Sorry if already posted. HIV and Covid False Positives?

Australia abandons Covid-19 vaccine due to false HIV positives

Australia has cancelled the production of a locally made Covid-19 vaccine after trial volunteers falsely tested positive for HIV, meaning the drug could interfere with diagnosis of that virus.

Antibodies generated by the jabs developed by the University of Queensland (UQ) and biotech firm CSL led to trial subjects wrongly testing positive for the virus that causes AIDS. Further trials have been stopped.

Scientists said the results were a blow to Australia's vaccine development and was likely to force the country to buy more doses of imported shots.

"While this is a tough decision to take, the urgent need for a vaccine has to be everyone's priority," said UQ professor Paul Young.

Australia has ordered a total of 140 million shots from different suppliers, to inoculate its 25 million people, making it one of the most highly stocked countries in the world.

"We want to ensure that Australians … have full confidence, absolute full confidence that when it gets the tick, they can get the jab, and they can make that decision for themselves and for their families, confidently,” said Scott Morrison, prime minister.

Prof Sarah Palmer, from the faculty of medicine at the University of Sydney, said: “Sadly, this is a set-back for the development of Covid-19 vaccines. Generating a false positive for HIV is entirely unexpected for this vaccine, but underscores the critical necessity of testing the safety of newly-developed vaccines in large numbers of volunteers.”

She said the Australian government, which was a major backer of the UQ vaccine effort, would have to consider funding other alternatives, including imported vaccine from firms such as Pfizer and Moderna.”

Australia's strict quarantine regime has seen the country quash earlier outbreaks and its tally of 28,000 infections is far fewer than in many other developed countries

Its success in keeping a lid on infections has meant the country is not racing to start vaccinations like countries in Europe and jabs are not scheduled to begin until March.

CSL, had been under a contract to produce 51 million doses of the UQ vaccine, and will instead produce an extra 20 million doses of the Oxford vaccine being developed with Britain's AstraZeneca.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/australia-abandons-covid-19-vaccine-072111768.html

>>11982011

Board slow. Catalog frozen.

Two Georgia Correctional Officers Indicted for Civil Rights and Related Offenses for Assaulting Inmates

Yesterday, a federal grand jury in Macon, Georgia, returned a 4-count indictment against former supervisory correctional officer Sergeant Patrick Sharpe, 29, and former correctional officer Jamal Scott, 33, of the Valdosta State Prison (VSP) for their roles in using excessive force against inmates incarcerated at the facility.

The indictment charges Sharpe and Scott with conspiring to assault, and aiding and abetting one another in the assault of, inmate F.G., in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 241 (conspiracy against rights) and 18 U.S.C. § 242 (deprivation of rights under color of law). Specifically, the indictment charges that on Dec. 29, 2018, Sharpe instructed Scott and another correctional officer named Brian Ford to assault inmate F.G., despite the fact that F.G. was handcuffed and compliant. In response, Scott and Ford struck F.G. multiple times in the body, resulting in bodily injury to F.G. Brian Ford previously pleaded guilty on Nov. 9, 2020, to depriving F.G. of his civil rights.

The indictment also charges that on Sept. 24, 2018, Sharpe assaulted inmate M.B. by striking M.B. in the face and head with handcuffs wrapped around his fist, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242, and then making false statements to Special Agents with the FBI about his conduct, in violation of 18. U.S.C. § 1001.

The maximum penalty for the deprivation-of-rights and conspiracy offenses is 10 years of imprisonment, and the maximum penalty for the false statements offense is five years of imprisonment.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The FBI conducted the investigation. Trial Attorneys Katherine G. DeVar and Nicole Raspa of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Criminal Chief Michael Solis of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-georgia-correctional-officers-indicted-civil-rights-and-related-offenses-assaulting

Statement by Attorney General William P. Barr on Senate Resolution

Online child sexual exploitation is a global crime that demands a continued global response. And yet an expansion of the “ePrivacy Directive” slated to take effect in the European Union this month may prohibit tech companies from using some of the most powerful tools available to detect child sexual abuse material and grooming by predators, making it easier for children to be exploited without detection. We commend Senators Cotton, Loeffler, and Boozman for introducing a resolution that encourages the EU to preserve companies’ ability to detect and prevent child exploitation, consistent with the Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/statement-attorney-general-william-p-barr-senate-resolution