PORTRAIT – As soon as the UK-EU divorce agreement is signed, the Scottish First Minister, who is unafraid of obstacles, announced she would call for a new self-determination referendum and strike at the door to the EU.
“We will be back soon.” At the start of 2021, the video spot for the European Union broadcast on social networks by the Scottish authorities is more than nostalgia: it is a declaration of intent. Quite clearly, he postulates that a future independent Scotland will apply for EU membership without delay. There is, however, a long way from the cup to the lips. Such a project supposes that London gives the green light to a new referendum on independence, that a majority of Scots respond with a yes and that Brussels is ready to welcome secessionists.
Read also :Nicola Sturgeon: “Scotland is determined to follow a legal path to become an independent state”
Nicola Sturgeon is not afraid of obstacles. Immediately after the UK-EU divorce agreement, the Scottish First Minister, who heads the government of Edinburgh and presides over the destinies of the Scottish National Party (SNP), announced that she would call for a new self-determination referendum and knock on the door of the EU.
Is that the lady has character and continuation in
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ANALYSIS – Anti-system leaders, who have lost their role model and mainstay, are forced to reinvent themselves.
The election of Joe Biden is a blow to European populism or illiberal regimes, to which Donald Trump had given credibility and diplomatic support. His defeat, the attack on Capitol Hill and Brexit were all stab wounds to their political certainties.
Read also :Does Donald Trump’s Defeat Sign the End of Populism?
One after the other, they ended up distancing themselves from the one they considered both a protector and an inspirer. Many had already been shocked by his refusal to accept defeat. But the invasion of Parliament played a big part in this turnaround, which was sometimes spectacular. Czech leaders turned their jackets in the blink of an eye. Prime Minister Andrej Babis took off his red Trumpian baseball cap after the attack on Capitol Hill and sent Joe Biden a warm congratulatory letter. Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic also called for a “strong cooperationWith the new American president. Matteo Salvini, the
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STORY – The new Congolese president has launched a dangerous political offensive to outnumber his powerful predecessor.
Nowhere are duumvirats made to last, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) probably less than elsewhere. The Congolese feared the inevitable struggle between President Félix Tshisekedi and his predecessor Joseph Kabila, who, for two years, had shared the head of the African giant. She started quietly, simple brittle statements or mood swings, before turning, in early December, into a political fight to the death. In this dangerous game, Felix Tshisekedi seems to emerge victorious. “He is much more skilful than one might expect”, comments, half worried, half admiring, a senior French official. The loss of influence of Joseph Kabila was symbolized, ten days ago, in the rallying of Lambert Mende to the presidential wake. The Congolese, yet used to the extreme ideological flexibility of their leaders, expressed their astonishment. Lambert Mende was for a long time a faithful of the strong ex-man, follower of a hard line and
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Philipp S. is on trial for having stored an arsenal and neo-Nazi relics, raising the question of the infiltration of extremist networks into the army.
Correspondent in Berlin
With its sword crowned with two laurel leaves, the badge of the Bundeswehr Special Forces Commando loses its luster. It is an embarrassing trial for this elite unit of the German army (KSK according to its acronym), which begins on Friday in Leipzig, with one of its members, summoned to the dock, and above which floats a scent of omerta. This 45-year-old soldier, Philipp S., does not explain why he stored in his house in Collm, in the Land of Saxony, an AK 47 assault rifle, several stun grenades, two kilos of explosives, ten detonators, thousands of rifle and pistol ammunition… as well as Nazi relics.
Read also :The future of Germany’s elite troop is at stake
The arsenal was discovered during a search in May 2020. The man has been charged with violating the law on arms control. Forbidden to wear a uniform, he spent a few months in preventive detention before being released under judicial supervision. And Germany, forever
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+++ 03:17 Mexico’s President suffers from Covid-19 +++
The Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is sick with Covid-19. The 67-year-old head of state and government announced on Twitter that he had tested positive for the corona virus, had mild symptoms and was receiving medical treatment. “As always, I am an optimist,” he wrote.
+++ 02:10 Oxfam: pandemic threatens to exacerbate social inequality +++ The pandemic threatens to exacerbate social inequality in several countries at the same time. This is the result of a report by the aid organization Oxfam, for which 295 economists from 79 countries were interviewed. According to Oxfam, 87 percent of the surveyed scientists expect income inequality in their country to rise or rise sharply as a result of the pandemic. More than half believe that gender inequality is likely or very likely to increase and more than two-thirds believe that inequality between whites and BIPoC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) will increase.
+++ 01:15 Head of the Chancellery Braun: Mutation will become the dominant form in Germany +++ Chancellery chief Helge Braun assumes that the mutation of the coronavirus, which is widespread in Great Britain, will also become the dominant form in Germany. “We are currently seeing that we are already dealing with the mutant in several hospitals. That means that this has arrived in our country and that is why at some point, as in other countries, she will take the lead and cause problems “said Braun in the ARD.
+++ 23:51 Lauterbach: Need a very hard lockdown against new variants +++ The SPD health politician Karl Lauterbach speaks of a “completely different threat potential” from the new virus variants. “We will need a very hard and very well-functioning lockdown because the new variants are of a completely different caliber,” he said on the program “Bild Live”.
+++ 22:30 lateral thinkers pull in front of the Munich court ++ Several hundred supporters of the “lateral thinking” movement demonstrated in front of the administrative court building in Munich city center that evening. According to a spokesman, the police counted around 300 participants and around 500 officers were on duty. The organizer was initially unavailable. This had registered around 1000 participants with the authorities. The Munich district administration department approved 200 participants and justified this with the currently applicable state corona rules. The organizer had lodged a complaint against this with the Bavarian Administrative Court. The judges decided on Sunday lunchtime that a maximum of 200 people could attend the meeting.
+++ 22:00 Country comparison: Thuringia with the highest incidence +++ Among the federal states, North Rhine-Westphalia is the front runner with 2,611 infections. This is followed by Bavaria (2042), Lower Saxony (938) and Hesse (929). The smallest increases were recorded in Bremen (39), Saarland (50) and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (113). In relation to the number of inhabitants, Thuringia reported the most new cases (608), as on the previous day. Brandenburg, on the other hand, has the highest number of active infections per 100,000 inhabitants.
+++ 21:30 Current data situation in Germany: More than 10,000 new cases reported +++ The number of reported coronavirus infections in Germany has risen to 2,141,324. As can be seen from the information from the state authorities evaluated by ntv.de, 10,810 new cases were added. That is almost 3000 less than on Sunday a week ago. The number of infection-related deaths rose 260 to 52,167. In the previous week there were 59 more deaths. Around 267,600 people are currently infected.
The infection rate (R value) is given by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) as 1.13 (previous day: 1.07). This means that an average of 100 infected people infect 113 other people with Sars-CoV-2. The 7-day R-value is currently 1.01 (previous day: 1.01). According to the Divi Register, 4628 Covid-19 patients are currently being treated in intensive care in Germany, 2623 of whom are ventilated. Around 4750 intensive care beds are currently still available in the German clinics.
You can read more information about the most important corona data here.
+++ 21:05 Israel stops air traffic +++ Israel will suspend almost all passenger flights for a week from Monday. This is intended to combat the spread of the new virus variants, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before a cabinet meeting.
Read more developments from the previous day here.
SEEN FROM ELSEWHERE – The nervousness of the authorities, who have detected more than a thousand new cases in the country, is palpable in Wuhan, the city where the pandemic began almost a year ago.
Par Macarena Vidal Liy (The country)
Zhao, a 33-year-old executive, dressed in a crisp jacket and cropped hair, wears his mask well as he walks through Han Street, one of Wuhan’s most popular shopping areas. He tries to choose where to dine among a dozen restaurants. Before speaking, he readjusts his mask. “I’m a little scared, that’s why I’m wearing the mask again and trying to disinfect my hands regularly”, he admits, pulling on his mask again to make sure it doesn’t fall.
Read also :“Wuhan files”: how China allegedly tried to minimize the Covid-19 crisis
The young executive refers to the Covid epidemics that have appeared in recent weeks in China, bringing the number of infections to more than a thousand in the country. This figure, which had not officially been reached since the spring of 2020, triggered the alert of the Chinese authorities, they who have continued to proclaim since last summer the success of the country in the fight against the coronavirus.
The proximity of two key dates contributes
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The Personal Data Protection Authority announced, in a statement, the determination to “block the Chinese social network” with immediate effect until February 15, when it is estimated that TikTok has already fulfilled the obligations of the Italian regulator.
In particular, the social network is prohibited from using “the data of users whose age has not been determined with absolute security”, said the official, quoted by AFP.
The decision came just hours after the death of a 10-year-old girl in Palermo, southern Sicily, was revealed by suffocation while taking part in the ‘head scarf game’ challenge [Blackout Challenge, em inglês], which consists of being as long as possible without breathing, and filmed himself with his cell phone for Tik Tok.
This child’s registration on the social network, which is very popular with teenagers, “was not refused by the company” despite his age, which was to infer the minimum age of 13 provided by TikTok.
The girl died in a Palermo hospital after being found unconscious on Wednesday by her five-year-old sister in the bathroom, with her cell phone next to her, which was apprehended by the police.
TikTok, which belongs to the Chinese company ByteDance, said on Friday that it was unable to identify any content on its website that could have encouraged the child to participate in any challenge, but was collaborating with authorities in the investigation of a possible “incitement” to suicide “
“The safety of the TikTok community is our top priority, which is why we don’t allow any content that encourages, promotes or glorifies behavior that could be dangerous,” said a TikTok spokesman.
Medical experts have warned of the danger that this challenge is becoming popular among some young people, who refer to it as “the scarf” or “choking game”.
The child’s parents told the newspaper “La Repubblica” that the other daughter explained that the sister “was playing blackout”. “We didn’t know anything,” the girl’s father told the same newspaper. “We didn’t know that she was participating in that game. We knew that (our daughter) was going to TikTok to dance, watch videos. But how could I imagine this atrocity?”
The data protection authority filed a lawsuit against the social network in December 2019, criticizing the “lack of attention to the protection of minors, the ease of circumventing the prohibition on registering minors and the lack of transparency and clarity in the information provided to members. users, as well as pre-defined settings that do not respect privacy “.
TikTok, which went global in 2018, built its rapid success with parody videos, messages and short dance or comedy performances in videos with popular songs – driven by an algorithm that determines what content is most likely to interest each user .
The young woman’s death provoked strong reactions in Italy, which calls for better regulation of social networks.
“Social media cannot become a jungle where everything is allowed,” said Licia Ronzulli, chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for the Protection of Children in Italy.
Athrough a letter sent to effective gives USAGM (acronym in English) and today released by the news agency Efe, Pack referred to the desire to Biden in appointing a new direction for the Agency, which brings together, among others, Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Radio y TVMartí and Radio Free Asia, which reach an audience of 350 million people.
“I serve not according to the wishes of a particular President, but from the President’s office itself. The new administration asked for my resignation and therefore offered it at 2 pm today,” said Pack in his letter. Wednesday.
Pack, a close ally of Trump, took over as head of the USAGM in June 2020 and then dismissed the directors from various ‘media’ and people loyal to the former President, who during his tenure maintained a conflicting relationship with the press, were appointed to his place.
Pack also investigated journalists who perspective were partial to Trump and waived a regulation designed to protect the independence of the group’s journalists, being widely criticized by opponents for undermining the credibility of the USAGM.
He also refused to renew the licenses for about 80 foreign journalists who worked for the USAGM, which implied the dismissal of some of them and their return to countries of origin such as China, Ethiopia or Eritreianeeds to Efe.
O Committee for a Protection Journalists (CPJ) denounced that these measures could endanger the lives of reporters, for fear of reprisals in their home countries and after having worked in an agency of the Government of the USA.
During the campaign for the presidential candidates, the Biden had already expressed dissatisfaction with the acting de Pack and on Wednesday the new President appointed his replacement, KeloChao, who for years worked at Voz da América (VOA), where he worked as a journalist, head of service in Mandarin and director division of Asia Oriental, among other positions.
One of the first Chao in the leadership of USAGM was the dismissal of Robert Reilly, who had been appointed in Decemberdirector da Voz da América, temporarily replaced by the Spanish Yolanda López, who joined VOA in 2015 as Head of Division for Latin America.
Finally, and in the last few hours, he also resigned Jeffrey Shapiro, who had been appointed to head Radio y TVMartí.
Also Read: Charlottesville inspired Biden. Now, inhabitants ask for accountability
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DECRYPTION – The Democrat could quickly unravel the legacy of his predecessor, especially in the fight against climate change.
The first 100 days of a term are the “la” for a presidency. Four years ago, as soon as he entered the White House, Donald Trump announced the renegotiation of NAFTA to his neighboring countries, launched his project to build a wall on the Mexican border before signing a presidential decree prohibiting the entry for nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries. In all, the Republican had signed 24 presidential decrees in the first three months of his mandate, most of them aimed at the legacy left by Barack Obama. Joe Biden’s transition team has been preparing for this moment for several months. The latter will have a lot to do. The president-elect, who moved to the White House on Wednesday, will find himself at the start of his mandate grappling with an unprecedented health crisis. Like his predecessors, the Democrat should however take advantage of his first 100 days at the head of the United States to realize some symbolic promises, well helped by the Democratic majority
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A British police interrupted a wedding with 400 guests tonight.
The agents visited a school in Stamford Hill, north of London, at 9.15 pm, and discovered that an event was taking place on the site.
The building’s windows were covered, so you couldn’t see what was going on inside.
However, the number of people who arrived at the site did not go unnoticed by the authorities, reports the Mirror.
The wedding was taking place at Yesoday Hatorah Senior Girls’ School, a school that recently became a testing center at Covid-19.
The school administration says it is “shocked” by what happened and guarantees that it was not aware of it, since it has that space leased to an external company.
It is known that those responsible for the wedding may incur a fine of more than 10 thousand euros for violating the government’s anti-Covid-19 rules.
Also Read: Marriage to hundreds of people in the middle of a pandemic will have been legal
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