All posts by nedhamson

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

Belarus begins releasing all detained protesters

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Ahead of the release, Belarus officials issued a rare public apology amid pressure from European leaders, including Germany’s Angela Merkel. Some of the released protesters say they were beaten during their detainment.

Coronavirus: Berlin′s lakes and parks overcrowded in the summer heat  | Germany| News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 14.08.2020 – (finding new normal isn’t easy but must be done to live)

Many people bathing in pool with fountain (picture-alliance/dpa/J. Büttner)

Berlin’s coronavirus cases are on the rise again — with a record 111 cases registered this week.

At the same time, the German capital is seeing the longest heatwave of the year. And judging by the trail of bathers heading to the city’s lakes, parks, and pools, it seems the heat bothers Berliners far more than the risk of catching the coronavirus.

“We don’t have too many pretty days like these in Berlin, so we have to make good use of them!” says one bather as he approaches the narrow shore of Schlachtensee, in the south-western part of the city. As it is easily accessible by public transportation, it is one of the prime destinations for those looking to cool down and chill out.

Read more: Are Berlin residents packing up and leaving the city to flee the coronavirus?

However, city authorities are concerned it will soon become a pandemic hotspot. On Twitter this week, Berlin police have been reminding lake-goers to keep a distance and to wear masks — but they can’t do much more than plead with the public and hope for voluntary cooperation.

 

Source: Coronavirus: Berlin′s lakes and parks overcrowded in the summer heat  | Germany| News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 14.08.2020

‘Ants crawling from wound’: horrifying scenes at coronavirus-hit aged care home in Melbourne | Australia news | The Guardian

“The whole point of asking for help from federal and state authorities was to avoid disaster like the ones we have seen elsewhere. But when we first asked for help in July, we were not considered bad enough.” “Then, when our first few residents tested positive they didn’t have severe symptoms yet, so when we asked for them to be taken to hospital the response was again, ‘no, it’s not bad enough’,” Bryndzia said. “The irony is although we did everything we could on our own to try to stop it getting worse, it was only when things got really bad that the state and federal governments were concerned enough to help us. “It’s gut-wrenching.”

Source: ‘Ants crawling from wound’: horrifying scenes at coronavirus-hit aged care home in Melbourne | Australia news | The Guardian

Workers Join Belarus Protests, as Leader’s Base Turns Against Him

Demonstrators at a huge state-run factory in the capital gave an ultimatum: Unless a fair election is held, they will strike, in a new test of President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko’s rule.

Demonstrators at a huge state-run factory in the capital gave an ultimatum: Unless a fair election is held, they will strike, in a new test of President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko’s rule.

Lebanese Have Little Hope Blast Probe Will Lead to Truth — Naharnet

Many Lebanese want the probe taken out of the hands of their own government, having learned from past experience that the long-entrenched political factions, notorious for corruption, won’t allow any results damaging to their leadership to come to light. The explosion killed more than 175 people, injured at least 6,000, and left tens of thousands homeless.

Source: Lebanese Have Little Hope Blast Probe Will Lead to Truth — Naharnet

Spain shuts all nightclubs and discos after alarming surge in COVID-19 cases | Euronews

Spain announced on Friday the closure of all discos, nightclubs and dance halls amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the country, with almost 50,000 new infections recorded in the past 14 days.

COVID-19 hospitalisations have quintupled since early July, when cases were reduced to a trickle and the virus seemed to have been almost defeated after three months of strict lockdown.

Source: Spain shuts all nightclubs and discos after alarming surge in COVID-19 cases | Euronews

Women protesters in Belarus: ‘We can change the country for the better’ | Euronews

Belarus’ capital has seen hundreds of women take to the streets in the daytime this week, in a show of solidarity with the protest movement and the thousands detained amid the violent state crackdown.

In several areas of Minsk, large groups of women — often dressed in white — have formed long human “chains of solidarity”.

It was the latest move by women who have taken a leading role in the protests — and, they say, the country’s path towards change.

 

Source: Women protesters in Belarus: ‘We can change the country for the better’ | Euronews

Beirut Blast: The angry young voices of Lebanon | Culture Clash | Euronews

“We don’t have proper education. We don’t have proper infrastructure. It’s very oblivious to some of the politicians, they think we have a normal life when we are deprived of it,” she said.

The Beirut explosion reignited furious protests, forcing the country’s prime minister and his cabinet to resign.

Lebanon’s younger generation is now fighting for a new future.

“We’re really fighting for everything. We’re fighting for our human rights,” Lama said.

“People don’t really have anything to lose anymore. They’re not afraid anymore so they will do whatever it takes,” she said.

Source: Beirut Blast: The angry young voices of Lebanon | Culture Clash | Euronews