Back Story Newsletter
Good morning,
BREAKING…Novak Djokovic Wins-Loses
He’s a champion on the court, and in the courtroom as tennis player Novak Djokovic has won the right to stay in Australia and play in the Open after a Judge ruled the cancellation of his visa over Covid was not legal. Then again…
Now reports are he has been rearrested and will have to leave Australia despite the court ruling which the Government has upended.
The case boils down to Djokovic, who has not been vaccinated, being given an exemption from Australia’s very strict vaccine rules, because he got Covid in December and therefore has antibodies.
The Judge said border officials failed to give valid notice of the intention to cancel the visa. The Australian immigration Minister could still re-cancel the visa as Australian officials don’t believe Djokovic’s recent Covid infection makes him eligible for exemption rules.
The case has embarrassed Australian politicians who tried to make an example of Djokovic, and Novak who has not helped the vaccination cause any better by admitting he didn’t get a vaccine and doing so now very publicly.
Djokovic may contend he didn’t get a vaccine because he had Covid in December, but the fact is we are 2 years into this pandemic and he has refused the vaccines. His right, but Australia’s right to deny entry.
Bronx Fire
It’s the worst fire in New York in 30 years, with 19 people dead so far, and many more in hospitals. 9 children are among the dead after a space heater ignited a blaze which spread heavy smoke through the 19 storey Bronx building at 333 E. 181st St. in Tremont, trapping many, as some 200 FDNY fire fighters responded.
The first engine at the scene was under staffed say officials because of Covid and other engines arrived with similar shortages say the FDNY union rep.
Russia
Russian officials said Sunday they won’t make concessions under U.S. pressure, and warn talks this week to avert war in Ukraine may collapse quickly.
There’s the ridiculous but very clever Kremlin strategy. Moscow has created the crisis by stationing 100 thousand troops in Ukraines border and threatening to invade unless it gets promises of no more NATO expansion, and even demands NATO troop withdrawals from NATO countries close to Russia.
Concessions? Russia is demanding all this in a crisis it has authored, and its view of historic promises supposedly made after the collapse of the Soviet Union seem based on wishful thinking, because there are no written agreements or even accounts of firm promises NATO would not expand.
NATO is not pursuing expansion as much as countries knocking at is door including Ukraine and Georgia, fearing further invasion by Russia. Even Sweden is now considering NATO membership because of fears of Putin’s Russia.
Russia has invaded Ukraine seizing the Crimea in 2014, and then keeping a low level war rumbling on for 8 years in Eastern Ukraine to it can destabilize the pro European Ukrainian Government.
It’s the aggressor in a dangerous conflict that is escalating now because Russia has used heavy artillery strikes on Ukrainian positions in recent months, limited the movements of an International cease fire effort which is had signed onto and then complained when Ukraine defended its ceasefire line with drones and now anti tank weapons supplied by Turkey and the U.S. and other NATO countries.
The U.S. has taken the position there will likely be no progress on any issues raised by Moscow as long as it has a gun to Ukraine. And Ukraine’s President has again been reassured any attack by Russia will be met with crippling sanctions against Russia’s economy, and NATO weapons sent to Kiev, as well as increased troops in NATO nations bordering and near Russian borders.
Sec. of State Blinken said this weekend this boils down to “the principle that one country can’t change the borders of another by force, the principle that one country can’t dictate to another its foreign policy and…its choices including with whom it will associate, the principle that one country can’t exert a sphere of influence to subjugate its neighbors.”
Kazakhstan Calm
After days of armed rioting sparked by an increase in fuel crisis, some kind of calm has returned to the streets of Kazakhstans main City of Almaty.
Dozens of Government buildings were seized and burned in the unrest the Kazakh President has blamed on “outside” invaders.
"I think there was some kind of a conspiracy involving domestic and certain foreign destructive forces," Secretary of State Yerlan Karin told state television on Monday, without naming any suspects.
More than 160 people were killed in days of rioting which saw the President calling in other countries for armed assistance including Russia and Belarus.
Long term questions now remain unanswered over Kazakhstan’s independence and what price Russia will exact for its involvement and propping up of President Tokayev’s Government.
Karim Masimov, former head of the National Security Committee, was detained on suspicion of treason last week, days after President Tokayev dismissed him and former President Nazarbayev has reportedly fled the country.
There are numerous reports this violence was in fact a power struggle between Tokayev and Nazarbayev’s clan but the details remain murky and unclear. And social media posts are even wildly claiming the same forces which organized the revolution in Ukraine could be backing this uprising. All unverifiable and likely propaganda to feed conspiracy theories.
That’s a look at Monday! Please subscribe to this newsletter and share it with friends.
Have a good day everyone.
Dana
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-10/novak-djokovic-live-court-hearing-jan-10/100747106
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220110-no-concessions-no-breakthroughs-russia-us-start-difficult-talks-on-ukraine
https://nypost.com/2022/01/09/nyc-fire-leaves-numerous-people-injured/
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/kazakhstan-detains-7-939-people-over-unrest/ar-AASBOoM?ocid=uxbndlbing