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THE BREAKDOWN
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A unit of meatpacking and processing giant Tyson Foods said on Thursday it will suspend work at a beef processing plant to test its workers for COVID-19, the third plant this week the company has said it will close.
Tyson Fresh Meats said it was working with health officials to test over 1,400 employees at its Pasco, Washington, beef plant. The company is already testing 5,000 workers at its pork plants in Waterloo, Iowa, and Logansport, Indiana.
The Waterloo facility, the nation’s largest pork processing plant, has been shuttered indefinitely. The Logansport plant is set to close on Saturday.
Keep plants open The nation needs to eat even in a pandemic
- Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds said the economic disruption caused by plant shutdowns outweighed the potential health risks, and said farmers could be forced to euthanize their livestock. She said “people are gonna get” the coronavirus in large workplaces, but most of them will have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.
Shut plants down Early action protects public health, limit closures
- Some lawmakers said closing the Waterloo plant sooner would have protected public health and hurt the economy less. “My concern is the impact this has had because we didn’t act soon enough,” said Democratic Iowa state Rep. Ras Smith.
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For Muslims across the globe, the holy month of Ramadan will begin on Friday amid lockdown orders and other COVID-19 prevention measures that will restrict traditional prayers and ceremonies.
The ninth month on the Muslim lunar calendar, Ramadan is marked by a daily dawn-to-dusk fast which is compulsory for most healthy adult Muslims. Additional prayers are also recommended, as are acts of charity. The fast itself is intended to teach adherents patience and compassion for the poor and hungry.
This year, however, Ramadan will not feature many of the signature mass breakfast (suhoor or sehri) and dinner (iftar) events that the month is associated with. Most mosques are closed to comply with social distancing rules and stay-at-home orders.
Saudi Arabia has already decreed that all prayers in Ramadan, including the additional Taraweeh prayers which are usually performed in mosques, should be performed at home. Congregational Friday prayers have also been cancelled, and congregational Eid al-Fitr prayers — Eid is a religious holiday marking the end of Ramadan — have also been cancelled in many countries.
Different but necessary Most Muslims states agree with lockdowns
- Sunni Muslim countries across the Middle East and South-East Asia have banned religious gatherings in the interest of public health. Clerics have also generally been supportive.
- Iran and Iraq, which have Shia Muslim majorities, have also called on people to avoid collective prayers.
- The two holy mosques in Mecca and Medina will be closed. Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, the third-holiest site in Islam, will also be closed for worshippers.
Worth the risk Pakistan disagrees
- After clerics refused to adhere to the government’s lockdown orders, the Pakistani government allowed congregational prayers at mosques while urging worshippers to follow social distancing guidelines and bring their own prayer mats.
- The country is the only Muslim-majority state that has not closed places of worship.
- Around 78% of cases in Pakistan can be traced to a religious event near Lahore in mid-March, and to pilgrims returning from Iran a few weeks before that.
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Google said on Thursday that advertisers who want to buy space on its platform will be required to complete a new verification process to increase the transparency of its advertising practices.
Until now, the search engine giant only required identity verification for political advertisers purchasing election ads.
Once the new process is implemented this summer, organizations will be required to submit legal documents (like a W9 or IRS document showing the organization’s name, address and employer identification number). An individual from the organization must also provide legal identification on the organization’s behalf. Individuals will have to show government-issued photo identification, such as a passport or identification card.
After advertisements are posted, users will be able to view a verified advertiser’s legal name and where the business is based by clicking on a context menu in ads.
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The first war crimes trial of Syrian officials for their roles in the country’s ongoing civil war began in Germany on Thursday.
Anwar R., a former colonel in the Syrian General Intelligence Service, and co-defendant Eyad G., who was allegedly his subordinate, defected from the Syrian military in 2012 and fled to Germany, where they claimed refugee status. Under German law, defendants last names are withheld.
The case started with the 100-page indictment being read aloud, which took an hour. It detailed how anti-government and opposition activists were brought to military intelligence Branch 251 in Damascus, where Anwar was in charge of investigations.
The indictment, which included testimony from 24 witnesses, detailed incidents of interrogation using torture, including hanging people by the wrists or forcing them to sit or stand in positions that stress the body. Other torture included beatings with metal rods and copper cables, electrocution, sexual violence, starvation, and denial of medical treatment, according to the indictment.
At least 58 people died at Branch 251 between April 2011 and September 2012, the indictment charges, and over 4,000 prisoners were allegedly tortured in the building during the same time. Prosecutors allege that Anwar, whose office was in the same building, was aware of the torture and inhumane conditions which led to the deaths. He is accused of complicity in crimes against humanity.
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Sigrid's Blog * America Then and Now 