Egyik 19

Frissítve: 20 3 25.

COVID-19 tájékoztató oldal

(Forrás: Nemzeti Népegészségügyi Központ):

https://tinyurl.com/y6lvvub2

"1. Milyen típusú vírusok a koronavírusok? Honnan származnak?    A koronavírusok alapvetően állatok körében fordulnak elő, ugyanakkor egyes koronavírus törzsekről ismert, hogy képesek az emberben is fertőzést okozni. A koronavírusok mind állatról emberre, mind emberről emberre terjedhetnek. Sokféle állatfaj lehet forrása az emberi megbetegedést okozó koronavírusoknak. A 2012-ben az Arab-félszigetről kiinduló, a közel-keleti légzőszervi szindróma járványát okozó koronavírus (MERS-CoV) elsődleges forrásai tevék, míg a 2002-ben Kínából kiinduló, a súlyos akut légzőszervi szindróma járványát okozó koronavírus (SARS-CoV) elsődleges forrásai cibetmacskák voltak. A koronavírusok okozta emberi megbetegedések súlyossága esetenként eltérő: a klinikai kép az enyhe, hétköznapi náthától a súlyosabb légúti megbetegedésekig terjedhet. Legtöbbször csak enyhe vagy mérsékelten súlyos felső légúti tüneteket okoznak az emberben. Ugyanakkor a MERS és a SARS járványok során súlyos, életveszélyes légúti megbetegedések is előfordultak.      2. Milyen vírus az új koronavírus (2019-nCoV)?    A 2019-es év végén egy olyan új koronavírus (2019-nCoV) törzs került azonosításra Kínában, amelyet korábban még nem észleltek emberi megbetegedések okozójaként. A jelenleg Kínában zajló járvány elsődleges forrása szintén egy állatfaj lehet, de a pontos forrás egyelőre még nem ismert. Az új koronavírus (2019-nCoV) genetikailag hasonló a SARS-koronavírushoz, de egyelőre kevés ismeret áll rendelkezésére a vírus jellemzőiről, tulajdonságairól.      3. Melyek a tünetei és mennyire súlyosak az új koronavírus (2019-nCoV) által okozott fertőzések?    Az eddigi ismeretek szerint az új koronavírussal történő fertőződés legtöbbször enyhe, influenzaszerű tüneteket okoz, így jellemző a láz, köhögés, légzési nehézség, izomfájdalom és fáradékonyság. Tüdőgyulladás kialakulhat, illetve ritkán súlyos megbetegedés is előfordul, így például akut légzési elégtelenség és szepszis jelentkezhet. Jelen tudásunk szerint jellemzően azoknál a betegeknél alakulhat ki súlyos, életveszélyes állapot vagy halálos kimenetel, akik valamilyen krónikus betegségben szenvednek. Ide tartoznak a magas vérnyomásban és más szív- és érrendszeri betegségben, cukorbetegségben, májbetegségekben, illetve a légzőszervi betegségekben szenvedő betegek. "  (...)

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United States
10 February, 2020  'Ah the Oscars! A time for overpaid entertainers to lecture us about income inequality. At yesterday night's Oscars stars gave sermons on human rights, animal rights and politics; their 'lectures' nauseated the audience at home. Phoenix said one of the most valuable parts of being actor was being able to 'be a voice for the voiceless'. He launched a passionate speech about animal rights, veganism and Speciesism while accepting his Best Actor award for Joker, talking about the artificial insemination of cows and how humans 'exploit' and 'dominate' animals. 'We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and when she gives birth we steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. 'And then we take her milk that's intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal,' he said. Pitt slammed Trump's impeachment trial in his Oscars speech; he joked that his 45 seconds of speech time was more than the Senate gave former National Security Adviser Bolton. Hair Love creator Cherry advocated for a California law that prohibits discrimination based on hair style or texture, in his speech. American Factory co-director Reichert - who won an award for her Obama-endorsed documentary and is fighting terminal cancer - quoted from The Communist Manifesto, calling for 'workers of the world' to 'unite'. Monae opened the show by declaring herself a 'proud', 'black queer artist telling stories. Happy Black History Month'. Weaver declared: 'All women are superheroes' when she presented an award. Jojo Rabbit filmmaker Waititi dedicated his award for Best Adapted Screenplay to 'all the Indigenous kids in the world who want to do art and dance and write stories'. Portman made a fashion statement wearing a Dior cape with the names of female directors whose movies were overlooked this year, Fonda recycled an old gown and carried a coat with her on stage which she declared is the last piece of clothing she will ever buy as part of an ongoing campaign to reduce waste. Viewers were sickened by the 'self-righteous', 'woke' speeches from 'millionaire hypocrites'. /Photos/ (Source: Mail): https://tinyurl.com/tf8c86x

February 10, 2020  Mass identity theft. Four members of the Chinese military have been charged with breaking into the networks of the Equifax headquartered in Atlanta credit reporting agency and stealing the personal information of more than 145 million people, American victims in the U.S. and abroad, with the hackers successfully stealing names, addresses, Social Security and driver’s license numbers and other personal information stored in the company’s databases. The hackers covered their tracks, including wiping log files on a daily basis and routing traffic through dozens of servers in nearly 20 countries. The four -  members of the People’s Liberation Army, Equifax last year reached a $700 million settlement over the data breach, with the bulk of the funds intended for consumers affected by it. (Source: AP)

February 07, 2020  Eleven military bases near major airports in the United States are setting up quarantine centers for possible coronavirus patients, in case beds fill up at other coronavirus centers around the country. (Source: MaiamiHerald)

2. 7. 2020.  US military prepping for coronavirus pandemic. U.S. Northern Command is executing plans to prepare for a potential pandemic of the novel coronavirus, now called COVID19. An executive order issued by the Joint Staff and approved by Defense Secretary Esper this month directed Northern Command and geographic combatant commanders to initiate pandemic plans, which include ordering commanders to prepare for widespread outbreaks and confining service members with a history of travel to China. But in no way “does the planning indicate a greater likelihood of an event developing." Military commanders have been asked to confine any service member who has been to China since Feb. 2 to their residences or, if they live in an open barracks or share a bathroom with others, restrict them to a temporary lodging facility for 14 days. The restricted service members will be assessed daily for fever by medical personnel by phone or in person and wear protective gear if they personally conduct the medical checks. Earlier this month, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command restricted all Defense Department travel to mainland China and recalled all travelers to the country home. The biggest infectious disease threat to the American public this year remains the influenza virus, which has sickened more than 22 million and killed at least 12,000. (Source: MilitaryTimes)

February 6, 2020  The post-impeachment Trump is emboldened like never before as he barrels ahead in his reelection fight with a united Republican Party behind him. “As everybody knows, my family, our great country and your president have been put through a terrible ordeal by some very dishonest and corrupt people,” Trump said at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.. “They have done everything possible to destroy us and by so doing very badly hurt our nation,” said Trump, who triumphantly held up copies of two newspapers with banner “ACQUITTED” headlines as he took the stage. Trump tweeted after the Senate vote that he would mark his acquittal with a statement to the nation at noon Thursday to “discuss our Country’s Victory on the Impeachment Hoax!” Only Romney (Rep), a longtime Trump critic, voted for removal. (Source: AP)

February 5, 2020  'The State of our Union is stronger than ever before!' President Trump delivered his third State of the Union address, which lasted about an hour and a half, before a joint session of Congress. Trump spoke about the economy, healthcare, and border security. He also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to conservative radio host Limbaugh. "Jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging, and our country is thriving and highly respected again! America’s enemies are on the run, America’s fortunes are on the rise, and America’s future is blazing bright. The years of economic decay are over.' "I am thrilled to report to you tonight that our economy is the best it has ever been. Our military is completely rebuilt, with its power being unmatched anywhere in the world -  and it is not even close. Our borders are secure. Our families are flourishing. Our values are renewed. Our pride is restored." "From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the United States economy - slashing a record number of job-killing regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements. Our agenda is relentlessly pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth, and, most of all, pro-American. We are advancing with unbridled optimism and lifting high our citizens of every race, color, religion, and creed". "Since my election, we have created 7 million new jobs -  5 million more than Government experts projected during the previous administration. After losing 60,000 factories under the previous two administrations, America has now gained 12,000 new factories under my Administration with thousands upon thousands of plants and factories being planned or built. We have created over half a million new manufacturing jobs". "Following NAFTA’s adoption, our Nation lost one in four manufacturing jobs. Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) into law." "I also promised our citizens that I would impose tariffs to confront China’s massive theft of American jobs. Our strategy worked. Days ago, we signed the groundbreaking new agreement with China that will defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions of dollars into our treasury, and open vast new markets for products made and grown right here in the United States of America. For decades, China has taken advantage of the United States, now we have changed that but, at the same time, we have perhaps the best relationship we have ever had with China, including with President Xi." "To safeguard American Liberty, we have invested a record-breaking $2.2 trillion in the United States Military. We have purchased the finest planes, missiles, rockets, ships, and every other form of military equipment - all made in the United States of America. We are also finally getting our allies to help pay their fair share. I have raised contributions from the other NATO members by more than $400 billion, and the number of allies meeting their minimum obligations has more than doubled. And just weeks ago, for the first time since President Truman established the Air Force more than 70 years earlier, we created a new branch of the United States Armed Forces, the Space Force." "A good life for American families also requires the most affordable, innovative, and high-quality healthcare system on Earth. Before I took office, health insurance premiums had more than doubled in just 5 years. I moved quickly to provide affordable alternatives. Our new plans are up to 60 percent less expensive. I have also made an ironclad pledge to American families: We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions - that is a guarantee. And we will always protect your Medicare and your Social Security." "Over 130 legislators in this chamber have endorsed legislation that would bankrupt our Nation by providing free taxpayer-funded healthcare to millions of illegal aliens, forcing taxpayers to subsidize free care for anyone in the world who unlawfully crosses our borders. These proposals would raid the Medicare benefits our seniors depend on, while acting as a powerful lure for illegal immigration. This is what is happening in California and other States - their systems are totally out of control, costing taxpayers vast and unaffordable amounts of money. If forcing American taxpayers to provide unlimited free healthcare to illegal aliens sounds fair to you, then stand with the radical left. But if you believe that we should defend American patients and American seniors, then stand with me and pass legislation to prohibit free Government healthcare for illegal aliens! This will be a tremendous boon to our already very-strongly guarded southern border where, as we speak, a long, tall, and very powerful wall is being built. We have now completed over 100 miles and will have over 500 miles fully completed by early next year." "I have signed 9 pieces of legislation to stamp out the menace of human trafficking, domestically and around the globe." "Before I came into office, if you showed up illegally on our southern border and were arrested, you were simply released and allowed into our country, never to be seen again. My Administration has ended Catch-and-Release. If you come illegally, you will now be promptly removed. We entered into historic cooperation agreements with the Governments of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. As a result of our unprecedented efforts, illegal crossings are down 75 percent since May." "My Administration is also defending religious liberty, and that includes the Constitutional right to pray in public schools. In America, we do not punish prayer. We do not tear down crosses. We do not ban symbols of faith. We do not muzzle preachers and pastors. In America, we celebrate faith. We cherish religion. We lift our voices in prayer, and we raise our sights to the Glory of God! Just as we believe in the First Amendment, we also believe in another Constitutional right that is under siege all across our country. So long as I am President I will always protect your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms." "My Administration is also strongly defending our national security and combating radical Islamic terrorism. Last week, I announced a groundbreaking plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians." "Three years ago, the barbarians of isis held over 20,000 square miles of territory in Iraq and Syria. Today, the isis territorial caliphate has been 100 percent destroyed, and the founder and leader of isis - the bloodthirsty killer Al-Baghdadi - is dead!" " As the world’s top terrorist, Soleimani orchestrated the deaths of countless men, women, and children. He directed the December assault on United States Forces in Iraq, and was actively planning new attacks. That is why, last month, at my direction, the United States Military executed a flawless precision strike that killed Soleimani and terminated his evil reign of terror forever." "As we defend American lives, we are working to end America’s wars in the Middle East." "I am not looking to kill hundreds of thousands of people in Afghanistan, many of them innocent. It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency. These are warfighters, the best in the world, and they either want to fight to win or not fight at all. We are working to finally end America’s longest war and bring our troops back home!" (Source: Time): https://tinyurl.com/rxoeeeh

February 4, 2020  President Trump's job approval rating has risen to 49%, his highest in Gallup polling since he took office in 2017. Trump's approval rating has risen because of higher ratings among both Republicans and independents. His 94% approval rating among Republicans is up six percentage points from early January and is three points higher than his previous best among his fellow partisans. The 42% approval rating among independents is up five points. Democratic approval is 7%, down slightly from 10%. The 87-point gap between Republican and Democratic approval in the current poll is the largest Gallup has measured in any Gallup poll to date, surpassing the prior record, held by Trump and Obama, by one point. The Jan. 16-29 poll was conducted in the midst of the Senate impeachment trial that will likely result in the president's acquittal. The poll finds 52% of Americans in favor of acquitting Trump and 46% in favor of convicting and removing him from office. Trump's increased approval rating may also result from other issues, including the recent military action in Iran. More Americans in the new poll approve (53%) than disapprove (45%) of the U.S. military action that resulted in the death of a leading Iranian military general. Trump also signed the United States-Mexico-Canada trade deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. Americans' confidence in the economy is higher than at any point in the past two decades. Similarly, national satisfaction is the highest in nearly 15 years. Sixty-three percent of Americans now approve of the way Trump is handling the economy, up six points from the prior reading in November. Trump's ratings for handling foreign affairs (47%) and foreign trade (50%) are also his best to date. 51% of Americans view the Republican Party favorably, up from 43% in September. It is the first time GOP favorability has exceeded 50% since 2005. Meanwhile, 45% of Americans have a positive opinion of the Democratic Party, a slight dip from 48% in September. (Source: Gallup)

Feb 4, 2020  Chinese health officials recognized that a new disease had emerged, quickly isolated patients, and instituted an impressive set of interventions in attempts to limit disease spread and characterize the new pathogen. Importantly, they have been transparent in sharing their findings with the world, thus allowing other nations to take precautions and be on the lookout for the new disease. Already, the genome of the new virus was sequenced and posted for easy access by international experts, allowing rapid exploration of possible treatments, development of diagnostics and epidemiological investigations. For the last few years, our National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine has worked with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to build relationships and share information on emerging diseases and advancements in vaccines and treatments. In Galveston, we welcomed leading Chinese health officials to collaborate on biocontainment facility design, biosafety training and laboratory operations. This dialogue, along with U.S.-based educational opportunities for Chinese students, benefit us all. (Source: UTMB / GalvestonNationalLaboratory)

Feb 3, 2020  In 2017, WikiLeaks released more than 8,000 pages of secret materials- which the antisecrecy organization called “Vault 7”- detailing the CIA’s cyberespionage arsenal, including the agency’s playbook for hacking smartphones, computer operating systems, messaging applications and internet-connected televisions. A former software engineer for the Central Intelligence Agency is set to go to trial today in Manhattan federal court on charges that he leaked a trove of classified information about the CIA’s hacking operations to WikiLeaks, leading to one of the largest breaches in the agency’s history. Federal prosecutors say the defendant, Schulte, 31, arrested in August 2017 stole the documents when he worked in a CIA unit that designed the hacking tools. Former U.S. intelligence officials have described Mr. Schulte’s alleged leak as particularly damaging to national security because it exposed specific, targeted hacking tools used against high-level targets abroad. The breach had likely occurred around March 2016. (Source: TheWallStreetJournal)

03 Fabruary 2020  Arrest of Lieber, a prominent Harvard University chemist and nanotechnology pioneer, who has been charged with making false statements to the US government about receiving research funding from China. Lieber, who is known for engineering new nanomaterials and developing their applications in medicine and biology, was arrested on 28 January. Two days later, a federal judge approved his release on cash bail of US$1 million. Lieber has been a faculty member at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, since 1991, and is currently chair of the university’s department of chemistry and chemical biology. for periods of time between 2012 and 2017, Lieber agreed to be paid a salary of $50,000 per month, as well as about $150,000 a year in personal and living expenses, by WUT, and was given more than $1.5 million to set up a research lab there. According to a contract cited in the document, Lieber was to work at or for WUT for at least nine months a year. Lieber also agreed to host visiting scientists for two-month stints at his US lab, an agreement that Harvard was not aware of. At the same time, Lieber continued his tenure at Harvard University and applied for funding from US agencies, receiving at least $15 million in federal grants from the Department of Defense (DOD) and the NIH since 2008. NIH policies require that researchers applying for federal funds disclose any funding they receive from other governments or universities outside the United States. Lieber was asked about his participation in the Thousand Talents Plan in April 2018 by DOD investigators, and by Harvard in late 2018 in response to an enquiry from the NIH. In both instances, he denied being part of it. China’s Thousand Talents Plan has been one focus of the US government’s efforts to crack down on foreign interference in research. Lauer, a deputy director at the NIH, told lawmakers that the contracts encouraged participants to set up ‘shadow labs’ in China that replicated their work at US institutions. (Sourcw: Nature): https://tinyurl.com/vnsye67

February 1, 2020  Many of the emerging coronaviruses are so-called pneumoenteric viruses, meaning they can replicate both in the respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal system. Doctors have reported diarrhea infrequently in 2019-nCoV patients admitted to Wuhan hospitals, though it’s been more prominent among reported cases outside the city, and more recently in the first US case in Washington state. That patient experienced a two-day bout of diarrhea from which a sample tested positive. Many of the emerging coronaviruses are so-called pneumoenteric viruses, meaning they can replicate both in the respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal system. Feng, deputy director general of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and colleagues released a report on January 29 on the first 425 Wuhan cases. “The initial focus of case detection was on patients with pneumonia, but we now understand that some patients can present with gastrointestinal symptoms," Feng and co-authors said in their report, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Squat latrines, common in China, lacking covers and hands that aren’t washed thoroughly with soap and water after visiting the bathroom could be a source of virus transmission. (Source: LiveMint)

1 February 2020  President Trump signed an executive order on yesterday that imposes travel restrictions on six more countries with large Muslim populations bringing the total number of nations under the US travel ban to thirteen. Immigrant visas are being suspended for Nigeria, Myanmar, Eritrea and Kyrgyzstan and people from Sudan and Tanzania will be prevented from entering the US diversity visa program that provides green cards to immigrants. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the ban will not apply to non-immigrant travelers such as students, tourists or people visiting the US on business. The new rule will go into effect on February 22. (Source: WorldSocialistWersite)

1 February 2020  The Trump administration’s Health and Human Services Secretary, Azar, announced yesterday that he had declared the Wuhan Coronavirus a public health emergency in the United States. The order will go into effect beginning at 5:00 p.m. on February 2. It means that any American citizen who had been in China’s Hubei province in the past 14 days will be placed under a mandatory 14 days quarantine if they travel back to the US. Additionally, Azar declared: “Foreign nationals, other than the immediate family of US citizens and permanent residents, who have traveled in China in the last 14 days will be denied entry into the United States.” The last time the US health officials issued a mandatory quarantine was for a smallpox outbreak that occurred in the 1960s. The number infected globally with the novel coronavirus has surpassed 10,000 individuals. This is an increase of 2,000 over 24 hours, with an additional 45 deaths, all in Hubei province, bringing the number fatalities across China to 258 thus far. Three major US airline carriers, Delta, American and United, are discontinuing services to China, at least through the end of March. The outbreak will cause China’s growth rate to drop; an expected loss was of $62 billion. The World Bank estimated that the 2003 SARS epidemic cost some $54 billion. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 603 points to 28,169.53, recording the biggest one day fall since August. The virus is being exploited to stoke anti-Chinese xenophobia in a number of countries. Petitions for banning Chinese nationals from entering have been launched in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea. In Vietnam, some businesses have posted signs that Chinese customers are not welcome. In Australia, the Murdoch-owned Herald Sun in Melbourne ran a lurid front-page headline “Chinese Virus Pandamonium.” French newspaper Le Courrier Picard was compelled to apologize after running a racist headline labelling the virus a “Yellow Alert.” (Source: WorldSocialistWersite)

1 February 2020  There are four million Chinese Americans in the United States. (Source: TimesMalta)

2020/02/01  A second wave of seasonal influenza is taking hold in the U.S. and elsewhere. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that so far this season there have been at least 19 million flu illnesses in the U.S., 180,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths, including more than 60 children. The flu strain that is emerging now in the U.S. is an H1N1 type of influenza A, the one that normally kicks off the season. It can take hold in adults and may be more severe, resulting in more deaths. The influenza A that’s circulating now is the milder form - the one that landed two years ago put 810,000 Americans in the hospital, and resulted in about 61,000 deaths. (Source: JapanTimes / Bloomberg)

World Health Organization
7 February 2020 2019-nCOV.  The world is facing a chronic shortage of gowns, masks, gloves and other protective equipment in the fight against a spreading coronavirus epidemic. The U.N. agency has been sending testing kits, masks, gloves, respirators and gowns to every region, WHO chief Tedros said. The virus was mutating and adapting as it spread through people, the director-general of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gao said yesterday. (Source: Reuters)

Globalization
February 7, 2020   Over the next two weeks the world will learn how bad the 2019 nCoV Coronavirus Pandemic will be. The next two weeks will inform the world of the immediate threat of serious, deadly pandemic, or if, as I speculated, the Chinese or Asian population is somehow sensitized to 2019-nCoV or at higher risk of fatality. Fatality rates in countries with large SARS and MERS outbreaks will tell us if the past outbreaks sensitized specific populations. (Source: JamesLyonSweiler)

February 2, 2020  Chinese and other Asians in Europe, the United States, Asia and the Pacific complain of racism. Restaurants in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam have refused to accept Chinese customers. More than 650,000 South Koreans have signed an online petition filed with the presidential Blue House calling for a temporary ban on Chinese visitors. South Korean websites have been flooded with comments calling on the government to block or expel Chinese and racist remarks about Chinese eating habits and hygiene. Indonesians marched near a hotel and called on Chinese guests there to leave. Many Japanese have taken to social media to call for a travel ban for the Chinese visitors amid worries they’ll come to Japan for virus-related treatments. A candy store in Hakone, a hot springs town west of Tokyo posted a note saying, “Chinese people’s entry into the store is prohibited.” Menya Hareruya, a popular ramen chain in Sapporo, Hokkaido, posted a sign saying “No entry for Chinese tourists.” Last week, Hong Kong Chief Executive Lam suspended ferry and high-speed train services to the mainland and reduced flights between Hong Kong and Chinese cities. Tenno Ramen, a Japanese noodle restaurant in Hong Kong, is refusing to serve mainland customers. “We want to live longer. We want to safeguard local customers. Please excuse us,” the restaurant said on Facebook. A hotel in Danang, Vietnam, a popular beach destination, has been refusing to accept Chinese tourists. Last weekend, several hundred residents in the Indonesian tourist city of Bukittinggi marched to the Novotel Hotel, where some 170 Chinese tourists were staying, to protest their entrance into Indonesia. They blocked roads near the hotel to prevent the Chinese, who’d arrived a day earlier, from getting out of the hotel. Local authorities decided to send the visitors back to China later in the day. More than 400,000 Malaysians have signed an online petition calling for a ban on Chinese travelers and urging the government to “save our family and our children.” A former police officer and town mayor, Afuang, said he burned a Chinese flag on yesterday in front of the National Press Club in Manila to protest the problems China has brought to the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries, including the virus and Beijing’s claim to disputed islands in the South China Sea. French and Australian newspapers face criticism for racist headlines. France has a significant and growing Asian community, and Chinese visitors are a pillar of the French tourism industry. A French teacher started a Twitter conversation recently under #JeNeSuisPasUnVirus (I am not a virus) that has drawn numerous accounts of discrimination, from children taunted in the schoolyard to subway passengers moving away from people who appear Asian. A regional newspaper in northern France carried a front-page headline warning of a “Yellow Alert,” and later apologized amid national criticism. A Danish paper, Jyllands-Posten, published a cartoon that replaced the yellow stars of the Chinese flag with representations of the virus. The German Der Spiegel magazine ran a headline that said “made in China” along with a photo of an individual in protective gear. Yesterday a cafe near Rome’s Trevi Fountain, a popular tourist site, posted a notice in its window saying “all people coming from China are not allowed access in this place. On January 30 Melbourne’s Herald Sun headline read, “Chinese virus pandamonium.” Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph headline on the same day read, “China kids stay home.” Many countries have sent planes to the Chinese city of Wuhan to evacuate their nationals. (Source: AP)

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China
10 February 2020  The number of deaths from a coronavirus outbreak in China are pushing the total to 908 and 40 235 confirmed cases. The center of the outbreak is China's Hubei province where millions remain under lockdown and people are complaining of food shortages. There were also 3,062 new cases. There is a five-day supply of pork and eggs, and a three-day supply of vegetables. (Source: VoANews)

February 9, 2020  The travel patterns broadly track with the early spread of the virus. For weeks after the first reports of a mysterious new virus in Wuhan, five millions of people poured out of the central Chinese city, cramming onto buses, trains and planes as the first wave of China’s great Lunar New Year migration broke across the nation. Map location data from Chinese tech giant Baidu shows that in the two weeks before Wuhan’s lockdown, nearly 70% of trips out of the central Chinese city were within Hubei province. Another 14% of the trips went to the neighboring provinces of Henan, Hunan, Anhui and Jiangxi. Nearly 2% slipped down to Guangdong province, the coastal manufacturing powerhouse across from Hong Kong, and the rest fanned out across China. The cities outside Hubei province that were top destinations for trips from Wuhan between Jan. 10 and Jan. 24 were Chongqing, a municipality next to Hubei province, Beijing and Shanghai. Officials finally began to seal the borders on Jan. 23. The initial spread of travelers to provinces in central China with large pools of migrant workers and relatively weaker health care systems puts a big burden on the hospitals of those resource-limited provinces. Zhejiang province was not a top destination from Wuhan this year, according to Baidu data, but now has among the highest numbers of confirmed cases. Baidu gathers travel data based on more than 120 billion daily location requests from its map app and other apps that use Baidu’s location services. Only data from users who agree to share their location is recorded. Baidu’s publicly available data does not include trips by people who don’t use mobile phones or apps that rely on Baidu’s popular location services. Shanghai, Beijing and several Chinese provinces ordered businesses to remain shut through today, leaving the nation’s great megalopolises feeling like ghost towns. The top 10 global destinations for travelers from high-risk Chinese cities around Lunar New Year were Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Australia. In Africa, Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya topped the list. (Source: WashingtonTimes)

February 9, 2020  The death toll from China’s coronavirus outbreak is climbing to 811. Hubei’s capital Wuhan opened the doors of a new 1,500-bed hospital. The municipal government of the city said it would begin carrying out twice-daily disinfection of hospitals, markets, public toilets and other facilities. Beijing unveiled sweeping food subsidies and said the government would compensate farmers and medicine producers who had to ask staff to work overtime. (Source: MorningStar)

February 8, 2020  Food stocks in supermarkets ran low shortly after Beijing imposed travel curbs and extended the Lunar New Year holiday to keep factories, offices and other businesses closed and the public at home in an attempt to prevent the virus from spreading. That also kept trucks off the road, disrupting supplies of food to markets, feed to farmers and poultry to slaughterhouses. As the shutdown of Wuhan expanded to cover cities with a total of 60 million people, villagers set up their own roadblocks to keep outsiders and possible infection away. Vegetable supplies were uneven and some “daily necessities” were sold out. Even getting out to shop is a challenge in some cities that are under almost total quarantine. Only one member of each household is allowed out each day to shop for food in Hangzhou, an industrial metropolis of 10 million people southwest of Shanghai, and in Huanggang, a city of 1 million near Wuhan. Users of China’s Weibo microblogging service have left hundreds of thousands of messages mourning Li’s death and criticizing the authorities over their treatment of him and other whistleblowers. Following the criticism, the government announced a team from Beijing would be sent to Wuhan to investigate “issues reported by the masses involving Dr. Li.

February 8, 2020  Chinese authorities said fatalities in China from the coronavirus reached a single-day high of 86 yesterday. They said they confirmed 3,399 new cases of infections from the virus that causes respiratory illnesses, bringing the total to 34,546. Globally, there have been 34,886 confirmed cases and 724 deaths, the World Health Organization said today, with over 99% of the cases and all but one death in China. (Source: WSJ):

Feb 8th 2020  Beijing starts rounding up sufferers and videos show hazmat suit-clad goons dragging people from their homes in Suzhou, near Shanghai. /videos, photos/ (Source: TheMail): https://tinyurl.com/sltf7hp

February 7, 2020  China’s web watchdog has stepped up its policing efforts, saying yesterday it could conduct “targeted supervision” on the biggest social media platforms together with Weibo, Tencent’s WeChat and ByteDance’s Douyin. The regulator has already frozen a raft of social media accounts, then stepped up on-line scrubbing to quiet a wave of confused outrage over the dying of the physician that first raised purple flags concerning the illness. On this setting, U.S.-based Twitter has emerged because the vacation spot for locals looking for details about the unfold of the virus. It’s formally banned within the nation, however many individuals hop the Nice Firewall and entry the platform through digital non-public networks. Wuhan locals have filmed a few of the most chilling movies in the course of the outbreak, together with photos of untreated corpses, discontent amongst quarantined sufferers in hospitals and police knocking on doorways to implement censorship. Our website did not independently verified the authenticity of these movies. (Source: Bloomberg)

7 February 2020  "In 'wartime condition". China orders Wuhan to round up all suspected coronavirus patients and put them in quarantine camps as Beijing warns officials who run away from the 'war' will be 'nailed to the pillar of historical shame'. China's Vice Premier has instructed Wuhan officials to send workers to every household to take the temperature of all family members in order to block the source of the outbreak. Wuhan officials are now carrying out door-to-door health checks to identify potential carriers who would need to be isolated. China has demanded four types of people in Wuhan to be put into mandatory isolation in quarantine stations: confirmed cases, suspected cases, people who have close contact with the former two, and those who have fever. Wuhan has built two dedicated coronavirus hospital - 1,000-bed Huoshenshan Hospital and 1,600-bed Leishenshan Hospital - from the ground up since late January, converted more than a dozen sports halls and exhibition centres into makeshift wards and set up 132 quarantine stations. These facilities, dubbed 'fang cang' or 'shelter' hospitals, would bring some 10,700 more beds to those in need. The emergency facilities, which have more than 25,870 beds in total, are not enough to keep confirmed and suspected patients of the disease which has killed 638 people. Local officials have ordered construction workers to set up many more makeshift wards 'as fast as possible'. 20 more fang cang hospitals were due to be built. The city's government today instructed four universities to be turned into isolation centres with a total of 5,400 beds. Leaders of Hubei Province, of which Wuhan is the capital, last week directed that all hotels, hostels and empty factories should be prepared to be transformed into quarantine stations. Temperature-taking drones were spotted. The difficulty of containing the coronavirus is that so many patients have mild, cold-like symptoms and don't realise they have the infection – but it can quickly turn deadly. China's National Health Commission reported 73 new deaths and 3,143 confirmed cases overnight. Experts predict the true number of people with the disease could be 100,000, or even as high as 350,000 in Wuhan alone. Once someone has caught the virus it may take between two and 14 days for them to show any symptoms – but they may still be contagious during this time. The director-general of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gao, yesterday said the virus was mutating and adapting as it spread through people. (Source: TheMail)

2/7/20  Chinese scientists believe pangolins could be an intermediate host for the coronavirus. Research was conducted by scientists at the South China Agricultural University, Lingnan Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory. The pangolin is a widely trafficked scaly mammal used in food and medicine in Asia. Coronavirus has killed 637 people in mainland China, according to the World Health Organization. The virus may have originated in bats and spread to humans via another animal. (Source: Politico)

February 7, 2020  A Chinese doctor who tried to warn the public about the Wuhan coronavirus has died of the disease. Li told colleagues about the presence of the virus all the way back in December but was accused of rumor-mongering by Wuhan police after his messages were posted on social media. Li is being hailed as a hero, and his death has sparked anger among Chinese citizens, who say they feel like they were lied to and Li was unfairly attacked for speaking out. Li's death comes as China prepares to ramp up its response to the virus, which has topped 30,000 cases. Officials said every household in Wuhan will be checked for people with symptoms, and anyone affected will be sent to one of more than 130 quarantine centers in the city. (Source: CNN)

6 Feb 2020  Wearing a protective mask might also damage his reputation as a strong leader. Chinese citizens are particularly concerned by the disappearance of their President, and are using social media to communicate their worries and speculate as to where he might be. These posts are being "swiftly deleted by censors. The state leader hasn't been seen in several days, missing his regularly scheduled media appearances. It's even stranger for the President to vanish during a public health crisis. He has now been absent from Chinese media, which he typically dominates, for several days. One theory is that he has retreated into the background to minimise his perceived involvement with the coronavirus crisis, allowing other officials to take the fall. This means lower-ranking Wuhan politicians will probably be blamed for the economic and societal devastation caused by the outbreak. Another theory is that Xi has effectively quarantined himself because he's wary of catching the coronavirus from an infected member of the public. (Source: DailyStar)

February 5, 2020  As deaths reacging 490, no sign of a slowdown in China; 3,887 more people had been infected. So far, it is known that 24,324 people have been infected. The coronavirus mortality rate is approximately 2 percent. (Source: TheNewYorkTimes)

2020/02/05  The "internal" data held by Beijing may not reflect the true extent of the epidemic. According to multiple sources in Wuhan, many coronavirus patients are unable to receive treatment and die outside of hospitals. A severe shortage of test kits also leads to a lower number of diagnosed cases of infection and death. In addition, there have been many reports of doctors being ordered to list other forms of death instead of coronavirus to keep the death toll artificially low. On late Saturday evening (Feb. 1), Tencent, on its webpage titled "Epidemic Situation Tracker" may have accidentally leaked real data on Wuhan virus deaths. Over the weekend Tencent briefly listed 154,023 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus. It listed the number of suspected cases as 79,808, four times the official figure. The number of cured cases was only 269, well below the official number that day of 300. Most ominously, the death toll listed was 24,589, vastly higher than the 300 officially listed that day. (Source: TaiwanNews): https://tinyurl.com/twwpv9g

04 02 2020  Chinese health officials confirmed the number of fatalities has reached 425, with over 20,400 people infected nationwide. Hong Kong has also reported a coronavirus death, bringing the total outside mainland China to two. (Source: DW)

4 February 2020  A clear symptom of a drop in business activity. China's daily crude consumption has slumped by 20%, the equivalent of the UK and Italy's oil needs combined. In response Asia's largest oil refiner Sinopec, which is owned by the Chinese government, has cut the amount of crude it is processing by around 600,000 barrels per day, or 12%, its biggest cut in more than a decade. The scale of the fall has shocked the energy industry. (Source: BBC)

Feb 04, 2020  It took authorities about five days to contact Harmo, a college student studying in Wuhan, after he returned to his hometown, Linhai, in eastern Zhejiang province. He said he had already been under self-imposed isolation when local officials asked for his personal information, including name, address, phone number, identity card number and the date he returned from Wuhan. Within days, the information began to spread online, along with a list of others who returned to Linhai from Wuhan. Local officials offered no explanation but returned a few days later to fasten police tape to his door and hang a sign that warned neighbors that a Wuhan returnee lived there. The sign included an informant hotline to call if anyone saw him or his family leave the apartment. Tang said he received about four calls a day from different local government departments. “It’s not a caring tone they’re using. It’s a warning tone", he said. In the northern province of Hebei, one county offered bounties of 1,000 yuan, or about $140, for each Wuhan person reported by residents. Images online showed towns digging up roads or deputizing men to block outsiders. Some apartment-building residents barricaded the doors of their towers with China’s ubiquitous ride-share bikes. In the eastern province of Jiangsu, quarantine turned to imprisonment after authorities used metal poles to barricade shut the door of a family recently returned from Wuhan. To get food, the family relied on neighbors who lowered provisions with a rope down to their back balcony. Across the country, the response from local authorities often resembles the mass mobilizations of the Mao era rather than the technocratic, data-driven wizardry depicted in propaganda about China’s emerging surveillance state. Checkpoints to screen people for fevers have popped up at tollbooths, at the front gates of apartment complexes and in hotels, grocery stores and train stations. Often those wielding the thermometer guns don’t hold them close enough to a person’s forehead, generating unusually low temperature readings. Such checks were worthless, for instance, against one man in the western province of Qinghai, whom police are investigating on suspicion that he covered up his symptoms to travel. Authorities have used computerized systems that track ID cards - which must be used to take most long-distance transport and stay in hotels - to round up people from Wuhan. (Source: IndiaTimes)

3 February 2020  Hong Kong closes 10 out of 13 land and sea border crossings with mainland China in a bid to curb the coronavirus outbreak. Only two border checkpoints - at Shenzhen Bay and the bridge to Macau and Zhuhai - will remain open, as well as the airport in Hong Kong where medics feel especially vulnerable because of their cross-boundary links with mainland China and the refusal by the authorities to completely seal off the territory. Many of the territory's pharmacies and shopping outlets have run out of surgical face masks and hand sanitisers. Hong Kong's position as a major financial hub is likely to be doubly threatened: first, if the coronavirus takes a grip in the territory, and secondly, if the borders with the mainland are completely sealed off stifling a raft of international trade, movement and businesses. (Source: SkyNews)

February 3, 2020  How Wuhan lost the fight to contain the virus? According to research published Jan. 26 by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 33 among 585 environmental samples extracted from the South China Seafood Market in Wuhan tested positive for the virus. Of the positive samples, 93.9% came from the western part of the market. But an essay published by The Lancet medical journal said that while wild animals are the most likely source of the virus, there was more than one venue where the virus was passed to humans. The essay, penned by doctors at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, found that only 27 of the first 41 patients diagnosed with the coronavirus infection in Wuhan had contact with the South China Seafood Market. A research report jointly published by the CDC and the Hubei Disease Prevention and Control Center Jan. 29 said evidence showed that the new coronavirus started passing from patients to their close contacts in mid-December. (Source: TheStraitsTimes): https://tinyurl.com/vgc2w6b

February 2, 2020  China's National Health Commission (NHC) has banned yesterday funerals, burials and other related activities involving the corpses of deceased victims of the novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China. Victims who succumb to the virus must be cremated at the nearest facility. No farewell ceremonies or other funeral activities involving the corpse shall be held. The medical staff at the medical facility where the person was being treated are required to disinfect and seal the remains. It is forbidden to open the remains once they have been sealed. The medical staff will issue a death certificate and notify the family. At this point, the local funeral services facility will be contacted. Funeral services personnel will then collect the body, deliver it to the relevant facility, and directly cremate the remains. A cremation certificate will then be issued. No one is permitted to visit the remains during this process. Relatives will be allowed to take the remains after cremation has been completed and documented. (Source: BusinessInsider)

February 02 2020  10 days after locking down Wuhan, authorities imposed similar draconian measures on Wenzhou, a coastal city of nine million people in Zhejiang province, part of the eastern industrial heartland that has powered China's economic rise over recent decades. Only one resident per household is allowed to go out every two days to buy necessities. 46 highway toll stations have been closed. Wenzhou is at a distance of some 800 kilometres from Wuhan. With the Chinese economy suffering, the central bank announced it would release 1.2 trillion yuan ($173 billion) tomorrow to maintain liquidity in the banking system - the day markets re-open after the long holiday break. (Source: NDTV)

February 02 2020  Hong Kong is dealing with hundreds of suspected cases which lead nurses to threaten strike. Nurses say they’ll walk out tomorrow if the city doesn’t seal its border with China. (Source: npr)

2 February 2020  'we don't trust the 'mainlanders'. The coronavirus outbreak is inside the city already, having spilled over from the many boundary crossings and transport links Hong Kong has with mainland China. The high-speed rail link with the mainland was shut down as was the ferry crossing - but only about a week after the entire city of Wuhan was quarantined by the Beijing government. By that time, doctors in Hong Kong estimate about five million people had left the epicentre of the outbreak. One in four cases are severe - Prof Hui, one of the foremost virus experts in the world, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong said. There're also early suggestions that the virus can be passed from human to human and possibly linger active on hard surfaces such as door handles, escalators, desks and toilets. The city has lived through SARS in 2002-2003 (and saw the highest number of deaths outside of mainland China) and is on red alert - this explains the panic buying of facemasks and hand sanitisers. Any outlet which has the masks opens up huge long queues. Some people said they had lined up for six hours to buy a box. Hong Kong is particularly vulnerable to the virus because of the proximity and links to mainland China. Mix this with its recent political history; its experience of SARS and its global reach as a major financial hub... and it becomes dangerously toxic. (Source: SkyNews)

February 1, 2020  A large number of patients can only survive on their own in addition to the diagnosis process and statistics. There are currently only two ways to be admitted to hospital. Patients first go to the community to submit lung CT and blood routine reports, the community reports the street, and then according to the priority of the new bed in the hospital, the patient needs to be admitted to the hospital with a hospitalization ticket; The hospital waited in line for 48 hours to get the results. After the diagnosis was made, they could not be rejected by the hospital. Second, go to the designated hospital with nucleic acid test strips, get the results 48 hours, after the diagnosis can not be rejected by the hospital. It is not easy to follow these two paths, and each one may be endless waiting. But for the severely ill, every minute can be a torment of life and death. The criteria for fever personnel are: 1. Fever above 37.5 degrees; Cough 3. Weakness. The suspect's criteria are: 1. CT examination showed ground-glass changes in both lungs; 2. Blood tests for abnormal white blood cells; 3. Contains fever personnel standards. Criteria for critically ill persons are: 1. decreased blood oxygen saturation; Dyspnea 3. Have basic diseases; 4. Those who are older and weaker; 5. Contains fever and suspected personnel standards. Even if the community and hospitals advise patients to be hospitalized immediately, there is no guarantee that there will be beds available. The requirements of infectious diseases for isolation have made medical resources unprecedentedly tight. The other path to hospitalization for patients is to go to designated hospitals to line up for a diagnosis is also quite long. After the hospital's inspection, if the doctor thinks that hospitalization is needed, the patient can be hospitalized and tested for nucleic acid. Applying for a nucleic acid test can only allow doctors to open a suspected case report card, but only in urgent cases will this form be filled out. The test strips are lacking, the doctors don't understand why they are lacking. The test takes one day. The designated hospital can only receive patients based on the report. No bed without confirmed report. Then hospitals admit critically ill patients, but none were diagnosed ilI. Somebody died without a confirmed diagnosis, it would not be counted as the number of confirmed deaths. The mortality rate is much higher than the discharge rate. Because there is no specific medicine to treat this disease, you cannot follow the trend online. Patients at home take two medicines, antiviral and anti-infective, with fever exceeding 38.5 ° C to reduce fever. Inpatient treatment is also a supportive treatment for critically ill patients. (Source: CaijingMagazine): https://tinyurl.com/reuyvg7

1 February 2020  China's National Health Commission said there were 2,102 new confirmed infections in China yesterday, bringing the total to 11,791. Around two dozen other countries have reported another 137 cases. The death toll rose by 46 to 259. In Beijing, counters were set up at the entrances of housing estates, where volunteers wearing red arm bands and masks noted down details of residents coming back from their hometowns after the Lunar New Year holiday. Infections have jumped in two cities flanking Wuhan, raising concerns that new hot spots are emerging despite strict travel restrictions. In one of them, Huanggang, authorities asked households to designate one individual who can leave the home. The city has a population of about 7.5 million. The northern city of Tianjin, home to some 15 million, suspended all schools and businesses until further notice. (Source: Reuters)

Israel
February 9, 2020  Arab media accuse US, Israel of coronavirus conspiracy, being behind the creation and spread of the deadly coronavirus as part of an economic and psychological war against China. They also went on to accuse the US and Israel of being behind other outbreaks over the past several years in China and in the Arab world. "As soon as Egypt announced, a few years ago, that it would rely on poultry [raised in the country], and that it would even export [poultry] abroad – that is, that it no longer needed poultry from the US, France, and so on – [suddenly] there appeared, from underneath the ground, the avian flu virus… with the aim of nipping [Egypt's economic] awakening in the bud," Saudi daily newspaper Al-Watan' report said. "Even before this, the same thing was done in China… when in 2003 [the country] announced that it had the [world's] largest dollar reserves [and] they [the Americans] introduced coronavirus' cousin, SARS, into [the country]." At the beginning of February, Syrian daily newspaper Al-Thawra also claimed the coronavirus and other outbreaks were part of a US-China war. "From Ebola, Zika, SARS, avian flu and swine flu, through anthrax and mad cow disease to the corona[virus] – [all these] deadly viruses were manufactured by the US and threaten to annihilate the peoples of the world," the report alleged. "[The US] has turned biological warfare into a new type of war, by means of which it intends to change the rules of play and shift the conflict with the peoples [of the world] away from the conventional path." A report on the Egyptian news site Vetogate.com adds that there is a theorized economic motivation for the outbreak, as the supposed masterminds behind it will reap the billions of dollars spent by China on emergency treatments and medicines, "which, by the way, will be manufactured by an Israeli company." (Source: TheJerusalemPost)

Japan
February 8, 2020  Prime Minister Abe said foreign passengers on Holland America’s Westerdam ship, won’t be allowed into Japan. He said suspected virus patients were on board. The ship, with more than 2,000 people, was near Okinawa and was seeking another port. (Source: AP)

Feb 8th 2020  Yesterday in Yokohama the tally of coronavirus patients on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship had risen to 61. The newly diagnosed also include 21 Japanese nationals, as well as eight Americans, five Canadians, five Australians and an Argentine. The vessel's quarantine was due to end on February 19. All affected guests were being taken to hospitals. (Source: TheMail)

Philippines
2 February 2020   In the Philippines a 44-year-old man from Wuhan has become the first person outside China to die from the outbreak, while the overall death toll has risen above 300 and the number of confirmed cases of infection increased to more than 14,000. President Duterte approved a temporary ban on all travellers, except Filipinos, from China and its autonomous regions. Among a growing number of airlines suspending flights to mainland China was Qatar Airways. Its flights would stop tomorrow..(Source: LBCNews)

Eurázsia
(2019)   A történelem újragondolása? Finnugor és szkíta eredet -egy és ugyanaz? A Duna és a Volga közti sztyeppe lakossága körében a keleti betelepülők által a hun hódítástól kezdve behozott török nyelvek csak évszázadok elteltével váltották fel teljesen a számszerű többségét mindvégig megőrző szkíta őslakosság ugor nyelvét vagy nyelveit. Így vonható le az a következtetés, hogy a Hun Birodalom társadalma egy olyan sajátos vegyesvállalkozás lehetett, ahol a harcos arisztokrata réteget nagyobbrészt a keletről érkezett, mongolid megjelenésű, török nyelvű ázsiai hun népcsoport adta, míg a népesség többségét továbbra is az europid megjelenésű, ugor nyelvű szkíta őslakosság tette ki. A valószínűleg még kizárólag a régi, ugor nyelvet beszélő jazigok betelepülését követően vélhetően több hullámban is ennek a kétnyelvű sztyeppi népességnek érkeztek különböző hullámai a Kárpát-medencébe, a hunokkal érkező hullámtól kezdve a László által kutatott griffes-indásokon keresztül az 896-os honfoglalás népéig. Végeredményben pedig a Kárpát-medence jelentheti a sztyeppének azt az eldugott szegletét, ahol végül a szkíták régi ugor nyelve kerekedett felül és maradt fenn, míg a Kárpátoktól keletre végbement a teljes nyelvcsere és a török jutott egyeduralkodó helyzetbe. Értelemszerű okok között említhetjük a Kárpát-medence viszonylagos elszigeteltségét a sztyepp-övezeten belül, és azt is, hogy elhelyezkedése a sztyeppi folyosó nyugati végpontjában a keletről érkező eltörökösödés epicentrumától a lehető legmesszebb fekvő sarkát képezi ennek a zónának. Hozzájárulhatott még a régi nyelv fennmaradásához, hogy ide már nem terjedt ki az ogur-török nyelvű népeket a besenyőktől kezdve az európai sztyeppén felváltó köztörök nyelvű népek hódítása, akik keletebbről érkezve minden bizonnyal az eltörökösödésnek már egy előrehaladottabb fázisát képviselték, noha korabeli források szerint megjelenésre még mindig alapvetően europidok voltak. Itt kiemelhető, hogy a köztörök nyelvek elterjedésével egyidőben tűnnek el a forrásokból a kétnyelvűségre utaló megjegyzések, és hogy Julianus barát is az utolsó megmaradt ogur-török nyelvű nép, a volgai bolgárok földjén találta meg a magyar nyelv utolsó, keleten maradt beszélőit. Paradox módon a régi nyelv felülkerekedéséhez hozzájárulhatott még a Szent István-i fordulat is, hiszen az addig az eltörökösödés útján járó elitet letérítette erről az irányról, elvágta az eltörökösödés előrehaladottabb fokán álló sztyeppékhez kötődő kulturális szálakat, a török helyett a latint téve az érdeklődés középpontjába, ezáltal megszüntetve a nyelvcserére irányuló nyomást. (Forrás: SoutheastEurope): https://tinyurl.com/wcq7uy2

Australia
February 7, 2020  Tensions between the UK and its allies over Huawei. Byrne, the key member of Australia's Parliamentary intelligence committee who has served on the intelligence committee for 13 years. has strongly criticised British Foreign Secretary Raab in a private meeting over British intelligence claims they can safely allow Chinese telco Huawei to build the country's 5G mobile network. Australian and US officials are frustrated Britain said in late January that it would not ban equipment made by Huawei from being used in its new high-speed 5G network. The Australians were very disappointed by the decision. Mr. Byrne was telling Mr Raab that British spies were "flat-out wrong" to say Huawei can supply 5G equipment and not pose a threat to national security. He argued Australia had never before been in the position where its largest trading partner was also its biggest "security threat". The Trump administration has lobbied to rebuff Huawei, arguing the telco works closely with Beijing. President Trump was "apoplectic" with "fury" over the decision during a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Johnson granted China's Huawei a limited role in Britain's 5G mobile network, resisting US pressure to exclude the company from next-generation communications on fears China could use it to steal secrets. The US has not ruled out cutting Britain off from intelligence gathered and shared among the Fives Eyes group. (Source: WAtoday)

1 February 2020  Australia said it would forbid non-residents who came to the country from China. Australian prime minister Scott Morrison said only "Australian citizens, Australian residents, dependents, legal guardians or spouses" would be permitted into the country from China from today. (Source: TimesMalta)

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Magyarország
2020. II. 4.   Februártól indul a Kormányinfó Plusz a Miniszterelnöki Kabinetiroda, 1054 Budapest, Garibaldi utca 2. címen. Az e-mail-cím: kormanyinfoplusz@mk.gov.hu. „Itt szeretnék a legfontosabb kormányzati döntésekről és az embereket leginkább érintő témákról beszélni." „A beérkezett kérdéseket feldolgozzuk és a leginkább közérdeklődésre számot tartókat a hónap vége felé meg is válaszolom majd itt, a Facebook-oldalamon egy videóban” – ígéri Szentkirályi. (Forrás: Demokrata)

2020. II. 4.   Az új Nemzeti alaptanterv vállalja a közoktatás egyik legfontosabb küldetését, a nevelést. Deklarálja, hogy az irodalom- és a történelemoktatás középpontjában a magyarság áll. A Kárpát-medencei magyarság kultúrájának, nemzeti identitásának egyik legfontosabb alapja az anyanyelve és az ezen a nyelven megszólaló irodalma. Újabb lépést tettünk a normalitás felé. A közel évtizedes vajúdás után megszületett új Nemzeti alaptanterv örvendetesen az egyensúly irányába mozdult el a korábbi, meglehetősen hazafiatlan, jelentős nemzeti értékeket kirekesztő szabályozás felől. Örömhír, hogy az irodalomtanításba bekerültek olyan megkerülhetetlen óriások, mint Herczeg, Nyirő, Wass; a czegei gróf Adjátok vissza a hegyeimet! című nagyszerű, erős érzelmeket keltő regénye éppenséggel kötelező olvasmánnyá vált. Már nem erőltetik a kevésbé jelentős, a rendszerváltozás évtizedeiben nem művészeti értékük, hanem ideológiai elkötelezettségük miatt futtatott olyan kortárs szerzőket, mint például Esterházy. A XX. század második felének magyar drámairodalma ugyanakkor nem kap elég hangsúlyt, noha Szakonyi vagy Csurka maradandó alkotásokkal gazdagította irodalmunkat. A köznevelés szemléleti alapjainak meghatározásával kiegészíti a gyermekek, tanulók családban megvalósuló nevelését, erősíti ezzel a hazához és a nemzet történelméhez való kötődést, a generációk közötti kapcsolatot, a közös kulturális gyökereket, az anyanyelv használatát, rögzíti azt a minden magyar emberben közös tudást, amely megalapozza a nemzeti identitást. Nyelvünk, közös történelmünk, keresztény alapú vallási és művészeti hagyományaink összekötnek bennünket: korokat, alkotókat, befogadókat és műveket; egy kulturális hagyományhoz tartozunk, egy nemzet vagyunk. A történelem tantárgy tantervének középpontjában a magyar nemzet és Magyarország története áll; több általános európai jelenség is konkrét magyar példákon keresztül kerül bemutatásra. A tanuló a megszerzett ismeretek által erős, határozott magyar identitással rendelkezzen, és így a magyarságot egyszerre tekintse a történelem során kialakult emberi közösségnek, valamint természetes vonatkoztatási pontnak, sajátítsa el a közös kulturális kód leglényegesebb elemeit (szimbólumok, történelmi személyek, történetek, fogalmak, alkotások). /Forrás: Demokrata/

2020. II. 4.  A Petőfi Irodalmi Múzeum igazgatója tervei szerint a Károlyi-palota helyett a teljesen új épületet kapó Országos Széchényi Könyvtárral egy helyen lenne az irodalmi múzeum. A csúcsintézmény alá tartozna könyvközpont, anyanyelvi központ, és einstandolná az NKA könnyűzenei pénzeit is. A kormány már tárgyalt is a tervről, és „utóegyeztetést” kért – vagyis vélhetően alku kezdődik arról, miket kaphat meg Demeter a listáján szereplő tételekből. Demeter előterjesztése szerint, amelyet a kormány a múlt héten tárgyalt, létrejönne egy nemzeti giga-csúcsintézmény, ami maga alá rendelne több, már létező intézményt, ösztöndíjat, ingatlant, valamint a Kultura.hu portált. Az előterjesztés célja, hogy a PIM a kortárs magyar irodalom, a könyvszakmai terület és a tehetséggondozás csúcsintézményévé váljon, „megteremtse a magyar művészeti társadalom számára a sokszínű, minőségi és pozitív alkotói körülményeket, elérhetővé és megismerhetővé tegyen nemzeti kulturális kincseket, igazolja a magyar kultúra világszínvonalát, az alkotóink és előadóművészeink támogatásának indokát és a művészeti szférára fordított közpénzek felhasználását. Javaslatot tesz a kormány tanácsadó testületeként Anyanyelvi Kulturális Társulás és Művészeti Tehetséggondozó szervezet létrehozására, amely a könyvkultúra, az irodalom, valamint a magyar kortárs alkotóművészeti és könnyűzenei területen szolgálhat iránymutatással. Az elnök a PIM főigazgatója lenne. A társulásban részt venne az Országos Széchényi Könyvtár, a PIM, a Petőfi Irodalmi Ügynökség (PIÜ), a Nemzeti Tehetséggondozó Nonprofit Kft. és a Cseh Tamás Archívum Alapítvány - amely jelenleg a Magyar Alkotóművészeti Közhasznú Nonprofit Kft. (MANK) része -, közreműködve a nemzeti kultúra területén az összefogásból eredő előnyök eléréséhez szükséges alapok megteremtésében. A szervezet létrehozna egy Magyar Könnyűzenei Központot, amely a PIM alatt álló Petőfi Irodalmi Ügynökség szervezeti egysége lenne, és átvenné a MANK könnyűzenéhez kapcsolódó feladatait. Az előterjesztés egyúttal arról is rendelkezne, hogy a PIM és az NKA együttműködési keretmegállapodást kössön egymással a Nemzeti Kulturális Alap Hangfoglaló Könnyűzene Támogató Program szakmai kollégiumának átalakítására: így a PIM is delegálna kollégiumi tagokat. A Társulás részt venne a kultúraszervezésben, támogatná a nemzeti kultúra megőrzését és fejlesztését, valamint közreműködne a magyar nemzet határon átívelő kulturális újraegyesítésének előmozdításában. Mindezt a PIM költségvetése fedezné. Az előző igazgató, Prőhle utóda, Demeter nyíltan hitet tett a Fidesz-kormány mellett. Alapító főszerkesztője a vidéki Mediaworks-lapok irodalmi mellékleteként megjelenő, állami pénzekkel közvetve erősen megtámogatott Előretolt Helyőrségnek. Tavaly az OSZK költözéséért felelős miniszteri biztos lett - az intézmény megbízott vezetője, Hammerstein -, és mandátumát idén két évre meghosszabbították. A kultúrpolitika formálására törekvő főigazgató terve volt a kultúrtörvény előző változata, amely a Magyar Művészeti Akadémia ellenállása miatt rövid úton megbukott, s amely megszüntette volna a Nemzeti Kulturális Alapot. A Petőfi Irodalmi Ügynökség által elindított Hajónapló című internetes kulturális műsor első adása pedig vállalhatatlan lett az Echo TV-ből kitiltott fiatal kormánypárti újságírók viccelődése miatt. Az előterjesztés arra tesz javaslatot, hogy az OSZK-t a Magyar Nyelv Háza részeként helyezzék el, „zöldmezős beruházásként, az ún. Déli Városkapu – Diákváros projekt keretében, vagy annak területe közelében. Mindehhez arra lenne szükség, hogy a jelenleg az OSZK az új épület felhúzásáig – legalább öt évig – még a várban maradhasson, valamint hogy a kormány visszavonja azokat a határozatait, amelyekkel több száz millió forintot biztosított az OSZK „archívumainak elhelyezését szolgáló archivális és szolgáltató raktárak megvalósítását célzó beruházás előkészítéséhez”, azaz a budai várkert alatti és egy piliscsabai raktár kialakítására. A PIM átvenné több szakmai ösztöndíj működtetését is, így a jelenleg még a MANK kezelésében lévő Móricz, Örkény és Babits irodalmi, valamint az Oláh szerkesztői ösztöndíjakat, valamint a Digitális Irodalmi Akadémia (DIA) ösztöndíjat is. A PIM tulajdonában lévő Nemzeti Tehetséggondozó Nonprofit Kft.-hez kerülnének a MANK kezelésében lévő további ösztöndíjak: a Kállai művészettörténészi és műkritikusi ösztöndíj, a Fischer zenei-előadó-művészeti ösztöndíj, a Fülöp táncművészeti ösztöndíj, a Kodály zenei alkotói ösztöndíj, a Lakatos Ablakos jazz előadó-művészeti ösztöndíj, a Szegedi Kis kutatói ösztöndíj, a Derkovits képzőművészeti ösztöndíj, a Kozma kézműves iparművészeti ösztöndíj, a Moholy-Nagy formatervezési ösztöndíj és a Pécsi fotóművészeti ösztöndíj. Az előterjesztés szerint a PIM megkapna több ingatlant is: a most a MANK tulajdonában lévő Galyatetői alkotóházat és a Balatonfüredi fordítóházat, az állami tulajdonban lévő Óbudai Zichy-kastélyt (amelyben továbbműködhetne a Kassák Múzeum, a Vasarely Múzeum, a Térszínház és az Óbudai Múzeum is), az állami tulajdonban lévő Kossuth Klubot, valamint az állami tulajdonban lévő Andrássy Palotát, ahová a Magyar Könnyűzenei Központ költözne be. A PIM megkapná a most a MANK kezelésében lévő Kultura.hu kulturális portált, amely régebben hosszú ideig a kulturális minisztérium alá tartozó, de tartalmában független kulturális portál volt, majd L. Simon idején lecserélődött a teljes stáb. (Forrás: Index)

Erdély
2020. II. 3.   Dormánfalva önkormányzata tavaly áprilisban önkényesen román parcellát alakított ki a Hargita és Bákó megye határán fekvő katonatemetőben, melyet korábban Csíkszentmárton község gondozott. Június 6-án több ezer román megemlékező erőszakkal nyomult be a temetőbe, hogy részt vegyen a román parcella és emlékmű román ortodox felszentelésén, miután székelyek élőlánccal próbálták megakadályozni ezt. Az ügy több pernek a tárgyát képezi. A bukaresti védelmi minisztériumnak alárendelt Hősök Emléke Országos Hivatal (ONCE) tavaly június 12-én közzétett összegzésében tisztázta, hogy nem az úzvölgyi temetőben nyugszik az a 149 román katona, akikre hivatkozva Dormánfalva polgármesteri hivatala ötven betonkereszttel román parcellát hozott létre a Hargita és Bákó megye határán fekvő sírkertben. A hatóság állítása szerint 130 román katonát az Úzvölgyétől keletre fekvő, ma már nem létező Poiana Uzului (Úzmező) településen temettek el, az ő földi maradványaikat azonban a két világháború között a Bákó megyei Comănesti (Kománfalva) katonatemetőjében helyezték örök nyugalomra. A védelmi tárca honlapján elérhető összegzés, amelyhez a korabeli dokumentumok fénymásolatait is csatolták, 11, Úzvölgyében eltemetett román katonáról tesz említést. Az egyik melléklet hét, románnak vélt katona nevét és adatait is tartalmazza. A magyar Hadtörténeti Intézet és Múzeum parancsnoka július végén a Tusványoson szervezett pódiumbeszélgetésen olyan dokumentumokat mutatott be, amelyek tanúsítják, hogy a románnak tekintett katonák sem valamennyien románok. Közülük öten a magyar hadseregben szolgáltak, egy korábbi kutatás pedig további egy katonáról megállapította, hogy orosz volt. Az úzvölgyi katonatemetőben több román nacionalista megmozdulást is szervező Calea Neamului Egyesület elnöke, Tîrnoveanu tavaly szeptember 23-án jelentette be, hogy Boboc fémdetektoros kincskereső a katonatemető közvetlen közelében egy, az első világháborúban elesett román katona csontjait és fegyverzetét találta meg. Ezt a román nacionalista szervezetek a 150., Úzvölgyében eltemetett román hős maradványainak tekintették. Erre hivatkozva vonultak 150 fáklyával a temetőbe október 25-én, a román hadsereg napján. A csontokat a jászvásári (Ia?i) Törvényszéki Orvostani Intézet vizsgálta meg; a vizsgálat eredményeiről a moinesti-i ügyészség tájékoztatta Árust, a Székely Figyelő Alapítvány elnökét. A hatóságok szerint állati eredetűek azok a csontok, amelyeket román nacionalista szervezetek az Úzvölgyén eltemetett 150. román katona földi maradványainak tekintettek. (Forrás: Krónika)

2020. II. 2.   Most rajtad múlik Székelyföld sorsa! / Magyar Patrióták közössége (video) / Forrás: YouTube): https://tinyurl.com/w57rco3

Germany
February 10, 2020  On whether and to what extent to allow Huawei, the Chinese tech giant, to enter Germany's next generation telecommunications infrastructure. The decision “is imminent,” says Haber, German ambassador to the United States. Any decision we take will factor in the relevance of the trustworthiness of the provider, she added. Germany could end up following Britain’s precedence and reach a compromise solution “between Merkel’s permissive few limits suggestion and the more restrictive line called for by many backbench MPs, led by Roettgen. Merkel is seen as wanting to work with Beijing in order to secure German business interests in China, while Roettgen, also a member of the governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and chairman of the influential Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, has made no secret of his mistrust of Huawei. There given the 5G technology’s largely “cloud”-based feature, it remains “technically unclear” how core and peripheral distinction could be meaningfully established. Should the German parliament vote Huawei out of Germany’s 5G telecommunications infrastructure, it would be a huge surprise to many, and it would constitute a “huge defeat for Merkel. “Poland and I believe Romania are the only countries that have signed a declaration with the United States, stating just that we’ll be very careful in choosing providers and providers should be very reliable, Wilczek, Poland’s ambassador to the United States, said. Germany's decision likely will have significant impact on the other European Union countries. The fact that Germany takes up about 30% of the EU’s 5G market is “enough for pan-EU operators to follow its lead. (Source: VoANews)

United Kingdom
2/10/2020   Britain declares coronavirus outbreak a ‘serious and imminent threat to public health’. The number of cases in the U.K. doubled in one day, from four over the weekend to eight. Britain is the second country in Europe to declare the novel coronavirus outbreak an emergency, after Italy. The EU has 33 cases, spread across Germany (14), France (11), Italy (3), Spain (2), Belgium (1), Finland (1) and Sweden (1).  /Source: Politico/

3d February 2020  Hoaxes and conspiracy theories have been on the rise since news about deaths and infections linked to the illness began surfacing. In addition, the spread of anti-Chinese racism has reportedly been on the rise in several countrieq, such as photos being shared purportedly showing signs that say “No Chinese allowed.” And: the United States is the biggest user of biochemical weapons in the world – ever. It has also been alleged that the US has used such programs in many places around the world, most particularly against countries it is in conflict with and to be fair, America has even been proven to have used them on its own people. When the U.S. biological warfare program ended in 1969 it had developed six mass-produced, battle-ready biological weapons in the form of agents including anthrax, tularemia, brucellosis, Q-fever, VEE, and botulism. In addition staphylococcal enterotoxin B was produced as an incapacitating agent. Claims that Coronaviris has been developed and used by the USA in its bid to halt Chinese economic superiority (alongside Trump’s trade wars) by using a race-specific bioweapon is another conspiracy theory. (Source: TruePublica)

2 February 2020  Thailand has reportedly seen promising results after treating a coronavirus patient with a mix of two antiviral drugs which are usually used to treat HIV and influenza. Medics tested the drug mix on a patient who was in a 'serious condition' with the disease and within 48 hours they were declared disease-free. Thailand has seen 19 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, 11 patients are still in hospital but the rest have been able to return home. The breakthrough comes as the manufacturers of the British cleaning product, Dettol, were forced to clarify that their product would not be effective at killing the virus. One eagle-eyed shopper noticed that on the back of a bottle of Dettol a label read: 'Kills cold viruses (human coronavirus and RSV).' The company, RB, has said the label referred to milder strains of the bug which it has bee proven to kill. (Source: DailyMail)

2 February 2020  Summary of the situation. (Source: Mail): https://tinyurl.com/tvcrjl3

Feb 2, 2020   British Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced a new fast-track visa to attract more of the world’s best scientists to the UK in hopes of creating a global science superpower with a pledge of £300 million for research into advanced mathematics. The money will help to fund researchers and doctoral students whose work in maths underpins myriad developments such as safer air travel, smartphone technology and artificial intelligence. There will be no cap on the number of people able to come to the UK under the programme, which starts next month. Britain is facing its biggest immigration shake-up in decades after it officially leaves the EU. After Brexit, EU citizens will lose the automatic right to live and work in the UK, and Britons lose the right to settle in the bloc’s 27 remaining nations. That has sparked fears that Britain may face shortages in key employment areas. (Source: TheNational)

Iceland
China's growing economic heft has expanded its global reach and fueled tourism world-wide. When severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, fanned out from China in 2003, the country had the world’s sixth-biggest economy. Now it is No. 2 in gross domestic product and No. 1 in trade. In 2002, about seven million Chinese people traveled beyond Hong Kong. Now they take around 150 million international trips annually. In 2003, referring to the 2003 SARS outbreak in China, Iceland hardly had any Chinese tourists. Last year, it was 100,000. (Source: TheWalltStreetJournal)

Románia
2020. II. 5  . Megbukott az Orban vezette jobbközép román kormány a kétkamarás bukaresti parlamentben ma rendezett bizalmi szavazáson. Az ellenzéki Szociáldemokrata Párt (PSD) és a Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség (RMDSZ) által beterjesztett bizalmatlansági indítványt 261 képviselő és szenátor szavazta meg, ily módon megakadályozva a kétfordulós polgármester-választás bevezetését, amelyet a parlamenti vitát mellőzve, úgynevezett kormányzati felelősségvállalással terjesztett a parlament elé a Nemzeti Liberális Párt (PNL) alig három hónapja beiktatott kisebbségi kormánya. A kormány bukása megnyitja az utat az év végén esedékes parlamenti választások előrehozása előtt. (Forrás: Mandiner)

Serbia
February 7, 2020   Serbian authorities early today put on buses several hundred migrants who have been camped at the border with Hungary and returned them to asylum centers further inside the country. The migrants came to the border yesterday, carrying banners and chanting “open borders!,” demanding access to the European Union country. The migrants are among several thousand who remain stuck in Serbia as they seek to move toward Western Europe through neighboring EU countries Hungary or Croatia. Hungary recently has reported a spike in attempts by migrants to cross the border illegally. (Source: APNews)

European Union
2 February 2020   The EU is set to back Spain's claim to Gibraltar and give Madrid the power to exclude the Rock from a future Brexit trade deal. Madrid have said Gibraltar must be mentioned in the EU's initial negotiating position to be published tomorrow. It said Gibraltar should be left out of Britain's new relationship with the EU unless Spain gives explicit permission for the contrary. They have in principle asked that the new relationship not apply to Gibraltar without the explicit consent of Spain, which will only be given if the bilateral talks with Spain and the UK over the rock are resolved. Gibraltar has been British for more than 300 years. The UK and the EU today launched into a new war of words as Gibraltar was branded a 'colony' in draft laws to give visa-free travel to Britons. Unlike at other moments in the Brexit negotiation Britain has no power to veto or even disagree because it is a decision made by the remaining 27 EU states. It means the incendiary language is likely to stay in the final version of the rules granting visa-free travel to Britons after Brexit. It will not prevent Gibraltar's citizens taking advantage of the waiver and does not change their legal status in the EU. Spain almost blocked the conclusion of the deal in November and repeatedly raised the issue of Gibraltar during two years of talks. In April 2017 there were even claims Mrs May would go to war to defend the Rock in the same way as Margaret Thatcher fought for the Falklands. The Rock's 2006 constitution stipulates that there can be no transfer of sovereignty to Spain against the wishes of its voters. In a referendum in 2002, Gibraltarians resoundingly rejected the idea of joint sovereignty between the UK and Spain. Free travel between Spain and Gibraltar was fully restored in 1985, but travellers continued to suffer delays at the border. In the 2016 EU referendum, the Rock voted overwhelmingly against Brexit. For Madrid, Brexit represents a golden opportunity to overturn three centuries of history and stage their own bid to 'take back control'. (Source: DailyMail)

Africa
February 8, 2020  In Africa an estimated 1 million Chinese live now. Countries are racing to take precautions as hundreds of travelers arrive from China every day. Safeguards include stronger surveillance at ports of entry and improved quarantine and testing measures across Africa, home to 1.2 billion people and some of the world’s weakest systems for detecting and treating disease. But the effort has been complicated by a critical shortage of testing kits and numerous illnesses that display symptoms similar to the flu-like virus. (Source: AP)

01 February 2020  African countries mobilise against coronavirus as fears mount . Across the continent, governments have stationed nurses at airports to check for feverish passengers and have suspended Chinese entry visas, while ordinary people grow increasingly nervous. Deep trade links with China and often overstretched healthcare systems are raising concerns about the capacity to respond to an outbreak. Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda and Mauritius are expected to "enhance screening" because of frequent traffic with China. In a sign of extreme caution, some governments are also asking Chinese nationals to remain indoors. Nigeria has urged any person arriving from China to "self-isolate" for at least two weeks, even if they are not ill. (Source: TimesLice.co.za)

Antartic
Feb 7, 2020  The continent of Antarctica has experienced its hottest temperature on record, with a research station provisionally recording 18.3C. The reading beats the previous record on the Earth's southernmost continent of 17.5C in March 2015. The Argentine station Esperanza collected the data, shared by the United Nations's World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). The record for the Antarctic region - defined as all land and ice south of 60 degrees latitude - is 19.8C recorded on Signy Island in January 1982, the WMO said. The Antarctic Peninsula, the northwest tip near South America, is among the fastest-warming regions on Earth, with temperatures rising almost 3C during the past 50 years. About 87 per cent of the glaciers along its west coast have "retreated" during those decades and had shown an "accelerated retreat" in the past 12 years, the WMO said. (Source: 9newsAU)

Globalization
10/02/2020 China now accounts for a third of global economic growth and is extremely tightly integrated into global production, trade and financial chains. Fear of the virus at the end of January 2020 cost stock markets one and a half trillion dollars. Brent oil prices fell by 21% from the beginning of January, the Chinese yuan fell by 2% against the dollar, and the damage that the coronavirus could cause the second largest economy in the world and all of China’s trade partners has yet to be calculated. The Cold War between the United States and China is becoming an objective reality. In the US National Security Strategy, in the National Defense Strategy and in the Nuclear Posture Review, China is declared an adversary of the United States, as well as Russia. The trade war and restrictions on the activities of Chinese technology companies in the United States were aimed to curb China's economic power, but the signing of the Phase 1 agreement by President Trump and Vice-Premier of the State Council of the PRC Liu puts the trade war “on hold” at least until November of 2020. Despite the limited spread of the virus and its small percentage of cases, the damage to the Chinese economy from the propaganda of world hysteria turned out to be colossal. But since globalisation has combined most production, commodity and consumer chains, the same newsworthy event, the coronavirus, returned like a boomerang to Western markets and hit them very hard. Perhaps we now have to see a competition between Western and Eastern strategies: Clausewitz (“The original means of strategy is victory … which will lead directly to peace” and “it is necessary to deprive the enemy of the opportunity to resist, putting him in a difficult position for a long time”) against Sun Tzu (“warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable”). One way or another, now, in order to reduce losses, all interested parties will use the situation with the coronavirus for their own purposes. The Chinese economy is facing structural problems and gigantic debt levels. The Bank of China’s programme for 1.2 trillion yuan, which would be used to refinance debts, would otherwise be impossible on such a scale, as well as the devaluation of the yuan, for which China had previously been blamed a currency manipulator. And China can stop buying US Treasury bonds. For some time, the climate change agenda has disappeared from global radars, which is positive for China (and for Russia). The Silicon Valley corporations affected by Chinese quarantine have other things to worry about than a technological war. A slump in business posted by Apple, IBM, Microsoft and AMD due to the Chinese coronavirus and weak financial reports for the first quarter of 2020 will significantly affect the capitalisation of IT companies and the stock market as a whole, which will affect the income of US citizens, 60% of which are involved in operations on the stock market through pension, investment and other foundations, or directly. Later the growth rate of the American economy will suffer, where the share of consumer spending in GDP exceeds 70%. The suspension of work of the Chinese enterprises and quarantine restrictions will hit the mining companies of Australia and India, the tourism industry of Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, etc., the majority of world airlines, oil producers, McDonald's, Starbucks, Netflix, Disney, EBay, the microchip and display manufacturers in South Korea and Malaysia, manufacturers of equipment in Germany, Japan, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, and the global automakers that depend on components from China. In Hubei province, which was hit by the virus outbreak, the major enterprises include Nissan Motor, Honda Motor, Siemens AG, Tesla Inc. and Peugeot. By the end of the first quarter, the world should expect a certain shortage of goods. But even more dangerous is the general slowdown in the global economy, and the risks of recession in several G7 countries at once poses a real threat of the start of a new global economic crisis. The risks of the novel coronavirus outbreak becoming a global pandemic are extremely low, but if the spread of the virus becomes uncontrollable, it can negatively influence internal political processes in China itself and lead to the collapse of economies in a number of regions, as well as the emergence of refugees and mass migration, military conflicts, and humanitarian disasters. The global economy, in this event, will face a deep and protracted crisis, making the Great Depression of the 30s seem like a slight decline in comparison. (Source: ValdaiDisscusionClub)

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China
31 January 2020   Drones spray disinfectant in Chinese villages. At least 213 people have died from the killer disease. /videos/ (Source: DailyStar)
A comment: "If it's only contagious person to person, why are they spraying the environment? Everything they tell us are lies."

January 30, 2020 Wuhan is short of test kits, beds; the outbreak is serious /by Chen /video/ (Source: Youtube): https://tinyurl.com/wwg4klh
492 562 views

30 Jan, 2020   It's likely many milder cases of the virus are being missed. Doubts have been raised about the official death toll, with claims Chinese authorities have been cremating bodies in secret. Chinese-language news outlet Initium interviewed people working at local cremation centres in Wuhan, who said bodies were being sent directly from hospitals without being properly identified and added to the official record. The death rate of the new virus at 2 per cent figure was very preliminary. The World Health Organisation said most cases reported to date "have been milder, with around 20 per cent of those infected experiencing severe illness". The Chinese health minister and others have suggested the virus is spreading before people get symptoms, but data to confirm that has not yet been shared widely beyond China. The fortunate thing about SARS, if there was anything fortunate, was that transmission did not take place before symptoms. If it turned out that the new coronavirus could indeed be spread by people who didn't show any symptoms, a pandemic is a scenario that we have to consider. (Source: NZHerald / AP)

29 January 2020   China has already seen almost 6,000 cases and 132 deaths. Western incitements to anti-Asian hatred. To see the coronavirus as an excuse for people to be racist? Anti-Asian racism has been reported in the UK and elsewhere. (Source: BBC)

January 29, 2020  A country of fretful eyes peering out over surgical masks. More than 6,000 medical workers have been dispatched from every province except Tibet and Hubei (where Wuhan is located) to relieve doctors and nurses in Wuhan. Since the central government takeover of China’s virus response last week, state media has broadcast a steady stream of inspirational reports about heroic Chinese people uniting to fight the unseen enemy, confident in the party’s leadership. Over and over again, the government repeats: Trust us. Be calm. Wash your hands. Stay home. Silent cities sit in a white winter smog that blots out the sky, their silent, empty streets contrasting with the crowded hospitals where doctors and nurses break down because they lack equipment or rooms for the patients squeezed outside their doors. Online, desperate posts sprout up daily from people begging for help because sick family members are not being admitted into hospitals. In rural areas, many villagers blockade and guard village entrances to prevent outsiders - especially Hubei people - from entering. National health commissioner Jiao said today in Beijing that the issue of insufficient hospital beds was a question of “great importance” and “national concern". The hospitals in Wuhan are supposed to open up space to patients, Jiao said, providing 10,000 beds in total - “more than enough” for suspected as well as confirmed cases. But residents in Wuhan with sick family members say they are unable to receive diagnostic tests or secure hospital space for their relatives, even when doctors tell them they are likely infected with the new virus. (Source: msn / LosAngelesTimes)

January 29, 2020   While scientists believe the outbreak was sparked by an animal virus, it’s unclear if there are other factors driving the epidemic. Chinese researchers suggested that person-to-person spread among close contacts occurred as early as mid-December. Based on the first 425 confirmed cases, the researchers estimate that each infection led to 2.2 others on average. That’s a bit more than ordinary flu but far less than some other respiratory diseases such as whooping cough and tuberculosis. The rate for SARS, a cousin to this new virus, was estimated to be 3. More than half of the cases in which symptoms began before Jan. 1 were tied to a seafood market, but only 8% of cases after that have been. The average incubation period was five days. (Source: AP)

Jan 28, 2020    The number of cases has soared - doubling to more than 4,5oo in the past 24 hours. Today authorities urged Chinese citizens to delay any foreign travel "to protect the health and safety of Chinese and foreign people'. (TheTimesofIndia)

01/27/2020   There’s a very acute conflict between supply and demand. The epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, China’s Hubei Province, is opening up 100,000 hospital beds in an effort to contain the disease, the province’s vice governor announced. Yunyan said authorities have designated 112 medical institutions to treat patients with the deadly novel coronavirus. They have freed up around 100,000 hospital beds in the province, with 3,000 of them in Wuhan city alone. Another 24 medical centers will be mobilized to assist with patients who exhibit symptoms and are suspected to have the virus. Hospitals in Hubei need 100,000 protective suits daily, but there are only about 40 such suppliers nationwide, with a total production capacity of 30,000. (Source: ZeroHedge)

January 26, 2020  Confirmed infections within China climbed to nearly 2,750 and the death toll rose to 80. (Source: StatNews)

January 26, 2020   Game changer. People can spread the virus before symptoms show, China's health minister Ma said today. If so – and information about this virus is constantly evolving - for about two weeks, people who don’t even know they’re sick can spread the virus. The study of the genetic code of 2019-nCoV reveals that the new virus is most closely related to two bat SARS-like coronavirus samples from China, initially suggesting that - like SARS and MERS - the bat might also be the origin of 2019-nCoV. The authors further found that the viral RNA coding sequence of 2019-nCoV spike protein, which forms the "crown" of the virus particle that recognizes the receptor on a host cell, indicates that the bat virus might have mutated before infecting people. When the researchers performed a more detailed bioinformatics analysis of the sequence of 2019-nCoV, it suggests that this coronavirus might come from snakes. Snakes - the Chinese krait and the Chinese cobra - could be the original source of the new coronavirus. The many-banded krait (Bungarus multicinctus), also known as the Taiwanese krait or the Chinese krait, is a highly venomous species of elapid snake found in much of central and southern China and southeast Asia. Most of the first group of patients hospitalized were workers or customers at a Wuhan seafood wholesale market which also sold processed meats and live consumable animals including poultry, donkeys, sheep, pigs, camels, foxes, badgers, bamboo rats, hedgehogs and reptiles. However, since no one has ever reported finding a coronavirus infecting aquatic animals, it is plausible that the coronavirus may have originated from other animals sold in that market. Due to the Lunar New Year holiday and the outbreak, 5 million people have left Wuhan with 9 million still remaining in the city, according to Wuhan’s Mayor Zhou. By declaring a global emergency, WHO would set in motion coordination efforts among various countries and encourage UN member states to institute strict surveillance measures. According to a September 2019 study by Chinese scientists published in The Lancet, there are about 88,100 influenza-related deaths every year in China, with a mortality rate of between 1.6% and 2.6%. The majority of those who died as a result of the flu were aged over 60. The new coronavirus appears to be more deadly than seasonal influenza. Of the 1,317 cases confirmed globally as of noon yesterday in China, there had been 41 deaths, a mortality rate of 3.1%. (Source: CNN)

January 26, 2020   Death toll reaches 56 as cases rise sharply. China’s National Health Commission said it would send 1,230 medical experts to Wuhan to assist in treatment. The army has sent another 450 people, from three military medical universities, to Wuhan. The air force sent military transport aircraft to the cities of Shanghai, Xi’an and Chongqing to pick up emergency airlifts of medical team members and medical supplies for Wuhan. In Wuhan, health officials said that they would assign 24 general hospitals to treat potential coronavirus patients only. China has temporarily banned the wildlife trade nationwide. China’s rigid bureaucracy discourages local officials from raising bad news with central bosses and it silos officials off from one another, making it harder to manage, or even see, a crisis in the making. (Source: TheNewYorkTimes)

January 25, 2020   The spread of a deadly new virus is accelerating, Chinese President Xi warned, after holding a special government meeting on the Lunar New Year public holiday. The country is facing a "grave situation" Mr Xi told. The coronavirus has killed at least 41 people and infected some 1,400 since its discovery in the city of Wuhan. There a second emergency hospital is to be built within weeks to handle 1,300 new patients, and will be finished in half a month. It is the second such rapid construction project: work on another 1,000-bed hospital has already begun. Specialist military medical teams have also been flown into Hubei province, where Wuhan is located. This new virus also causes severe acute respiratory infection. Symptoms seem to start with a fever, followed by a dry cough and then, after a week, lead to shortness of breath and some patients needing hospital treatment. There is no specific cure or vaccine. Pharmacies in Wuhan have begun to run out of supplies and hospitals have been filled with nervous members of the public. The US, France and Russia are among several countries trying to evacuate their nationals from Wuhan. In Hong Kong, the highest level of emergency has been declared and school holidays extended. In the capital, Beijing, and also in Shanghai, officials have asked residents who return from affected areas to stay at home for 14 days to prevent the spread of the virus. There are now 1,372 confirmed cases across China. (Source: BBC)

January 25, 2020   The bleak prediction reveals by February 4, the number of infected people in Wuhan could hit 351,396. Contagion Coronavirus leaves 56 million on lockdown in 18 cities. A surgeon, 62 who treated sick becomes 41st confirmed death. Hospitals warned they could not cope with the number of patients turning up with symptoms. Scientists at Peking University claim that the deadly virus was passed to humans from bats - but say it was through a mutation in snakes. The Huanan Seafood market sold live koalas, snakes, rats and wolf pup to locals to eat. Bat soup is reported to be an unusual but popular dish particularly in Wuhan. The researchers said that the new strain is made up of a combination of one that affects bats and another unknown coronavirus. They believe that combined genetic material from both bats and this unknown strain picked up a protein that allows viruses bind to certain host cells - including those of humans. Snakes are sold at the Huanan Seafood Market in central Wuhan and may have jumped to other animals before passing to humans, they claim. The binding protein is important, but it is just one of the many things under investigation. There may be other proteins involved. (Source: TheSun)

24 January 2020   The coronavirus death toll in China increased to 26 and the number of confirmed cases around the world was more than 850. Lockdowns to contain the new virus have been extended to at least 10 cities - including nine in Hubei province - effectively isolating 33 million people. Measures are in force in the UK to guard against the virus, including taking aircraft to a special designated area of Heathrow's Terminal 4. (Source: SkyNews)

23 January 2020   China built a lab to study SARS and Ebola in Wuhan. Opened in January 2018 the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory is the only lab in China designated for studying dangerous pathogens like SARS and Ebola. It was the first ever lab in the country designed to meet biosafetey-level-4 (BSL-4) standards - the highest biohazard level, meaning that it would be qualified to handle the most dangerous pathogens. Upon opening, it planned to first take up a project that required only BSL-3 precautions to be in place: a tickborne virus that causes Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. It's as highly fatal disease, killing 10 to 40 percent of those it infects. SARS, too, is a BSL-3 virus. According to the lab's director, Yuan, the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory planned to study the SARS virus. After a laboratory leak incident of SARS in 2004, the former Ministry of Health of China initiated the construction of preservation laboratories for high-level pathogens such as SARS, coronavirus, and pandemic influenza virus. It's not clear what or where those labs were. A 2017 article warned of the unpredictability of lab animals that scientists at the Wuhan lab intended to inject with viruses. There are about 54 BSL-4 labs worldwide. (Source: DailyMail)

23 January 2020  The quarantine on Wuhan may have come too late. Wuhan, China, and 5 other cities have been quarantined as China attempts to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Today morning, authorities in Wuhan, city more than 3,200 square miles in size, shut down the city's public transportation, including buses, trains, ferries, and the airport. It also prevents any buses or trains from coming into or leaving the city and grounds all planes at the Wuhan airport. At noon local time tomorrow, Wuhan city authorities will begin to limit car travel as well. Nearby cities - Huanggang, Ezhou, Chibi, and Zhijiang - were placed under a transportation lockdown today, too. Officials in Huanggang have ordered cinemas and cafes to close. The city's long-distance buses and trains were halted. The nearby city of Ezhou, too, has closed its train stations. In Chibi and Zhijiang, two smaller cities, buses are being halted. Authorities have also announced an impending quarantine order for Xianning. That's about 23 million people on lockdown. Eighteen people have died from the coronavirus outbreak that started in Wuhan, China, and at least 640 people have been infected across nine countries. A substantial fraction of infected people show only mild symptoms. (Source: BusinessInsider)

January 22, 2022  The Chinese government has quarantined the city of Wuhan and plans to shut down the airport and public transportation within hours amid an outbreak of the coronavirus. The virus has been linked to at least 17 deaths and has sickened over 500 others. (Source: FoxNews)

United States
January 31, 2020  “That meeting never happened.” More than two months before he asked Ukraine’s president to investigate his political opponents, President Trump directed Bolton, then his national security adviser, to help with his pressure campaign to extract damaging information on Democrats from Ukrainian officials, according to an unpublished manuscript by Bolton. Mr. Trump gave the instruction, Bolton wrote, during an Oval Office conversation in early May. In a statement after this article was published, Mr. Trump denied the discussion that Mr. Bolton described. Bolton described the roughly 10-minute conversation in drafts of his book, a memoir of his time as national security adviser that is to go on sale in March. Over several pages, Mr. Bolton laid out Mr. Trump’s fixation on Ukraine and the president’s belief, based on a mix of scattershot events, assertions and outright conspiracy theories, that Ukraine tried to undermine his chances of winning the presidency in 2016. As he began to realize the extent and aims of the pressure campaign, Bolton began to object. Mr. Trump also repeatedly made national security decisions contrary to American interests, Bolton wrote, describing a pervasive sense of alarm among top advisers about the president’s choices. Bolton expressed concern to others in the administration that the president was effectively granting favors to autocratic leaders like Erdogan of Turkey and Xi of China. The White House has sought to block the release of the book, contending that it contains classified information. The government reviews books by former officials who had access to secrets so they can excise the manuscripts of any classified information. Officials including Mr. Trump have described Mr. Bolton, who was often at odds with Secretary of State Pompeo and Mr. Mulvaney, as a disgruntled former official with an ax to grind. (Source: msn)

January 31, 2020   After being cajoled into going up to his room, Mann said Weinstein told her friend to wait in the living area of the suite and called Mann into his bedroom. When she appeared at the doorframe, she said that he pulled her in, shut the door, and orally sexually assaulted her without her consent. “The more I fought, the angrier he got,” Mann said, remembering that she “locked up” and grew very quiet. Then, she said she “faked an orgasm to get out of it.” When Weinstein was finished performing oral sex on her, Mann said, he asked her how it was and, being nervous, she told him, “Oh, it was the best I ever had.'” Mann said that after the assault she made the decision to be in a relationship with Weinstein, in part, because she had only been sexual with “very few people.” “I entered what I thought would be an agreeable relationship with him, and it was extremely degrading from that point on,” Mann said. Mann testified that Weinstein would say things like, “Do you like my big fat Jewish dick?” to her and, one time, peed on her. She also said the first time she saw Weinstein fully naked, she said she thought he was “deformed” because he had “extreme scarring” and did not have any testicles. Mann’s account, along with the former production assistant Haley’s, make up the basis of the five felony counts against Weinstein, which include predatory sexual assault and first- and third-degree rape. He has pleaded not guilty. (Source: TheWrap)

31 January 2020   Librarians and free speech advocates are fighting back against a proposal in the Missouri House of Representatives that would ban certain books from the state's libraries with the threat of a misdemeanor charge. Missouri House Rep. Baker introduced the bill, dubbed the "Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act," in January that calls for the creation of a panel made up of non-library workers who will determine the removal of "age-inappropriate sexual material," from their local branch. "I wanted to send a strong message that we need to protect our kids and we need to do something about this, but that's all negotiable," Baker told. Pelizzari, a spokeswoman for the National Coalition Against Censorship, which called on the Missouri Legislature to reject the bill this week, said the proposal is trying to remove books that promote positive LGTBQ messages. "This is one tactic that is being taken to try to put forward this idea that children should not have access to picture books about a prince and knight falling in love," she said. (Source: abcnews)

31 January 2020   Adler and his wife are seeking unspecified damages in the suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Suit names American Airlines as the defendants. The couple and their at-the-time 19-month-old daughter had been attempting to fly back home to Detroit from a vacation in Miami last January. They claim that a pilot instructed a gate agent to have them exit the plane because of their 'extremely offensive body odor'. The couple said that they had showered that morning. The gate agent 'made disparaging and derogatory statements telling the Adlers that he knew that Orthodox Jews bathe once a week,' the lawsuit states. They were forced to take a later flight. The Adlers were seriously inconvenienced, treated as criminals, humiliated, insulted, defamed, missed appointments, incurred incidental expenses, and suffered trauma and emotional distress. They claim that now when 'body odor' is searched online, results show the Adler name. 'The Adlers suffered and will continue in the future to suffer trauma, stigmatization , severe mental and emotional distress, depression, despair, repugnance, embarrassment, public humiliation, damage to personal reputation, anxiety, fear and apprehension associated with airports and flying, loss of appetite, insomnia and migraines,' the suit reads. The Adlers are being pressured to see their race and religion as inferior to that of Whites, dirty and unwelcome.' The airline said: 'Multiple passengers complained about Mr. Adler's body odor. The decision was made out of concern for the comfort of our other passengers'. Our team members took care of the family and provided hotel accommodations and meals, and rebooked them on a flight to Detroit the next morning. (Source: DailyMail)

January 31, 2020   FBI probes use of Israeli firm's spyware in personal and government hacks investigating the role of Israeli spyware vendor NSO Group Technologies. Outside of government, journalists, human rights activists and dissidents in several countries have been victims of attacks using NSO spyware. The probe was underway by 2017, when Federal Bureau of Investigation officials were trying to learn whether NSO obtained from American hackers any of the code it needed to infect smartphones. NSO said it sells its spy software and technical support exclusively to governments and that those tools are to be used in pursuing suspected terrorists and other criminals. Facebook filed a lawsuit in October accusing NSO itself of exploiting a flaw in Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service to hack 1,400 users. Suppliers of hacking tools could be prosecuted under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) or the Wiretap Act. The CFAA criminalizes unauthorized access to a computer or computer network, and the Wiretap Act prohibits use of a tool to intercept calls, texts or emails. NSO is known in the cybersecurity world for its "Pegasus" software other tools that can be delivered in several ways. The software can capture everything on a phone, including the plain text of encrypted messages, and commandeer it to record audio. FTI Consulting said this month that NSO could have supplied the software it said Saudi Arabia used to hack Bezos' iPhone which began sending out more data hours after it received a video from a WhatsApp account associated with Crown Prince Salman. (Source: Reuters)

United States
January 31, 2020   "The risk to the American public remains low at this time". Health and Human Services Secretary Azar II declared a public health emergency for the entire United States to aid the nation’s healthcare community in responding to 2019 novel coronavirus. The emergency declaration gives state, tribal, and local health departments more flexibility to request that HHS authorize them to temporarily reassign state, local, and tribal personnel to respond to 2019-nCoV if their salaries normally are funded in whole or in part by Public Health Service Act programs. These personnel could assist with public health information campaigns and other response activities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working closely with state health departments on disease surveillance, contact tracing, and providing interim guidance for clinicians on identifying and treating coronavirus infections. HHS is working with the Department of State to assist in bringing home Americans who had been living in affected areas of mainland China. HHS divisions also are collaborating with industry to identify and move forward with development of potential diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics to detect, prevent, and treat 2019-nCoV infections. (Source: hhs.gov)

January 30, 2020  The pilots’ union at American Airlines sued to block the carrier from flying to China and told members not to operate flight there because of the spreading coronavirus outbreak. The Allied Pilots Association, which represents American’s 15,000 pilots, filed the lawsuit. Earlier this week, American announced that it will suspend flights between Los Angeles and China beginning Feb. 9 but a union spokesman said the group wants them to be halted immediately, along with flights from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. (Source: TheWashingtonTimes)

January 28, 2020   On January 26, after 7:30 a.m., the president directed his Twitter followers to a post that referred to Mr. Bolton as a “rejected neocon.” On that day evening, the New York Times reported details of a forthcoming book by Mr. Bolton, a draft of which had been provided to the National Security Council in December for a review of classified information. Mr. Bolton’s lawyer confirmed that in the manuscript, Mr. Bolton wrote that the president told him in August that he wanted to freeze foreign aid to Ukraine until the country aided investigations into Democrats, including former Vice President Biden and his son. Mr. Trump denied the conversation ever happened and tweeted, shortly after midnight on January 26, Sunday: “If Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book.” (Source: TheWallStreetJournal)

(2020 01)   "Peace for prosperity: A Vision to improve the lives of the Palestinian and Israeli people". The text of 'Deal of Century' which establishes Palestinian state, Jewish control of Jerusalem (Sourve: WhiteHouse): https://tinyurl.com/vu76htm

January 27, 2020 A  new Gallup poll found that Americans spent more of their leisure time inside libraries last year than they did going to movie theaters, sporting events, museums, concerts or casinos. The survey found that people visited libraries an average of 10.5 times last year - far outpacing the 5.3 trips to the movies, 4.7 excursions to a sporting match and the 3.8 live music or theater shows they caught. Zoos were the least popular destinations, with Americans making an average of 0.9 visits a year. Activities that typically cost money are visited or attended less frequently. The pollster also noted that modern libraries boast more than just old-fashioned paper books - with many literary hubs now offering movie rentals, free Wi-Fi and activities for kids. Women were particularly fond of them, with an average of 13.4 annual visits, compared to 7.5 for men - who preferred live sporting events, with 5.7 visits, and casinos, with 3.4 visits, twice that of women. (Source: TheNewYorkPost)

January 24, 2020   President Trump, seeking to court evangelical voters, addressed thousands of activists gathered today on the National Mall for the nation's largest annual anti-abortion rally. Activists see him as a key ally in delivering policy priorities aimed at limiting abortion that he promised in 2016. Trump ticked off a laundry list of actions he’s taken to support abortion opponents since taking office, including restrictions to eligibility for the family planning funding program known as Title X and funding restrictions on nonprofits that support abortion abroad, known as the Mexico City policy. He also called on Congress to take action to limit abortion late in pregnancy and referenced legislation that Republicans say would protect infants born after attempted abortions. (Source: RollCall)

21 January 2020  Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US have already started working towards a vaccine against the new, deadly coronavirus that emerged in China last month and so far has claimed six lives. The National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Dr Fauci has said that the NIH is developing a vaccine for the virus. It would take months for the vaccine to advance into clinical trials and more than one year until it is available. A team of scientists in Texas, New York and China are also working on a vaccine, noted Baylor College of Medicine vaccine scientist Dr. Hotez. Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization – International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada has requested to work on the virus to potentially develop a vaccine. Separately, US-based biotechnology company Moderna has annouced that it is collaborating with NIH, NIAID and Vaccine Research Center (VRC) to develop a vaccine. (Source: PharmaceuticalTchnology)

WHO
Jan 30 2020 2:43 PM EST  An “extraordinary event that is serious, unusual or unexpected. The World Health Organization said the fast-spreading coronavirus that’s infected more than 8,200 across the world and has killed at least 171 people in China and has now spread to at least 18 other countries, is a global health emergency. The rare designation will help the international agency mobilize financial and political support to contain the outbreak. The 2003 SARS epidemic sickened roughly 8,100 people across the globe over nine months. There are at least eight cases in four countries, outside of China, of human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus. "Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems and which are ill-prepared to deal with it,” WHO Director-General Tedros said. He congratulated the Chinese government for their efforts to contain the outbreak despite the potential economic impacts. He urged the public to remain calm, saying the WHO wasn’t recommending “measures that unnecessarily interfere with international trade or travel.” About 20% of the patients are developing severe illnesses, including pneumonia and respiratory failure, he said. It’s transmitted through human contact, in droplets through sneezing or through touching germs left on inanimate objects. The last time WHO declared a global health emergency was in 2019 for the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo that killed more than 2,000 people. The agency also declared global emergencies for the 2016 Zika virus, the 2009 H1N1 swine flu and the 2014 polio and Ebola outbreaks. Declaring an emergency doesn’t give the WHO extra funding or power, but it allows Tedros to make recommendations, including whether countries should impose travel or trade bans. (Source: CNBC)

Globalization
Jan 31st 2020  Sunday's date is written the same backward and forward. whether you're in Europe, Asia, or the U.S.  February the 2nd is a very special palindromic day. And extremely rare. The previous eight-digit palindrome like this was 909 years ago, on November 11, 1111. The next one will be December 12, 2121, 101 years from now. (Source: DISRN)

Jan 30 2020  Challenges for travel and leisure stocks, slower economic growth and a weaker Chinese yuan are among the new market implications investors are dealing with as the new coronavirus spreads rapidly. Authorities in Russia said they would temporarily restrict passage through 16 road, rail and river checkpoints along its 2,670-mile border with China. Though Russia’s national carrier Aeroflot hasn’t stopped flying to China smaller Russian airlines have canceled flights. Immigration officials in Hong Kong scoured the city for visitors from Hubei, finding 15 yesterday night during searches of 110 hotels, according to Lam, deputy secretary for security of the Chinese territory today. Ms. Lam said 1,600 people from the province had been turned away at the Hong Kong border since the ban. Air France joined the list of airlines cutting service to China. The carrier said it would suspend all scheduled flights to and from the mainland until Feb. 9 and operate special flights starting Friday to and from Shanghai and Beijing using volunteer crew members to enable customers and employees to depart safely. Italian authorities were holding 6,000 passengers and crew aboard a cruise ship at the port of Civitavecchia near Rome after a 54-year-old Chinese woman showed flulike symptoms, according to a spokesperson for Costa Crociere, the company operating the ship Costa Smeralda. The woman and her male traveling companion, who showed no symptoms, were isolated in the ship’s hospital. China’s 32-member national women’s soccer team is being held in quarantine in a hotel in the Australian city of Brisbane until Feb. 5. The team had departed Wuhan Jan. 22, before the city was locked down. (Source: TheWaltStreetJournal)

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Magyarország
(2020. I. 30.)  Háborúkban megerőszakolt nőknek állítandó budapesti emlékmű ötlete (hangzóanyag) /Forrás: Válasz/: https://tinyurl.com/r5wo5kt

2020. I. 30.  Katalin asszony férjével és újszülött gyermekükkel még a kilencvenes években, részben az akkori szlovákiai magyarellenes hangulatkeltés, no meg a sokkal jobb élet reményében a tengerentúli szabad világba, Kanadába költözött. Végül miért menekültek haza? "Gyermekük kanadai iskolai neveltetése okán döntöttek úgy, hogy húsz esztendő múltán nincs más választásuk, mint visszamenekülni a szabad világból Felvidékre. Kanadában senki nem üldözött minket, ám idővel észrevettük, hogy egy másfajta támadás áldozatai lettünk: a kanadai iskolarendszer a tudtunk nélkül igyekezett a fiunkat alattomos módszerekkel ellenünk nevelni. Természetesen nemcsak a mi gyermekünket, hanem minden diákot. Ez csak akkor derült ki számunkra, amikor fiunknak egyik alkalommal ellentmondtunk, és nem engedtük el őt bulizni. Akkor előrukkolt mindazzal, amit az iskolában tanult: hogy neki milyen jogai vannak, és megfenyegetett minket, hogy ha nem engedjük el, akkor kihívja ránk a rendőrséget, mert az iskolában tanulta, hogy milyen számon lehet a szülőket feljelenteni!" Az Anyának lenni Kanadában című könyvemben, ami egy hónapja jelent meg a Magyarok Világszövetségének gondozásában, a maga megdöbbentő valóságában elmondom a teljes történetet. Kanadában nincs magyar nyelvű oktatás, a kint élő magyar gyermekek a kanadai iskolarendszerbe járnak. A szülőknek nincs beleszólásuk a tantervbe. A szexuális nevelési órák tartalma már a tébolyba torkollik a SOGI 123 tananyagban, ami a gender-elmélet fedőneve. A gender-elmélet olyan agymenés, ami azt tanítja, hogy az ember neme nem veleszületett, adott dolog, hanem azt mindenki maga választhatja meg élete során. Ráadásul a nemi átalakítás orvosi költségeit az állam fedezi. Kanadában azt tanítják, óvodától egyetemig, kötelező tanterv keretein belül, hogy nem kettő, hanem harmincegyfajta nem van, és mindenki megválaszthatja a magáét. Általában az történik, hogy azok alatt az évek alatt, amíg a gyermekek iskolába járnak, a gender-elmélettel való programozás annyira erős, hogy ők meghozzák a döntést: nemet akarnak váltani. Az iskola és a „szakemberek” ehhez erősen asszisztálnak, míg a szülőket kizárják a döntéshozatalból. Majd panaszkodnak, hogy a műtét óta nyílt seb tátong a nemi szervük helyén, állandó fájdalmaik vannak, és teljesen elkeserednek, mert férfiként már nem tudnak működni a gender-elmélet áldozatai. Az Orbán-kormány tisztán látja, pontosan ismeri a gender-elmélet emberellenességét, káros voltát, és egyértelműen a magyar emberek, a magyar gyermekek védelmében cselekedett, amikor betiltotta a gender szakot a CEU-n. Olyan támogatásokról és a segítség annyi fajtájáról még csak álmodni sem mernek a kanadai családok, mint amennyit a magyar kormány ad. Kanadában nincs családvédelmi akcióterv, nincs autóvásárlási támogatás, nincs babaváró program. A gyermekek még csak ingyenes étkeztetést sem kapnak, hiszen az állami iskolákban még iskolai étkezde, konyha sincs. Szívet facsaró látvány, hogy oly sok a migráns és a hontalan. A menhely ugyanis nem mindenki számára garantált. Összetákolt kartondobozokban hogyan lehet túlélni a kanadai telet kint az utcán? (Forrás: Demokrata)

2020. I. 21.  Kiválasztották a Térey-ösztöndíjasokat. Tegnap tizenkilenc tagú szakmai zsűri választott a középgenerációs (35-65 év közti) írókat megcélzó ösztöndíjra érkezett több, mint 330 jelölt közül. 30 magyar írót szakmai konszenzus alapján választottak ki a legfeljebb ötéves alkotói ösztöndíjra, amelyet a Petőfi Irodalmi Múzeum (PIM) biztosít a Digitális Irodalmi Akadémia Alkotói Életpálya Programja keretében. A szakmai kuratórium további 15 írót tartaléklistára javasolt. Demeter főigazgató javaslatára a Térey Ösztöndíjbizottság úgy döntött, hogy két évre mind a 45 kiválasztott író megkapja a Térey-ösztöndíjat. 2021 végén az ösztöndíjbizottság szakmai zsűri segítségével értékeli a Térey-ösztöndíjasok ezen időtartam alatt felmutatható irodalmi munkásságát, és legkevesebb öt ösztöndíjassal nem hosszabbítják meg a szerződést. A Térey-ösztöndíj havi összege 2020-ban havi bruttó 320 ezer forint.  A 45 alkotó: Bartók, Berta, Czilli, Csehy, Csender, Farkas, Fekete, Garaczi, Győrffy, Hász, Háy, Hodossy, Kemény, Keresztesi, Király, Kollár, Kürti, Lackfi, Lanczkor, Láng, László, Lázár, Lőrincz P., Lövétei Lázár, Majoros, Márton, Molnár, Nagy Koppány, Orbán, Orcsik, Rózsássy, Sajó, Sántha, Solymosi, Szálinger, Száraz, Szilasi, Szőcs, Terék, Varga, Végh, Vörös, Zalán, Zoltán, Zsille. (Forrás: FaceBook / PIM)

Csehország
Egy cseh vállalat egy izraeli céggel együttműködve megkezdi a koronavírus megsemmisítésére alkalmas szájmaszkok gyártását. Zima, a brnói székhelyű Respilon igazgatója tegnap újságíróknak azt mondta, hogy rézoxid nano-részecskékkel ellátott szájmaszk várhatóan 6-8 héten belül piacra kerül. Csehországban felvásárolták a hagyományos szájmaszk-készleteket. (Forrás: ProfitLine)

Germany
January 25, 2020  German submarines have proven so popular with navies across Europe and Asia seeking to assert their control over littoral waters. While modern-day Germany no longer has the ocean-spanning naval ambitions of its predecessors, it has become a global leader in designing small, stealthy submarines that can effectively patrol littoral waters at a fraction of the cost of nuclear-powered submarines. The modern German Navy has two principal missions: participating in expeditionary operations, such as combatting piracy or supporting peacekeeping operations, and sea control of the Baltic Sea. To operate in this maritime theater characterized by shallow, cold waters averaging around fifty meters in depth, the German Navy has a flotilla of six Type 212A submarines, numbered U-31 through U-36. The small vessels are only fifty-seven meters long and are manned by crews of just twenty-seven each - including both men and, as of 2014, women. The secret sauce in the new generation of German submarines is the use of hydrogen fuel cells for power, which allows submarines to operate nearly silently for weeks at a time without using expensive nuclear reactors. The German PEM hydrogen fuel cells benefit from greater power output (and thus higher speed), have no major moving parts that betray acoustic stealth, and do not impose limits on diving depth. The Type 212’s double hull displaces 1,800 tons submerged, and is made of nonmagnetic materials so that it is not suceptible to detection by magnetic anomaly detectors. The softer metal limits the operational depth to just two hundred meters, but this is not a major limitation in shallow Baltic waters. The Type 212’s fuel cells, with hydrogen fuel stored in between the outer and inner pressure hulls, allow it to sail underwater for three weeks before surfacing. Reportedly, a Type 212A set an underwater endurance record for conventionally powered submarines in 2013 by transiting eighteen days submerged without use of its snorkel. While the Type 212 can achieve underwater speeds of up to twenty-three miles per hour, its sustainable cruising speed is closer to nine miles per hour while using just the AIP system. Its six tubes can fire off up to thirteen 533 millimeter DM2A4 Seahake torpedoes connected to the submarine by a fiber optic cable, allowing the crew to guide the weapon to a target up to fifty kilometers away. Recently, the German Navy has started installing the capability to fire IDAS fiber-optic missiles while submerged from four-cell magazines in the torpedo tubes. Based on the IRIS-T air-to-air missile, IDAS would be used primarily to shoot down hostile aircraft, but can also attack ground targets and medium-sized or small surface ships up to twenty kilometers away. The German Navy is working on installing a retractable thirty-millimeter Moray autocannon to provide fire support for special forces, which would seem like a throwback to the days of deck-mounted guns. In a modern twist, however, the cannon’s retractable mast will also supposedly be able to deploy three Aladin reconnaissance drones. The small subs supposedly cost around 371 million euros each. (Source: TheNationalInterest)

Great Britain
January 31, 2020  Britons counted down the hours today to their country’s departure from the European Union - some joyous, some sad, many just hopeful the divorce would mark the end of an anguished chapter in their country’s history. The move comes 3½ years after the country voted by a margin of 52%-48% to walk away from the club that it had joined in 1973. Whether Brexit makes Britain a proud nation that has reclaimed its sovereignty, or a diminished presence in Europe and the world, will be debated for years to come. The now 27-member EU will have to bounce back from one of its biggest setbacks in its 62-year history to confront an ever more complicated world as its former member becomes a competitor, just across the English Channel. The U.K. and the EU have given themselves an 11-month “transition period” - in which the U.K. will continue to follow the bloc’s rules - to strike new agreements on trade, security and a host of other areas. By and large, Britain’s big cities voted to stay in the EU, while small towns voted to leave. England and Wales backed Brexit, while Northern Ireland and Scotland voted to remain. Candlelit vigils were being held in several Scottish cities, and the EU flag will not be lowered outside the Scottish Parliament on Friday night. Lawmakers there voted to keep it as a symbol of their opposition to Brexit. Scotland’s pro-EU government will also light up two government buildings in the blue and yellow of the EU flag. Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party government is demanding the right to hold a referendum on independence from the U.K., something Johnson refuses to grant. London, which is home to more than 1 million EU citizens, also voted by a wide margin to stay in the bloc.

29 Jan 2020  Until March British Airways has halted with immediate effect all its flights to and from China as the coronavirus death toll continues to rise. German airline Lufthansa has followed suit and suspended all flights to and from China. British Airway's decision comes after the Hong Kong government halted trains and halved the number of flights to the mainland. (Source: TheSun)

Greece
26 01 2020  Turkey is no longer consistently preventing landings. Despite a 2016 refugee agreement between the European Union and Turkey, only 189 illegal migrants who crossed the Aegean Sea to Greece were returned to Turkey in 2019. Approximately 60,100 refugees landed in Greece in 2019. Under the agreement, around 37,700 were transferred to the mainland. Turkey is obligated to take back illegal Syrian migrants who pass through its territory in an attempt to prevent them from crossing into Greece. For every irregular returned to Turkey, another Syrian approved for asylum in the EU will be resettled in one of the 28-states. Turkey has also received in funding, €3 billion in 2016 and €3 billion in 2018. A total of 1,995 Syrian asylum seekers were returned to Turkey from 2016 to 2019 -  801 in 2016, 683 in 2017, 332 in 2018 and 189 in 2019. Meanwhile, during the same period, the EU has resettled 25,660 Syrian migrants from Turkey. Frei, the deputy leader of the center-right CDU/CSU faction in Germany's parliament who is responsible for migration accused Greek authorities of not sending back migrants arriving from Turkey. "The number of repatriations from Greece to Turkey has for years only known one direction: it is going down. One must speak quite openly of an administrative failure here," Frei told. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on January 24 his government intends to apply for more EU funding to build new camps on the islands and to speed up the process of evaluating asylum applications. (Source: DeutscheWelle)

Románia    Romania
2020. I. 31. A waterloo-i csata (1815) utáni és máig tartó fejlemények. Napóleon a világbirodalom alá besorakozni készülő „forradalmi” Franciaország erejét „ellenbirodalom” létrehozására használta. Nemcsak az évszázadok óta működő brit világbirodalommal került így szembe, de a hagyományos monarchiák is a vesztüket érezték ténykedése miatt. Két ellenlábas fél (az euró­pai szakrális monarchiák és a világbirodalmat üzemeltető Anglia) összefogott. A császárság bukása után Franciaország is besorolt a világbirodalomba, miközben a győzelem fő erejét éppen az orosz szakrális monarchia adta, egyebek mellett Párizst is három évig orosz katonai megszállás alatt tartva. Ettől kezdődött a világbirodalomnak az az érzése, hogy Oroszországban létrejött egy újabb birodalom csírája, és attól kezdve alakult, formálódott és tart máig a Nyugat oroszfóbiája. Azt, hogy oldódik-e majd az oroszfóbia, és a ma esélyei veszélyekké válhatnak-e, a jövő dönti el. A második Balkán-háború után 1913-ban Románia megszerzi a stratégiai jelentőség Dobrudzsát az oroszoktól és a bolgároktól, noha csak a lakosság huszonhárom százaléka volt román (ma viszont szinte mindenki az). Dobrudzsa azért fontos, mert nélküle nincs kijárat a Fekete-tengerre. Évtizedekig folyt az áskálódás a „szövetséges” k. u. k., azaz gyakorlatilag Magyarország ellen – francia hangszerelésben – Erdély megszerzéséért is. Növelni kellett ugyanis a oroszok előtti pufferzónát. A növelésben Románia helyett Bulgária vagy Törökország nem jöhetett szóba, azokat a „birodalomépítők” hasznossági szempontból labilisnak tartották, nem éppen ok nélkül. A Romániával kapcsolatos birodalmi szemléletet az sem kisebbíti, hogy a második világháborúban hosszú ideig a náci birodalom leghűségesebb szövetségese volt, hiszen terjeszkedése éppen „jó irányba”, azaz Oroszország, vagyis az akkori Szovjetunió ellen folyt. Antonescu marsall mindent meg is tett a bizalom elnyeréséért, az első naptól részt vett a háborúban a teljes haderővel. De a „standard” világbirodalom sem volt válogatós, amikor 1944-ben a románok addigra kiérlelt rutinjukra is támaszkodva ismét visszaváltottak rá. A románok világbirodalmi hűsége egyébként a kommunista időkben is példás maradt. Rendre szabotálták a kényszerű helyzetből adódó új szövetséges, a Szovjetunió kéréseit. Ceausescu népnyomorító rendszere egyenesen a Nyugat kedvence volt, a diktátort királyok, államfők fogadták nagy pompával, több egyetem a díszdoktorává avatta. A stratégiai helyzet ma is ugyanaz, mint jó két évszázada, Romániába nagy katonai erőkkel telepedett be a világbirodalmi amerikai hadsereg. Semmi más magyarázat nincs ugyanis arra, hogy a Nyugat miért huny szemet olyan román ügyek felett, amelyek tört százalékáért másokat – egyebek mellett minket is – azonnal keresztre feszítenek. Románia ugyanis túl értékes stratégiai szempontból, hogy az elvesztését kockáztassák. A máskor nagyszájúak mélyen hallgatnak például a németekét időben megelőző öntevékeny román holokausztról is, az arról szóló írásokat bezúzták, és persze a szerzőket is elfelejtették. Szó nem éri a házuk elejét azért, hogy országukat alkotmányukban homogén nemzetállamként deklarálják, a ma is jelentős magyar és más, kisebb létszámú őshonos kisebbségek ellenére, miközben korlátozzák az intézményes oktatási jogaikat, és elkonfiskált javaikat sem adják vissza. Románia az iskolapéldája annak, hogy a Nyugat által szajkózott és másokon szigorúan számonkért „demokratikus normák”, ha az érdekek úgy kívánják, nagyon is szelektíven működnek. (Forrás: MagyarHírlap)

22 January 2020   In 2018, for Romania, it would be more economically advantageous not to export live animals but to export meat instead. Romania exported animals worth €357m making it Europe’s biggest exporter of live animals, and the tenth largest exporter of live cattle globally. Until the 2000s live exports went primarily to southern European countries such as Greece and Croatia, but in the 2010s Jordan, Libya, Lebanon and Israel also became valuable markets. Romania does not have the slaughterhouses to process the meat it needs. Although it has received subsidies totalling 26 billion euros since joining the EU in 2007, they are oriented towards production rather than building the processing systems that the country so urgently needs. So, despite the number of animals it exports, it has to import meats and other processed products. Replacing live animal exports with meat and carcass exports, both of which Romanian and European policymakers are now discussing. In December the European Union called for an update on current legislation on animal transport over long distances, as well as discussions on the sustainability of live transport versus meat trade. At the moment, EU regulations dating from 2005 make EU countries responsible for exported animals only on EU territory, rather than until they reach their destination. The Romanian government has convened an agriculture commission to draft a new law regarding live animal exports, which would make Romania responsible for the state of the animals not only until the point of export, but all the way to the animals’ destination. If adopted, the law would be a first for the EU. If the government were to approve the construction of two or three big capacity abattoirs by the seaside, with freezer storage, then a large part of the problems would be solved. (Source: TheGuardian)

Russia
Thursday, Jan 30 2020  Russia announced it was closing its 2,600-mile border with China, joining Mongolia and North Korea in barring crossings to guard against a new viral outbreak. The closure would be extended until March 1. Outside China, there are 82 infections in 18 countries, according to WHO. China extended its Lunar New Year holiday to Sunday to try to keep people home, but the wave of returning travelers could potentially cause the virus to spread further. (Source: AP)

Switzerland
01-24-20   During his annual Davos speech, Soros said: I think there is a kind of informal mutual assistance operation or agreement developing between Trump and Facebook. Facebook will work together to reelect Trump, and Trump will work to protect Facebook so that this situation cannot be changed, and it makes me very concerned about the outcome for 2020. It should be noted that Soros didn’t present any evidence for his claim. (Source: FastCompany)

Kenya
January 25, 2020  About 70,000 hectares of land in Kenya are already infested. The rose-colored locusts turn whole trees pink, clinging to branches like quivering ornaments before taking off in hungry, rustling clouds. Astonished by the finger-length insects, children dash here and there, waving blankets or plucking at branches to shake the locusts free. Even a small swarm of the insects can consume enough food for 35,000 people in a single day. A single swarm can contain up to 150 million locusts per square kilometer of farmland, One especially large swarm in northeastern Kenya measured 60 kilometers long by 40 kilometers wide. Migrating with the wind, the locusts can cover up to 150 kilometers in a single day. The worst outbreak of desert locusts in Kenya in 70 years has seen hundreds of millions of the bugs swarm into the East African nation from Somalia and Ethiopia. Those two countries have not had an infestation like this in a quarter-century, destroying farmland and threatening an already vulnerable region with devastating hunger. They are now heading toward Uganda and fragile South Sudan. The locusts also are moving steadily toward Ethiopia’s Rift Valley, the breadbasket for Africa’s second-most populous country. When rains arrive in March and bring new vegetation across much of the region, the numbers of the fast-breeding locusts could grow 500 times before drier weather in June curbs their spread. About $70 million is needed to step up aerial pesticide spraying, the only effective way to combat them. (Source: AP)

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Magyarország
2020. I. 17.  A közel 500 éve kezdődött folyamat ma is tart. Trianon, hogy – jelenleg részben könnyen átjárható – államhatár vág ketté ősi településeket. Trianon, hogy a magyar kulturális teljesítmény építészeti és más emlékeit  folyamatosan pusztítják a zsákmányszerzők. Trianon, hogy szisztematikus, célirányos ingatlan- és egyéb tulajdonvásárlásokkal szervezetten megváltoztatják az etnikai arányokat. Trianon a marosvásárhelyi pogrom, Trianon az úzvölgyi magyar temető megbecstelenítése. Trianon Malina Hedvig és a székely fiatalok jogtipró meghurcolása, rajtuk keresztül a magyar közösségek tudatos megfélemlítése. Trianon a prágai és a pozsonyi parlamentben 2006-ban hatályukban megerősített Beneš-dekrétumokból fakadó tulajdon- és jogvesztés, Trianon a szlovák állampolgársági törvény és a magyar himnusz törvényi üldözése. Trianon a kárpátaljai magyarság elnyomása. És Trianon a kádári posványban megindult öntudatvesztés, Trianon a lemondás, az országcsonkítás befejezett múltnak tekintése. (Forrás: Demokrata)

2020. I. 17.  Egy Duna-menti faluban – amelynek lakossága lassan többségében cigány nemzetiségű –, megjelentek a civil szervezetek, amelyek a nevelőszülői hálózat teljes listájának birtokában keresik fel a nevelőszülőket, és ajánlanak egy hihetetlenül jól fizető lehetőséget: Németországból kellene befogadni viselkedészavaros, 16 év feletti fiatalokat, gyerekenként és havonta 600.000 forintos ellenszolgáltatásért. A fiatalok Magyarországon nem járhatnak iskolába, hanem németországi iskolájuk képzi őket tovább is az interneten keresztül. A szervezés titkos. Már korábban is előfordult, hogy a hazai kisebbséggel hozták össze civil szervezetek a migráns fiatalokat, amiből több esetben házasság és családalapítás is volt már, legalizálva a migráns fiatalok magyarországi tartózkodását. Ha a migránsok és a cigányság magyar gyűlölő része a liberális magyarellenes civilszervezetek segítségével "egymásra talál", és mindezt a jog is támogatja, akkor Magyarországon soha nem látott tragédia következhet be, ami nem polgárháborút jelent, hanem folyamatos és végzetes támadást a magyar lakosság ellen. A pénz, a kábítószer-kereskedelem, a fegyver-kereskedelem, a nő-kereskedelem már ma is olyan mérteket ölt, amelynek megakadályozása csaknem lehetetlen. (Forrás: StoffanGyorgy) Hivatkozása még: https://tinyurl.com/ta43vgh

Erdély
2020. I. 18.  Az Erdélyi Magyar Néppárt (EMNP) és a Magyar Polgári Párt (MPP) fúziójáról döntött ma Csíkszeredában a két párt küldöttgyűlése. Az új párt az Erdélyi Magyar Szövetség (EMSZ) nevet fogja viselni. (Forrás: KurucInfo)

Románia
2020. I. 13.  A LARICS rövidítés a Bukarestben működő, Információs hadviselést és stratégiai kommunikációt elemző laboratórium nevet viselő elemzői műhely román nevét takarja. Az elemzőcsoport küldetésnyilatkozata szerint eseményeket és a nemzetközi sajtót vizsgálja az „információs hadviselés” tekintetében, elsősorban Románia és Moldova Köztársaság helyzetére vonatkoztatva. 2019 második félévében a LARICS (honlapja szerint) 27 geopolitikai és „stratégiai” elemzést tett közzé, amelynek több mint egyharmada (9 elemzés) Magyarországgal, a román–magyar viszonnyal és Orbán Viktorral foglalkozik, majd csupán ezt követi a küldetésnyilatkozatban is felvállalt Moldova-problematika hat (6) elemzéssel. Négy elemzés Oroszországgal, pontosabban a putyini propagandával foglalkozik. Mindezek mellett mindössze további nyolc foglalkozik geopolitikai kérdésekkel (Trump politikája, Irán és a Közel-Kelet). A helyzetértelmezésük szerint Romániának két ellenséges – és egymással szövetségre lépő – szomszéd, Oroszország és Magyarország közé szorulva kell megvédenie önmagát. E narratíva a kontinuitás jegyében született: a hagyományos magyarellenesség folytatása új fogalmi keretben. A LARICS a historizáló magyarellenesség fogalomkészletét egy geopolitikai szótárral próbálja felváltani, amelyet – feltehetőleg – az euroatlanti világban is kommunikálhatóbbnak vél. Dungaciu, egyik feltörekvő szerzőjük szerint, a magyar törekvések rejtett célja az Erdély fölötti „társszuverenitás” megszerzése. A szó mögött természetesen a globális világ egy ismert – és tulajdonképpen szokványos – jelensége rejlik: a magyar befolyás megjelenése az integrált gazdasági, információs és szellemi tereken keresztül, ami természetesen érzékenyen érinti a román autarkiára való beállítottságot. Nos, az integrációnak ezt a természetes módon is értelmezhető folyamatát helyezi át Dungaciu új konceptuális leleménye egy geopolitikai területszerző kontextusba. A LARICS a magyar–román viszony geopolitizált újrafogalmazásával eladhatóbbá kívánja tenni a „vádat”, miszerint Magyarország Erdély megszerzésére törekszik (ugyanis a hagyományos fogalmakkal ez már nem védhető tézis a NATO-n és az Unión belül). /Forrás: Krónika/

Russia
16 January 2020  Putin is presenting his constitutional reform in the same vein as the prime minister swap. The changes involve a rebalancing of responsibility - slightly less for the president, more for parliament. Putin is carving out a suitable role for when he has to pack up and leave the Kremlin. After two decades in power he has interests and allies - a whole system - to protect. The role of the little-noticed State Council could be central to his future. Mr Putin is already its head, and now plans to enshrine the council in the constitution. The Kazakh model, where Nazarbayev remained head of the security council and "Leader of the Nation" for life. He has set up a working group, 75-people strong, to draw up concrete proposals for the reforms, and has already given them their instructions. Some kind of public confirmation vote is expected before the summer. The Kremlin has ruled out a formal referendum, though. It would be risky. (Source: BBC)

15 January 2020  Russian government resigns in accordance with Article 117 of the Russian Constitution, which states that the government can offer its resignation to the president, who can either accept or reject it, after President Putin’s state-of-the-nation address proposes changes to the constitution. Putin proposed multiple amendments to Russia’s constitution. His proposals would entail “substantial changes” to the constitution as well as to the “entire balance of power, the power of the executive, the power of the legislature, the power of the judiciary,” Medvedev explained. During his speech, Putin said he intended to create the position of deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, which would be offered to Medvedev. Medvedev became prime minister in 2012, after serving four years as president. He currently heads the ruling United Russia party. The resignation symbolizes the current reboot of the political system ahead of the 2021 parliamentary and 2024 presidential elections. Under Putin’s plan, the State Duma – the lower house of parliament – will be granted the power to appoint the prime minister and the rest of the cabinet. Another idea voiced by Putin is to make the consultation body, the State Council, a permanent fixture, with its status and role written into the constitution. (Source: RT)

January 14, 2020  By 1985, the submarine K-431 was already twenty years old but still technically useful. Like all Echo IIs, K-431 was powered by two pressurized water reactors that drove steam turbines to a total of sixty thousand shipboard horsepower. As old as it was, K-431’s nuclear fuel supply needed replenishing, and by early August the process had started at the Soviet Navy’s facilities at Chazhma Bay. On August 10, the submarine was in the process of being refueled. Reportedly, the reactor lid - complete with new nuclear fuel rods - was lifted as part of the process. A beam was placed over the lid to prevent it from being lifted any higher, but incompetent handling apparently resulted in the rods being lifted too high into the air. (One account has a wave generated by a passing motor torpedo boat rocking the submarine in its berth, also raising the rods too high.) This resulted in the starboard reactor achieving critical mass, followed by a chain reaction and explosion. The explosion blew out the reactor’s twelve-ton lid - and fuel rods - and ruptured the pressure hull. The reactor core was destroyed, and eight officers and two enlisted men standing nearby were killed instantly. At the blast threw debris was thrown into the air, and a plume of fallout 650 meters wide by 3.5 kilometers long traveled downwind on the Dunay Peninsula. More debris and the isotope Cobalt-60 was thrown overboard and onto the nearby docks. The accident scene was heavily contaminated with radioactivity. The explosion released 259 petabecquerels of radioactive particles, including twenty-nine gigabecquerels of iodine-131, a known cause of cancer. This bode very badly for the emergency cleanup crews, especially firefighters who needed to get close to the explosion site, and the nearby village of Shkotovo-22. Forty-nine members of the cleanup crew displayed symptoms of radiation sickness, ten of them displaying acute symptoms. While the Chazhma Bay region appears contaminated to this day with radiation, it is unknown how much of it is the result of the K-431 incident and how much the result of the many nuclear-powered submarines that were junked and forgotten in the area. The K-431 incident was one of several involving Soviet submarine reactors. Ten Soviet submarines experienced nuclear accidents, and one other, K-11, also suffered a refueling criticality. The U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet, by contrast, suffered zero nuclear accidents - not only during the Cold War but all the way up to the present day. (Source: NationalInterest)

China
20 January 2020  nCoV2019. China confirms new SARS-like virus has spread between humans as 14 medics catch the killer infection after treating patients. The coronavirus has struck 222 people in Asia. It comes ahead of Lunar New Year, which will see millions of Chinese citizens travelling abroad. (Source: Mail)

Iran
January 11, 2020  Iran’s acknowledgement that it shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing 176 people, raises new challenges for the Islamic Republic both externally amid tensions with the U.S. and internally as it deals with growing discontent from its people. “The altitude and the direction of the flight’s movement were like an enemy target, so the aircraft was targeted unintentionally due to human error,” the statement read. The Guard claims it asked Iranian authorities to shut down airspace in Tehran amid the ballistic missile strikes and fears of reprisals, but nothing happened. (Source: AP)

Iraq
20 January 2020  isis's new leader unmasked. The born in Tal Afar, a city near Mosul, the Sharia law graduate was born into Iraqi Turkmen family. He is revealed as the hardliner now running the terror group. Salbi, who helped found isis, brought in brutal Sharia Law in Iraq and Syria, led the enslavement of the Yazidi and has operated across the world. He became friends with Baghdadi while caged in US Camp Bucca detention centre, Iraq. Salbi claims he is a direct descendant from the Prophet Mohammed. (Source: Mail)

Myanmar
January 15, 2020  Crude oil started entering China via the 1,420-km China-Myanmar crude oil pipeline from June 2017, and the China-Myanmar natural gas pipeline was put into operation in July 2013. China has imported about 26.9 million tonnes of crude oil and 24.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas through the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipeline. China imported 10.8 million tonnes of crude oil via the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipeline in 2019. The import value amounted to 37.7 billion yuan (about 5.5 billion U.S. dollars). The imports of natural gas from Myanmar amounted to 3.4 million tonnes, up 54 percent from 2018, with a total value of 12.1 billion yuan. (Source: People.cn)

South Korea
January 17, 2020  South Korea is a homogenous society without racial diversity. Harris, Washington's envoy to South Korea, has been subjected to heated vitriol on social media and by anonymous netizens for his mustache. He resembles Japanese wartime leaders. Some of Japan's most prominent wartime leaders - like Tojo, the Prime Minister who was later executed by a postwar tribunal, and Emperor Hirohito - had mustaches. Under Japanese rule, many Koreans were brutalized, murdered and enslaved. It's still living memory for elderly Koreans and remains a highly emotive subject in both North and South Korea. Harris was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and American father, who was a Navy officer. He's a US citizen. Harris explained that he grew the mustache to mark a new phase in his life, after he retired as commander of the US Pacific Fleet and began working as a diplomat. (Source: CNN)

Australia
January 11, 2020  Fire jihad in Australia? In 2012, the Al-Qaeda magazine 'Inspire' had in an article titled 'Unleash Hell,' which had described in detail how to start a huge forest fire across the United States. The article says, "it is your freedom to ignite an ember bomb in a US forest'. It recommends Montana because of the fast-growing population in the wooded areas. In 2018 the Al-Ansar Media outlet that supports the islamic state suggested that the wildfires in California were the handiwork of the Jihadi group. 'O America, this is the punishment of bombing Muslims in Syria. This is Allah's punishment for you and inshallah you will see more fires," it said. The use of this unconventional weapon, starting a forest fire is easier for terrorists. It does not come under the radar of the agencies like a gun or IED would. (Source: OneIndia)

Canada
January 18, 2020  The heaviest snowfall ever recorded after the blizzard battered eastern St. John’s, Newfouunland. St. John’s had experienced a one-day snowfall of 76.2 centimeters, breaking the previous record of 68.4 centimeters on April 5, 1999. Winds at the St. John’s International Airport were recorded at between 75 and 98 mph at the height of the storm which some people described as being like a blizzard in a hurricane. (Source: AP)

United States  
January 20, 2020  Activity from one of Alaska's 80 volcanoes triggered aviation warnings after it began to spew ash and lava. The Shishaldin Volcano sits near an Aleutian village on an archipelago in southwest Alaska about 700 miles west of Anchorage. At some points, the ash reached about 28,000 feet. It began to resume activity early January 18 morning with visible lava flows and ash. The ash stopped around 8:30 p.m. local time yesterday. (Source: ABCNews)

January 17, 2020   The "2019-nCoV" virus. Starting today night, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will implement enhanced health screenings to detect ill travelers en route to the U.S. on direct or connecting flights from Wuhan to San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles airports. Passengers will receive a questionnaire asking about symptoms and will have their temperatures taken. Chinese health authorities fully sequenced the virus and the data is now in the NIH's database GenBank and in the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) portal. There are more than 40 known cases of the virus, which has killed two people and spread to at least two more countries, with two cases in Thailand and one in Japan from people who had been in Wuhan, China. (Source: Axios)

Panama
17 Jan 2020  A "satanic" sect killed a pregnant woman and six children - aged between one and 17 - during a violent exorcism inside a church in the indigenous region of Ngabe-Bugle in Panama by La Nueva Luz de Dios (The New Light of God) sect in the community of El Terron. The victims were indigenous people who had been abducted and kept captive by the sect’s priests. Fifteen people were rescued from the religious sect where they were reportedly tortured by being beaten with bibles, choked and having burning sticks rammed in their mouths to "cast out the demons". The rituals also included animal sacrifices and a lamb was found dead without its tongue in the same location. (Source: Mirror)

Globalization
20 January 2020  Bank details, social security numbers, passport information and addresses for more than 4,000 adult film stars were leaked online after a porn site left them exposed in a massive data breach. Nearly 20GB of unencrypted data, including at least 875,000 files, was discovered on January 3. PussyCash, described as an “explicit ‘cam’ affiliate network” that owns adult cam websites, is said to have stored sensitive information of the porn stars in an unsecured database. Countries affected include: the U.S., Canada, China, Israel, Australia, Germany, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil and Peru, among others. (Source: TheSun)

January 18, 2020  Users would potentially be able to identify every person they saw. Searching someone by face could become as easy as Googling a name. The system - whose backbone is a database of more than three billion images that Clearview claims to have scraped from Facebook, YouTube, Venmo and millions of other websites - goes far beyond anything ever constructed by the United States government or Silicon Valley giants. More than 600 law enforcement agencies have started using Clearview in the past year, according to the company, which declined to provide a list. Clearview has also licensed the app to at least a handful of companies for security purposes. Clearview’s app carries extra risks because law enforcement agencies are uploading sensitive photos to the servers of a company whose ability to protect its data is untested. Backed financially by Thiel, a venture capitalist behind Facebook and Palantir Mr. Ton-That (31) - an Australian techie and onetime model raised on tales of his royal ancestors in Vietnam - did something momentous: He invented a tool that could end your ability to walk down the street anonymously. His tiny company, Clearview AI, devised the groundbreaking facial recognition app. Police departments have had access to facial recognition tools for almost 20 years, but they have historically been limited to searching government-provided images. Mr. Thiel, the Clearview investor, sits on Facebook’s board. Clearview possesses a growing database of individuals who have attracted attention from law enforcement. The company also has the ability to manipulate the results that the police see. The company keeps all the images it has scraped even if they are later deleted or taken down. (Source: DNYUZ)

Earth
January 12, 2020  Over the past 7 days. In the Philippines on Sunday, Taal volcano roared to life, and it is being reported that the eruption sent “steam, ash and pebbles up to 10 to 15 kilometers into the sky”. Red-hot lava gushed from of the volcano today after a sudden eruption of ash and steam which forced villagers to flee and shut down Manila’s international airport, offices and schools. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage from Taal volcano’s eruption south of the capital that began yesterday. On January 7 Alaska Shishaldin volcano shot hot ash 25,000 feet into the air. Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano burst to life on January 9 in a spectacular gush of lava and clouds of ash that hurled incandescent rock about 20,000 feet into the sky. The Sabancaya volcano in Peru just shot a plume of volcanic ash approximately 24,000 feet into the air. After already experiencing more than 1,000 earthquakes since the beginning of 2020, Puerto Rico was hit by a magnitude 5.9 quake on January 11. (Source: TheEndoftheAmericanDream)

Space
14 Jan 2020   In Dec 2013 Russa launched three military communications satellites and a fourth, initially unannounced, payload, later acknowledged with the cover name Kosmos-2491. At about 13:21 UTC on 2019 Dec 23, the satellite made an orbit change and 10 debris objects have now been catalogued. This could have occurred through deliberate destruction, accidental battery or prop event, or through an accidental debris collision. Experts have argued the tech is a precursor to heavily armed space probes designed to take out snooping enemy satellites. Similar anti-sat satellites are operated by the UK, Canada and the United States. (Source: TheSun)

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Magyarország    Hungary
2020. I. 4.  Besokallt a munkájától, lenyúlt 13 tyúkot az anyjától, és mára övé az egyik legkülönlegesebb magyar gazdaság (Forrás: g7.hu): https://tinyurl.com/yjq6pmbx

03-Jan-2020  Lampposts were converted into palm trees. The government estimates that foreign film production spending brings in at least $400 million a year. The Hungarian National Film Fund offers tax rebates for filming there and recently raised the rate from 25 to 30 percent. Permits are also easy to obtain for location shooting, which is another of Hungary's selling points. "Budapest was called 'Petit Paris' – you can shoot Paris, Berlin, Rome or any other European city," said Kael, head of the National Film Fund. Budapest, with its eclectic mix of architectural styles, can double for many other parts of the world. For example, Heroes Square became Moscow for the Willis movie A Good Day to Die Hard. Andrassy Avenue, an elegant boulevard dating from the 1870s often doubles as Paris, although it was also turned into Argentina's capital Buenos Aires for Evita. (Source: CGTN)

(2020. I.)  A CMM TV stábja, Trianon-film Produkció névvel, egy leleplező és formabontó dokumentumfilm-sorozat elkészítését tűzte ki céljául. Az első világháborút követő békeszerződések megkötésekor egy korszak zárult le az emberiség történetében. Rendszerváltás történt. A Dr. Drábik szövegkönyve alapján készülő film bemutatja az Államok Feletti Hatalom létrejöttét és szervezetét, amely előkészítette és kirobbantotta a Nagy Háborút. Ez a Titkos Elit, a Brit világbirodalmon belül erősödött meg, az általa elképzelt Új Világrend létrehozása érdekében. A történelemoktatás és az akadémikus történészek elhallgatják, elrejtik a valódi felelősök nevét, eredeti szándékait, melyek kirobbantották a nagy háborút, mely végső soron az 1000 éves Magyarország feldarabolásához is vezetett. Ez a film önálló, 6 részes rövidfilm sorozatként készül el. (Forrás: TrianonFilm)

Finland
6 Jan 2020  Finland is introducing a four-day working week and six-hour days. A 2015 trial in Sweden found working only six hours a day increased productivity. Results showed employees were happier, wealthier and more productive. In November, Microsoft Japan introduced a three-day weekend for employees and productivity went up by almost 40 per cent. (Source: TheSun)

Great Britain
3 January 2020  Muslim population of England passes the three million mark for the first time. The share of Hindus in the population has climbed slightly, while the proportion of Sikhs has fallen by a similar small amount. The scale of the Jewish and Buddhist shares of the population remained stable. The share of people who say they have no religion at all or who will not discuss their faith has risen to almost a third of the English population, an increase almost certainly a result of the fall-off in Christian belief. The areas with the highest proportion of Muslims were in London with the boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Newham having 34.5 per cent and 32.0 per cent respectively. There were several areas outside London with proportions higher than 20 per cent including Blackburn with Darwen in the North West (27.0 per cent ), Bradford in Yorkshire and the Humber, Luton in East of England, Slough in South East, and Birmingham in the West Midlands. (Source: DailyMail)

03/01/2020  'Philosophical veganism' Casamitjana, 55, was fired from an animal welfare charity for raising concerns about its pension fund's alleged investment in companies that use animal testing. Judge Postle determined that ethical veganism meets the tests required to be a philosophical belief and is therefore protected under the Equality Act 2010. Britain's 2010 Equality Act says a "philosophical belief" must be genuine "and not an opinion or viewpoint based on the present state of information available". Ethical vegans follow a vegan diet but also exclude animal-derived products such as wool and leather from their daily lives. They also try to abstain from using items such as cosmetics that underwent animal testing. "That expression will create more vegans and more vegans will help more animals, the environment, health. It will be a domino effect." - Casamitjana told. To be protected under the act, a belief must meet certain tests, including being not conflicting with the fundamental rights of others. (Source: France24)

Olaszország
2020. I. 4.  A Spanyolország, Olaszország, Görögország és a közel-keleti térség közti légtér óriási katonai légi folyosóvá változott át. Jelentősen megnőtt a forgalom a Földközi-tenger légterében Szulejmáni iráni tábornok halálát követően. Az északkelet-olaszországi Aviano olasz-amerikai katonai bázisán folyamatos a teher- és üzemanyag-szállító repülőgépek érkezése és továbbindulása. Intenzív a forgalom a venetói Vicenza térségében, a szintén amerikai légitámaszpontként működő Ederle kaszárnyánál. Az ott állomásozó 173. dandár készen áll az indulásra: az amerikai fegyveres erőknek a közel-keleti térségben már többször kipróbált légi egységét Libanonban vethetnék be az Egyesült Államok bejrúti nagykövetségének védelmében. Ilyen méretű mozgósítás az olaszországi amerikai támaszpontokon utoljára a 2003 tavaszán indult iraki háború idején volt tapasztalható. (Forrás: Híradó / MTI)

Poland
3 January 2020  Authorities in western Poland say they have ordered the culling of at least 65,000 hen at a farm in the village of Topola Osiedle located about 250 kilometers from the border with Germany, affected by bird flu that seems to have spread from the east. In eastern Poland said the H5N8 bird flu virus recently killed at least 40,000 turkeys and geese at poultry farms in a village near Poland’s borders with Ukraine and Belarus. Tens of thousands of birds are being culled there, and the area has been closed to non-residents. (Source: Reuters)

Romania
January 7, 2020  THAAD, a land-based element capable of shooting down a ballistic missile both inside and just outside the atmosphere. The U.S. Army mans THAAD batteries on the island of Guam as well as in South Korea. The Army in March 2019 deployed a THAAD battery to Israel. “At the request of NATO, the secretary of defense will deploy a U.S. Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system to Romania this summer in support of NATO ballistic-missile defense,” U.S. European Command announced in early April 2019. The U.S. Army in May 2019 deployed to Romania one of its seven Terminal High-Altitude Area-Defense missile-interceptor batteries. The THAAD system set up within sight of the Aegis Ashore site in Romania. As of early 2019 the Army had acquired around 200 THAAD rockets for its seven batteries and roughly 40 launchers. Aegis Ashore is a land-based version of the U.S. Navy’s SM-3 missile-interceptor. The Missile Defense Agency by way of NATO operates Aegis Ashore sites in Poland and Romania. The sites help to defend Europe and the United States from limited missile strikes by a Middle East power such as Iran. Many Russians believe, wrongly, that Aegis Ashore has a ground-to-ground capability and could function as a surprise first-strike weapon. (Source: TheNationalInterest)

European Commission
(2019)  Data on children in migration. A technical report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission’s science and knowledge service. It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the European policymaking process. (Source: PublicationsJRCECEuropa): https://tinyurl.com/syl6ew8ű

China
Jan 4, 2020  A lung infection in the central Chinese city of Wuhan is being monitored by the World Health Organization. As of yesterday, 44 people had been diagnosed with pneumonia. Eleven people are in serious condition. Pathogen studies have ruled out more common respiratory diseases, including influenza, avian flu and adenovirus. It's triggered concern about the potential jump of an unknown virus to humans - reminiscent of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, which killed almost 800 people about 17 years ago. (Source: Yahoo)

Iran
8 Jan 2020  You would expect to see some wreckage but all we can see here is debris. Flight data shows the plane reached an altitude of 2.4 km and then suddenly disappeared. Pilots did not make any kind of mayday call from the 2016-built plane. 167 passengers and nine crew members on board - among them were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Brits. The tragedy came just hours after Tehran fired at least 15 ballistic missiles at two US bases in Iraq, sparking fears it could have been shot down by mistake by jittery Iranian air defences. The fuselage is seemingly seen covered in small shrapnel holes. /photo/ (Source: TheSun): https://tinyurl.com/ydkxegew

January 8, 2020  Two earthquakes struck near a nuclear power plant in southwestern Iran today morning, just over a week after another quake hit the region. The first quake, measuring 4.9 magnitude, struck just before 9.00 a.m. local time in Bushehr province. Around 30 minutes later a second quake, this time measuring 4.5 magnitude, struck the same province which runs along the Iranian coastline. The quake epicenters were within 20 kilometers of the city of Borazjan - a short distance from the country's Bushehr nuclear power plant. Another earthquake, measuring 5.1 magnitude, struck the same region less than two weeks ago. (Source: Yahoo)

Jan 7, 2020  Boeing 737 plane bound for Kyiv crashes in Iran, shortly after 6 a.m. local time, minutes into the flight, killing all 176 people on board. The crash site was in Shahriar, near Tehran. The cause of the crash came hours after Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes on U.S. positions in Iraq. The aircraft had been carrying citizens of Canada, Iran, Sweden and Ukraine. The timing of the crash prompted speculation that a stray Iranian missile may have downed the plane. Under international law, the country where the crash took place leads the accident investigation but other countries often aid in the probe. Because the plane was a U.S.-made Boeing airliner, U.S. government officials and Boeing would normally be involved but tensions between the two countries called that into question. Ukraine International Airlines received the 737-800 jet in 2016 when it was new. (Source: CNBC)

January 7, 2020  The period of mourning for Soleimani ending. A deadly stampede which took place in Kerman, Soleimani's hometown, as the procession began at the funeral ceremony for slain general Soleimani forced officials in Iran to postpone his burial for today. The death toll has increased to at least 56 people. State TV reported the increase, with 213 injured. A procession in Tehran yesterday drew over 1 million people in the Iranian capital. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered a direct attack on American interests. Iran's ballistic missiles had not been moved into firing positions, but the alert status was raised so they were prepared to move and could be fired in substantial numbers within 24 hours. Iranian military movements are very troubling. There is a wide range of activities of a heightened state of readiness … that indicate Iran is considering going forward with an attack, most likely against American forces. (Source: CBS)

7 January 2020  Iran has been considering 13 'revenge scenarios' in retaliation. Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, vowed that US bases across Iraq are being kept under close surveillance and claimed to know the exact number of personnel and equipment being kept at each. 'If the US troops do not leave our region voluntarily and upright, we will do something to carry their bodies out horizontally.' he said. 'Those who crawl into shelters and close the doors hoping to escape our revenge are unaware that the Islamic Republic will open the door to hell.' Iran's parliament passed a bill today designating all US forces and employees of the Pentagon and affiliated organisations, agents and commanders and those who ordered the 'martyrdom' of Soleimani as terrorists. Some 5,000 US troops stationed across Iraq and 500 still in Syria are expected to be targeted in response. Nasrallah, the Lebanese secretary-general of Iran-backed Hezbollah, said all US bases, all warships and every single soldier in the region is now a target. Any aid to these forces, including military, intelligence, financial, technical, service or logistical, will be considered as co-operation in a terrorist act,' the Iranian parliament said. US intelligence believes that Iran will try to kill one of its top generals in the region in a tit-for-tat slaying. Six long-range B-52 Stratofortress bombers have also been stationed on Diego Garcia, a British-controlled island in the Indian ocean - putting them out of range of Iranian missiles but within striking distance of the country. (Source: DailyMail)

Iraq
Jan. 8, 2019  Iran launched a missile attack on Assad Airbase in Iraq today. Before and after satellite imagery shows the damage. (Source: YouTube / Space): https://tinyurl.com/yedlxf4a

January 8, 2020  Missiles were fired early today in multiple locations across Iraq, as a series of attacks on U.S. forces from Iran. These are either cruise missiles or short-range ballistic missiles. All over the country. Iran state TV claimed Tehran launched "tens" of surface-to-surface missiles at Iraq's Ain Assad air base housing U.S. troops. (Source: FoxNews)

6 January 2020  Yesterday Iraq's parliament voted in favor of the Baghdad government rescinding its permission for all foreign troops to remain in the country. The head of the U.S. military's Task Force Iraq, Brigadier General Seely, sent a letter to LTG Amir, the head of Iraq's joint operations command. 'Sir, in deference to the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq, and as requested by the Iraqi Parliament and the Prime Minister, [the coalition] will be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement,' Seely wrote. He added: 'We respect your sovereign decision to order our departure.' The Pentagon hasn't confirmed the authenticity of this letter, informing an Iraqi military leader the U.S. and other coalition forces are pulling up stakes; but Iraqi military leaders have said it's genuine and had been delivered. The letter was signed by a U.S. official on Pentagon letterhead, making it unclear whether it applied to forces from the 76 countries which make up the international coalition. Some 5,200 U.S. soldiers are stationed across Iraqi bases to support local troops preventing a resurgence of the isis terror group. They make up the bulk of the broader coalition, invited by the Iraqi government in 2014 to help combat the jihadists. A pullout of U.S. troops could cripple the fight against isis militants and allow the extremists to make a comeback. An American withdrawal could also enable Iran to deepen its influence in Iraq, which like Iran is a majority Shiite country. President Trump said yesterday that troops would not leave Iraq unless the country compensated the U.S. for the costs associated with building and maintaining military facilities there. /+ the letter/ (Source: DailyMail)

5 January 2020  The Iraqi parliament called on the government today to work to end all foreign troop presence, the government should cancel its request for assistance from a U.S.-led coalition. Prime Minister Mahdi had earlier called on parliament to end foreign troop presence as soon as possible. Around 5,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq. (Source: Reuters)

4 January 2020  Thousands of furious mourners thronged in the streets of Baghdad today during funeral processions for the slain Iranian general Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Muhandis, Kataeb Hezbollah chief, who died with him during yesterday's US strike. The pair had been riding in a two-vehicle convoy which was decimated by three missiles from an American MQ-9 Reaper Drone. The strike also killed four more Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards and five members of Iraq's pro-Iran paramilitary network. The procession began at the Imam Kadhim shrine in Baghdad, one of the most revered in Shia Islam. Mourners included many militiamen in uniform for whom Muhandis and Soleimani were heroes. Iraq, whose prime minister Mahdi attended the funerals today, threatened to order the expulsion of all US troops from the country after what it called 'a brazen violation of Iraq's sovereignty.' Tehran's UN ambassador, who represents Iran's only diplomatic mission within the US, told yesterday that the airstrike was 'tantamount to opening a war against Iran.' The head of Iran's elite Quds Force will be laid to rest on 7 January in his hometown of Kerman as part of three days of ceremonies across the country Iran threatens 35 targets including US warships and Tel Aviv after Soleimani's death. The potential threat was raised by General Abuhamzeh, the commander of the Guards in the southern province of Kerman. Lebanon's one of the Iranian-backed militia Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades issue ultimatum for Iraqi's to leave US bases at least 1,000 meters away by tomorrow. NATO announced today it was suspending training missions in Iraq which numbers in the hundreds. As tensions soared across the region, there were reports overnight of an airstrike on a convoy of Iran-backed militiamen north of Baghdad. In the airstrike in Taji, north of the capital five people were killed and two vehicles were destroyed. Two rockets were reported to have fired near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and three were fired at Balad Airbase housing US troops, about 50 miles north of the city. Two Katyusha rockets fell inside the base. A number of rockets also landed in the Al-Jadiriya neighborhood. It is not clear who fired the rockets. Over the minarets at the revered Jamkaran Mosque in the holy city of Qom Iranians raise blood red 'flags of revenge' for General Soleimani's killing which symbolize blood spilled unjustly and serve as a call to avenge the person who is slain today. The mosque speakers called, 'O Allah, hasten your custodian reappearance,' a reference to the end-times reappearance of the Mahdi. In Shia Islam, the faith of Iran, the Mahdi is a divine figure who will appear to bring a Day of Judgement and rid the world of evil. It is the first time in the Qom mosque's history - a holy site since the Middle Ages - that the red flag has been raised over the building. Thousands of mourners took to the streets of Tehran today where the red flag was also seen fluttering before a downtown mosque in the Iranian capital. /photos, videos/ (Source: TheMail): https://tinyurl.com/uxgdxqp

3 January 2019  Equivalent of assassinating the commander of an armed force." Experts have told Westerners to get out of the United Arab Emirates immediately fearing reprisals for today's assassination of the top Iranian general. The US has approximately 5000 troops stationed in Iraq and is mobilising 750 paratroopers. The US State Department has told US citizens to leave Iraq immediately. (Source: TheSun)

January 3, 2020  State Department terrorist designations of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and its leaders. AAH, led by brothers Khazali, is an Iran-backed, militant organization that has claimed responsibility for more than 6,000 attacks against U.S. and Coalitions forces since its creation in 2006. AAH has carried out highly sophisticated operations, including mortar attacks on an American base, the downing of a British helicopter, and an attack on the Karbala Provincial Headquarters that resulted in the capture and murder of five American soldiers. They were approving the use of lethal force against protesters for the purpose of public intimidation. (Source: State)

03 01 2020  An aggressive show of force and an outright provocation. Oil jumped toward $70 a barrel following news today that a US airstrike had killed the head of Iran's Quds Force, Soleimani, hit in a a US airstrike on Baghdad's international airport. (Source: DW)

Jan Egy huszonegy évvel ezelőtti eseménnyel állítható párhuzamba?
Dec. 17, 1998: Attack on Iraq: the overview; impeachment vote in House delayed as Clinton launches Iraq air strike, citing military need to move swiftly. (TheNewYorkTimes): https://tinyurl.com/unbq5a5

1st 2020  Yesterday some 6,000 pro-Iran militia fighter demonstrators - many of them members of Iran-backed militia - stormed the compound, rushed the heavily fortified Green Zone after US strikes killed 25 members of the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah, separate but linked to the Lebanese Hezbollah in air strikes on the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary network in western Iraq. The United States carried out the raids in retaliation for rocket fire that killed an American civilian contractor at a base in northern Iraq in December 30, 2019. Yesterday's riot, which included smashing through the embassy's security area, setting fires around the complex and hurling rocks, ended in a camp being set up outside the consulate. Some 50 tents, portable bathrooms and cooking pots were shipped in as hundreds of the furious mob prepared a sit-in at the embassy's gates, demanding that the US withdraw from Iraq. More recently, Iran-backed militias in Iraq have conducted numerous rocket attacks on bases hosting U.S. forces. (Source: TheMail)

Lybia
2 January 2020  Complicating access for gas pipelines to Europe. The renewed assault by the Tripoli Government's main opponent - General Haftar's Libyan National Army - is increasingly taking on the appearance of a proxy war, with a variety of external actors. Turkey's Libyan gambit threatens to precipitate a broader crisis in the eastern Mediterranean that in turn could complicate Turkey's relationships with both Moscow on the one hand and Washington and key Nato allies on the other. It will make existing regional tensions worse. The Tripoli government has Western backing. But its principal opponent Gen Haftar has received significant financial support from the UAE as well as armoured vehicles from both Jordan and the UAE. The Emiratis have also deployed sophisticated Chinese supplied Wing Loong 2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) which a UN report blames for a significant proportion of the civilians killed in Gen Haftar's eastern forces offensive. Gen Haftar has also had support from Egypt and direct military assistance on the ground from "semi-official" Russian military contractors along with Sudanese and Chadian mercenaries. Indeed Russian snipers have reportedly had a significant local impact on the front line. Egypt's leader Sisi clearly regards Gen Haftar as an anti-Islamist, military strongman in his own mould. The US operates over Libya against remnants of is. France nurtures ties with Gen Haftar. Turkey will insist that it is acting to support an internationally recognised government in Libya. Turkey sees Libya as part of its wider hinterland in the eastern Mediterranean and an important economic gateway to Africa. It has few friends in the region. Turkey's support for the Muslim Brotherhood drew implacable opposition from Egypt's military government. Relations between Israel and Turkey - once close - went into the freezer ages ago. And long-standing differences with fellow Nato member Greece over Cyprus have now been exacerbated by a new tension - energy. In November, Ankara signed a maritime delimitation agreement with the Tripoli authorities which brings Turkey's claimed exclusive economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean to the edge of that claimed by Libya. This is a direct effort to counter Israel, Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, who have established an Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum. Indeed Turkey's more aggressive oil exploration off Cyprus with armed drones "riding shotgun" for its survey vessel is all part of this new activism. (Source: BBC)

Syria
3 January 2020  Syrians in Idlib celebrate Soleimani's death with sweets and cakes. Idlib, which is home to about three million people, is one of the last remaining holdouts of opposition to Syrian President Assad. Backed by Moscow, Assad launched a blistering offensive against Idlib in April, in which thousands of civilians have been killed. More than 200,000 Syrians have fled to the region in recent weeks and now depend on food, blankets and heating from humanitarian groups to survive. (Source: MiddleEastEye)

Yemen
January 10, 2020  On the day the U.S. military killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad, U.S. forces carried out another top secret mission against a senior Iranian military official in Yemen, according to U.S. officials. The strike targeting Shahlai, a financier and key commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force who has been active in Yemen, did not result in his death. The unsuccessful operation may indicate that the Trump administration’s killing of Maj. Gen. Soleimani last week was part of a broader operation than previously explained, raising questions about whether the mission was designed to cripple the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or solely to prevent an imminent attack on Americans as originally stated. The State Department offered a $15 million reward last month for information leading to Shahlai and the disruption of the IRGC’s financial mechanisms. The announcement said that Shahlai is based in Yemen and has a “long history of involvement in attacks targeting the U.S. and our allies, including in the 2011 plot against the Saudi ambassador” at an Italian restaurant in Washington. U.S. officials have alleged Shahlai, born around 1957, is linked to attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq, including a sophisticated 2007 raid in which Iranian-backed militiamen abducted and killed five Americans troops in the city of Karbala. The United States has not previously taken any publicly acknowledged attacks on Houthi or Iranian leaders in Yemen, though Special Operations forces have sought to track Iranian movements and disrupt alleged smuggling of Iranian weaponry into the country. (Source: msn)

Canada
January 7, 2020  Western troops in Iraq have been on high alert since the weekend. The Canadian military is temporarily relocating some soldiers from Iraq to Kuwait. The move follows the lead of Germany and several other allies who have withdrawn some of their troops. Canada has about 500 soldiers in Iraq. (Source: NationalPost)

United States
January 10, 2020  In 2003, the machinery of pro-war rhetoric set the United States on a course that led to the deaths of thousands of Americans and countless Iraqis. In 2020, we ought to be deeply suspicious when we hear hawkish arguments that trace the same dubious patterns. making claims that eerily echo those of 2002 and 2003. The presidential rhetoric about the two conflicts has been notably similar. In his 2003 State of the Union speech, Bush laid the groundwork for the invasion of Iraq: “Today, the gravest danger in the war on terror, the gravest danger facing America and the world, is outlaw regimes that seek and possess nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.” On Wednesday, in the news conference in which he signaled that the United States would not escalate the fight, President Trump said: “Iran has been the leading sponsor of terrorism, and their pursuit of nuclear weapons threatens the civilized world. We will never let that happen.” Invoking the threat of nuclear weapons has a way of short-circuiting opposition to military strikes and assassinations. (Source: msn)

7 Jan 2020  Puerto Rico is in state of emergency after most powerful quake in over 102 years. Island rocked by hundreds of earthquakes since 28 December, killing at least one person and prompting power and water outages. (Source: TheGuardian)

2020. I. 7.  A Facebook tehet Trump megválasztásáról? "Szerintem a válasz, hogy igen, de nem azért, amit a legtöbben hisznek. Nem Oroszország, a dezinformációk vagy a Cambridge Analytica miatt nyert, hanem azért, mert a legjobb digitális reklámkampányt építette fel, amit életemben láttam" - közli Bosworth, a Facebook alelnöke, és kitér arra is, hogy Trumpék nem toltak hirdetésekben álhíreket vagy hoaxokat, egyszerűen csak hihetetlen munkát végeztek a Facebook hirdetési rendszerén belül. (Forrás: Index)

January 6, 2020  Now, with #NoWarinIran, #TrumpsWar and #WorldWarIII trending on Twitter, users are looking into the draft - particularly college students about how the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) could play into their potential future military service. Hundreds of Twitter users posted messages and memes insinuating that the draft, or selective service, will be put into place within the next few months. They also suggested that college-age students would be prioritized for service. (Source: CBSNews)

Jan 4, 2020  The last time the United States killed a major military leader in a foreign country was during World War II, when the American military shot down the plane carrying the Japanese admiral Yamamoto. American spy agencies yesterday detected that Iranian ballistic missile units, the heart of the Iranian military, across the country had gone to a heightened state of readiness. At Fort Bragg, N.C., some 3,500 soldiers, one of the largest rapid deployments in decades, are bound for the Middle East. (Source: TheNewYorkTimes)

January 3, 2020  Is genuine strategic thinking now an endangered species in the Land of the Free? Iran will almost inevitably respond, just as the United States would were the situation reversed. The regime will do so at a time and with means of its own choosing, and in ways designed to maximize the pain and political impact. Second, the assassination is going to inflame Iranian nationalism and strengthen hard-line forces in Iran, further reducing any possibility of regime change there. Third, killing Suleimani on Iraqi soil is a violation of Iraqi sovereignty that put its fragile government on even shakier ground, and it is worth noting that caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has already condemned the U.S. action. Fourth, Trump has now given Iran even more incentive to acquire nuclear weapons, a step that would force Washington to go to all-out war or back down and accept an Iranian bomb. All this over a country that has serious disputes with some of the United States’ regional partners but does not threaten the security or prosperity of the United States itself in any meaningful way. And finally, there’s the precedent the United States is setting. There has long been a powerful international norm against assassinations by governments, largely because the leaders of powerful states understand that it is in their mutual self-interest not to try to kill each other. The taboo didn’t completely eliminate the use of this tactic, of course, and the norm has begun to break down in recent decades. But do we really want to live in a world where assassination is regarded as a perfectly normal way of doing business and becomes more and more commonplace? There is some evidence that “decapitation” (that is, killing top leaders) tends to empower extremists and incline them toward even greater violence. (Source: ForeignPolicy)

2020/01 (3 January)  With Trump’s attack in Baghdad prompting talk about another US war in the Middle East, it’s a good time to remember those who misled the public prior to the Iraq war, so if they now try to participate in the national discourse about Trump’s potential war with Iran, we won’t get fooled again. At least not by them. At the top of this list are the key architects and salespeople of that war: Bush, Cheney, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz, and National Security Adviser Rice. None of these people should be given a podium - unless they come clean with the mother of all mea culpas. Powell, the secretary of state at the time, may be a slightly different case. He became the No. 1 pitchman for the war, delivering an important speech at the United Nations weeks before the invasion but he did concede in 2015 that the Bush-Cheney administration made “terrible strategic mistakes” during the war. We will be seeing some of the same commentators from 2003 who paved the path to war: Hannity, the Fox News loudmouth as the top propagandist at Trump State TV; Brooks at his perch at the New York Times; Friedman, the big-think columnist of the New York Times; Bolton, Trump’s gone-but-not-forgotten national security adviser who essentially endorsed an Israeli nuclear strike against Iran in 2009; the Washington Post editorial page; the Wall Street Journal editorial page; Miller, a Fox News contributor; Woolsey who freely offers his opinion on national security matters. (Prior to the Soleimani airstrike he appeared on the conservative Newsmax TV and said, “We ought to target all of the facilities of the Revolutionary Guard).” Gingrich, the former House speaker who was quick to tweet-support the airstrike against Soleimani; plenty of other conservatives and hawks and any Bush-Cheney alumni. Kristol, an active force on Twitter is a passionate and committed never-Trumper whose sincere and heartfelt opposition to the president seemingly led to the demise of his Weekly Standard. Boot, after the Soleimani attack, retweeted an article that warned Trump’s move and further war could cause a nightmare. Frum, the prominent conservative anti-Trumper as for the prospect of war with Iran, observed: The project of a war with Iran is so crazy, it remains incredible that Trump’s administration could truly be premeditating it. "Don’t do it." Wars - especially stupid wars - ought to have consequences for those who help make them happen. (Source: MotherJones)

Globalization
Jan 6, 2020  Gold surged to the highest level in more than six years today as fast-rising tensions in the Middle East stoked demand for haven assets, with US investment bank Goldman Sachs saying that bullion offered a more effective hedge than oil to the crisis. Palladium extended gains to an all-time high. Bullion neared US$1,600 an ounce as Teheran said it would no longer abide by any limits on its enrichment of uranium. (Source: StraitTimes)

Space
7 Jan 2020  Last year the CHIME experiment in Canada had detected a massive eight new repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs), bringing the number of known repeaters to a total of 10. Fast radio bursts are among the Universe's strangest mysteries. They are extremely brief spikes in electromagnetic radiation detected by radio telescopes, lasting no more than a few milliseconds at most. But in that time, they can discharge more energy than 500 million Suns. Possible explanations for FRBs put forward to date include neutron stars, black holes, pulsars with companion stars, imploding pulsars, a type of star called a blitzar, a connection with gamma-ray bursts (which we now know can be caused by colliding neutron stars), and magnetars emitting giant flares. (Source. ScienceAlert): https://tinyurl.com/yf9eyq57

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