Month: October 2022

The home secretary faces Labour claims she is unfit for office as she defends asylum policies.

Some 55% of Germans believe the chancellor is not up to challenges the nation is facing, a new survey shows

Most Germans think Olaf Scholz is “overwhelmed” with his duties as Chancellor, according to a survey by the country’s INSA polling agency. More than a half of respondents – 55% – believe he is not ready to handle the challenges the nation is facing, the Bild tabloid, which commissioned the poll, reported on Monday.

In the context of the Ukraine conflict and energy crisis, 24% of Germans feel sure Scholz is not up to the challenge of leading the government, while 31% also “rather agree” with such an assessment. A minority of 37% believe Scholz is able to effectively lead the nation through the current difficulties.

If Germans were able to vote for a chancellor directly, only 27% would pick Scholz, the survey found. However, Friedrich Merz, the leader of the biggest opposition party – the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) –would garner even less support, with only 15% of Germans willing to vote for him. Almost a half of respondents would choose neither of the two candidates.

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Poll reveals Germans’ biggest concern

Another INSA poll conducted back in September also showed a low level of support for the chancellor. At the time, nearly 50% of Germans said he was unfit for office. Other government ministers also demonstrated low approval ratings. Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht was the worst performer at that time, with a public support level of 18%.

The findings come at a time when Germany is grappling with an energy shortage, partly caused by the EU’s drive to give up Russian energy exports in response to Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine. The crisis has driven up oil and gas prices, and now Germany faces what Bild describes as a potentially “chilling winter,” with people advised to save energy by lowering the heating levels in their homes.

Military aid for Ukraine is also a contentious topic for the German government. Scholz’s cabinet has been repeatedly criticized by both Kiev and the chancellor’s own coalition partners for supposedly not doing enough to help Ukraine, and being reluctant to supply it with heavier weapons such as Leopard 1 tanks.

Some German celebrities and intellectuals have called on the government to stop sending arms to Ukraine altogether, warning of the risks of an escalation and prolonging the suffering of those caught up in the conflict.

A huge number of users were randomly suspended from the social media platform

Instagram said it is investigating a sudden mass suspension of its users’ accounts which was apparently caused by a glitch. The confirmation came as thousands of complaints from furious Instagrammers began to flood other social media platforms.

“We’re aware that some of you are having issues accessing your Instagram account. We’re looking into it and apologize for the inconvenience,” Instagram’s communication team said in a tweet on Monday.

Many users of the Facebook-owned platform received notifications informing them that their accounts had been suspended and that they were allowed “to disagree with this decision” within 30 days.

According to the Down Detector website, the outage affected tens of thousands of people.

help @instagram my private account has been blocked and I have so many Halloween pictures to post 😡 ! Will accounts get unblocked later, whats happening??#instagramdown

— Sarah Maxwell Bishop (@smax1980) October 31, 2022

However, analysis from The Verge suggests it could be “millions” of users, primarily iPhone owners. That estimate is based on the scale of the fall in follower counts, which, according to the outlet, was also caused by the glitch. 

Why has my @instagram account been blocked? I have neither ever uploaded objectionable content nor comment led against the guidelines? What for have I been barred from the platform??

— Murali S. Ram (@muralisram) October 31, 2022

The account of Manchester United forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, appeared to have lost three million followers, the outlet noted, while Instagram’s own primary account was down by over a million. Such falling numbers, The Verge argues, gives “some perspective as to how many users are experiencing the issue.”

READ MORE: Twitter goes down for thousands of users

According to the platform, an Instagram account can be suspended if it doesn’t follow the guidelines, if it cannot be confirmed, and if it is not visible to other users.

In October last year, a bug sent both Facebook and its subsidiaries, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, offline. Twitter at the time was one of the few major social media giants not to be affected. In February, however, thousands of Twitter users were also hit by what the platform described as a “technical bug,” telling users that “something went wrong.”

And will Ukraine’s Western partners step up in this time of need? Al Jazeera’s defence analyst explains all.

Batsman slams invasion of privacy after footage of his belongings in Perth hotel appeared online.

It means he cements his control over the company by becoming its sole director.

Missiles on key facilities across Ukraine on Monday cause power cuts and water shortages.

Russia begins dismantling Biden’s neocon Ukraine project
The Duran: Episode 1425

The former president has not been personally charged, and thinks his company is being unfairly prosecuted

The criminal trial of Donald Trump’s family real estate business has kicked off in New York City. While the Trump Organization is accused of committing tax fraud, the former US president himself is unlikely to take the stand.

Opening statements were heard on Monday after a contentious jury selection process, in which Trump’s lawyers repeatedly eliminated jurors who had a negative view of the ex-commander-in-chief.

With the final jury including at least two members who admit bias against Trump, New York prosecutors opened by arguing that the Trump Organization and Trump Payroll Corporation helped executives avoid taxes between 2005 and 12021 by offering them “off the books” perks like luxury apartment rentals, private school tuition, and car leases.

While the companies have pleaded not guilty, the Trump Organization’s former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, took a plea deal in exchange for his testimony. Weisselberg claims that he dodged city, state, and federal tax on approximately $1.76 million in income, and that the Trump Organization paid his rent and utility bills with company money as “indirect compensation” for his work.

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Trump responds to New York AG’s fraud suit

Prosecutors allege that Weisselber’s testimony implicates the company as a whole, arguing that, as its finance chief, he was acting on its behalf.

Donald Trump has not been charged, and while the New York Times noted that his name had been mentioned 10 times in the first 40 minutes of proceedings, he is unlikely to be called to testify.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has spoken openly of her desire to prosecute Trump, even before details of the Trump Organization’s alleged fraud emerged. Elected in 2018. James promised on the campaign trail to “challenge this illegitimate president,” calling Trump “incompetent” and “ill-equipped to serve in the highest office of this land.”

In a post to his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump called James’ case “ridiculous and highly partisan.” The former president has previously described James as a “racist” and a “fraud.”

Trump’s companies are charged with 15 counts of fraud, conspiracy and grand larceny, each of which carries a maximum fine of $10,000. Although Trump’s business empire could easily handle such a punishment, his opponents view the trial as a potential source of embarrassment ahead of a likely run for the White House in 2024.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store says Norway is in the “most serious” security situation in decades

Warning that Russia may be “resorting to other means” in its ongoing military campaign in Ukraine, Norway has raised the readiness level of its armed forces, saying it faces an increasingly difficult security situation.

The move was announced by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Monday. Store ordered the armed forces to shift from readiness level phase 0, known as “normal situation,” to readiness phase 1, according to EuroWeekly News.

“We are in the most serious security policy situation in the past several decades,” Store told the media. He argued that, since Russia is now “experiencing great resistance” on the ground in Ukraine, Moscow could be “resorting to other means” in its military campaign.

The prime minister admitted that his government had no reason to believe that Russia would “wish to involve Norway or other countries directly in the war,” but explained that putting Norway’s military on higher alert was necessary because “the situation dictates it.”

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NATO country arrests alleged ‘Russian spy’

Norway’s Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen, who spoke alongside the prime minister, added that “the most important task of the armed forces is to preserve our peace and security, and to prevent conflict.” He explained that the move would see the country’s military reprioritize parts of its planned activities in order to increase “operational ability and endurance.”

The move comes after the Norwegian security services (PST) reportedly arrested a university lecturer last week, accusing him of being a “deep-cover agent” allegedly working for Russia, according to an NRK report. A PST spokesperson confirmed the arrest, saying it was part of a probe into “illegal intelligence” activities that “may damage fundamental national interests” of Norway and the “security and interests of other nations.” 

Relations between Russia and Western nations have been at one of their lowest points in history due to the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Norway, a NATO member, has arrested nearly a dozen Russian nationals over suspected espionage activities in recent weeks, including six people who allegedly took photos of facilities covered by the national photo ban.