News

At Least 41 Dead After Train Derailment in Taiwan Tunnel
2Apr By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Taiwan, News

At Least 41 Dead After Train Derailment in Taiwan Tunnel

At least 41 people were killed in an accident involving a train on the first day of the holiday in eastern Taiwan. The train derailed in a tunnel. Dozens of passengers are still trapped.   The train from Taipei to Taitung with 350 people on board ran in Hualien, in eastern Taiwan, on the first day of the Qingming Festival on Friday morning. That is a holiday weekend in early April that mobilizes a considerable number of Taiwanese every year. It is still uncertain what caused the accident. Presumably, the train collided with a poorly positioned truck of workers who were working nearby. As a result, they came into interaction with the tunnel wall, after which several carriages flew off the tracks. The balance is already very tough: according to authorities, at least 41 people have d...
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Twitter is Carrying Periscope to the Grave Today
1Apr By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Technology, News

Twitter is Carrying Periscope to the Grave Today

Periscope, the Livestream platform of Twitter messaging service, will cease to exist today.   The app never enjoyed much popularity and became obsolete when Twitter integrated its own live broadcast option. Twitter already announced the imminent end for Periscope in December last year. "There are fewer and fewer users, which means that it is no longer financially viable to keep the service," the company said at the time. The app was still available for download since then, but users could no longer create a new account. In the meantime, Periscope has been completely removed from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Twitter bought Periscope in 2015. The basic functions have now been integrated into the Live function of Twitter, which is accessible via the camera icon in a ne...
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New York Parliament Gives Green Light for Legalization of Cannabis
31Mar By Alan LorenzNo Comments
US, News

New York Parliament Gives Green Light for Legalization of Cannabis

The New York State Parliament has agreed to legalize possession of cannabis for personal use.   This has foremost consequences for people who have been convicted in the past of crimes related to the possession of the soft drug. They can now be removed from their criminal records. The proposal received widespread support in both houses of the state parliament. Governor Andrew Cuomo has yet to sign the bill but has already made it clear that he will. New York thus follows the lead of the fourteen other states and several US territories that had already legalized cannabis. Proponents speak of a historic decision. Democratic MP Crystal Peoples-Stokes likened the legalization of cannabis to lifting the alcohol ban in 1933, reports The New York Post. Governor Cuomo said that minorities,...
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Corona Vaccines are No Longer Effective Within A Year
30Mar By Alan LorenzNo Comments
News

Corona Vaccines are No Longer Effective Within A Year

The majority of 76 epidemiologists from 28 countries expect that the coronavirus will mutate within a year to such an extent that most current vaccines are no longer effective.   Two-thirds of them estimate this in a survey conducted by the so-called People's Vaccine Alliance, including Oxfam Novib and Amnesty International. Nearly three-quarters of those polled said sharing patents and knowledge could increase global vaccination coverage. According to the respondents, this is important because 88 percent of them expect persistently low vaccination coverage in many countries to make vaccine-resistant mutations more likely to occur. The People's Vaccine Alliance, a coalition of more than 50 organizations, warns that at the current rate, only 10 percent of people in most poor countr...
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End in Sight for Tax Havens: US Now Before Minimum Tax for Multinationals
29Mar By Alan LorenzNo Comments
US, News

End in Sight for Tax Havens: US Now Before Minimum Tax for Multinationals

A global minimum tax for multinationals is getting closer: new US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen favours it because the Biden government needs money.   The previous US administration opposed elements of a plan to introduce an international corporate tax floor. The OECD, the club of rich industrial nations, is trying to agree on this with some 140 countries. The US has changed its mind under Joe Biden. His finance minister, Janet Yellen, is now openly advocating a global minimum rate. She sees it as a means to stop the "devastating downward spiral" in tax rates. A deal would amount to a kind of Paris Climate Agreement, but for taxes, described the American economist and Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz. He is firmly in favour of a minimum tax for international companies. "Endin...
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Tesla Accused of Violating Workers Rights
26Mar By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Business, News, Technology

Tesla Accused of Violating Workers Rights

Among other things, a message from CEO Elon Musk on Twitter violated American law.   This was ruled by the National Labor Relations Board, which in the United States ensures that employees can stand up for their workers' rights. Among other things, Tesla made a mistake by firing an employee who also actively worked for a union. In addition, a comment by Musk on Twitter about the consequences of workers joining a union would amount to a threat. In the tweet in question, Musk wrote, "Why to pay union dues and give up stock options for no reason." In doing so, he suggested that he withdraw this bonus from unionized staff, the National Labor Relations Board found. Threatening punishment for unionized workers is illegal in the US. Tesla is now being ordered to offer the dismissed empl...
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Russian Prison Service: the State of Navalny is Stable
25Mar By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Russia, News

Russian Prison Service: the State of Navalny is Stable

Russian authorities say the situation of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny is stable.   The politician's allies had warned that Navalny's health has deteriorated and that his lawyers should not visit him. Navalny is serving a 2.5-year sentence in a Russian penal colony. His chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, said on Wednesday that the opposition leader has been suffering from severe back pain since late last week. He would also no longer be able to walk due to complaints about his leg. Prison authorities only gave Navalny two pills, according to the chief of staff. The Russian prison service later announced that Navalny had undergone a medical examination. His condition has been described as "stable and satisfactory". Supporters of the politician are not reassured. "Now we ...
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Merkel Scraps Strict Easter Lockdown After Stormy Criticism
24Mar By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Germany, Europe, News

Merkel Scraps Strict Easter Lockdown After Stormy Criticism

Chancellor Angela Merkel backs down with her very strict Easter lockdown. She scraps this plan a day after it was announced.   The plan sparked a storm of criticism. The Easter lockdown would be the toughest lockdown Germany has had in the corona crisis. But Merkel conferred unannounced with state prime ministers on Wednesday and decided not to paralyze the country in the first five days of April. Early on Tuesday, Merkel had agreed with state prime ministers to tighten and extend corona measures and virtually paralyze the country over Easter.
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Englishmen Who Go on Holiday Risk A Fine of £ 5000
23Mar By Alan LorenzNo Comments
UK, News

Englishmen Who Go on Holiday Risk A Fine of £ 5000

The British government is introducing a hefty fine for British people who go on holiday abroad during corona time.   It concerns an amount of 5000 pounds. Not only holidaymakers risk such a fine. Under the new legislation, this can be imposed on anyone who leaves the country without a valid reason. The new rules have yet to be approved by parliament and will then remain in effect until June 30, Sky News reports. Chances are, however, that the English will be able to enjoy a holiday abroad before that date. Health Minister Matt Hancock does not rule out the premature relaxation of the rules for international travel. He thought it was too early to anticipate this because the coronavirus seems to be spreading more quickly in parts of Europe. The new law states that no one may "leav...
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The Daily Number of New German Corona Infections Decreased Again
22Mar By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Germany, Europe, News

The Daily Number of New German Corona Infections Decreased Again

In Germany, the number of new corona infections has fallen again in one day. In the last 24 hours, 7709 new cases were registered. That is more than 6,500 fewer than the 13,733 on Sunday, says the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German counterpart of the RIVM.   On Saturday, the RKI reported 16,033 new infections. In total, more than 2.65 million infections have now been registered in Germany. The death toll from Covid-19 has risen to 74,714, with 50 deaths. It is still too early to relax measures against the coronavirus in Germany, says Chancellor Angela Merkel. In previous consultations with state leaders, the lockdown was extended to March 28, with the prospect of easing if the number of infections fell. New deliberations will follow on Monday afternoon, with Merkel's commitme...
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