%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |
Gathered mainly from international media sources December 2020 - March 2021 |
For recent entries click "Invalid Item"  These are news/opinion items which caught my eye. Click on the link below: 31 Mar 2021 "Invalid Entry" 24 Mar 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 22 Mar 2021 "Invalid Entry" 21 Mar 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 19 Mar 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 17 Mar 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 26 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 25 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 24 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 22 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 21 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 19 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 18 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 16 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 15 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 14 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 9 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 8 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 4 Feb 2021 "Invalid Entry" 30 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 29 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 28 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 27 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 26 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 24 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 23 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 21 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 20 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 19 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 18 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 14 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 12 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 11 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 10 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 4 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 2 Jan 2021 "Invalid Entry" 29 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 27 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" 24 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" 23 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 22 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 20 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" 19 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" 18 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 17 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 16 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 15/12/20 "Invalid Entry" 13 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" 12 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" 11 Dec 2020 "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" "Invalid Entry" For earlier entries drill down the list 10 Dec 2020 - Covid: Genes hold clues to why some people get severely ill 10 Dec 2020 - Referendum for the state of Texas to secede from the U.S. ? 10 Dec 2020 - Covid-19: More single day dead than in 9/11 terror attack or on D-Day landing 10 Dec 2020 - Covid-19: France moves to night-time curfew from 15 December 10 Dec 2020 - Elon Musk has launched the latest prototype of his Starship vehicle from Texas. 9 Dec 2020 - Covid-19 - $600 direct payment to most Americans? 9 Dec 2020 - Hunter Biden under federal investigation 9 Dec 2020 - Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine data gets positive FDA review 9 Dec 2020 - Is BIG TECH censoring different ideas about COVID-19? 9 Dec 2020 - Clashes in Portland 9 Dec 2020 - UK is investigating two possible allergic reactions to Pfizer coronavirus shot 9 Dec 2020 - Open letter by the Prime Minister of Hungary to the European Union 9 Dec 2020 - VACCINE OPTIMISM AND PESSIMISM 9 Dec 2020 - UK EXIT FROM THE EU (Last supper?) 8 Dec 2020 - ROALD DAHL AND A WOKE APOLOGY |
| Greater Manchester Police to be placed into special measures after damning report Greater Manchester Police will be placed into special measures following a damning report which found it had failed to record 80,000 crimes in 12 months. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, who made the decision, says it reflects the "poor service the force provides to many victims of crime". It said: "The level of scrutiny on Greater Manchester Police has been raised and the force has been placed in the Engage stage of the HMICFRS monitoring process. This is due to the causes of concern raised in HMICFRS’s recent reports which have highlighted the poor service the force provides to many victims of crime. "In the Engage stage, a force is required to develop an improvement plan to address the specific causes of concern that have led to it being placed in the advanced phase of the monitoring process. "The process is intended to provide support to the force from external organisations including the Home Office, College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs Council to assist in achieving the required improvements." GMP fail to record 80,000 crimes in a year whilst closing other cases without proper investigation A report released by the watchdog on 7 December found the second largest police force in England failed to record around one in five of all crimes, and one in four violent crimes, reported by the public. Between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) failed to record an estimated 80,100 crimes reported to it - amounting to around 220 crimes a day. A higher proportion of violent crime was not recorded, including domestic abuse and behavioural crimes, such as harassment, stalking and coercive controlling behaviour. Inspectors estimated that the force recorded 77.7% of reported crimes, a drop of 11.3% from 2018. The force wrongly and prematurely closed some investigations, inspectors found, some with vulnerable victims, a proportion being domestic abuse cases, where although a suspect was identified, the victim did not support, or withdrew support for police action. And "in too many cases" watchdogs said there was no evidence to confirm the victim's wishes had been properly considered before the investigation was closed, and inspectors could not be sure that victims were properly safeguarded and provided with the right service or support. At the time of the report, Bev Hughes, Greater Manchester’s Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice said: "It is absolutely critical that the general public has faith in the processes used by the police to record incidences of crime. Some of the findings in this HMICFRS report are extremely disappointing and I have communicated my feelings to the Chief Constable at Greater Manchester Police, who must now move quickly to make improvements." Both Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, and Bev Hughes, announced a series of actions following the report - including a hotline for anyone who feels the crime they are reporting has not been recorded. * * * Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham should resign after the region's police force was placed in special measures, an MP has said. Greater Manchester Police was placed into an "advanced phase" of monitoring on Thursday, after it failed to record 80,000 crimes in a year. Conservative MP for Bolton West Chris Green said Andy Burnham, who oversees policing in the area, should step down. Mr Burnham has yet to respond to the latest steps by the police watchdog. In a report last week, inspectors said GMP's service to victims of crime was a "serious cause of concern". HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services said about 220 crimes a day went unrecorded in the year up to June 2020. Inspectors found officers prematurely closed some cases without a full investigation, while the force did not properly record evidence that victims supported the decisions, particularly in cases of domestic abuse. This means the force, the second largest in England, must "develop an improvement plan to address the specific causes of concern". As part of his role, Labour mayor Mr Burnham has responsibilities around the governance and budgets relating to GMP, supported by Bev Hughes, the deputy mayor for policing and crime. Mr Green said Mr Burnham should "resign now" as he has "absolute responsibility for policing, its failures". "His role ultimately is to ensure that GMP is delivering. He is in a position if he doesn't think GMP is performing and is delivering then he can challenge and if necessary he can sack the chief of police," he said. "That is Andy Burnham's power over policing in Manchester. He has absolute authority." Former GMP detective Maggie Oliver, who resigned over the way grooming cases in Rochdale were handled by the force, said it was "shameful" that Mr Burnham "ignored these concerns highlighted to him by myself and two ex colleagues" in August 2018. "Had he acted then, thousands of victims could have been spared further neglect," she said in a post on Twitter. The force's Chief Constable Ian Hopkins has yet to speak publicly since the report was published last week. Sir Richard Leese, Manchester City Council leader, said the watchdog's findings indicate there are "major issues" that need to be addressed. "I think it kind of says it all that GMP so far have not put up a spokesperson to explain what the situation is, what's been going on," he added. GMP has been contacted but has yet to respond. In a statement released on Wednesday, the mayor and deputy mayor said they were "putting in place the necessary actions to improve standards of service to victims of crime in Greater Manchester" |
| Coronavirus: Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf says coronavirus approach 'has failed' King Carl XVI Gustaf made the remarks as part of an annual TV review of the year with the royal family. Sweden, which has never imposed a full lockdown, has seen nearly 350,000 cases and more than 7,800 deaths - a lot more than its Scandinavian neighbours. Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said he agreed with the king's remarks. "Of course the fact that so many have died can't be considered as anything other than a failure," Mr Lofven told reporters. Referring to the government's strategy, Mr Lofven added that "it's when we are through the pandemic that the real conclusions can be drawn". "The people of Sweden have suffered tremendously in difficult conditions. One thinks of all the family members who have happened to be unable to say goodbye to their deceased family members. I think it is a tough and traumatic experience not to be able to say a warm goodbye." When asked if he was afraid of being infected with Covid-19, the king - who is 74 - said: "Lately, it has felt more obvious, it has crept closer and closer. That's not what you want." Sweden has never imposed a nationwide lockdown or the wearing of masks, and bars and restaurants have remained open. However, earlier this week, schools across the Stockholm region were asked to switch to distance learning for 13 to 15-year-olds for the first time as soon as possible. The measure was announced in response to rising Covid-19 cases. This came a week after a nationwide decision on 7 December to switch to remote learning for those over 16. And on Monday, new nationwide social-distancing recommendations for the Christmas period came into force, replacing similar region-specific guidelines. Swedes are advised to meet a maximum of eight people, gather outdoors if possible and avoid travelling by train or bus. A formal ban on public gatherings of more than eight people remains, affecting events such as concerts, sports matches and demonstrations. He told the BBC that this was, in the Swedish context, "the combination that we really believe is the best one". According to an official report released earlier this week, the strategy failed in its effort to protect the elderly in care homes - for which the government has admitted responsibility. Over 90% of Covid-related deaths have been among those aged 70 and over, and nearly half of all Covid deaths have been in care homes, the government says. Mr Tegnell said his agency (Sweden's Public Health Agency) was not responsible for directing the elderly care system, and added all stakeholders needed to help to improve the situation to make sure the elderly did not get infected. He said he thought Sweden had become better at protecting older people, and that no country had succeeded entirely in that area - even Germany was being hit hard right now, he told Swedish radio on Wednesday. Sweden has had more deaths than the rest of the Nordic countries combined. This has led to criticism from the country's neighbours, Norway, Denmark and Finland, that its less strict approach is putting their own measures at risk. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Lofven also said he felt many experts had underestimated the second wave. "I think most in the profession did not see such a wave incoming. There was instead talk of different clusters," he said in an interview with daily Aftonbladet. |
| Slovakia goes into 'complete' shutdown starting on Saturday, 19 December, until 10 January 2021. Exempt will be those going to work, shoppers for food, and those going to a post office, bank, doctors' surgery or a pharmacy. All other shops will have to remain shuttered. People will have to remain at home in self isolation. According to official estimates about 60% - 70% of the country's 5.5 million population will be innoculated against Covid-19. |
| According to a recent population census in the Austrian capital city of Vienna, 31 percent of the city's population are non Austrian. This is a rise of 4% on a similar census carried out in 2017 and a near doubling of a census in 2002 when the figure was 16.4%. Nearly half of the city's population, 45.9%, has a migratory background with both parents having been born in another country. Furthermore, 36.7% of those in the survey were born outside Austria. Only 0.8% of those applying for Austrian citizenship have actually got it, i.e. 8 out of 1,000 applicants. This is one of the lowest figures in the whole of the E.U. The implications of above figures are that in the 16 to 27 age group 30.1% cannot vote in elections and in the 27 to 40 age group 40% have no voting rights. Another interesting finding of the survey revealed that 52% of school children's mother tongue is not German. The migratory policies of the E.U. are changing the face of Europe. |
| France's President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for Covid-19, the French presidency has said. The 42-year-old took a test after symptoms appeared and will now isolate for seven days, a statement from the Elysée Palace said. Mr Macron "is still in charge" of running the country and will work remotely, said an official. France this week imposed an overnight curfew to help deal with soaring cases there. There have been two million confirmed cases in the country since the epidemic began, with more than 59,400 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. |
| The US is due to unseal charges against a Libyan man suspected of making the bomb that blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988, US media say. They say US prosecutors will soon press for the extradition of Abu Agila Mohammad to stand trial in the US. He is currently being held in Libya, according to the Wall Street Journal. This has not been confirmed by the Libyan authorities. The terrorist attack killed 270 people over the Scottish town. Most of the victims on board the flight from London to New York were American citizens. Libyan national Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was the only man convicted over the bombing in 2001. Megrahi, who always proclaimed his innocence, unsuccessfully appealed against his conviction. But he was subsequently allowed to return home after it emerged that he had terminal cancer. He died in 2012. It says this will open a new chapter in one of the world's longest and most sprawling terrorism investigations. Meanwhile, the New York Times says Mr Masud's exact whereabouts are unknown. But it adds that he was jailed in Libya at one point for unrelated crimes. Mr Masud is alleged to have been a top bomb-maker for late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Neither the US justice department nor the Libyan authorities have publicly commented on the issue. |
| Brian Hook: No more Arab-Israeli peace deals if Biden mollifies Iran Hook spoke less than a week after Israel announced a normalization deal with Morocco. This was its fourth such agreement under the US brokered Abraham Accords. US President-elect Joe Biden will not be able to pursue Israeli-Arab normalization deals if he softens America’s stance against Tehran, former US special representative for Iran Brian Hook told i24 News. “If the Biden administration pursue a policy of accommodating Iran and alienating our partners in the region, there will be no more peace agreements that are made,” Hook said. He spoke less than a week after Israel announced a normalization deal with Morocco, the fourth under the US brokered Abraham Accords. The focus of those deals has been Israeli-Arab peace and expanded regional economic opportunity. But the deals have also been viewed as the backbone of a new and very public regional alliance between Israel and its Arab neighbors against Iran. The United Arab Emirates was able to secure an agreement with the US to purchase advanced F-35 fighter jets, concurrent with its peace deal with Israel that was ratified in October. A normalization deal with Bahrain was ratified in November and a deal with Sudan has been agreed on but not ratified. Hook told i24 News that Iran was such an important dynamic in such deals, that further agreements would not be possible if Biden softened the US stance against Iran. “One of the ways we were able to bring together our Arab partners and Israel was to counter the common enemy, the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Hook said. The Trump administration in 2018 pulled out of the Iran deal, that the Obama administration had brokered in 2015 between Tehran and the six world powers, including the US. The US followed up its departure with a series of harsh economic sanctions against Iran. Biden has indicated that he would want to rejoin the deal. Tehran has already rejected a Biden initiative, but concern is still high that he will make overtures to Iran after entering the White House. “I don’t know if the next administration will pursue a new deal, they have made noises about doing that,” Hook said, but an important general operating principal in the Gulf, is that, “you have to stand with your friends, you have to stand with your partners and you have to counter the threats not just to the US, but to our partners in the region,” he explained. “When you talk with a lot of our Arab partners and the Israelis there is no daylight between them on what is the existential threat that they face, and it is Iran,” Hook emphasized. The Trump administration has “done a historic job in putting maximum economic pressure” on Iran and has restored “the military option as a deterrent.” “There is a great platform for further success in the Middle East,” Hook added. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said he didn’t believe that Biden would open a new page with Iran. He used his first public appearance in weeks to suggest the United States would remain hostile towards the Islamic Republic even after Biden takes office. Speaking at his first public function since rumors surfaced in early December that his health was deteriorating, Khamenei said Washington could not be trusted, a remark indicating wariness towards President Donald Trump’s successor. In a meeting with organizers of events to mark the first anniversary of the killing of military commander Qassem Soleimani in a US attack in Iraq, Khamenei said American antagonism would not disappear with the end of the Trump administration.# “My firm recommendation is not to trust the enemy,” Khamenei said in remarks carried by state TV. “The hostility (against Iran) is not just from Trump’s America, which supposedly some could say would end when he leaves, as (President Barack) Obama’s America also did bad things to ...the Iranian nation.” Biden was Obama’s vice president. Earlier, President Hassan Rouhani said he was happy Trump was leaving office, calling him “the most lawless US president” and a “murderer” for hampering Iran’s access to Covid-19 vaccines. “We are not overjoyed about Mr. Biden’s arrival, but we are happy about Trump leaving … that such a terrorist and murderer, who does not even have mercy for coronavirus vaccines, will be gone,” Rouhani said in a televised speech to the cabinet. Reuters contributed to this report. |
| Ossoff says ICE should make sure illegal immigrants are paid minimum wage Jon Ossoff, a Democratic challenger in one of the two Georgia Senate runoffs next month, suggested Sunday that federal immigration authorities should enforce workplace protections for illegal immigrants. He suggested federal immigration authorities ought to enforce minimum wage and workplace-condition standards for illegal immigrants in the U.S. About a third of Georgia’s Latino community is made up of illegal immigrants, the Associated Press reported over the weekend. “We should have gratitude for those who keep us fed, who toil in the fields, and show humanity and compassion for those who are a part of our society, but living in the shadows,” Ossoff told the questioner. “So I will be there for you and for all Dreamers.” Ossoff is running against incumbent GOP Sen. David Perdue. The other election is between incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and the Rev. Raphael Warnock. The runoffs are Jan. 5. Democrats would need to win both races to reach a 50-50 tie in the Senate, making incoming Vice President Kamala Harris the tiebreaking vote. |
| Netherlands enters second strict 5-week lockdown amid rising coronavirus cases. It is the latest European country to announce it will be enforcing strict measures over the festive period. The Netherlands will enter a tough second lockdown for at least five weeks, the country's prime minister has announced. Households have been urged to welcome no more than two visitors over the age of 13 from Tuesday, although an exception will be made for three days around Christmas when they can welcome three. In a rare televised address, marked by the sound of protesters banging pots and pans outside his office, Mark Rutte told the nation: "The Netherlands is closing down. We realize the gravity of our decisions, right before Christmas." The Netherlands is the latest European country to announce it will be enforcing strict measures over the festive period following a spike in infections, with Germany earlier announcing similar restrictions. People in the Netherlands have been advised to stay at home, not travel to work, and to avoid contact with others as much as possible. All public places -- including daycare centers, gyms, museums, zoos, cinemas, hairdressers, and beauty salons - will close until 19 January. Schools will also close until 18 January. |
British espionage writer John le Carré has died aged 89, following a short illness, his literary agent has said. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy author died from pneumonia on Saturday night. Jonny Geller described him as an "undisputed giant of English literature" who "defined the Cold War era and fearlessly spoke truth to power". "We will not see his like again," he said in a statement. Mr Geller said he represented the novelist, whose real name was David Cornwell, for almost 15 years and "his loss will be felt by every book lover, everyone interested in the human condition". "We have lost a great figure of English literature, a man of great wit, kindness, humour and intelligence. I have lost a friend, a mentor and an inspiration." A statement shared on behalf of the author's family said: "It is with great sadness that we must confirm that David Cornwell - John le Carré - passed away from pneumonia last Saturday night after a short battle with the illness. "David is survived by his beloved wife of almost 50 years, Jane, and his sons Nicholas, Timothy, Stephen and Simon. The statement said his death was not Covid-19 related. Several of Le Carré's 25 works were turned into films including The Constant Gardener, The Tailor of Panama and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, while the Night Manager became a successful BBC television series. His most famous character, George Smiley, who first appeared in Call for the Dead, has been played by actors including Rupert Davies, Alec Guinness and Gary Oldman. 'An unforgettable, unique character' Paying tribute to le Carré, author Stephen King said in a tweet: "This terrible year has claimed a literary giant and a humanitarian spirit." And historian and novelist Simon Sebag Montefiore described le Carré as "the titan of English literature" and said he was "heartbroken". Historical fiction writer Robert Harris said he was "one of the great post-war British novelists" and "an unforgettable, unique character". He studied at the university of Bern, in Switzerland, and then Oxford, before entering a career in undercover intelligence. After teaching at Eton for two years he joined the Foreign Office, and was initially based at the British Embassy in Bonn. During his time there he worked in the intelligence records department, and his first novel, Call For The Dead, was published in 1961. This meant the need for a pen name as Foreign Office officials were no allowed to publish books under their own name. In 1963, his third novel, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, brought him worldwide acclaim and allowed him to take up writing full time. Le Carré said his manuscript was approved by the secret service because they "rightly if reluctantly" concluded it was "sheer fiction from start to finish" but he said the world's press took a different view, deciding the book was "not merely authentic but some kind of revelatory Message From The Other Side". His career as a spy came to an end in 1964 after his name was one of many given to the Soviet Union by a double agent, an incident which inspired a plot line in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
