Six In The Morning Thursday 16 September 2021

 

‘Fascist and tyrannical’: US vaccine mandates induce rightwing hysteria

David Smith in Washington

@smithinamerica

Thu 16 Sep 2021 02.00 EDT

Joe Biden has been criticized for his Covid prevention measures by the right but the public appears to be on his side

When Joe Biden announced sweeping federal coronavirus vaccine requirements for 100 million Americans, the White House was braced for objections from Republican opponents.

But this being 2021, the rightwing backlash has gone way beyond mere political debate into the realm of incendiary language that, analysts fear, could translate into direct and violent action.

In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster vowed to fight “to the gates of hell to protect the liberty and livelihood of every South Carolinian”. Tate Reeves, the governor of Mississippi, tweeted: “The vaccine itself is life-saving, but this unconstitutional move is terrifying.” JD Vance, a conservative running for a Senate seat in Ohio, warned: “Only mass civil disobedience will save us from Joe Biden’s naked authoritarianism.”

German elections: child journalists leave leading CDU candidate fumbling for words in interview

Laschet, the CDU candidate for chancellor, was pummelled with unexpectedly sharp questions from the two youngsters about some of his campaign blunders

Erik Kirschbaum

Armin Laschet has had a hard enough time convincing German voters that he is the right candidate to lead the country for the next four years. Indeed the 60-year-old, who is trailing badly in opinion polls ahead of the September 26 elections, even got badly tripped up while trying to give answers to some surprisingly pointed questions from two young children in an awkward television interview on Tuesday evening.

The interview is another example of pro-active young German journalists taking on senior politicians after a 12-year-old reporter successfully grilled the far-right AfD candidate, Tino Chrupalla yesterday, catching him out on his lack of knowledge of German nationalist poetry.

Ghost towns and old men in Afghanistan's Panjshir

Fighters in Afghanistan's Panjshir vowed to battle the Taliban to the last man, but nearly two weeks after the hardline Islamists celebrated victory, parts of the rugged valley lie empty and abandoned.

In many villages, only old men and livestock remain.

Sitting under the awning of a closed shop, Abdul Ghafoor contemplates his deserted village, perched on the side of a rocky hill in the district of Khenj.

"Before, almost 100 families lived here," he said. "There are only three left now. Everyone has left."

UN: Pandemic did not slow advance of climate change

The results of the United in Science 2021 report are an "alarming appraisal of just how far off course we are," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said.

The UN released a report on Thursday warning that the COVID-19 pandemic has not slowed the pace of climate change.

Virus-related economic slowdown and lockdowns caused only a temporary downturn in CO2 emissions last year, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said.

"There was some thinking that the COVID lockdowns would have had a positive impact on the atmosphere, which is not the case," WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said at a news briefing.

Hezbollah-brokered Iranian fuel arrives in crisis-hit Lebanon

The arrival of Iranian fuel arranged by Hezbollah has been received with mixed feelings in Lebanon amid an ongoing energy crisis.

By Kareem Chehayeb

16 Sep 2021

 The first of several truck convoys carrying Iranian fuel has arrived in Lebanon from Syria, a Hezbollah spokesperson told Al Jazeera – a shipment intended to help ease crippling fuel shortages amid a dire economic crisis.

The first shipments of the fuel, carried by two convoys totalling 40 trucks according to Hezbollah’s Al Manar television channel, arrived in Lebanon on Thursday.

The fuel delivery has been portrayed by the Iran-linked Lebanese group as a huge boost to the cash-strapped country. However, the shipments violate United States sanctions imposed on Iranian oil sales and have gotten a mixed response in Lebanon.

Japan's defense minister draws red line in island dispute with China

By Brad Lendon and Blake Essig, CNN

Updated 0812 GMT (1612 HKT) September 16, 2021

Japan is drawing a red line around an island chain also claimed by China, pushing back at Beijing's increasingly aggressive military posturing, and setting the stage for a potential showdown between the region's two biggest powers.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China, are unquestionably Japanese territory and would be defended as such, with Tokyo matching any Chinese threat to the islands ship for ship, and beyond if necessary.

Japan has been expanding its Self-Defense Forces, adding state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets and converting warships to aircraft carriers for them. It is also building new destroyers, submarines and missiles, all the while noting its military expenditure still pales in comparison with China's increased military spending.