This is your JRN Weekly briefing covering the developments of the last week in three key areas. If you have a story to share, contact our news desk at juniorrowingnews@gmail.com
Covid-19 & World News:
“I am running for president of the United States!”
Kanye West
As the experiences of the UK’s ‘Super Saturday’ fade away into memories, we take a look back at what this week has meant for both the Coronavirus pandemic and the wider state of global current affairs.
Pubs in the UK opened for the first time since lockdown began almost five months ago, sparking fresh concerns over the ability of pub regulars and partygoers to maintain social distancing; it comes as the lockdown in Leicester becomes legally enforceable after the legislation giving local police the powers to arrest those breaching lockdown rules was rushed through parliament.
In the rest of the country, meanwhile, residents were treated to professional haircuts for the first time in months, giving many cause for celebration. Kathleen Grady, 67, told the BBC “It’s fabulous now it’s done, when it is short it so much more manageable, I don’t have to blow dry it every morning.”
Trimming away the lockdown locks is a task many clinical research staff have put to one side as the quest to find a true cure for Covid-19 continues. There are currently over 150 drugs being trialled around the world in an attempt to find the cure. The World Health Organisation has launched its ‘Solidarity’ Trial aimed at assessing the most promising treatments, whilst the UK’s Recovery Trial – the largest in the world – has already identified the corticosteroid dexamethasone as being effective again Covid-19 infection, a drug which is most often used as an anti-inflammatory agent.
All Coronavirus therapeutic trials have so far focussed on three broad categories of chemical therapy: Antiviral drugs which directly attack the virus; Immunosuppressants which prevent the immune system from inflicting further damage on a patient; and antibodies, which also directly attack the SARS-CoV-19 virus.
Remdesivir is one such antiviral that is being tested on covid patients, with preliminary results suggesting that it can cut recovery times from an average of 15 days to 11. It is still not known, however, if Remdesivir prevents deaths from Coronavirus, as the drug did with Ebola.
There are fresh concerns regarding outbreaks of Covid-19 at meat processing plants across the UK, with one plant in Anglesey playing host to 150 confirmed infections amongst meat workers. It follows a similar trend in outbreaks in the US, Spain, Germany, and France.
Meanwhile, the ‘clap for carers’ returned one final time on Sunday evening with the Prime Minister leading the nation’s cheering for the 72nd birthday of the NHS.
Across the pond, the US is seeing a second wave of viral infections with Florida seeing a surge of 383 new cases per million per day towards the end of last week; a trend seen across the Southern States. It comes as the President claims the reason behind rising cases is due to the volume of testing: “We have more cases because we do the greatest testing… Other countries, they don’t test millions.” Reports show, however, that the US has only carried out tests on around 30 million Americans, in contrast to China which has tested over 90 million citizens.
Scandal in the US is set to continue as conspiracy theories and misinformation spread via social media. One example is of Americans buying fraudulent ‘face-covering exemption cards’ which claim that any attempt to force the holder to wear a face mask will lead to a report being submitted to the ‘Freedom to Breathe Agency’ – which is not a Federal agency, rather a Facebook group claiming to protect the rights of Americans. Similar situations have arisen as protesters claim that masks harm the immune system and decrease the Oxygen saturation of the blood. These claims are not backed by any evidence.
The fake news pandemic is not endemic to the contiguous United States, however, with attacks on 5G masts in Bolivia, whilst across the globe, the spread of a theory that States Billionaire and Philanthropist Bill Gates will attempt to insert microchips into populations whilst vaccines are administered has caused an outcry on social media. Such claims have been debunked by at least 14 multi-national fact-checking organisations.
Elsewhere in the US, Mr Trump has vowed to “defeat the radical left” in a highly charged Independence Day speech in which he attacked “anarchists” who, according to the president, seek to gain power in the future by destroying the past. Mr Biden – the incumbent’s 2020 Presidential Election rival – told reporters that everyone deserved “a full share of the American dream”.
Also on the November Election scene, rapper and celebrity Kanye West has announced his candidacy for the 2020 Presidential race. Mr West told journalists “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future,” he tweeted. “I am running for president of the United States!”
Should he attempt to run, he would be pitting himself against a man he says he admires, Donald Trump. It is not clear how Mr West plans to campaign for the Whitehouse, with the latest searches of the Federal Election Commission database showing he is yet to enter his name; despite this, he has received support from Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, along with his partner Kim Kardashian.
In Mexico, the coronavirus epidemic has reached a new grim milestone, claiming at least 30,000 lives at the time of writing. The region has been one of the worst-hit countries despite efforts from local government. It’s in stark contrast to policy decisions being taken in Brazil which have led to a relaxation of laws surrounding the compulsory nature of face coverings in public. Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro has sanctioned the use of masks during the outbreak but vetoed their use in schools, shops and churches.
Peru meanwhile has cut a period of national holiday from three days to one in an attempt to increase the economic output of the country as they begin to feel the brunt of further economic shortfalls in the middle of 2020. Coronavirus is far from the only threat to a healthy South American economy, however, with swarms of locusts heading for crops in Argentina and Brazil bringing with them the potential for millions of pounds in agricultural damage.
With the War on Drugs continuing to rage in Latin America, more casualties were revealed this week as it was confirmed that 23 people were killed after a drug rehabilitation centre was stormed by armed criminals as part of a gangland warfare offensive.
At a clinic in Tehran, at least 19 individuals have been confirmed deceased after a deadly explosion ripped through the medical facility in the capital. Iran’s state media quoted senior officials who have said the explosion was caused by a gas leak; they added that local firefighters have rescued over 20 people.
The British Prime Minister has urged his Israeli counterpart not to proceed with plans to annex the West Bank. In a local newspaper, Mr Johnson wrote “I profoundly hope that annexation does not go ahead. If it does, the UK will not recognise any changes to the 1967 lines, except those agreed between both parties.”
Questions regarding the legality of the more than 130 settlements in the West Bank have been swirling around the international courthouses for many years, but with the most pro-Israel president in office in Washington, Israeli officials look keen to execute plans for annexation whilst they still have the support of the world’s lone superpower.
Iran, meanwhile, has sentenced an opposition journalist to death after he was found guilty of “corruption on earth”. Ruhollah Zam ran a popular anti-government website and had been living in exile in France until he was arrested last year. Questions have also been raised in Iran this week after an “incident” took place at one of the Country’s uranium enrichment facilities. The nation’s atomic energy commission told reporters there was no evidence of foul-play or risk of contamination; however an email sent to BBC Persia hours before any reports were seen on national media claim that a small underground terror cell was responsible for the incident. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which monitors Iran’s compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal struck with world powers, said it was aware of the reports from Natanz and currently anticipated no impact on its verification activities.
Vouge Portugal has defended their use of an image on the front cover of the latest issue which depicts a woman in a bath with a nurse pouring water over her head. In a statement to the press, Vogue said that the image was intended to “spark discussion”, whilst critics have called the cover “dystopian” saying that it harks back to a time of pseudoscientific psychological treatments.
In Turkey, a court has sentenced the former leader of Amnesty International in the country to six years imprisonment for terrorism-related charges, whilst in France, AirFrance has announced their plans to cut 7,500 jobs in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
A controversial new security law in Hong Kong has led to many accusing Beijing of infringing on the “one country two systems” policy, with the law leading to the redaction of pro-democracy books from public libraries. Critics have voiced their concerns saying Beijing is infringing on the rights of Hong Kong citizens. Lawmakers in China deny this.
British Rowing:
“Please do recognise the work your club volunteers are putting in: say thank you and be patient as they work to get clubs back up and running.”
Andy Parkinson – Chief Executive Officer, British Rowing
As society begins to open up once again, questions remain as to when the lakes and rivers of the UK can follow suit, British Rowing introduces their new digital content hub, and there is exciting news for coastal rowing fans.
In an open letter from the CEO of British Rowing, Andy Parkinson has stressed that the public health and safety of the public and British Rowing members in a paramount whilst discussing the state of outdoor sports and training facilities. Mr Parkinson highlighted the confusion felt by many in his letter which stated: “The result [of new guidance] means we are in the situation where clubs (subject to making them ‘COVID Secure’) could open club bars but the gyms and changing rooms cannot be reopened.”
Full updated guidance from British Rowing can be found here.
British Rowing has also announced the release of their new digital content platform – British Rowing Plus. The new online facility will allow members to access exclusive content from a range of sources, whilst non-members can pay a small fee to access the material. Rich Stock, Head of Communications and Marketing at British Rowing, opened the platform by saying “This platform is for you – the rowing community. This is the first version and, as well as the new content that will be added every week, we’ll also be developing the system as we learn more about what you want from it.”
The beginning of a new week also signals that what could have been Henley Royal Regatta 2020 has come to an end. You can find our two special podcast episodes on all good podcasting sites, and our look back at our favourite races right here on the site.
International Rowing:
“I think the pandemic will take people’s eye off just themselves all the time, it will create an awareness for what everyone else is experiencing.
Philip Doyle
A quiet week on the International week saw Philip Doyle share his experiences as a full-time doctor and elite athlete, as well as the unveiling of the venues for indoor and coastal rowing competitions over coming years.
In an exclusive and fascinating interview with FISA, British Medic and Irish Rower Phillip Doyle shared the struggles of training for rowing in one country whilst being accountable to the medical system of another. Mr Doyle won a silver medal at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Linz Ottensheim, months after another silver in the double at the second World Cup.
World Rowing has announced the venues for the 2022, 2023 and 2024 World Rowing Indoor Championships, as well as those playing host to the 2022 and 2023 World Rowing Coastal Championships and Beach Sprint Finals. Although a full list of venues can be found on the FISA Website, a highlight for UK Sport is that Wales will play host to the World Rowing Coastal Championships and Beach Sprint Finals in 2022.
That’s all for this week’s briefing. Be sure to tune in next week for the latest news, advice, and analysis.
Until then, catch the latest episodes of our podcast here, and keep up with content from across our team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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Stay Safe
Ed Evans
Opinions Editor
About The Author
