Thursday, January 7, 2021

Six In The Morning Thursday 7 January 2021

 

Fears over unstable Trump's fitness for office in final dangerous days

Updated 1418 GMT (2218 HKT) January 7, 2021


America faces 13 days of danger before the departure of an unhinged commander-in-chief who set his mob on the US Capitol in an act of insurrection that shattered a more than 220-year tradition of peaceful transfers of power.

President Donald Trump's seditious behavior has provoked a full crisis inside his White House bunker in his final days, following a fracture with his ultra-loyal Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to join the futile but destructive effort to overturn the result of the election.


Maga v BLM: how police handled the Capitol mob and George Floyd activists – in pictures

Wednesday saw a thin deployment of officers as rioters stormed the Capitol. In June, a very different scene unfolded in the same city

by 


The contrast between the law enforcement reaction to the storming of the Capitol on Wednesday and the suppression of peaceful protests in the summer is not just stark – it is black and white.

The Black Lives Matter demonstrators crowd outside the White House on 1 June was a block away from the building and made no attempt to breach its security. It was a mostly Black crowd, and it was charged by a force made up of Washington police, US Park police, over 5,000 national guard troops and federal agencies like the bureau of prisons. An army helicopter swooped low over the heads of the protesters. Teargas, batons and horses were used to clear a block so that Donald Trump could stage a photo op outside a church across the road. A national guard commander later admitted there had been “excessive use of force”.

COVID-19: Risks and side effects of vaccination

Vaccines are safe and save lives. The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines has people asking questions. Here is an overview of the reactions and side effects you can expect.

Millions of people worldwide are hoping for a vaccination against the coronavirus  in the near future. Vaccines have been found safe and approved by health authorities in many countries.  

At the same time, many people are ambivalent because, while they want to protect themselves against infection, they also fear possible side effects from vaccination. They have doubts as to whether the vaccines are actually safe, given the rapid pace of development, and whether possible side effects have been adequately studied.

Suga pledges to improve coronavirus situation in 1 month

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged to improve the coronavirus situation in Japan within one month as he declared a state of emergency on Thursday.

Suga asked younger people to refrain from making unnecessary outings to prevent the further spread of the virus and protect the lives of others.

He also said the government will provide up to 1.8 million yen per month to each eatery that complies with a request to shorten operating hours.

How Europe’s far right responded to pro-Trump Capitol riots

Violence in Washington, DC, draws condemnation from some hard-right politicians in Europe, but others remain notably silent.

European far-right leaders, who once threw their unwavering support behind US President Donald Trump, have condemned pro-Trump protesters who stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday as Congress gathered to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s presidential win.

In ugly scenes, hundreds forced their way past metal security barricades, broke windows, and scaled walls to enter the government building in Washington, DC.

Hong Kong national security law: Activists say arrests confirm worst fears

By Preeti Jha
BBC News, Singapore

When news of the first arrests began trickling through, Joey Siu got straight onto the phone to her friends in Hong Kong. As they stopped responding, one by one, she realised the crackdown was growing - and fast.

The 21-year-old student activist, who fled to the US two months ago, watched the detentions mount on her screen: a social worker, an academic, a former journalist, an American lawyer.

"I panicked," said Ms Siu, as the scale of the operation became apparent, partly "because of the fact that I can't go back and help."




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