Russia Gives Green Light To Bill Banning “Gay Propaganda”
Just Passed Russian Law Bans “Gay Propaganda” Russia’s lower house of parliament has unanimously voted to extend its ban on so-called “gay propaganda”. Apparently, we are living in the 21st Century. Apparently the world has witnessed tons of revolutions and we stand together as the wise homo-sapiens of today. Apparently some parts of the world are still stuck somewhere in the past. Under the latest version of the law, any promotion of homosexuality – including in books, films, and online – is illegal and carries heavy penalties. After US Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounced it as a “blow to freedom of expression,” the law earned the moniker “Answer to Blinken.” Activists claim it is an additional effort to oppress the LGBT community in Russia. In Russia’s lower house, the Duma, it was adopted by 397 votes to 0 with no abstentions. When the contentious “gay propaganda” law was first introduced in 2013, it outlawed “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations,” which includes representations of same-sex partnerships, among children. Any positive portrayals of same-sex partnerships in media or advertising are categorized under the same heading as spreading pornography, encouraging violence, or escalating racial, ethnic, and religious conflicts. What Is The Bill? Any kind of positive LGBTQ representation- in the form of media (films, posters, campaigns, social media), or text (books, newspapers, research papers) will be banned straight away. This bill has already raised concerns for traditional Russian literature and publishers. Any discussions online about LGBTQ topics can be blocked and the sale of goods with LGBTQ slogans or symbols would also be prohibited Anyone who breaks the law will face a fine of up to 400,000 rubles ($6,600), while companies could have to pay up to 5 million rubles ($82,100). Foreigners and stateless people risk being imprisoned or expelled from Russia if they do not comply. The Response Human rights campaigners and LGBTQ groups have said the extension means that any act or public mention of the LGBTQ community is being criminalized. Kseniya Mikhailova of the Russia-based LGBT support group Vykhod (a play on words to mean “coming out”) said the original ban nine years ago triggered a wave of attacks on the gay community. Twitter users compared it to Florida’s “don’t say gay” bill in an analysis. Another raised their concerns by saying it is an “unbelievable” step for the “diverse” world we live in.
As Glaciers Melt, Pandemics Dangerous than Covid are Closer
Melting Glaciers Contain 15000 Virus Microbe, New Study We don’t need a reminder of how and what the pandemic of 2020 was. From online offices and schools to fighting for essential goods, to hospital entries. We were a part of a historical event that our future generations will read about and term us brave for surviving the biggest pandemic in the history of pandemics. Things have slowly but steadily started coming back to normal- not entirely as some places are still recording COVID-19 cases and putting restrictions in some regions. Experts now say that the next pandemic may have melting ice as a cause. New studies say that viruses and bacteria buried in glaciers may reawake and infect the wildlife around. Due to climate change, especially if their ranges move closer to the poles. This finding is not farfetched as just in 2016, an anthrax outbreak hit northern Siberia killing a child and infesting around 7 people. A heatwave that melted permafrost was what caused this outbreak and exposed the population to this virus which had its last outbreak in 1941. Glaciers all over the world are melting rapidly and intensely as global climate change intensifies. Genetic research on soil has discovered risks of viral spillover and viruses infecting new hosts. When a virus encounters a new host, it may infect it and spread chronically in this new host. This process is known as viral spillover. Virus JackPot? 33 viruses that were frozen for more than 15,000 years have been found by scientists examining glaciers, of which 28 are unique viruses that were previously unknown to humans. The recently discovered viruses were identified in a glacier in Tibet that is melting as a result of global warming. The novel genome sequences found in the frozen time capsule may provide insight into how these microorganisms have evolved over thousands of years and how the climate has altered. Nearly 22,000 feet above sea level in Tibet, the ice samples were taken from the summit of the Guliya ice cap. The current discovery may offer researchers enticing new insights into historical environmental changes since it is thought that the preserved viruses may have originated from soil or plants. “Glaciers potentially archive environmental conditions and microbes over tens to hundreds of thousands of years. Unfortunately, glaciers around the world, including those from Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas, are rapidly shrinking, primarily due to the warming of Earth’s ocean-atmosphere system,” researchers said.