Belarus

This week, in the absence of Jelena, Annika Harrison joins us to bring you news and curiosities from all over Europe.
We start by mentioning Pontus guest-hosting The Skeptic Zone with Richard Saunders, then move on to discuss what an idiot Trump is and how Satanic Ritual Abuse is on the rise in Germany.
Annika then investigates whether women are indeed better leaders with special regards to how they cope in the time of the pandemic.
Then the Vatican’s Rosary App is looked into as a tool to engage catholic believers while the church has really nothing to offer in this crisis.
In the news:
– Some businesses to reopen in Germany, including churches while schools remain closed
– The European Medicines Agency (EMA) warns people not to self-medicate with chloroquine and its derivatives to avoid serious side effects
– YouTube seems incapable of keeping 5G-Corona conspiracy theory videos at bay
– A new survey suggests UK public supports a long lockdown
– Yet another crucial WHO action as experts assess the situation in Belarus
– ARP-SAPC in Spain offers Sergio Lopez Borgonoz Research Grant for paranormal investigators
– Distorted reports of a survey commissioned by the German Association of Homeopathic Doctors
– 5G tower burnings and halts to rollout of new systems all over Europe
– Wind turbine noise shown not to cause any adverse health effects in Finland
– New book by Spanish author Ramon Nogueras ‘Why We Believe in Shit’ out (in Spanish)
– Edzard Ernst shares a story of a homeopathy-induced rib fracture.
The UK Ministry of Defence gets this week’s prize for being Really Wrong for buying lemon eucalyptus oil insect repellant as COVID-19 protection.

Enjoy!

Segments:
Intro; Greetings; Annika Investigates; Pontus Pokes the Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takes

Events Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:50 GREETINGS

• Pontus was a guest co-host on The Skeptic Zone: http://skepticzone.libsyn.com/the-skeptic-zone-602-26april2020
• Trump suggesting injecting disinfectant could help: https://www.snopes.com/ap/2020/04/26/no-dont-inject-disinfectant-outcry-over-trumps-musing/
• Satanic Ritual Abuse re-emerging in Germany: http://sekten-info-nrw.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=84&Itemid=46

0:11:17 Annika Investigates

Are women leaders really doing a better job than men in tackling the Coronavirus crisis?

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/avivahwittenbergcox/2020/04/13/what-do-countries-with-the-best-coronavirus-reponses-have-in-common-women-leaders/#4814b6a83dec
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/avivahwittenbergcox/2020/04/22/8-more-women-leaders-facing-the-coronavirus-crisis/#5f941c3e288f
• Rebecca Watson’s take on the matter:

0:23:56 PONTUS POKES THE POPE
Lord praise the app!

• https://cruxnow.com/covid-19/2020/04/pope-urges-families-to-pray-rosary-together-during-month-of-may/
• https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/04/pope-francis-singles-out-funeral-home-workers-for-prayer/
• https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/04/pope-stresses-continued-combat-of-malaria/
• https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/04/pope-donates-respirators-medical-equipment-to-hospitals-on-name-day/
• https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2020/04/non-european-pope-mounts-defense-of-eu-amid-coronavirus-paralysis/

0:28:23 NEWS

1. GERMANY: Some businesses (and churches reopen), but there are concerns
   • https://www.domradio.de/themen/corona/2020-04-23/vorsichtige-freude-rhein-und-ruhr-oeffentliche-gottesdienste-nrw-wieder-ab-mai
   • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/26/virologist-christian-drosten-germany-coronavirus-expert-interview
   • http://outbreaknewstoday.com/germany-covid-19-some-businesses-opening-merkel-is-greatly-concerned-83402/
2. EU/HUNGARY: EU intervention to stop people self medicating with malaria drugs
   • https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/covid-19-reminder-risk-serious-side-effects-chloroquine-hydroxychloroquine
   • http://medicalonline.hu/gyogyitas/cikk/a_hidroxi_klorokin_szulfat_hatekonynak_tunik_a_betegseg_kezeleseben
3. UK: YouTube cannot handle the 5G corona conspiracy theories
   • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/vodafone-exec-5g-coronavirus-conspiracy-theory-video-revealed-pastor-luton-jonathon-james
   • https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/25/social-media-no-longer-tolerates-toxic-lies-dont-believe-a-word-of-it
4. UK: New survey suggests UK public supports a long lockdown
   • https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-new-survey-suggests-uk-public-supports-a-long-lockdown-136767
5. BELARUS: WHO expert mission recommends physical distancing measures as COVID-19 virus transmits in the community
   • http://www.euro.who.int/en/countries/belarus/news/news/2020/4/who-expert-mission-to-belarus-recommends-physical-distancing-measures-as-covid-19-virus-transmits-in-the-community
6. SPAIN: Sergio Lopez Borgonoz Research Grant for investigating paranormal and pseudoscientific claims
   • http://www.escepticos.es/node/7356
7. GERMANY: Two thirds of all Germans are stupid … at least this is what the ‘German Association of Homeopathic Doctors’ seems to assume
   • https://edzardernst.com/2020/04/two-thirds-of-all-germans-are-stupid-at-least-this-is-what-the-german-association-of-homeopathic-doctors-seems-to-assume/
8. EU: More 5G tower burnings and an international movement to stop rollout
   • • https://apnews.com/4ac3679b6f39e8bd2561c1c8eeafd855
     • https://www.ft.com/content/848c5b44-4d7a-11ea-95a0-43d18ec715f5
     • https://www.brusselstimes.com/brussels/55052/radiation-concerns-halt-brussels-5g-for-now/
     • https://www.brusselstimes.com/all-news/business/106352/proximus-partly-stops-5g-light-deployment-in-belgium/
     • https://www.jrseco.com/european-union-5g-appeal-scientists-warn-of-potential-serious-health-effects-of-5g/
     • German Skeptics discussing 5G on Hoaxilla: https://www.hoaxilla.com/special-04-ein-virus-aus-dem-handynetz/
9. FINLAND: Wind turbine noise not the cause of health symptoms
   • https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/study_wind_turbine_noise_not_the_cause_of_health_symptoms/11313640
10. SPAIN: New book out by Ramon Nogueras: ‘Why We Believe in Shit” and online book launch event
    • http://www.escepticos.es/node/7415
11. UK: First even homeopathy-induced rib fracture – told by Edzard Ernst
    • https://edzardernst.com/2020/04/homeopathy-induced-bone-fracture-a-hitherto-unknown-complication-of-homeopathy/

1:06:58 REALLY WRONG
UK Ministry of Defense buys lemon eucalyptus oil insect repellant as Covid-19 protection

• • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/british-soldiers-to-get-insect-repellant-as-covid-19-protection
  • https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/18/10000-extra-troops-to-join-british-armys-covid-support-force

1:10:29 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“It is not knowledge, but the act of learning, not possession but the act of getting there, which grants the greatest enjoyment.”
/Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, astronomer and physicist
who was born on 30th April, 1777/

1:12:28 OUTRO

1:13:42 OUT-TAKES