The WHO is keeping an eye on a novel coronavirus variety known as 'Mu.' According to the WHO, the 'Mu' coronavirus strain, which was first discovered in Colombia, possesses mutations that indicate a risk of vaccine resistance.' Mu, also known as B.1.621, has been recognized as a "variant of interest" by the World Health Organization, according to its weekly pandemic advisory published Tuesday. The WHO stated that the variation features mutations that signal a risk of vaccine resistance and that more research is needed to properly understand it. "The Mu variant features a slew of mutations that point to potential immune-evasion capabilities,", the bulletin said. Infection rates are rising internationally again, with the highly transmissible Delta form taking root — especially among the unvaccinated and in areas where anti-virus efforts have been loosened — causing considerable alarm about the advent of new virus variants. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, mutates over time, and most mutations have little or no influence on the virus's characteristics. Certain mutations, on the other hand, can affect a virus's features, such as how quickly it spreads, the severity of the sickness it causes, and its resistance to vaccines, medicines, and other countermeasures. The WHO has identified four Covid-19 variations as being of concern, including Alpha, which is found in 193 countries, and Delta, which is found in 170. Mu is one of five versions that will be monitored. Mu was first discovered in Colombia and has since been found in various South American countries as well as Europe. According to the WHO, the global prevalence of the disease has dropped to less than 0.1% of sequenced cases. Colombia, on the other hand, has a rate of 39 percent. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hFljUeqGhc

South Ossetia: breakaway republic wants to unite with Russia According to its president, Anatoly Bibilov, South Ossetia, a partially recognized republic in the Caucasus, will begin legal procedures to join the Russian Federation soon. Although Tbilisi hasn't had control of the territory since the Soviet fall in 1991, the majority of the world considers it to be part of Georgia. "I feel that our strategic goal is to unite with Russia. Our path, our people's dreams. And we'll continue on this route. In the near future, we will take proper legal action. "The Republic of South Ossetia will be a part of Russia, which is its ancient motherland,", Bibilov added. South Ossetia, which is located in the South Caucasus, fought a brutal war with Georgia in the early 1990s and was recognized as an independent republic by Russia following the 2008 military conflict between Russia and Georgia, which was sparked by Tbilisi's forces shelling the region where Russian peacekeepers were stationed. Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's then-President and current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, has stated that Russia's decision to employ military force and political will in the fight helped save hundreds of thousands of lives. Moscow, on the other hand, has yet to respond to South Ossetia's most recent aspirations. Abkhazia, Georgia's other breakaway province that was recognized as independent by Moscow in 2008, declared it would not follow South Ossetia's lead. "The Abkhazia Constitution clearly defines us as an independent country,", Valery Kvarchya, the speaker of the Sukhumi parliament, said. Russia is a strategic partner and a close and fraternal country to us, but we have no plans to join the Russian Federation. Thanks for watching. Please consider subscribing to the channel #podcast #SouthOssetia #Russia ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttHdO9k2MCE

Europe: Energy crisis just got worse Europe confronts the winter season with lower nuclear output in France, aggravating the energy situation and leaving huge portions of the continent wishing for a milder winter. EDF, a French utility, shut down two nuclear power facilities on Thursday after discovering a problem with one during normal maintenance. This takes the total number of nuclear power reactors out of service to four, accounting for 13% of current power availability in France, a key electricity exporter to neighboring nations and the United Kingdom. The majority of France's electricity is generated by nuclear power. Nuclear power generates more than 70% of France's total electricity, and the country is a major exporter of electricity, including to the United Kingdom. The outage at the French nuclear plants comes as Europe's temperatures begin to drop and as the continuing natural gas shortage continues, with gas at storage sites reaching ten-year lows. Some nations in northwest Europe may face power shortages if part of France's electrical exports is cut off. If the winter weather is colder than usual, consumers will have little relief from rising power rates and energy bills. This may increase the likelihood of rolling blackouts. Bloomberg notes According to Emeric de Vigan, CEO of energy analysis business COR-e, "it would only take 2-3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal normal to be in trouble now." European power costs soared to new highs on Thursday as a result of France's decision to shut down several of its nuclear units. The outages at France's nuclear power plants come at the worst possible time for Europe's energy supply, given that a cold winter could deplete natural gas inventories and that the German network regulator overseeing the certification of Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline said on Thursday that it would not make a decision until July 2022. Thanks for watching. Please consider subscribing to the channel #Podcast #EnergyCrisis #EnergyOutages ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raT1-Lm_y9w

The secret service hunt for Assange and other inconvenient whistleblowers In a bygone era, they asked me to write a television series about the world's secret services. I refused in no uncertain terms. Mainly because I had the feeling that the whole intelligence world was actually hiding a lot of things. The following thirty years have only confirmed that judgment. Today a prime example is the recent revelations about the Central intelligence agency (CIA) of the United States. In 2017, the CIA apparently toyed with the idea of ​​kidnapping or killing Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeakes, in his shelter at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. WikiLeaks embarrassed the CIA in 2010 when it posted a large number of secret US documents relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan online. Fearing extradition to the United States, Assange (who is an Australian citizen) sought asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012. The intentions became more serious in 2017, when Donald Trump became president of the United States, and named Mike Pompeo head of the CIA. Pompeo was quickly convinced that the Russians would try to move Assange out of the UK to have him at their disposal. The similarities with the murder of Khashoggi. For this reason, the CIA was prepared to anticipate the Russians, with the idea of ​​kidnapping Assange from the embassy and taking him to the United States, or, if that didn't work, to kill him. Emergency plans were also discussed to neutralize a possible Russian attempt to make Assange escape, by attacking the vehicle used for the escape, shooting at the tires of the plane used for the escape, or, again, killing him. The Russians had realized all these plans and had begun to activate their men in the surroundings of the embassy. 'Comic is an understatement,' said a former senior Trump administration official. 'We had gotten to the point where every human being within three blocks (from the embassy) was working for some intelligence service: they could be garbage collectors, police officers, or security officers'. The real point of the matter is that none of Assange's revelations have harmed anyone. Comic and unlikely, but this is probably how the plan to kidnap or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Riyadh consulate in Istanbul, the city where he was in voluntary exile, was conceived. At least the senior officials surrounding Trump proved grown-up enough to realize the insanity of the idea and abandon it. The same did not happen for Muhammad bin Salman's collaborators. Then the government changed in Ecuador and, in 2019, Assange was expelled from the London embassy and then made the subject of an extradition request from the United States. A British court dismissed the petition in early 2021, b ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUKj5uiLgSk