News of the World

[DerVVulfman]

California's Covid curfew to begin

US cases hit 12-million mark

Of course right now...

California Governor Newsom And Family
In Quarantine After Covid-19 Exposure

The Newsom family’s quarantining comes less than a week after the governor publicly apologized for a controversial lavish dinner at the French Laundry restaurant which appeared to violate the state’s Covid-19 restrictions.

 Wait.  What? He violated the State's restrictions?  But he's the Governor.  He MANDATES these restrictions.

After Newsom previously described the event as an “outside” dinner between friends, photos and details that emerged after-the-fact showed 10 people from five different households in a room with three enclosed walls and one sliding glass door open to the outside.

Uh-huh.   Fine enough for everyone else, but he can break his own rules.  Sounds like Pelosi and her hairdo a month ago.

Police Refusing to Cancel Thanksgiving... and more.

13 agencies that refuse to enforce California's Curfew
El Paso Police to enforce County Judge Orders to limit businesses
Some New York Sheriffs refuse the order

  I guess you can understand the agencies in California after Newsom's debacle, and other agencies here and there agree with people that they're fed up with Covid Lockdowns.  As to New York Sherriffs, duh?

Mayor Cuomo gets International Emmy for Covid Response!
... Though Critics Blast his Nursing Home Policy ...!

Believe it or not, Governor Cuomo was issued an emmy for his daily briefings on COVID Leadership. However, many feel that this is scandalous for his order that required nursing homes in his state to admit COVID-19 patients. While that order has since been reversed, the policy has been heavily attributed to New York's record-breaking death toll, which includes many senior citizens living in nursing homes, nearly 7,000 alone.

Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean, lost her in-laws living in New York and places blame straight upon Cuomo, And Cuomo's recent Covid Book never once mentions the Nursing Home deaths.


Finally...

3rd Major Covid-19 Vaccine by AstraZenica!

The AstraZeneca candidate was 70 percent effective on average, with up to 90 percent efficacy in a smaller group that got a lower dosage. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech and Moderna have each reported vaccines that were 95 percent effective in clinical trials. Different trial designs make direct comparison complicated, but even with somewhat lower protection, the AstraZeneca vaccine may be a more realistic option for much of the world, as it is likely to be less expensive and does not need to be stored at subzero temperatures.

[kyonides]

 Are you a Jehovah's Witness?

Stay away from Russia then

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55061919

Russian police have raided the Jehovah's Witnesses nationwide and made arrests in a new criminal case against the banned Christian-based group.
The Investigative Committee (SK) posted a video on YouTube showing SK men in balaclavas breaking into a flat and seizing piles of foreign currency.
The SK - which operates like the FBI - said "conspiratorial meetings" had been held at a Moscow flat since June 2019.
In 2017 Russia's Supreme Court banned the Jehovah's Witnesses as "extremist".

What makes this move curious is that religious freedom is protected by the Russian constitution. Meanwhile the Russian Orthodox Church isn't speaking against such a ban, actually they stated JW should not claim they're Christian at all.

Russia threatened to ram'US ship in Sea of Japan

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55066861

Russia says one of its warships caught and chased off a US Navy destroyer after it entered territorial waters in the Sea of Japan on Tuesday.
Moscow accused the USS John S McCain of travelling 2km (1.2 miles) across its maritime border in Peter The Great Gulf and says it threatened to ram the ship.
The US warship then left the area, according to Russia.
However, the US Navy denied any wrongdoing and said its ship had not been "expelled".
The incident took place on Tuesday in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, a body of water bordered by Japan, Russia and the Koreas.

USS John S McCain was not 'expelled' from any nation's territory.
The US would never bow in intimidation or be coerced into accepting illegitimate maritime claims, such as those made by the Russian Federation.

The same Russian ship in question was also involved in a near collision with some US cruiser back in 2019.

Justin Trudeau held no conversation with Greta Thunberg

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55062943

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has joined a growing list of public figures targeted by pranksters posing as climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Audio of Mr Trudeau speaking to an accomplice of pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov in January has been released by the pair.
The prime minister apparently fielded questions from the fake Ms Thunberg, on Nato, world peace and Donald Trump.
"This is not the first prank call of a world leader," his office said.
"The Prime Minister determined the call was fake and promptly ended it," Mr Trudeau's office said in a statement.
Taking the increasingly strange comments in stride, Mr Trudeau applauded the fake Ms Thunberg for her "perspective" and "passionate words".

I know there are people out there that pretend to be fun and make a living out of it but some of them take things way too far as to not to be punished somehow.

People demonstrate how difficult it is

to hide from CCTV cameras in Beijing

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55053978

On a busy Monday afternoon in late October, a line of people in reflective vests stood on Happiness Avenue, in downtown Beijing.
Moving slowly and carefully along the pavement, some crouched, others tilted their heads towards the ground, as curious onlookers snapped photos.
It was a performance staged by the artist Deng Yufeng, who was trying to demonstrate how difficult it was to dodge CCTV cameras in the Chinese capital.
By 2018, there were already about 200 million surveillance cameras in China.
And by 2021 this number is expected to reach 560 million, according to the Wall Street Journal, roughly one for every 2.4 citizens.

The demonstrators only had to walk 1.1km (0.7 miles) along Happiness Avenue but it took them over two hours to do it. There's no guarantee their efforts really allowed them to avoid being identified by authorities.
Help me say Big Brother!

Uighurs: China rebuffs Pope's criticism as groundless

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55067700

It came after the head of the Roman Catholic Church joined a growing group of international voices, describing the Uighurs as "persecuted" in a new book.
It is believed that the Chinese government has detained up to a million Uighurs in what the state defines as "re-education camps".
In his book Let Us Dream: The Path to A Better Future, Pope Francis writes that "I think often of persecuted peoples: the Rohingya, the poor Uighurs, the Yazidi".

The Chinese government claims they always protected their people's rights. As if they ever cared about them...

US-China trade war: Trump gives one last twist

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55067595

The US will slap tariffs on Chinese twist ties, which are commonly used to seal bread bags and tie up cables.
The US said that China has been unfairly subsidising twist ties to the disadvantage of American producers.
This is the first time the US Commerce Department will impose tariffs to reduce the impact of China's currency.
The department said China's undervalued currency makes Chinese twist ties cheaper to US consumers, at the expense of its own producers.

Well, it's not the first time the CCP don't play by the book if talking about international trade.

Jihadist arrested in Lugano, Switzerland

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55066858

A woman has been arrested in the southern Swiss city of Lugano after allegedly injuring two other women in a suspected terror attack at a store.
She attempted to choke one and stabbed another in the neck with a knife before being stopped by shoppers, police say.
One victim is believed to have serious but not life-threatening injuries, while the other was lightly wounded.
The suspect, 28, was known to federal police from an investigation into "jihadist terrorism" back in 2017.

Europe definitely should take such terrorist attacks seriously to put an end to their plan of imposing sharia on people that has nothing to do with their beliefs or are no extremists and just wanna live their lives like any Westerner would.

Amazon + Black Friday + French Government

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-55062222
Even if France is reducing restrictions after the second wave of infections passed, the government disliked Amazon's version of the Black Friday. Amazon was forced to postpone it. The French Finance Minister claimed internet giants were the only ones taking advantage of the pandemic. Physical stores like an English bookstore in Paris are undergoing a serious crisis, as critical as to make it plea for help.

[kyonides]

Michael Flynn: Trump pardons ex-national security adviser

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55080923

US President Donald Trump has pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
The president said the widely expected act of clemency was his "Great Honor".
He admitted in 2017 to lying to the FBI about contacts with Russia's envoy, then tried to withdraw his plea.
The White House said on Wednesday that the pardon would finally end "the relentless, partisan pursuit of an innocent man".
Its statement described Mr Flynn as "the victim of partisan government officials engaged in a co-ordinated attempt to subvert the election of 2016".

I guess he did it knowing beforehand he might not have a chance to stay in power for another term.

Diego Maradona passed away

Three days of mourning begin in Argentina as tributes pour in

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/55080335
It wasn't his drug abuse nor the surgery he had undergone days ago but a cardiorespiratory arrest what took his life recently.
Argentinian idolize him so much as to keep his body in the Casa Rosada for the time being, the Argentinian version of the White House.

Arrest over Mormon massacre in Mexico

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55052853

Authorities in Mexico have arrested a key suspect in the killing of nine members of a Mormon community.
Three women and six children, all dual US-Mexican citizens, were driving through the Sonoran desert when they were killed in an ambush last year.
Roberto N is believed to have been the "intellectual architect" of the attack, Mexico's federal attorney-general's office said on Wednesday.
Known as The Mute and The 32, he is a suspected leader of La Línea cartel.
Two other suspects, thought to be members of the same cartel, were also arrested.

It took the Mexican authorities quite some time to identify and arrest the killers.

Californian death row inmates got COVID-19 benefits in massive scam

https://nypost.com/2020/11/24/scott-pete...sive-scam/

California prosecutors say they’ve uncovered a massive scam that allowed convicted killer Scott Peterson and other death row inmates to receive coronavirus unemployment benefits administered by the state, a report said Tuesday.
Investigators found that more than $400,000 in state benefits were paid to death row inmates, including Peterson, who is behind bars at San Quentin State Prison.
More than $140 million was sent to other inmates in California’s 38 prisons, said Sacramento County DA Anne Marie Schubert, who helped lead a task force that discovered the alleged racket.

So people better become inmates to get unlawful paychecks during the current pandemic!?

[DerVVulfman]

3rd Major Covid-19 Vaccine by AstraZenica!

The AstraZeneca candidate was 70 percent effective on average, with up to 90 percent efficacy in a smaller group that got a lower dosage. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech and Moderna have each reported vaccines that were 95 percent effective in clinical trials. Different trial designs make direct comparison complicated, but even with somewhat lower protection, the AstraZeneca vaccine may be a more realistic option for much of the world, as it is likely to be less expensive and does not need to be stored at subzero temperatures.

D O H ! ! ! ! !

AstraZeneca’s ‘mistake’ in COVID-19 vaccine trials could halt approval

The UK drugmaker and its partner, Oxford University, admitted — after reporting its vaccine tested up to 90 percent effective — that the promising results came after a batch of volunteers were accidentally given half doses. The efficacy of the vaccine was significantly lower at 62 percent for those who received the correctly administered two full doses.

  So let me get this straight.  Half a dose, and you get 90% effectiveness... but a full dose is only 65% promising?


Andrew Cuomo’s in deep denial on his Supreme Court slapdown
Governor Cuomo began placing harsh restrictions on places of worship, and was thus sued by Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and a group of Orthodox Jewish synagogues who argued that Cuomo’s rules unfairly targeted them, violating the Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against Cuomo.

It is time — past time — to make plain that, while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color-coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores and bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues and mosques.

[kyonides]

Ethiopian PM takes control over Mekelle, Tigray's capital city

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55111061

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says government forces are now "fully in control" of Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region.
He said the army had entered the city in the "last phase" of the conflict with the Tigray People's Liberation Front - but details are hard to confirm as there is a communications blackout.
The TPLF leader vowed to "fight... to the last" in a statement to Reuters.
Hundreds have reportedly been killed in the conflict and thousands displaced.

Manhunt launched for Tigray leaders

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/n...a-conflict

Ethiopian officials say police and soldiers have launched a manhunt for the leaders of the ruling party in Tigray, a day after announcing federal troops had taken over the capital of the restive northern region and military operations were complete.
Humanitarian workers said the city of Mekelle, which fell to federal forces with almost no resistance on Saturday, was quiet but that hospitals were struggling to treat hundreds of injured.

If you wanna know what a rebel leader told Reuters about their fight, just keep reading this post.

Their brutality can only add [to] our resolve to fight these invaders to the last.
Certainly. This is about defending our right to self-determination.

Metal Monolith is missing

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55119940

A mysterious metal monolith discovered last week in the desert in the US state of Utah has disappeared, officials say.
Utah's Bureau of Land Management said it had seen credible reports the object had been removed "by an unknown party".
Social media images apparently from the site show a pile of rocks and a small piece of metal left behind.
The discovery of the 12ft (3.7m) high object sparked a national guessing game as to how it got there, and saw dozens of people pay a visit in recent days.
The strange metal object was first spotted on 18 November by a helicopter crew counting big horn sheep from the air, in a remote south-eastern area of Utah.

Well, what easy comes easy goes you might say here. Even if the authorities didn't want to disclose too much information about this monolith, some group might have found and removed it in no time.

Diego Maradona: Police raid house and clinic of doctor

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55123188

Argentine prosecutors are investigating Diego Maradona's doctor for possible manslaughter following the footballing legend's death four days ago.
Police in Buenos Aires have searched the house and private clinic of Leopoldo Luque as they try to establish if there was negligence in Maradona's treatment following surgery.
Dr Luque has not been charged. He denies any wrongdoing.

It seems his family doesn't realize he could simply pass away by usual postoperative complications.

Japan's crown prince 'approves' daughter's wedding

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55126318

Japan's Crown Prince Fumihito said he "approves" of his daughter's long-postponed plans to marry her university boyfriend, media reports say.
Princess Mako was originally set to wed non-royal Kei Komuro in 2018, a year after they announced their engagement.
The palace later denied the delay was linked to his mother's rumoured financial problems.
However, the prince reiterated the money issues must be dealt with first, according to Kyodo news agency.

So is he really interested in loving the princess for the rest of his life? Or is he after her fortune?

Australia demands China apologize for posting repugnant fake image

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-55126569

Australia has demanded China apologise for posting a fake picture on a government Twitter account that depicted an Australian soldier murdering an Afghan child.
In a televised address, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Beijing should be "utterly ashamed" for sharing the "repugnant" image.
It comes amid escalating political tensions between the two countries.
The image referred to alleged war crimes by some Australian soldiers.
On Monday, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao posted a doctored image which portrayed an Australian soldier with a bloody knife next to a child. The child is seen holding a lamb.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported the image appeared to be a reference to unsubstantiated rumours that elite Australian soldiers used knives to murder two Afghan teenagers. However, the inquiry found no evidence to support the rumours.

Obviously the Australian government wants Twitter to remove that terrible photograph from its platform asap.

[kyonides]

China-US trade war: Beijing escalates tit-for-tat with Washington

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55132425

China has introduced tough new laws which restrict the export of "controlled items".
The rules primarily focus on the export of military technologies and other products that might harm China's national security.
The export controls are widely believed to be in response to similar actions by the US.
TikTok, Huawei and Tencent are among the casualties of Washington's Chinese technology crackdown.

The other thing I find really interesting is China has placed AI and algorithms under these export controls.
This was prompted by the US ban on TikTok. The Chinese government does not want to share this AI.

List of Consequences

Exporters must apply for a license in order to export any item listed on a control list or subject to temporary controls.
Data associated with the controlled items is also covered by the law.
The law imposes penalties of ten times the value of the offending transaction up to $760,000 (£569,000).
It also allows for the punishment of overseas organisations or individuals, suggesting Beijing might attempt to use it to restrict the sale of sensitive technology globally.
Rare earth
Prices for rare earth minerals have increased in anticipation that the law could affect their export.

South Koreans upset after China claims kimchi as its own

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/d...as-its-own

Agriculture ministry drawn in to row after state media prompts backlash with claims that China leads global kimchi industry
Social media users in China and South Korea are embroiled in another row, this time over the provenance of kimchi, the fermented cabbage dish that most people recognise as an essential part of the Korean diet.
Not, though, in China, where state media have sparked an online backlash after one of the country’s fermented dishes received certification from the International Organisation for Standardisation [ISO].
ISO status, the Global Times newspaper reported, was an “international standard for the kimchi industry led by China”.

It is inappropriate to report (pao cai winning the ISO) without differentiating between kimchi from pao cai from Sichuan.

That's like saying a hamburger comes from Hamburg, Germany or China created the Costa Rican dish called gallo pinto.
Really the Chinese government should be ashamed they got an approval they didn't deserve at all.

Olympic rings back in Tokyo Bay

a sign of hope in pandemic

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-p...fd00094d7b

The five Olympic rings are back in Tokyo Bay.
They were removed for maintenance four months ago shortly after the Tokyo Olympics were postponed until next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rings arrived on Tuesday after a short cruise from nearby Yokohama and are positioned on a barge in the shadow on Tokyo’s Rainbow Bridge.
The rings will be lighted at night and herald the coming of the Tokyo Olympics, which are to open on July 23, 2021, followed by the Paralympics on Aug. 24.

Now the question would be if the Japanese people and anybody else around the world still care about this sport event.

Iranian Top Nuclear Scientist Killed!?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55128970

Iran believes Israel and an exiled opposition group used a remote-control weapon to shoot dead top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on Friday.
Security chief Ali Shamkhani said the attackers had "used electronic equipment" when Fakhrizadeh's car was fired on east of the capital Tehran.
He was speaking at the funeral of the scientist Israel accused of secretly helping to develop nuclear weapons.
Israel has not publicly commented on the allegations of its involvement.
In the early 2000s, Fakhrizadeh played a crucial role in Iran's nuclear programme but the government insists its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful.

Well, even if Iran still claims they use uranium for peaceful purposes that doesn't explain why they kept 10 times as much ore as they were allowed by the international community... at a single reactor site!  
So you can't really blame other countries to think that top nuclear scientist was a menace for the entire Middle East.

France to rewrite police security bill after huge protests

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55135995

French politicians say they will totally rewrite part of a controversial security bill amid national outrage over a police assault on a black man.
There were huge protests across France on Saturday against Article 24 of the bill, which aims to regulate how people share film or photos of police.
There are fears the new law could stop people exposing police brutality.
Four policemen are now under criminal investigation over the beating of black music producer Michel Zecler in Paris.
The assault happened at his studio earlier this month and the video surfaced last week.

Muslims face state pressure to embrace values in France

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55132098

France's Muslim Council is due to meet President Emmanuel Macron this week, to confirm the text of a new "charter of Republican values" for imams in the country to sign.
The Council (CFCM), which represents nine separate Muslim associations, has reportedly been asked to include in the text recognition of France's Republican values, rejection of Islam as a political movement and a ban on foreign influence.
The plan is for the CFCM to create a register of imams in France, each of whom would sign up to the Charter, in return for accreditation.

They might see it as intrusive at first but we gotta recall how many times authorities in the USA or Europe have linked some imam or Muslim leader to terrorist cells. At the end they're not asking them to change their lifestyle except for very specific things like respecting the constitution or not attacking Christians or pretty much anybody. Why would it be a problem to tell the government they're working as an imam? They shouldn't fear the authorities if they keep their hands clean.

Facebook & Google censor Vietnamese people

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55140857

Facebook and Google have aided the Vietnamese government in censoring criticism and repressing dissent, says rights group Amnesty.
In a new report, the group accuses the tech giants of "far-reaching complicity" by blocking content deemed critical of authorities.
Vietnam has a reputation for restricting freedom of speech.
In recent years several bloggers have been jailed for publishing articles critical of the Communist state.

So instead of working with local organizations to keep the internet free in Vietnam, they simply comply with the Communist party's anti-democratic demands!?

[kyonides]

Trier, Germany
Four die as car ploughs through pedestrian zone

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55148518

The city, often claimed as Germany's oldest, is the now latest to experience a horrific and fatal incident involving a vehicle and pedestrians so close to Christmas.
A car has ploughed through a pedestrian area in the western German city of Trier, killing four people including a nine-month-old baby, police say.
The driver, a 51-year-old local man, has been arrested. The prosecutor said the suspect had drunk a significant amount of alcohol.
Authorities said they were not working on the assumption that the incident was politically or religiously motivated.
The city's mayor described the scene as "horrible".
Witnesses said people screamed in panic and some were thrown in the air by an SUV travelling at high speed in Trier's Brotstrasse and Simeonstrasse streets towards the city's famous Roman gate, the Porta Nigra.
Initial indications "suggest that psychiatric problems possibly played a role", prosecutor Peter Fritzen told reporters.

It's definitely not the best way to start December. At least authorities don't believe it can be a terrorist attack for the time being.

China refuses to apologise to Australia for fake soldier image

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55140848

China has accused Australia of trying to "deflect public attention" from alleged war crimes by its soldiers in Afghanistan after Canberra expressed outrage over a "repugnant" tweet.
Beijing has now said that Australia was trying to "blame China for the worsening of bilateral ties".

So foreign ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao can doctor a photograph but Australia has no right to complain and demand China to apologize for defaming its country!?

The accusations made are simply to serve two purposes. One is to deflect public attention from the horrible atrocities by certain Australian soldiers. The other is to blame China for the worsening of bilateral ties. There may be another attempt to stoke domestic nationalism.
It's our advice that the Australian side face up to the crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, hold those perpetrators accountable and bring justice to the victims

This means the CCP is still mad at Australia for not letting Huawei sell its phones and towers in Australian soil.

India responds to Trudeau's ill-informed remarks

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55152462

Mr Trudeau and Conservative opposition leader Erin O'Toole both made comments this week expressing concern over India's response to the demonstrations.
"Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest," Mr Trudeau said on Monday.
Thousands of farmers have travelled to Delhi to protest agricultural reforms.
Protesters were met last week with barricades at Delhi's border and clashes erupted between farmers and police.
Photos and video of the encounters show scenes of authorities deploying tear gas and water cannons to stop the farmers from entering the city.
Farmers are now being escorted by police to a protest site where they are expected to continue demonstrating against the reforms, which will open the farming sector to private players.

So what did Trudeau comment on those events?  

We're all very worried about family and friends. We believe in the importance of dialogue and that's why we've reached out through multiple means directly to the Indian authorities to highlight our concerns.

Of course, India wouldn't waste any time and expressed its concerns in a timely fashion.

Such comments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country. It is also best that diplomatic conversations are not misrepresented for political purposes.

[DerVVulfman]

David Prowse: Darth Vader, Rest in Peace

Though the voice of the famed Dark Lord of the Sith was performed by James Earl Jones, this Bristolian body builder donned the heavy black suit and helmet for all filmed appearances in the Star Wars saga, including Revenge of the Sith. Now gone, friends and family are saddened by his passing. Mark Hamill, who acted with him said "He was a kind man and much more than Darth Vader. He loved his fans as much as they loved him.  Prowse's credits also include training Superman actor, the late Christopher Reeves, A Clockwork Orange, and the Hammer films "Horror of Frankenstein" and "Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell".

Georgian Hearing on Election Fraud

Trump isn't done with the Election. And while Georgia state and local officials said it ran smoothly (Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chair Rob Pitts claiming it should have an "A-plus" rating), video came out that shows that observers and reporters in Fulton County during the vote count were absent. But the video which came forward also shows four election workers, unaware of the security cameras, pulling out suitcases filled with ballots. Of course, the article also puts out other issues with the Georgia Election system

Georgia Security Cameras Catch Briefcase Ballots

For those who want to see the footage, this footage actually shows the poll watchers and reporters made to leave at approximately 10:30 with four individuals remaining behind to pull out briefcases filled with ballots. And they remained processing these ballots until past 1am, approximately 18,000. This casts a bad light upon the Georgia Vote itself.

    This kinda validates all the witnesses who signed court affidavits claiming voter fraud under penalty of perjury.

Iran rejects Biden's terms for reviving nuclear deal

Iran will not accept preconditions from a new Biden administration over its nuclear programme and the US must return to a 2015 deal before talks can take place, its foreign minister says.

On Wednesday, Iran's parliament passed a bill that would prevent UN inspections of its nuclear sites and require the government to resume enriching uranium to 20% - well above the 3.67% agreed under the deal - if sanctions were not eased within two months.

Really?  Big freakin whoop. Inspectors were Denied Access to Iran Scientists in 2015, and Iran Denied Access to Missile Sites in 2017 before Trump cancelled the deal. Iran broke it first. This, especially since2018 Documents Stolen from Tehran likely prompted why Trump exited the deal.

Dr Fauci apologises for saying UK 'rushed' vaccine

Our process is one that takes more time than it takes in the UK. And that's just the reality.  I did not mean to imply any sloppiness even though it came out that way.

Yeah, another flub by Fauci who believed the W.H.O. at the start.

[kyonides]

China aims its influence operations at incoming Biden administration, top intel official says

https://www.cyberscoop.com/china-biden-i...s-evanina/
[quote='CyberScoop']
China has increased its influence operations targeting incoming Biden administration personnel and their associates since the presidential election.
But another U.S. intelligence official told CyberScoop it included intelligence collection and efforts to shape U.S. policy. Evanina did say that China had engaged in an “uptick” in influence operations since the Nov. 3 election of Joe Biden that were focused on the president-elect’s advisers.
[/quote]

Well, now you're fully aware about China's intentions. Let's hope they fail to influence the US government...

Chinese coal miners killed by carbon monoxide poisoning

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55196132
[quote='BBC']
Chinese state TV says 18 miners have died and five others are missing after a leak of carbon monoxide gas at a coal mine in the south-west of the country.
One person was rescued from the Diaoshuidong mine in Chongqing municipality, broadcaster CCTV reported.
An investigation has been launched into the incident, which happened on Friday.
Mining accidents in China are not uncommon and are often due to poorly enforced safety regulations.
According to CCTV, the gas leak at the Diaoshuidong mine happened while workers were dismantling underground equipment. The mine had been closed for the previous two months.
[/quote]

We all knew about the poor working conditions that let Chinese workers get sick or lose their lives in vain. Even so this is ridiculous, how can't the company or the CCP provide them with tools and protocols to prevent these accidents from ever happening?
Err, well, if a dangerous virus allegedly escaped from a Level 4 laboratory in Wuhan, then there's no reason why we should be surprised that they never enforce very strict regulations in workplaces from the very beginning.

Do you think I'm overreacting here!? Well, let's read about similar events that have taken place in China.

[quote='BBC']
In September, 16 workers were killed at another mine on the outskirts of Chongqing when a conveyor belt caught fire, producing high levels of carbon monoxide.
In December 2019, an explosion at a coal mine in Guizhou province, south-west China, killed at least 14 people.
[/quote]

China becomes second nation to plant flag on the Moon

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55192692
[quote='BBC']
China has planted its flag on the Moon, more than 50 years after the US first planted the Stars and Stripes there.
The pictures from China's National Space Administration show the five-starred Red Flag holding still on the windless lunar surface.
They were taken by a camera on the Chang'e-5 space probe before it left the Moon with rock samples on Thursday.
Two previous Chinese lunar missions had flags on the crafts' coatings - so neither could be affixed to the moon.
[/quote]

After such a bold declaration, we can now say for sure that the ongoing economic war between both world powers isn't drawing to its end any time soon.

Venezuela election: There's no opposition here, just God

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55191633
[quote='Candidate Nicolás Maduro Guerra']
We've come here to show our faces, to tell the truth, to walk the streets with you so you can tell us your problems, and we can solve them.
I'm not coming here to promise you castles and mansions, I can promise though that we will come through this.
[/quote]

Just in case you didn't know, he's running for a seat in the Venezuelan parliament.  But he's the incumbent president you might think now. It happens he's not the Venezuelan president but Maduro's son instead.

[quote='BBC']
Every day, millions of people in Venezuela struggle to access enough food, annual inflation is above 5,000% and about five million people have fled the country in search of jobs and more stability. The pandemic has just compounded the problems here.
Despite his family links, Nicolasito is pretty assured of victory. He's set to gain one of 277 seats in the National Assembly on Sunday, made all the easier because the opposition is boycotting the vote.
[/quote]

Why would that ever happen? Let's learn about a citizen's opinion to find that out.

[quote='Unidentified woman']
I have to vote because I have a government job.
[/quote]

And her job is the only thing that keeps her earning a low salary every month. It's quite hard to survive in such a poor country nowadays.

Trump orders withdrawal of US troops from Somalia

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55196130
[quote='BBC']
US President Donald Trump has ordered the withdrawal of nearly all US troops from Somalia by 15 January, the Pentagon has said.
The US has about 700 troops in the country helping local forces battle al-Shabab and Islamic State militants.
US officials said some of the troops would move to neighbouring countries, allowing for cross-border operations.
The withdrawal order - which would see troops redeployed just days before Mr Trump leaves office - reverses the policy of former US defence secretary Mark Esper, who was sacked last month and favoured maintaining the US presence in Somalia.
[/quote]

Redeploying troops is just an usual tactic in any war so it might not become an issue later on.

Covid vaccination in US will not be mandatory

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55193939
[quote='BBC']
Joe Biden says Americans won't be forced to take a coronavirus vaccine when one becomes available in the US.
It comes as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the first time urged "universal mask use" indoors, unless when Americans are at their own home.
The CDC said the US had "entered a phase of high-level transmission" of the virus.
Earlier on Friday Vice-President Mike Pence said during a visit to Atlanta's CDC that federal approval for a Covid-19 vaccine could be "a week-and-a-half away."
On Thursday Mr Biden told CNN he would be happy to take a vaccine in public to allay potential concerns about its safety. Three former presidents - Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton - have said they are also prepared to be inoculated publicly.
[/quote]

Hacker who sent information on US personnel to Islamic State is freed by judge

https://www.cyberscoop.com/ardit-ferizi-...e-hacking/
[quote='CyberScoop']
A foreign hacker sentenced to 20 years in U.S. prison for giving the Islamic State the personal information of about 1,300 U.S. military and government personnel has been given a compassionate release by a federal judge due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ardit Ferizi, who was arrested in 2015 at age 19 in Malaysia and later extradited to the U.S., must spend two weeks in quarantine before deportation by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, according to the order from Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia.
Brinkema agreed with a request from Ferizi saying that his asthma and obesity put him at greater risk for contracting COVID-19. Ferizi will be deported to his home country of Kosovo, where he has a support network of family, the judge said.
The judge expressed confidence that U.S. officials will be able to monitor his conduct online, given how quickly he was located after hacking an Arizona electronics company in June 2015 and sending the list of federal personnel to his Islamic State contact.
[/quote]

Say what? How can a ever release a criminal that endangered thousands of lives just because the darn hacker is afraid of contracting the Wuhan virus!? And he is allowed to leave the country!!  
After learning about the existence of such lame judges, why do the US need prisons anymore?

Brexit: Boris Johnson and EU chief seek to break trade deal deadlock

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-55191436
[quote='BBC']
Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen will seek to break the stalemate over a post-Brexit trade deal on Saturday.
Negotiators for the two sides called in the two leaders after saying "significant divergences" remained following a week of intensive talks.
Time is running out to get a deal through before the UK leaves EU trading rules on 31 December.
Most of the deal has been completed but key sticking points remain.
These include fishing rights, the rules governing state subsidies for business and how the agreement is policed.
[/quote]

An undisclosed source cited the EU demand for EU boats getting access to UK waters for ten years would be a reason why they still have no deal at this point.  

Former Austrian Finance Minister Might Spend the Next 8 years in Prison

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55195397
[quote=BBC]A former Austrian finance minister has been sentenced to eight years in prison for his role in a high-profile corruption scandal.
Karl-Heinz Grasser was found guilty on Friday of embezzlement, receiving bribes and falsification of evidence in a deal to sell thousands of publicly owned apartments.
The court in Vienna said Grasser was involved in kickbacks of more than €9 million (£8.1m).
He denies wrongdoing and will appeal.
Grasser became the youngest finance minister in the country's history in 2000.
The case involved 14 defendants facing an array of charges, which included money laundering, fraud and falsifying evidence.[quote]

Usually when you vote for a young candidate is because you pretended to let politicians change their ways. Now it seems it's pretty much the same if you ever vote for a youngster or a seventy or eighty year old guy.

[kyonides]

Havana syndrome likely caused by directed microwaves

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55203844

Mystery illness suffered by US diplomats in Cuba was most likely caused by directed microwave radiation, a US government report has found.
The report by the National Academies of Sciences does not attribute blame for the directed energy waves.
But it said research into the effects of pulsed radio frequency energy was carried out by the Soviet Union more than 50 years ago.
The illnesses first affected people at the US embassy in Havana in 2016-17.
Staff and some of their relatives complained of symptoms ranging from dizziness, loss of balance, hearing loss, anxiety and something they described as "cognitive fog". It became known as "Havana syndrome".
The US accused Cuba of carrying out "sonic attacks", which it strongly denied, and the incident led to increased tension between the two nations.
A 2019 US academic study found "brain abnormalities" in the diplomats who had fallen ill, but Cuba dismissed the report.
Canada also cut its embassy staff in Cuba after at least 14 of its citizens reported similar symptoms.

It's a weird coincidence that both American and Canadian diplomats had suffered similar symptoms in the same country.

India officials investigate mystery illness

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-55209763

Officials in India are investigating the cause of an unidentified illness which led to more than 140 people being admitted to hospital over the weekend.
The patients, from Eluru in Andhra Pradesh, had a wide range of symptoms from nausea to fits and falling unconscious, doctors said.
Local media said the patients had taken coronavirus tests, all of which were negative.
A medical officer at Eluru Government Hospital told The Indian Express: "The people who fell sick, especially the children, suddenly started vomiting after complaining of burning eyes. Some of them fainted or suffered bouts of seizures".
Many of those taken to hospital recovered and were quickly discharged.
Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas said that blood samples did not find any evidence of a viral infection.

Venezuela holds National Assembly poll amid opposition boycott

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55211149

Venezuelans have been voting in legislative elections that are set to hand socialist President Nicolás Maduro control of the only official body still controlled by the opposition.
Most opposition parties are boycotting the polls for the National Assembly.
The boycott is being led by opposition leader Juan Guaidó who has been in a two-year power struggle with Mr Maduro.
The Organization of American States (OAS) has also said it will not recognise the result.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has described Sunday's poll as "a fraud and a sham".

The results announced by the illegitimate Maduro regime will not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people.

Since it's highly likely that Maduro will take over the assembly, Guaidó will get in some serious troubles to hinder Maduro's attempts to further destroy the Venezuelan economy.

Most of California faces strict new lockdown as cases surge

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55198173

Large parts of the US state of California are facing a strict new lockdown, as Covid-19 cases surge across the state and the country.
More than half of the state's 40 million people will be subject to a stay-at-home order, as announced by Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday.
Many businesses will be closed, and people will be banned from meeting anyone outside their household.
The order was triggered by intensive care capacity in hospitals shrinking.
The southern part of the state and its central valley will be the first areas to come under the new restrictions, at 23:59 local time on Sunday (07:59 GMT on Monday).
Other areas could follow within days. San Francisco will have its own local lockdown also starting on Sunday.

I know it's quite hard to keep the number of infections low or under control but not even WHO supports lockdowns anymore.

Trump says lawyer Rudy Giuliani has Covid-19

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55210243

President Donald Trump says his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for Covid-19.
The president wrote in a tweet: "Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!"
Mr Giuliani, who has been leading the Trump campaign's legal challenges to the 2020 election results, is the latest person in the president's inner circle to be infected.
Mr Giuliani, 76, has been taken to the Medstar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington DC, according to US media reports.

Let's hope this won't affect the team in charge of challenging the ballot counts in Georgia and elsewhere in the US.