INTL Europe: Politics, Economics, Military- March 2021

[Plain Jane]

February's thread is here:

INTL - Europe: Politics, Economics, and Military- February 2021

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain/british-pm-johnson-to-plot-path-out-of-lockdown-on-monday-idUSKBN2AL0NT FEBRUARY 21, 20215:37 PMUPDATED 35 MINUTES AGO British PM Johnson to plot path out of lockdown on Monday By Kate Holton 4 MIN READ LONDON (Reuters) - British...

www.timebomb2000.com

Conflict in the Mediterranean thread is here beginning page 71:

WAR - Regional conflict brewing in the Mediterranean

CNN International @cnni 17m Construction on an enormous trench across Libya, dug by Russian-backed mercenaries Wagner, is raising fears that foreign fighters will not withdraw from the country by Saturday, as a UN-brokered peace deal insists. View...

www.timebomb2000.com

Armenia/Azerbaijan conflict thread:

WAR - Main Armenia Versus Azerbaijan War Thread - Open Hostilities Underway Now

View: https://twitter.com/IntelDoge/status/1310094246985203713 #Breaking: Prime Minister of #Armenia confirms that Azerbaijan has launched a missile and aerial attack against Artsakh. States Stepanakert was attacked, and that Armenia has downed 2 helicopters, 3 UAVs and destroyed 3 tanks.

www.timebomb2000.com

Main Coronavirus thread is here beginning page 1333:

CORONA - Main Coronavirus thread

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDfnkNhpXiw 24:52 min Coronavirus Update 122: The Research So Far on COVID-19 and Vaccines vs. Pregnancy •Feb 15, 2021 MedCram - Medical Lectures Explained CLEARLY Professor Roger Seheult, MD discusses the impacts of COVID 19 on pregnant women, and...

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U.N. rights experts to issue findings on Navalny case on Monday

United Nations human rights investigators will issue their findings on the case of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Monday, a U.N. statement said on Friday.

www.reuters.com

FEBRUARY 26, 20212:34 AMUPDATED 2 DAYS AGO
U.N. rights experts to issue findings on Navalny case on Monday
By Reuters Staff
1 MIN READ

GENEVA (Reuters) - United Nations human rights investigators will issue their findings on the case of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Monday, a U.N. statement said on Friday.

The opposition politician was arrested in Moscow in January upon returning from Germany following treatment for poisoning with what many Western countries say was a military-grade nerve agent.

Agnes Callamard, U.N. expert on killings, and Irene Khan, U.N. expert on freedom of opinion and expression, will issue their findings on their investigation at a Geneva press conference on Monday (1500 GMT), the U.N. said in a statement revealing the investigation.

(This story refiles to correct typographical error in first paragraph)

Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Alex Richardson
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Plain Jane]

Wow!

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy Sentenced To Prison In Humiliating Corruption Conviction

BY TYLER DURDEN
MONDAY, MAR 01, 2021 - 9:03
A Paris court has found former French President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of corruption - which is only the second time in modern history that a French head of state has gone down on such a charge - for which he's been issued a sentence of three years in prison, two of which have been suspended.
Despite the prison sentence it's expected however that the 66-year old will serve the non-suspended one year portion on probation - with an electronic bracelet and subject to a curfew.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arriving in court, Getty Images

Presiding Judge Christine Mée described in the ruling that the "particularly serious" crimes involving France's leader who was in office 2007-2012 centered on him "using his status" as president to peddle influence for personal gain while violating state secrecy.

Sarkozy "knew what [he] was doing was wrong", the judge wrote, adding that his actions and those of a public magistrate and personal lawyer - both which were also found guilty of aiding in the scheme - had given the public "a very bad image of justice".

As BBC described the former president had been "found guilty of trying to bribe a magistrate by offering a prestigious job in Monaco in return for information about a criminal inquiry into his political party."
The key evidence came from tapped phone calls going back to 2014:

The case centered on conversations between Azibert and Herzog, which were taped by investigators looking into claims that Sarkozy accepted illicit payments from the L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt for his 2007 presidential campaign.
The phone line they tapped was a secret number set up in a fictional name, Paul Bismuth, through which Sarkozy communicated with his lawyer.

Still influential among conservatives it caps a series of humiliations which continued after his failed 2012 reelection bid. Sarkozy is also the first French former head of state to appear in the dock.

He's expected to appeal the ruling.

 

[northern watch]

Europeans get 'right to repair' for some electrical goods
Companies that sell refrigerators, washers, hairdryers or TVs in the European Union will need to ensure those appliances can be repaired for up to 10 years

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press
1 March 2021, 00:06

BERLIN -- Companies that sell refrigerators, washers, hairdryers or TVs in the European Union will need to ensure those appliances can be repaired for up to 10 years, to help reduce the vast mountain of electrical waste that piles up each year on the continent.

The "right to repair," as it is sometimes called, comes into force across the 27-nation bloc Monday. It is part of a broader effort to cut the environmental footprint of manufactured goods by making them more durable and energy efficient.

“This is a really big step in the right direction” said Daniel Affelt of the environmental group BUND-Berlin, which runs several "repair cafes" where people can bring in their broken appliances and get help fixing them up again.

Modern appliances are often glued or riveted together, he said. “If you need specialist tools or have to break open the device, then you can’t repair it.”

Lack of spare parts is another problem, campaigners say. Sometimes a single broken tooth on a tiny plastic sprocket can throw a proverbial wrench in the works.

“People want to repair their appliances,” Affelt said. “When you tell them that there are no spare parts for a device that’s only a couple of years old then they are obviously really frustrated by that.”

Under the new EU rules, manufacturers will have to ensure parts are available for up to a decade, though some will only be provided to professional repair companies to ensure they are installed correctly.

New devices will also have to come with repair manuals and be made in such a way that they can be dismantled using conventional tools when they really can't be fixed anymore, to improve recycling.

Each year, Europeans produce more than 16 kilograms (35 pounds) of electrical waste per person. About half of that junk is due to broken household appliances, and the EU recycles only about 40% of it, leaving behind huge amounts of potentially hazardous material.

German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said that in a next step, manufacturers should have to state how long a product is expected to work for and repair it if it breaks down earlier. This would encourage companies to build more durable products, she said.

“In the repair cafes we see a lot of devices that broke shortly after the warranty expired,” said Affelt — a phenomenon that has prompted some environmentalists to accuse manufacturers of designing their devices with planned obsolescence.

Knowing an appliance will really last for a decade might prompt consumers to choose products that are more durable or can be easily fixed, he said.

“For the vast majority of devices, repair is the right choice," said Affelt, adding that the exception might be old, inefficient refrigerators that can contain powerful greenhouse gases which fuel climate change.

In a next step, environmentalists and consumer rights groups want the “right to repair” expanded to include smartphones, laptops and other small electrical devices.

Responding to growing demand, Apple last year announced it would start providing training and spare parts to certified independent repair stores fixing Mac computers, not just iPhones.

Right to repair bills have been introduced in several U.S. state legislatures, attracting bipartisan support, though as yet there is no nationwide measure in force.

Sweden has gone further than most of the EU, making repairs and spare parts subject to lower value-added tax.

The bloc's ecological design directive — of which the right to repair requirement is a part — will also revise existing energy labels that describe how much electricity washers and other household devices consume. The new seven-step scale from A to G will be complemented by a QR code that provides consumers with further information, such as how loud the devices are.

Europeans get 'right to repair' for some electrical goods - ABC News

 

[Plain Jane]

Czechs tighten COVID lockdown, seek more tests for factory workers

The Czech Republic, battling the world's worst surge in COVID-19 infections, deployed more police officers and soldiers on Monday to help enforce new lockdown measures that seek to confine people mostly to their home districts.

www.reuters.com

MARCH 1, 202112:16 PMUPDATED 14 HOURS AGO
Czechs tighten COVID lockdown, seek more tests for factory workers
By Jiri Skacel, Robert Muller
3 MIN READ

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Republic, battling the world’s worst surge in COVID-19 infections, deployed more police officers and soldiers on Monday to help enforce new lockdown measures that seek to confine people mostly to their home districts.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis has said the healthcare system faces collapse without the new restrictions due to a record number of patients in a serious condition.

The country of 10.7 million has recorded the highest per capita infection rate in the world over the last week, according to the Our World in Data website, 11 times higher than neighbouring Germany.

Exactly a year from when the first COVID-19 case was reported, authorities deployed around 26,000 police officers and 3,800 soldiers to enforce the three-week order limiting free movement, though there were exemptions for work-related travel.

They also shut pre-schools and classes for first and second grade pupils. Other pupils were already learning from home.


“People did not want to keep the rules before today and that is why COVID is here. Maybe this will help,” Pavel Novotny, a train conductor, said outside a largely empty station in Prague.

FACTORIES STAY OPEN, MUST TEST
Babis has seen his popularity dented before an October election and faces criticism that the new measures do not go far enough as factories remain open. He is balancing this with public frustration over lockdowns that have seen non-essential shops, restaurants and entertainment largely shut since October.

Babis has rejected calls to shut industry, saying this would cause job losses.


Instead, the government approved on Monday mandatory COVID tests for companies with at least 50 employees in a move that aims to reach about 2 million workers in the next two weeks.

Deputy Prime Minister Jan Hamacek, leader of the junior government party the Social Democrats, said without controls on companies “we will end up exactly where we are now” in a month.

The country enacted tough measures a year ago when the pandemic started, and the biggest manufacturers idled then for several weeks, costing the economy dear.

New, more contagious variants of the virus have added to the latest surge, and a slow vaccine rollout is not helping.


The death toll has doubled since mid-December to reach 20,469.

Robin Sin, a regional vaccination coordinator and crisis medicine expert, said missteps such as opening shops for a time before Christmas added to the country’s woes.

Shutting some non-critical industry for a while could help, Sin said, adding: “Limiting movement between districts is completely insufficient.”

Reporting by Jiri Skacel and Robert Muller, writing by Jason Hovet; editing by Gareth Jones
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

UK lockdowns discussion here:

FASCISM - Videos: Police Harass People For Walking, Sitting As Chief Admits ‘We’ve Had Enough, This Is Not Policeable’

Videos: Police Harass People For Walking, Sitting As Chief Admits ‘We’ve Had Enough, This Is Not Policeable’ “Police don’t want to police this” Published 6 mins ago on 1 March, 2021 Steve Watson Screenshot 2 Comments Police in the UK were filmed harassing people on the streets and beaches...

www.timebomb2000.com

 

[Plain Jane]

EU slaps sanctions on 4 Russia officials over Navalny arrest

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Tuesday imposed sanctions on four senior Russian officials over the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is President Vladimir Putin’s most high-profile political foe.

apnews.com

Click to copy
EU slaps sanctions on 4 Russia officials over Navalny arrest
yesterday

FILE - In this Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021 file photo, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny gestures as he stands behind a grass of the cage in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia. Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was transported to a prison 100km away from Moscow. Navalny was taken to a prison in Pokrov city after Moscow city court rejected appeal against his prison sentence on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Tuesday imposed sanctions on four senior Russian officials over the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is President Vladimir Putin’s most high-profile political foe.

The 27-nation bloc imposed bans on travel and froze the assets in Europe of Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Igor Krasnov, the prosecuto general, Viktor Zolotov, head of the National Guard, and Alexander Kalashnikov, head of the Federal Prison Service.

EU headquarters said the four were listed “over their roles in the arbitrary arrest, prosecution and sentencing of Alexei Navalny, as well as the repression of peaceful protests in connection with his unlawful treatment.”

Navalny, 44, an anti-corruption investigator, was arrested in Moscow in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Russian authorities have rejected the accusation.

In February, a court sentenced Navalny to two years and eight months in prison for violating the terms of his probation while recuperating in Germany. The sentence stems from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that Navalny has rejected as fabricated.

The European Court of Human Rights has also ruled that it’s unlawful.

Navalny’s arrest and imprisonment have fueled a huge wave of protests across Russia.

Authorities responded with a sweeping crackdown, detaining about 11,000 people, many of whom were fined or given jail terms ranging from seven to 15 days.

The sanctions were the first used by the EU under a new system for imposing restrictions on people and organizations deemed responsible for human rights abuses.

 

[Plain Jane]

I will have surgery tomorrow and will not be posting for about 2 weeks. Others are invited to post in my place ! Thanks!

 

[Melodi]

I can try to post more European stories here as I see them...

 

[Melodi]

Ok getting started here:

Explosion at Dutch Covid-19 test centre 'intentional'

An explosive went off at a coronavirus testing centre north of Amsterdam in the Netherlands early this morning, shattering windows but causing no injuries in what police called an intentional attack.

www.rte.ie

Dutch police say explosion at Covid test centre appears intentional
Updated / Wednesday, 3 Mar 2021 13:20

Police examine the scene in Bovenkarspel

An explosive went off at a coronavirus testing centre north of Amsterdam in the Netherlands early this morning, shattering windows but causing no injuries in what police called an intentional attack.

An explosives team was on site in the town of Bovenkarspel, 55km north of the capital, to examine the device, police in the province of North Holland said.

The metal remains of the explosive, about 10 cm by 10 cm in size, were found in front of the building and "must have been placed" there, a police spokesman said.

"We don't know yet exactly what exploded, the explosives experts must first investigate," he said, adding, "what we're saying is that something like that doesn't just happen by accident, it has to be laid."

A security guard who was inside the testing centre at the time was not injured, national broadcaster NOS reported.

The incident comes shortly before national elections on 17 March widely seen as a referendum on the government's handling of the pandemic.

Anger against healthcare authorities has increased since the start of 2021, with the head of the country's National Institute for Health now accompanied by a security detail.

Another test location was burned down during several days of rioting in January sparked by the introduction of a night-time curfew from 9pm to 4.30am.



Latest coronavirus stories

The region around Bovenkarspel, a rural town, is currently suffering one of the Netherlands' worst Covid-19 outbreaks, with 181 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with around 27 per 100,000 nationally.

At least one hospital has been forced to send patients to other provinces due to lack of space in its intensive care units.

Today is the first day in several months in which lockdown measures in the Netherlands have been slightly eased, with hairdressers reopening and non-essential stores allowed to accept a small number of visitors by appointment.

 

[Melodi]

Germany to spy on far-right AfD party, reports say

The intelligence services have not publicly confirmed the move, which the AfD is fighting in court.

www.bbc.com

Germany to spy on far-right AfD party, reports say
Published3 hours ago
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IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
Germany's intelligence services have designated the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a suspected extremist group, according to local media.
The nationalist party is already under surveillance in a number of German states, but the decision means its activities can be observed nationwide.

However, MPs and members of the European parliament will be excluded from any operations.
The intelligence services have not publicly commented on the reports.
An AfD spokeswoman described the decision as "purely political" and said the party would take legal action against the "unjustified classification".

If confirmed, it would be the first time in post-war history that a political party with seats in the national parliament has received the designation.

Formed in 2013, the openly anti-Islam and anti-establishment AfD is Germany's largest opposition party in parliament. Its popularity surged in 2015 after almost one million migrants entered Germany.
The party faced particular criticism over its anti-immigrant rhetoric following a deadly far-right attack in the city of Hanau in early 2020, although it was not accused of direct involvement and publicly condemned the shootings.

• Just how far to the right is AfD?
• Why Germany’s far-right AfD is blamed over racist violence
• Germany's AfD probed over 'racist' colouring book

Reports that Germany's domestic intelligence service (BfV) was expected to classify the AfD as a "suspected case" of right-wing extremism first emerged earlier this year.
However, a decision was delayed by ongoing legal challenges by the AfD, which argues that the move is political and could harm its chances in federal elections in September.

Due to the court case, the intelligence services have not yet commented on the new designation, which has been widely reported by German media outlets.

According to Tagesschau, the decision was based on two years of information gathering by the intelligence agencies, culminating in an 800-page report.

The decision means the party can now be placed under surveillance, allowing the BfV to recruit informants and intercept phone calls and emails.

Four states in eastern Germany, where the party is particularly popular, have already designated the AfD as a suspected extremist group.

Last year, meanwhile, the BfV placed part of the AfD known as Flügel (the wing) under systematic surveillance.
Surveillance is a sensitive issue in Germany, where many people have memories of intrusive, abusive spying in communist and Nazi times.

 

[Melodi]

Greece earthquake collapses buildings

The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck near the city of Larissa, but was felt across the country.

www.bbc.com

Greece earthquake shakes shop and collapses buildings


Greece earthquake shakes shop and collapses buildingsClose

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck near the Greek city of Larissa on Wednesday morning, and was felt across country.
An elderly man had to be rescued from his home in the village of Mesochori, which had partially collapsed, but there have been no reported serious injuries.
Published48 minutes ago
SectionBBC News
SubsectionEurope
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-54748927

 

[Melodi]

Scientists in Iceland say 'strong signs' volcanic eruption is imminent

Several days of tremors near Mount Keilir indicate it is ‘more likely than not’ an eruption is about to begin

www.theguardian.com

Scientists in Iceland say 'strong signs' volcanic eruption is imminent
Several days of tremors near Mount Keilir indicate it is ‘more likely than not’ an eruption is about to begin

Mount Keilir, about 30km south of Reykjavik. Scientists said there was no immediate danger to the public. Photograph: Promote Iceland

Jon Henley, Europe correspondent
@jonhenley
Wed 3 Mar 2021 17.09 GMT


Scientists in Iceland have said there are now “strong signs” that a volcanic eruption may be under way following several days of near-constant seismic activity near Mount Keilir about 30km south of the capital, Reykjavik.

“We are not saying we have signs an eruption has begun,” Kristín Jónsdóttir of the Icelandic meteorological office told local media on Wednesday. “But this looks like the type of activity we expect in the run-up to an eruption.”

Víðir Reynisson of the island’s civil defence force told a mid-afternoon news conference it was “more likely than not” that an eruption – the first in the area since the 12th century – was about to begin, and could happen within the next few hours.

But Víðir said there was “no disaster going on and everyone can get on with their daily lives”. There was no immediate danger, he said, although people should avoid travelling to the area on the Reykjanes peninsula.

Thousands of tremors measuring up to 5 on the Richter scale have been recorded on the peninsula during the past week. Freysteinn Sigmundsson, a geophysicist, said that if it came, the eruption could also be delayed by several days.

If magma reaches the surface, Freysteinn said, it is unlikely to be in the form of an explosion of lava and ash shooting into the sky, but rather what is known as a fissure eruption, in which lava emerges more slowly from a crack in the earth’s surface.

That means there is unlikely to be a repeat of the chaos seen in 2010 when the six-day explosive eruption of Iceland’s more southerly Eyjafjallajökull volcano caused huge disruption to international air travel, affecting as many as 10 million travellers.

“This event is completely different to Eyjafjallajökull, Freysteinn said. “It is very unlikely that it will disrupt air transport,” he said. “This will probably be a lava eruption with little explosive activity.”

Any lava flows near Mount Keilir are unlikely to reach populated areas, experts have said, but could interrupt air traffic to and from Keflavík international airport, which is about 20km from the main area of seismic activity and is on orange alert.

There is also a chance that road access to the airport could be cut off by lava flows, prompting authorities to draw up contingency plans to divert flights and passengers to the island’s other airports.

 

[Melodi]

6.0-magnitude earthquake shakes central Greece

Buildings collapse but no immediate reports of serious injury after midday tremor near Elassona

www.theguardian.com

6.0-magnitude earthquake shakes central Greece
Buildings collapse but no immediate reports of serious injury after midday tremor near Elassona

01:30
Moment 6.2-magnitude earthquake hits central Greece captured on CCTV – video

Helena Smith in Athens
Wed 3 Mar 2021 17.54 GMT

7

Emergency services in Greece were placed on alert after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday.

Rescue teams rushed to extract people from the rubble of buildings that had collapsed in and around Elassona, a town in central Greece close to the tremor’s epicentre. As strong aftershocks shook the region, residents were advised to remain outdoors.

Vassilis Karastathis, the deputy director of the Athens Geodynamic Institute, attributed the earthquake’s strength to its shallowness. “It had an estimated depth of just 8km [five miles] and that was one of the reasons it was felt so strongly,” he told the state-run TV channel ERT.

The quake was also felt in the Balkan states of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

People sit outside damaged homes in Damasi. Photograph: Apostolis Domalis/EPA

In the Greek city of Larissa, people rushed out of homes and office buildings into the streets as the quake struck at midday. Civil protection authorities flew first aid to the area, and residents of Damasi, a village outside Larissa, were expected to spend the night in tents on a football field.

There were no immediate reports of serious injury. One person was hurt by falling debris and at least six people including an elderly paraplegic man were rescued from the rubble of collapsed homes.

Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, made a formal offer of assistance in a telephone call to his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, in echoes of the earthquake diplomacy that has previously brought about détentes between the two regional rivals.

Pictures emerged of extensive damage in the village of Mesochori, including to the church.

Damage to a church in Mesochori village, central Greece. Photograph: Eurokinissi/Rex/Shutterstock

There were also reports of acts of heroism. The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, personally called the headteacher of a primary school in Damasi after its 63 pupils and 10 teachers survived the building’s collapse.

The governor of Thessaly, Costas Agorastos, said schools had been advised to remain close on Thursday.
Greece, which lies in a highly seismically active area, has long been prone to quakes, just like Turkey, its neighbour to the east.

Giorgos Karakaisis, a professor of seismology at the University of Thessaloniki, said the last time Ellasona was struck by such a powerful tremor was more than 250 years ago.


Topics

 

[Melodi]

This has gone on in Sweden for months...Melodi

German doctors broach ‘taboo’ subject of Covid toll on minority groups

Anecdotal evidence suggests Muslims over-represented in ICUs, but Germany has no official data

www.theguardian.com

German doctors broach ‘taboo’ subject of Covid toll on minority groups
Anecdotal evidence suggests Muslims over-represented in ICUs, but Germany has no official data

A no entry sign at the entrance to a Covid-19 intensive care unit at a German hospital. Photograph: Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images

Kate Connolly in Berlin
Wed 3 Mar 2021 14.36 GMT


German doctors are reportedly concerned about the large proportion of people from minority ethnic backgrounds among coronavirus patients in intensive care, citing a lack of proper communication with Muslim communities in particular about the dangers of the disease.

Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s disease control agency, confirmed that the issue was discussed with senior medical consultants last month, though he stressed the meeting was informal.

Wieler has been quoted by German media as saying the topic was “taboo” for the German government, which feared the debate could be seen as racist. He reportedly called it a “huge problem” that had “massive implications” for the government.

Wieler is quoted as saying at the meeting, which took place on 14 February, that he had tried “to approach certain people to discuss it”. He said it was necessary to speak to the heads of religious communities in the hope they could relay the concerns to their congregation
s.
He is reported to have told the meeting: “These are parallel societies in the heart of our country. If you want to get a message through, it only works with on-the-ground social work in mosques. And we can’t get in there, and that’s bad.”

He is quoted as saying Muslims make up 4.8% of Germany’s population, “but amongst those lying on the intensive care wards, this group makes up considerably more than 50%”.

Muslims make up about 6% of the population. The majority trace their origins to Turkey, while the rest come from Arab countries, followed by the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iran.

There has been very little public debate in Germany about the extent to which people from minority ethnic groups might be affected more by the virus.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said last autumn that in almost all member countries, people from minority ethnic groups were “systematically overrepresented” in cases of Covid-19 and in resulting deaths.

It said the reasons included poverty, cramped living conditions, more frequent use of public transport, and jobs in which keeping physical distance was impossible, such as in the hotel and catering or meat processing industries.

Germany collects statistics about the number of intensive beds occupied by coronavirus patients, including details of their sex and age, but there is no official statistical data on patients’ ethnic backgrounds. It has not been a topic during regular government briefings with the media, and politicians have been accused of neglecting or downplaying the issue.

A leading pulmonary specialist, Thomas Voshaar, was quoted as having told the German meeting that the large proportion of patients he was seeing with coronavirus in intensive care “shows very clearly that there is obviously a group that politicians are not managing to reach with their coronavirus warnings, who have a migrant background”
.
He said a straw poll of intensive care doctors had been carried out by phone that reflected this. According to the poll and anecdotes from the doctors who took part in the telephone conference, 50-90% of the most severely ill patients they were treating were from ethnic minorities. Voshaar said his team had decided to refer to the patients internally as “people with a communication barrier”.

Wieler told the Bild newspaper, which first reported on the conference, that the meeting had not been a “public discussion between experts, but a personal, informal sharing of information”. He said the participants had “not come to any concrete conclusions” but had just “considered ideas”.

The news magazine Focus reported on Wednesday that it had approached intensive care doctors across Germany in the past few days and had found that their experiences widely backed up the concerns discussed at the meeting.

One doctor who wished to remain anonymous told the magazine: “It is the case that patients with an ethnic minority background are hugely overrepresented.” He said it had been especially evident during the second wave of the virus, when “they made up by far the largest proportion of patients who required therapy”.

The German government is expected to announce on Wednesday the next stages in its plan for how the country could emerge from the strict lockdown that has been in place since November.

The government is under huge pressure from businesses, but Angela Merkel has previously insisted the national infection rate must fall below 35 per 100,000 people over a seven-day period – it is currently at 64 – and she is widely expected to announce that the restrictions will stay in place until the end of March.

Germany’s infection rate has been rising steadily in recent days, with the more infectious B117 mutation first detected in the UK now making up about half of all new infections, compared with 6% three weeks ago.

A sluggish vaccine programme – by Wednesday just over 6.6 million people had received one jab, and less than 2% of the population was fully vaccinated – is being seen as a hindrance to any relaxation plans.


Topics

• Germany

 

[Melodi]

Eight people injured after 'terrorist' stabbing in Sweden, police say

The assailant, reportedly a 22-year-old Afghan national, was shot in the leg after launching his attack at around 3pm in Vetlanda, a small town in the country's south.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Eight people are injured in 'terror attack' stabbings in southern Sweden with police shooting suspect in his 20s who is now in hospital

• Suspected terrorist launched attack around 3pm Wednesday in southern town
• He was shot in the leg by officers after inuring eight people with a blade
• The condition of his victims remains unclear but some were 'seriously' wounded

By ROSS IBBETSON FOR MAILONLINE and AFP

PUBLISHED: 18:13, 3 March 2021 | UPDATED: 19:20, 3 March 2021



Eight people have been injured in a suspected terrorist stabbings in Sweden.
Police said a man in his 20s launched the attack just before 3pm on Wednesday in Vetlanda, a small town in the country's south.

The attacker was shot in the leg by officers and has been taken to hospital where he is receiving treatment under armed guard.

Some of the eight victims were said to be 'seriously' wounded and required an ambulance. Some local media reported that the attacker used an axe.

The assailant's motive remains unclear but police said they are treating it as a 'suspected terrorist crime.'

+1

The attack took place at around 3pm on Wednesday in the small town of Vetlanda in southern Sweden
The local train station was closed at the request of the police and a large number of officers have been sent to carry out patrols of the town of around 13,000 residents.

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven condemned the attack as he sent his condolences to the victims and their families.
'Tonight I am thinking of those injured in Vetlanda and their relatives. I condemn this horrific violence. We are facing these heinous acts with the collective power of society,' the PM said in a written statement.
Minister of the Interior Mikael Damberg called the attack 'terrible.'

The government minister said: 'Several people are seriously injured. These are terrible events and my thoughts go to the victims and their relatives.

'Right now it is unclear exactly what happened and what the motive was. The police have arrested a suspected perpetrator and have initiated a special incident to handle the development of the incident and create security in Vetlanda.'

 

[jward]

I will have surgery tomorrow and will not be posting for about 2 weeks. Others are invited to post in my place ! Thanks!

Gluck and quick recovery to you...will be sending a prayer up, if you have not objections.

 

[Melodi]

And as we wish Jane well, I will do my best to help cover here and a bit on the Latin American thread (as I see things) other people please add articles as well - Melodi (for Northern Irish stuff see my other thread, things are heating up and not in a good way)

Prince Philip has successful procedure for heart condition

Duke of Edinburgh to remain in hospital for treatment, rest and recuperation for a number of days, says palace

www.theguardian.com

Prince Philip has successful procedure for heart condition
Duke of Edinburgh to remain in hospital for treatment, rest and recuperation for a number of days, says palace

Prince Philip was admitted to hospital more than two weeks ago. Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA

Caroline Davies
Thu 4 Mar 2021 10.14 GMT




The Duke of Edinburgh has undergone successful surgery for a pre-existing heart condition, Buckingham Palace has saidy.
Prince Philip, 99, is being treated at St Bartholomew’s hospital in central London, after being transferred there on Monday.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Thursday: “The Duke of Edinburgh yesterday underwent a successful procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at St Bartholomew’s hospital.

“His Royal Highness will remain in hospital for treatment, rest and recuperation for a number of days.”
Philip has spent more than two weeks in hospital since first being admitted to the private King Edward VII’s hospital in central London after becoming unwell while at Windsor Castle.

In 2011 he underwent angioplasty and stenting for a blocked coronary artery after being admitted to Papworth hospital in Cambridgeshire over the Christmas period following chest pains.
More to follow …

 

[Melodi]

This is The Guardian (Left of Lenin) newspaper so feel free to ignore the usual rising sea level warnings, on the other hand, after freezing in some of the coldest temperatures in decades this week was rather warm (again rather similar to the early 14th century at the state of the Little Ice Age - extremes of temperature rather than always cold). Melodi

Europe's unusually warm week breaks temperature records

Mild end to February saw Germany record sharpest temperature rise in a week, going from -23.8C to 18.1C

www.theguardian.com

Europe's unusually warm week breaks temperature records
Mild end to February saw Germany record sharpest temperature rise in a week, going from -23.8C to 18.1C

People in the Volkspark am Friedrichshain park in Berlin, Germany, during last week’s warm weather. Photograph: Clemens Bilan/EPA

Matt Andrews (Metdesk)
Thu 4 Mar 2021 06.00 GMT


12
Europe experienced well above normal temperatures last week, with the cold conditions at the start of February all but a distant memory.

The mild and very dry conditions developed thanks to an extensive area of high pressure, combined with south to south-westerly winds from Morocco and Algeria. A number of all-time February temperature records were broken, most notably in Sweden where 16.8C was recorded in Kalmar on the 25th. On the same day, 22.1C was observed in Maków Podhalański, surpassing Poland’s record. Göttingen in Germany also recorded the country’s sharpest temperature rise in one week, with -23.8C on the 14th, and 18.1C recorded one week later.

Meanwhile, north-western parts of Brazil and east Peru have been affected by severe flooding and mudslides over recent days following torrential rain. A state of emergency was declared in the Amazon region as rivers burst their banks. The Brazilian president visited the area last week to see the damage, as thousands remain without clean water and electricity.
Finally, an iceberg roughly the size of the city of Los Angeles broke off the Brunt ice shelf in Antarctica, almost 10 years after scientists discovered significant cracks within the ice. The news comes as research shows glaciers in west Antarctica are moving faster, contributing to rising sea levels globally.

 

[Melodi]

Amazon opens till-free grocery store in London - the online retailer's first physical store outside the US

The world's largest online retailer has yet to dominate the grocery category but its expansion beyond the US signals an intention.

news.sky.com

Amazon opens till-free grocery store in London - the online retailer's first physical store outside the US
The world's largest online retailer has yet to dominate the grocery category but its expansion beyond the US signals an intention.
Thursday 4 March 2021 07:23, UK

• AMAZON

Image:Amazon Fresh in Ealing is the company's first physical store outside the US. Pic: Amazon UK
https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sha...etailer's first physical store outside the US
Why you can trust Sky News
Amazon will open its first physical store outside the US today - but the shopping experience will be a bit different.
Amazon Fresh is in Ealing, London, and it is much smaller than a supermarket.

It will sell prepared meals, some groceries, and Amazon devices, as well as having a counter for collecting and returning online orders.

Shoppers will scan a smartphone QR code to open the store's gates and their purchases will be tallied using ceiling cameras and shelf weight sensors.

The technology can also register when someone has put an item back on the shelf, if they change their mind, for instance.

The shopper's on-file credit card is billed after they leave the shop and a receipt is emailed, meaning they can walk out of the store without waiting to pay.

Amazon said the Just Walk Out technology uses "computer vision, deep learning algorithms, and sensor fusion".
ied to make grocery shopping "as convenient as possible".

"The focus was just creating a really easy shopping experience for customers," he said.

"We recognise that UK customers want to shop in a convenient way so we really think they will appreciate being able to walk in and walk out with the shopping they need."

Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, has yet to dominate the grocery category but its expansion beyond the US is a sign of its intention.

In the US, it acquired the Whole Foods Market chain in 2017 and has around two dozen Amazon Go stores, which are cashierless convenience stores.

It also has two Amazon Go Grocery stores, which are larger, and 10 Amazon Fresh supermarkets in California and Illinois.
The company said it is looking forward to opening more stores in the Greater London area.

In July last year, Amazon launched a grocery delivery service for Amazon Prime customers in or around London.
But it faces an uphill battle to break the dominance of the traditional players such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons and Ocado.

 

[Melodi]

Royal family accused of ‘double standards’ for announcing investigation into Meghan but not Prince Andrew

Buckingham Palace has announced a probe into allegations of bullying made against Meghan by former members of staff

www.independent.co.uk

Harry and Meghan: Royal family accused of ‘double standards’ for announcing investigation into Duchess but not Prince Andrew
Buckingham Palace has announced a probe into allegations of bullying made against Meghan by former members of staff

Namita Singh
4 hours ago
86 comments

The royal family has been accused of practising “double standards” over its investigation into the bullying accusations against the Duchess of Sussex, with some comparing it to the palace’s handling of questions about Prince Andrew’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

In an interview with Sky News, Carolyn Durant, the co-author of a biography of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle called Finding Freedom, accused the palace of hypocrisy in the matter.

It comes just a few days before the broadcast of a highly anticipated interview between Meghan and Harry and Oprah Winfrey, and after the palace announced that it would probe bullying claims levelled against the Duchess by former staffers.

The royal family did not publicly announce a probe into Prince Andrew’s friendship with the late Epstein after the latter was federally charged for sex trafficking minors in 2019.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the alleged victims of Epstein’s sex trafficking ring, has claimed that Prince Andrew had sex with her three times, including once when she was 17 years old and therefore a minor under US law. Prince Andrew has categorically denied the claim.

“Why is there an investigation into this bullying but there’s not been an investigation into Prince Andrew and the allegations surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and the women who have made allegations?” asked Durant.

“Why hasn’t he been urged to cooperate with US authorities? Why were Prince Harry’s military honours stripped [after he stepped down as a working royal] but Prince Andrew’s haven’t been?”


Katie Nichol, Vanity Fair’s royal editor, told the BBC’s Today programme: “I am seeing an increasing division between the UK and the US now – many Americans are Team Meghan, and I think this does pose a big problem for the royal family, they are hugely popular in America.

“You hear a lot of Americans saying this is a takedown, why are you talking about earrings, why are you talking about an investigation into bullying, you should be talking about Prince Andrew. That’s concerning.”

Tensions between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family have spilled over into the public since the first teaser trailers of their Oprah interview were released online. A spokesperson for the couple has suggested that the bullying investigation has been timed to undermine the US TV interview.

In one of the clips released so far, Meghan can be seen accusing the royal family of “perpetuating falsehoods” about her and Prince Harry, while referring to her in-laws as “The Firm”.

Harry and Meghan stepped down as working royals to pursue a new life in the US last year.

More about
Meghan MarkleSky NewsHarryPrinceRoyal FamilyBuckingham Palace

 

[northern watch]

First oak trees selected to replace Notre Dame's spire
Notre Dame cathedral officials say the first eight oaks destined to replace the spire of the scorched Paris monument have been selected from the Bercé forest in France's Loire region

By The Associated Press
5 March 2021, 11:40

The Associated Press
FILE - In this Sunday, April 21, 2019 file photo, workers fix a net to cover one of the iconic stained glass windows of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Notre Dame cathedral officials have said Friday, March 5, 2021 the first eight oaks destined to replace the spire of the scorched Paris monument have been selected from the Berce forest in the French Loire region. The iconic spire that was 96 metres (315 ft) high was completely destroyed in the fire that ravaged the Paris cathedral in 2019. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, file)

PARIS -- The first eight oak trees destined to replace the destroyed spire of Paris' scorched Notre Dame cathedral have been selected from the Bercé forest in the French Loire region, church officials said on Friday.

The iconic, 96 meter (315 foot) spire was completely destroyed in the fire that ravaged the Paris monument in 2019. It was made by architect Viollet-le-Duc in 1859.

“It is a source of pride for the foresters of the National Forestry Office to participate in the rebirth of Notre-Dame de Paris,” said Forestry Office Director Bertrand Munch.

The first oaks measure around one meter (3.2 feet) in diameter.

Officials said the 1,000 oaks that are needed to fully rebuild the spire are all scheduled to be cut by the end of March.

First oak trees selected to replace Notre Dame's spire - ABC News (go.com)

 

[Melodi]

This is temporary but it is also scary...

Declaration to Travel: government reveals new ‘exit permit’

The Declaration to Travel represents the latest tightening of the most draconian restrictions on movement ever known in peacetime

www.independent.co.uk

DECLARATION TO TRAVEL: GOVERNMENT REVEALS NEW ‘EXIT PERMIT’ REQUIRED TO LEAVE ENGLAND
The Declaration to Travel represents the latest tightening of the most draconian restrictions on movement ever known in peacetime

Simon Calder
Travel Correspondent
@SimonCalder
2 hours ago
166 comments

Less than 60 hours before an unprecedented exit permit will be required from outbound travellers, the government has revealed details of the new “Declaration to Travel”.
From Monday 8 March, anyone who enters “a port of departure to travel internationally” in England without a completed form will be committing a criminal offence – even if they are legally entitled to travel.

Airlines, train operators and ferry companies will be required to check that passengers have a valid reason to travel abroad.
Follow Covid news live: Latest vaccine updates

At present all holidays – at home or overseas – are illegal under the “stay-at-home” rule. The earliest possible date for going abroad from England for leisure is 17 May.
International travel is allowed only for a limited number of exemptions, including work, urgent family matters and medical treatment.

The form asks travellers for their personal details including their address, passport number and destination, and requires them to tick a box to indicate their claimed reason to travel.

The government says: “You may carry evidence to support your reason to travel.”
The Declaration to Travel represents the latest tightening of the most draconian restrictions on movement ever known in peacetime.

In January, the home secretary warned: “There are still too many people coming in and out of our country each day.”
Priti Patel told parliament that the Declaration to Travel was “a necessary step to protect the public and our world-class vaccination programme”.


Labour has supported government restrictions on movement, and has frequently called for tougher controls.
The publication of the permit coincided with Cyprus announcing it will open its borders to fully vaccinated travellers from 1 May.

 

[Melodi]

https://ncews.sky.com/story/swiss-vote-on-whether-to-ban-muslim-face-veils-12238686

Swiss vote on whether to ban Muslim face veils
Exemptions will be made for health reasons but if the referendum votes 'yes', burkas, niqabs and other face veils will be banned.

Philip Whiteside
News reporter
Sunday 7 March 2021 11:53, UK

• SWITZERLAND

Image:A partially torn poster put out by supporters of the poll reads "Stop extremism!" as a man in a COVID face mask walks by

• https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sha...wiss vote on whether to ban Muslim face veils

Why you can trust Sky News
Switzerland is deciding on whether to ban Muslim face veils in a national referendum - a move that was instigated before the coronavirus pandemic.

Voters will decide on a far-right proposal to ban anything that covers the face, like burkas and niqabs, making it a poll that is seen as a test of attitudes toward Muslims.

Masks to protect against COVID-19 will still be allowed as they are covered by the potential exemptions, which say coverings are allowed at religious sites, for health reasons or during particular weather conditions.

Often referred to as "the burka ban", the initiative by right-wing groups also includes outlawing the wearing of ski masks and bandanas often used for protesting.

Currently, masks to protect against COVID are mandatory in busy public places in Switzerland due to the pandemic.

The proposal would ban the wearing of other face coverings in public, notably in the streets, on public transport and in offices, restaurants, shops and football stadiums. Exceptions are not allowed for tourists.

It has been reported that only a handful of Swiss residents wear face coverings like burkas and niqabs.
https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...one-of-europes-worst-covid-outbreaks-12106509
The proposal under the Swiss system of direct democracy does not mention Islam directly but local politicians, media and campaigners have said it is an attack on the religion.

Image:Women, like this one wearing a niqab above lake Lungenersee, will have to remove their face covering if the referendum votes 'yes'

Opinion polls have indicated the measure could pass narrowly and the proposal will become law.

Walter Wobmann, chairman of the referendum committee and a member of parliament for the Swiss People's Party, has said: "In Switzerland, our tradition is that you show your face. That is a sign of our basic freedoms."

He described facial coverings like the burka and the niqab as "a symbol for this extreme, political Islam which has become increasingly prominent in Europe and which has no place in Switzerland".

The proposal, which to some seems out of date in a Europe where the wearing of masks for protection is now increasingly common and might well remain so for some time, gathered the necessary support to trigger a referendum in 2017.

Five other European countries have already introduced such a ban, including France and Austria. Two Swiss cantons already have local bans on face coverings.

If the move fails, there is a possibility visitors may still be obliged to show their faces at borders.

It is one of three referenda taking place on Sunday. Voters will also be polled on a government-backed electronic identity scheme and a free trade accord with Indonesia.

In 2009, Swiss people voted to ban building any new minarets.

 

[Melodi]

US bombers deployed to Arctic skies

The US has deployed long-range bomber planes to Norway, in a move seen as a message to Russia.

www.bbc.com

US bombers deployed to Arctic skies from Norway base


US bombers deployed to Arctic skies from Norway baseClose

The US has deployed long range bombers to Norway for the first time. Four B1 bombers will be operating out of Oland Air Base over the next few weeks.
It's being seen as a message to Moscow that the US is ready to defend its allies in the strategically contested Arctic region, which is rich in oil and gas. Under international law the North Pole and the ocean surrounding it are not owned by any country.
BBC Defence Correspondent Jonathan Beale reports from on board a US refuelling plane

 

[Melodi]

Now that is one heck of a life story...note he was 1/2 white...

Memorial to Rise of First Black Settler in Iceland

The Icelandic government has approved state funding for the memorial of farmer and merchant Hans Jónatan, believed to have been the first black man to have settled in Iceland.

icelandmonitor.mbl.is

Memorial to Rise of First Black Settler in Iceland

From Djúpivogur, the East Fjords. mbl.is/Sigurður Bogi
Vala Hafstað
vala@mbl.is
The Icelandic government has approved state funding for the memorial of farmer and merchant Hans Jónatan, believed to have been the first black man to have settled in Iceland, mbl.is reports.

The government allocated ISK 3 million (USD 24,000; EUR 20,000) to Múlaþing district toward the purchase the work Frelsi, or ‘Freedom,’ by Sigurður Guðmundsson. The memorial will be installed in Djúpivogur, the East Fjords, where Hans Jónatan lived.

Hans Jónatan was born into slavery in 1784 on the island of St Croix, which was a Danish colony at the time and part of the Danish West Indies. His mother was a black slave and his father a Caucasian. At the age of 12, he moved to his master’s home in Denmark. He ended up enlisting in the navy and later declared himself a free man. He subsequently became the subject of a most notorious slavery case, which he lost.

At the age of 21, he fled to Iceland, where he lived as a free man for the rest of his life. In Denmark, no one knew where he had fled until late in the 20th century.

According to the East Fjords local news service Austurfréttir, Hans Jónatan married an Icelandic woman by the name of Katrín Antoníusdóttir from the farm Háls. She was the daughter of the district officer. They had two children. Hans Jónatan worked as a store manager in Djúpivogur from 1818 until 1827.

He was a popular man in the East Fjords and said to be very likable.

A documentary about his life, The Man Who Stole Himself, premiered in 2017. It is based on an eponymous book by anthropologist Gísli Pálsson.

 

[Melodi]

Sweden proposes language requirement for would-be citizens

People applying for Swedish citizenship should be required to show proof of Swedish language skills and understanding of the Swedish society, according to a new inquiry.

www.thelocal.se

Sweden proposes language requirement for would-be citizens

Catherine Edwards
catherine.edwards@thelocal.com
@CatJREdwards

13 January 2021
11:42 CET

Updated
13 January 2021
11:42 CET
citizenshiplanguagemigrationnewsletterpolitics
Share this article

Justice Minister Morgan Johansson, right, and former supreme administrative court justice Mari Andersson who led the inquiry. Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

People applying for Swedish citizenship should be required to show proof of Swedish language skills and understanding of the Swedish society, according to a new inquiry.

Justice and Migration Minister Morgan Johansson presented details of an inquiry into the proposals on Wednesday morning.

“Language is the key to work, but also the key to society,” said Johansson as he outlined why the government thought it needed to find “a better balance between rights and responsibilities” for would-be citizens.

Foreign nationals applying to become Swedish would need proof of Swedish skills at A2 level for speaking and writing, the second lowest out of six levels on the Common European Framework of Reference, and B1 for reading and listening.

To take the test, it would cost 500 kronor ($60) for the section relating to civil society and 2,000 kronor for the language component.

• IN DEPTH: What we know so far about proposals for Swedish language tests for citizenship

See also on The Local:

Citizenship applicants could alternatively provide proof of passing Grade 9 in a Swedish high school, or a course at upper secondary school, or the highest level of the Swedish For Immigrants (SFI) course.

The language requirements would apply to people aged between 16 and 66 who apply for Swedish citizenship, but certain exceptions are proposed, including for people with certain disabilities or those who are from a vulnerable background – for example being stateless or illiterate – who can prove they have tried to reach the required knowledge level but been unsuccessful.

Citizens of other Nordic countries who live in Sweden would also be exempted, as they are subject to a different process and are only required to notify authorities, rather than apply, in order to receive citizenship.

The proposals were put together based on reviewing the processes in place in other European countries, of which only three including Sweden do not currently require a language test.

But the details aren't finalised yet. The next stage is to send the proposals out for consultation from relevant authorities, and they may be adapted depending on the responses received. Then a proposal would need to be passed by parliament and work to begin on putting together the tests.

“This is a reasonable proposal and we hope that it can be put into place as soon as possible, but of course this is a large organisational challenge,” said Johansson.

The government committed to investigating language tests for citizenship applicants in the cross-bloc deal struck with the Centre and Liberal parties, whose support the Social Democrat-Green coalition needed to form a government.
Separately, the government is looking into whether language skills should be required for permanent residence in Sweden.
Swedish vocabulary

citizenship – (ett) medborgarskap
language – (ett) språk
(government) inquiry – (en) utredning

 

[Melodi]

Germany seeks to improve oversight of firms' delivery chains

Germany’s Cabinet has approved legislation that seeks to make big companies ensure environmental rules and human rights are respected throughout their delivery chains

www.independent.co.uk

Germany seeks to improve oversight of firms' delivery chains
Germany’s Cabinet has approved legislation that seeks to make big companies ensure environmental rules and human rights are respected throughout their delivery chains
Via AP news wire
3 days ago

Germany Politics
((c) dpa-Pool)
Germany s Cabinet on Wednesday approved legislation that seeks to make big companies ensure environmental rules and human rights are respected throughout their delivery chains.

The plan, the result of prolonged haggling in Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition of center-right and center-left parties, is set to take effect from 2023.

It would apply initially to companies with 3,000 or more employees, and from 2024 to companies with 1,000 employees. The intention is to evaluate it after that to see whether more firms should be included. The plan needs parliamentary approval.

Companies are supposed to keep an eye on their delivery chains and, when they find evidence of abuses, work to remedy them. That might include a temporary suspension of business relations while “efforts to minimize risk” take place.

The legislation would require companies to put in place an internal complaints procedure allowing people affected by their or an associate's activities, or those of an indirect supplier, to register their concerns. They would have to report annually on their compliance with the legislation.

Non-governmental organizations and labor unions would be given the possibility to represent people affected by abuses in delivery chains before German courts.

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The plan has drawn some concern from German business groups, which worry about potential competitive disadvantages and want at least to see a level playing field within Europe.

 

[Melodi]

France extends lifetime of its oldest nuclear reactors

France’s nuclear safety authority has agreed to extend the operational lifetime of the country’s 32 oldest nuclear reactors by a decade to a total of as much as 50 years

www.independent.co.uk

News
France extends lifetime of its oldest nuclear reactors
France’s nuclear safety authority has agreed to extend the operational lifetime of the country’s 32 oldest nuclear reactors by a decade to a total of as much as 50 years
Via AP news wire
Thursday 25 February 2021 16:03

France Nuclear Reactors
(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
France’s nuclear safety authority agreed Thursday to extend the operational lifetime of the country’s 32 oldest nuclear reactors by a decade to as much as 50 years.

The public electricity company that operates the nuclear plants, EDF is in charge of ensuring the safety of the reactors which had previously been intended to run for 40 years.

The nuclear authority said in a statement that it finds that measures planned by EDF "open the prospect of continued operation of these reactors for a further ten years.”

Nuclear energy currently provides about 70% of French electricity, more than in any other country France aims to reduce that proportion to 50% by 2035 while boosting renewable energy.

Last year, France shut its oldest nuclear plant in Fessenheim, on the border with Germany, which had been supplying electricity since 1977. The government has outlined plans for 12 more reactor closures.

Most nuclear reactors were built in the 1980s, meaning they could be shut down in the 2030s.

Germany’s environment minister criticized the nuclear safety authority's decision.


“I respect the principle of national energy sovereignty, but I’m very concerned about the increasing superannuation of European nuclear power plants,” Svenja Schulze said in a statement Thursday. “This includes the old French reactors.”

Germany is phasing out its own nuclear power plants by the end of 2022, a decision taken in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan ten years ago.
______
Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

 

[Melodi]

Archeologists unearth intact ancient Roman chariot near Pompeii

Italian officials call the discovery of the four-wheeled carriage made of iron, bronze and tin ‘exceptional’.

www.aljazeera.com

Archeologists unearth intact ancient Roman chariot near Pompeii
Italian officials call the discovery of the four-wheeled carriage made of iron, bronze and tin ‘exceptional’.

The chariot's first iron element emerged on January 7 from the blanket of volcanic material filling the two-storey portico [Handout/AFP]

27 Feb 2021
Archaeologists in Italy have unearthed an ancient Roman ceremonial carriage from a villa just outside Pompeii, the city buried in a volcanic eruption in 79 AD.

The almost perfectly preserved four-wheeled carriage made of iron, bronze and tin was found near the stables of an ancient villa at Civita Giuliana, some 700 metres (2,297 feet) north of the walls of ancient Pompeii.

Massimo Osanna, the outgoing director of the Pompeii archaeological site, said the carriage was the first of its kind discovered in the area, which had so far yielded functional vehicles used for transport and work, but not for ceremonies.

“This is an extraordinary discovery that advances our understanding of the ancient world,” Osanna said
.
“What we have is a ceremonial chariot, probably the Pilentum referred to by some sources, which was employed not for everyday use or for agricultural transport, but to accompany community festivities, parades and processions,” he added.

The almost perfectly preserved four-wheeled carriage made of iron, bronze and tin was found near the stables of an ancient villa at Civita Giuliana [Handout/Reuters]The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD destroyed Pompeii, killing between 2,000 and 15,000 people.

The chariot was spared when the walls and roof of the structure it was in collapsed. It also survived looting by modern-day antiquities thieves, who had dug tunnels through to the site, grazing but not damaging the four-wheeled cart, according to officials.

The villa was discovered after police came across the illegal tunnels in 2017, officials said. Two people who live in the houses atop the site are currently on trial for allegedly digging more than 80 metres (262 feet) of tunnels at the site.
Last year, archaeologists found in the same area the skeletal remains of what are believed to have been a wealthy man and his male slave, attempting to escape death.

The chariot’s first iron element emerged on January 7 from the blanket of volcanic material filling the two-storey portico. Archaeologists believe the cart was used for festivities and parades, perhaps also to carry brides to their new homes.
Pompeii, 23km (14 miles) southeast of Naples, was home to about 13,000 people when it was buried under ash, pumice pebbles and dust as it endured the force of an eruption equivalent to many atomic bombs.

About two-thirds of the 66-hectare (165-acre) ancient town have been uncovered. The ruins were not discovered until the 16th century and organised excavations began in about 1750.

“Pompeii continues to amaze us with its discoveries and it will do so for many years, with 20 hectares still to be dug up,” said Dario Franceschini, Italy’s culture minister.

 

[Melodi]

The Santorini eruption in the Bronze Age is believed to have led to the downfall of the Minoan Empire a few decades later and some theologians believe it may have inspired some of the Biblical Plagues in Egypt, it is now known to have been much larger than originally thought. If it is heating up again that is disturbing...

Greek-US team maps Santorini volcano group | eKathimerini.com

A team of Greek and American scientists has created a geomorphologic map for Santorini, which, they say, can “enhance hazard assessments” on the popular southeastern Aegean island.

www.ekathimerini.com

SOCIETYSCIENCEGreek-US team maps Santorini volcano group

[InTime News]
Newsroom
05.03.2021 • 11:59

• A team of Greek and American scientists has created a geomorphologic map for Santorini, which, they say, can “enhance hazard assessments” on the popular southeastern Aegean island.

Describing Santorini as a “tourist hot-spot,” the scientists from the universities of Athens, Tucson, Oregon and Arizona State, add that it is also “at high risk for volcanically- and seismically-induced hazards.”

The scientists, whose paper on the subject was published in the Journal of Maps on March 2, applied planetary geologic mapping methods to submarine data to create an onshore-offshore geomorphologic map of the Christiana-Santorini-Kolumbo Volcanic Group.

“Submarine geomorphologic maps are used to provide geologic context and spatial information on landforms and related geo-hazards for risk management,” they say in the abstract of their paper.

 

[northern watch]

Swiss vote on proposal to ban face coverings in public
Swiss voters have delivered their verdict on a proposal to ban face coverings, both the niqabs and burqas worn by a few Muslim women and the ski masks and bandannas used by protesters
By The Associated Press
7 March 2021, 06:30

The Associated Press
A poster supporting the initiative 'Yes to a ban on covering the face' is displayed at the village Buochs, Switzerland, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. At a time when seemingly everyone in Europe is wearing masks to battle COVID-19, the Swiss go to the polls Sunday March 7, 2021, to vote on a long-laid proposal to ban face-coverings like niqabs and burqas worn by some Muslim women or by protesters in ski masks or bandannas. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP)

BERLIN -- Swiss voters delivered their verdict Sunday on a proposal to ban face coverings, both the niqabs and burqas worn by a few Muslim women in the country and the ski masks and bandannas used by protesters. A projection after polls closed pointed to a very close result.

The measure would outlaw covering one's face in public places like restaurants, sports stadiums, public transport or simply walking in the street. There would be exceptions at religious sites and for security or health reasons, such as the face masks people are wearing now to protect against COVID-19, as well as for traditional Carnival celebrations. Authorities would have two years to draw up detailed legislation.

The Swiss government opposes the measure and says that people covering their faces is a “marginal” issue. It argues the measure could harm tourism — most Muslim women who wear such veils in Switzerland are visitors from well-heeled Persian Gulf states, who are often drawn to Swiss lakeside cities. And it says that it wouldn't help the women affected.

It backs instead requiring people to show their faces if requested to do so by authorities.

Supporters of the proposal, which is coming to a vote five years after it was launched and has come to be known colloquially as the “burqa ban,” argue that the full-face coverings symbolize the repression of women and say the measure is needed to uphold a basic principle that faces should be shown in a free society like Switzerland's.

A projection for national public broadcaster SRG after polls closed put support for the proposal at 51%, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Pre-referendum polls had suggested that backing had eroded over recent weeks, and a close result was expected. Proposals need a majority of both voters and cantons to pass in Switzerland’s frequent referendums.

Two of Switzerland's 26 cantons, or states, Ticino and St. Gallen, already have similar legislation that foresees fines for transgressions. National legislation would put Switzerland in line with countries like Belgium and France that have already enacted similar measures.

Backers include the nationalist Swiss People's Party, which is the strongest in parliament and backed previous measures such as a ban on the construction of new minarets that voters approved in 2009.

This time around, a coalition of left-leaning parties that opposes the proposal has put up signs that read: “Absurd. Useless. Islamophobic.”

Swiss vote on proposal to ban face coverings in public - ABC News (go.com)

 

[northern watch]

Swiss narrowly back proposal to ban face coverings in public
Swiss voters have narrowly approved a proposal to ban face coverings, both the niqabs and burqas worn by a few Muslim women in the country and the ski masks and bandannas used by protesters

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press
7 March 2021, 10:18

The Associated Press
A poster supporting the initiative 'Yes to a ban on covering the face' is displayed at the village Buochs, Switzerland, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. At a time when seemingly everyone in Europe is wearing masks to battle COVID-19, the Swiss go to the polls Sunday March 7, 2021, to vote on a long-laid proposal to ban face-coverings like niqabs and burqas worn by some Muslim women or by protesters in ski masks or bandannas. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP)

BERLIN -- Swiss voters narrowly approved on Sunday a proposal to ban face coverings, both the niqabs and burqas worn by a few Muslim women in the country and the ski masks and bandannas used by protesters.

The measure will outlaw covering one's face in public places like restaurants, sports stadiums, public transport or simply walking in the street. It foresees exceptions at religious sites and for security or health reasons, such as face masks people are wearing now to protect against COVID-19, as well as for traditional Carnival celebrations. Authorities have two years to draw up detailed legislation.

Two Swiss cantons, or states, Ticino and St. Gallen, already have similar legislation that foresees fines for transgressions. National legislation will put Switzerland in line with countries such as Belgium and France that have already enacted similar measures.

The Swiss government had opposed the measure as excessive, arguing that full-face coverings are a “marginal phenomenon.” It argued that the ban could harm tourism — most Muslim women who wear such veils in Switzerland are visitors from well-heeled Persian Gulf states, who are often drawn to Swiss lakeside cities.

Experts estimate that at most a few dozen Muslim women wear full-face coverings in the country of 8.5 million people.

Supporters of the proposal, which came to a vote five years after it was launched, argued that the full-face coverings symbolize the repression of women and said the measure is needed to uphold a basic principle that faces should be shown in a free society like Switzerland's.

In the end, 51.2% of voters supported the plan. There were majorities against it in six of Switzerland's 26 cantons — among them those that include the country's three biggest cities, Zurich, Geneva and Basel, and the capital, Bern. SRF public television reported that voters in several popular tourist destinations including Interlaken, Lucerne and Zermatt rejected it.

Backers included the nationalist Swiss People's Party, which is the strongest in parliament. The committee that launched the proposal is led by a lawmaker from the party, Walter Wobmann, and also initiated a ban on the construction of new minarets that voters approved in 2009.

A coalition of left-leaning parties that opposes the proposal put up signs ahead of the referendum that read: “Absurd. Useless. Islamophobic.”

Wobmann told SRF that the initiative addressed both “a symbol of a completely different system of values ... extremely radical Islam” and security against “hooligans.” He said that “this has nothing to do with symbolic politics.”

Voters had their say on two other issues Sunday. They clearly rejected a proposed voluntary “e-ID” to improve the security of online transactions — an idea that ran afoul of privacy advocates, as it would have been issued by private companies — and narrowly approved a free-trade deal with Indonesia.

Swiss narrowly back proposal to ban face coverings in public - ABC News (go.com)

 

[Plain Jane]

EU lawmakers lift the immunity of 3 Catalan separatists

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Parliament on Tuesday lifted the immunity of the former president of Spain’s Catalonia region, Carles Puigdemont, and two of his associates, a move that could pave the way for their extradition and reopen the scars of separatism in Spain. The Spanish government...

apnews.com

Click to copy
EU lawmakers lift the immunity of 3 Catalan separatists
By RAF CASERT and ARITZ PARRA20 minutes ago



1 of 9
Member of European Parliament Carles Puigdemont prepares for an interview at the European Parliament in Brussels, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. The European Parliament on Tuesday voted to lift the immunity of the former president of Spain's Catalonia region, Carles Puigdemont, and two of his associates, a move which could pave the way for their extradition. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Parliament on Tuesday lifted the immunity of the former president of Spain’s Catalonia region, Carles Puigdemont, and two of his associates, a move that could pave the way for their extradition and reopen the scars of separatism in Spain.
The Spanish government immediately welcome the decision by the European Union’s legislature as a victory for the rule of law and against those who sought to break the rich northeastern region away from the rest of Spain.

The decision will likely also extend the 3 1/2-year legal saga on the fate of the three separatists by months, if not years, since many avenues for appeal remain open before any possible extraditions.

In the decision on Puigdemont, 400 legislators voted for the waiver of immunity, 248 were against and 45 abstained. The measures to lift the immunity of his associates — former Catalan Health Minister Toni Comín and former regional Education Minister Clara Ponsatí — were by largely similar margins.

“We have lost our immunity, but the European Parliament has lost more than that. And as a result, European democracy, too,” Puigdemont said afterward. “This is a clear case of political persecution.”

He said that “the European Parliament has unfortunately fallen into this strategy.”

Puigdemont and a number of his separatist colleagues fled to Belgium in October 2017, fearing arrest after holding an independence referendum for Catalonia that the Spanish courts and government said was illegal.

In 2019, Puigdemont and his two associates won seats in the European Parliament and were afforded protection as members of the EU assembly.

Ponsatí said the three will appeal the assembly’s decision to the EU’s higher courts in Luxembourg.

“We are very convinced that we have very strong grounds for this appeal,” she said, adding that the legislature’s handling of the move was “clumsy, sloppy and without due procedure.”
“The conflicts of interest that interfere in the process were outrageous,” she said.

Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya said the assembly’s decision showed that Puigdemont and his two aides can’t hide behind their legislative seats to avoid appearing before the justice system. In a video statement, González Laya also said the decision meant that “the problems of Catalonia are solved in Spain, they are not solved in Europe.”

Dolors Montserrat, a European lawmaker with the center-right European People’s Party and a former Cabinet member of the Spanish administration that ousted Puigdemont, told Spanish broadcaster TVE: “Spain wins, Europe wins, democracy wins.” She added the decision certified that Puigdemont is “a fugitive who has to answer before Spanish courts.”

Iratxe Garcia Perez, the leader of the S&D socialist group, said “the European Parliament doesn’t judge anybody. We just guarantee that justice does its job. A clear majority, absolute majority of the parliament, supported the fact that Spanish justice should be able to do its job.”

Despite the wide margin to lift the three lawmakers’ immunity, Comín said the vote did show two sides of the debate, notning that many European lawmakers “are telling the minister that they don’t trust the Spanish justice.”

The 2017 independence vote in favor of Catalonia breaking away from Spain was a landslide, but those in favor of Spanish unity spurned the vote. The central government in Madrid declared the vote illegal and unconstitutional. Hundreds of people in Catalonia were injured in a police crackdown on the day of the poll.

Spain has attempted to have Puigdemont returned for trial but failed to persuade Belgian justice authorities to extradite him. Spain could well start new efforts now to have him extradited.

Since 2017, official elections have repeatedly shown that Catalan voters are equally split by the secession question. In a regional election last month, Catalonia’s arm of the Socialist Party that leads the ruling coalition at the national level obtained a narrow victory, although separatist parties broadened their majority in the northeastern region’s assembly.
___
Parra reported from Madrid.

 

[Melodi]

Pieces of rare meteorite recovered in UK

A meteorite that fell from the fireball that lit up the sky over the UK and northern Europe last month has been found and identified as a type that has never fallen anywhere in Britain before.

www.rte.ie

Pieces of rare meteorite recovered in UK
Updated / Tuesday, 9 Mar 2021 08:17

This is the first known carbonaceous chondrite to have been found in the UK, and the first meteorite recovered in the UK in 30 years

A meteorite that fell from the fireball that lit up the sky over the UK and northern Europe last month has been found and identified as a type that has never fallen anywhere in Britain before.

Fragments of the fireball have been located in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, and are now in the care of museum scientists.

The meteorite, likely to be known as the Winchcombe meteorite, is an extremely rare type called a carbonaceous chondrite.

These have been known to contain organics and amino acids - ingredients for life.

The meteorite will be the target of an unprecedented research effort providing answers to questions about the early history of the solar system and life on Earth.

Footage of the fireball from the public and the UK Fireball Alliance camera networks helped locate the meteorite and determine where it came from.

Almost 300g of the rare meteorite survived its fiery passage through the Earth's atmosphere and landed on a driveway.

Other pieces of it have now been recovered in the local area after it was spotted on 28 February.

The original space rock was travelling at nearly 14km per second before hitting the Earth's atmosphere.

Experts say the meteorite was retrieved in such a good condition, and so quickly after its fall, that it is comparable to the samples returned from space missions, both in quality and quantity.




Dr Ashley King, UK research and innovation future leaders fellow in the department of earth sciences at the Natural History Museum, was among the first on the scene when the meteorite was discovered and has been advising on the handling and care of it since.

He said: "Nearly all meteorites come to us from asteroids, the leftover building blocks of the solar system that can tell us how planets like the Earth formed.

"The opportunity to be one of the first people to see and study a meteorite that was recovered almost immediately after falling is a dream come true."

Dr Richard Greenwood, research fellow in planetary sciences at the Open University, was the first scientist to identify and advise on the meteorite.

He said: "I was in shock when I saw it and immediately knew it was a rare meteorite and a totally unique event.

"It's emotional being the first one to confirm to the people standing in front of you that the thud they heard on their driveway overnight is in fact the real thing."

A team of specialist scientists from across the UK have been searching the rest of the predicted fall area for more fragments including colleagues from The University of Glasgow, The University of Manchester, The Open University, The University of Plymouth and Imperial College London.

There are approximately 65,000 known meteorites on Earth. Only 1,206 have been witnessed to fall and of these only 51 are carbonaceous chondrites.

This is the first known carbonaceous chondrite to have been found in the UK, and the first meteorite recovered in the UK in 30 years, researchers say.

Professor Sara Russell, merit researcher in cosmic mineralogy at the museum advised on the care of the meteorite once it was located.

She said: "The Japanese space mission Hayabusa2 returned around 4.5g of fragments from asteroid Ryugu to Earth in December last year, and at the museum we are helping to characterise this material.

"The Winchcombe meteorite fall is very timely as the rock is similar to Ryugu in many ways, and we can use the meteorite to rehearse for mission analyses."

 

[Melodi]

v
Ken Follett gives book proceeds to French cathedral restoration fund
Author donates proceeds from book about Notre-Dame fire to project to save cathedral in Brittany

Follet is giving €148,000 (£127,000) towards a multimillion project to save Saint-Samson de Dol-de-Bretagne cathedral. Photograph: Hemis/Alamy

Kim Willsher in Paris
Tue 9 Mar 2021 11.16 GMT


The bestselling British author Ken Follett is donating the proceeds from his book about the Notre-Dame fire to restore a cathedral in Brittany.

Follet is giving €148,000 (£127,000) towards a multimillion euro project to save Saint-Samson de Dol-de-Bretagne cathedral.

The sum is what he has made from his book Notre-Dame: a Short History of the Meaning of Cathedrals, written after the Paris monument was ravaged by fire in April 2019, which has sold 113,000 copies worldwide.

The money is being given to the French Fondation du patrimoine (Patrimony Foundation) and will be put towards the €2.4m cost of restoring the Brittany cathedral, a Gothic monument listed since 1840, but in a parlous state of repair.

Ken Follett. Photograph: Beatriz Velasco/Getty Images
“I didn’t want to profit from the [Notre-Dame] fire,” French media quoted Follett saying after the donation was revealed. “Also, these ancient buildings have given me enormous pleasure over the years. They inspired me to write Pillars of the Earth, my most-read book.”

Saint-Samson de Dol-de-Bretagne, in the Ille-et-Vilaine department east of Saint-Malo, was constructed in honour of Saint Samson, a bishop monk from Cardiff in Wales who arrived in the area in 548 and built a monastery. Dol became the religious capital of Brittany and a cathedral was built, only to be destroyed in 1014 by Vikings, after which another cathedral was built on the site. In 1203, the English King John, known in France as Jean sans Terre (John with no land) set fire to the Dol cathedral but, fearing for his soul, then agreed to finance its reconstruction. After the revolution, it became a “Temple of Reason” then stables and a warehouse. It is undergoing a major renovation expected to be completed in 2024.
Follett said he had chosen the Dol cathedral because “It’s not very far from me in England”.

“I want to visit the cathedral, I want to see how they spent this money to restore it, so it’s convenient not to be too far away,” he said.

Denis Rapinel, the mayor of Dol-de-Bretagne, said he was delighted with the donation. “It’s a bit like Christmas in March with something that has fallen from the sky. The cathedral is a symbolic building that contributes to Dol’s fame, but it’s an important burden for a small town of 6,000 inhabitants,” he said.

“Ken Follett’s generosity will help speed up the pace of the [renovation] work. We were able to finance between €150,000-€200,000 a year so it means we can bring forward the completion of the works by about a year.”

 

[Melodi]

Likeliest Location for Potential Eruption: Near Fagradalsfjall

Seismic activity on the Reykjanes peninsula increased considerably at 5:20 this morning.

icelandmonitor.mbl.is

Likeliest Location for Potential Eruption: Near Fagradalsfjall

The location of the latest tremors. Map/Icelandic Met Office
Vala Hafstað
vala@mbl.is
Seismic activity on the Reykjanes peninsula increased considerably at 5:20 this morning at the south end of the magma dyke that has formed south of Fagradalsfjall, mbl.is reports. This tremor pulse lasted until about 7 am. The tremor was very localized and likely indicates that the size of the dyke is increasing, according to vedur.is .

According to Kristín Jónsdóttir, natural hazards specialist at the Icelandic Met Office, the likeliest location for a potential volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula would be south of Fagradalsfjall mountain, mbl.is reports.
No large earthquakes occurred overnight, but 930 tremors have registered since midnight.


Kristín Jónsdóttir, natural hazards specialist at the Icelandic Met Office. mbl.is/Kristinn Magnússon


This is the third time a tremor pulse hits the area since the seismic activity began on Wednesday, last week.
“I think this is a sign the magma dyke is growing very fast,” Kristín told mbl.is early this morning, referring to the latest tremor pulse.

She told mbl.is yesterday that the most active area is at the south end of the magma dyke, where the dyke not only seems to be growing toward the southwest, but also moving closer to the surface, to a depth of only about 1 km.

She added that the end of the dyke has lately extended between 1 and 1.5 km toward the southwest.

It appears that magma is present only by Fagradalsfjall mountain, she stated. “That is the likeliest location for an eruption, farthest south in this magma dyke,” she predicted.

The dotted red line indicates the location of the magma dyke. The gray oval shapes show the areas of seismic activity. Map/Scientific Council of the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management

The Scientific Council of the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management announced yesterday that possible scenarios include the following:

- Seismic activity will decrease in the coming days or weeks.

- Seismic activity will increase and include larger earthquakes of up to 6 in magnitude near Fagradalsfjall mountain.

- An earthquake of up to 6.5 in magnitude could hit, the source of which would be Brennisteinsfjöll mountains.

- A magma intrusion could continue near Fagradalsfjall mountain with either of the two consequences:
1. Magma intrusion activity could decrease and the magma solidify.
2. An effusive eruption would result [i.e. one in which lava steadily flows onto the ground], creating a lava flow, which most likely would not be a threat to inhabited areas.

 

[Melodi]

Sweden jails Isis mother who took two-year-old son to Syria

A Swedish woman has been locked up for three years for taking her young son with her when she travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State (Isis or IS).

www.thelocal.se

Sweden jails Isis mother who took two-year-old son to Syria


AFP/The Local
news@thelocal.se
@thelocalsweden

9 March 2021
07:39 CET

Police at Lund District Court in southern Sweden on the first day of the trial. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
A Swedish woman has been locked up for three years for taking her young son with her when she travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State (Isis or IS).

The 31-year-old woman, who arrived in Syria via Turkey in mid 2014, was convicted of “arbitrary conduct with a child” for putting her then two-year-old son’s life at risk, the court said in a ruling obtained by AFP.

After her arrest by Kurdish forces in early 2018 followed by lengthy detentions in prison camps, the woman managed to flee to Turkey in early 2020.


She was expelled to Sweden in November, with her son and two other children born from her marriage to an Isis fighter.
The court in the southern town of Lund ruled that the woman must have known she was travelling to a war zone controlled by the jihadist organisation which had just declared a caliphate in the territories it controlled in Syria and Iraq.

Separated from her son’s father – the plaintiff in the case – the mother had received his permission to take the boy on the trip, telling him they were going on vacation to Turkey.

She told the court she only intended to spend a few days in Syria, but the court said the prosecutor had proven she had intended to stay.

The woman plans to appeal the verdict, her lawyer told Swedish news agency TT.

Around 300 Swedes or Swedish residents, a quarter of whom are women, joined Isis in Syria and Iraq, most of them in 2013 and 2014, according to Sweden’s intelligence service Säpo.

“Around half of them, about 150, have returned,” Magnus Ranstorp, terrorism expert at the Swedish Defence University, told AFP.

Sweden did not have existing legislation at the time to prosecute people for membership in a terrorist organisation, so there have been very few trials in Sweden, Ranstorp said.

Murders or war crimes can be investigated but convictions remain difficult to obtain.

Two Swedes were however sentenced to life in prison in December 2015 by a court in Gothenburg, their conviction resting largely on videos showing them participating in decapitations.

Other returning Isis fighters have been convicted of crimes and misdemeanours in Sweden, according to local media.
According to Ranstorp, 75 percent of those who joined a jihadist organisation are Swedish nationals, and 34 percent were born in Sweden.

 

[Plain Jane]

Armenia: PM sacks army chief amid coup fears – DW – 03/10/2021

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has taken a step to counter what he has called an attempted coup by the military.

www.dw.com

Armenian prime minister fires army chief amid coup fears
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has taken a step to counter what he has called an attempted coup by the military.




Armenia was involved in a deadly conflict with Azerbaijan in late 2020

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan relieved the country's Chief of General Staff Onik Gasparyan of his duties on Wednesday, according to an official statement
Pashinyan has been under pressure from the military to step down following a deadly conflict with Azerbaijan.

The prime minister called the demand an attempted coup and began legal proceedings to force out the army's top general.

Opposition protesters blocked the entrances to the parliament building in Yerevan on Tuesday evening, saying that they would not leave until Pashinyan stepped down, Russian news agency IFAX reported.

What is the background to Pashinyan's dispute with the military?
The prime minister has been holding onto power despite an ongoing spat with top military leaders and the fallout from Armenia's defeat in the conflict with Azerbaijan.

In the aftermath, Pashinyan claimed that the Russian-made Iskander missiles used by the military had been ineffective. This claim was refuted by the deputy chief of the armed forces, who was subsequently fired.

Gasparyan and over 40 other top military officials then called for the prime minister to resign.
In late February, Pashinyan tried to remove the chief of general staff, but this was blocked by President Armen Sarkissian. The prime minister made a second attempt and succeeded in ousting Gasaryan on Wednesday.



Watch video01:37
Armenian opposition protesters rally in Yerevan
Why is the Armenian prime minister under pressure?
The 45-year-old prime minister came to power in 2018 as part of a popular movement to remove the longtime leader Serzh Sargsyan. He is now facing a new popular movement — with military support — that is seeking his own removal.

The opposition has been pressuring him to step down based on his handling of the Azerbaijan conflict. Armenia lost de facto control over much of the majority ethnic Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan.

More than 47,000 people died in the conflict.
Pashinyan's own supporters also took to the streets at the end of February to rally behind him. He has said he is "ready" to face early elections to sure up his position.

 

[Melodi]

https://www.thelocal.de/20210309/eu-warns-it-could-block-more-vaccine-exports/

EU warns it could block more vaccine exports


9 March 2021
15:21 CET

Updated
9 March 2021
14:47 CET
coronavirus-vaccineeuropean-unionursula-von-der-leyen
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expects supply of coronavirus vaccines to increase in April. (Photo by Francisco Seco/AFP

European Commission chief says Italy's decision to block an export to Australia last week was "not a one-off"

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen warned on Monday that the bloc could halt further exports of the coronavirus vaccine, after Italy stopped a shipment to Australia.

“That was not a one-off,” the president of the European Commission told business newspaper Wirtschaftswoche.
Italy last week revealed it had blocked the export of 250,700 doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine meant for Australia, blaming the shortage of jabs in virus-hit Europe — and the lack of urgent need in Australia.

Defending Italy’s action, von der Leyen said AstraZeneca had delivered less than 10 percent of the volumes that the bloc had ordered for December to March

The European Commission has criticised the Anglo-Swedish company for failing to fulfil its delivery schedule to the EU, even as it supplied full doses to Britain.

Under the EU scheme, a company wanting to export outside the bloc needs to apply for permission to the national government, which decides after consulting the commission.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert last week stressed the EU was supplying vaccines to the whole world — unlike countries such as the United States.

“We stand by this European approach, which differs from the American approach when it comes to production, for instance,” Seibert said.

100 million doses vow
As criticism rises within the 27-nation bloc over its stuttering rollout, the commission is battling to secure doses to get the pace of vaccinations back on track.

Von der Leyen said in a separate interview with Stuttgarter Nachrichten newspaper that she expected the bloc to receive 100 million doses every month from April, thanks both to higher delivery volumes and the regulatory approval of more vaccines.

The EU would receive “in the second quarter an average of around 100 million doses a month, in total 300 million by end June”, she said.

By February 26, the bloc with a population of 446 million people had received 51.5 million doses, according to official EU data.

The bloc has already approved three vaccines — BioNTech/Pfizer, AstraZeneca/Oxford and Moderna — and the European Medicines Agency is due to decide on Thursday on the Johnson & Johnson single-shot jab.
The regulator last week began a rolling review of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.

 

[Melodi]

Russia 'slows' Twitter over failure to remove banned content

Russia's media watchdog accuses the social network of failing to remove content related to drug use, suicide and child pornography. Twitter is also used widely by supporters of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

www.euronews.com

Russia 'slows' Twitter over failure to remove content they say is illegal
COMMENTS
By Euronews, AFP • Updated: 10/03/2021 - 12:25

FILE- This April 26, 2017, file photo shows the Twitter app on a mobile phone in Philadelphia, United States. - Copyright Matt Rourke/Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

No pictures, no videos. Russia's Twitter users faced service disruptions on Wednesday after the media regulator announced it was slowing down the social network's speed in the country.
Internet watchdog Roskomnadzor says Twitter has repeatedly refused to remove banned content on drug use, suicide or child pornography.

In recent weeks, Moscow has been critical of foreign social networks for failing to moderate posts in support of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, whose imprisonment last month drew international condemnation and nationwide protests.

• Twitter accused of 'maliciously violating' Russian laws on removing content
• Russian opposition leader Navalny sent to prison outside Moscow

But the statement of Roskomnadzor did not refer to political matters, slamming Twitter among other things for not reacting to "calls for minors to commit mass suicide on March 3, 2021."

"The slowdown will be implemented on 100% of mobile devices and 50% of fixed devices," the statement said.

"If Twitter continues to ignore the requirements of the law, the enforcement measures will be continued in line with the response regulations and all the way to blocking," Roskomnadzor continued.

The agency says Twitter has ignored over 28,000 requests to delete banned content since 2017.
Russian Twitter users took to the social network to mock the decision, with some calling it "censorship."

"If the work of Twitter is slowed down by Russian authorities in the same way as the rise in food prices, then I am calm," one user wrote.

"To slow Twitter down, Roskomnadzor plans to integrate Russian Post into the service," said another.

The websites of the Kremlin, the State Duma and of Roscomnadzor were down on Wednesday morning. Authorities say the outage has nothing to do with their recent Twitter decision.

A large number of government websites and online services were disrupted in 2018 when authorities tried to restrict the use of messaging app, Telegram.

 

[Plain Jane]

Nordic countries halt use of AstraZeneca vaccine – DW – 03/11/2021

Denmark, Iceland and Norway have stopped administering the shot while Italy has banned the use of a batch of AstraZeneca doses as a precaution after an unconfirmed number of people developed blood clots.

www.dw.com

COVID: Several European countries halt use of AstraZeneca vaccine
Denmark, Iceland and Norway have stopped administering the shot while Italy has banned the use of a batch of AstraZeneca doses as a precaution after an unconfirmed number of people developed blood clots.





Health authorities in Denmark, Norway and Iceland on Thursday suspended the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine after reports of blood clots among some people who had received the inoculation.

The Danish Health Authority on Thursday halted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for 14 days.

It follows reports of "serious cases of blood clots among vaccinated people," a statement read.
However, the authority stopped short of saying there was a direct link between the vaccine and the blood clots, "at the time being."

"It is currently not possible to conclude whether there is a link. We are acting early, it needs to be thoroughly investigated," Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said on Twitter.

Polly Roy, a virologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told DW that she believes the clots were, however, "probably not due to the vaccine itself."
"Maybe they have some underlying problem," said Roy.



Watch video00:28
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Denmark’s decision to put use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine on hold
How many countries have suspended the jab?
Shortly after Denmark's announcement, Iceland and Norway followed suit and stopped administering the vaccine.

Italy also moved on Thursday to ban a batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine following reports "of some serious adverse effects." The country's medicine regulator stressed, however, that there was currently no established link between the alleged side-effects and the administration of doses.

Danish, EU authorities launch an investigation
The Danish Medicines Agency said it had launched an investigation into the vaccine.
The probe is being carried out by corresponding agencies in other EU-countries as well as the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

The EMA is in charge of the evaluation and supervision of medicinal products across the 27-member EU.

"Both we and the Danish Medicines Agency have to respond to reports of possible serious side-effects, both from Denmark and other European countries," the director of the Danish Health Authority, Soren Brostrom, said in a statement.

Many people in Germany are reluctant to get the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca

What EMA and AstraZeneca said about the vaccine
AstraZeneca said its shots are subject to strict and rigorous quality controls, adding that there have been "no confirmed serious adverse events associated with the vaccine."

"There is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine," the EMA said in a statement. "The vaccine’s benefits continue to outweigh its risks."

On Monday, Austria stopped using AstraZeneca shots while investigating a death from coagulation disorders and an illness from a pulmonary embolism.

The EMA found no evidence linking the Austrian cases to the AstraZeneca vaccine, the agency said on Wednesday.

It said the number of thromboembolic events — marked by the formation of blood clots — in people who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine is no higher than that seen in the general population.

Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Latvia have also halted inoculations with the vaccine while the investigation continues.

France and Spain continue AstraZeneca rollout
Spain and France, meanwhile, said the AstraZeneca vaccine would continue to be administered to citizens in the respective countries.

Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias said her country would still use the vaccine and had not discovered any cases of blood clots related to it.

And French Health Minister Olivier Veran said: "There is no need to suspend AstraZeneca. The upside of vaccinations at this stage outweighs the risks."

There had been 22 cases of such events being reported among the 3 million people who have received the AstraZeneca shot as of March 9.



Watch video02:40
South Africa halts AstraZeneca vaccine rollout
AstraZeneca vaccine use in Europe
A delivery of 1 million doses of the vaccine developed by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company vaccine went to 17 EU countries.

A lack of efficacy data on its use in people over 65 has led to several health authorities limiting its use.

Germany's independent Standing Committee on Vaccination (Stiko) recently approved the AstraZeneca for use in people of all ages after new data was released.

However, many AstraZeneca doses are going unused in Germany due to worries that the vaccine is less effective against virus mutations.

South Africa halted the rollout of the vaccine due to a trial showing it was less effective against the South African B.1.351 COVID variant.