On Jan. 9, 2020, about a week after the world first learned of a mysterious cluster of pneumonia cases in central China, authorities announced that scientists had found the culprit: a novel coronavirus.

It was a sobering announcement and an unnervingly familiar one. Nearly two decades earlier, a different coronavirus had hurdled over the species barrier and sped around the world, causing a lethal new disease called severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. The virus, which became known as SARS-CoV, killed 774 people before health officials contained it.

But even as scientists worried that history might be repeating itself, there was one glimmer of hope. Although all viruses evolve, coronaviruses are known to be relatively stable, changing more slowly than the common flu.

“There was, I think, a sense that would work in our favor and that the nightmare scenario of it being like influenza — constantly changing and needing updated vaccines all the time — would probably not be the case,” said Dr. Adam Lauring, a virus expert and infectious disease physician at the University of Michigan.

What many scientists had not counted on was unchecked global spread. During the following weeks, the new virus, SARS-CoV-2, skipped from Wuhan, China, to a cruise ship in Japan, a small town in northern Italy and a biotechnology conference in Boston. Country by country, global coronavirus trackers turned red.

To date, more than 237 million people have been infected with the virus, and 4.8 million have died — 700,000 in the United States alone.

With every infection come new opportunities for the virus to mutate. Now, nearly two years into the pandemic, we are working our way through an alphabet of new viral variants: fast-spreading alpha, immune-evading beta, and on through gamma, delta, lambda and, most recently, mu.

“We just have uncontrolled infections in much of the world, and that’s going to lead to more chances for the virus to evolve,” Lauring said.

Even for a virus, evolution is a long game, and our relationship with SARS-CoV-2 is still in its infancy. We are extremely unlikely to eradicate the virus, scientists say, and what the next few years — and decades — hold is difficult to predict.

But the legacy of past epidemics, as well as some basic biological principles, provides clues to where we could be headed.

The Genetic Lottery

Viruses are replication machines, hijacking our cells to make copies of their own genomes. Sometimes they make small mistakes, akin to typos, as they replicate.

Most of the time, these errors have no benefit for the virus; many are harmful and quickly disappear. But occasionally, a virus hits the genetic lottery: a mutation that confers an advantage. This fitter version of the virus can then outcompete its peers, giving rise to a new variant.

The coronavirus could shift in countless ways, but there are three concerning possibilities: It could become more transmissible, it could become better at evading our immune system, or it could become more virulent, causing more serious disease.

SARS-CoV-2 has already become more transmissible. “The virus is just better at transmitting from one person to another than it was in January of 2020,” said Jesse Bloom, an expert in viral evolution at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. “And this is due to a variety of mutations that the virus has acquired, some of which we understand, and some of which we don’t.”

One of the first of these mutations had already emerged by late January 2020. The mutation, D614G, most likely stabilized the spike protein that the virus uses to latch onto human cells, making the virus more infectious. It quickly became widespread, displacing the original version of the virus.

As the virus spread, more mutations sprang up, giving rise to even more transmissible variants. First came alpha, which was about 50% more infectious than the original virus, and soon delta, which was, in turn, roughly 50% more infectious than alpha.

“Now we’re basically in a delta pandemic,” said Robert Garry, a virus expert at Tulane University. “So another surge, another spread of a slightly better variant.”

Although some experts were surprised to see the hyperinfectious variant, which has more than a dozen notable mutations, emerge so quickly, the appearance of more transmissible variants is textbook viral evolution.

“It’s hard to imagine that the virus is going to pop into a new species perfectly formed for that species,” said Andrew Read, an evolutionary microbiologist at Penn State University. “It’s bound to do some adaptation.”

But scientists don’t expect this process to continue forever.

There are likely to be some basic biological limits on just how infectious a particular virus can become, based on its intrinsic properties. Viruses that are well adapted to humans, such as measles and the seasonal influenza, are not constantly becoming more infectious, Bloom noted.

It is not entirely clear what the constraints on transmissibility are, he added, but at the very least, the new coronavirus cannot replicate infinitely fast or travel infinitely far.

“Transmission requires one person to somehow exhale or cough or breathe out the virus, and it to land in someone else’s airway and infect them,” Bloom said. “There are just limits to that process. It’s never going to be the case that I’m sitting here in my office, and I’m giving it to someone on the other side of Seattle, right?”

He added: “Whether the delta variant is already at that plateau, or whether there’s going to be further increases before it gets to that plateau, I can’t say. But I do think that plateau exists.”

Dodging Immunity

In addition to becoming more transmissible, some variants have also acquired the ability to dodge some of our antibodies. Antibodies, which can prevent the virus from entering our cells, are engineered to latch onto specific molecules on the surface of the virus, snapping into place like puzzle pieces. But genetic mutations in the virus can change the shape of those binding sites.

“If you change that shape, you can make it impossible for an antibody to do its job,” said Marion Pepper, an immunologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Delta appears to evade some antibodies, but there are other variants, particularly beta, that are even better at dodging these defenses. For now, delta is so infectious that it has managed to outcompete, and thus limit the spread of, these stealthier variants.

But as more people acquire antibodies against the virus, mutations that allow the virus to slip past these antibodies will become even more advantageous. “The landscape of selection has changed,” said Jessica Metcalf, an evolutionary biologist at Princeton University. “From the point of view of the virus, it’s no longer, ‘I just bop around, and there’s a free host.’ ”

The good news is that there are many different kinds of antibodies, and a variant with a few new mutations is unlikely to escape them all, experts said.

“The immune system has also evolved to have plenty of tricks up its sleeve to counteract the evolution of the virus,” Pepper said. “Knowing that there is this complex level of diversity in the immune system allows me to sleep better at night.”

Certain T cells, for instance, destroy virus-infected cells, helping to reduce the severity of disease. Together, our assortment of T cells can recognize at least 30 to 40 different pieces of SARS-CoV-2, researchers have found.

“It’s a lot harder to evade T cell responses than antibody responses,” said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine.

And then there are B cells, which generate our army of antibodies. Even after we clear the infection, the body keeps churning out B cells for a while, deliberately introducing small genetic mutations. The result is an enormously diverse collection of B cells producing an array of antibodies, some of which might be a good match for the next variant that comes along.

“They’re actually a library of guesses that the immune system makes about what variants might look like in the future,” said Shane Crotty, a virus expert at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology.

So far, studies suggest that our antibody, T cell and B cell responses are all working as expected when it comes to SARS-CoV-2. “This virus is mostly playing by immunological rules we understand,” Crotty said.

‘No Interest in Killing Us’

Whether the virus will become more virulent — that is, whether it will cause more serious disease — is the hardest to predict, scientists said. Unlike transmissibility or immune evasion, virulence has no inherent evolutionary advantage.

“The virus has no interest in killing us,” Metcalf said. “Virulence only matters for the virus if it works for transmission.”

Because people who are hospitalized may be less likely to spread the virus than those who are walking around with the sniffles, some have theorized that new viruses become milder over time.

One commonly cited example is the myxoma virus, which Australian scientists released in 1950 in an attempt to reduce the population of invasive European rabbits.

Initially, the myxoma virus proved to be “fantastically virulent,” one scientist wrote, killing more than 99% of the rabbits it infected. After just a few years, however, several somewhat milder strains of the virus emerged and became dominant.

But myxoma is not a simple story of a virus gradually becoming less virulent.

“Early variants that were too nice were also discovered in the mid-1950s,” said Read, who has studied the virus. “They caused little disease but transmitted poorly, so never came to dominate.”

The rabbits also evolved new immune defenses that allowed them to fight off infection more easily, and then the virus fired back, acquiring new tricks for depressing the rabbits’ immune systems.

“Seventy years — it’s still going gangbusters,” Read said.

It is too early to say whether SARS-CoV-2 will change in virulence over the long term. There could certainly be trade-offs between virulence and transmission; variants that make people too sick too quickly may not spread very far.

Then again, this virus spreads before people become severely ill. As long as that remains true, the virus could become more virulent without sacrificing transmissibility.

Moreover, the same thing that makes the virus more infectious — faster replication or tighter binding to our cells — could also make it more virulent. Indeed, some evidence suggests that delta is more likely to result in hospitalization than other variants.

&lt;em&gt;“&lt;/em&gt;I could actually keep this game of imagining going on for a long time,” Read said. “On my good days, I’m optimistic that the disease severity will go down through time. Because clearly, people being isolated does affect transmission. On my bad days, I worry about it going the other direction.”

Uneasy Equilibrium

Although many possible paths remain open to us, what is certain is that SARS-CoV-2 will not stop evolving — and that the arms race between the virus and us is just beginning.

We lost the first few rounds, by allowing the virus to spread unchecked, but we still have powerful weapons to bring to the fight. The most notable are highly effective vaccines, developed at record speed. “I think there is hope in the fact that the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines at this point are more effective than flu vaccines have probably ever been,” Bloom said.

Even the first-generation vaccines provide substantial protection against disease, and there is plenty of room to improve them by tinkering with the dosing and timing, tailoring them to new variants or developing new approaches, such as nasal sprays, that may be better at halting transmission.

“I have great faith that we can sort any detrimental evolutionary trajectories out by improving our current or next generation vaccines,” Read said.

The occasional breakthrough infection or booster could help top up our flagging immunity and teach our bodies to recognize new mutations, ultimately making us less vulnerable to the next variant that comes along.

“Maybe you have a reinfection, but it’s relatively mild, which also boosts your immunity,” Gounder said.

Meanwhile, as the number of completely vulnerable hosts dwindles, and transmission slows, the virus will have fewer opportunities to mutate. One recent paper, which has not yet been reviewed by experts, suggests that rising vaccination rates may already be suppressing new mutations.

And the evolution rate could also slow down as the virus becomes better adapted to humans.

“There’s low-hanging fruit,” Lauring said. “So there are certain ways it can evolve and make big improvements, but after a while there aren’t areas to improve — it’s figured out all the easy ways to improve.”

Eventually, as viral evolution slows down and our immune systems catch up, we will reach an uneasy equilibrium with the virus, scientists predict. We will never extinguish it, but it will smolder rather than rage.

What that equilibrium point looks like exactly — how much transmission there is and how much disease it causes — is uncertain. Some scientists predict that the virus will ultimately be much like the flu, which can still cause serious illness and death, especially during seasonal surges.

Others are more optimistic. “My guess is that one day this is going to be another cause of the common cold,” said Jennie Lavine, who explored that possibility as an infectious disease researcher at Emory University.

There are four other coronaviruses that have become endemic in human populations. We are exposed to them early and often, and all four mostly cause run-of-the-mill colds.

COVID-19 might just be what it looks like when a novel coronavirus spreads through a population without any preexisting immunity. “This may not be such a different beast than everything else that we’re accustomed to,” Lavine said. “It’s just a bad moment.”

Of course, plenty of uncertainties remain, scientists said, including how long it will take to reach equilibrium. With infections beginning to decline again in the United States, hopes are again rising that the worst of the pandemic is behind us.

But much of the world remains unvaccinated, and this virus has already proved capable of surprising us. “We should be somewhat cautious and humble about trying to predict what it is capable of doing in the future,” Crotty said.

While we can’t guard against every eventuality, we can tip the odds in our favor by expanding viral surveillance, speeding up global vaccine distribution and tamping down transmission until more people can be vaccinated, scientists said.

The actions we take now will help determine what the coming years look like, said Dr. Jonathan Quick, a global health expert at Duke University and the author of “The End of Epidemics.”

The future, he said, “depends much, much more on what humans do than on what the virus does.”

On Jan. 9, 2020, about a week after the world first learned of a mysterious cluster of pneumonia cases in central China, authorities announced that scientists had found the culprit: a novel coronavirus.

On Jan. 9, 2020, about a week after the world first learned of a mysterious cluster of pneumonia cases in central China, authorities announced that scientists had found the culprit: a novel coronavirus. It was a sobering announcement and an unnervingly familiar one. Nearly two decades earlier, a different coronavirus had hurdled over the species barrier and sped around the world, causing a lethal new disease called severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. The virus, which became known as SARS-CoV, killed 774 people before health officials contained it. But even as scientists worried that history might be repeating itself, there was one glimmer of hope. Although all viruses evolve, coronaviruses are known to be relatively stable, changing more slowly than the common flu. “There was, I think, a sense that would work in our favor and that the nightmare scenario of it being like influenza — constantly changing and needing updated vaccines all the time — would probably not be the case,” said Dr. Adam Lauring, a virus expert and infectious disease physician at the University of Michigan. What many scientists had not counted on was unchecked global spread. During the following weeks, the new virus, SARS-CoV-2, skipped from Wuhan, China, to a cruise ship in Japan, a small town in northern Italy and a biotechnology conference in Boston. Country by country, global coronavirus trackers turned red. To date, more than 237 million people have been infected with the virus, and 4.8 million have died — 700,000 in the United States alone. With every infection come new opportunities for the virus to mutate. Now, nearly two years into the pandemic, we are working our way through an alphabet of new viral variants: fast-spreading alpha, immune-evading beta, and on through gamma, delta, lambda and, most recently, mu. “We just have uncontrolled infections in much of the world, and that’s going to lead to more chances for the virus to evolve,” Lauring said. Even for a virus, evolution is a long game, and our relationship with SARS-CoV-2 is still in its infancy. We are extremely unlikely to eradicate the virus, scientists say, and what the next few years — and decades — hold is difficult to predict. But the legacy of past epidemics, as well as some basic biological principles, provides clues to where we could be headed. The Genetic Lottery Viruses are replication machines, hijacking our cells to make copies of their own genomes. Sometimes they make small mistakes, akin to typos, as they replicate. Most of the time, these errors have no benefit for the virus; many are harmful and quickly disappear. But occasionally, a virus hits the genetic lottery: a mutation that confers an advantage. This fitter version of the virus can then outcompete its peers, giving rise to a new variant. The coronavirus could shift in countless ways, but there are three concerning possibilities: It could become more transmissible, it could become better at evading our immune system, or it could become more virulent, causing more serious disease. SARS-CoV-2 has already become more transmissible. “The virus is just better at transmitting from one person to another than it was in January of 2020,” said Jesse Bloom, an expert in viral evolution at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. “And this is due to a variety of mutations that the virus has acquired, some of which we understand, and some of which we don’t.” One of the first of these mutations had already emerged by late January 2020. The mutation, D614G, most likely stabilized the spike protein that the virus uses to latch onto human cells, making the virus more infectious. It quickly became widespread, displacing the original version of the virus. As the virus spread, more mutations sprang up, giving rise to even more transmissible variants. First came alpha, which was about 50% more infectious than the original virus, and soon delta, which was, in turn, roughly 50% more infectious than alpha. “Now we’re basically in a delta pandemic,” said Robert Garry, a virus expert at Tulane University. “So another surge, another spread of a slightly better variant.” Although some experts were surprised to see the hyperinfectious variant, which has more than a dozen notable mutations, emerge so quickly, the appearance of more transmissible variants is textbook viral evolution. “It’s hard to imagine that the virus is going to pop into a new species perfectly formed for that species,” said Andrew Read, an evolutionary microbiologist at Penn State University. “It’s bound to do some adaptation.” But scientists don’t expect this process to continue forever. There are likely to be some basic biological limits on just how infectious a particular virus can become, based on its intrinsic properties. Viruses that are well adapted to humans, such as measles and the seasonal influenza, are not constantly becoming more infectious, Bloom noted. It is not entirely clear what the constraints on transmissibility are, he added, but at the very least, the new coronavirus cannot replicate infinitely fast or travel infinitely far. “Transmission requires one person to somehow exhale or cough or breathe out the virus, and it to land in someone else’s airway and infect them,” Bloom said. “There are just limits to that process. It’s never going to be the case that I’m sitting here in my office, and I’m giving it to someone on the other side of Seattle, right?” He added: “Whether the delta variant is already at that plateau, or whether there’s going to be further increases before it gets to that plateau, I can’t say. But I do think that plateau exists.” Dodging Immunity In addition to becoming more transmissible, some variants have also acquired the ability to dodge some of our antibodies. Antibodies, which can prevent the virus from entering our cells, are engineered to latch onto specific molecules on the surface of the virus, snapping into place like puzzle pieces. But genetic mutations in the virus can change the shape of those binding sites. “If you change that shape, you can make it impossible for an antibody to do its job,” said Marion Pepper, an immunologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Delta appears to evade some antibodies, but there are other variants, particularly beta, that are even better at dodging these defenses. For now, delta is so infectious that it has managed to outcompete, and thus limit the spread of, these stealthier variants. But as more people acquire antibodies against the virus, mutations that allow the virus to slip past these antibodies will become even more advantageous. “The landscape of selection has changed,” said Jessica Metcalf, an evolutionary biologist at Princeton University. “From the point of view of the virus, it’s no longer, ‘I just bop around, and there’s a free host.’ ” The good news is that there are many different kinds of antibodies, and a variant with a few new mutations is unlikely to escape them all, experts said. “The immune system has also evolved to have plenty of tricks up its sleeve to counteract the evolution of the virus,” Pepper said. “Knowing that there is this complex level of diversity in the immune system allows me to sleep better at night.” Certain T cells, for instance, destroy virus-infected cells, helping to reduce the severity of disease. Together, our assortment of T cells can recognize at least 30 to 40 different pieces of SARS-CoV-2, researchers have found. “It’s a lot harder to evade T cell responses than antibody responses,” said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. And then there are B cells, which generate our army of antibodies. Even after we clear the infection, the body keeps churning out B cells for a while, deliberately introducing small genetic mutations. The result is an enormously diverse collection of B cells producing an array of antibodies, some of which might be a good match for the next variant that comes along. “They’re actually a library of guesses that the immune system makes about what variants might look like in the future,” said Shane Crotty, a virus expert at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology. So far, studies suggest that our antibody, T cell and B cell responses are all working as expected when it comes to SARS-CoV-2. “This virus is mostly playing by immunological rules we understand,” Crotty said. ‘No Interest in Killing Us’ Whether the virus will become more virulent — that is, whether it will cause more serious disease — is the hardest to predict, scientists said. Unlike transmissibility or immune evasion, virulence has no inherent evolutionary advantage. “The virus has no interest in killing us,” Metcalf said. “Virulence only matters for the virus if it works for transmission.” Because people who are hospitalized may be less likely to spread the virus than those who are walking around with the sniffles, some have theorized that new viruses become milder over time. One commonly cited example is the myxoma virus, which Australian scientists released in 1950 in an attempt to reduce the population of invasive European rabbits. Initially, the myxoma virus proved to be “fantastically virulent,” one scientist wrote, killing more than 99% of the rabbits it infected. After just a few years, however, several somewhat milder strains of the virus emerged and became dominant. But myxoma is not a simple story of a virus gradually becoming less virulent. “Early variants that were too nice were also discovered in the mid-1950s,” said Read, who has studied the virus. “They caused little disease but transmitted poorly, so never came to dominate.” The rabbits also evolved new immune defenses that allowed them to fight off infection more easily, and then the virus fired back, acquiring new tricks for depressing the rabbits’ immune systems. “Seventy years — it’s still going gangbusters,” Read said. It is too early to say whether SARS-CoV-2 will change in virulence over the long term. There could certainly be trade-offs between virulence and transmission; variants that make people too sick too quickly may not spread very far. Then again, this virus spreads before people become severely ill. As long as that remains true, the virus could become more virulent without sacrificing transmissibility. Moreover, the same thing that makes the virus more infectious — faster replication or tighter binding to our cells — could also make it more virulent. Indeed, some evidence suggests that delta is more likely to result in hospitalization than other variants. “I could actually keep this game of imagining going on for a long time,” Read said. “On my good days, I’m optimistic that the disease severity will go down through time. Because clearly, people being isolated does affect transmission. On my bad days, I worry about it going the other direction.” Uneasy Equilibrium Although many possible paths remain open to us, what is certain is that SARS-CoV-2 will not stop evolving — and that the arms race between the virus and us is just beginning. We lost the first few rounds, by allowing the virus to spread unchecked, but we still have powerful weapons to bring to the fight. The most notable are highly effective vaccines, developed at record speed. “I think there is hope in the fact that the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines at this point are more effective than flu vaccines have probably ever been,” Bloom said. Even the first-generation vaccines provide substantial protection against disease, and there is plenty of room to improve them by tinkering with the dosing and timing, tailoring them to new variants or developing new approaches, such as nasal sprays, that may be better at halting transmission. “I have great faith that we can sort any detrimental evolutionary trajectories out by improving our current or next generation vaccines,” Read said. The occasional breakthrough infection or booster could help top up our flagging immunity and teach our bodies to recognize new mutations, ultimately making us less vulnerable to the next variant that comes along. “Maybe you have a reinfection, but it’s relatively mild, which also boosts your immunity,” Gounder said. Meanwhile, as the number of completely vulnerable hosts dwindles, and transmission slows, the virus will have fewer opportunities to mutate. One recent paper, which has not yet been reviewed by experts, suggests that rising vaccination rates may already be suppressing new mutations. And the evolution rate could also slow down as the virus becomes better adapted to humans. “There’s low-hanging fruit,” Lauring said. “So there are certain ways it can evolve and make big improvements, but after a while there aren’t areas to improve — it’s figured out all the easy ways to improve.” Eventually, as viral evolution slows down and our immune systems catch up, we will reach an uneasy equilibrium with the virus, scientists predict. We will never extinguish it, but it will smolder rather than rage. What that equilibrium point looks like exactly — how much transmission there is and how much disease it causes — is uncertain. Some scientists predict that the virus will ultimately be much like the flu, which can still cause serious illness and death, especially during seasonal surges. Others are more optimistic. “My guess is that one day this is going to be another cause of the common cold,” said Jennie Lavine, who explored that possibility as an infectious disease researcher at Emory University. There are four other coronaviruses that have become endemic in human populations. We are exposed to them early and often, and all four mostly cause run-of-the-mill colds. COVID-19 might just be what it looks like when a novel coronavirus spreads through a population without any preexisting immunity. “This may not be such a different beast than everything else that we’re accustomed to,” Lavine said. “It’s just a bad moment.” Of course, plenty of uncertainties remain, scientists said, including how long it will take to reach equilibrium. With infections beginning to decline again in the United States, hopes are again rising that the worst of the pandemic is behind us. But much of the world remains unvaccinated, and this virus has already proved capable of surprising us. “We should be somewhat cautious and humble about trying to predict what it is capable of doing in the future,” Crotty said. While we can’t guard against every eventuality, we can tip the odds in our favor by expanding viral surveillance, speeding up global vaccine distribution and tamping down transmission until more people can be vaccinated, scientists said. The actions we take now will help determine what the coming years look like, said Dr. Jonathan Quick, a global health expert at Duke University and the author of “The End of Epidemics.” The future, he said, “depends much, much more on what humans do than on what the virus does.”

What the future holds for the coronavirus and us

Lab-grown coffee is being produced from cell cultures rather than coffee beans. &nbsp;&nbsp;

It could get regulatory approval in Europe and the US in four years. The development may pave way for a commercialised product that could have a much less&nbsp;climate impact than the regular coffee. &nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-australian-cops-check-mans-beverage-to-verify-excuse-for-not-wearing-mask-enrage-netizens-421483" hreflang="en">Watch: Australian cops check man’s beverage to verify excuse for not wearing mask, enrage netizens</a>

The scientists are trying to develop and commercialise coffee made without coffee beans in response to the industry’s challenges. The coffee has been developed by VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland. &nbsp;

This coffee is grown by floating cell cultures in bioreactors filled with a nutrient. This process requires no pesticides and has a much lower water footprint. It can also be produced in local markets, so it cuts the transport emissions too. The firm is working on a life cycle analysis of the process. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/highly-processed-food-may-affect-memory-and-lead-to-alzheimers-says-study-421379" hreflang="en">Highly processed food may affect memory and lead to Alzheimer's, says study</a>

Startups in the US are also working on beanless coffee. In September, a Seattle-based Atomo Coffee released what it called the world’s first “molecular coffee” in a one-day online pop-up. &nbsp;

Although the lab-grown coffee and others seem promising, it’s unclear how many people would be willing to give up the conventional coffee for it. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Lab-grown coffee is being produced from cell cultures rather than coffee beans. It could get regulatory approval in Europe and the US in four years. The development may pave way for a commercialised product that could have a much less climate impact than the regular coffee.

Lab-grown coffee is being produced from cell cultures rather than coffee beans. It could get regulatory approval in Europe and the US in four years. The development may pave way for a commercialised product that could have a much less climate impact than the regular coffee. Also Read | Watch: Australian cops check man’s beverage to verify excuse for not wearing mask, enrage netizens The scientists are trying to develop and commercialise coffee made without coffee beans in response to the industry’s challenges. The coffee has been developed by VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland. This coffee is grown by floating cell cultures in bioreactors filled with a nutrient. This process requires no pesticides and has a much lower water footprint. It can also be produced in local markets, so it cuts the transport emissions too. The firm is working on a life cycle analysis of the process. Also Read: Highly processed food may affect memory and lead to Alzheimer's, says study Startups in the US are also working on beanless coffee. In September, a Seattle-based Atomo Coffee released what it called the world’s first “molecular coffee” in a one-day online pop-up. Although the lab-grown coffee and others seem promising, it’s unclear how many people would be willing to give up the conventional coffee for it. (With inputs from agencies)

Lab-grown coffee in the making; may get approval in four years

In what can be called an outrage against harsh COVID-19 policies in Australia, social media seems to be abuzz with several comments, reposts, etc after a video went viral, where Melbourne police can be seen checking a man’s coffee cup to see if it was empty or not to verify his excuse for not wearing a mask. &nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Melbourne Police grabs a guy’s coffee cup to check if there is coffee in it otherwise, he would of fined him for not wearing a mask 👀 
 
Coffee is known to kill COVID 🙃☕️ <a href="https://t.co/7wUB1lBXDF">pic.twitter.com/7wUB1lBXDF</a>
— DIOGO THE FIVE8 (@Diogothefive8) <a href="https://twitter.com/Diogothefive8/status/1449208824380854275?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The video footage, which shows several police officers confronting a man at a park trail, has caught attention of several users. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-island-state-enters-snap-lockdown-421275" hreflang="en">Australia island state enters snap lockdown</a>

It is unclear when the 10-second clip was recorded exactly. It had gone viral on social media on Friday and Saturday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It's a police state, when you have a policeman checking your coffee cup so he can fine you for not wearing a mask if it's empty. Defunding the police seems like the natural next step. This country is in a big authoritarian mess with no leaders
— antoniopablo1967 (@APablo1967) <a href="https://twitter.com/APablo1967/status/1449329589918973956?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
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An officer grabs the man’s coffee cup, while asking, “Do you mind if I check if there’s actually anything in that?” The cop shakes the cup, and after getting satisfied that there was liquid inside, he returns it and tells the man, “Enjoy your coffee.” &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-19-new-zealand-vaccinates-25-population-in-one-day-421337" hreflang="en">COVID-19: New Zealand vaccinates 2.5% population in one day</a>

At the end, the man tells the police, “Jesus loves you all. God bless. I’ll be praying for you all.” &nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Why wasn’t the officer forced to change his gloves to touch another person’s property? He could easily spread Covid
— Grant Fairley (@grant_fairley) <a href="https://twitter.com/grant_fairley/status/1449285707529285636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Although the parkgoer dealt with the confrontation calmly and cordially, the netizens saw it as another example of Australia’s apparent Covid-19 “authoritarianism.” &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In what can be called an outrage against harsh COVID-19 policies in Australia, social media seems to be abuzz with several comments, reposts, etc after a video went viral, where Melbourne police can be seen checking a man’s coffee cup to see if it was empty or not to verify his excuse for not wearing a mask.

In what can be called an outrage against harsh COVID-19 policies in Australia, social media seems to be abuzz with several comments, reposts, etc after a video went viral, where Melbourne police can be seen checking a man’s coffee cup to see if it was empty or not to verify his excuse for not wearing a mask. Melbourne Police grabs a guy’s coffee cup to check if there is coffee in it otherwise, he would of fined him for not wearing a mask 👀 Coffee is known to kill COVID 🙃☕️ pic.twitter.com/7wUB1lBXDF — DIOGO THE FIVE8 (@Diogothefive8) October 16, 2021 × The video footage, which shows several police officers confronting a man at a park trail, has caught attention of several users. Also Read: Australia island state enters snap lockdown It is unclear when the 10-second clip was recorded exactly. It had gone viral on social media on Friday and Saturday. It's a police state, when you have a policeman checking your coffee cup so he can fine you for not wearing a mask if it's empty. Defunding the police seems like the natural next step. This country is in a big authoritarian mess with no leaders — antoniopablo1967 (@APablo1967) October 16, 2021 × An officer grabs the man’s coffee cup, while asking, “Do you mind if I check if there’s actually anything in that?” The cop shakes the cup, and after getting satisfied that there was liquid inside, he returns it and tells the man, “Enjoy your coffee.” Also Read: COVID-19: New Zealand vaccinates 2.5% population in one day At the end, the man tells the police, “Jesus loves you all. God bless. I’ll be praying for you all.” Why wasn’t the officer forced to change his gloves to touch another person’s property? He could easily spread Covid — Grant Fairley (@grant_fairley) October 16, 2021 × Although the parkgoer dealt with the confrontation calmly and cordially, the netizens saw it as another example of Australia’s apparent Covid-19 “authoritarianism.” (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: Australian cops check man’s beverage to verify excuse for not wearing mask, enrage netizens

Another 43,423 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19 as the country recorded more than 40,000 Covid cases on the fourth consecutive day, according to official figures released on Saturday.

It brought the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 8,404,469, Xinhua news agency reported.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-lab-suspended-after-false-negative-covid-tests-420952">UK lab suspended after false negative Covid tests</a>

The country also reported a further 148 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 138,527. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

There are currently 7,086 patients in hospital with COVID-19.

Covid-related deaths, infections and hospitalizations have all been on the rise over the last week as Britain starts to head into the winter months.

The latest data came as National Health Service (NHS) Test and Trace estimated that 400,000 coronavirus test samples were processed through the Immensa Health Clinic lab in Wolverhampton and an estimated 43,000 people may have been given incorrect results between September&nbsp;8 and October 12.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-development-finance-corporation-chief-to-visit-india-to-boost-vaccine-manufacturing-421167">US Development Finance Corporation chief to visit India to boost vaccine manufacturing</a>

An investigation was launched into reports of people receiving negative PCR test results after they had previously tested positive on a lateral flow device.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said most were in southwestern England.

More than 85 per cent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 78 per cent have received both doses, the latest figures showed.

Another 43,423 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19 as the country recorded more than 40,000 Covid cases on the fourth consecutive day, according to official figures released on Saturday.

Another 43,423 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19 as the country recorded more than 40,000 Covid cases on the fourth consecutive day, according to official figures released on Saturday. It brought the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 8,404,469, Xinhua news agency reported. Also Read | UK lab suspended after false negative Covid tests The country also reported a further 148 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 138,527. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test. There are currently 7,086 patients in hospital with COVID-19. Covid-related deaths, infections and hospitalizations have all been on the rise over the last week as Britain starts to head into the winter months. The latest data came as National Health Service (NHS) Test and Trace estimated that 400,000 coronavirus test samples were processed through the Immensa Health Clinic lab in Wolverhampton and an estimated 43,000 people may have been given incorrect results between September 8 and October 12. Also Read | US Development Finance Corporation chief to visit India to boost vaccine manufacturing An investigation was launched into reports of people receiving negative PCR test results after they had previously tested positive on a lateral flow device. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said most were in southwestern England. More than 85 per cent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 78 per cent have received both doses, the latest figures showed.

UK records more than 40,000 Covid cases for fourth day in a row

Oct 17 in history: Albert Einstein flees Nazi Germany, moves to the US and more

In an effort to compensate for the loss to the families of the victims&nbsp;killed in a botched drone attack in Afghanistan in August, the Pentagon has offered unspecified condolence payments and relocation to the United States. &nbsp;

In the attack on August 29, a US Hellfire missile struck a car driven by Zemerai Ahmadi, who had just pulled into the driveway of the Ahmadi family compound. Ahmadi was employed with Nutrition &amp; Education International. &nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;United States offers to compensate victims of US drone strike in Afghanistan

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In all, 10 members of the family, including seven children, were killed in the strike carried out during the final days before US troops withdrew from the war-torn country. &nbsp;

The US Defence Department said it is committed to offer condolence payments. In a statement on Friday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the Defence Department was also working with the State Department to help surviving family members relocate to the United States. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-joe-biden-slammed-for-likening-former-senator-dodd-with-one-who-would-not-disrespect-a-waitress-421154" hreflang="en">US President Joe Biden slammed for likening former Senator Dodd with one who would not 'disrespect a waitress'</a>

According to Kirby, the matter arose in a virtual meeting on Thursday between Dr Colin Kahl, under secretary of defence for policy, and Dr Steven Kwon, founder and president of the non-profit group Nutrition &amp; Education International. &nbsp;

"Dr Kahl reiterated Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin's commitment to the families, including offering ex-gratia condolence payments," Kirby said. The spokesman did not confirm how much money would be offered. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/justice-dept-to-ask-supreme-court-to-block-texas-near-total-abortion-ban-421139" hreflang="en">Justice dept to ask Supreme Court to block Texas’ near-total abortion ban</a>

During the meeting on Thursday, Kwon told Kahl that Ahmadi had work with NEI for many years, ‘providing care and lifesaving assistance for people facing high mortality rates in Afghanistan,' Kirby added. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In an effort to compensate for the loss to the families of the victims killed in a botched drone attack in Afghanistan in August, the Pentagon has offered unspecified condolence payments and relocation to the United States.

In an effort to compensate for the loss to the families of the victims killed in a botched drone attack in Afghanistan in August, the Pentagon has offered unspecified condolence payments and relocation to the United States. In the attack on August 29, a US Hellfire missile struck a car driven by Zemerai Ahmadi, who had just pulled into the driveway of the Ahmadi family compound. Ahmadi was employed with Nutrition & Education International. Watch: United States offers to compensate victims of US drone strike in Afghanistan × In all, 10 members of the family, including seven children, were killed in the strike carried out during the final days before US troops withdrew from the war-torn country. The US Defence Department said it is committed to offer condolence payments. In a statement on Friday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the Defence Department was also working with the State Department to help surviving family members relocate to the United States. Also Read: US President Joe Biden slammed for likening former Senator Dodd with one who would not 'disrespect a waitress' According to Kirby, the matter arose in a virtual meeting on Thursday between Dr Colin Kahl, under secretary of defence for policy, and Dr Steven Kwon, founder and president of the non-profit group Nutrition & Education International. "Dr Kahl reiterated Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin's commitment to the families, including offering ex-gratia condolence payments," Kirby said. The spokesman did not confirm how much money would be offered. Also Read: Justice dept to ask Supreme Court to block Texas’ near-total abortion ban During the meeting on Thursday, Kwon told Kahl that Ahmadi had work with NEI for many years, ‘providing care and lifesaving assistance for people facing high mortality rates in Afghanistan,' Kirby added. (With inputs from agencies)

US offers condolence payments, relocation to kin of Afghans killed in botched drone attack

Oct 16 in history: The Walt Disney Company is founded in US and more

We bring you the biggest stories of the day so far. From&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;telling officials to&nbsp;avoid public executions unless ordered by top court to&nbsp;US President Joe Biden being slammed for likening&nbsp;former Connecticut Democrat Senator Chris Dodd with one who would not 'disrespect a waitress',&nbsp;we have it all.

You can also read about&nbsp;police declaring&nbsp;fatal stabbing of UK Conservative MP as 'terrorist incident' and&nbsp;Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro may be facing criminal charges for Covid deaths.

Please click on the headline to read the full story. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/avoid-public-executions-unless-ordered-by-top-court-taliban-regime-tells-local-officials-in-afghanistan-421149">Avoid public executions unless ordered by top court, Taliban tells officials</a>

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The Taliban regime has ordered local officials in Afghanistan to avert carrying out punishments in public unless ordered by top court.&nbsp;Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid made the announcement on&nbsp;Twitter.

&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-joe-biden-slammed-for-likening-former-senator-dodd-with-one-who-would-not-disrespect-a-waitress-421154">Biden slammed for likening Dodd with one who would not 'disrespect a waitress'</a>

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US President Joe Biden has been criticised by the Republican National Committee (RNC) for equating former Senator Chris Dodd with someone, who would not “disrespect a waitress”. The US president did not directly use the phrase.

&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/police-declare-fatal-stabbing-of-uk-conservative-mp-as-terrorist-incident-421148">Police declare fatal stabbing of UK Conservative MP as 'terrorist incident'</a>

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The British Police has termed the death of UK Conservative lawmaker David Amess, who was knifed to death outside the Essex church, as a “terrorist incident”.

&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brazilian-president-jair-bolsonaro-may-face-criminal-charges-for-covid-deaths-421152">Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro may face criminal charges for Covid deaths</a>

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro might face 11 criminal charges with regards to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, a Senator who is in charge of an investigative panel has revealed.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Tense faceoff during Russian-Chinese war games in sea of Japan

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&nbsp;

We bring you the biggest stories of the day so far. From Taliban telling officials to avoid public executions unless ordered by top court to US President Joe Biden being slammed for likening former Connecticut Democrat Senator Chris Dodd with one who would not 'disrespect a waitress', we have it all.

We bring you the biggest stories of the day so far. From Taliban telling officials to avoid public executions unless ordered by top court to US President Joe Biden being slammed for likening former Connecticut Democrat Senator Chris Dodd with one who would not 'disrespect a waitress', we have it all. You can also read about police declaring fatal stabbing of UK Conservative MP as 'terrorist incident' and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro may be facing criminal charges for Covid deaths. Please click on the headline to read the full story. Avoid public executions unless ordered by top court, Taliban tells officials The Taliban regime has ordered local officials in Afghanistan to avert carrying out punishments in public unless ordered by top court. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid made the announcement on Twitter. Biden slammed for likening Dodd with one who would not 'disrespect a waitress' US President Joe Biden has been criticised by the Republican National Committee (RNC) for equating former Senator Chris Dodd with someone, who would not “disrespect a waitress”. The US president did not directly use the phrase. Police declare fatal stabbing of UK Conservative MP as 'terrorist incident' The British Police has termed the death of UK Conservative lawmaker David Amess, who was knifed to death outside the Essex church, as a “terrorist incident”. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro may face criminal charges for Covid deaths Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro might face 11 criminal charges with regards to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, a Senator who is in charge of an investigative panel has revealed. Watch: Tense faceoff during Russian-Chinese war games in sea of Japan ×

Morning news brief: Taliban avoids public hangings, Bolsonaro may face charges and more

US President Joe Biden has been criticised by the Republican National Committee (RNC) for equating former Connecticut Democrat&nbsp;Senator Chris Dodd with someone, who would not “disrespect a waitress”. &nbsp;

Although the US president did not directly use the phrase to describe former colleague, Biden talked about the mistreatment of servers as an example of people, who do not “do simple, decent things for ordinary people” in a way that is revealing of their character. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/justice-dept-to-ask-supreme-court-to-block-texas-near-total-abortion-ban-421139" hreflang="en">Justice dept to ask Supreme Court to block Texas’ near-total abortion ban</a>

“I’ve never seen Chris, figuratively speaking, walk by anybody,” the president said. &nbsp;

The Republican panel cited reports that Dodd and then-Democrat&nbsp;Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts had together manhandled a waitress at La Brasserie. Brasserie is a high-end Washington, DC, restaurant. &nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-allow-fully-vaccinated-travellers-from-november-8-white-house-421033" hreflang="en">US to allow fully vaccinated travellers from November 8: White House</a>

In the 1990 incident, “the six-foot-two, 225-plus-pound Kennedy grabbed the five-foot-three, 103-pound waitress and throws her on the table. She lands on her back, scattering crystal, plates and cutlery and the lit candles. Several glasses and a crystal candlestick are broken. Kennedy then picks her up from the table and throws her on Dodd, who is sprawled in a chair,” reported GQ. &nbsp;

The infamous incident has been characterised as Kennedy-Dodd “waitress sandwich”. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden has been criticised by the Republican National Committee (RNC) for equating former Connecticut Democrat Senator Chris Dodd with someone, who would not “disrespect a waitress”.

US President Joe Biden has been criticised by the Republican National Committee (RNC) for equating former Connecticut Democrat Senator Chris Dodd with someone, who would not “disrespect a waitress”. Although the US president did not directly use the phrase to describe former colleague, Biden talked about the mistreatment of servers as an example of people, who do not “do simple, decent things for ordinary people” in a way that is revealing of their character. Also Read: Justice dept to ask Supreme Court to block Texas’ near-total abortion ban “I’ve never seen Chris, figuratively speaking, walk by anybody,” the president said. The Republican panel cited reports that Dodd and then-Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts had together manhandled a waitress at La Brasserie. Brasserie is a high-end Washington, DC, restaurant. Also Read | US to allow fully vaccinated travellers from November 8: White House In the 1990 incident, “the six-foot-two, 225-plus-pound Kennedy grabbed the five-foot-three, 103-pound waitress and throws her on the table. She lands on her back, scattering crystal, plates and cutlery and the lit candles. Several glasses and a crystal candlestick are broken. Kennedy then picks her up from the table and throws her on Dodd, who is sprawled in a chair,” reported GQ. The infamous incident has been characterised as Kennedy-Dodd “waitress sandwich”. (With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden slammed for likening former Senator Dodd with one who would not 'disrespect a waitress'

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has ordered local officials to avert carrying out punishments in public unless the war-torn country's top court issues its order. &nbsp;

On Twitter, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that the Council of Ministers has decided that no punishment will be carried out publicly when there is no need to publicise the convict and till the court issues an order for a public punishment. &nbsp;

While giving details of the cabinet meeting, Mujahid said, "Public executions and hanging of bodies should be avoided unless the supreme court issues an order for such an action."

Also Read:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/plans-underway-to-form-afghan-government-in-exile-421031" hreflang="en">Plans underway to form Afghan government in-exile</a>

The Taliban spokesman said, "If the offender is punished, the punishment must be explained so that the people know about the crime.” &nbsp;

Earlier, the Taliban’s regressive policies came on full display after it announced that public executions and amputations as forms of punishment would return to Afghanistan. &nbsp;

The Taliban's co-founder, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, had also warned against any outside interference in their Islamic rules. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/kabul-market-named-after-george-w-bush-is-now-mujahideen-bazar-taliban-on-name-change-spree-420874" hreflang="en">Kabul market named after George W Bush is now Mujahideen bazar</a>

"Everyone criticised us for the punishments in the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their punishments," he said. &nbsp;

Immediately after the announcement, the Taliban hanged four dead bodies in public for allegedly stealing. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has ordered local officials to avert carrying out punishments in public unless the war-torn country's top court issues its order.

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has ordered local officials to avert carrying out punishments in public unless the war-torn country's top court issues its order. On Twitter, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that the Council of Ministers has decided that no punishment will be carried out publicly when there is no need to publicise the convict and till the court issues an order for a public punishment. While giving details of the cabinet meeting, Mujahid said, "Public executions and hanging of bodies should be avoided unless the supreme court issues an order for such an action." Also Read: Plans underway to form Afghan government in-exile The Taliban spokesman said, "If the offender is punished, the punishment must be explained so that the people know about the crime.” Earlier, the Taliban’s regressive policies came on full display after it announced that public executions and amputations as forms of punishment would return to Afghanistan. The Taliban's co-founder, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, had also warned against any outside interference in their Islamic rules. Also Read: Kabul market named after George W Bush is now Mujahideen bazar "Everyone criticised us for the punishments in the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their punishments," he said. Immediately after the announcement, the Taliban hanged four dead bodies in public for allegedly stealing. (With inputs from agencies)

Avoid public executions unless ordered by top court, Taliban regime tells local officials in Afghanistan

​The soldiers were driving back to the South Korean air force base after dinner and drinks on March 2. In the back seat, Master Sgt. Lee Ye-ram could be heard repeatedly begging her male colleague​, Master Sgt. Chang Dong-hoon, to stop sexually assaulting her.

“Can you please stop ​it,” she said, according to the conversation recorded by the car’s dashboard camera. What came after was the latest example of South Korea’s persistent struggle to rid its military of sex crimes​, even as the country tries to recruit more women amid a shortage of male conscripts.

When Lee reported that Chang kissed and groped her in the car that night, her superiors tried to bury the complaint, according to Defense Ministry investigators. The ​military did not bring formal charges against Chang until after Lee, 23, took her own life on May 21. Chang has since admitted to the assault and is facing trial.

It has become what some say is a pattern​ in South Korea​: One female​​ ​soldier after another has taken ​her own life ​in recent years after they reported being sexually assaulted in the military. Hundreds of sexual assaults are reported every year. At least four female victims have taken their own lives in the past eight years, including a ​navy ​chief petty officer who was found dead in her ​apartment in August.

The deaths have forced South Korea’s military to accept some long-delayed reforms. In August, the public uproar incited by Lee’s suicide prompted the National Assembly to revise a law stipulating that all sex crimes be investigated by the national police and tried in civilian courts as opposed to courts-martial. The move was meant to increase transparency and protect victims, but victims and their families say it is the military itself that needs to change.

“The moment a victim reports the assault, her entire unit goes to work to persuade and coerce her to bury the problem,” said Kim Jong-dae, a former lawmaker who sat on a civilian-military panel created to recommend solutions to the assaults. “The victim takes suicide as the only exit out of such a situation.” The panel recommended this week that the armed forces prepare detailed guidelines on how to protect victims of sexual violence.

So far, 15 people have been indicted in connection with Lee’s case, none of them high-ranking air force police officers or prosecutors accused of delaying the initial investigation. Her family has refused to bury her until the officials are punished, but Defense Ministry investigators have said there is not enough evidence. They wrapped up their work last week.

South Korean society has long understood the need to address widespread gender bias, but women in the armed forces are seen as particularly vulnerable. The country’s 550,000-member military is considered one of its most hierarchical, male-dominant and paternalistic institutions, and former soldiers say women are treated as playthings rather than colleagues.

The issue attracted national attention in 2013 when an army captain died by suicide after being abused by her boss. “I don’t want to die” were among her last words, said Kang Suk-min, the family’s former lawyer. After the captain’s death, her father said he hoped that South Korea would “never again have to see another female soldier die like my daughter.”

Eight years later, Lee’s father is making the same enraged appeal.

“It’s the male-dominant military culture that doesn’t treat female soldiers as colleagues that killed my daughter,” he said in an interview. “It’s the military culture that ostracizes the victim of sexual crime, not the predator, that killed my daughter.”

The day after her assault, two of Lee’s immediate bosses — an air force senior master sergeant and a warrant officer — discouraged her from taking her case to the military police, and one of the men suggested she act “as if nothing had happened,” according to the investigation. Lee eventually asked to be transferred to another unit, where she said she was treated as a troublemaker.

“I am not sure I can hold on,” she told her father in a desperate voice message on May 7.

The military has since arrested both bosses on charges of trying to coerce Lee into silence. The air force senior master sergeant died by suicide in July while in military custody. The warrant officer has denied all charges against him. Gen. Lee Seong-yong, the air force’s chief of staff, has stepped down.

More than 400 cases of sexual assault between soldiers have been reported annually from 2017 to 2020 in South Korea, according to data submitted to Kwon In-sook, a female lawmaker. Less than 40% of the accused have faced charges, and nearly 43% of those charged walked free after receiving suspended prison sentences.

Sexual assault victims and sexual minorities are often the ones who fear punishment. Gay soldiers have been indicted on a charge of sodomy, a crime under the military’s criminal code. A transgender woman who was expelled after gender-reassignment surgery died by suicide in March. (Last week, a local court ruled that her dismissal was illegal.) Yet as the military cracks down on sexual minorities, critics say, the sexual assaults continue.

“Most of the sexual violence in the military goes unreported,” said Lim Tae-hoon, head of the Center for Military Human Rights, a civic group in Seoul that has assisted victims of sexual violence. “You protest and ruin your chance for promotion or you leave the military.”

In a survey conducted by the Defense Ministry in 2019, fewer than one-third of those who said they had experienced sexual assault reported it to the authorities, mainly because they felt “nothing would happen.” The Defense Ministry has said that it was working to change military culture and adopt new policies to help fight sexual assaults, but former soldiers say male superiors are more concerned about damage control than accountability.

Much of the sexual harassment takes place off base during group dinners and drinking parties, according to investigators and former soldiers. In 2014, an army division commander stepped down after it was revealed that he had coerced female soldiers into joining drinking parties at his residence.

“They want their female subordinates to be there to act as ‘flowers,’ serving drinks,” said Bang Hye-rin, who was a Marine captain until 2017 and is now a counselor for victims of sexual assault at the Center for Military Human Rights. “Even if you feel disgusted to do so, you swallow your pride and do it because they have the power to affect your promotion.”

Women in the military are treated as “second-class, nonessential members of the armed forces” by their male colleagues and superiors, Bang said. “They don’t consider sexual harassment a serious crime, treating it like some social gaffe that can happen when men and women drink together.”

In a petition to parliament last year, an air force captain wrote bitterly about a colonel who pressured her to attend a party in 2019. She was sexually assaulted by one of his friends. “We have been promised a South Korea where women are respected and guaranteed equal opportunities and do not end their own lives out of disappointment and frustration,” she wrote. “Being summoned to a drinking party and serving as a sexual plaything is not part of serving the country as an air force captain, is it?”

Lee’s father remembered his daughter as a vivacious and caring woman. She wanted to enlist in the air force early on, joining a handful of girls who were accepted into a high school program run by the air force to train young cadets. She began her service in 2017 and thrived until the sexual assault left her dependent on sleeping pills, according to her father.

“My daughter chose to die rather than succumb to their coercion,” he said, looking at her photos in a mourning altar set up in a military hospital near Seoul. “She defended her principle through death.”

The initial internal report on Lee’s suicide identified her as a sexual assault victim and quoted her parents as saying that she was under duress from superiors demanding that she not press charges against Chang. But those findings were expunged from the report before it was delivered to the Defense Ministry two days after her death. Two air force colonels have been indicted on charges of falsifying the report to keep Lee’s suicide quiet.

It was not until May 31 — the day a local broadcaster broke the news about Lee’s death — that military prosecutors questioned Chang for the first time. In its investigation, the Defense Ministry found that Lee had ​also ​been sexually abused by two other superiors during her time in the air force.

Chang apologized to Lee’s family ​during a trial that began in August. Prosecutors have asked the court to sentence him to 15 years in prison. At a recent hearing, Lee’s father lunged toward Chang in a rage. He hurled curses and a water bottle before the soldier was whisked away by the military police.

The soldiers were driving back to the South Korean air force base after dinner and drinks on March 2. In the back seat, Master Sgt. Lee Ye-ram could be heard repeatedly begging her male colleague, Master Sgt.

The soldiers were driving back to the South Korean air force base after dinner and drinks on March 2. In the back seat, Master Sgt. Lee Ye-ram could be heard repeatedly begging her male colleague, Master Sgt. Chang Dong-hoon, to stop sexually assaulting her. “Can you please stop it,” she said, according to the conversation recorded by the car’s dashboard camera. What came after was the latest example of South Korea’s persistent struggle to rid its military of sex crimes, even as the country tries to recruit more women amid a shortage of male conscripts. When Lee reported that Chang kissed and groped her in the car that night, her superiors tried to bury the complaint, according to Defense Ministry investigators. The military did not bring formal charges against Chang until after Lee, 23, took her own life on May 21. Chang has since admitted to the assault and is facing trial. It has become what some say is a pattern in South Korea: One female soldier after another has taken her own life in recent years after they reported being sexually assaulted in the military. Hundreds of sexual assaults are reported every year. At least four female victims have taken their own lives in the past eight years, including a navy chief petty officer who was found dead in her apartment in August. The deaths have forced South Korea’s military to accept some long-delayed reforms. In August, the public uproar incited by Lee’s suicide prompted the National Assembly to revise a law stipulating that all sex crimes be investigated by the national police and tried in civilian courts as opposed to courts-martial. The move was meant to increase transparency and protect victims, but victims and their families say it is the military itself that needs to change. “The moment a victim reports the assault, her entire unit goes to work to persuade and coerce her to bury the problem,” said Kim Jong-dae, a former lawmaker who sat on a civilian-military panel created to recommend solutions to the assaults. “The victim takes suicide as the only exit out of such a situation.” The panel recommended this week that the armed forces prepare detailed guidelines on how to protect victims of sexual violence. So far, 15 people have been indicted in connection with Lee’s case, none of them high-ranking air force police officers or prosecutors accused of delaying the initial investigation. Her family has refused to bury her until the officials are punished, but Defense Ministry investigators have said there is not enough evidence. They wrapped up their work last week. South Korean society has long understood the need to address widespread gender bias, but women in the armed forces are seen as particularly vulnerable. The country’s 550,000-member military is considered one of its most hierarchical, male-dominant and paternalistic institutions, and former soldiers say women are treated as playthings rather than colleagues. The issue attracted national attention in 2013 when an army captain died by suicide after being abused by her boss. “I don’t want to die” were among her last words, said Kang Suk-min, the family’s former lawyer. After the captain’s death, her father said he hoped that South Korea would “never again have to see another female soldier die like my daughter.” Eight years later, Lee’s father is making the same enraged appeal. “It’s the male-dominant military culture that doesn’t treat female soldiers as colleagues that killed my daughter,” he said in an interview. “It’s the military culture that ostracizes the victim of sexual crime, not the predator, that killed my daughter.” The day after her assault, two of Lee’s immediate bosses — an air force senior master sergeant and a warrant officer — discouraged her from taking her case to the military police, and one of the men suggested she act “as if nothing had happened,” according to the investigation. Lee eventually asked to be transferred to another unit, where she said she was treated as a troublemaker. “I am not sure I can hold on,” she told her father in a desperate voice message on May 7. The military has since arrested both bosses on charges of trying to coerce Lee into silence. The air force senior master sergeant died by suicide in July while in military custody. The warrant officer has denied all charges against him. Gen. Lee Seong-yong, the air force’s chief of staff, has stepped down. More than 400 cases of sexual assault between soldiers have been reported annually from 2017 to 2020 in South Korea, according to data submitted to Kwon In-sook, a female lawmaker. Less than 40% of the accused have faced charges, and nearly 43% of those charged walked free after receiving suspended prison sentences. Sexual assault victims and sexual minorities are often the ones who fear punishment. Gay soldiers have been indicted on a charge of sodomy, a crime under the military’s criminal code. A transgender woman who was expelled after gender-reassignment surgery died by suicide in March. (Last week, a local court ruled that her dismissal was illegal.) Yet as the military cracks down on sexual minorities, critics say, the sexual assaults continue. “Most of the sexual violence in the military goes unreported,” said Lim Tae-hoon, head of the Center for Military Human Rights, a civic group in Seoul that has assisted victims of sexual violence. “You protest and ruin your chance for promotion or you leave the military.” In a survey conducted by the Defense Ministry in 2019, fewer than one-third of those who said they had experienced sexual assault reported it to the authorities, mainly because they felt “nothing would happen.” The Defense Ministry has said that it was working to change military culture and adopt new policies to help fight sexual assaults, but former soldiers say male superiors are more concerned about damage control than accountability. Much of the sexual harassment takes place off base during group dinners and drinking parties, according to investigators and former soldiers. In 2014, an army division commander stepped down after it was revealed that he had coerced female soldiers into joining drinking parties at his residence. “They want their female subordinates to be there to act as ‘flowers,’ serving drinks,” said Bang Hye-rin, who was a Marine captain until 2017 and is now a counselor for victims of sexual assault at the Center for Military Human Rights. “Even if you feel disgusted to do so, you swallow your pride and do it because they have the power to affect your promotion.” Women in the military are treated as “second-class, nonessential members of the armed forces” by their male colleagues and superiors, Bang said. “They don’t consider sexual harassment a serious crime, treating it like some social gaffe that can happen when men and women drink together.” In a petition to parliament last year, an air force captain wrote bitterly about a colonel who pressured her to attend a party in 2019. She was sexually assaulted by one of his friends. “We have been promised a South Korea where women are respected and guaranteed equal opportunities and do not end their own lives out of disappointment and frustration,” she wrote. “Being summoned to a drinking party and serving as a sexual plaything is not part of serving the country as an air force captain, is it?” Lee’s father remembered his daughter as a vivacious and caring woman. She wanted to enlist in the air force early on, joining a handful of girls who were accepted into a high school program run by the air force to train young cadets. She began her service in 2017 and thrived until the sexual assault left her dependent on sleeping pills, according to her father. “My daughter chose to die rather than succumb to their coercion,” he said, looking at her photos in a mourning altar set up in a military hospital near Seoul. “She defended her principle through death.” The initial internal report on Lee’s suicide identified her as a sexual assault victim and quoted her parents as saying that she was under duress from superiors demanding that she not press charges against Chang. But those findings were expunged from the report before it was delivered to the Defense Ministry two days after her death. Two air force colonels have been indicted on charges of falsifying the report to keep Lee’s suicide quiet. It was not until May 31 — the day a local broadcaster broke the news about Lee’s death — that military prosecutors questioned Chang for the first time. In its investigation, the Defense Ministry found that Lee had also been sexually abused by two other superiors during her time in the air force. Chang apologized to Lee’s family during a trial that began in August. Prosecutors have asked the court to sentence him to 15 years in prison. At a recent hearing, Lee’s father lunged toward Chang in a rage. He hurled curses and a water bottle before the soldier was whisked away by the military police.

Suicides pressure South Korea to confront sex assault within military 

New social media rules announced by the Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Technology on Thursday will empower the telecom regulator to block any website or platform on the directives of court and federal government or under any law, reported local media. &nbsp;

As per the new rules titled the 'Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules, 2021', the social media companies have to register with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) within three months. They will also have to establish offices in the country "as and when feasible", as per a Dawn report. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/in-pakistan-where-inflation-is-at-an-all-time-high-a-cup-of-tea-costs-rs-40-420964" hreflang="en">In Pakistan, where inflation is at an all-time high, a cup of tea costs Rs 40&nbsp;</a>

In the rules, it is the responsibility of not just the social media companies but also the service providers, to deploy mechanisms to ensure immediate blocking of live streaming of content relating to hate speech, pornography, terrorism and anti-national security matter on receiving intimation from PTA with the help of Online Information Systems, said the report. &nbsp;

"PTA can give 48 hours to the service provider, social media company, significant social media company or user to comply with the directives of PTA for removing or blocking access to the content," said the report.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/no-rift-between-pakistan-pm-and-army-chief-over-isi-says-minister-420761" hreflang="en">No rift between Pakistan PM and army chief over ISI, says minister</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;

In emergency cases, the body can give only 12 hours to the relevant user or social media company to remove or block access to online content. But the body will also have to specify reasons for the "emergency" in writing. &nbsp;

As per the new rules, social media companies could be fined by up to Rs 500 million for different violations. These companies will also have to appoint an authorised compliance officer and grievance officer based in Pakistan, the rules said. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

New social media rules announced by the Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Technology on Thursday will empower the telecom regulator to block any website or platform on the directives of court and federal government or under any law, reported local media.

New social media rules announced by the Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Technology on Thursday will empower the telecom regulator to block any website or platform on the directives of court and federal government or under any law, reported local media. As per the new rules titled the 'Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules, 2021', the social media companies have to register with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) within three months. They will also have to establish offices in the country "as and when feasible", as per a Dawn report. Also Read: In Pakistan, where inflation is at an all-time high, a cup of tea costs Rs 40 In the rules, it is the responsibility of not just the social media companies but also the service providers, to deploy mechanisms to ensure immediate blocking of live streaming of content relating to hate speech, pornography, terrorism and anti-national security matter on receiving intimation from PTA with the help of Online Information Systems, said the report. "PTA can give 48 hours to the service provider, social media company, significant social media company or user to comply with the directives of PTA for removing or blocking access to the content," said the report. Also Read: No rift between Pakistan PM and army chief over ISI, says minister In emergency cases, the body can give only 12 hours to the relevant user or social media company to remove or block access to online content. But the body will also have to specify reasons for the "emergency" in writing. As per the new rules, social media companies could be fined by up to Rs 500 million for different violations. These companies will also have to appoint an authorised compliance officer and grievance officer based in Pakistan, the rules said. (With inputs from agencies)

With hefty fine, new social media rules give more teeth to Pakistan govt

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