Progression of COVID-19 under the highly restrictive measures imposed in Argentina

The variety and extent of non-pharmaceutical measures implemented by the government to control COVID-19 in Argentina were exceptional, making this country the best example to analyze the evolution of COVID-19 under the most stringent and longer-lasting restrictive policies- which included 119 days of strict nation-wide lock-down, 304 days of less restrictive lock-downs, and 35 days of curfews. Two of the three peaks of infection correlated with the germicidal solar flux received in Argentina, suggesting a seasonal component and a role for the virus persisting in the environment. A massive public gathering crowding the presidential square in Buenos Aires, during which nearly half of those present were without face masks, did not alter the infection curve in that city. Comparative epidemiological data (standardized per million inhabitants) shows that COVID-19 in Uruguay, a neighboring country whose capital is at a similar latitude than Buenos Aires and who did not mandate lock-downs or curfews, progressed much slower (until vaccination started) than in Argentina. The number of yearly deaths caused by respiratory diseases and influenza in Argentina before the pandemic was similar to the total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 cumulated on April 25, 2021, more than a year after the pandemic started. The failure to detect any benefit on ameliorating COVID-19 by the long and strict nation-wide lock-downs in Argentina should raise world-wide concerns about mandating costly and ineffective restrictive measures during ongoing or future pandemics.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to Sri Lanka and its impacts on Indo-Sri Lankan relations

In Globe, no nation is not an isolate it depends upon one another to fulfill their needs as a result of these multilateral relations build-up. Such a strong relationship we need to maintain means we need strong leadership. Such strong leaders are there before and after independence also. The several party leaders and their alliances are formed and implement the policies for the development of India at the Internal level as well as external level. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government’s was formed under two prominent leaders known as Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi. After Vajpayee, the NDA Government under the leadership of Narendra Modi realized the importance of foreign policy and maintaining a good relationship. Sri Lanka is also one of the closest neighboring country; Prime Minister Narendra Modi from 2014 to 2019 he officially visited Sri Lanka at three times within these three visits he used to make several new initiatives in many fields.

Early Detection of COVID-19 Waves From Cases in a Neighboring Country With an Open Border

Border closure or travel restriction is a critical issue as closing the border early can badly affect the economy of the country, whereas substantial delay can put human lives at stake. While many papers discuss closing the border early in the pandemic, the question of when to close the border has not been addressed well. We have tried to estimate a date of closing the border by taking the reference of a neighboring country with a high correlation in Covid-19 incidence. Here we have used non-linear methods to probe the landscape of correlation between temporal COVID-19 incidences and deaths. We have tested our method on two neighboring countries, Nepal and India, with open borders, where closing the borders are among the top priorities to reduce the spread and spill-out of variants. We have selected these countries as they have close connectivity and intertwined socio-economic network with thousands of people crossing the border every day. We found the distance correlation for COVID-19 incidence between these countries to be statistically significant (p < 0.001) and there is a lag of 6 days for maximum correlation. In addition, we analyzed the correlation for each wave and found the distance correlation for the first phase is 0.8145 (p < 0.001) with a lag of 2 days, and the distance correlation for the second wave is 0.9685 (p < 0.001) without any lag. This study can be a critical planning tool for policymakers and public health practitioners to make an informed decision on border closure in the early days as it is critically associated with the legal and diplomatic agreements and regulations between two countries.

Calling referendums on domestic policies: how political elites and citizens differ

Most national level referendums in Europe since 1793 are initiated either by political elites or by citizens. It remains unclear why these two types of initiators call for referendums. This article aims to explain under what circumstances political elites and citizens call referendums on domestic policies. The analysis is conducted at country level using an original data set that covers 461 national level referendums in Europe between 1793 and 2019. It tests the influence of four institutional variables that in theory are expected to have a divergent effect for the two types of initiators. The experience with direct democracy increases the likelihood to have referendums called by elites and reduces the incidence of citizen-initiated referendums. More authoritarian countries and longer time passed from referendums in a neighboring country explain why political elites initiate referendums. Coalition governments are more prone to citizen-initiated referendums on domestic policies compared to single-party governments.

Progression of COVID-19 under the highly restrictive measures imposed in Argentina

The variety and extent of non-pharmaceutical measures implemented by the government to control COVID-19 in Argentina were exceptional, making this country the best example to analyze the evolution of COVID-19 under the most stringent and longer-lasting restrictive policies- which up to May 31st 2021 included 119 days of strict nation-wide lock-down, 304 days of less restrictive lock-downs, and 35 days of curfews. Two of the three peaks of infection correlated with the germicidal solar flux received in Argentina, suggesting a seasonal component and a role for the virus persisting in the environment. A massive public gathering crowding the presidential square in Buenos Aires, during which nearly half of those present were without face masks, did not alter the infection curve in that city. Comparative epidemiological data (standardized per million inhabitants) shows that COVID-19 in Uruguay, a neighboring country whose capital is at a similar latitude than Buenos Aires and who did not mandate lock-downs or curfews, progressed much slower (until vaccination started) than in Argentina. The number of yearly deaths caused by respiratory diseases and influenza in Argentina before the pandemic was similar to the total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 cumulated on April 25, 2021, more than a year after the pandemic started. The failure to detect any benefit on ameliorating COVID-19 by the long and strict nation-wide lock-downs in Argentina should raise world-wide concerns about mandating costly and ineffective restrictive measures during ongoing or future pandemics

Integrating a Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Into the National Health System of Cyprus: Will It Return on Its Investment?

A European Union (EU) member state, Cyprus is a country with a population of ~850,000 citizens. According to the Cyprus Ministry of Health, since 2009, more than 3,000 new incidents with neoplasm are diagnosed every year (i.e., 3% increasing rate). Projections estimate an average annual increase of 2.2% of new incidents until 2040. However, the National Health System (NHS) of Cyprus lacks a Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) care framework and infrastructure. Patients can only have a PET/CT exam in the private sector, either in Cyprus or a neighboring country (e.g., Greece or Israel). This requires the government of Cyprus to cover financial expenses related to medical treatments while the patients may also need to cover their expenses for traveling to a neighboring country. This study presents a cost analysis to examine whether the integration of a PET/CT with, or without, an F18-FDG cyclotron unit in the NHS of Cyprus is an efficient investment that can be recovered within the unit's service life. To perform this study, we estimated necessary resources for purchasing and operating such unit for a period of 15 years. The results of this study indicate that an investment in a PET/CT unit is not financially viable. Alternatives, such as the reimbursement of PET/CT operated by the private sector is recommended.

Question of Livelihood in the Light of Disaster: With Special Reference to Flood of Bahraich, India

Floods in India is a repetitive one due to natural reasons like excessive rain and man-made mistakes like encroachments of water bodies, heavy rain-falls and so on. The chapter is based on a field study of Bahraich, a district of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. Interestingly, the district shares its boundary to neighboring country Nepal that influences the occurrence of floods in the region. The district is also prosperous in water resources such as the great Ghaghara river and many small and big ponds and lakes are in the district that becomes a cause of sorrow in the rainy seasons. The key concern of the chapter is to understand the challenges of livelihood of the rural communities which is annually threatened by devastative floods.

Cross-Border Trade of Russian Regions in 2013–2019

The article examines the cross-border trade of the Russian regions, taking into account the indicators of its volume and commodity structure, and the level of economic complexity. It is concluded that the cross-border trade in Russian regions has, in general, low intensity. This is due to several factors: most of the border areas are located on the economic periphery, both of Russia and of neighboring countries, there are physical and geographical barriers in many areas, and the development of the border area is low. In some cases, the low economic potential of a neighboring country or the existing geopolitical restrictions prevent the growth of trade. Against this background, two sections of the border area stand out: the Russian-Belarusian and the Russian-Chinese. In the first case, the development of trade is facilitated by the absence of customs barriers, historic ties and ethno-cultural proximity, a high degree of infrastructure development of border areas; in the second – by the huge scale of the economy of the neighboring country and a large potential volume of trade with it. In terms of the commodity structure of cross-border trade and its complexity, Russian border regions are usually suppliers of relatively simple goods: raw materials or products of the first processing stages, and import goods of higher complexity, which generally corresponds to the foreign trade specialization of Russia. In 2013–2019, the volume of cross-border trade in Russian regions significantly decreased, mainly due to a reduction in consumer and investment imports caused by a decrease in demand. The strongest decline occurred in cross-border trade with Ukraine. The volume of cross-border trade increased during this period in the Russian-Finnish and Russian-Estonian sections of the border (due to an increase in the volume of exports of nickel matte and mineral fertilizers). The changes in the commodity structure of cross-border trade that took place in 2013–2019 indicate the consolidation of the existing specialization of Russian border regions as suppliers of raw materials and simple products in trade with neighboring countries (except for the republics of the former USSR)

The Chambery Tragedy (June 1945): the Causes and Historical Context of the Attack on the Spaniards in France

On June 15, 1945, a mass attack took place in the French city of Chambery on a train carrying Spaniards traveling from Germany to their homeland. As a result, more than a hundred people were killed and injured. The French authorities presented this incident as a spontaneous wave of popular indignation against the soldiers of the Spanish “Blue Division”, who fought as part of the Nazi Wehrmacht. However, this version is unlikely (this division was disbanded and withdrawn long ago). There are many indications that this action was carried out with the sanction of the French authorities. According to some researchers, such reprisals, not uncommon for liberated France, demonstrating “national hatred of fascism”, were intended — not least оf all — to change the skeptical attitude of the victorious powers to France. This was especially relevant on the eve of the Potsdam Conference. The events in Chambery can also be seen as an attempt to “atone” for the Spanish Republicans for the cruel treatment of refugees from a neighboring country after the end of the Spanish Civil War of 1936—1939.