Coronavirus digest: New lockdowns across Europe as cases resurge - DW

Several parts of Europe are set to go under partial lockdowns as coronavirus cases increase across the continent. Meanwhile, Australia has reported no new cases for the first time in months.

As coronavirus infections in Europe increase, several countries are imposing new lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus that has claimed close to 219,228 lives in the continent so far. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a strict monthlong lockdown similar to the spring lockdown.

Half of Slovakia's population tested for coronavirus in one day - Guardian

Nearly half of Slovakia's entire population took Covid-19 swabs on Saturday, the first day of a two-day nationwide testing drive the government hopes will help reverse a surge in infections without a hard lockdown.

The scheme, a first for a country of Slovakia's size, is being watched by other nations looking for ways to slow the virus spread and avoid overwhelming their health systems.

The defence minister, Jaroslav Naď said on Sunday 2.58 million Slovaks had taken a test on Saturday, and 25,850 or 1% tested positive and must go into quarantine.

The EU country has a population 5.5 million people and aims to test as many people as possible, except for children under 10.

Bundestag considers emergency basic income petition

Austria: Police say people injured after reported shooting near Vienna synagogue - DW

Police in the Austrian capital, Vienna, said on Monday they had launched a major operation in the city center after reports of a shooting near a synagogue.

In a tweet, Vienna's police department said there had been shots fired in central Vienna, with "multiple" people being injured.

Casualties in Vienna 'terrorist' shooting - BBC

"At the moment I can confirm we believe this is an apparent terror attack," Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told Austrian broadcaster ORF.

Mr Nehammer said some people were thought to have been killed and the several seriously injured, including a police officer.

The shooting reportedly took place on a street near a synagogue.

Jewish community leader Oskar Deutsch tweeted that it was unclear if the Vienna synagogue was targeted in the attack as it was closed at the time.

Grey Wolves: Far-right group to be banned in France - BBC

France is banning the far-right Turkish group Grey Wolves after a memorial to the Armenian genocide near Lyon was defaced with pro-Turkish slogans.

The Grey Wolves, an international organisation, is seen as allied to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The memorial was daubed with yellow graffiti over the weekend that included Mr Erdogan's initials.

It comes amid growing tensions between France and Turkey over a territorial dispute in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted over the mountainous territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in September. The region is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but it is controlled by ethnic Armenians.

About a week ago:

Turkish Ultranationalist Group Linked to "Hunt For Armenians" in France - Vice

Hundreds of Turkish ultranationalists have marched through the streets of two French towns, chanting threats against Armenians, as tensions over the war in Nagorno-Karabakh boiled over.

A French anti-racism group and an organization representing France's Armenian community said what they called the "hunt for Armenians" was orchestrated by the Grey Wolves, a militant Turkish ultranationalist group which is active in Western Europe and banned in a number of countries, including Austria. Footage of the marches, which took place on Wednesday night, was circulated on Twitter accounts featuring wolf emojis and references to the Turkish name of the ultranationalist organisation, Bozkurtlar.

The memorial is located in Décines-Charpieu, a suburb of Lyon. France has one of the largest Armenian diaspora in Europe, following the Armenian genocide which has never been officially recognized by Turkey.

EU Negotiators [Nearly] Clinch Deal Tying Rule of Law to [€ 1.8T Funding]
"The agreement, which must still be officially endorsed by the bloc's 27 nations and the full EU parliament, is expected to help end a deadlock over the bloc's next seven-year budget and a massive coronavirus recovery plan"
Deal in reach on linking EU funds to rule of law

Sweden Fights `Very Serious' Covid Resurgence With New Curbs

Anders Tegnell, Sweden's state epidemiologist, said on Tuesday that "overall, the development is moving in the wrong direction in many different ways." He added that "the main issue now is to really limit close contact to the immediate family."

Sweden's latest measures still take the form of recommendations, meaning people don't face legal consequences if they ignore them. But Lofven said he wasn't just handing out "some kind of friendly, general advice."

"It is expected that everyone who is subject to these recommendations will follow them all day, every day," he said.

As of Tuesday, Swedes in seven of the country's 21 regions -- representing roughly 70% of the population -- will be required to:

•   Avoid physical contact with people besides those with whom they share a home
  
•   Avoid indoor spaces in which crowds can form
  
•   Avoid parties, weddings, funerals and similar events
  
•   Employers should ensure that staff who can work from home do so

Their cover following Trump's inauguration in 2017 pic.twitter.com/Mb5Tc2k3kY

— Axios (@axios) November 7, 2020

Estonia's far-right minister resigns over Biden remarks

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- Estonia's far-right interior minister, Mart Helme, resigned Monday, a day after he called President-elect Joe Biden and his son Hunter "corrupt characters" without providing further details or evidence.

"Last night I decided to resign (when) looking at the slander and lies produced by the Estonian media," said Helme, of the Estonian Conservative People's Party, or EKRE.

"I am tired. I did nothing yesterday that would endanger Estonia's security. I have not said anything that has not already been told by the American media, the American free media," he told public broadcaster ERR.

He made the remarks on Sunday in an Estonian radio show which interviewed both Mart Helme and his son Martin, who is the country's finance minister. They also discussed a hypothetical scenario of a U.S. civil war after the election result.

U.S. President Donald Trump "will win eventually. It will happen as a result of an immense struggle, maybe even bloodshed but justice will win in the end," Mart Helme told the TRE radio station according to local media.

EU parliament, governmentsECo reach deal on EU 2021-2027 budget

Scandulous proposal at EU Meeting ...

Violent extremism linked to failure of migrants to integrate, EU says

The initial draft of the declaration had raised concerns within the governments of the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Italy and Luxembourg about the linking of counter-terrorism with migration and the clear focus on "Islamism".

Islamophobia linked to 9/11 attacks an subsequent foolhardy wars of aggression in Irag, Libya and Syria. Flight of refugees a backlash in Europe.

France and the Algerian War of Independence

'Sapere aude'

Thank you for that information. We apologize but upon reviewing your location you're in Northern Ireland. Rugby Autumn Nations Cup coverage is exclusively available to Prime members based in the UK. We don't have the rights to other territories.

— Amazon Help (@AmazonHelp) November 14, 2020

Visir

Lagt er til að konur sem ekki mega undirgangast þungunarrof í heimalandi sínu geti komið til Íslands og notið heilbrigðisþjónustunnar hér á landi.

[...]

,,Það eru aðeins tvö lönd í Evrópu sem þessi þingsályktunartillaga myndi ná yfir. Það eru Pólland og Malta, þar sem réttindi kvenna til að gangast undir þungunarrof eru mun síðri en í öðrum löndum. Þannig það yrði ekki mikill kostnaður við þessa leið," segir Rósa.

Or, as Google puts it

It is proposed that women who are not allowed to undergo abortion in their home country can come to Iceland and enjoy the health service in this country.

[...]

"There are only two countries in Europe that this parliamentary resolution would cover. There are Poland and Malta, where women's rights to undergo abortion are much lower than in other countries. That way it would not be a big cost for this route, "says Rósa.

Van lockdown naar lock-in: het plan van #FVD voor een gecontroleerde exit-strategie! [_link] via @YouTube

— Thierry Baudet (@thierrybaudet) April 7, 2020

Baudet in lock-out today 🤣🔥

Pushed out as party leader, a locksmith changed locks of party headquarters today.

Yesterday, "Dutch Bad Boy" Thierry Baudet resigned as leader of the far-right Forum for Democracy (FvD) - what is happening to the Dutch far right? New blog post by @CrexUiO adjunct professor @CasMudde. [_link]

— C-REX (@CrexUiO) November 25, 2020

'Sapere aude'

Dead mink infected with a mutated form of COVID-19 rise from graves after mass culling
Denmark is ... haunted

The FT View: Protecting France's police from their own excesses is the wrong way to provide a protective state https://t.co/vtBK6XnZ4u

— Financial Times (@FT) November 27, 2020

SHAME!!!

On the EU for what it has become:

Hungarian official says Europe is 'gas chamber' of Soros the `liberal Fuhrer' [_link]

— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) November 29, 2020

Hungary Museum Head Under Fire For Comparing George Soros To Nazi Gas Chambers | RFERL |

Kick Out Austria - Hungary - Poland for starters. UK left on its own accord.

'Sapere aude'

Perché Salvini Merita Fiducia Rispetto E Ammirazione

Number 1 in political science on Amazon. A few of the rave reviews:

Una lunga e faticosa lettura ma ne è valsa la pena. Grande capitano, continua così!!

Già dalla prima pagina è evidente un'eccellente profondità e accuratezza di analisi storica, politica e sociale.
Testo profondamente esplicativo, pur nella sua sinteticità.
Nelle prime pagine si entra nella personalità del "capitano", descritta dettagliatamente, in modo analitico e allo stesso tempo avvincente, con riferimenti alle sue gesta che si avvicinano all'eroismo.
Fortemente consigliato a chi vuole addentrarsi nei meandri del pensiero leghista, ben rappresentato dal soggetto.
La narrazione è fluida e facilmente comprensibile, anche per chi non è avvezzo ad analoghe, profonde letture.

Questo libro è illuminante.
Mi è appena arrivato (Amazon sempre puntuale con le spedizioni) e l'ho praticamente già finito: letto tutto d'un fiato. Sono d'accordo con l'autore su tutto ciò che ha scritto di positivo rispetto al leader Salvini: è riuscito a condensare in un libro tutte le caratteristiche positive del Capitano.
Lo consiglio a tutti: è un libro che può essere utile in qualsiasi momento e che tira

But then one reviewer gives the game away

Trovata geniale. Tante pagine vuote per descrivere Salvini e ciò che fa... cioè nulla. Purtroppo l'autore non è riuscito a scrivere niente di buono su di lui oltre al titolo.

Reggio Calabria, l'informativa che svela gli affari dei clan per 500 miliardi | La Repúbblica |

... with possible link to murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

IT entrepreneur Roberto Recordare

'Sapere aude'

EU criticises 'hasty' UK approval of COVID-19 vaccine
Pfizer/BioNTech
Why are so many people in the Netherlands opposed to a Covid vaccine?
"It just doesn't feel right in so many ways."

UK will not import chlorinated chicken from US, ministers say - Guardian

The government has finally vowed not to allow chlorinated chicken or hormone-fed beef on British supermarket shelves, defying demands from the US that animal welfare standards be lowered as part of a future trade deal.

The international trade secretary, Liz Truss, and the environment minister, George Eustice, have also revealed the government will be putting the recently established trade and agriculture commission on a statutory footing with a new amendment to the agriculture bill.

"We are announcing today that it will be made a statutory body which will give independent advice on trade deals as they go through parliament," they said in an article in the Mail on Sunday.

The move is a significant U-turn for the government, which had rejected Lord Curry's amendment to the bill to strengthen the commission's role and legally ban any food that did not meet British standards in imports post-Brexit.

English COVID infections stabilize at around 50,000 per day: ONS estimate https://t.co/4509tnAkSJ pic.twitter.com/qFfktrdECy

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 6, 2020

so they say ...

Joe Biden's election victory could soon spell trouble for Britain's 'mini-Trump' Boris Johnson  - Business Insider

Downing Street may have underestimated the extent to which Biden might feel personal animosity towards Boris Johnson.

•   Joe Biden's election victory is causing concern for some supporters of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
  
•   Johnson is not viewed favourably by Biden who once labeled him a "kind of a physical and emotional clone" of Donald Trump.
  
•   Johnson's past jibes against former president Barack Obama are still remembered by the President-elect, sources on his campaign told Business Insider.
  
•   "Joe has a long memory," about such things, one Biden campaign source said.
  
•   Johnson's warm relationship with President Trump and his role as an architect of Brexit could also sour relations between the two countries.

UK PM Johnson defeated in parliament on treaty-breaking Brexit laws

Lords voted 433 to 165 to remove a key clause in a section of the bill which would give ministers the power to unilaterally override parts of the exit treaty relating to Northern Ireland [...] But they can all be reinstated at a later stages of the legislative process if Johnson chooses to contest the lords' decision, as he is expected to.

Gruaniad footnotes
Lords Eames, Judge, Clarke, Empey, Henry VIII clauses ..."Raab had 'totally misrepresented' the situation in comments on the BBC on Sunday when he claimed that the EU was trying to undermine the Good Friday agreement."

It's for UK Parl to legislate as it sees fit.
But understand, if UK passes law designed to break International Law, WI & Protocol, then there will be no trade deal. EU cannot ratify a new deal while U.K. is legislating to break a previous agreement.
Trust & Good Faith Matters. https://t.co/OyS0Qw2csf

— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) November 9, 2020

🔑 No 2: Robust guarantees of free and fair trade & competition based on shared high standards, evolving coherently over time;

🔑 No 3: Stable and reciprocal access to markets and fishing opportunities in the interest of both parties.

(2/2)

— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) November 9, 2020

'Sapere aude'

Ben Jennings on UK hopes of a trade deal with the US - cartoon [_link]

— Guardian Opinion (@guardianopinion) November 8, 2020

'Sapere aude'

Post-Brexit trade talks to continue next week | BBC News |

We are delivering on the will of the British people by ending free movement and introducing a fair points-based immigration system 🌎 #PMQs pic.twitter.com/V1PK5UeZ3z

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 11, 2020

'Sapere aude'

Dominic Cummings to leave Downing Street by Christmas [_link]

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) November 12, 2020

'Sapere aude'

YES pic.twitter.com/H5hSju7TYA

— sean morley (@seanmorl) November 12, 2020

Double whammy!

Trump gone in USA

Dominic Cummings booted out of Nr. 10 😄

Guardian front page, Saturday 14 November 2020: End of Cummings era pic.twitter.com/4lTYwfu3mm

— The Guardian (@guardian) November 13, 2020

Boris Johnson boots out top adviser Dominic Cummings | The Guardian |

'Sapere aude'

Idly wondering if Boris is the public face of Astra Zenca's vaccine trial subjects like Trump took a shot for Regeneron's miracle monoclonal antibody. Boris Johnson told to self-isolate after contact with Covid-positive MP

I am pleased to have been reinstated in the Labour Party and would like to thank party members, trade unionists and all who have offered solidarity.

Our movement must now come together to oppose and defeat this deeply damaging Conservative government.

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) November 17, 2020

'Sapere aude'

Surprisingly little news coverage of Brexit considering that we are less than a week away from the "final, final, finally final date" that an agreement can be reached. Having passed upwards of perhaps a dozen previous absolutely final deadline dates.

archived Sun Nov 19th, 2017

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

And for the grim reaper's next trick... cartoon [_link]

— Guardian Opinion (@guardianopinion) November 28, 2020

Last-ditch Brexit trade talks resume amid growing EU scepticism | The Guardian |

'Sapere aude'

5 things to know about post-Brexit aviation - Politico.eu

Here's what the end of the transition means for the sector.
1. Will passenger planes still be able to fly between the EU and the U.K. after Brexit?

That's the killer question. Negotiations are ongoing to make sure that flights between the two don't just suddenly stop come January 1.

Without a new arrangement, in the new year the U.K. stops being a member of the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) -- the world's largest liberalized aviation market. It encompasses all nine of the so-called freedoms of the air -- allowing carriers from one country full rights to operate, pick up and drop off passengers and cargo and fly wherever they want.

Outside of the ECAA, the U.K. faces much tighter limits. Without a deal, operating licenses of U.K. airlines will no longer be valid in the EU -- forcing them to move their principal place of business to the EU to keep operating in the bloc. All certificates, licenses and registrations covering pilots, parts and airplanes become invalid and would need to be validated again in an EU member country.

Ok, today is 30 November, the latest of the many last days--but clearly not the actual last day--by which a Brexit agreement must be reached.

The Guardian reports that both sides have now entered into what the British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has described as "the last week or so" of substantive talks.

France's European affairs minister, Clément Beaune, said "We have a bit of time left."

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, conceded that there was some anxiety about the prolonged negotiations. "Some member states are now becoming unsettled. There's not much time left."

"We want to try and reach a free trade agreement as soon as possible." said Boris Johnson's spokesman.

Ten bucks $USD sez that in the middle of January they will still be saying there isn't much time left to reach an agreement.

Brexiters shocked, shocked! to discover that ending free  movement of people means... ending free  movement of people.

Today Brexit voters learn the slogan 'We're ending free movement of people' works both ways. Who woulda thought? pic.twitter.com/7Fmq2AVctS

— Hallie Rubenhold (@HallieRubenhold) November 30, 2020

Most of the "British expats" I know are "furious" at the Brexiters for removing their freedom while not giving them the right to vote in the UK. And many are getting citizenship of their EU country of residence.

Johnson publishes plans to [scrap the Fixed-term Parliaments Act]

National Guard taps units for rapid response to civil unrest

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Guard has designated military police units in two states to serve as rapid reaction forces so they can respond quickly to any potential civil unrest around the country, following violent protests that rocked the nation's capital and several states this summer.

Military leaders don't explicitly tie the changes to concerns about possible election-related violence, but the nation is bracing for unrest surrounding the tumultuous presidential campaign, particularly if voting results are not known for days or weeks because of the increase in mail-in ballots.

According to the Guard, about 600 troops -- 300 in both Alabama and Arizona -- will be ready to deploy within 24 hours if requested by a governor in another state. And Guard leaders have also bought more than $200,000 in new protective equipment, and have increased troop training on proper procedures in dealing with protests.

APsplainin > hash batch

As another round of polls close, the @AP is calling seven more states for Joe Biden, including Illinois, and five more for President Trump, including South Carolina.

Read more from @AP as we explain every #Election2020 #APracecall we make.https://t.co/MjdTvgwxf8

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 4, 2020

This election was a rebuke of wokeness - Zaid Jilani

In what came as a surprise to many pundits, President Trump appears to have increased his share of the non-white vote. Sizable numbers of Latino voters in both Florida and Texas helped him fend off the threat of losing those states to the Democrats. One GOP consultant estimated that Trump's final share of the nonwhite vote will exceed that of any Republican president going back decades.

Although we still don't know who won the presidential election -- it is entirely possible that former Vice President Joe Biden will come out ahead when the final states are counted -- Trump's surprising expansion of the GOP's nonwhite voter base is worth examining.

Over the past few years, we have increasingly been told by people in elite institutions -- corporations, academia, politicians, and the mainstream media -- that race is the biggest dividing line in the American social sphere. White people live, work, think, and vote one way, while non-white people live, work, think, and vote another way.

The US "political science" industry was utterly ill-equipped either to control or validate forecast ballot returns and demographic intentions of the electorate in 2020 for the simple reasons that (1) their models are simple, (2) their simple assumptions don't permit fifty (50) divergent jurisdictions, and (3) last and never least, deficient sample sizes and selection unfit to describe or ascribe normal distribution of abnormal hypothetical behavior to the total population of ignorant, litigious people.
Maryland sets new same-day voter registration records

In all ["early" and Nov 3], 26,303 Marylanders took part in same-day registration during the 2020 general election, up from the previous total of 7,884 in the 2016 general election in which same-day registration on Election Day was not available.
[...]
Also Friday, the SBE released new numbers in the count of mail-in ballots. As of Thursday, 608,691 mail-in ballots remain to be counted. That's out of more than 1.5 million mail-in ballots received by local boards of election. More than 1.6 million mail-in ballots were sent to voters in the 2020 general election.

archived "exit polling", same-day states

With a lot of talk about Native voting in Arizona. I thought I would share 2 maps. The left is a map showcasing all 22 tribes in the state. The right an updated 2020 voting results maps by precinct. This give you an idea of how Indigenous communities voted in the 2020 election. pic.twitter.com/scrWENDVO2

— Shondiin Silversmith⁷ (@DiinSilversmith) November 6, 2020

litigation Pima, AZ

i yelled to everyone at emma's that we have a new motherfucker and everyone cheered "new motherfucker!"

— Тинк Танк; ツィンク・タンク (@thinktanknoise) November 7, 2020

Guardian

In his victory speech on Saturday night, he quoted from Ecclesiastes: "The Bible tells us that to everything there is a season - a time to build, a time to reap, a time to sow. And a time to heal. This is the time to heal in America."

Actually, it's a "A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up"

Is Biden already turning out to be worse that we expected? WSWS

President-elect Joe Biden on Monday announced the members of his coronavirus task force. The convening of the panel comes as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to soar across the US, with predictions that the coming winter will see a dramatic rise in cases and deaths.

[...]

Of particular note is the inclusion on the panel of Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania and brother of Rahm Emanuel, former mayor of Chicago and White House chief of staff under Obama. The World Socialist Web Site has written extensively on Dr. Emanuel's promotion of class-based, rationed medical care for the majority of Americans, particularly the elderly.

In an especially foul piece published in the November-December 1996 Hastings Center Report, Emanuel wrote that "services provided to individuals who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens are not basic and should not be guaranteed. An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia."

Yemen, Libya and Syria will be forever indebted to their Arab masters flying F-35s ...

GCC Terror States

"The F-35 will be an upgrade to the US-supplied F-16 which President Clinton first approved for sale to the UAE in 2000. The UAE has deployed the F-16 in support of multiple US-led counter-terrorism, freedom of navigation, and stabilisation missions in Afghanistan, Syria and around the Arabian Gulf and Peninsula," the embassy said."

'Sapere aude'

Enterate24

El presidente de la República, Nicolás Maduro, bromeó y criticó que el diputado de la Asamblea Nacional (AN), Juan Guaidó, haya "traicionado" al candidato a la reelección en Estados Unidos (EEUU), Donald Trump, tras conocer que el demócrata Joe Biden salió victorioso en los comicios.

"Creaste un Frankenstein, un alacrán que en cinco minutos te traicionó, no importaron los 800 millones que le diste", fue el mensaje que transmitió Maduro a Trump el domingo.

ASML: No U.S. license is required to export DUV lithography machine from the Netherlands to China

Roger Dassen, CFO of ASML, a semiconductor giant and a global lithography machine leader, made a statement on the issue of exporting lithography machines to China. He said that ASML can export DUV (deep ultraviolet) lithography machines from the Netherlands to China without a US license.

...
Darson said that ASML will do its best to continue to provide services and support for all customers as much as possible.

...
In May of this year, ASML and Wuxi High-tech Zone signed a strategic cooperation agreement to expand and upgrade the ASML lithography equipment technical service (Wuxi) base in Wuxi High-tech Zone. Prior to this, ASML has opened branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wuxi, and other places to provide customers with services and consulting. Among them, Shenzhen is its largest software research and development center in Asia.

Trump, Rutte and ASML EOV Lithography ..

Trump Puts Max Pressure On Ally PM Rutte

'Sapere aude'

Enjoyed lunch at the scenic Psagot Winery today. Unfortunately, Psagot and other businesses have been targeted by pernicious EU labeling efforts that facilitate the boycott of Israeli companies. The U.S. stands with Israel and will not tolerate any form of delegitimization. pic.twitter.com/N4oCD5IqRB

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) November 19, 2020

Trump Administration Labels Movement To Boycott Israel 'Anti-Semitic'

'Sapere aude'

Turkey earthquake: Search efforts continue for third day as death toll rises - BBC

Sixty-two deaths have been confirmed in Turkey, while two teenagers died on the Greek island of Samos.

Dozens of people remain unaccounted for following the quake.

A 70-year-old man was pulled from the rubble of a building in Izmir after being trapped for some 33 hours.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said Friday's quake was 7.0 magnitude, but Turkey put it lower at 6.6.

The shallow tremor triggered tidal waves that hit coastal areas and islands in both Turkey and Greece.

Ivory Coast election: Opposition demands 'civil transition' - BBC

Pascal Affi N'Guessan and Henri Konan Bédié say it was illegal for President Alassane Ouattara to stand for a third term as it broke rules on term limits.

But the president's supporters dispute this, citing a constitutional change in 2016 which they say means his first term effectively did not count.

Vote counting is still under way.

At least 16 people have been killed since riots broke out in August after President Ouattara said he would run again following the sudden death of his preferred successor.

At least two people were killed during Saturday's vote.

Key opposition figures are urging mass protests to block what they describe as a "dictatorship".

Mr N'Guessan said on Sunday: "Opposition parties and political groups call for the start of a civil transition."

"[We] note the end of President Alassane Ouattara's mandate on 31 October and call on the international community to take note," he added, saying a civil transition was needed to "create the conditions for a fair, transparent and inclusive election."

Russian police raid Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation in Moscow

A court in Moscow ordered Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation and Navalny supporter Lyubov Sobol last month each to pay 29 million roubles ($374,483) for libelling the Moscow Schoolchild catering company.

archived 22 days ago

Trump's Unites States lecturing African country about democracy:

U.S. Embassy Statement on Côte d'Ivoire's Presidential Election pic.twitter.com/21UWgg1oTR

— U.S. Embassy Abidjan (@USEmbAbidjan) November 4, 2020

WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard, Data last updated: 2020/11/7, 4:33pm CET

30 Apr: US gives G7 countries a list of reforms it wants WHO to undertake
30 Oct: EU: WHO should have more power to investigate outbreaks
"greater powers to independently investigate outbreaks and compel [?] countries to provide more data, after the devastating coronavirus pandemic highlighted the agency's [?] numerous shortcomings"

Ethiopia's PM Abiy: From peace prize to air strikes  - AFP

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power promising real democracy, promoting women and feverishly planting trees across his vast country, snapping up the Nobel Peace Prize along the way.

But Abiy's image of a modern, peacemaking reformer risks shattering entirely now that he has sent troops and warplanes into Ethipia's  Tigray region, a move analysts fear could push Africa's second most populous country into a long, devastating civil war.

Abiy, 44, announced the campaign last week, saying it came in response to an attack by Tigray's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), on two federal military camps, an accusation the party denies.

Asia forms world's biggest trade bloc, a China-backed group excluding U.S.

#ANALYSIS: Afghanistan war crime report a nasty but necessary reckoning of a shameful recent history [_link]

— ABC News (@abcnews) November 19, 2020

BREAKING NEWS

Harsh criticism for Australian SAS unit in 39 unlawful killings ... decorations have been pulled and as I understand an elite unit has been disbanded. More to follow ...

'Sapere aude'

Pre-emptive move by Trump & Co.

Trump International Hotel Washington DC sale put on indefinite hold | CNBC |

The Trump Organization hired Jones Lang LaSalle to shop the hotel to potential buyers last fall hoping for a price of about $500 million. People familiar with the deal talks said none of the bids came close to the asking price, and several were for less than $250 million.

'Sapere aude'

Black Man Dies After Beating By Security Guards, Sparking Outrage In Brazil - NPR

A Black man has died after being attacked by two security guards at a supermarket in southern Brazil, causing an uproar in a nation struggling to cast off its centuries-old practice of injustice and violence toward people of color.

The incident, captured on cellphone video and posted to social media where it's gone viral in South America's most populous nation, has drawn comparisons in Brazil to the death of George Floyd, who was killed by police in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

The man, identified by multiple Brazilian news outlets as 40-year-old João Alberto Silveira Freitas, was killed Thursday in the city of Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul state on Brazil's southern border with Uruguay.

His death comes as Brazil, much like the United States, is grappling with a long history of structural racism and mistreatment of Black Brazilians by law enforcement.

Adding to the widespread outrage over Freitas' death is that it happened on the eve of that nation's observance of Black Consciousness Day.

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro and Vice President Hamilton Mourao rushed in to deny any systemic racism in Brazil.

Violence erupts in Brazil after Carrefour security kills Black man - DW

Black and mixed-race people account for about 57% of Brazil's population but are 74% of victims of lethal violence, and 79% of those killed by police, according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety, a nongovernmental organization.

Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao told reporters the incident at the Carrefour was unfortunate but denied that it reflected racism.

"Racism doesn't exist in Brazil. That is something they want to import here," said Mourao. "I lived in the United States. There is racism there."

The supermarket where the killing took place is owned by Carrefour Brasil, the Brazilian subsidiary of French retailer Carrefour, who has a strong presence in the country.

Black man beaten to death by Carrefour Brasil store security guards - Reuters

Carrefour Brasil said on Friday it had terminated the contract of the security firm whose employees had beaten to death a Black man at one of its supermarkets in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre.
[...]

In a statement Carrefour Brasil, the local unit of France's Carrefour SA, said it deeply regretted what it called a brutal death and said it immediately took steps to ensure those responsible were legally punished.

It said it would terminate the contract with the security firm, fire the employee in charge of the store at the time of the incident, and close the store as a mark of respect.

Australian parliament to probe Murdoch media dominance

The country's opposition parties united behind the move in the Senate to effectively sidestep the conservative government, which enjoys strong support from the Murdoch press and had not acted on the petition's demand for a royal commission.

In launching the petition, former PM Kevin Rudd decried News Corp as a "cancer on our democracy" operating an effective "monopoly."

"This power is routinely used to attack opponents in business and politics by blending editorial opinion with news reporting," the petition stated.

"These facts chill free speech and undermine public debate."

Rudd, who was prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and briefly in 2013, has long been critical of what he says is the media organisation's "vicious" campaigning for the political right.

The petition was signed 501,876 times ...

'Sapere aude'

BREAKING: Iranian media reporting that high level nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh has been assassinated. Widely referred to as Iran's Robert Oppenheimer. He is by far the most important Iranian nuclear scientist to be assassinated to date. Netanyahu had mentioned him by name

— Ali Arouzi (@aliarouzi) November 27, 2020

Typhoon Goni: Philippines hit by year's most powerful storm

Typhoon Goni is barrelling across the Philippines, bringing with it "catastrophic" winds and rain.

At least seven people have died amid reports of storm surges, flash floods, power outages and blown-off roofs.

Goni made landfall as a super typhoon at Catanduanes island on Sunday at 04:50 local time (19:50 GMT Saturday) packing winds of 225km/h (140mph).

It has since weakened, but is still wreaking damage across the main Luzon island, home to the capital Manila.

Tropical Storm Eta ties record; expected to become hurricane

MIAMI (AP) -- Forecasters expect newly formed Tropical Storm Eta to become a hurricane by Monday before hitting Nicaragua with drenching rains. The system ties the record for the most named storms in an Atlantic hurricane season.

Eta had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) Sunday morning, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It was centered about 400 miles (645 kilometers) east of the Nicaragua-Honduras border and was heading westward at 15 mph (24 kph).

Forecasters expect Eta to become a hurricane by Monday and it was forecast on Tuesday to hit the Nicaraguan coast, where a hurricane warning was posted.

An earth system model shows self-sustained melting of permafrost even if all man-made GHG emissions stop in 2020
+ 3 °C in 2500 C.E.

Berlin's new airport is ready. But will it go bankrupt before it takes off?

But even once the marshalers have finally beckoned the first planes to the gates, there is still one major, potentially unfixable snag facing the airport -- its finances.

It's not just the fact that the project has dramatically gone over budget to the tune of more than €4 billion ($4.67 billion), although that remains a serious problem.

Since the pandemic struck, Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg Gmbh (FBB), the company that owns the new airport as well as the soon-to-be former Tegel and Schönefeld airports, has seen its revenues dramatically hit as a result of the global crisis in aviation.

FBB is funded entirely by taxpayers in Germany. The German states of Berlin and Brandenburg each own 37%, with the remaining 26% owned by the federal government. This year the company required emergency additional funding on top of its normal funding. That amounted to €300 million, with about one-third given as a grant and two-thirds as loans.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Two people were killed and five wounded after being stabbed by a man dressed in medieval clothes and wielding a sword, Quebec police said, noting the attack appeared to be driven by personal motives https://t.co/B1sAZC75F0 pic.twitter.com/eQaoLlln9a

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 1, 2020

'Paranormal,' based on books by Egyptian writer Ahmed Khaled Tawfik is set to debut as the first Egyptian series on Netflix https://t.co/Wfcu3OOYbq pic.twitter.com/Xb5wSSxTd5

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 4, 2020

Why I supported Donald Trump, r/WayOfTheBern sub

« - Why are you wearing a mask? Were you burned by acid or something like that?
- No, it's just that they're terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future. »
(The Princess Bride, 1987)

— Bruno Bellamy (@BrunoBellamy) November 16, 2020

Today -100: November 3, 1920: Pleased but not exultant

Harding WHO? gets 60.2% of the popular vote, a record, 16,152,200 votes to Cox's 9,147,353.  Socialist Party candidate Eugene Debs gets nearly 1 million votes, 3.4%.
[...]
Election judges in Savannah, Georgia, ignore the ruling that the registration period doesn't apply to women this time and refuse to let black women vote. Why just black women, beyond the obvious? Evidently no white women showed up at the polls. ...

Meanwhile in Florida ...

100 years ago today, during #ElectionDay in 1920, the single bloodiest day in modern America political history happened, The Ocoee Massacre.

A black man attempted to vote & the Ku Klux Klan responded with rampage that led to the exile/death of every black person that lived there pic.twitter.com/V2SsWvsK0y

— AFRICAN & BLACK HISTORY (@africanarchives) November 3, 2020

narrative

Coronavirus updates: Global cases exceed 48M as US passes 100K single-day count; China bars UK travelers; 233K [cumulative] US deaths attributed to COVID-19
a HISTORIC turnout, in other words

Today -100: Nov 5, 1920
Harding says the League of Nations is "now deceased." PLUS LA CHANGE: Progressive Party nominee "William Jennings Bryan, ever full of helpful advice, suggests that Woodrow Wilson should resign immediately, then Veep Whatsisname should appoint Harding as his secretary of state and then resign so that Harding becomes president next month instead of in March (the order of succession was different in 1920 than it is now)."

112 years ago, 11 November 1918:

Armistice of 11 November 1918

The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea and air in World War I between the Allies and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices had been agreed with Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

With over 8 million dead for the military alone, World War I was one of the deadliest conflicts in human history.

100 years ago, 11 November 1920:

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was inaugurated in Paris, under the Arc de Triomphe, as well as in Westminster Abbey, London.

Bloody Sunday 1920: Croke Park killings remembered 100 years on [_link]

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 21, 2020

Bloody Sunday: How the senseless attack in Croke Park hastened the end of British rule

'Sapere aude'

How the City of Hate stopped a Liberal Revolution in America - Dallas Tx on Nov. 22, 1963

Why Do They Hate Us So Much? | Texas Monthly |

Dallas was a boom town, full of promises. As in all boom towns tension was high. Some people were zooming through society like race cars, giving the world an impression of Dallas as a city of affluent hicks--you could see them suddenly flaunting their greenbacks at the gaming tables from Las Vegas to Monte Carlo or talking too loudly in their drawling nasal voices in restaurants that were really too good for them--monied, naïve, too eager, democratic yes but socially pretentious. For an astounding number of people Dallas was just such a jackpot, and they formed a rough society of nouveaux millionaires; they would build a gorgeous Gatsby-like mansion on the north side, enroll their children in Hockaday or St. Mark's, open a Neiman-Marcus charge account, buy a mink coat and two Cadillacs, and join the Republican party. The winners were easy to spot.

The losers made their own headlines. Dallas was the murder capital of Texas, which led the United States in homicides. We were reminded that Dallas killed more people some years than all of England did--a statistic with little effect, for wasn't England a sound-asleep society, and weren't we exploding with new force, building a new world, making millions by the minute, and did you expect a new world to be born without death and broken hearts?

...
[The White Dallas woman] she worried about the missile gap and the spread of communism to Cuba. Moreover, people in her own country were talking enthusiastically about social change--Kennedy was already speaking of the "the revolutionary sixties"--and the Dallas woman knew those changes would come at her expense. She worried about the erosion of liberty caused by recent Supreme Court decisions (often delivered by Chief Justice Earl Warren, who was the creeping socialist personified). The court was taking rights away from the Dallas woman and awarding them to pornographers, criminals, atheists, communists, and Negroes. The Dallas woman felt herself to be under attack at home and abroad.

...
As a matter of fact, reading the News each morning was like watching a brawl in a saloon, in which the newspaper's editorials flattened the "socialists" (read: Democrats), the "perverts and subversives" (liberal Democrats), the "Judicial Kremlin" (the U.S. Supreme Court), and virtually every representative of the federal government whose views differed from those of Ted Dealey. Immediately after the election the News' principal object of contempt became President John F. Kennedy, who the paper suggested was a crook, a communist sympathizer, a thief, and "fifty times a fool."

'Sapere aude'

Indigenous say 'no thanks, no giving' 400 years after Mayflower

The United American Indians of New England (UAINE) has organised a "National Day of Mourning"  on the fourth Thursday of November since 1970 to bring attention to the history of the Wampanoag - and Indigenous people across the US - who faced war, disease and ethnic cleansing with the arrival of European colonists.

...
The Wampanoag helped the Pilgrims survive after their 1620 arrival in North America. While often depicted as offering the newcomers goodwill, the tribe had been decimated in the preceding years by disease.

The striking of an agreement with Europeans was likely strategic: the Wampanoag needed an ally.

The treaty lasted around 50 years, before descendants of the Wampanoag leader Massasoit and colonists fought one of the bloodiest wars of the colonial period.

Nakba Day: For Palestinians, not just an historical event

'Sapere aude'

Sean Connery: James Bond actor dies aged 90

The Scottish actor was best known for his portrayal of James Bond, being the first to bring the role to the big screen and appearing in seven of the spy thrillers.

Sir Sean died peacefully in his sleep in the Bahamas, having been "unwell for some time", his son said.

His acting career spanned seven decades and he won an Oscar in 1988 for his role in The Untouchables.

Sir Sean's other films included The Hunt for Red October, Highlander, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Rock.

Robert Fisk, Intrepid War Correspondent, Dies at 74

Robert Fisk wasn't only a magnificent journalist, but a `historian of the present' who illuminated the world

From editors to presidents, tributes to the remarkable Robert Fisk

He was not without fault, but he was still more right than wrong on most things. Can recommend 'The Great War for Civilisation'.

_{Schengen is toast!}

On the occasion of Matty leaving Vox someone dug up some of the great ideas that launch you're carrier into punditry:

Kissinger wasn't even really opposed to overthrowing Saddam, he apparently just lacked sufficient blind enthusiasm for MattY's taste. pic.twitter.com/X9KobQrsIT

— gato fumador ❼ (@QueenInYeIIow) November 14, 2020

Visit the @UtahDPS website for background info: https://t.co/PzLqU4cQaa

— BLM Utah (@BLMUtah) November 24, 2020

Official Statement from the Bureau of Land Management: "Although we can't comment on active investigations, the Bureau of Land Management would like to remind public land visitors that using, occupying, or developing the public lands or their resources without a required authorization is illegal, no matter what planet you are from."

Fugging hell: Tired of mockery, Austrian village changes name.

Residents of Fucking - a name some experts say dates back to the 11th century - will ring in the new year under the new name #Fugging after years of their signposts being ridiculed.https://t.co/OrmVEZCCzA pic.twitter.com/6Jl2IJRhp1

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 27, 2020