains from damage. But we cannot ban people from visiting nature. At such a difficult time during the quarantine period, people want to relax in nature, breathe fresh air in the mountains, next to the lakes. Therefore, secondly, the ministry will focus on educating the population about the environment."SAYLAU ZHALKIBAEVENT “We propose to include the Kobeituz and the ancient mausoleums found in this area on the map of the country’s sacred places.” “This status will also allow us to give talks about the history of this place to schoolchildren, as well as to local and foreign visitors."NURIA BASHIROVA: “During the pandemic, Kazakhs explored these places and unfortunately this does not always benefit nature. We don't know how to spend our vacations without harming nature and we don't have the necessary infrastructure."Keywords: efe,kazakhstan,kobeituz,pink,lake,environment,covid-19,pandemic,tourism
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