Welcome to European Tribune. It's gone a bit quiet around here these days, but it's still going.

January 2021

by Bernard Sat Jan 2nd, 2021 at 06:40:37 PM EST

Your take on this month's news


If you would like to join the discussion, then to add a link or comment to a topic or section, please click on "Reply to this" in one of the following sections:

  • EUROPE - the public affairs of the European continent and the EU.
    • PFEFFLE'S BREXIT - economic shock and the aftermath of Brexit.
    • POST-TRUMP'S USA - the United States and Trumpism.
    • WORLD - geopolitics, the affairs of nations and supranational entities.
    • LIVING OFF THE PLANET - what we extract from the planet and the effect we have: environment, energy, agriculture, food...
    • LIVING ON THE PLANET - how humans live together: society, culture, history, science and technology, information...
    • ON THIS DATE - an occasional item about what happened on this date in history.
    • PEOPLE AND KLATSCH - stories about people and of course also for gossipy items. But it's also there for open discussion at any time.
    • If you click on "Post a Comment", this will put the link or your comment out of context at the bottom of the page. Please use "Reply to This" to avoid doing that.

Display:
by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 2nd, 2021 at 06:44:07 PM EST
by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Jan 3rd, 2021 at 01:24:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Germany's COVID vaccine procurement labeled a 'gross failure' - DW
Experts and politicians slammed the German government on Saturday for failing to ensure a sufficient supply of vaccine doses ahead of the country's coronavirus vaccination drive.

As a member of the EU vaccine procurement scheme, Germany is reliant on regulators at the European level granting authorization of the vaccine to prevent COVID-19 infection.

But the EU has taken longer than countries like the UK, US and Canada to give the go-ahead.

So far, only the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine is permitted in EU member states, but the block as a whole only made an order for 300 million doses during the summer, in the belief that more vaccine alternatives would be available.

Frauke Zipp, a neurologist and member of the advisory Leopoldina Academy of Sciences, on Saturday slammed German lawmakers for their lack of foresight over vaccine procurement.

"I consider the current situation a gross failure," she told Die Welt newspaper. "Why didn't they order much more of the vaccine during the summer just to be safe?"

by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Jan 3rd, 2021 at 03:00:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Could the 5-day shelf of the miracle vaccine been the deal killer?
by Cat on Sun Jan 3rd, 2021 at 06:19:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Scarce doses and empty vaccination centres: Germany's vaccine rollout headache
Pfizer supply chain competition edition, ES decentralized "exposure"
by Cat on Sun Jan 10th, 2021 at 06:37:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Let's recap: In the month across the imperial basket (USD, GBP, EURO), simultaneous SURGE of SAR-CoV-2 cases AND COVID-19 deaths messed the curves; Pfizer supply chain discipline has collapsed; "experts" have detected purported statistically insignificant cases of SAR-CoV-2 "variants" circulating in S. Africa and UK (initially, more transmissible/not more deadly, now more transmissible AND deadly); purchasing authorities are re-allocating orders of Pfizer-substitute, Phase III trial vaccines which have not been officially licensed for general use.

Moderna says it believes vaccine will work against new variants
"Moderna said it plans to publish data from its tests against the variants on the website bioRxiv."

by Cat on Mon Jan 25th, 2021 at 06:34:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Moderna making booster shot to fight Covid-19 variants
wide-spectrum sell sheet developing ...
by Cat on Mon Jan 25th, 2021 at 09:16:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Fri Jan 29th, 2021 at 06:57:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That is what viruses do.


She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre
by ATinNM on Sun Jan 31st, 2021 at 05:05:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]
EU locks horns with AstraZeneca on vaccine deliveries amid 'supply shock'
"Under advance purchase deals sealed during the pandemic, the EU makes down-payments to companies to secure doses, with the money expected to be ["]mostly used["] to expand production capacity."
by Cat on Mon Jan 25th, 2021 at 10:43:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Sweden wants clarity on vaccine doses before paying Pfizer
"To extract the sixth dose, low dead volume syringes or needles, which only retain a low amount of solution after an injection, are needed."
by Cat on Tue Jan 26th, 2021 at 04:55:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Coronavirus: Europe looks for a way out of vaccine fiasco, 8 manufacturers for about 2B doses, but so far ...
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said after the talks that the company's answers had not been satisfactory. "The new schedule is not acceptable," she told DW. "The EU prefinanced the development and production of vaccine against COVID-19 with a total of € 2.7 billion ($3.3 billion) and wants to see the return. Which doses have been produced, where and to whom have they been delivered?" she said. "The EU wants the prefinanced and preordered doses. The contract needs to be fully fulfilled."
Sanofi to help produce 100 million Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine doses
The French company will aim to help supply more than 100 million doses of the vaccine this year from its German plant in Frankfurt, CEO Paul Hudson told Le Figaro newspaper on Tuesday...."Since our main vaccine is a few months late, we asked ourselves how we could be of assistance now," Hudson was quoted as saying
by Cat on Tue Jan 26th, 2021 at 10:16:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
EU seeks access to AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccines produced at UK plants
[AstraZeneca CEO] Soriot said that vaccines meant for the EU were produced in four plants in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy.

But EU Commission officials said on Wednesday that under the contract, the company had also committed to providing vaccines from two factories in Britain. They added the firm had not provided sufficient explanations on why doses could not be shipped from stocks at factories which experienced no production problem, like those in Britain.

< wipes tears >
by Cat on Wed Jan 27th, 2021 at 06:54:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Can the EU win a case against AstraZeneca? I'm not convinced, Tory barrister dissembling
Both contracts (the one, published previously, which I used as an example in my last post, and today's) are what the EU calls advance purchase agreements, or APAs.
< wipes tears >
What our courts say is that if you wanted the contract to say X, you should have written it as X. If they wanted a strict guarantee, they should have written in a strict guarantee. If parties write they must use best efforts, it means they must use best efforts. Attempts to erode that or increase the burden bump headfirst into this problem.
norms and international law contagion story developing ...
by Cat on Fri Jan 29th, 2021 at 05:31:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Looks like the Commission is as hopeless with PDF files as the US Army. Information that was supposed to be hidden, such as how much the vaccines cost, turns out to be easily readable.
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Fri Jan 29th, 2021 at 08:25:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Thanks.

Would it work under Belgian law?

If so, it would come as surprise to me. But then, I am not qualified in Belgian law. Where Belgian law differs from our law it does so by having a `good faith' principle in contract.

And selling doses to other countries while being under contract to use their reasonable best efforts to deliver the due doses, doesn't sound not very much as a `good faith' interpretation.

I did not in the contract see where disputes would be settled, so I assume Belgium. If it legally matters I also noticed in the contract that AstraZeneca kept Astras old adress as the common adress, so AstraZeneca is incorporated in Sweden.

by fjallstrom on Tue Feb 2nd, 2021 at 09:09:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Sat Jan 30th, 2021 at 03:52:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
EU requests inspection of AstraZeneca vaccine production in Belgium
EIA search for WMD, sort of. NL, DE, IT dodge bullets. Erdogan prepares alibi. US, UK update purchase orders.
by Cat on Thu Jan 28th, 2021 at 07:14:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Maas did not provide details on the idea. However, he pointed President-elect Joe Biden's call to create a network of democratic nations.
wut
He warned that "the belief in cohesion, in democracy as the most humane form of government, and in the persuasive power of science and reason" can only be preserved together. In order to achieve this, there were "no better, closer, more natural partners in the 21st century than America and Europe," Maas told dpa.
by Cat on Sat Jan 9th, 2021 at 05:46:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Europe still has insufficient self-confidence to say they should simply tell the US how to do it.
by asdf on Sun Jan 10th, 2021 at 02:05:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]
U.S., Canada, Britain, Australia condemn Hong Kong arrests of activists, national security threat
Hong Kong's most prominent pro-democracy advocates were arrested as authorities said last year's unofficial vote to choose opposition candidates in city elections was part of a plan to "overthrow" the government.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington may sanction those ["]involved in the arrests["] and will send the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to visit Taiwan.

by Cat on Sun Jan 10th, 2021 at 03:39:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]
network of democratic nations REPORTS: Refugees stuck in hopeless situation at EU border in Bosnia, EU remains shut
by Cat on Sun Jan 10th, 2021 at 03:55:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Sun Jan 10th, 2021 at 06:15:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Sun Jan 10th, 2021 at 08:21:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Jan 14th, 2021 at 05:03:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Jan 14th, 2021 at 07:05:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
At least she won't be in a classroom anymore, but it's just another demonstration of how being a teacher in the US is just about holding a credential and not actually knowing anything.
by rifek on Sun Jan 17th, 2021 at 01:31:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]
As a school therapist, she has no doubt encountered paedophilia, knows that people lie about it, and knows that the more powerful you are, the more likely you are to get away with it. That makes her a prime candidate for conspiracy theories. It doesn't make her a bad person. She should stop listening to the nutbags and keep her day job.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Thu Jan 21st, 2021 at 06:26:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Exclusive: Do we need to sanction each other? German minister asks after Blinken call
Nord Stream 2, China intersectionality (vaccine supply TBD)
by Cat on Thu Jan 28th, 2021 at 12:51:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Pompeo non grata, or just too busy? Secretary of state cancels Europe trip - Politico.eu
But other officials said the cancellation was more a case of American snobbery being answered by European snubbery: Pompeo abandoned the trip because European officials balked at seeing him after last week's deadly riot by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol.

Earlier Tuesday, before news of Pompeo's cancellation, the European Commission said that no EU official would meet the secretary of state. A spokesman declined to elaborate further on the reasons or decision-making process.

Pompeo had also planned to see Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, but European officials said that meeting was called off. A day after the violent uprising at the Capitol, Asselborn had told Luxembourg Radio that Trump was a "political pyromaniac who must be brought before a court."

by Bernard (bernard) on Wed Jan 13th, 2021 at 07:13:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Brussels protest over police brutality turns violent
A protest in Brussels over the death of a man while in police custody turned violent Wednesday as demonstrators clashed with officers and Belgian King Philippe's car was even caught in the cross-fire.

Protesters threw projectiles, while the police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, which gathered outside a police station near Gare du Nord. According to De Standaard, 116 people were arrested and five police officers were injured during the protest.

The demonstration, which at its peak attracted some 400 people, according to police, was organized after a man identified as Ibrahima B., 23, died following his arrest on Saturday under circumstances that are still under investigation.

Police said they have opened an internal inquiry into the case.

Ibrahima's death has raised further scrutiny of Brussels police and complaints of police brutality following other high-profile cases in which young men, mostly of Middle Eastern or North African descent, have been killed while interacting with officers.

by Bernard (bernard) on Thu Jan 14th, 2021 at 07:04:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Dutch government quits over 'colossal stain' of tax [extortion]
"The cabinet would remain in place for now in a caretaker capacity to manage the coronavirus crisis, Rutte said."
by Cat on Fri Jan 15th, 2021 at 05:47:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Geert Wilders' questionable American patron
US American donations to the hairshirt crusader's legal defense fund are tax deductible.
by Cat on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 03:41:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Rioting Dutch youths torch COVID testing center
"Last Sunday, COVID lockdown skeptics clashed with riot police on horseback in a central square in Amsterdam. A total of 143 people were detained."
by Cat on Mon Jan 25th, 2021 at 01:25:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Germany: Merkel's party chooses Armin Laschet as leader  - Guardian
Angela Merkel's continuity candidate, the centrist conservative Armin Laschet, has beaten one of her longest-standing rivals in the contest to lead Germany's Christian Democratic Union.

In a digitally-held party congress, Laschet beat the conservative hardliner Friedrich Merz by 521 to 466 votes in a run-off vote, following a strong speech that emphasised social cohesion and held up recent scenes from Washington DC as a warning example of divisive leadership.

The third candidate on the ballot, the foreign policy specialist Norbert Röttgen, came last in the first round of votes.


'Mutti' is so popular in Germany that Laschet, who's seen as very close to her, had the best shot at winning the CDU leadership. Will it be enough to succeed Merkel at the Chancellorship next September?

Armin Laschet, Angela Merkel loyalist, is new CDU leader - DW

Now he is Merkel's second successor in the office of party chief. Whoever holds this position traditionally becomes the party's candidate for chancellor and, if the Christian Democrats can form a governing majority, has the first shot at the chancellery. But whether Laschet will also compete for that position has long been unclear.

"A state premier who successfully governs a population of 18 million can also be Germany's chancellor," emphasized Laschet a few days ago.

The candidate is due to be decided only after regional elections in two German states, a good two months from now. That decision will be made in coordination with Markus Söder, the head of the Christian Social Union (CSU). The head of the CDU's sister party in the state of Bavaria denies persistent rumors that he may want to be the conservative alliance's candidate for chancellor. But German bookmakers have Söder top of their list.

by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 01:35:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by generic on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 01:51:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Armin Laschet, Angela Merkel loyalist, is new CDU leader



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 01:49:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by generic on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 12:29:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
El Nacional: Catalonia postpones elections till May 30th due to coronavirus situation:
With the agreement of almost all parties - the PSC being the major exception - Catalonia's parliamentary elections have been postponed for more than three months, due to the coronavirus situation. Catalan vice president Pere Aragonès this Friday afternoon signed the decree that replaces the original 14th February date with a new appointment with the polls on 30th May. "Maintaining the schedule as it had been planned was an unacceptable risk in terms of public health and an obstacle to getting voters to turn out as required for the elections," he said in an address. He also thanked the parties for their willingness and understanding to accept the new date.
by IdiotSavant on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 11:39:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Navalny Returns to Moscow ... Prison

In German exile, he got no headlines. Navalny is competing with Trump's exit now ..,

From the diaries ...

Khodorkovsky - The Interpreter - Henry Jackson Society (UK)

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jan 18th, 2021 at 08:32:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
European countries struggle to make most of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses
...Confusion over Pfizer/BioNTech vial volumes emerged in December, when U.S. hospital pharmacists realised that preparing the vaccine, by mixing it with saline solution [!], yielded enough liquid for at least six 0.30 ml doses.

They initially threw the extra dose away, since vials were labeled for five. ...

by Cat on Tue Jan 19th, 2021 at 07:05:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Amazon sues EU antitrust regulators [EC] for letting Italian case go ahead
"Amazon took its case to the Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe's second-highest, on Tuesday, asking it to annul the EU's decision to exclude Italy from the wider investigation, a court filing shows.[...] The case is T19/21."
by Cat on Wed Jan 20th, 2021 at 06:44:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Amazon to hike fees for Spanish users [sic] after new digital tax
"Amazon announced a similar move in France after the government there also approved a "Google tax".
by Cat on Fri Jan 22nd, 2021 at 03:25:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
case (n +1) inciting insurrection
by Cat on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 04:58:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 2nd, 2021 at 06:44:39 PM EST
Independent
Brexit campaign group Leave.eu has moved its internet registration to the Republic of Ireland in order to be able to keep its .eu suffix after the UK quit the European Union.
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 03:33:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
If I read the article correctly, they will be tossed from Ireland in a few weeks due to not having staff there?
by asdf on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 07:59:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 05:02:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Scrap EU consumer and worker protections now Brexit is completed, leading Tory says
Change is coming. To succeed outside the EU, we need to be fitter, leaner and more globally engaged,' said the former MEP, who has just been made a Conservative peer. [...] "We have won the right to make different decisions outside the EU," Mr Hannan wrote - attacking "Stone Age instincts" that instead back stronger state intervention, because of the pandemic.
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 05:07:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
NI - UK trade problems to 'get worse' before they improve - DW
The British government is aiming to resolve trade disruptions between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said amid reports of problems caused by post-Brexit regulations coming into force at the beginning of the year.

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) sent a report to the minister warning that the "supply chain is collapsing and within a matter of a week may totally collapse," Northern Ireland's The News Letter reported on Saturday.

Several supermarket chains in Northern Ireland were forced to withdraw some produce from their shelves as the new regulations caused backlogs and delays.

An editor for The News Letter tweeted a picture of oranges at a supermarket warehouse in Belfast, saying that the fruit took too long to arrive from the mainland and eventually needed to be thrown out.

Can't they supply from that place located, you know, on the same island?

by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 9th, 2021 at 09:23:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
UK businesses wake up to hard truths on tariffs  - Politico.eu
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson may have promised a "tariff-free" post-Brexit trade deal at the end of last year, but British businesses are increasingly sounding the alarm over the scale of potential new duties.

Throughout nearly five years of Brexit talks, economists and trade experts repeatedly warned that, even in the best-case scenario, an EU-U.K. accord would only prevent the imposition of tariffs on goods that were predominantly produced in the U.K. Many other goods passing through Britain or distributed from there could face import duties, they warned, but the subject gained only scant attention in mainstream political debate.

In the last couple of days, however, the message has sunk in and a growing number of companies have spoken out over the disturbance that new tariffs could cause for exporters.


Who Could Have Predicted?
by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 9th, 2021 at 09:48:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Move to EU to avoid Brexit costs, firms told
"In an extraordinary twist to the Brexit saga" slow learners' annex follows the City to beachhead, "laying off a small number of staff here and taking on people in the Netherlands"
by Cat on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 10:21:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]
This will mean laying off a small number of staff here and taking on people in the Netherlands.

Yeah ... free movement of business after Brexit ... not people. 😖

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 11:06:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Netherlands protected from Engish sandwiches
Border officials have been confiscating sandwiches and other foodstuffs from drivers arriving in the Netherlands from the UK after Brexit, TV footage has revealed.

A Dutch TV clip showed a driver had his ham sandwiches taken away by border officials as he arrived - with one border guard joking: "Welcome to the Brexit, sir."

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Mon Jan 11th, 2021 at 06:05:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Jan 13th, 2021 at 07:59:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
But government is evil, and privatization cures everything!  Maggoty Trencher and The Blessed St. Ronnie Ray-Gunz said so, so it must be true!
by rifek on Sun Jan 17th, 2021 at 02:14:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Yeah, but working class kids will actually eat the stuff on the right.
by Number 6 on Thu Jan 21st, 2021 at 11:55:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It is mostly smaller amounts of the same stuff on the right. And beans and a few slices of cheese on the right instead of meat and eggs on the left.

So I don't see your point.

by fjallstrom on Wed Jan 27th, 2021 at 09:10:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]
a brilliant if unexpected "infographic"
by Cat on Thu Jan 14th, 2021 at 06:58:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The fishes were unavailable for comment.

by Bernard (bernard) on Fri Jan 15th, 2021 at 03:32:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
If Rees-Mogg was actually alive he'd be an anachronism.
by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Fri Jan 15th, 2021 at 05:06:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It would be interesting to see the demographics of fish & chips consumers vs pro- and anti-Brexit
by asdf on Fri Jan 15th, 2021 at 08:31:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Coronavirus sparks exodus of foreign-born people from UK - FT
Coronavirus has sparked an exodus of immigrants from the UK and what is likely to be the largest fall in Britain's population since the second world war, according to a statistical analysis of official data.

A blog, published on Thursday by the government-funded Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE), estimated that up to 1.3m people born abroad left the UK between the third quarter of 2019 and the same period in 2020.

In London alone, almost 700,000 foreign-born residents have probably moved out, the authors of the blog calculated, leading to a potential 8 per cent drop in the capital's population last year.

by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 01:12:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
How do they tell the difference between COVID and Brexit?
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 01:23:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Because they are the FT, so they know. That's why.
by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 02:09:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
CST response to Scottish Government
"Dear Kate, Thank you for your letter to the Chancellor on 12 January seeking further funding assurances in 2021-22. I am replying as the minister responsible for public spending. ..."
by Cat on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 07:45:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
This seems like double jeopardy. "We are making you park here, but if you park here we will fine you." Stuck in line, no food, no toilet, no income from mileage.

Hauliers waiting for their paperwork to clear during Brexit custom checks face a £50 ($68) an hour fine. Truckers have been told that from 1 February, after the first two hours of waiting at the nine sites for the green light, they will be charged £50.

In December, Kent County Council was given new powers to clamp and fine lorries in certain areas. Those entering the county need Kent Access Permits and face £300 fines for not having them.

I wonder if, after the drivers get home after their first or second experience with this, they will just direct their attention elsewhere. Or just stay home.

by asdf on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 09:20:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I'm seeing stuff over Twitter suggesting drivers are refusing to return to the UK. Meanwhile major logistics firms are dumping the country entirely:

German logistics firm DB Schenker stops UK shipments over Brexit red tape:


German logistics company DB Schenker is temporarily suspending deliveries from the European Union to Britain because of bureaucratic hurdles brought on by Brexit.

The transport giant is experiencing "considerable problems" in customs formalities in the movement of goods between the UK and EU, it said in a statement sent to AFP on Friday.

Only "around 10 percent" of deliveries are accompanied by the complete and correct paperwork, it added.

by IdiotSavant on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 11:35:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
This is not only Twitter chatter: drivers are increasingly refusing to go to the UK and logistics companies, like Schenker, the largest European land transporter are backing off too.

Good thing that the UK has a business friendly government. Oh, wait...

by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Jan 17th, 2021 at 08:42:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Wrapped in Brexit red tape, a UK freight firm struggles to trade
Swallow is one of thousands of freight forwarders and customs brokers based around Britain's biggest ports who have described the OVERNIGHT INTRODUCTION of a full customs border as akin to the country placing economic sanctions on itself.
[...]
He said many EU drivers were adding 400 pounds ($550) to the cost of driving into Britain so they were covered if they returned without any goods. The industry estimates up to half of the trucks going back to the EU are empty.
past prologue 10 March 2015
by Cat on Mon Feb 1st, 2021 at 07:02:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Home Office Crime Data Loss

UK Accidentally Deletes 150k Arrests Records

UK Home Office Data Loss Incidents Surge by 120% | 2019-2020 |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 10:30:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
archived A few first principles
by Cat on Sun Jan 17th, 2021 at 06:21:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Sun Jan 17th, 2021 at 07:15:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
UK refuses diplomatic status to EU representatives
The EU needs to deploy a proportionate diplomatic response. I suggest opening full EU embassies in Glasgow, Belfast, and whatever the capital of Wales is.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Thu Jan 21st, 2021 at 06:08:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Jan 21st, 2021 at 08:18:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Official advice from the British government inside:

Move to EU to avoid Brexit costs, firms told  - Observer

British businesses that export to the continent are being encouraged by government trade advisers to set up separate companies inside the EU in order to get around extra charges, paperwork and taxes resulting from Brexit, the Observer can reveal.

In an extraordinary twist to the Brexit saga, UK small businesses are being told by advisers working for the Department for International Trade (DIT) that the best way to circumvent border issues and VAT problems that have been piling up since 1 January is to register new firms within the EU single market, from where they can distribute their goods far more freely.

by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Jan 24th, 2021 at 04:13:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Independent
Many items are now prohibited from travellers' baggage from Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). These are the most significant rules.

[...]

The ban on meat and dairy extends to items such as cakes  that contain fresh cream and confectionery "made with high levels of unprocessed dairy ingredients".

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sun Jan 24th, 2021 at 05:37:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 2nd, 2021 at 06:48:23 PM EST
New Year's vandals coordinate decorative improvements to alleged properties owned by Pelosi(2-car garage, L) and McConnell (2-story bungalo, R), puncture twitter donor price bubble.
by Cat on Sat Jan 2nd, 2021 at 08:10:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Sat Jan 2nd, 2021 at 09:37:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Day 3: Pied-à-terres and villains acquire tabloid imprimatur ahead of Miss Nancy's pro forma election to speaker of the US House of Representatives.
by Cat on Sun Jan 3rd, 2021 at 03:09:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
2020 "badassism" Which one will be elected speaker of the House?

archived Wed May 1st, 2019
by Cat on Sun Jan 3rd, 2021 at 07:17:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
badass chaps victory

by Cat on Sun Jan 3rd, 2021 at 10:10:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Tue Jan 5th, 2021 at 05:43:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Sun Jan 10th, 2021 at 06:48:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 04:58:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 05:15:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
for white supremacy?
by Cat on Fri Jan 8th, 2021 at 12:13:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, East Asians are considered White Adjacent in the racial hierarchy.
by Number 6 on Thu Jan 21st, 2021 at 11:39:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]
APsplainin, "Art 1, sec 8
"it would require the permission of various authorities"
by Cat on Fri Jan 8th, 2021 at 10:10:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Truth is, #US history is a chronicle of white Americans rebelling, rioting, murdering, looting anything that moves. The veneer of civilized violence over "liberty" is tissue thin. It tore yet again, and some people got caught nekkid.
I understand why Joe Biden does not have a grasp of #US history. It would extraordinary, if he did. What I find particularly tragic and disappointing is that many of our friends on ["]the left["] seemingly have the same affliction as Joseph R. Biden."


archived Now some people can't cope with contradictions ...
by Cat on Tue Jan 12th, 2021 at 10:40:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
If we could only kill all the white people, the world will know peace. Like Rwanda and Nanking.
by Number 6 on Thu Jan 21st, 2021 at 11:41:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]
U.S. judge delays executions of two men on federal death row with COVID-19
Lawyers argued, "that their damaged lung tissue would rupture more quickly after lethal doses of pentobarbital, a powerful barbiturate, had been administered," a form of torture.
by Cat on Wed Jan 13th, 2021 at 12:11:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]
"This is not even a logistics problem. This is a management issue and a coordination problem."
I was in a local grocery store, just picking up some food to cook dinner on New Year's day. And I was offered the Moderna vaccine by the pharmacist who had some extra doses and was going to have to throw them away. There were two people who were scheduled to come in and get their vaccines, who didn't show. And as a result, she had two doses left in the vial that she had prepared.
by Cat on Thu Jan 14th, 2021 at 01:25:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Jan 14th, 2021 at 04:50:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Jan 14th, 2021 at 09:43:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

very "on brand," as the Z-gen quips
by Cat on Fri Jan 15th, 2021 at 08:10:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 07:06:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
National Guardsmen begin leaving Washington following controversial deployment | TheHill
Besides the poor conditions the guardsmen were met with, an outbreak of the coronavirus rippled through the ranks in Washington. It was not immediately clear how many guardsmen were infected with the virus, but reports indicated that somewhere between 100 and 200 service members could have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
by generic on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 11:23:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Despite the threat, the citizen soldiers [BWAH!] on the ground [no cots ?!] say they have been given little information about the extension, and wonder why they are being forced to endure combat-like conditions in the nation's capital [sic] without a clear mission.

"Quite frankly this is not a `combat zone,' so combat conditions shouldn't apply," said one Guard member on the ground in D.C. who has deployed twice to Afghanistan.

by Cat on Sun Jan 24th, 2021 at 04:49:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
American Hospital Association: "246 million vaccinated"
-or-
chief science officer of COVID response (CSOOCR): "widespread resistance to virus allowing for a return to normal life"

What is herd immunity?

by Cat on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 10:23:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]
C'mon, man, inaugural address, Jan 20, 2021, transcript
And now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.

To overcome these challenges - to restore the soul and to secure the future of America - requires more than words.

It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy: Unity. Unity.

Democracy is not well understood.

by Cat on Wed Jan 20th, 2021 at 07:49:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Democracy is democratic. Nothing else. Biggest pile of bodies win.
by Number 6 on Thu Jan 21st, 2021 at 11:44:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Biden will recognize Guaido as Venezuela's leader, top diplomat says, 19 Jan
Blinken told members of the U.S. Senate that Biden would seek to "more effectively target" sanctions on the country, which aim to oust President Nicolas Maduro - who retains control of the country. Blinken said the new administration would look at more humanitarian assistance to the country. [...] "We need an effective policy that can restore Venezuela to democracy, starting with free and fair elections," Blinken said.
Samantha Power + blockades
by Cat on Mon Jan 25th, 2021 at 06:42:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Jan 21st, 2021 at 01:18:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Fri Jan 22nd, 2021 at 03:22:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
SCOTUS poster boy Merrick Garland
by Cat on Thu Jan 28th, 2021 at 07:24:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Sat Jan 30th, 2021 at 06:49:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I've had just about enough of US press corpse "reporting" about rolls.

FDA Briefing Document, Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, 17 Dec 2020

by Cat on Sun Jan 3rd, 2021 at 10:02:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Tue Jan 5th, 2021 at 04:52:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Due to popular demand and Cuomo penalties, USAToday reported 5-phase ration plan returns, hosted this week by former nga.com co-chair, Maglev. (Like much of EU, US has roasted Pfizer JIT-Agile® supply management alive with expired product. NEW! cascade order of eligibility)
by Cat on Wed Jan 6th, 2021 at 01:42:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Moderna says possible allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccine under investigation, San Diego, CA, Lot no. 41L20A
Fewer than 10 individuals required medical attention over the span of 24 hours," the epidemiologist said in a statement here.

The vaccine maker said it was unaware of comparable cases of adverse events from other vaccination centers which may have administered vaccines from the same lot or from other lots of its vaccine.

A total of 307,300 doses from the lot remain in storage, Moderna said, of the total 1,272,200 doses that were produced in the batch.

quality control, T -30 days
by Cat on Tue Jan 19th, 2021 at 10:19:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
C-SPAN | Joint session of Congress for Counting Electoral Votes
-OR-
C-SPAN index page
House Debate on Arizona Electoral Challenge,
Senate Debate on Arizona Electoral Challenge
simultaneous broadcasts
PLUS
as disturbance outside the Capitol building < checks watch > 2:19 PM provoking recess (called "lockdown") of proceedings in House, but not Senate, where Mitch continues to drone. No pun intended.
by Cat on Wed Jan 6th, 2021 at 07:25:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
hmm, CQ Roll Call reporter phoning it in to C-SPAN presenter from unknown location sez, shots have been fired (in or around Statuary Hall). Hand-held vid of tear gas plumes, "protestors" dispersing at leisurely pace around Capitol. uh oh. Sumbuddy tweeted pic of Proud Boy "leader" (who was supposed to have been exiled by D.C.) sitting in House speaker's chair.

"Embedded" CQ Roll Call reporter, Niels, is terrified, but sufficiently coherent to organize a (cell) phone tree with press pool "sheltering in place".

by Cat on Wed Jan 6th, 2021 at 08:05:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The Hill reporter, Scott Wong, on breach of Capitol as millennials will as video rolls: NEVER seen this level of violence in GENERATIONS, in MODERN HISTORY. .
by Cat on Wed Jan 6th, 2021 at 08:17:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
APsplainin, How sumbuddy secured the Capitol after nearly four hours of violent pro-Trump occupiers' SIEGE. Embedded citizen journalists' spicy phone photos in from the field, begin trickling into social media circulation.
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 12:01:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]
FYI: I quit  C-SPAN coverage of the SIEGE when Greta (C-SPAN presenter) switched to streaming caller comments ~ 4 PM EST. The first clue was quantity tears, sippy cup.
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 12:05:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 02:06:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]


Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 04:28:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]
That was a local news interview with eye-witness account of the one gun shot fatality.
by Cat on Sat Jan 9th, 2021 at 05:35:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"ham-fisted" coup attempt by far-right "mostly peaceful protesters"
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 04:30:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 10:17:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

obversely ...
by Cat on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 05:34:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Jan 6, 2020: The 4 hours in which the July Revolution against national security erupted in D.C.and without US Congressional approval
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 02:59:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

art appreciation is not very revolutionary
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 08:04:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

REUTERS upgrade needs more blood, graffitti, possibly PCP salts
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 10:53:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Who didn't see this coming?
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 11:30:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Fri Jan 8th, 2021 at 06:33:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
More Capitol rioters in viral posts arrested, [Mark Warner, D-VA] urges social media providers to keep data, "carnage" [?!]
ominous invocation of Patriot Act provisions; refinements of national security, enemy noncombatant, trrst activity slithering into first 100 days legislative agenda, Schedule A budgets...  
by Cat on Sun Jan 10th, 2021 at 03:32:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Sun Jan 10th, 2021 at 03:47:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]
needs moar Gawkes, possibly Zalaya cowering behind pre-emptive bullet-proof chairs
by Cat on Sun Jan 10th, 2021 at 11:48:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Sticking a two-prong fork in him; he's done, enc: 4 pp Article of Impeachment pdf
by Cat on Mon Jan 11th, 2021 at 06:31:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Mon Jan 11th, 2021 at 08:14:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
How the Senate Could Speed Up the Impeachment Trial
"How would a summary judgment work in practice" in that GREY AREA between federal rules of civil, criminal, and 'peachment procedure?
by Cat on Thu Jan 14th, 2021 at 12:22:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Pelosi wants fines for U.S. lawmakers who don't comply with firearms screening
temple desecration: "Metal detectors were erected at entrances to the House floor on Tuesday evening as members were debating whether Trump should be removed from office over the assault on the Capitol, which sent lawmakers into hiding and left five people dead."

carnage: 3 white ppl "medical emergencies," 1 white woman SHOT by Capitol Police officer, 1 white Capitol Police officer BEATEN by white-supremacy mob

parler dragnet: U.S. pursuing seditious conspiracy cases in 'unprecedented' probe of Capitol assault

by Cat on Thu Jan 14th, 2021 at 08:13:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Jan 14th, 2021 at 10:04:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Twitter says that some women on Bumble have been changing their political affiliation to "conservative", collecting video evidence from proud insurrectionists, and passing it the FBI.

Makes a change from dick pics, I guess. (Or does it?)

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Thu Jan 14th, 2021 at 11:15:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
275 cases open in Capitol riot investigation, US prosecutors say, up from 170 48 hrs ago
"That number will easily grow to over 300 by the end of the day, Michael Sherwin, acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, told reporters Friday." Thanks to facial recognition tech and wire fraud boilerplate
by Cat on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 12:33:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]
formerly Pulitzer material
by Cat on Tue Jan 19th, 2021 at 11:52:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Mon Jan 25th, 2021 at 07:19:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Friedman didn't say how much he was willing to pay. He still believes in free-market economics, doesn't he?
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Mon Jan 25th, 2021 at 07:24:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Now
A Mob and the Breach of Democracy: The Violent End of the Trump Era
then
Hitler Virtually Eliminated.
(h/t current affairs)
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sun Jan 10th, 2021 at 08:59:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
U.S. State Department PSA
"Donald J. Trump's term ended on 2021-01-11 19:49:00."
by Cat on Mon Jan 11th, 2021 at 08:32:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Mon Jan 11th, 2021 at 08:37:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by generic on Wed Jan 13th, 2021 at 09:39:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Blech


She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre
by ATinNM on Wed Jan 13th, 2021 at 04:58:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Wed Jan 13th, 2021 at 09:18:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Wasn't Strom Thurmond dead for his last two terms in office?
by Number 6 on Thu Jan 21st, 2021 at 11:48:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Business insider
"CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated that Rep. Ted Lieu grabbed a crowbar before leaving his office. He grabbed a ProBar energy bar,".
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Thu Jan 14th, 2021 at 07:02:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by generic on Fri Jan 15th, 2021 at 12:48:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Thoughts and prayers, etc...

I understand that the NRA being sued by the state of New-York might play a part in their decision to re-incorporate in supposedly friendlier Texas.

by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 02:14:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
If COVID doesn't get you, the mercury will
Air quality regulators have lifted the limits on the number of cremations that can be performed in Los Angeles county, citing a death rate that is more than double the pre-pandemic norm and an unmanageable backlog of dead bodies.

[...]

The 28 crematoriums in Los Angeles county have the capacity to perform more cremations, but most of their permits include a monthly cap on cremations due to environmental regulations, the regulator said. Environmentalists have for years called for limits on cremations, which studies have shown release toxic mercury emissions from dental fillings. Mogharabi said the "air toxics impacts" resulting from the executive order were expected to be "relatively small".

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Tue Jan 19th, 2021 at 07:13:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
No need to hide the cognitive decline (dementia?) any longer!

Politico

For higher-profile remarks, he'd obsessively rehearse portions until he committed them to memory. And at times through the various iterations of outlining remarks, Biden could grow downright ornery.

"I would never say this," Biden once snapped at an aide, aghast over the prepared remarks he was reviewing, according to a person in the room during a speech prep session last year. "Where did you get this from?'"

The aide explained that Biden had just said it in a public speech a couple of weeks earlier.

Congratulations, soon-to-be-president Harris!

by Number 6 on Thu Jan 21st, 2021 at 11:33:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Welcome to the gerontocracy. Baby boomers forever!
by asdf on Sun Jan 24th, 2021 at 01:38:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, technically, the "silent generation" was babies born until 1945, which includes practically all the old gits running the US of A.
by asdf on Sun Jan 24th, 2021 at 01:40:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]
At least the Democrats will always have the support of Antifa, right?
by Number 6 on Thu Jan 21st, 2021 at 11:56:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]
NPR describe them as "anti-fascist demonstrators"
by Number 6 on Thu Jan 21st, 2021 at 03:39:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Harper's Bazaar
Tension brewed in early 2019, when Kamala was still a contender in the Democratic presidential primary. When asked if she had ever smoked pot during an interview with The Breakfast Club, Kamala said, "Half my family's from Jamaica. Are you kidding me?"

The joke fell flat with many--including her father. In a statement he sent to Jamaica Global Online, Donald wrote, "My dear departed grandmothers (whose extraordinary legacy I described in a recent essay on this website), as well as my deceased parents, must be turning in their grave right now to see their family's name, reputation and proud Jamaican identity being connected, in any way, jokingly or not with the fraudulent stereotype of a pot-smoking joy seeker and in the pursuit of identity politics. Speaking for myself and my immediate Jamaican family, we wish to categorically dissociate ourselves from this travesty."

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Thu Jan 21st, 2021 at 03:18:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Alleged Capitol rioter from Florida came back to DC to attend inauguration
An alleged Capitol rioter from Florida knew he was wanted from the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and returned to Washington, DC, to attend the inauguration on Wednesday, the Justice Department said in a new court filing.

Prosecutors in Washington say that when law enforcement tried to arrest Samuel Camargo at his home in Florida on Tuesday, he had left.

Investigators then found him in DC on Wednesday and arrested him there -- the same day as the presidential inauguration.

by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 09:12:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]
WaPoo has finally BREACHED its own pay-wall to report an official Jan 6 crowd estimate ...
Federal officials estimate that roughly 800 people surged into the building, though they caution that such numbers are imprecise, and the real figure could be 100 people or more in either direction.
... that is incomparable in total BLM "mostly peaceful" protest size:total arrests on or before June 4, much less the period ending Nov 30.

MEANWHILE DOJ has created the "Capitol Breach Investigation Resource Page" for inquiring minds--such as yella sheet stringers--tabulating individual suspect WHITE SUPREMACIST TRUMPIANS, charged with disorderly conduct, by US state residency.

by Cat on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 09:33:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
'THIS IS ME': Rioters flaunt involvement in Capitol siege - AP
Even defense attorneys have acknowledged that the evidence poses a problem for them.

"I'm not a magician," said an attorney for the man seen in a photo carrying Pelosi's lectern. "We've got a photograph of our client in what appears to be inside a federal building or inside the Capitol with government property."

by Bernard (bernard) on Tue Jan 26th, 2021 at 07:18:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Jan 30th, 2021 at 09:47:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by generic on Tue Feb 2nd, 2021 at 10:11:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]
..or Joe maybe.
by generic on Tue Feb 2nd, 2021 at 10:12:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 2nd, 2021 at 06:48:51 PM EST
'Sold out': Uighurs fear deportation as China ratifies extradition treaty with Turkey
Beijing has ratified an extradition treaty with Turkey that Uighurs fear could pave the way for tens of thousands to be deported and imprisoned in internment camps that rights group say constitute a "cultural genocide".

The treaty, first signed during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Beijing in 2017, was ratified last weekend at the Chinese National People's Congress, with state media saying it would be used for counter-terrorism purposes.

Turkey is yet to ratify the treaty, and as such no extraditions are expected any time soon. However Uighurs are now calling on the Turkish government and lawmakers to stop the agreement from going through.


Two months ago:
Turkey's Erdogan urges French goods boycott amid Islam row

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Turks to boycott French goods amid a row over France's tougher stance on radical Islam.

In a televised speech, he urged world leaders to protect Muslims "if there is oppression against Muslims in France".

by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Jan 3rd, 2021 at 06:49:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I read Reuters' version last week and laughed aloud, AWKWARD! Erdogan has punked the EU again.

Turkey won't return anyone. Turkey recruited Uighur mercenaries (among others) into its irregular Idlib, Syria adventure, which incidentally NATO has had no problem ignoring, because of course Assad must go, and there are only muslim ethnic minorities trying to live their "best lives" in Xinjiang. To borrow a phrase from Florida's finest, they "want them to be victims."

"De-radicalization" is a figment of authoritarian Chinese minds.

by Cat on Mon Jan 4th, 2021 at 01:44:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Sat Jan 9th, 2021 at 05:37:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Handshake ... A Deal

Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi and Berlusconi

Angela Merkel and General al-Sisi

Bibi Netanyahu and  Paul Kagame and Eritrea / Sudan

UAE: Illegal immigrants face immediate deportation

Apparently a good business formula, back and forth ... unlimited supply from Third World Countries.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue Jan 5th, 2021 at 06:12:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

by Cat on Fri Jan 8th, 2021 at 04:19:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Some members of the Moslem minority in China conducting terrorism good.

Some members of the Moslem minority in Israel conducting terrorism bad.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Sat Jan 9th, 2021 at 04:15:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The former used to be bad in the US as well. Now they are NLECs.
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sat Jan 9th, 2021 at 04:39:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
To be honest, Muslims are a minority in Israel only because of successful ethnic cleansing and bantustanization. Otherwise Israelis would be 50% Muslim, 38% Jew and 12% Christian or so.
by pelgus on Sat Jan 9th, 2021 at 06:08:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Mon Jan 4th, 2021 at 08:58:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 at 04:02:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Jan 9th, 2021 at 03:08:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Gathara
Aging, corrupt UK monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who has clung to power in the reclusive island kingdom for 70 years, receives covid vaccine at opulent Buckingham Palace, which struggling British taxpayers are being forced to renovate at a massive cost of Ksh50 billion.
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sat Jan 9th, 2021 at 04:46:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Palestinian [Authority] say vaccines could come in March, accuse Israel of shirking duty to supply them
"in addition to reaching an agreement in principle with AstraZeneca, the Palestinians had also sought supplies from Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Russia"
by Cat on Sun Jan 10th, 2021 at 07:07:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 05:56:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sun Jan 10th, 2021 at 09:15:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Where does Africa stand in the Covid-19 vaccine race?
Some countries think this is too slow and are seeking supplies of Chinese and Russian vaccines, which have not been tested as extensively as the Western Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Moderna jabs.
by Cat on Mon Jan 11th, 2021 at 03:26:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
In Senegal, lack of cold storage limits COVID vaccine options, too
"Senegal would only be able to keep vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, by China or Russia in the long term, as they do not require a deep freeze, Ousseynou Badiane told Reuters."
by Cat on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 07:42:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Fri Jan 15th, 2021 at 06:03:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Apple, Hyundai set to agree electric car tie-up, says Korea IT News
An updated version of the IT news report removed details, including production location and capacity and the timeframe for signing the agreement and launching the pilot vehicles.

The previous version said the companies planned to build the cars at Kia Motors' factory in Georgia, or invest jointly in a new factory in the United States to produce 100,000 vehicles around 2024. The full annual capacity of the proposed plant would be 400,000 vehicles.

by Cat on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 04:24:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"vote count" underway; Museveni Declared Winner
December 2020 #BREAKING
by Cat on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 08:44:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 02:24:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Twitter thread
Glenn Greenwald

Basically, for those interested in the short version, this is it:

oh no the wrong people are manipulating the stock market
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Wed Jan 27th, 2021 at 08:33:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

vaccine purchase order gap
COVAX explained
All participating countries, regardless of income levels, will have equal access to these vaccines once they are developed. The initial aim is to have 2 billion doses available by the end of 2021, which should be enough to protect high risk and vulnerable people, as well as frontline healthcare workers.
[...]
To make all this a reality, Gavi has created the COVAX Facility through which self-financing economies and funded economies can participate. Within this also sits an entirely separate funding mechanism, the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), which will support access to COVID-19 vaccines for lower-income economies. Combined, these make possible the participation of all countries, regardless of ability to pay.
GAVI | Public-private Donor Profiles
"Working to improve the health of markets for vaccines and other immunisation products."
Africa secures 400 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses
"Separately from the AU's efforts, Africa is to receive about 600 million vaccine doses this year via the COVAX facility co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO)."
by Cat on Thu Jan 28th, 2021 at 05:49:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
WHO launches Baseline report for Decade of Healthy Ageing
A number of indicators to be reported on by countries as a demonstration of commitment towards healthy ageing were agreed on by WHO Member States as part of the Global Strategy on Ageing and Health 2016-2020 and endorsed in 2020 within the context of the Decade for Healthy Ageing 2021-2030. Examples are the establishment of a national committee or forum on ageing; comprehensive assessments of the health and social care needs of older people; and a policy on strengthening  long-term care. The Baseline report notes improvements in all 10 indicators between 2018 (when initial data collection took place) and 2020. The most progress had been made in establishing national policies relating to healthy ageing, and the least, in  introducing and enforcing legislation against age-based discrimination.
search for traction in daily discourse continues ...
UN | World Population Ageing 2015, 164 pp
This report is the fifth in the series World Population Ageing. The first report was released in 2002 in conjunction  with  the  Second  World  Assembly  on  Ageing.  The  present  report,  which  updates  the  2007,  2009  and  2013  editions,  provides  a  description  of  global  trends  in  population  ageing  and  includes  new  features on the socio-economic and health aspects of ageing. This report is accompanied by an interactive database on the Profiles of Ageing 2015.
... to stimulate markets for long-term care facilities, insurance, and services even in China. STT.
by Cat on Sat Jan 30th, 2021 at 08:14:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 2nd, 2021 at 06:49:07 PM EST

by generic on Fri Jan 29th, 2021 at 09:41:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 2nd, 2021 at 06:49:21 PM EST
Somerset Police Officer Assists Family in Need After Purchasing Christmas Dinner Following Shoplifting Incident



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Jan 2nd, 2021 at 08:02:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Stories like this make me puke.

A heartwarming© tale so the bourgeois can go about their businesses ignoring the other 1,094 meals the family needs and systematic problem of hunger in the UK.

And the US isn't any better and in some cases is worse.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Sun Jan 3rd, 2021 at 12:19:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Indeed.

A different "feature" (pathos angle: startled public school teacher, Stanfield, AZ), evoking circumstances that have assured Bal'more blight, provoked me to drill into 2019 USDA urban-rural CEP, "big data" poverty sets by county this morning.

The sanctimonious "sociology" produced by US middle-class hardly ceases to amaze.

by Cat on Sun Jan 3rd, 2021 at 06:38:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
We're much worse.  We're talking about a country where GoFundMe is a main way of financing critical health care and people have can and bottle drives to pay for their wheelchairs, and our whore media treat those as "feel good" stories showing scrappy entrepreneurship and self-reliance.
by rifek on Sun Jan 17th, 2021 at 02:25:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Editorial for Politico.eu by the European commissioner for the internal market:

Thierry Breton: Capitol Hill -- the 9/11 moment of social media

The fact that a CEO can pull the plug on POTUS's loudspeaker without any checks and balances is perplexing. It is not only confirmation of the power of these platforms, but it also displays deep weaknesses in the way our society is organized in the digital space.
by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Jan 11th, 2021 at 12:36:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by generic on Wed Jan 13th, 2021 at 09:00:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
white-ish supremacy, US edition
The coronavirus pandemic is projected to lower Americans' life expectancy at birth by over a year, according to a study out of University of Southern California and Princeton University. Life expectancy for Black and Latino populations is expected to reduce 30% to 40% more than white populations.
by Cat on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 at 05:29:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by generic on Sat Jan 30th, 2021 at 12:23:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 2nd, 2021 at 06:50:31 PM EST
23 January 2020: Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province enters lockdown.

Wuhan marks its anniversary with triumph and denial - BBC

On 23 January last year, the Chinese authorities severed transport links out of Wuhan and confined the city's population to their homes.

The tough lockdown coincided with the annual spring festival celebrations and came too late to prevent the global spread of the disease - five million people had already left the city ahead of the holiday.

Doctors' warnings had gone unheeded and, in an outpouring of anger on the Chinese internet, the authorities stood accused of covering up the initial outbreak in the interests of political stability.

One year on, there's little sign of that anger in Wuhan today. In fact it's the humdrum normality that is striking - the traffic jams, the bustling markets and busy restaurants.

by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 02:01:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Just like Boris and the 12 week wait between vaccinations.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre
by ATinNM on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 05:39:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

by generic on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 05:56:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
23 January 2020: First COVID case in Europe.

In Bordeaux, Laurent Chu was the first Covid patient in Europe

It is, officially, the first Covid patient in Europe.

The Bordeaux native of Chinese origin Laurent Chu, 49, sales advisor in the wine world, was hospitalized on January 23, 2020 at the Bordeaux University Hospital, while returning from Wuhan, the focus of the epidemic in China, in the part of his work.

His Covid was officially declared the next day, January 24.

A year later, he tells how he "trembled" from his isolation room, seeing "the panic of the world".

"I didn't infect anyone," he insists.

I was the first patient, yes, but I did not infect anyone, "he said in an interview with the daily Sud Ouest on Friday.

Transferred to the Bordeaux University Hospital, in the infectious diseases department of infectious disease specialist Denis Malvy, Laurent Chu found himself 25 days in an isolation room, in intensive care, once the Covid was confirmed.

"We did not know the disease at that time, explains Professor Denis Malvy at 20 Minutes, we did not have information on the level of contagiousness, so we treated the very first patients in negative pressure rooms.

This is why we placed him in a sheave, with maximum precautions, since we dressed as if it were an Ebola, whereas from February this type of patient was taken care of on an outpatient basis... "

"They didn't know how to treat me," recalls "patient zero".

by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 23rd, 2021 at 02:13:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Jan 28th, 2021 at 08:10:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Tue Feb 2nd, 2021 at 06:54:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]
or California's commission (AB-3121) because that might evoke judiciabl grievances brought to Congress by descendants of US slaves, subjected to federal violations of the Alien Tort Act of 1789 and 300 years of apartheid crime in the several states.

What was the question?
Did the President and Congress go beyond their war powers by implementing exclusion and restricting the rights of Americans of Japanese descent?

1944 Korematsu v. United States
6-3, "No"

1980 Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, report and recommendations to the US Congress, 1983
notably, #3

remedy
1984 Korematsu v. United States, US District Court for the Northern District of California

A writ of coram nobis is an appropriate remedy by which the court can correct errors in criminal convictions where other remedies are not available.
[...]
The government has, however, while not confessing error, taken a position tantamount to a confession of error. It has eagerly moved to dismiss without acknowledging any specific reasons for dismissal other than that "there is no further usefulness to be served by conviction under a statute which has been soundly repudiated." (R.T. 13:20-22, November 10, 1983). In support of this statement, the government points out that in 1971, legislation was adopted requiring congressional action before an Executive Order such as Executive Order 9066 can ever be issued again; that in 1976, the statute under which petitioner was convicted was repealed; and that in 1976, all authority conferred by Executive Order 9066 was formally proclaimed terminated as of December 31, 1946. While these are compelling reasons for concluding that vacating the conviction is in the best interests of this petitioner, respondent and the public, the court declines the invitation of the government to treat this matter in the perfunctory and procedurally improper manner it has suggested.

On the other hand, this court agrees that it is not necessary to reopen the partially healed wounds of an earlier period in order to perform its role of conducting independent judicial review. Fortunately, there are few instances in our judicial history when courts have been called upon to undo such profound and publicly acknowledged injustice. Such extraordinary instances require extraordinary relief, and the court is not without power to redress its own errors.
[...]
The Commission found that military necessity did not warrant the exclusion and detention of ethnic Japanese. It concluded that "broad historical causes which shaped these decisions [exclusion and detention] *1417 were race prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership." As a result, "a grave injustice was done to American citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry who, without individual review or any probative evidence against them, were excluded, removed and detained by the United States during World War II."

by Cat on Tue Feb 2nd, 2021 at 03:09:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Jan 2nd, 2021 at 06:50:50 PM EST


Display:
Go to: [ European Tribune Homepage : Top of page : Top of comments ]