State of the nation
Why we are entering a new age of disorder.
by John Gray
July 2020

How pandemics extinguished the Roman empire
What the fall of Rome teaches us about the twin threats of lethal disease and ecological disaster.
by John Gray
June 2020

Sunday,  July 12th, 2020 

Authorities in Kazakhstan deny a report published by Chinese officials alleging that the country is experiencing an outbreak of “unknown pneumonia” potentially deadlier than COVID-19. (CNN)

China and Russia veto a United Nations Security Council resolution to extend humanitarian aid to Syria via Turkey for the next six months. (NBC News)

New coronavirus cases hit 7th record in 11 days Authorities across the United States reported another day of record new coronavirus infections Friday, marking the seventh new high in 11 days. A New York Times tally showed the number of new infections on Friday crossed 68,000, while NBC News reports the new cases surpassed 70,000 for the first time in a 24-hour period. Johns Hopkins University recorded nearly 64,000. The figures vary, but all three are higher than Thursday’s previous record. At least six states — Georgia, Iowa, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Utah — set single-day highs, while others like California, Florida, and Texas continued to surge. Florida for the first time released county-by-county hospitalization data. Nearly 7,000 patients have been hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state, a plurality of whom are in Miami-Dade County, which on Friday reported the positivity rate among people getting tested for the virus was 28 percent. Source:  The Orlando Sentinel

Hong Kong opposition holds primary elections despite government warnings Hong Kong’s opposition parties on Saturday set up polling booths across the city for primary elections in the hopes of selecting pro-democracy candidates who stand a chance of success in Legislative Council elections in September. The decision to move forward with the elections comes in the wake of a new national security law passed by China that severely limits Hong Kong’s autonomy. It’s unclear if how many, if any, pro-democracy candidates will be allowed to run in the September elections, as government officials warned that those “organizing, planning, and participating” in the primary might breach the law, which targets people who commit what the government deems offenses of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces. Still, activists like Joshua Wong said they were determined to go through with the voting “to let Beijing know Hong Kongers never bow down to China.” Source:  Reuters

The End