SOTT (News) FULL 1062 by newskids CDC experts on 'Delta varient': Do all the things that didn't work the first time!On 28, July 2021To defeat the massive, scary, definitely world-ending wave of COVID being driven by the delta variant of the deadly, frightening disease you should remain afraid of for the rest of your life, experts are recommending we try all the things that didn't work the first time. From wearing masks and social distancing to locking everyone down and destroying the economy, experts are all suggesting that we just try the same things we did last time that didn't work at all. "We are going to lock down, wear masks, and social distance, all of which didn't work, but hey. It's worth trying again," said Dr. Anthony Fauci in a television interview this morning. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That's what they taught us in science school. Look at my lab coat. It's white. Do you like it? It h… Read more'Leftist' ESPN columnist mocked after claiming US flag-waving at Olympics reminds him of 'rise of white nationalism'On 28, July 2021A veteran sportswriter has come under fire after suggesting that United States flags on display during the opening ceremony at the Tokyo Olympics were a visual reminder of the alleged surge of white nationalism in the US. ESPN columnist Bill Rhoden told CBS This Morning that the opening ceremony used to be one of his favorite parts of the Olympics, but that this year he felt differently about the event.… Read moreHuman Rights Watch: Israel 'devastated entire families' in GazaOn 28, July 2021Israel's 11-day bombardment of the Gaza Strip in May amount to "war crimes", Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tuesday. Israeli attacks on Gaza "violated the laws of war and apparently amount to war crimes," the New York-based rights group said in a report. HRW added it "investigated three Israeli strikes that killed 62 Palestinian civilians where there were no evident military targets in the vicinity." Gerry Simpson, associate crisis and conflict director at HRW, said Israeli forces carried out attacks "that devastated entire families without any apparent military target nearby," noting that Israel's "consistent unwillingness to seriously investigate alleged war crimes" underlines the need for the International Criminal Court's inquiry.… Read moreMajority of Covid patients in hospital may have been admitted for OTHER ailments before testing positive, leaked NHS data suggestsOn 28, July 2021Over 50% of Covid patients in England tested positive only after being hospitalised - likely for other reasons - leaked NHS data has suggested, raising questions about the true impact the virus is having on the healthcare system. The previously hidden figures, covering all NHS trusts in England, showed that as of last week, only 44% of those classified as Covid patients had tested positive for the virus by the time they were admitted to hospital. Despite broad public testing for the disease, an incredible 56% of Covid hospitalisations involve already-admitted patients who were administered routine Covid tests, the Telegraph reported. Forty-three percent of Covid-positive patients were identified within two days of admission, while 13% were flagged in the following days and weeks. According… Read moreFlooding and 1,700 lightning strikes as heavy rain batters SwedenOn 28, July 2021Heavy rain following a spell of dry weather caused streets to flood in east coast city Kalmar, as lightning struck the area 1,700 times. Up to 40 millimetres of rain fell locally in Kalmar on Tuesday, and around 24,000 households lost power for three hours. Several shops were flooded, although it did not come close to the fatal floods seen in other parts of Europe in recent weeks.… Read moreState of Emergency after flash floods in Utah and Nevada - 2 inches of rain in an hour - 3 people missing in New Mexico and ArizonaOn 28, July 2021Heavy rain and flash flooding affected several states in America's Southwest. A local state of emergency was declared for communities in southern Utah and Nevada. Both areas recorded between 40 and 50 mm of rain in 1 hour. Two people were reported missing after flash floods in New Mexico. Meanwhile a teenager is still missing and a young child has died in separate incidents of flash flooding in Arizona over the last few days. Utah Heavy rain triggered flash floods in parts of southern Utah on 26 July. The hardest hit areas were in Iron County and Cedar City, where the mayor, Maile Wilson-Edwards, declared a local state of emergency. In a statement, the mayor said, "preliminary information shows that our City received over two inches (50 mm) of rain in approximately one hour. Which categori… Read moreIreland will finally distinguish between hospital patients actually ill from Covid and those who simply test positiveOn 28, July 2021The Irish Government has announced that it will change the way it collects data on Covid hospitalisations by distinguishing between those who are admitted to hospital because of the virus and those who test positive after being admitted for other reasons. It's only taken them 17 months! RTÉ has the story. At present, the Health Service Executive [HSE] Covid hub website states that there are 141 people in hospital who have tested positive for Covid, of whom 22 are in ICU. A Government spokesperson said it is "seeking better data on hospitalisations in order to better inform decision making.… Read moreEvery fourth pedophilia suspect in Poland is a priest, state commission revealsOn 28, July 2021Nearly 30% of all sexual offences against minors in Poland are linked to representatives of the clergy, the State Commission on Pedophilia revealed in its first report. The commission, which was established by the government in 2019, shared the results of its work on Monday in a 250-page paper. The experts examined 349 pedophilia cases during this period, with priests being suspects in around 100 of them. More than 50 of these cases have been forwarded to the Prosecutor's Office, the report said.… Read moreEvacuations after floods and landslides near Lake Como, ItalyOn 28, July 2021More heavy rainfall has caused flooding in Western Europe, this time in northern Italy. Heavy rainfall raced down slopes around Lake Como, triggering landslides and flash floods on the communities below. The communes of Cernobbio, Brienno, Laglio and Argegno in Como Province, Lombardy Region were the worst affected. Homes were damaged and roads completely blocked. Italy's Fire Department, Vigili del Fuoco, carried out 60 interventions in total, including the rescue of an elderly resident of a house that was almost completely buried in a landslide in Brienno. Firefighters also evacuated two other people at risk from another house in the area. A further landslide in Brienno caused a gas leak and 50 people were forced to remain inside their homes. In Cernobbio, firefighters evacuated two resi… Read moreCzech Supreme Court overrules Health Ministry's mask mandate following failure to provide evidenceOn 28, July 2021The Czech Supreme Administrative Court (NSS), the country's highest authority over executive actions, overruled the Health Ministry's mask mandate on Tuesday, declaring the measure unjustified and threatening to cancel it. In a statement posted to the court's website, the NSS issued a final judgement warning that the Health Ministry's rule ordering the wearing of masks in buildings and on public transport in the Czech Republic will be cancelled within three days if the ministry does not provide sufficient justification for the measure. So far, the NSS claims the ministry has been "systemically ignoring" its decision, despite the court having the final say over executive actions taken by the Czech government.… Read moreAtlanta officers relieved of duty after video shows handcuffed woman being kicked in headOn 28, July 2021The Atlanta Police Department (APD) has relieved two officers from duty after a video surfaced of one of them kicking a handcuffed woman in the head. A video surfaced on various social media platforms showing a Black woman handcuffed, laying on the ground facedown as two APD officers stand over her. The woman then appears to raise her head and spit on one of the officers' boots and pants. The officer in response swiftly kicks the woman in the head while his colleague watches.… Read moreUnidentified aerial phenomenon sighting in South Carolina stirs MUFON interestOn 28, July 2021While at a stoplight in Goose Creek, South Carolina, Shaneika Joyner and her daughter watched an amorphous, cloud-like body glide across the sky. "Is it a ship?" Joyner's daughter asked in the video, filmed early in July. Joyner told The Epoch Times she watched it for several seconds before she began recording it with her phone.… Read moreScottish government will ask staff to put gender pronouns in emails, despite overwhelming opposition - mediaOn 28, July 2021The Scottish government is reportedly preparing to ask civil servants to put their gender pronouns at the end of emails in an effort to boost inclusivity - despite the majority of employees opposing the idea. According to the Telegraph newspaper, the government supports a proposal that would encourage civil servants to take a "pronoun pledge" and add their preferred pronouns - such as he/him, she/her, they/them, or even zie/zir - to their email signatures. Though it appears that the Scottish government is moving ahead with the proposal, it has already proved to be an unpopular idea among government staffers.… Read more"Extreme threat": Explosion rocks waste incineration plant in Germany, 2 dead, 5 missing, 30 injuredOn 28, July 2021Two people have been killed and five others are still missing after an explosion at a chemical park in the German city of Leverkusen. More than thirty people were injured in the blast, including three "seriously," the municipality said in a statement. "My thoughts go to the injured and their relatives. The search for the missing is still going on at full speed. Unfortunately, the hope of finding them alive is fading, " said the site operator's manager Lars Friedrich.… Read moreBioNTech aims to develop mRNA-based malaria vaccineOn 28, July 2021BioNTech (22UAy.DE) wants to build on its success in COVID-19 by developing the first vaccine for malaria based on mRNA technology and aims to start clinical testing by the end on 2022, in an attempt to eradicate the mosquito-borne illness. The Mainz, Germany-based company, which developed a COVID-19 vaccine with its partner Pfizer (PFE.N) in ten months, said on Monday it is also exploring vaccine production in Africa as part of efforts to build up manufacturing capacity on the continent. "The response to the pandemic has shown that science and innovation can transform people's lives when all key stakeholders work together towards a common goal," said BioNTech Chief Executive and co-founder Ugur Sahin.… Read more'Like petrol cars': Tobacco firm Philip Morris calls for BAN on cigarettes by 2030 as company bids for British asthma inhaler companyOn 28, July 2021The chief executive of tobacco business Philip Morris International has called on the UK government to ban cigarettes within a decade, in a move that would outlaw its own Marlboro brand. Jacek Olczak said the company could "see the world without cigarettes ... and actually, the sooner it happens, the better it is for everyone." Cigarettes should be treated like petrol cars, the sale of which is due to be banned from 2030, he said. Comment: The CEO of a multibillion dollar company thinks outlawing cigarettes would be better for whom? Is there anything in his job that qualifies him to know what's best for 'everyone'? Also, what's with 2030? Why are the establishment so eager to wipe out civilization and society as we know it in the next decade? The Greta Reset: Welcome to the UK 2030 - the n… Read moreAdapt 2030 Ice Age Report: African grain export problems breaking global supply chainsOn 28, July 2021Countries getting grain and agriculture imports from South Africa will need to look elsewhere, but where? All will involve sea routes for port delivery but now NGO's call for all ships to cease sailing or go to net zero emissions. You can't have it both ways.… Read moreA catalogue of crop failuresOn 28, July 2021Extreme weather is slamming crops across the globe, bringing with it the threat of further food inflation at a time when costs are already hovering near the highest in a decade and when hunger is on the rise... Bloomberg provides the below 'Emerging Market Food Vulnerability Scorecard' graphic:… Read moreBEST OF THE WEB: Standing up: Bombshell lawsuit alleges government covering up tens of thousands of injection-related deathsOn 28, July 2021Attorney Thomas Renz filed a lawsuit in federal court in Alabama on July 19 that alleges a massive government cover-up of injection-related U.S. deaths that number "at least 45,000." The suit, filed on behalf of America's Frontline Doctors in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, is based on a sworn statement by a government insider under federal whistleblower protection. Speaking at the Re-awaken Tour event held July 17-18 in Anaheim, California, Renz made the bombshell announcement he says is based on a whistleblower with access to government computers and can prove that "at least 45,000" Americans have already been killed by the three COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the FDA. Watch video below of Renz's 11-minute speech at the Re-awaken Tour Conferen… Read moreGlobal shipping crisis far worse than imaginedOn 28, July 2021Over the past decades world ocean trade has expanded almost exponentially as major manufacturing outsourcing from USA and European corporations has blossomed under the advent of economic globalization. The result has been that Asia, most especially China, has become the essential manufacturing source for everything from iPhones to antibiotics and everything in-between. The creation of the World Trade Organization to impose new rules on the trade has been a key driver. It has also made global supply chains for delivering goods more fragile than ever in history. The rise in cost of ocean container shipping indicates the growing crisis. Compounding the growing crisis are enormous labor shortages owing to global COVID measures. Origins of the Crisis According to German-based Statista Research… Read moreMeet Toka - The Most Dangerous Israeli Spyware Firm You've Never Heard ofOn 28, July 2021The mainstream media's myopic focus on Israel's Pegasus spyware and the threats it poses means that other companies, like Toka, go uninvestigated, even when their products present an even greater potential for abuse and illegal surveillance. This past Sunday, an investigation into the global abuse of spyware developed by veterans of Israeli intelligence Unit 8200 gained widespread attention, as it was revealed that the software - sold to democratic and authoritarian governments alike - had been used to illegally spy on an estimated 50,000 individuals. Among those who had their communications and devices spied on by the software, known as Pegasus, were journalists, human rights activists, business executives, academics and prominent political leaders. Among those targeted political leaders,… Read more'Banning Navalny's website is unacceptable & officials are abusing power against opposition figures' - Senior Russian CommunistOn 28, July 2021A senior figure in Russia's Communist Party has slammed a decision by the country's media watchdog Roskomnadzor to block the official website of opposition figure Alexey Navalny, accusing the authorities of abusing their power. Speaking to radio station Ekho Moskvy, Alexander Yushchenko, the spokesman for Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, expressed his belief that it should not be possible to block a politician's website unless it contains extremist information. Comment: To be fair to Russia, Navalny's organisation was actively encouraging children to illegally protest: "Just like in Ukraine and Belarus": TikTok condemned by Russian parents association over calls for youth to attend Navalny protests "I am not in favor of closing, banning, or blocking these resources," Yushchenko exp… Read moreSouth and North Korea restore hotline after a year on holdOn 28, July 2021South and North Korea have restored their once-severed hotlines as part of efforts by the two countries' leaders to rebuild strained ties, Seoul's presidential Blue House said on Tuesday. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have exchanged multiple letters since April and agreed to reconnect the hotlines, said Moon's press secretary, Park Soo-hyun. North Korea's state media outlet, KCNA, also said all inter-Korean communication channels resumed operation at 10am Tuesday (0100 GMT) in line with an agreement between Moon and Kim.… Read moreMyanmar military opposition cancels results of 2020 polls won by Suu Kyi's party, claim 11 million cases of election fraudOn 28, July 2021Myanmar's junta on Monday cancelled the results of 2020 polls won by Aung San Suu Kyi's party, announcing they were not "free and fair" almost six months after deposing the Nobel laureate in a coup. Investigations had uncovered more than 11 million cases of fraud in the elections in which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy trounced the military-aligned opposition, the junta's election commission said. "They (the NLD) attempted to take state power from non-NLD parties and candidates by misusing Covid-19 restrictions," said commission chairman Thein Soe.… Read more'Alcohol tags', increased stop and search: UK govt's new draconian proposals will 'divide communities'On 27, July 2021MPs and campaigners have sounded alarm at a series of proposals in the government crime reduction plan, including more frequent stop and search, a trial of "alcohol tags" and criminals undertaking "visible" community service cleaning streets. Liberty said the permanent relaxation of search powers would "compound discrimination in Britain and divide communities" and the former shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, said it was "alarming and counter-productive." Labour said the policy was a "rehash" of a number of preannounced proposals and expansions of existing pilots. Comment: Schemes that were trialed on an 'underclass' - obviously with few objections - are now being rolled out to the wider public, despite them clearly being ineffective at best.… Read moreHusband and wife hospitalized after being hit by lightning at Sanibel Beach Club, FloridaOn 27, July 2021A husband and wife on a Sanibel beach were struck by lightning Saturday and taken to a hospital. Sanibel police said the couple were on the sand at the Sanibel Beach Club shortly before 5 p.m. when they struck by lightning. Bystanders performed CPR on the husband as police arrived, a city notice said. The wife was nearby and was conscious and breathing, police said. Sanibel police began CPR and used an automated external defibrillator until Sanibel Fire and EMS arrived.… Read more69 dead, 5 still missing in floods in Henan, China - 12.9 million people affected - 972,000 hectares of farmland damagedOn 27, July 2021The Henan Provincial Government in China recently provided an update on the flooding that has affected the province since 20 July 2021. As of 26 July, heavy rain and floods had affected 12.9 million people in 150 counties (cities, districts) and 1,558 towns across Henan. The hardest hit areas include Zhengzhou, Xinyang, Xinxiang, Zhumadian, Zhoukou, Anyang, Shangqiu, Kaifeng, Puyang and Hebi. As many as 24,474 houses have been severely damaged or destroyed. Damage was also caused to 972,000 hectares of farmland. Over 1.31 million people have evacuated to safer areas. A total of 69 people have lost their lives and 5 are still missing. Flood water is slowly receding in some areas but the situation remains severe. Forecasters said more heavy rain is expected.… Read moreThe scandal of foreign interference in Washington is not Russiagate, but UAE-gate. Democrats don't care because it's not PutinOn 27, July 2021The revelation that a close aide of President Trump was allegedly an agent of the United Arab Emirates shows just how clever Abu Dhabi's been at restructuring America's Middle East foreign policy. Where's the outcry? Thomas Barrack, indicted last week for alleged illegal lobbying on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, was a close aide, inaugural committee head and fundraiser for former US President Donald Trump. Barrack is currently out of jail on a 250 million dollar bond, secured by five million in cash, and has attracted quite a lot of attention for his alleged influence on the Middle East policy of the former president. Barrack was also only one among three men charged with working to influence Donald Trump's foreign policy in the lead up to the 2016 presidential elections. Along with… Read moreSyrian insurgents guilty of 'red line' 2013 sarin chemical attack, current study findsOn 27, July 2021A new open-source study concludes that Syrian insurgents carried out the Ghouta sarin chemical attack in August 2013. The explosive findings add to a growing body of public evidence that undermines US-led efforts to blame the Syrian government, which almost led to US military intervention. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands were wounded when sarin rockets hit multiple sites in the Syria area of Ghouta on August 21, 2013. The US and its allies publicly accused the Syrian government of responsibility, and President Obama threatened to bomb Syria in purported retaliation. But Obama ultimately pulled back after reaching an agreement with Russia to destroy Syria's chemical weapons arsenal. Since then, a growing body of public information has raised questions about US-led claims of Syr… Read moreCapitol riot probe: Will Dems use 'Benghazi playbook' against Trump and GOP ahead of midterms?On 27, July 2021House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's attempts to present the 1/6 Select Committee as a non-partisan endeavour are doomed, say US political commentators, adding that the Dems' effort bears a strong resemblance to the GOP's Benghazi probe against Hillary Clinton. On 25 July, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named a Republican Trump critic, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), to a special panel investigating the Capitol riot, in what she described as a push to make the initiative "non-partisan". Before tapping Kinzinger, Pelosi blocked Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Jim Banks of Indiana, known for their sympathy with the former president, claiming that their actions could disrupt the committee's work. Minority Leader McCarthy slammed the move, saying "Republicans will not be party to [Pelosi's] sham proce… Read more'We won't be coming': Washington state police reform goes into effect, law enforcement warns of consequencesOn 27, July 2021Washington state legislators passed a series of new police reform bills that went into effect on Sunday, the most noteworthy being HB 1310 where law enforcement officers can only make arrests on the grounds of "probable cause" instead of "reasonable suspicion," giving a green light for criminals to commit crimes without being held accountable. Signed into law by Democratic Governor Jay Inslee without a vote from the people through ballot measures, HB 1310 also called the "use of force bill" drastically limits the way police officers respond to calls. "It's going to change the level of service we give to our citizens. Not because we want to, but because we have to," Moses Lake Police Chief Fuhr said, according to Columbia Basin Herald: "This is changing completely the way we've responded to… Read moreFrance warned the US in 2015 about the Wuhan lab it helped build, former COVID-19 investigator claimsOn 27, July 2021The U.S. federal government should have stopped funding research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in 2015 when China reduced its cooperation with the French in building and operating the lab, according to the leader of an investigation into COVID-19's origins by the State Department under the Trump administration. In 2015, French intelligence officials warned the U.S. State Department and their own foreign ministry that China was cutting back on agreed collaboration at the lab, former State official David Asher, now a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute think tank, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. By 2017, the French "were kicked out" of the lab and cooperation ceased, leading French officials to warn the State Department that they had grave concerns as to Chinese motivations, ac… Read moreDeadly floods and landslides in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh - At least 8 killedOn 27, July 2021Heavy rainfall in the Cox's Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh caused deadly floods landslides on 27 July 2021. Shelters were damaged in the camps which house as many as 900,000 Rohingya refugees. Many of the crowded camps are known to be at risk of flooding and landslides. Eight people have died including 4 children in the recent spate of floods and landslides. Bangladesh Red Crescent teams are rescuing people and providing support to survivors. Local media in Bangladesh reports that flooding has also caused damage to crops and aquaculture in other areas of Cox's Bazar District. Cox's Bazar town recorded 114.24 mm of rain 24 hours to 27 July and 781.03 mm so far this month. More heavy rain is forecast over the coming days. Rain is not the only problem for communities in the district. Areas… Read moreMassive rescue efforts underway after floods in Mumbai and Maharashtra, India - Just over a meter (42 inches) of rain in 48 hours - At least 192 dead (UPDATES)On 27, July 2021Massive rescue efforts are underway after heavy monsoon rainfall continues to wreak havoc in Mumbai and surrounding areas of the state of Maharashtra in India. Some areas in Maharashtra recorded more than 1,000 mm of rain in 48 hours. In Mumbai, heavy rain caused a building to collapse in the Govandi area early on 23 July 2021. Rescue operations are ongoing but media reports suggest 7 people have died and 3 injured. Just last week at least 20 people died in similar circumstances after several homes were destroyed in the Mumbai suburbs of Chembur and Vikhroli as a result of the heavy rain and landslides on 18 July. Wider areas of Maharashtra state have been severely affected, resulting in massive rescue operations across several districts. Hundreds of people have been rescued so far, with m… Read moreTunisian president ousts government, warns opponents that 'army will respond with bullets' if they try to unleash street violenceOn 27, July 2021Tunisia's president dismissed the government and froze parliament amid unrest over the "dysfunctional" political system and crumbling healthcare. His opponents decried the move as a "coup" and called for street protests. Following an emergency meeting at his palace on Sunday night, President Kais Saied announced his decision to sack Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspend the parliament. In a televised address, he promised to consolidate power and "save" the country with the help of a new prime minister. "We have taken these decisions... until social peace returns to Tunisia and until we save the state." Hundreds of people who had rallied against the government earlier in the day celebrated the drastic move in the streets, cheering, honking, and singing, as military vehicles surrounded… Read moreMajor health groups call for COVID-19 vaccine mandates for 17M health care workersOn 27, July 2021Health care professionals from over 50 organizations representing millions of workers called for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations among all health care and long-term care employees Monday as infections climb nationwide due to the highly transmissible delta variant. Unvaccinated health care workers put vulnerable patients at risk of infection, like unvaccinated kids, older adults and those with weakened immune systems, the joint statement reads, citing already required vaccinations for the flu, hepatitis B and pertussis.… Read moreUnvaccinated students will not be able to attend lectures under government plansOn 27, July 2021"Like something out of Huxley's Brave New World where people with vaccine passports will be engineered into social hierarchies" The UK Government is considering banning students who have not been fully vaccinated with two shots from attending lectures in person, effectively denying them their education for not taking the vaccine, according to reports. The London Times reports that Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is reportedly "raging" at the fact that young people are not taking the vaccine en mass, is preparing to force students to get the shots in return for unfettered access to their lectures. Students would also face compulsory vaccinations if they want to live in halls of residence, according to the report. The Times report states that the Department for Education doesn't believe th… Read moreMeteor fireball lights up the sky over Pilbara, Western AustraliaOn 27, July 2021Two of Roebourne's finest have been left gobsmacked after their night on the beat was interrupted by a meteor. Police bodycam vision captured the fireball lighting up the Pilbara sky, shocking the officers who were talking with a local at the time. "Did you see that, did you see that?" says one. "Oh wow! That was a big flash I thought that was a torch. Make a wish, quick, make a wish," says a female officer who has her back turned when the meteor first lights up the sky.… Read moreIsrael bans entry of fuel for Gaza power plantOn 27, July 2021Israel on Sunday prevented the entry of fuel trucks allocated for Gaza's sole power plant via the Kerem Shalom crossing, the territory's main commercial trade route, Anadolu Agency reported quoting a Palestinian official. "The [Israeli] occupation authorities barred the entry of 25 trucks loaded with fuel for the Gaza power plant," Rami Abu Elreish of Gaza's Ministry of Economy told Anadolu Agency. He said Israeli authorities did not clarify the reason behind the move. There was no comment from the Israeli authorities on the report. Last month, Israel allowed the entry of fuel for Gaza's power plant after a suspension of 49 days following the 11-day military offensive on the Palestinian territory in May, in which 260 Palestinians were killed and thousands injured. Thirteen Israelis were al… Read moreOrwell would weep: Brits' desire to ban 'offensive' books shows they haven't learned the horrifying lessons of the pastOn 27, July 2021A shocking report reveals that 40% of British adults would support the state banning books deemed to contain sexist, homophobic, or racist content. This paints a worrying picture for the future of free speech in the UK. According to research conducted by public opinion firm Redfield & Wilton Strategies, a plurality of adults in the UK would like to see the government censor books that are judged to contain content of a sexist, homophobic, or racist nature. The basis of this valuable piece of research, which has been largely ignored by the UK media, was the polling of 1,500 adults of all ages. Unsurprisingly, young people are the most eager supporters of more censorship, while the older generations are more likely to be opposed. The report shows that 53% of 18 to 24-year-olds would supp… Read morePhysicists have developed a new way to levitate objects using soundOn 27, July 2021A newly developed method of levitating and manipulating tiny objects using sound waves could represent a major step forward for the technology. Engineers in Japan have figured out how to pick up objects from reflective surfaces using acoustic levitation. Although they can't yet do so reliably, the advance could help unlock the full potential of the manipulation of physical objects using nothing but sound. Biomedical engineering, nanotechnology and the development of pharmaceuticals are some of the fields in which manipulating objects without touching them is potentially really useful. We can already do this with a technology called optical tweezers, which use lasers to generate sufficient radiation pressure to levitate and move extremely small particles. Acoustic tweezers - where pressure… Read moreExperts say UK media report on 'Iranian Secret Cyber Files' creates more doubt than confidenceOn 27, July 2021On Monday, Sky News published a story suggesting that Iran has been conducting clandestine research on the possible impact of cyber attacks on civilian infrastructure, including petrol stations, cargo ships and programmable logic controllers, citing what the media outlet claimed were "classified" documents compiled by Iranian intelligence. The authenticity of the alleged "Iranian secret cyber files" cited by Sky News, on how cyber attacks could be used against civilian infrastructure objects, is debatable, experts said, shortly after the UK media outlet published so-called 'classified documents' said to have been acquired from Iranian intelligence.… Read moreThe UK's case numbers are falling: Does that prove lockdowns don't work?On 27, July 2021I've written a piece for Mail+ today asking whether the rapid decline in daily cases since 'Freedom Day' suggests that lockdowns don't work. Here's the kernel of the argument. For critics of the lockdown policy like me, this is beginning to look like vindication. We have long argued that the ebb and flow of the virus isn't affected by state interventions, pointing out that cases seem to rise and fall in the same wave-like patterns across similar regions, irrespective of the action taken by different leaders. For instance, the states of California and Florida share a number of characteristics, but their governors have taken very different approaches to managing the virus. Gavin Newsom, the democratic governor of California, has imposed some of the most severe restrictions in the United Stat… Read moreNy Times is pushing for George W. Bush to be the US vaccine envoy...has the world not suffered enough?On 27, July 2021Fans of the first neocon president, known for starting unwinnable wars and turning the world against the US, have long tried to secure him a more favorable place in history. Now they think they have one: Covid-19 vaccine envoy. Bush, oped columnist James Harding admits, is remembered by "the world" for Iraq - the war Americans were promised would be a "cakewalk," in which kids would rush to welcome US troops with flowers - which turned out to be IEDs, planted less by kids than by Iraqis who wanted us to stop stealing their country's oil and priceless artifacts. But that's enough of a stroll down memory lane for Harding - he wants us to remember that Bush was "also the first global health president."… Read moreSmall victory: Canada's Pearson Airport reverses decision to separate arrivals by vaccination statusOn 27, July 2021Toronto Pearson Airport has reversed a decision made last week to separate arriving international passengers based on vaccination status. On Saturday, Senior Advisor of Communications at Toronto Pearson Beverly MacDonald told CTV News Toronto that the airport was separating arrivals into vaccinated and unvaccinated queues prior to going through customs. The airport said the decision was made to help streamline border clearance, as there are different entry requirements for vaccinated and non- or partially-vaccinated travellers.… Read morePayPal will share info with ADL to 'research' funding to 'extremist' groupsOn 27, July 2021PayPal Holdings Inc is partnering with non-profit organisation the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to investigate how extremist and hate movements in the United States take advantage of financial platforms to fund their criminal activities. The initiative will be led through ADL's Center on Extremism, and will focus on uncovering and disrupting the financial flows supporting white supremacist and anti-government organizations. It will also look at networks spreading and profiting from antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, anti-immigrant, anti-Black, anti-Hispanic and anti-Asian bigotry.… Read moreBoris Johnson's transformation from 'conservative' libertarian to technocrat tyrantOn 27, July 2021Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to launch a communist China-style social credit score app that will reward families based on government-approved choices at the grocery store. The supposedly Conservative government will launch an app by the end of the year to monitor the supermarket spending habits of families in the UK. Those who choose "healthier" options such as fruits and vegetables or engage in exercise will be rewarded with "loyalty points" in the app, which will translate into discounts and other incentives. "There is a whole team in Downing Street working on this, and the Prime Minister thinks that we simply cannot go on as before and that we must now tackle it head-on," a White Hall source told The Telegraph. "He has been on a very rigorous diet and exercise programme and it is… Read moreUK house prices now 30% higher than pre-2008 crisis peakOn 27, July 2021UK house prices hit a new high in June and are 30% higher than the peak they reached before the 2008 financial crisis, according to the latest snapshot of the market. The property website Zoopla said the average price of a home was £230,700 - as much as 5.4% higher than the same month a year ago. It said the sharp increase had come as the number of homes being put on the market for sale had dropped by 25% in the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2020. Comment: In the US some of this is being driven by financial institutions buying up houses as a store of investment and also the apparent intention of turning America into a country of renters; aka "you'll own nothing and you'll be happy": US investment giants buying up neighborhoods, MSM telling us we should rent - this… Read moreSigns and Portents: Two-headed turtle found on South Carolina beachOn 27, July 2021Two heads are better than one. A state park in South Carolina posted pictures of a rare find made on one of its beaches: a two-headed baby turtle. According to the park, the anomaly is likely the result of a genetic mutation. The rare turtle was found at Edisto Beach State Park by one of the park's sea turtle patrols, according to a Facebook post from the South Carolina State Parks account. While this actually isn't the first two-headed turtle found in South Carolina, it was for this particular crew.… Read moreBEST OF THE WEB: "Unintended consequences": Ireland's assisted suicide Bill was too flawed to continueOn 27, July 2021The Private Member's Bill to legalise assisted suicide and euthanasia, proposed by Deputy Gino Kenny, has been rejected by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice as it contains serious flaws and it was criticised by the majority of the public submissions, particularly by doctors. The Committee has recommended that a Special Oireachtas Committee should be established to undertake an examination of the topics raised by the report on the proposed Bill. Major legal concerns had been raised by the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers, which found errors in all sections of the Bill. One section would be vulnerable to a constitutional challenge as it delegates too much to the Minister for Justice, while the ambiguities and serious drafting errors in other sections, they said, could potential… Read more
