The foundations of the American experiment have been shaken — by partisan rancor, disinformation, a president’s assault on democracy and a deadly coronavirus pandemic. https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-race-and-ethnicity-michigan-north-carolina-c331eaa4bfb954d5584d8c712eb0a7e8
AP NEWS
A divided nation asks: What's holding our country together?
Elections are meant to resolve arguments. This one inflamed them. Weeks after the votes have been counted and the winners declared, many Americans remain angry, defiant and despairing....
Hackers knocked out one of Germany's biggest news organizations over the Christmas holiday. Such criminal attacks, which often come with ransom demands, have become a lucrative business model. https://p.dw.com/p/3nL00
Deutsche Welle
Germany: 'Colossal' cyberattack knocks out Funke news group
Hackers knocked out one of Germany's biggest news organizations over the Christmas holiday. Such criminal attacks, which often come with ransom demands, have become a lucrative business model.
"Hospitals are declaring internal disasters and having to open church gyms to serve as hospital units," County Supervisor Hilda Solis said. "Our health care workers are physically and mentally exhausted and sick." https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/05/us/los-angeles-county-california-human-disaster-covid/index.html
CNN
'Human disaster' unfolding in LA will get worse, experts say | CNN
Imagine having cardiac arrest and getting picked up by an ambulance that won’t take you to a hospital. Or having a medical emergency and languishing outside an emergency room for hours.
Mutants are significantly more contagious and have become the dominant virus variants in these countries in just a few weeks. The British mutant has already been found in several other countries, including Germany. I think it is inevitable that these new variants will spread and soon become dominant around the world. This will make it much more difficult to control the pandemic — and it could get worse if the virus continues to change. https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/jeremy-farrar-on-the-coronavirus-we-are-in-a-dramatic-race-against-a-changing-virus-a-4afdbc24-b5a1-499d-a0d1-ae95415844ed
Spiegel
"We Are in a Dramatic Race Against a Changing Virus"
Despite the start of vaccinations, British medical expert Jeremy Farrar doesn’t believe there will be a quick return to normality. Instead, a “new dangerous phase of the pandemic” is beginning.
Armed men on Sunday killed at least six rangers and wounded several others in an ambush in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/11/africa/congo-virunga-park-rangers-killed-intl/index.html
CNN
Six Virunga park rangers killed in eastern Congo ambush
Armed men on Sunday killed at least six rangers and wounded several others in an ambush in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park, a sanctuary for endangered mountain gorillas, the park said.
At least several users of the far-right social network Parler appear to be among the horde of rioters that managed to penetrate deep inside the U.S. Capitol building and into areas normally restricted to the public, according to GPS metadata linked to videos posted to the platform the day of the insurrection in Washington. https://gizmodo.com/parler-users-breached-deep-inside-u-s-capitol-building-1846042905?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4
Gizmodo
Parler Users Breached Deep Inside U.S. Capitol Building, GPS Data Shows
At least several users of the far-right social network Parler appear to be among the hoard of rioters that managed to penetrate deep inside the U.S. Capitol building and into areas normally restricted to the public, according to GPS metadata.
Few other issues are as hotly debated as school closures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. New data from Austria now provides further evidence of the risk posed by children. The virus mutant B.1.1.7 could make the situation even worse. https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/new-study-explores-risk-played-by-children-in-covid-spread-a-b0a90b6f-1d21-41e8-a2d0-13751aa3ce09
Spiegel
New Study Explores Risk Played By Children in COVID Spread
Few other issues are as hotly debated as school closures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. New data from Austria now provides further evidence of the risk posed by children. The virus mutant B.1.1.7 could make the situation even worse.
Europeans have considered the last four years extremely distasteful. They've been bemused by Trump's envoys, like Richard Grenell in Germany, who have turned up and started behaving like Fox News anchors and insulting the country they were supposed to be building relations with https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/16/europe/trump-has-trashed-the-transatlantic-alliance-intl/index.html
CNN
Analysis: Trump has trashed America's most important alliance. It could take decades to repair
The presidency of Donald Trump has left such a wretched stench in Europe that it's hard to see how, even in four years, Joe Biden could possibly get America's most important alliance back on track.
Anti-lockdown and anti-mask groups, which now count some 3 million members on Facebook, were a crucial recruiting ground for the “Stop the Steal” effort that culminated in the deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol on January 6. “The ranks of ‘Stop the Steal’ groups were able to swell to hundreds of thousands almost overnight largely because they drew on this established base that had already been radicalized,” https://theintercept.com/2021/01/15/capitol-riot-mob-anti-lockdown/
The Intercept
Capitol Mob Has Roots in Anti-Lockdown Protests
Reopen and anti-mask groups were a crucial recruiting ground for the “Stop the Steal” effort that culminated in last week’s deadly siege.
Now that guy is in a real clusterPhuk!! Man who accidentally threw out a bitcoin fortune offers $70 million for permission to dig it up https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/15/uk/bitcoin-trash-landfill-gbr-scli-intl/index.html
CNN
Man who accidentally threw out a bitcoin fortune offers $70 million for permission to dig it up
A British man who accidentally threw a hard drive loaded with bitcoin into the trash has offered the local authority where he lives more than $70 million if it allows him to excavate a landfill site.
Global responses to the election celebrations in Washington DC - From a German magazine yet in English with German subtitles https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/washington-d-c-eine-hauptstadt-sollte-nicht-so-aussehen-a-1d147703-812f-4e21-8627-b4609c0f75e5
www.spiegel.de
Washington D.C.: »Eine Hauptstadt sollte nicht so aussehen«
James Casey lebt in Washington – einer Stadt, die gerade von 20.000 Soldaten bewacht wird. Warum er Trump dafür die Schuld gibt, erklärt der Anwalt bei einem Spaziergang entlang von Zäunen und Betonpollern.
Big Tech Critics Alarmed at Direction of Biden Antitrust Personnel
Renata Hesse, who has worked for Google and Amazon, is the leading candidate to run the Justice Department’s antitrust division. https://theintercept.com/2021/01/18/biden-big-tech-antitrust-renata-hesse/
Renata Hesse, who has worked for Google and Amazon, is the leading candidate to run the Justice Department’s antitrust division. https://theintercept.com/2021/01/18/biden-big-tech-antitrust-renata-hesse/
The Intercept
Big Tech Critics Alarmed at Direction of Biden Antitrust Personnel
Renata Hesse, who has worked for Google and Amazon, is the leading candidate to run the Justice Department’s antitrust division.
New COVID variant found in Bavaria. A mutation of the coronavirus has been discovered among 35 newly infected patients in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is different to the one found originally in the UK, but doctors do not yet know if it is highly infectious https://p.dw.com/p/3o6IR
Deutsche Welle
Germany: New COVID variant found in Bavaria
A mutation of the coronavirus has been discovered among 35 newly infected patients in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is different to the one found originally in the UK, but doctors do not yet know if it is highly infectious.
The new variants of the coronavirus are even more dangerous than those known so far. Researchers and politicians fear a sharp increase in the number of infections, with dramatic consequences like those seen in Britain. Can Germany still stop the new killers? https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/can-germany-stop-the-new-supervirus-a-e9ffc207-0015-4330-8361-b306f6053e15
www.spiegel.de
Can We Stop a Super Coronavirus?
The new variants of the coronavirus are even more dangerous than those known so far. Researchers and politicians fear a sharp increase in the number of infections, with dramatic consequences like those seen in Britain. Can Germany still stop the new killers?
WATCH LIVE: 'Celebrating America' - A PBS NewsHour inauguration special https://youtu.be/BfIz481QlSk
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the country is "in a difficult stage of the pandemic," though she highlighted reasons for optimism. Germany extended its current lockdown to at least February 14 on Tuesday, reflecting the high daily infection rate and death count. https://p.dw.com/p/3oE7Y
Deutsche Welle
Angela Merkel calls for standard COVID measures across the EU
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there are reasons for optimism at this "difficult stage of the pandemic" but Germany must work together with the EU to prevent the spread of new coronavirus variants.
World leaders have welcomed the new administration of US President Joe Biden, marking an end to the presidency of Donald Trump, who had largely rejected multilateral cooperation on global issues.
Biden signed over a dozen of executive orders on his first day in the Oval Office, including ones that saw the US rejoin the international Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization, from which the former president had withdrawn US membership. https://p.dw.com/p/3oDQ8
Biden signed over a dozen of executive orders on his first day in the Oval Office, including ones that saw the US rejoin the international Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization, from which the former president had withdrawn US membership. https://p.dw.com/p/3oDQ8
Deutsche Welle
World leaders welcome US President Joe Biden's inauguration
Heads of government around the world hope that the US President Joe Biden would cooperate in tackling global issues, lift sanctions and improve bilateral relations.
he dirty trafficking of rhino horns, ivory and with live animals continues: Estimates of annual revenues range from $7 billion to $23 billion. The majority of rhino horns are smuggled to Asia, where they are sold on the black market for the equivalent of up to 53,000 euros per kilogram. https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-brutal-fight-against-poaching-the-modern-day-bounty-hunters-of-south-africa-a-bf9fc4e5-69b3-40f0-8c96-575806115512
Spiegel
The Modern-Day Bounty Hunters of South Africa
The fight against rhino poachers in South Africa is a lucrative business. Well-armed units patrol the parks and reserves – and have been accused of murdering innocent people.
Larry King, the longtime CNN host who became an icon through his interviews with countless newsmakers and his sartorial sensibilities, has died. He was 87.
His son, Chance, confirmed King's death Saturday morning.
King hosted "Larry King Live" on CNN for over 25 years, interviewing presidential candidates, celebrities, athletes, movie stars and everyday people. He retired in 2010 after taping more than 6,000 episodes of the show. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/23/us/larry-king-dies-trnd/index.html
His son, Chance, confirmed King's death Saturday morning.
King hosted "Larry King Live" on CNN for over 25 years, interviewing presidential candidates, celebrities, athletes, movie stars and everyday people. He retired in 2010 after taping more than 6,000 episodes of the show. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/23/us/larry-king-dies-trnd/index.html
CNN
Larry King, legendary talk show host, dies at 87 | CNN
Larry King, the longtime CNN host who became an icon through his interviews with countless newsmakers and his sartorial sensibilities, has died. He was 87.
Loyal dog waits for six days outside hospital for her sick owner. They say a dog is a man's best friend — and that was definitely the case for one patient of a hospital in northeastern Turkey, whose loyal pet waited by the entrance for six days until he was discharged. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/22/world/dog-hospital-scli-intl/index.html
CNN
Loyal dog waits for six days outside hospital for her sick owner | CNN
They say that a dog is a man's best friend -- and that saying rang true for one patient of a hospital in Trabzon, northeastern Turkey, whose loyal pet waited patiently outside the entrance for six days until he was discharged.