Good morning.
Russia Unrest
UPDATE: Marches have taken places in dozens of Cities across Russia. Police violence all over the internet and brutal arrests. 40 Police hurt. Navalny’s wife arrested and then released. More than 1700 protesters arrested. Another demo called for next week. This is unprecedented in Russia. People chanting “Putin is a thief” and “release Navalny”. 2 dozen journalists arrested.
It’s happening. Tens of thousands of people are answering the call from Alexei Navalny to support him after he was jailed last weekend, when he returned home from Germany where he recovered from his poisoning attempt by Russian officials. When the sun rose in the far East people took to the streets in defiance of The Kremlin’s order against demonstrations, to express anger at Navalny’s imprisonment, and the demonstrations spread from Vladivostock and onto other Cities including Novosibirsk.
The videos are spreading on Telegram which the Government cannot stop alhtough no doubt it’s censoring the main TV channels today.
https://t.me/SIL0VIKI/30168
There are videos of arrests and it’s escalating as the protests, expected to be bigger will take place in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
https://t.me/SIL0VIKI/30178
These may be the biggest demonstrations against Putin’s regime since he came to power in 2020. They represent a direct challenge to his authority and the rule of a vertical power with an inner circle which is accused of massive corruption including this weeks videos posted by Navalny’s anti corruption foundation, showing Putin has built a massive palace which may have cost over a billion dollars, using a network of cronies who pocketed huge sums of money on Putins behalf.
The Kremlin tried to head off these demo’s but failed as social media posts received millions of views from outraged Russian’s angry at Navalny’s arrest and clearly illegal imprisonment, as the prosecutor in his case is now seeking a sentence of up to 13 years. The day has only just begun and we will be watching the demonstrations closely. Navalny released a statement from prison saying he has no intention of suicide just in case Russian officials are planning to make it look like that to silence him.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/01/22/navalny-rules-out-suicide-in-first-message-from-jail-a72704
Trump
Revelations in The New York Times Trump plotted to remove his Attorney General and replace him with his lawyer to over turn the legal Georgia election results. The justice Dept said it would resign.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/us/politics/jeffrey-clark-trump-justice-department-election.html
Trump’s plotting to over turn election results, shows us how close America came to losing it’s democracy and more importantly now it feeds into the impeachment trial in The Senate which the Democrats have announced be introduced net week but the trial will be delayed until Feb. 9 to allow Trump to prepare his defense on the charge he fomented and unleashed the attack on The Capitol.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/us/politics/senate-trump-impeachment-trial-delay.html
Noteworthy NPR reports that nearly 1 in 5 of the rioters charged have a history of serving in the military. They plotted to arrest law makers, thus the photos of them carrying plastic handcuff zip ties. Prosecutors have indicated they are planning to bring charges of sedition against some who would then face 20-year jail terms.
UK Covid Variant
The new variant of Covid which has locked down England since before Christmas and can spread 70% faster, is now said to be 30% deadlier according to British P.M. Johnson. If a thousand people caught the original virus 10 in a thousand would die. Now it’s closer to 14 in a thousand. But more data to come.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/22/new-uk-covid-variant-may-be-more-deadly-says-boris-johnson
Britains Covid death rate is now the worst in The World per million and hospitals are working at capacity.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/22/new-uk-covid-variant-may-be-more-deadly-says-boris-johnson
And across Europe there is a tightening of restrictions. From tonight, anyone outside in the Netherlands between 9pm and 4.30am must have a valid reason
Belgium bans people from taking foreign holidays while Finland tightens arrival rules.
The controversy over The UK’s plan to give one dose of the 2 dose vaccines, is growing with Doctors saying the plan of increasing the time from 3 weeks to 12 weeks between doses is dangerous. The World Health Org recommends gap of four weeks between doses - to be extended only in exceptional circumstances to six weeks. The British Medical Association said the current plan was "difficult to justify" and should be changed to six weeks.
Canada
Canada is reeling from Biden’s rapid announcement to cancel the KeyStone XL pipeline, and in a phone call with P.M. Trudeau and President Biden on Friday talks also focused on Bidens massive procurement plan to ‘buy American’ did not apply to Canada. So some good news with the bad.
https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2021/01/22/joe-biden-tells-justin-trudeau-in-their-first-phone-call-that-buy-american-plan-wont-target-canada.html
The discussion also touched on Defense and the Arctic, trade on softwood lumber, medical supplies and general trade relations. Canada should expect a more predictable relationship and one that improves on The Trump years.
Have a good weekend everyone.