News of the World

[kyonides]

Johnny Depp left Fantastic Beasts

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54846285

Johnny Depp has left the Fantastic Beasts film franchise, days after losing a libel case over a newspaper article which called him a wife beater.
In a letter to fans, Depp said he had been "asked to resign" from his role as Gellert Grindelwald and had "respected that and agreed to that request".
He called the libel judgement "surreal" and confirmed his plans to appeal.
Film studio Warner Bros confirmed Depp's departure and said his role would be recast.

He gotta hate The Sun for it.

EU slaps sanctions on

Belarus leader Lukashenko for crackdown

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54846049

The EU has added Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and his son Viktor to its sanctions blacklist of Belarus officials, bringing the total to 59.
The 15 added on Friday also include KGB secret police chief Ivan Tertel and President Lukashenko's chief of staff Igor Sergeenko.
The EU rejects Mr Lukashenko's claim to have won re-election on 9 August and deplores his crackdown on opponents.
His son Viktor, 44, is a national security adviser.

While Russia had renamed and reorganized their old KGB department, Belarus hasn't. Actually its shield looks pretty much the same as their Russian counterpart.

Lebanon's Gebran Bassil hit by US sanctions 'for corruption'

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-54823667

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on a top Lebanese politician whom it has accused of playing a major role in corruption in the country.
The measure targets Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, a Christian party allied to the powerful Shia movement Hezbollah.
The country has been in turmoil for months, facing mass protests, the Covid pandemic and a devastating blast.

Sanctions have not frightened me and promises have not tempted me.
I will not turn against any Lebanese... I will not save myself for Lebanon to perish.

Well, what did he expect from US if he supported Hezbollah one way or the other.

Tigray crisis: Ethiopia carries out airstrikes - Abiy Ahmed
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54838282

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says there have been airstrikes on military targets in Tigray state, whose leaders have fallen out with the national government.
But there has been no confirmation that the targets have been hit.
Tigray's governing party said on Thursday that there had been airstrikes but a senior official told the BBC that nothing had happened on Friday.
Some fear this could be the start of a civil war.
Long-standing tension between Ethiopia's federal government and Tigray, the country's northernmost state, boiled over into clashes this week.
The head of the United Nations has called for an "immediate de-escalation of fighting".

Tigray has been quite rebellious for the last months, they even held elections on their own knowing the Ethiopian congress had postponed them to 2021. PM Ahmed had claimed Tigray soldiers disguised as Eritreans and attacked their own people!
Besides there's the issue with their dam that might severely affect Sudan and Egypt for they might not receive as much water as they need to keep their lands fertile enough and produce most of all the grains they need to feed 100 millions Egyptians.

Storm Eta: Around 150 feared dead in Guatemala
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54849765

Guatemala's army has reached a remote village where dozens of houses were buried by mudslides triggered by Storm Eta's torrential rains.
President Alejandro Giammattei said around 100 people were feared dead in Quejá in the central region of Alta Verapaz.
Bad weather has hampered rescue efforts while roads are still blocked and large areas remain flooded.

I can't imagine how bad it was in Nicaragua, the country the hurricane, later declared a storm, walked through at will.

Man charged over deadly sword attack in Quebec
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54783640

It seems somebody went berserk a la Orson...

Chinese cannon worth £100k found in garden
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54841497
In north Wales a family didn't know they owned a very old Chinese cannon.

It dates back to 1789, during the Qianlong Period, and has been valued at Duke's of Dorchester auction house at £100,000.
Managing Director and Head of Asian Art Lee Young said it was a "rare find".
Mr Young said the 258kg (40st 9lb) military cannon was a particularly unusual find in Britain, as they were seldom seen outside of Asia.

Now we should check out if we don't own some rare collectible items at our homes as well.

South Africa deports African migrants after protests
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54845418

South African authorities say they have begun deporting 20 refugees and asylum seekers who were part of a months-long sit-in protest against xenophobia.
They are mostly from African countries and were demanding to be resettled outside South Africa.
Canada was some of the migrants' preferred choice, said South Africa's Home Affairs department in a statement.

That's the actual reason they were protesting, they just wanted to fly to Europe or Canada if possible. It reminds me of the Haitians that burned a public building in southern Costa Rica because they couldn't move forward to Nicaragua. Sadly, they ignore Ortega wouldn't treat them any better... if he ever let them cross the border.

[kyonides]

Covid vaccine: First 'milestone' vaccine offers 90% protection

Pfizer and BioNTech claim it's a great day for science and humanity

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54873105

Their vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised.
The companies plan to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of the month.
No vaccine has gone from the drawing board to being proven highly effective in such a short period of time.
The data shows that two doses, three weeks apart, are needed. The trials - in US, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa and Turkey - show 90% protection is achieved seven days after the second dose.

It looks as it's a great achievement indeed but there's always a catch.

However, the data presented is not the final analysis as it is based on only the first 94 volunteers to develop Covid so the precise effectiveness of the vaccine may change when the full results are analysed.

Russia brokers Armenia - Azerbaijan peace deal on Nagorno-Karabakh issue

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54874162

It comes after six weeks of fighting between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenians.
The region is internationally recognised as Azerbaijani, but has been run by ethnic Armenians since 1994.
In that year, a truce was signed after fighting but not a peace deal.
A number of ceasefire agreements have been brokered since fighting broke out again in September, but all of them have failed.
Under the new deal, Azerbaijan will hold onto areas of Nagorno-Karabakh that it has taken during the conflict. Armenia has also agreed to withdraw from several other adjacent areas over the next few weeks.
During a televised online address, Russia's President Vladimir Putin said that 1,960 Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to patrol frontlines.

I wonder if Russian soldiers can really keep it calm instead of making it more difficult to escalate tensions there.

Azerbaijan admits shooting down Russian helicopter in Armenia
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54874162

Azerbaijan has admitted mistakenly shooting down a Russian Mi-24 military helicopter over Armenia, killing two crew members and injuring a third.
In a statement, Azerbaijan apologised, offering to pay compensation.
Russia said a missile downed its Mi-24 accompanying a column of Russian troops in Armenia, where Russia has a base.
It comes amid fierce fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenian separatists for Nagorno-Karabakh. But the helicopter was not downed near those clashes.

Well, if you shoot down Russian helicopters, how can you assert you will keep the peace deal Russia brokered recently?

Donald Trump fires Defence Secretary Mark Esper

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54880774

Christopher Miller, the current head of the National Counterterrorism Center, will take on the role immediately.
It follows a public falling-out between Mr Trump and Mr Esper in recent weeks.
In a resignation letter, Mr Esper thanked members of the Armed Forces and said he was proud of his achievements in 18 months of service at the Pentagon.

They claim Esper's opinion on Trump's plan of sending troops to stop the protests was behind his dismissal.

Tropical Storm Eta expected to strengthen after hitting Florida

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54870148

Tropical Storm Eta has hit Florida, flooding roads and knocking out power in some areas with heavy rain and strong winds.
Eta made landfall late on Sunday in the Florida Keys and forecasters fear it could still cause flash-flooding in the southern US state.
The storm is now moving south-west and is expected to slow and strengthen over the Gulf of Mexico.
About 200 people are dead or missing after Eta hit Central America.
Earlier classified as a hurricane before losing strength, Eta wreaked devastation in Panama, Honduras and Guatemala. It also passed through Cuba before making landfall in Florida.

Be careful, Floridans! Things might be far from over. Eta still wanna wreaks havoc in the area of the Gulf of Mexico.

Barcelona terror attack suspects face trial

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54872285

Three men are to go on trial in Spain over the deadly attacks that killed 16 people in and around Barcelona in 2017.
The trio are accused of helping the perpetrators, who were all shot dead by police, carry out the attacks that left some 140 people injured.
One of the perpetrators rammed a van into pedestrians in Barcelona's Las Ramblas tourist area, before a twin attack was launched in a nearby town.
Two stand accused of belonging to the jihadist cell that orchestrated the attacks, while the third defendant is accused of collaborating with them.
Prosecutors are seeking a 41 and 36-year jail term for them respectively.

After their brutal attacks they should spend the rest of their sorry lives in jail.

The material they were planning to use was destroyed in the blast, police say. The explosion also killed the group's leader, a 44-year-old imam.

Their religious leaders even keep instructing their extremists under the guise of peaceful preaching of Koran.

Evo Morales back in Bolivia

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54872827

The former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, has crossed from Argentina into Bolivia almost a year after he went into exile.
Mr Morales resigned and left Bolivia in November 2019 amid mass protests over allegations of vote rigging in the presidential election.
He said he would return to Bolivia if his Mas party won the re-run of the election, which it did on 18 October.
The former president was received by hundreds of supporters at the border.

So rigging elections is no longer a serious crime judges AND voters should care about in Bolivia.

Militant Islamists 'behead more than 50' in Mozambique
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54877202

More than 50 people have been beheaded in northern Mozambique by militant Islamists, state media report.
The militants turned a football pitch in a village into an "execution ground", where they decapitated and chopped bodies, other reports said.
Several people were also beheaded in another village, state media reported.

Cabo Delgado province is rich in gas, the country also has rubies they can exploit. Still, many people remain jobless.

[DerVVulfman]

Covid vaccine: First 'milestone' vaccine offers 90% protection

Pfizer and BioNTech claim it's a great day for science and humanity

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54873105

Their vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised.
The companies plan to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of the month.
No vaccine has gone from the drawing board to being proven highly effective in such a short period of time.
The data shows that two doses, three weeks apart, are needed. The trials - in US, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa and Turkey - show 90% protection is achieved seven days after the second dose.

It looks as it's a great achievement indeed but there's always a catch.

There's more of a catch than you know...

Cuomo: ‘Bad News’ that Pfizer Announced Vaccine Results before Biden Assumes Office

Pfizer and BioNTech revealed on Monday that their vaccine was 90 percent effective according to preliminary data, and that they could request emergency approval from the Food and Drug Administration by the end of November. However, Governor Cuomo lamented that the announcement means the Trump administration would be in charge of vaccine distribution.

!@NYGovCuomo says it’s “bad news” Pfizer’s Covid vaccine came during the Trump Admin; says he’s going to work w/ other governors to “stop” distribution “before it does damage" pic.twitter.com/ULembNWokW

So let me get this straight. The Governor who sens people infected with Covid-19 into Nursing homes and responsible for all those deaths thinks the vaccine is now bad news ... because Trump.


Meanwhile, Trump is filing lawsuits regarding voter fraud as....

Nevada election worker alleges voting irregularities, Trump campaign submits affidavit to DOJ

The election worker, whose name was redacted over fears of reprisals, said they “had concerns over election polling place and intimation and voter fraud,” according to a sworn affidavit obtained by Fox News. The alleged incidents purportedly took place while the worker served at a Clark County elections center during early voting from Oct. 17 to Oct. 30.
...
In the affidavit obtained by Fox News, the worker also claims they “personally witnessed two people handing multiple unopened mail-in ballot envelopes to two other people who then opened and filled out the ballots against" the side of a "Biden/Harris van.” In another case, the worker claims that a group of people “formed a human wall” to block visibility as they were “marking ballots and placing those ballots in pink and white return envelopes.”

There is also a bit of a suspicion going around...
Did Crown Agent Dominion Voting Systems Rigged The US Elections 2020

A so-called computer “glitch” in the voting machines flipping votes during the 2020 US Elections has caused a major controversy. The source and ownership of the voting machines used in the elections has become an urgent issue because of real fears that hackers, whether foreign or domestic, might tamper with the mechanics of the voting system. However, GreatGameIndia has found that the vendors and not hackers maybe behind the rigging.

I never heard of this paper, but I heard of the glitch and allegations from other workers. And I was curious who made the Voting machines.... OMG...

CLINTON FOUNDATION - The DELIAN Project: Democracy through Technology

In 2014, Dominion Voting committed to providing emerging and post-conflict democracies with access to voting technology through its philanthropic support to the DELIAN Project, as many emerging democracies suffer from post-electoral violence due to the delay in the publishing of election results. Over the next three years, Dominion Voting will support election technology pilots with donated Automated Voting Machines (AVM), providing an improved electoral process, and therefore safer elections.

Coincidence?

"You're a detective now, son. You're not allowed to believe in coincidence anymore." - Jim Gordon (The Dark Knight Rises)

[kyonides]

USA Section

New Yorker fires Jeffrey Toobin for exposing himself on Zoom

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54912610
Some time ago the New Yorker had claimed Toobin was taking some time off work but now they finally admit he was dismissed.
What worries me is that he still works for CNN.

New York and its latest Lockdown

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54906483

New York has introduced new restrictions aimed at curbing coronavirus, with Mayor Bill de Blasio warning it was the city's "last chance" to stop a second wave.
Bars, restaurants and gyms must close by 22:00 and people can only meet in groups of 10 or less.
On Wednesday a member of President-elect Joe Biden's Covid-19 advisory panel said a four to six week lockdown could bring the pandemic under control.
Dr Michael Osterholm said that the government could borrow enough money to cover lost income for businesses during a shutdown.

The question now is can New York handle the consequences of another extreme lockdown?

The same day, US infectious disease chief Dr Anthony Fauci offered some hopeful news. He said the new Covid vaccine by Pfizer was expected to go through an emergency authorisation process in the next week or so. Human trials suggest it is 90% effective.

Wasn't Fauci the expert telling people there was no way they could get a vaccine this year?

---

China and its Allies

Bolsonaro hails suspension of Chinese vaccine trial

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54883383

President Jair Bolsonaro has declared the suspension of a Brazilian trial for a Chinese covid vaccine as a "victory".
The trial was halted after a "severe adverse incident" - reported to be the death of a volunteer.
Brazilian health regulator Anvisa said the incident had taken place on 29 October but gave no further details.
However the head of the institute conducting the trials has told local media the person's death was not linked to the medical trial itself.

Bolsonaro already expressed his disbelief in the Chinese vaccine effectiveness and doesn't plan to purchase any of them. His joy wouldn't last long enough for trials were resumed already.

Chinese Vaccine Trials Resumed

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54908537

The head of the institute conducting the trial said the death had no connection to the vaccine.
In a statement on Wednesday, Anvisa said it now had "sufficient information to allow vaccination to resume".
[Bolsonaro] has also engaged in a political fight with the governor of São Paulo, João Doria, who has publicly backed the trial.
The vaccine, developed by Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech, is one of several in final-stage testing globally. Sinovac says it is "confident in the safety of the vaccine".
Brazil's president has been open about his preference for the vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca.

Well, at least AstraZeneca is used to comply with the related regulations as far as we know so I don't blame Bolsonaro for his reaction.

Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers resign after China ruling

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54899171

All Hong Kong's pro-democracy lawmakers have resigned after Beijing forced the removal of four of their colleagues.
On Wednesday Beijing passed a resolution allowing the city's government to dismiss politicians deemed a threat to national security.
Shortly afterwards the opposition lawmakers said they would leave the city legislature in solidarity.
BBC China correspondent Stephen McDonnell says the legislature was already stacked in favour of the pro-Beijing camp.

Since the communists could not convince the legislators to comply with Beijing's demands, they're allowing local authorities to chase them down. And nope, judges are no longer needed to kick them out. Curiously, BBC found out that four lawmakers were moderate and had never supported Hong Kong's independence.

Speaking to the media, Ms Lam said the four council members who were disqualified had already failed to meet the requirements to stand in the now postponed elections next year.

In other words, Beijing and Lam made sure they couldn't continue making laws even if their disqualification had failed. Bastards, they don't care about people's rights and healthy discussions on vital issues.

Blackpink: Why a K-pop girl band's panda cuddle has angered Chinese

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54902618

The clip appears innocent enough, but the scenes have provoked fury in China, where the treatment of pandas overseas can be a sensitive issue.
As anger grew, the band's label said the video had been taken down.

Why do they yell at the KPop band?

Only trained professionals are allowed to handle them, [Chinese wildlife groups] say.
The China Daily newspaper said there was "a risk of transmitting zoonotic infections as some of the members own pet dogs and cats".
Others said the girls wore too much make-up and touched the panda's mother without wearing masks and gloves.
Weibo, China's version of Twitter, saw millions of views on posts using the hashtag "Blackpink touched panda cub wrongly".

Do they fear the girls can infect the pandas with ?
Anyway you should keep in mind Chinese people LOVE pandas. It's their national symbol so to say.

China to clamp down on internet giants

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54898357

The regulations suggest increasing unease in Beijing with the growing influence of digital platforms.
The new rules could affect homegrown tech giants like Alibaba, Ant Group and Tencent, as well as food delivery platform Meituan.
Chinese tech shares were sharply lower after the proposed regulations were released on Tuesday.
The new rules will attempt to stop companies from sharing sensitive consumer data, teaming up to squeeze out smaller rivals and selling at a loss to eliminate competitors.

At the end their proposed changes don't really matter because the CCP can still access customer's private data at request based on their current legislation.

---

International Section

Nagorno-Karabakh: Protesters in Armenia condemn 'treacherous' peace

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54903868

Protesters in Armenia's capital Yerevan have set a midnight (21:00 GMT) ultimatum for the prime minister to quit after he agreed a deal to end the fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Pressured by the opposition parties, the Armenian parliament is expected to hold an emergency session on Nikol Pashinyan's political future.
Under the Russian-brokered deal, Azerbaijan keeps areas it has captured.
Hundreds of Russian peacekeepers are already deployed in the disputed area.
Turkey's president said on Wednesday it had signed a deal with Russia to take part in "joint peace forces" to monitor the agreement.
In the past six weeks of fighting Azerbaijan has not only recaptured areas around the enclave but it has taken the key town of Shusha inside it too.

Even if rallies are forbidding, they keep asking for their president's resignation. Turkey's involvement worries me now.

Russian Covid vaccine shows encouraging results

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54905330

Early results from trials of a Covid vaccine developed in Russia suggest it could be 92% effective.
The data is based on 20 cases of Covid-19 from 16,000 volunteers given the Sputnik V vaccine or a dummy injection.
The Sputnik V vaccine, developed at the National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow, is currently going through phase III clinical trials in Belarus, UAE, Venezuela and India.

Poor Venezuelans! They've become Russia's guinea pigs or lab rats.
The only advantage the Russian solution offers would be that it doesn't need to be stored at very low temperatures. Pfizer's vaccine has to.

EU buys 300m doses of BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54902056

Deliveries are expected to start by the end of this year, the companies said.
But the EU refused to provide details on how the vaccine would be rolled out, insisting that "a number of steps" needed to be followed beforehand.
The companies plan to apply for emergency approval to use it by the end of November - and a limited number of people may get the vaccine this year.

European Health Commissioner clearly stated they would only distribute the vaccine once it's proven it's safe. Others think this process will start next quarter.

Tigray crisis: Local residents ordered to defend against Ethiopia army

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54911009
Now Tigray's authorities tell its people to arm themselves and face the federal government's troops. Ethiopian PM disregarded any requests for peace talks. And he was last year's Nobel Peace Prize winner...

Several wounded in Remembrance Day bomb attack at Saudi cemetery

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-54889545

Several people have been wounded in a bomb attack at a Remembrance Day ceremony attended by foreign diplomats in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
The embassies of France, Greece, Italy, the UK and the US said an improvised explosive device blew up at a cemetery for non-Muslims on Wednesday morning.
A joint statement strongly condemned the "cowardly attack".
Saudi authorities confirmed that a Greek consulate employee and a Saudi security officer had been hurt.
The BBC understands one British person suffered minor injuries.
Last month, a guard at the French consulate in Jeddah was stabbed and injured by a Saudi man

Now they gotta be urged to arrest people involved in the bomb attack or else those countries could take measures that might hurt Arabia's international credibility and investments.

Mexico women's protest: Outrage after police fired shots

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54888105

There has been outrage in Mexico after police in the beach resort of Cancún fired shots during a protest against the killing of women.
Two people were injured by bullets and two more protesters were also hurt in the chaos which ensued.
The demonstrators were protesting following the murders of two women in Cancún over the weekend.
The police opened fire when the protesters tried to gain access to the city hall.
Video shows some of the protesters ripping off plywood boards which had been installed to barricade the entrance to the building.

I'm not in favor of police officers that shot people but let's take in consideration they wanted to force their entry into the city hall. They should have known that wouldn't be allowed, especially during a pandemic.

Child abuse: Australian police find 46 victims of 'global network'

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-54897937

Australian police say they have rescued 46 children and arrested 14 men after an investigation into an international child abuse network.
The victims were allegedly subjected to crimes including sexual abuse and other forms of exploitation.
The investigation also led to three arrests in the US and had identified suspects in Europe, Asia, Canada and New Zealand, authorities said.
All victims were aged between 16 months and 15 years old, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said. Sixteen of the victims had attended one childcare centre.
The 14 men faced a total of 828 child exploitation charges, as well as bestiality charges involving four animals.

I'm speechless.

[kyonides]

US bars investments in Chinese military companies

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54926102

US President Donald Trump has issued an order banning American investments in Chinese firms the government determines have ties to the Chinese military.
In the order, Mr Trump accused China of "increasingly exploiting" US investors "to finance the development and modernisation of its military".
The ban is to go into effect in January.
It could affect some of China's biggest publicly-listed firms, including China Telecom and tech firm Hikvision.
Officials said the new order had been under review for months. It applies to shares owned directly or indirectly in 31 firms identified by the US earlier this year as backed by the Chinese military, a list that includes tech firms and large state-owned construction companies among others.
US investors have a year to comply with the rules.

They claim they were carefully analyzing their options but this could be quickly reverted by Biden in January.

China Muslims: Volkswagen says no forced labour at Xinjiang plant

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54918309
Volkswagen operates a car plant in Xinjiang where they make about 20,000 units a year. Other foreign companies left the region but not Volkswagen. They just claim they will never partake in forced labor. 25% of their workforce consists of Uighurs and other groups. Curiously they admit they can't be 100% certain there's no single case of forced labor in Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital.

Because opening a car plant in Xinjiang requires the partnership and approval of the Chinese authorities, the concern is that it risks lending tacit support to the policies of mass incarceration and ethnic repression, for which there is now compelling evidence.

Even if VW isn't depending on slaves to make their cars for now, that doesn't mean the CCP won't force them to do so.   German Politicians believe their true motivations are political not economical nor social.

With the number of cars being produced currently less than 10% of capacity of some of the company's 32 other plants in China, Dr Wollenstein said they would "love to do more."

So I need to insist on this, why Xinjiang? Oh and there's a weird agreement between VW and the paramilitary police  as well!
It seems it's the same paramilitary police that's related to the reeducation camps.
Wait! There are more revelations to be made here!

Ms von Cramon-Taubadel says that in recent meetings she's held with senior company executives, they've admitted as much.
"They told me that the condition for any expansion of the company within China is that at least one of the factories should be based in the west," she said.
"And they tried to convince me that if VW decides unilaterally to close [its Xinjiang plant] they could not produce a single car in China any more."

Of course, Volkswagen still denies this.

Hong Kong: China condemns defiant opposition lawmakers

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54900174

China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office on Thursday said the mass walk-out openly challenged the central government's authority and the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution.
It also said the move showed pro-democracy lawmakers' "stance of stubborn resistance" against the central government.

Even if USA, the United Kingdom and the European Union requested China to revert their position, China simply ignored their pleas. The CCP already stated this legislative movement of sorts means nothing to the Chinese government. How can anybody trust a government that has no will to keep its word? CCP had signed a treaty with UK and they just broke it. They just want to abolish Hong Kongers' rights at once.

Switzerland plan to close bribery loophole

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54922374
It's not like they can just go to some Swiss bank and bribe a worker there. What happens here is that they claim they can't avoid bribing foreign officials because of their shady business practices or system. A perfect example of this might be China.
Nowadays Swiss companies could get exemptions for paying such bribes but the OECD disagrees with this.
Back in 1996 countries like Germany France, Australia and New Zealand were used to deduct this kind of bribes from their tax declarations.

Belgium expels Danish right-wing activists over plot to burn Koran

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54919127

Belgium has expelled five Danish far-right activists and banned them for a year over their plans to burn a Koran in a mainly-Muslim area of Brussels.
Secretary of State for Asylum Sammy Mahdi called them "a serious threat to public order".
According to their Facebook page, the five are associates of the Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan.
Paludan was expelled from France on Wednesday after signalling his intention to burn a Koran in Paris.
Earlier this year, he was jailed for a month in Denmark for a string of offences including posting anti-Islam videos on the social media channels of his Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party.

I do understand that insulting anybody for almost any reason is reasonable. Even so burning books isn't as serious as killing people because they disagree with any interpretation of the Koran. We don't kill people because they disagree with the Bible. When the Secretary of State for Asylum calls this group a serious threat, perhaps they all should recall that no average citizen dies nor is persecuted after the burning. It's a provocation, a minor threat, in worst case scenario. Of course, I wouldn't promote such events at all. Once again this looks like a Muslim way to ask authorities for enforce sharia compliant laws and ordinances.

[kyonides]

Britain’s Johnson in self-isolation

No virus symptoms

https://apnews.com/article/london-corona...51f0bfa0a9
This Sunday the British PM received bad news, he had been in contact with a covidose!
Last Thursday he had met several lawmakers for half an hour, including the one that tested positive for the Wuhan virus.  

Taiwan air force chief joins F-5 test flight after fatal crash

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54944961

The head of Taiwan's Air Force has joined the first test flight of a fighter jet following a fatal crash.
All of Taiwan's ageing F-5 jets were grounded and inspections carried out after a pilot was killed last month.
"I believe F-5s are safe to fly," Air Force Commander Hsiung Hou-chi said, the Military News Agency reported.
In early October, Taiwan's defence minister said the air force had been dispatched almost 3,000 times since January to monitor or intercept Chinese aircraft.

Why does this matter? You see, China still wants to invade Taiwan for they think it's a renegade province. Actually it seems it's part of their plans for the Rejuvenation of China.  

Storm Iota + Honduras + Nicaragua

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54941826
As you may know Hurricane / Storm Eta was a terrible experience for Nicaraguan, Guatemalan and Honduran people. Sadly, there are more bad news for Central America. This Sunday Iota might hit them hard. They warn of 120mph (193km/h) winds, torrential rain and rising sea levels. None of them have had enough sunny days to get rid of the excess of rain that poured down in the last few days.

Assad Family: Ruling Syria for the last 50 years

https://apnews.com/article/iran-lebanon-...adaa27d31e

His rule, half of it spent in war, is different from his father’s in some ways — dependent on allies like Iran and Russia rather than projecting Arab nationalism, run with a crony kleptocracy rather than socialism. The tools are the same: repression, rejection of compromise and brutal bloodshed.

By the way, he was planning to celebrate this "feat" but the pandemic and war forced him to be satisfied with holding a small celebration instead. Who would tell Bashar was an eye doctor trained in Britain. How could such a monster stay in power?

But Assad masterfully portrayed the war as a choice between his rule and Islamic extremists, including the Islamic State group. Many Syrians and even European states became convinced it was the lesser evil.

So EU mainly had no choice but to let him keep his position.

Israel advances plans in sensitive east Jerusalem settlement

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-don...c16b0f97bc

A settlement watchdog group said Sunday Israel is moving ahead with new construction of hundreds of homes in a strategic east Jerusalem settlement that threatens to cut off parts of the city claimed by Palestinians from the West Bank.
The group, Peace Now, said the Israel Land Authority announced on its website Sunday that it had opened up tenders for more than 1,200 new homes in the key settlement of Givat Hamatos in east Jerusalem.
It would seal off the Palestinian city of Bethlehem and the southern West Bank from east Jerusalem, further cutting off access for the Palestinians to that part of the city.

Well, it's their land anyway so I don't see why it might be problematic at all. Of course, Palestinians disagree with me on this. Based on previous land partitions, Jordan should have become the land of the Palestinians but Arab peoples kept asking for more and more territory leading to this mess. Just go back several pages to the place where we discussed this matter earlier this year, IIRC.

Jetsons cars might become real  in just a few years

https://apnews.com/article/flying-cars-h...a0c7b9b5b0

The nation’s first regional hub for “flying cars” is being built in central Florida and once completed in five years, the vehicles will be able to take passengers from Orlando to Tampa in a half hour, officials said Wednesday.
The Tavistock Development Corp. said it was constructing a Jetsons-like aviation facility in Orlando’s Lake Nona area, the mixed-use planned community it built. Lake Nona already is home to several medical and research facilities.
The aircraft will be supplied by Lilium, a Germany-based aviation company that manufacturers the industry’s only five-passenger “electric vertical takeoff and landing” aircraft.

Peruvian Interim President Merino Resigned

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54953546

Peru's interim president has resigned, a day after two people died during protests against his government.
Manuel Merino, former speaker of Congress, had been in the post less than a week.
He replaced President Martín Vizcarra after he was impeached on Monday over bribery allegations, which he denies.
Senior politicians had called for Mr Merino's resignation after a violent crackdown on demonstrations against him.
Twelve ministers from his recently-appointed cabinet resigned earlier on Sunday in protest against police brutality and his handling of the crisis.

Vizcarra obviously denies any wrongdoing.

[kyonides]

Early Data Show Moderna’s Coronavirus Vaccine Is 94.5% Effective

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/healt...ccine.html
It's a bit better than Pfizer's vaccine and it has lower refrigeration requirements.

Both companies plan to apply within weeks to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization to begin vaccinating the public. Officials said the two companies could produce enough vaccine for a little more than 20 million people in the United States by sometime in December, with the first doses going to people with the highest risk, like health care workers, emergency medical workers and frail residents of nursing homes.
The stock market rallied on Monday, fueled by Moderna’s news.

Since they exceeded the parameter demanded by FDA, they'd like get the approval for the mass vaccination in a timely fashion.

Moderna also reported on Monday that its vaccine had a longer shelf life under refrigeration and at room temperature than previously reported, which should make it easier to store and use.

Sounds great, right?

SpaceX-NASA mission

Four astronauts to dock with International Space Station

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/16/tech/...index.html

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center with four astronauts on board Sunday night is approaching the International Space Station. The spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS around 11 pm ET, after a 27-hour journey.
That will be followed by a "welcome ceremony" at 1:40 am ET on Tuesday, when the crew — NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Soichi Noguchi, an astronaut with Japan's space agency -— are able to exit their spacecraft for the first time since mid-afternoon Sunday.
They'll join NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Russia's Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, who are already onboard the ISS. They arrived last month on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Take in consideration that their previous flight was a mere test of the engines so to say. This might make it possible for astronauts to reach the moon once again in a few years depending on Western technologies not Russian like the Russian rockets.

[DerVVulfman]

Kyle Rittenhouse to sue Biden, campaign for libel

Lin Wood, Rittenhouse’s civil attorney, confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday his intention to sue the former vice president and his campaign on his client’s behalf, just hours after Biden posted the 50-second clip to Twitter.
...
According to a previous statement from John Pierce, one of Rittenhouse’s criminal attorneys, the teenager had tried to offer medical help to injured people before he was “accosted by multiple rioters,” leading him to open fire.
...
The Anti-Defamation League previously told CBS News it had examined Rittenhouse's social media activity and found no sign that he was associated with any extremist movements.

USPS Whistleblower Richard Hopkins “I DID NOT RECANT”

Hopkins says on camera, the Washington Post should be the one recanting its story and he says he’ll soon share more information on his allegations.

As to the video?  Here:  https://www.youtube.com/embed/-KUe9Z2PjK0


Facebook Coordination Admitted!

The platform reflects censorship input from Google and Twitter, as well ...Facebook censorship teams communicate with their counterparts at Twitter and Google and then enter those companies' suggestions for censorship onto the Task platform so that Facebook can follow up with them and effectively coordinate their censorship efforts.

Hawley noted that some information he used on Zuckerberg and Twitter came from a whistleblower. But then added that the whistleblower knew of a system called Centra which Zuckerberg feigned ignorance.

Centra tags different profiles that a user visits, their message recipients, their linked accounts [and] the pages they visit around the web that have Facebook buttons. Centra also uses behavioral data to monitor users’ accounts, even if they’re registered under a different name.

There is no way Zuckerberg would not have known its use in Facebook. Any site you go with a Facebook button, 'BIG BROTHER' monitors you.
Wait. That's not in the posted policies. If they're tracing you without permission, that'd be a crime, right?

Jo Ann Hardesty, Politician who pushes Defund the Police makes frivolous 911 call

City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty — who also oversees Portland’s emergency dispatch system — has repeatedly campaigned to cut police budgets and shift money elsewhere, arguing that the force is inundated with unnecessary calls that don’t involve crimes, according to The Oregonian.

And yet, she did actually make an "unnecessary calls that don’t involve crimes".  Hypocrite.

Virginia Police Chief Fired for Upholding the Law!

I believe I was wrongfully terminated for upholding the law, and (I’m) being retaliated against for sticking to my sworn oath; that I swore to serve and protect my citizens, community and keeping my officers safe.

In mid-August, Greene announced charges against 14 people, including Lucas, NAACP leaders, several public defenders and a school board member. All were charged with felony injury to a monument, and eight also face a conspiracy charge. Five more people have been charged since. A judge dismissed all charges on Monday morning.

She is unfortunately the victim of political infighting. She was a neutral employee hired to faithfully execute the laws, and when she did so, political powers that be bristled at that.

It was made a very stiff federal felony to destroy public monuments.

Four Georgian Counties with Uncounted Ballots!

Both Holland and current Duval County Elections Supervisor Mike Hogan said they have both seen irregularities with dozens of votes, but not thousands like in Georgia.

Monday, one county had 2600 uncounted.  Tuesday... another 2700.  Today, 3700 more. And some 'claim' that Election Day voting was delayed by a flood turned out to be... a toilet?
What if YOUR vote was one that could have been discarded?

[kyonides]

CDC urges Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55011155

The agency stopped short of issuing a travel ban for Americans.
Thanksgiving typically heralds the busiest week for travel in the US. Last year, an estimated 26 million travellers passed through the country's airports in the week surrounding the holiday.
[Vice President] Pence in particular maintained an upbeat tone, emphasising the recent progress in vaccine development and touting the country's improved preparedness.

It's not a requirement. It's a recommendation for the American public to consider.
Right now, especially as we're seeing this sort of exponential growth in cases, and the opportunity to translocate disease or infection from one part of the country to another, it leads to our recommendation to avoid travel at this time.

The president-elect also commented on the virus and lockdowns.

I'm going to shut down the virus. That's what I'm going to shut down. There's no circumstance which I can see that would require total national shutdown.

Iconic Puerto Rico telescope to be dismantled amid collapse fears

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55008567

A review found that damage to the 305-metre telescope "dish" was at risk of catastrophic collapse, following damage to its support system.
It concluded that the huge structure could not be repaired without posing a potentially deadly risk to construction workers.
The telescope has been a key scientific resource for astronomers for 57 years.

Yeah, the emblematic Arecibo telescope, managed by the University of Central Florida,  that has been portrayed in several films will soon disappear. Attempts to fix it were trashed after a second cable broke.

Trudeau unveils Canada's net-zero by 2050 plans

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55009228

His party has tabled a bill that would require the government to create new targets, and a plan on how it will achieve those targets, every five years between 2030-2050.
It would also have to regularly report on its progress towards those goals.
Critics say Canada has missed its stated environmental targets for over a decade, and this new bill has no teeth.

So they fear Trudeau just wants to fool them for the time being.
 

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Controversial Section

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Pompeo makes unprecedented visits

to Israeli settlement in West Bank and Golan

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-54999008

The trip to Psagot came a year after Mr Pompeo said the settlements did not contradict international law, reversing a long-held US position.
The declaration outraged Palestinians, who oppose settlements on land they claim for a future independent state.
Mr Pompeo later paid a similar visit to the occupied Golan Heights.
President Donald Trump last year officially recognised Israeli sovereignty over the strategic plateau, which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in 1981.

Hong Kong: 'Eyes will be plucked out,' China warns West

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54995227
China has strongly rebuked the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada after being accused of a concerted effort to silence critics in Hong Kong.
The countries, which form the Five Eyes alliance, criticised China's imposition of new rules to disqualify elected legislators in Hong Kong.
They urged Beijing to reverse course.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman warned countries to stay out of China's affairs saying:

They should be careful or their eyes will be plucked out.
The Chinese never make trouble and are never afraid of anything. It does not matter if they had five or ten eyes.

This proves their tone has only become tougher and tougher. 

Around 300,000 people currently hold BNO passports, while an estimated 2.9 million people born before the handover are eligible for one. China last month strongly criticised the UK in response, telling London to "immediately correct its mistakes".

Now offering Hong Kongers a way to get out of that mess is a mistake according to Chinese authorities.

Tyson Food managers bet on workers getting Covid-1!?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55009228

Supervisors at an Iowa Tyson Foods, a major US meat processor, placed bets on how many workers would become infected with coronavirus as an outbreak raged through the plant this spring, a wrongful death suit alleges.
The lawsuit, filed this week by the son of an employee who died with Covid-19, claims the company demonstrated "wanton disregard for worker safety".
Isidro Fernandez, who died in April, was one of more than 1,000 workers infected amid the plant's outbreak.
Tyson has called for an investigation.

We will have to wait till the trial begins to find out whether or not these accusations are true.

WHO boss Dr Tedros denies supporting Tigray leaders

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55001328

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has denied accusations made by Ethiopia's army chief that he helped to procure weapons for the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
The TPLF is fighting federal troops.
Dr Tedros is Tigrayan and was health minister in a previous Ethiopian government, which was led by the TPLF.

There have been reports suggesting I am taking sides in this situation. This is not true.
I want to say that I am on only one side and that is the side of peace.

His comments come after Gen Berhanu Jula said in a press conference that Dr Tedros had "left no stone unturned" to support the TPLF and help get them weapons. He did not provide any evidence to support his allegations.
"He has worked for them to get weapons."

A doctor procuring deadly weapons for rebels? That's totally unheard of, right?

Russian court acquits prison bosses in high-profile torture case

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55004413

A Russian court has acquitted the former boss of a prison, along with his deputy, over the torture of an inmate in a case that shocked the country.
Thirteen other defendants were found guilty and handed jail sentences ranging between three and four years.
The case was brought after video emerged of the brutal torture of Yevgeny Makarov in a prison in Yaroslavl, north of Moscow, in 2018.
It caused public outrage and prompted calls for reform in the prison system.
Prosecutors immediately said they would appeal against the verdicts.

It seems that Russian judges somehow disregard the existence of organized gangs consisting of high profile prison officers. Why do they condemn the low profile criminals but not the leaders!? That looks highly suspicious indeed.

[kyonides]

Actor Michael J. Fox Retires Once Again

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/19/enter...index.html
As you might have noticed by now, his disease makes it hard for him to move to and fro and portray as many emotions as required by his potential roles. Wulfo suspects he should be trying voice over acting before totally retiring from the silver screen.

China and the Moon Rocks

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55033875
Nope, it's not some anime, donghua or a pop band at all. China is really after 2 kilograms of moon rocks, meaning they want to be the first country to resume their extraction since the 1970s. Their plan is to study them to better understand the Moon's origin and formation. Russia was the last nation that managed to bring some lunar rocks back to Earth. What I find curious is that wanna land in the place known as the Ocean of Storms where nobody has ever been so far.

You might need to recall that it was the Apollo mission who brought back 382 kilograms to our planet.

It’s ‘sweet relief’ to be home

US boy was forced to threaten Trump in IS video

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54995445

An American boy who was made to threaten President Donald Trump in an Islamic State group video says it was "sweet relief" to return to the US.
Matthew, taken to Syria by his mother and stepfather, was 10 when he was filmed telling Mr Trump to prepare for a battle on US soil.
Now 13, he has been living with his father for a year, after being flown home by the US military in 2018.
"It's happened and it's done. It's all behind me now," he told the BBC.

I hope that anybody still unaware of how IS usually operates, manages to understand how evil they have become in the last decade or so.  

His mother, Samantha Sally, was convicted earlier this month of financing terrorism and sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.

Well, his stepfather, an IS sniper, was killed during an attack against the organization and she was a terrorist of sorts. Gladly he could still count on his biological father.

Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: PM gives Tigray forces 72 hours to surrender

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55023029

Abiy Ahmed told Tigrayan leaders they were "at a point of no return".
The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the mountainous region, has vowed to keep fighting.
The conflict has reportedly killed hundreds and displaced thousands in recent weeks. The UN has warned it could trigger a humanitarian crisis.
Earlier the Ethiopian military warned Mekelle's 500,000 residents that the army would "encircle" the city and attack it with artillery fire.
"There will be no mercy," a spokesman said.
On Friday, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his capacity as the African Union chairman, announced the appointment of three former presidents to broker talks to end the conflict.

I sincerely hope they depose their weapons for good before anything terrible happens there.

Merkel 'worried' about vaccines for poor countries

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55037760

Angela Merkel was speaking at a G20 summit which saw leaders promise a fair distribution of jabs.
But Mrs Merkel warned progress was slow, saying she would raise the matter with global vaccine alliance GAVI.
G20 nations also pledged to address the immediate financing required to support the production and fair distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, as well as treatments for the virus, and tests.
French President Emmanuel Macron called on G20 leaders to "go further and faster" in supporting poorer nations by donating doses, forging industrial partnerships and even sharing intellectual property.
But the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said "more funding is needed," to plug a $4.5bn (£3.3bn) gap in the so-called ACT-Accelerator, a mechanism led by the World Health Organization that aims to ensure access to tests, treatments and vaccines for all.

So we still lack the protocols or mechanisms that are supposed to let people all around the world get a chance to get vaccinated, except for China who already denied the CCP needed to give its citizens their shots.

California's Covid curfew to begin

US cases hit 12-million mark

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55030611

California has begun a night-time curfew, in an attempt to curb a surge in coronavirus cases.
Several states have imposed new mask mandates and restrictions to try to combat the rise, and in Texas the National Guard is being deployed to the city of El Paso to help with morgue operations there.
California reported a total of one million cases last week, making it the second state to do so after Texas.
The new daily curfew, from 22:00 local time on Saturday (06:00 GMT Sunday) until 05:00, will carry on until 21 December, with a possible extension if needed, according to authorities.

By the way, Donald Trump Jr. has tested positive for the Wuhan virus last Friday. The incumbent US President is self quarantining as a precaution.