All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

With the Economy on the Ropes, Hungary Goes All In on Mass Vaccination

Hungary became the first European Union country to administer Russia’s Sputnik vaccine, and will soon start with one from China — posing a challenge to the bloc’s joint vaccination strategy.

Hungary became the first European Union country to administer Russia’s Sputnik vaccine, and will soon start with one from China — posing a challenge to the bloc’s joint vaccination strategy.

‘I did what I thought was right’: a Myanmar protester voices her fears for the future

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Almost two weeks after the military coup, one demonstrator explains why she is still out on the streets

In previous years on Union Day – the Myanmar public holiday marking the agreement between ethnic leaders on 12 February 1947 to forge a unified country – Khin* had worn her traditional htamein, a snug maxiskirt. But since it would prevent her from running away if the police opened fire, this year she opted for loose trousers, large sunglasses, a baseball cap and face mask.

For the seventh consecutive morning she found a full-scale rebellion playing out on the streets of Myanmar’s biggest city, Yangon. A couple of thousand railway workers marched near her home as Khin, in her early 30s, reflected on a phone call she had just received from her father, a high-ranking official in the army, which seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government on 1 February.

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Migrants in “remain in Mexico” program will soon be allowed to enter U.S. | The Texas Tribune

The DHS advised asylum seekers in the program to remain where they are for now while a virtual registration process is rolled out next week. Once they’ve registered, the migrants will be told where to go, the DHS statement says. Asylum seekers will be tested for COVID-19 before being allowed to cross the border.

Source: Migrants in “remain in Mexico” program will soon be allowed to enter U.S. | The Texas Tribune

Caged in Court, Navalny Mocks Putin and Chases Fans

Navalny was back in court on Friday for the next hearing in the defamation case, showing no signs of backing down as he berated the judge.

“Stop shaming yourself and enrol in some courses to improve your knowledge of the laws of the Russian Federation,” Navalny said, backing a request from his lawyer for the judge to be replaced.

If the February 2 hearing was a piece of political drama, then the defamation trial has become a comedy, said political analyst Anton Orekh.

But the appearances are also Navalny’s only chance to keep up his fight against the authorities.

“If you don’t have an opportunity to take part in polls and speak in parliament, if you don’t have an opportunity to peacefully take to the streets and express your feelings and thoughts, if you have been stripped of access to state TV channels, the only thing that remains is a courtroom stand,” Orekh wrote on his blog.

Since emerging as the Kremlin’s top critic a decade ago, Navalny has stood in stark contrast to Putin and painted the 68-year-old as out of touch.

In the age of social media, Navalny’s courtroom theatrics are especially appealing to young Russians, Kalachev said.

“Putin is losing support among young people, polls show it,” he said. “For young people, he is like an alien, a man from the moon.”

Navalny “speaks the same language as young people, they can see themselves in him,” Kalachev added. “His clothes, his tastes, his wife, his family… he represents the urban middle class.”

Source: Caged in Court, Navalny Mocks Putin and Chases Fans