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UK likely to include more countries to its travel quarantine list

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The European country of the United Kingdom is likely to include more countries to its travel quarantine list in a bid to defend the country from the threat posed by the Covid-19 outbreak.

At present, several countries such as Belgium, Bahamas and Andorra are in the list. This means that those coming to the UK from the said countries will have to self-isolate for at least fourteen days.

As per a latest report, France may also find a place in the list. The UK has not yet specifically mentioned which all countries will enter the list.

Recently, the UK has warned its citizens not to travel to Belgium, Andorra and Bahamas if there is no urgency.

There is no surprise that Belgium has occupied the top position in the list. Belgium has one of the highest coronavirus case rates in Europe at 49.2 per 100,000 people. To understand the depth of the issue, it is important to compare the case rates of other European countries with Belgium: in the UK, it is 14.3 per 100,000; and in Spain, it is 27.4 per 100,000.

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Around three booked on charge of desecrating monuments

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As many as three people have been booked in Poland on charges of desecrating monuments and offending religious feelings.

As per the case, the arrested persons hanged flags symbolizing LGBT on some statues situated in the country.

The flags were hanged on statues of Copernicus and several other persons Pols consider as sacred or respectable. Even some statues were dressed in pink face masks.

Those carried out the act has links to the LGBT movement launched against the anti-LGBT policies of the present Poland government.

The Polish government has strongly criticized the action. Some senior political leaders have come out strongly against the move.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has denounced those who have been booked in connection with the crime.

He has reminded the country that the statues symbolised values.

The incident clearly explains why it is necessary to take a right path if the end result expected is positive.  

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Russia to commence vaccine campaign soon

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The European country of Russia is planning to commence a mass vaccination campaign in the time frame of two months.

Recently, the Russian government announced that they had discovered an effective vaccine against Covid-19.

Then, many experts expressed their disbelief in the claims made by the European superpower. Some even questioned the authenticity of the claim.

The latest development has brushed aside all speculations raised in connection with the Russian claim regarding the discovery of the vaccine.

As per a source, the vaccine will firstly be administered on frontline workers such as doctors, medical staffs and teachers.

Meanwhile, many has raised their disagreement over the mass vaccination program. They have expressed their disagreement towards the fast-track approach adopted by Russia in this matter. The US has questioned whether the European country has completed all the necessary pre-administration procedures.  

Russia is the first country which has announced a mass vaccination program.  

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Protest organised in Berlin against Covid-19 restrictions

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Tens of thousands of people have participated in a protest organised at Berlin, the capital of Germany, to express their disagreement against the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The protesters have complained that the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak have violated their rights and freedoms.

The police has taken action against the protest on the ground that the protesters have violated the hygiene standards introduced as a part of the Covid-19 restrictions.

Germany is one of the few countries in the continent of Europe who has not experienced the ugly part of the virus outbreak.

Only 900 cases of Covid-19 has been reported in Germany so far, when some of its neighbours have witnessed more than double the number of cases witnessed in the European financial powerhouse.

 As many as 2000 people have participated in the protest.

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Dr. Rodchenkov appears before media

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From his hide out in the United States of America, Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov has appeared in an International media outlet based in the United Kingdom.

He went hiding shortly after the revelation about the Russian sports doping. On the basis of the revelation, Russia faced serious legal actions.

There were reports that Russia deployed a team of officials connected to their embassies in the US to search for the whistleblower.

While speaking to the media, he has explained the reasons why he believes there is threat for his life from Russia.

Lately, the US expelled as many as 60 diplomats, in retaliation to the Sergei Skripal poisoning incident.

As per a report, among those who were expelled there were those who were deployed to trace the whistleblower.    

Notably, during the interview, he has refused to explore his face to the media.

The doping incident has considerably damaged the image of Russia.  

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Two killed in train accident in Portugal

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At least two have been killed and over 30 others have been injured in a train accident in Coimbra, which is a popular district in the European country of Portugal.

The accident has happened at around 15:30. The crashed train is one of the fastest train operating in the country.

There were as many as 240 passengers in the train. The train has crashed into a railway maintence machine situated in a small town in the region of Coimbra.

The train was travelling from Lisbon to Branga. The real cause for the accident is at present unclear. An investigation is on.  

The president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sausa, has expressed his condolence to the families of the affected personals.   

The rescue operation has been handled by a team comprising of around 163 rescue personals. The timely interference of the rescue team has averted the possibility of a great disaster.

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Belarus witnesses serious protest

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The European country of Belarus has witnessed serious protest against the decision of the present president of the country to contest for the post once again for the sixth term.

As per a report released by a human rights group, as many as tens of thousands of people have participated in the protest organised at the capital of Belarus, Minsk.

The protest has been led by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who is the prime rival of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.

Mr. Lukashenko assumed the helm of the country in the year 1994. Since then, he has been re-elected consecutively for at least five times.

He is notorious for his Soviet style of administration – which is largely authoritarian in nature.

The speculation that he is looking to contest for another opportunity to rule the country is what that has triggered the protest.

If the president gets a chance to contest for the sixth term, he will face Mr. Lukashenkon in the election.

The popularity of the president has considerably weakened over the years. It is clear that the president may face a tough contest this time.   

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US paves way for rebirth of ‘Aggressive Germany’

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Germany was once one of the most aggressive nations in the world. It was its aggressive nature that led to the disastrous World War Two.

The post-World War Two Germany is a peaceful version of Germany. In order to keep the country in that state, many concisions have been offered to this country.

It is pertinent to prevent Germany from going back to its old state in order to make sure Europe does not lose its peacefulness.

It seems that some western countries do not understand why the European country has been given these many concisions.

The US has been irritating Germany for the last few years. It has warned Germany with the withdrawal of US troops for its failure to meet its obligation on NATO spending.

It is not wrong to pressurize a member country to respect the agreement it has reached as part of the NATO agreement.

It is absolutely irresponsible to argue that the US alone should shoulder the financial obligation of the NATO – which is a force working for the developed world.

But, it is objectionable to behave in a way that the US is a dominant force and the rest of the countries in the NATO are the subordinate powers or satellite powers of the dominant power. That attitude reflects the satellite concept of the erstwhile USSR – which miserably collapsed during the 1990s.

The decision to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany taken by the US is an irresponsible act born out of the aforesaid attitude the US has accidentally acquired.     

The new decision may encourage Germany to strengthen its army – the move the majority of the European countries are afraid of.

It may even give impetus to the creation of the European Army – which France has been pushing for long.

Germany, though is a liberal country at present, may fall under the clutches of far-rightists any moment. In the previous election, the far-rightist faction has shown its clout.

There is nothing more dangerous than paving way for the creation of a heavily-militarized Germany under the control of far-rightist leaders.

It is important not to forget the NAZI Germany.   

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Turkey tightens its grip over social media

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The Turkish parliament has cleared a controversial law, which has provisions to control the operation of social media platforms.

As per the law, all social media firms with more than a million Turkish users is to set up local offices and comply with requests to remove content.

The law has provisions to punish with fines those firms which do not comply with the provisions of the law.

Notably, no social media giants have responded to the new law. The silence of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube is highly suspicious and questionable.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is known for his irritation towards the freedom of speech and expression.

As per his view, social media is an immoral thing. He has several times expressed his intention to control the platform of social media.

Actually, the bill has been introduced by the ruling front led by AKP. The ruling front has a comfortable majority in the parliament. The bill has not faced any serious opposition in the law-making house, as the voice of the opposition has been sharply reduced over the years by the ruling front through various anti-democratic policies.

At present, Turkey is largely an authoritarian country. It performs badly in the index of the freedom of speech and expression.

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Hong Kong leader urges people to stay at home

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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has urged the people of the city to stay at their homes, as the average number of cases reported each day has raised above the mark of one hundred – from the mark of less than ten a month ago.

As per her statement, the health care frame work of Hong Kong can face collapse as it grapples with a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.

The leader has revealed a depressing reality that the city is on the verge of a huge community spread.  

The city has brought in some new regulations to fight the spread of the outbreak. It has made wearing masks in public mandatory. And, it has temporarily imposed restrictions on restaurants offering dine-in option.

The rise in the average number of cases reported in a day is very concerning. It seems that the city has lost its grip somewhere.

Till recently, Hong Kong was very efficient in managing the crisis.

Hong Kong is at present in the state of turmoil. A large section of the people of the city is against the attempt of China to sabotage the democratic values the city inherited from the United Kingdom.

The city has witnessed several large pro-Democratic marches in the recent past.

The west – especially the UK and the US – has condemned the action initiated by China against Hong Kong violating the agreement Beijing reached with London at the time it was handed over to the communist country.  

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