Foreign news
COVID-19 May Have Been Around For Years-Oxford Scientist
The COVID-19 virus may have been circulating for years and so trying to identify its geographic origins could be a waste of time, according to a leading scientist.
Tom Jefferson, an honorary senior research fellow at the Oxford, England-based Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, told CGTN it was important to depoliticize the discussion and focus on how the virus behaves and spreads.
“People have tried to pinpoint: ‘It comes from Russia; it comes from China; it comes from there; comes from there.’ Maybe it comes from nowhere,” he told CGTN’s Emma Keeling. “I am not sure that pointing to the exact geographic location is very helpful, unless we have a clear idea of some particular animal/mankind interaction, which happened in a particular situation and could shed light on this situation.”
Recent testing of sewage in Barcelona has suggested the virus may have been present in the Spanish city in March last year, many months before China identified the pathogen in the city of Wuhan in December 2019.
Jefferson said that, while the Barcelona results still require confirmation, other research in France and Italy also suggests the disease may have been circulating much earlier than previously believed.
Many viruses, he noted, are known to lie dormant in the environment for long periods before suddenly becoming capable of causing dangerous outbreaks.
“If the Barcelona results are confirmed, it would certainly suggest that kind of thing,” he said.
“The question is, what wakes them up and what makes them aggressive?” Climatic conditions such as wind, humidity and levels of ultraviolet radiation are factors that scientists have considered may activate deadly viruses, but more research is required to understand them better, he added.
Foreign news
Finland-Nigeria future cooperation has a brighter prospect-envoy
Mrs Sanna Selin, the new Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, says Nigeria and Finland have a brighter future together through bilateral relations.
The envoy said this during her Finland’s 107 years National Day celebration, which was held on Wednesday night in Abuja.
She said that to promote stronger cooperation, both countries needed to learn from each other to build trust
.
According to Selin, the fact that Nigeria and Finland differ in many ways has not and will not prevent both nations from together finding mutual and beneficial solutions to shared challenges.
“The key is to better understand each other and each others’ needs by working tirelessly together to learn from one another and build trust.
“Nigeria and Finland share many common values. We work closely together in multilateral fora for a better world.
“As an Ambassador of Finland to Nigeria, I see our future brighter together”, she said.
Speaking on the Ukraine-Russian war, she said that the long-term aim for the Finnish Foreign Policy had been to promote peace, security, and sustainable development.
She said that for Finland, it was self-evident that supporting Ukraine is the obligation at the current war.
“My grandparents were the generation fighting for the independence and sovereignty of Finland. I am deeply grateful for their sacrifice.
“Ukraine is fighting, not only for its survival, but also defending the rules-based international order.
“From our own historical experience and fight for independence, we know what Ukraine is going through”, she said.
According to Selin, before independence from the Russian empire, all Finnish men and women gained full political rights to be voted and elected.
She said women used their political influence to demand for better school and healthcare for the Finnish people.
“Since 2018, the World Happiness Report has ranked Finland as the happiest country in the world.
“Relevant factors contributing to happiness seem to be Finland’s social safety net combined with personal freedom and a good work-life balance,’” she said.
NAN
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