Melbourne lockdowns trigger violence and rioting

Melbourne descends into chaos as police arrest 62 and fire rubber pellets at anti-lockdown protesters | The Guardian - Ben Doherty & Caitlin Cassidy:

September 21, 2021 - "Police have fired pepper balls and stinger grenades at violent anti-Covid lockdown protesters on the streets of Melbourne as Australia’s second-largest city – under stay-at-home orders for the 233rd day in total – descended into chaos. Protesters dressed as construction workers clashed with police for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, assaulting officers, smashing police car windows, throwing bottles and stones, and damaging property.... Video footage on social media showed police cars trying to leave one area before a mob attacked the vehicles with bottles and smashed windows. A line of riot police, weapons raised, then drove the protesters back....

"A broader protest on Saturday also descended into violence with police overrun by protesters who, pushed out of the inner city, moved to suburban streets. More than 200 people were arrested in those protests and 10 police officers were injured, including three who were hospitalised with broken bones.... On Monday, riot police were called in to disperse a group of about 500 protesters, who threw bottles at the Victorian CFMEU construction secretary, John Setka, and smashed the office’s door down."

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/21/victoria-covid-update-melbourne-descends-into-chaos-as-police-fire-rubber-pellets-at-anti-lockdown-protestors

In Australia, 233-day lockdown triggers violent protests, rioting mobs on rampage | Times of India - Priyanka A Chokhani, TNN:

September 22, 2020 - "Melbourne ranks among the most liveable cities in the world, with a thriving nightlife and a vibrant art scene. But on March 23, 2020, pubs closed their doors and galleries their entrances ... amid a rise in Covid-19 cases. Since then, Melbourne has had six lockdowns, over 233 days. The sudden loss of mobility has hit people hard. 

"Anti-lockdown protests — that erupted sporadically since 2020 — turned violent on Saturday.... Police are now mulling use of a specially equipped Public Order Response Team to crack down on such protests and to treat protestors as rioters.

"But why has public anger boiled over? The lockdown in Australia is among the world’s harshest....  Over 20,000 Australians are stuck overseas, waiting for the government to open borders. The government has declared it would ease restrictions only once the country touches 80% vaccination. But that seems a long way off. At 43%, the percentage of fully vaccinated people in the country is low compared with other developed nations....  

"Melbourne residents, used to queuing up only for sporting events, are now lining up for Covid tests.... Doctors’ appointments have to be booked days in advance — many are only taking online consultations — and non-emergency surgeries remain shelved.... One can step out only for groceries, exercise, medical help, [or with a permit for] work and vaccination. There is a curfew from 9 pm to 5 am.... In the past year, residents have also grown accustomed to heavy police presence on the roads.... 

"Social isolation has taken a toll and mental health helplines have recorded a 30% increase in calls this year. According to professor Jayashri Kulkarni, Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, 'In 2020, there was panic at the start of the pandemic. This year, the panic has subsided, but [many] people are no longer able to cope with the changes they once thought would be temporary. They are increasingly resorting to drug and alcohol abuse.'"

Read more: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/in-australia-233-day-lockdown-triggers-violent-protests-rioting-mobs-on-rampage/articleshow/86421305.cms

Business elites back Biden's vaccine mandates

The Business Roundtable Of Elite CEOs Backed Biden’s Vaccine Mandate: Their Reasons May Surprise You | Bloomberg - Jack Kelly:

September 12, 2021 - "The Business Roundtable, a group representing some of the largest U.S. corporations, gave its support last week to President Joe Biden’s plan to require private-sector companies with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccination or, alternatively, conduct weekly Covid-19 testing. The Business Roundtable’s members include the upper echelon of CEO elites, including luminaries such as Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Jane Fraser from Citigroup, Amazon’s newly installed CEO Andy Jassy and Apple’s Tim Cook.

"A statement from the group approvingly said, 'Business Roundtable welcomes the Biden Administration’s continued vigilance in the fight against [Covid-19]. America’s business leaders know how critical vaccination and testing are in defeating the pandemic, which is why so many have invested resources in encouraging and incentivizing their customers and employees to get vaccinated, including providing paid time off.' The CEOs added, 'Over the past several weeks, many companies have decided to implement a vaccine mandate for some or all of their employees, a decision we applaud'.... 

"Biden’s mandate took management out of the equation. They no longer have to weigh both sides of the vaccination debate, risking alienating a sizable portion of the employees. Managers won’t have to worry about being the bad mom or dad and could place the blame squarely on Biden and say that it's out of their control.

"We’ve seen a trend of major corporations cozying up to the federal government. Being on the same side of the President and current administration helps companies stay in their good graces. Therefore, its not too surprising to see the CEOs quickly backed Biden’s plans.

"Sectors that have been itching to get people back into an office setting, such as Wall Street banks, will be happy with the decision. One of the pushbacks from people against returning to the office was that they feel it is dangerous to be in an office setting. They’d also have to worry about daily interactions with people on the buses, trains and city streets, as they’re commuting to and from work.

"One of the biggest issues that we don't talk about is the possibility of a potential disaster for some big cities, such as New York, if workers don’t return to their offices. The major source of tax revenue in New York is derived from the large Wall Street and other industries that are based in the Big Apple. There’s a large ecosystem of restaurants, bars, nail salons, gyms, retail stores and shops that rely upon office workers to patronize their places of business. If workers don’t return en masse, they’re likely doomed. 

"There could be a cascading disaster. Real estate landlords will hemorrhage money. Small businesses could close up shop with significantly fewer people around. There would be an enormous free fall in tax revenue going into the city coffers. With less money, the city will have no choice other than to aggressively cut costs. This includes laying off police officers, firefighters, train and transit workers, teachers, sanitation garbage collectors and other public personnel. Museums and public-backed cultural events will lose funding. 

"The cuts and layoffs will make the city dirtier and more dangerous. There will be reports — like we saw during the pandemic — of an increase in crime and violence. When people read about the crime figures and watch graphic clips of violence on television and online, they’ll be afraid to go back into Manhattan. This could easily create a downward spiral. Employees would understandably say that they won’t return to the City for fear of their personal safety.

"The business leaders ... know that this could happen. This may be one of the reasons why Wall Street, which is a big player in New York, led the push for bankers, brokers and traders to return to the office, as they could foresee what may possibly happen if everyone remained working at home."

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/09/12/the-business-roundtable-of-elite-ceos-backed-president-bidens-vaccine-mandate-their-reasons-may-surprise-you/

Bernier feels vindicated by election result (video)

People's Party makes vote gains but doesn't win a seat | CBC News - Richard Raycraft:

September 20, 2021 - "The results so far may not signal a seat breakthrough for the People's Party of Canada (PPC), but the party has more than tripled its support since the last election. In an email to supporters Monday morning, PPC Leader Maxime Bernier said he had a good feeling. And now that the results have come in — including his own defeat in the Quebec riding of Beauce — Bernier says he feels vindicated.

"'I'm feeling good, because if we look at the results, we are around four per cent — four, five, six per cent. That's big for us in Atlantic Canada,' Bernier told the CBC's Travis Dhanraj at the PPC's event in Saskatoon. He maintained his triumphant tone in a speech to supporters Monday night at the Saskatoon Inn. 'This is not just a political party. This is a movement. It is an ideological revolution that we are starting now," Bernier told supporters.

"The PPC had just over five per cent of the popular vote at last count. The party has notably done better in Ontario,  where it has so far garnered just under six per cent of the vote.... According to an analysis by CBC News Labs, vote splitting between the Tories and the PPC may have cost the Conservatives up to 24 ridings....

"The party, which describes itself as populist, classically liberal and libertarian, was founded by Bernier in 2018. It campaigned on lifting many COVID-19 public health restrictions, as well as expanding the oil and gas industry, balancing the budget, ending official multiculturalism, and reducing immigration levels, among other policies. Bernier, a former Conservative MP and cabinet minister, placed a close second in the 2017 Conservative leadership race to replace Stephen Harper. He was first elected in Beauce back in 2006, but lost the seat in 2019 and failed to regain it this election.

"But if Bernier is upset about the fact his party may not get a seat in Parliament, he didn't let it show on Monday night. 'Our goal is to increase our percentage of the vote,' he said. 'We are doing better than the Green Party ... and we created [the PPC] only two years ago..... In two years, our support has increased three times over'.... And while Bernier may be satisfied with increasing the party's vote total in this election, that won't be enough next time around, he told supporters. 'When the next election comes, we will be even better prepared. And this time, we will win seats in Parliament.'"

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/peoples-party-election-2021-1.6182680

People's Party buoyed by anti-mandate sentiment

Canada election: 'Mad Max' and why his party is on the rise | BBC News - Bernd Debusmann Jr:

September 16, 2021 - "Canada is edging closer to its federal election on Monday, with Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party and Erin O'Toole's Conservative Party in a tight race for first place. But the once fringe People's Party of Canada has emerged as a potential spoiler, riding a wave of anti-lockdown and vaccine mandate sentiment. 

"Maxime Bernier ... a former Canadian foreign minister, is a populist with a libertarian bent who[m] supporters have nicknamed 'Mad Max'. He has previously described his upstart party, the People's Party of Canada (PPC), as a coalition of people 'disenchanted with traditional politicians'. The PPC has a wide-ranging platform that includes limiting immigration, an end to corporate welfare, a pro-firearms stance, and a rejection of what it terms 'climate change alarmism'. However, one issue above all has come to the forefront in the 2021 election: vaccine mandates and lockdowns.

"Mr Bernier, 58, has been a vocal opponent of ... what he calls 'authoritarian' restrictions, claiming in an August rally, for example, that vaccine passports 'will create two kinds of citizens, some with more rights than others'. Such statements are 'a huge part of the story behind the surge [for the PPC]', said Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant, a political studies professor at Queens University. 'A lot of this has been generated by the party seizing on the sense that anti-lockdown, anti-vaccine passport sentiments exist in the population.'

"Polling data suggests that this message is gaining momentum among some Canadian voters even while the country has some of the world's highest vaccination rates - over 80%. Recent tracking poll numbers from CBC, for example, ranked the PPC in fourth place nationally at 6.5% - ahead of the Green Party and the Bloc Québécois, which only runs candidates in Quebec. (The Liberals and the Conservative are in a statistical tie at around 30%). In the 2019 election, by comparison, the PPC earned just 1.6% of the popular vote and Mr Bernier lost his own seat.

"A significant portion of the party's swelling support base comes from first time or irregular voters ... said Prof Goodyear-Grant. 'They are taking some support from all the other parties ... which suggests there are people across all parties that are opposed to some of the [pandemic] measures that have been put in place,' she said. Provinces like Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia have all in recent weeks brought in vaccine passport systems that limit access in certain settings as cases rise in a fourth pandemic wave.

"Steven Weldon, the director of the Centre for the Study of Public Opinion and Representation at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, said that several factors limit how much of a 'spoiler' the party can be in the upcoming election.... Mr Weldon added that the PPC has ' less of a voice' because of ... the fact that support is spread across the country. Polling models suggest it's unlikely its candidates will win any seats.

"Bernadette Bosse, a 43-year-old consulting firm manager in Calgary, Alberta, said she's among those who would vote for Mr Bernier's party if it were [an] option, but there is no PPC candidate in the running where she lives.... Ms Bosse thinks more people would vote PPC if they had candidates in all 338 federal ridings (constituencies). They're running candidates in 312.

"In the long-run, it remains to be seen whether the PPC will continue to gain support even in a post-pandemic Canada. 'We lose sight of that because we're in the middle of both the election and the pandemic,' Prof Goodyear-Grant said. 'When the issue of the pandemic is removed, I think you would expect some of the support to dissipate'."

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58573878

No need to vaccinate Covid recovered, say Indian scientists

No need to vaccinate people once infected by Covid? Why experts suggest this | Hindustan Times - Poulomi Ghosh, ed.:

June 11, 2021 - "The Union health ministry's latest guideline said those who tested Covid positive should wait for three months after recovery to get vaccinated, as they have natural antibodies present. However, a group of public health experts, which includes doctors from AIIMS and the members of Covid-19 national task force, has suggested that there is no need to vaccinate people who had documented Covid-19 infection.... According to the Indian experts' report, there is not enough evidence that vaccine is beneficial after natural infection. 'There is no need to vaccinate people who had documented Covid-19 infection. These people may be vaccinated after generating evidence that vaccine is beneficial after natural infection,' the report said.

"As the objective of the vaccination drive should be to control the disease, those who have been already infected should not be the priority, as they are naturally protected, the report suggested. Is the suggestion of keeping once-infected people out of vaccination for now influenced by vaccine crunch? Yes, the report clarified that the present situation of the pandemic in the country demands that prioritisation instead of opening it to all. 'Moreover, we can conserve considerable resources if we exclude adults who have recovered from natural infection,' it said."

Read more: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/covid19-vaccine-no-need-to-vaccinate-people-once-infected-by-covid-why-experts-suggest-this-101623389249657.html

Vaccines May Do More Harm Than Good To Those Recovered From Covid-19: Experts | Outlook - Jeevan Prakash Sharma:  

August 10, 2021 - "A section of infectious disease experts in India believes that vaccines have no benefits to ... individuals who have naturally recovered from Covid-19. Instead, it might cause some harm.... Deaths, blood clotting or other health complications have been reported due to [vaccination] from across the world and health experts say that it has nothing to do with any deficiency in the safety aspects of approved Covid-19 vaccines. 'Even a good vaccine can cause health complications due to adverse side effects as each human body responds to inoculation differently' ... an epidemiologist associated with the government said requesting not to be named. He added, 'This is true with all vaccines and vaccination programmes ever introduced in human history'....

"Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor, Community Medicine in All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, says that all available evidence demonstrates that the natural infection provides better and longer protection that may even be lifelong. 'There is no need to vaccinate individuals who had documented COVID-19 infection in the past'... Dr Rai said. He added, 'Based on the available shreds of evidence, we can say that there is no additional benefit of vaccination in COVID recovered individuals.  Actually, it may cause harm due to few known and unknown severe adverse events following immunization.' Dr Rai also believes that vaccines are precious resources that should be used to save other vulnerable persons' lives rather than wasting them on well-protected individuals.

"Noted epidemiologist Dr Jayaprakash Muliyil, who is a core member of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), agrees that vaccinating a confirmed Covid-19 recovered person doesn’t have any additional benefit 'but there is some small chance of adverse reaction'.... 'A reliable test of antibody can ... establish if a person is a confirmed Covid-19 recovered case,' Dr Muliyil said. He added, 'At present, the available evidence suggests that natural infection is superior to vaccination. So in retrospect, it is a good and convenient way to say who needs vaccination and who doesn’t.'

"As the current vaccination drive in India doesn’t have any provision to exclude naturally-recovered persons, a lot of such people say that they have to get vaccinated even if they didn’t want because they were under pressure from their employers. Some of them have to go abroad and many countries have made vaccination a pre-requisite condition for issuing a visa as they still believe that vaccinated individuals don’t spread infection. This is contrary to the growing evidence that a vaccinated person can be a spreader of infection....

“'There is a wrong notion among many doctors that natural immunity is transient. It is because, during the initial days of Covid-19, the World Health Organisation had made this baseless statement which many doctors still believe to be true,' a senior government doctor said."

Read more: https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-vaccines-may-do-more-harm-than-good-to-those-recovered-from-covid-19-experts/390974

Read report here: https://www.iphaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/4th-Joint-Statement-of-IPHA-and-IAPSM-for-COVID-19-containment-plan_June-6-2021_Final-4.pdf

Laos legalizes Bitcoin mining and trading

Asian Nation Laos to Legalize Bitcoin Mining And Trading | Bitcoin Magazine - Alex McShane: 

September 16, 2021 - "The Southeast Asian nation of Laos changed its official policy on September 9, authorizing six companies to trade and mine Bitcoin in a trial run while the government begins to draft regulations about its use. According to The Laotian Times, the news follows a September 9 notice from the office of the prime minister permitting the firms, which include construction groups and one bank, to start mining and trading Bitcoin.

"The traditionally conservative government’s authorization of Bitcoin mining and trading marks a shift in stance, as last month the country’s central banks warned companies and individuals against cryptocurrencies, according to the local news source.

"The population of Laos is seven million. With a hydropower potential of 26.5 Gigawatts, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is one of the most hydropower resource rich countries in Southeast Asia, which is ideal for profitable and sustainable Bitcoin mining. The companies that have been authorized to trade and mine Bitcoin include Wap Data Technology Laos, Phongsubthavy Road & Bridge Construction Co., Sisaket Construction Company Limited, Boupha Road-Bridge Design Survey Co., Ltd., Joint Development Bank, and Phousy Group.

"A host of government agencies, led by the Ministry of Technology and Communications, are now tasked with researching and determining rules and regulations governing the use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in Laos, including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Ministry of Public Security, the Bank of Laos and the Électricité du Laos. The proposed regulations will be discussed at a meeting hosted by the Prime Minister on September 16 and 17, and notably follow the ongoing exodus of mining firms from China, the former market leader in the sector."

Read more: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/asian-nation-laos-to-legalize-bitcoin-mining-and-trading

Anti-lockdown MP struggles to start new party

Independent MP Derek Sloan hopes his new political party ‘excites’ Canadians about politics | Global News - Ladna Mohamed:
July 28, 2021 - "Independent MP for Hastings Lennox and Addington, Derek Sloan, has confirmed to Global News that he is in the process of trying to launch his own political party. The MP says it will be called the 'True North' party, pending Elections Canada [a]pproval. 'I think Canadians are disenfranchised with the current political landscape, and I’m hoping to excite Canadians about politics and about Canada and to really get people happy again about Canada and hopeful,' said Sloan.

A spokesperson for Elections Canada said that they are working to ensure all requirements under the Canada Elections Act are met, in order for Sloan’s party to become official. In the meantime, Sloan has been spending time outside of his riding during the pandemic, making a number of trips to Western Canada. Sloan explained that his travels are necessary in order to promote his 'movement' on a national scale."
Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/8068021/sloan-new-party-conservative/

Wife of sitting MP Derek Sloan, runs as independent for Hastings—Lennox and Addington | Global News - Alexandra Mazur:
August 26, 2021 - "Jennifer Sloan has put her hat in the ring in the Hastings—Lennox and Addington riding, hoping to replace her husband Derek Sloan as the sitting independent MP. This comes just a week after Derek announced that he would no longer be running in his home riding, but rather aiming for a spot as an independent in the Banff—Airdrie riding in Alberta....

"Her husband Derek has had an embattled career as an MP since he defeated former Liberal MP Mike Bossio for the riding in 2019, including a failed bid for the Conservative Party leadership and being kicked out of the party over a small campaign donation by a known white supremacist, which he maintains he was unaware of. The Conservative leader said Derek was ousted due to a 'pattern of destructive behaviour.'"
Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/8142547/wife-mp-derek-sloan-hastings-lennox-and-addington/

Why Derek Sloan started a party | Western Standard - Lee Harding: 
August 19, 2021 - "Like a voter who didn’t like his options and decided to run for office, Independent MP Derek Sloan looked at all the parties and thought it best to start his own.... Like Preston Manning did for Reform in 1987, Sloan has been drumming up support for a new political movement. The fourth-place finisher in the Conservative Party leadership race was booted from the party on January 20 for what leader Erin O’Toole called a 'pattern of destructive behaviour'.... 'I’m basically glad that it happened to me looking back on it, I was able to achieve a lot more as an independent than as a member of the party'....

"Although Sloan is gaining a following, some other right-leaning voters are nervous about the launch of yet another right-leaning party to bleed away Conservative votes. Sloan said he won’t give anything to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that O’Toole didn’t already hand him. 'No one seems to think O’Toole’s going to win. He’s not going to win anyways, there is no vote to split. But I would say that a lot of places that we’re going to be running candidates are going to be in strong conservative areas, so, whoever wins is going to be a conservative. It will either be a Conservative or someone who’s more conservative, so you won’t have to worry about that.'

"When asked why he didn’t join the other alternatives, such as the People’s Party, Sloan offered three reasons. 'The first is the social conservative values part for the PPC is optional. It’s kind of like if you want them, that’s great, if not, that’s fine. And I think we need to have a party that actually stands for values. The second thing is that it’s kind of the party of Max, in the sense of, they’ve had three or so years to come up with a constitution and a leadership review and all of this, and they haven’t. There’s not a lot of democratic opportunity there,' Sloan said. 'The final thing is they seem to have an incremental plan of winning, but we need a plan to win basically now. So, every election that I go into will be to win. Like, I’m not going to run 338 candidates just to do it. I’m going to run in areas and focus on them in a way that I think I can win....

"'The Christian Heritage Party hasn’t been able to win. And part of it is I don’t know if they even expect to, and they kind of want to be more of a [Christian] witness than a force'.... Sloan believes the Maverick Party has unfortunate commonalities with the Bloc Quebecois.... 'And the other thing that bugs me about them is they didn’t say anything about COVID-19. So they say they’re standing up for the interests of the West. Well, where were they when 10,000 businesses in Alberta were shutting down because of COVID-19? They said nothing. So as far as I’m concerned, useless.'"
Read more: https://westernstandardonline.com/2021/08/why-derek-sloan-started-a-party/