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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 |
| U vaccines war explodes" is the headline dominating the front of the Daily Mail, as the paper joins several others to lead with Brussels' decision earlier on Friday to add controls on the export of jabs to the UK. The EU, which has since backtracked, wanted to stop Northern Ireland being used as a backdoor to the rest of the UK, amid concerns over the supply of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on the continent. The EU Commission originally invoked Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which allows parts of the Brexit deal to be overridden |
About 300,000 people are expected to leave Hong Kong for Britain using a new visa route which opens on Sunday. Hong Kong's British National (Overseas) passport holders and their immediate dependants will be able to apply for the visa using a smartphone app. Boris Johnson said the move honoured the UK's "profound ties of history and friendship" with the ex-British colony. The visa was announced in July after China imposed a new security law in Hong Kong. Beijing has previously warned the UK not to meddle in domestic issues. Those who apply and secure the visa will be able to apply for settlement after five years and then British citizenship after a further 12 months. Although there are 2.9 million citizens eligible to move to the UK, with a further estimated 2.3 million dependants, the government expects about 300,000 people to take up the offer. The prime minister said: "I am immensely proud that we have brought in this new route for Hong Kong BNOs to live, work and make their home in our country. "In doing so we have honoured our profound ties of history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong, and we have stood up for freedom and autonomy - values both the UK and Hong Kong hold dear." The visa fee to stay for five years will be £250 per person - or £180 for a 30-month stay - and there is an immigration health surcharge of up to £624-a-year. Those eligible for the visa can apply online and will need to book an appointment to attend a visa application centre. From 23 February BNO status holders who hold an eligible biometric passport will be able to use an app to complete their application from home. Home Secretary Priti Patel said this was to give applicants greater security amid fears they could be identified and targeted by the authorities. "Safeguarding individuals' freedoms, liberty and security is absolutely vital for those individuals that go through this process," she said. The BNO status was created before the UK handed responsibility for Hong Kong back to China in 1997. Before Hong Kong was returned, the UK and China made an agreement to introduce "one country, two systems", which meant, among other things, rights such as freedom of assembly, free speech and freedom of the press would be protected. The agreement signed in 1984 was set to last until 2047. But the UK has said this agreement - known as the Joint Declaration - is under threat because the territory passed a new law in June that gives China sweeping new controls over the people of Hong Kong. China has said the law is necessary to prevent the type of protests seen in Hong Kong during much of 2019. However, the law has caused alarm both in Hong Kong and abroad, with opponents saying it erodes the territory's freedoms as a semi-autonomous region of China. Analysis by James Landale, Diplomaitc correspondent The new visa system helping British nationals escape Hong Kong is perhaps the clearest example yet of the government's promise to be a force for good in the world. It is one thing to condemn oppression. It is another to do something about it. And here the UK is delivering on a promise made more than two decades ago to those it has a duty to protect. But there are questions. What support are these migrants going to have? In the long term they may well enrich Britain's economy and culture, but in the short term, they will need help. Where are they going to live? Where are they going to find jobs? What if more than the predicted 300,000 or so come in the first five years? How will people in Britain respond to seeing their borders opened up? And above all, how will China retaliate, as they have promised? Will Beijing ban BNOs from public office, from voting or even from leaving? What will the UK do then? |
| House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the chamber will likely allocate more money for members of Congress to invest in additional security to protect them from the likes of violent rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 -- but also from the "enemy" within the House. "We will probably need a supplemental [budget] for more security for members when the enemy is within the House of Representatives -- a threat that members are concerned about in addition to what is happening outside," Pelosi said during her weekly news conference Thursday at the Capitol. |
Don Rosenberg, president of Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime, accuses President Biden of playing politics with his immigration policy. A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked President Biden’s attempt to put a moratorium on deportations for 100 days. After Texas sued over the policy, the judge blocked Biden, via a temporary restraining order, from moving forward for 14 days. Texas’ lawsuit claims that the administration would be violating an agreement it has with the Department of Homeland Security – and would require at least 180 days’ notice, as well as consultation, prior to implementing changes in immigration policy. It is unclear whether those terms are enforceable, but similar agreements were struck with several other states under the former administration. The U.S. district judge implemented a nationwide injunction because a geographically-limited order would not adequately protect Texas’ interests due to "the free flow of movement" of illegal aliens from other states. Biden has pledged to move forward with a moratorium on deportations as his administration resets its approach toward U.S. immigration following the change in administration. Noncitizens who have engaged in, or who are suspected to have engaged in, terrorism and espionage can still be deported. The moratorium – which took effect on Friday – also does not apply to persons who were not physically present in the U.S. as of Nov. 1, 2020. "We’re confident that as the case proceeds, it will be clear that this measure was wholly appropriate in ordering a temporary pause to allow the agency to carefully review its policies, procedures, and enforcement priorities – while allowing for a greater focus on threats to public safety and national security," a White House spokesman said. "President Biden remains committed to taking immediate action to reform our immigration system to ensure it’s upholding American values while keeping our communities safe." The Biden administration was planning to announce further guidance on the issue by Feb. 1. |
| The Covid-19 death toll surpassed the grim milestone on Tuesday, with the government confirming another 1,631 fatalities. It brings the UK's total coronavirus death toll to 100,162 - one of the highest in the world. The prime minister, speaking at a Downing Street press conference offered his "deepest condolences" to those who have lost loved ones, as he urged people to stick with the lockdown restrictions. "It's hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic: The years of life lost, the family gatherings not attended and for so many relatives the missed chance to even say goodbye," he said. |
| Tens of thousands of protesting farmers breached barricades and police reinforcement and entered several parts of Indian capital New Delhi and stormed Mughal era historic Red Fort to demand the repeal of new farm laws. Police in Delhi have clashed with farmers with batons and have fired teargas to try to disperse the surging crowds of farmers riding on hundreds of tractors marching to seat of power in the Indian capital. The clash has left one farmer dead and dozens of police officers injured. The "tractor rally" called by the protesting farmers protesting outside New Delhi for two months on India's Republic Day to demand repeal of new farm laws. Earlier in the day, the protesting farmers marched on tractors, cars, motorbikes, horses and on foot from the outskirts of the city waving multi-coloured flags and holding placards. Leaders of the farmers said more than 10,000 tractors joined the protest, and authorities tried to hold back the rows upon rows of tractors, which shoved aside concrete and steel barricades. Authorities also used large trucks and buses to block roads, but thousands of protesters managed to reach some important landmarks. "We will do as we want to. You cannot force your laws on the poor," said Manjeet Singh, a protesting farmer said. The farmers deviated from pre-decided routes, prompting security personnel to resort to baton charge and tear gas. Authorities suspended internet services in several parts of Indian capital Delhi and closed Metro stations after the violence erupted. Farm union leaders called for restraint and asked the protesting farmers to return to the border points where they have been camping for two months now. The massive protests have also forced the shutting down of several metro stations, while internet services were suspended in many areas of the capital and its adjoining areas. The protests overshadowed Republic Day celebrations, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi oversaw a traditional lavish parade along ceremonial Rajpath Boulevard displaying the country’s military power and cultural diversity. Protests were also held in other cities, including Bangalore and Mumbai. |
| Iran says it has arrested a US-Iranian dual national facing spying charges who attempted to leave the country. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili did not identify the man, but said he "had been free on bail". Iranian media reported last week that a US-Iranian businessman named Emad Shargi had been arrested has he tried to cross a western border illegally. It could complicate plans by new US President Joe Biden to re-engage diplomatically with Iran. His predecessor Donald Trump subjected the Tehran government to a "maximum pressure" campaign of crippling economic sanctions. Mr Trump wanted to compel Iranian leaders to renegotiate a 2015 nuclear deal that he abandoned, but they refused to do so and retaliated by violating a series of key commitments. Mr Biden has said he is open to rejoining the accord and easing the sanctions if Iran returns to full compliance. Iran has detained a number of US-Iranian dual citizens and Iranians with US permanent residency in recent years, most of them on spying charges. At a news conference on Tuesday, Mr Esmaili responded to a question about the reported arrest of an US-Iranian "defendant". He said Iranian law did not recognise dual nationality, but that "the defendant had been free on bail... and was arrested as he tried to leave the country". This person "faced charges from earlier in the area of spying and gathering information for foreign countries", he added. Earlier this month, Iran's Young Journalists' Club (YJC) news agency reported that Emad Shargi, who it said worked at an Iranian venture capital company called Sarava Holding, had been arrested on after "trying to illegally flee the country from western borders". |
| US President Joe Biden signs executive order reversing Donald Trump’s transgender military ban President Joe Biden has signed an order reversing a Trump-era Pentagon policy that largely barred transgender people from serving in the US military. The new order, which Mr Biden signed in the Oval Office during a meeting with defence secretary Lloyd Austin, overturns a ban ordered by former president Donald Trump in a tweet during his first year in office. It immediately prohibits any service member from being forced out of the military on the basis of gender identity. Mr Biden’s order says that gender identity should not be a bar to military service. In a tweet from the official presidential account, Mr Biden said: "Today, I repealed the discriminatory ban on transgender people serving in the military. "It’s simple: America is safer when everyone qualified to serve can do so openly and with pride." |
During his six-decade career, which included 25 years hosting his own nightly programme on CNN, King interviewed many of the most famous political leaders, celebrities and sports people of the day. At its peak, his Larry King Live Show on CNN was bringing in 1.5 million viewers a night. When the final episode aired in 2010, it was the longest-running show hosted by the same person. In a recorded message on his final show, then-US President Barack Obama said King had "opened our eyes to the world beyond our living rooms". CNN said he had been described as the "Muhammad Ali of the broadcast interview". Larry King was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933. He grew up in a religious and observant Jewish household, although in later life he became an agnostic. After the death of his father Edward at just 44, King worked to support his mother for several years after graduating high school. However, having realised he wanted to work in broadcasting, King moved to Florida in his early 20s to work on a radio station. It is said that minutes before going on air for the first time, he was told by the station boss to change his last name to something "less ethnic", and chose King after glancing at a newspaper advert for King's Wholesale Liquor. During the 1950s and 1960s, he rose through the ranks of local broadcasting and by 1978 gained nationwide prominence as host of an all-night call-in radio programme called The Larry King Show, before moving to CNN. According to CNN, King carried out more than 50,000 interviews during his 50-year career. They included exclusive sit-down interviews with every US president since Gerald Ford. His other high-profile guests are too numerous to mention but have included Dr Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama, Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, LeBron James, Paris Hilton and Margaret Thatcher. He won countless awards, including the Peabody Award for Excellence in broadcasting for both his radio and television shows. Some criticised King for going too easy on his interviewees, with his non-confrontational approach and open-ended questions. He rejected this, telling the BBC's Evan Davis in 2015 he had learned that "the more I drew back, asked good questions, listened to the answers, cared about the guests... you make the camera disappear". He also addressed the spat he had with the British journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan, who replaced him at CNN. King had criticised his successor as being "oversold" to US television audiences and said his programme was "too much about him". Morgan, whose show was cancelled after three years, hit back at the time saying his programme had been "all about gun control & saving lives. You made yours about blowing smoke up celebrity backsides". King continued broadcasting, in the past few years hosting his own shows on Ora TV, an on-demand digital network he helped to found, as well as Hulu and RT, Russia's state-controlled international broadcaster. Away from the microphone, King was married eight times to seven women and had five children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Tragically, two of his children died within weeks of each other in 2020; daughter Chaia died from lung cancer at 51 in July and son Andy of a heart attack at 65 in August. "Losing them feels so out of order," he wrote on social media at the time. "No parent should have to bury a child." Larry King himself suffered a range of health problems over the years, including diabetes and angina. In 2017, he underwent surgery to treat lung cancer and in 2019 suffered a stroke that left him in a coma for weeks. He was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in early January where he was treated for Covid-19, US media said. In 1988 he founded the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, a charity which helps to fund heart treatment for those with limited financial means or no medical insurance. On his legacy, he had said he hoped it would be that he "added to the public's knowledge, entertainment and amusement". |
The numbers don’t lie; compared to Israel, or a few Gulf monarchies, the USA or even the UK, the European Union’s vaccination against the coronavirus is way behind. The European Commission however, is quite optimistic believing that by the summer 70% of the adult population will be vaccinated– but so far, everyone seems to be struggling with a severe shortage. Who’s responsible for this delay, with consequences measured in the number of lives lost? More and more Member States are pointing out the EU’s failure to procure vaccinations while seeking out alternative sources. The European Commission has washed its hands; it’s unwilling to admit the EU’s severe lag in vaccine procurement compared to other parts of the world. “The bottleneck is global production capacity, not the number of vaccines ordered” contended Stella Kiriakidis, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. However, she didn’t offer an answer as to why large amounts of already-produced vaccines are being sent elsewhere. They aren’t giving any glimpses into the deals either, the contracts have tied their hands. “Member States must not engage legally with manufacturers in bilateral negotiations, as I have reminded them” warned Margaritis Skinas, Greek vice-president of the institution. Meanwhile however, Germany has apparently bought thirty million vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech through a separate agreement. Though the negotiations took place during the German presidency of the EU, it’s Germany that has criticized the EU procurement most vehemently. For instance, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder– who has a good chance of becoming Chancellor– voiced his concerns in the Bild am Sonntag. The politician said that the European Commission had failed its mission, unable to acquire enough vaccines. According him, this was entirely the EU’s fault: the procurement process was inadequate, the committee was too bureaucratic, too few vaccines were ordered from reliable manufacturers, and price negotiations took too long. “It’s hard to explain why a perfectly good vaccine developed in Germany is being used first in other countries” –he said, pointing out the irony of the BioNTech German company’s vaccine. The separate German negotiations– which have thus far gone on without consequences– have drawn fire from Poland too. Michał Dworczyk, head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, accused the Germans of thumbing their nose at EU values by engaging in separate negotiations. He sees this as a complete lack of solidarity, especially given the fact that the Germans headed the procurement. He politely stated: the European Commission’s agreement is “far from perfect” and warned that the process is spurring growing misunderstandings between Member States, including Poland. Warsaw is sticking to EU directives for now, but this may change– especially if they see that others aren’t following them, if not even violating them. Sebastian Kurz didn’t mask his negative opinion either. The Austrian Chancellor criticized the EU’s joint procurement of vaccines in an interview with PULS 24. He urged the European Medicines Agency to authorize a vaccine co-developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford as soon as possible, like in the UK. He warned that if the vaccines aren’t accepted sooner than currently planned, he may lose his patience at some point. Sebastian Kurz also revealed that after the pandemic he may question the EU’s decision-makers given that travel and vaccine issues should’ve been resolved much quicker. Andrej Babiš also finds the European Commission responsible. In an interview with newspaper Právo, the Czech Prime Minister blamed the EU’s slow authorization process for the Czech Republic’s vaccination lag in comparison with the United Kingdom or Israel. The Prime Minister put it bluntly: the EU joint procurement efforts have only proved to be a disadvantage. Just as his Austrian colleague, he urged the European Union, among other things, to accept new vaccines. On TV, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša also listed Slovenia among those dissatisfied with the European Commission. He made it clear that he finds it perfectly normal for countries to seek out direct contact with vaccine manufacturers. Cyprus meanwhile, took direct steps, though in a roundabout way: in an interview with Politis, President Nicosia Anastasiadis said he had contacted Israel– where, in relation to population, vaccination has been most efficient– to obtain vaccines from them. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades already received the second dose in January Photo: MTI/EPA/Katia Hrisztodulu The island nation would thus utilize a loophole that, according to the politician, doesn’t break nay EU rules because they are only dealing with vaccines that the EU has already authorized. The President explained his decision: vaccine manufacturing is slow, the European Union takes too long to approve vaccines, and moreover, in the beginning they focused too much on the unsuccessful ones. He pointed out that the number of doses obtained is simply not enough for a sufficient rate of vaccination |
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