I'd like to propose a thread of all USA material right here. Please feel free and actually just do it or face the wrath if you don't.

Anything USA only should go here. Everyone happy?????????????

Mods...Admins...Boss...I ask you to make this a sticky for those who have a problem with US posts.

People who look like this

are massacring  protestors

And it would seem that it doesn't matter if you get your clothes from a tailor on Saville Row, or by the yard from a fabric store, the greed is well entrenched, in any bunch of miscreants that get their hand on power, anywhere.

Mojtaba Khamenei (son of the Boss in Iran) has amassed international investments, amid widespread economic hardship in Iran LINK

It would appear that several of London’s most exclusive neighbourhoods - nicknamed “Beverly Hills of Dubai” and “Billionaire’s Row” etc, are popular places for the powerful to hide their money.

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Coss comment:

Unsubstantiated rumours that the powerful, including mosques full 'o middle eastern types, Putin, his Oligarchs, The Drumpfs and Thaksin from Thailand have stripped their countries of as much as they can and hidden their ill gotten gains in London  and elsewhere, are just that - unsubstantiated and secret.

Much of what happens that arouses us, does not need to be geographically corralled.

Ergo, this thread.

He had his own declaration too. It outraged so many people. It was great!

Zachary (@ZedAyySeeKay)

https://www.bbc.com/...litics-44774702

And now Theresa has to make nice with the Donald, whom is due in a few days.

This is gonna be good TV, get the beer in...

Protests are escalating around the world. Seems no longer about the Israelis v Palestinians. Both sides appear guilty of  war crimes.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/31/have-war-crimes-been-committed-in-israel-and-gaza-and-what-international-laws-apply

'bout time - but/...

LINK

The Philippine Supreme Court in a landmark decision has ruled that same-sex couples can be considered co-owners of property.

Applying a provision of the country's Family Code for the first time, the court said same-sex couples can be recognised as co-owners if it is proven that both parties contributed to acquiring a property.

Same-sex unions are outlawed in conservative Catholic Philippines and it is the only country in the world, outside of the Vatican, that does not allow divorce.

This has left LGBT couples without legal protections when it comes to property, finance and healthcare.

.....

We have a subscription in Australia called Smartraveler. I'm sure other countries have something similar. This came through today.

Due to ongoing dispute along the Cambodia-Thailand border, the closure of all land border crossing points was announced on 24 June 2025. This situation can change at short notice, monitor local media for the latest updates and follow the advice of local authorities (see ‘Travel’).

There have been reports of fatal cases of avian influenza (H5N1) or bird flu in Cambodia. Avoid close contact with birds and animals that might be infected, especially dead or sick birds, and avoid places like poultry or dairy farms and markets that sell live animals (see 'Health').

World Anti-Doping Agency bosses 'will look at' claims of penis enlargement in ski jumping

The surface area of the suit in ski jumping plays a huge role.

In anti-doping matters, there are precious few matters to laugh about.

So when the subject of penis enhancement came up in the WADA press conference at the Milano Cortina Games on Thursday, there were more than a few chuckles and smiles.

Nevertheless, World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Bańka told journalists he would investigate suspicions that ski jumpers were using injections to artificially enhance their penises to help performance on the slopes.

"Ski jumping is very popular in Poland," Bańka said, more than a hint of a smile on his face.

"I promise I will look at it."

Witold Bańka (left) and Olivier Niggli were a little taken aback by the question.

A penis enlargement scandal may sound like an infantile joke thought up by schoolboys in the playground to test the teacher's patience and make their classmates snigger.

But last month, German newspaper Bild reported claims that skiers were taking extraordinary measures to gain an advantage, including by injecting hyaluronic acid into their penises to enlarge them.

One may reasonably ask why this is an issue, but it is important because ski jumpers are highly dependent on utilising the surface area of their suits to generate lift as they fly through the air.

Suit dimensions for each athlete are strictly regulated on an individual basis.

In part, the overall permitted dimensions are dictated by an athlete's stride length, with the lowest point of their crotch area determined by 3D modelling.

If the genitals are larger and therefore hang lower, a larger suit will be needed. That would help their flight by generating more lift, much like a wing suit helps skydivers glide long distances.

"I am not aware of the details of ski jumping and how this can help," WADA director-general Olivier Niggli said at WADA's press conference in Milan.

"If anything were to come to the surface, we would look at anything if it were doping-related.

"Our list committee would certainly look into whether this would fall in this category, but I haven't heard about this until you mentioned it."

Marius Lindvik was banned for three months for suit manipulation. (Getty Images: Tom Weller)

The topic has been widely discussed in Milan, with Austrian cross-country skier Mika Vermeulen telling the Skirious Problems podcast he co-hosts with British skier James Clugnet that cheating was widespread.

Vermeulen, who used to compete in Nordic combined as a junior, said jumpers used to place lumps of plasticine in their underwear to lower their measurements. However, he acknowledged he had not been in the sport for a few years and could not say how widespread it was.

Suit manipulation is a big deal in ski jumping, with officials taking to microchipping suits to ensure they are not changed after being scrutinised.

ABC Sport Daily podcast

ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines.

In Beijing, five women's ski jumpers were disqualified from the mixed team competition for having oversized suits.

This year, Slovenian jumper Timi Zajc was excluded from the Four Hills Tournament because his suit was too short.

But the biggest scandal came last year: five Norwegian jumpers and three staff members were suspended for modifying suits with a sewing machine.

Head coach Magnus Brevik was given an 18-month suspension, while defending large hill Olympic gold medallist Marius Lindvik and 2018 Olympic large hill champion Johann André Forfang were banned for three months.

Below are two links that seem to to give a more or less accurate picture of Laos today and with reference to the virus situation.

Foreign diplomats briefed on COVID-19 situation, preventive measures

Though these are announcements, and who know what is actually being put in place, I can report that on the ground, MLG's family and friends are taking the situation very seriously. They have cancelled the Lao New Year parties, which normally involve everyone in the whole country.

Public Notice

Leavng aside the argument of Capitalism vs Communism etc, this is a good statement from the leaders. I can't see much of this from any Western Leader. 

Crans-Montana ski resort fire witnesses recall how the tragic blaze unfolded

Swiss residents have been left reeling after a blaze broke out a resort bar in the early hour of the New Year.

As the resort town of Crans-Montana reels from the news of a tragic fire at a New Year's Eve party, a witness has recalled hearing screams and seeing people covered in blood in the aftermath of the bar blaze.

Around 40 people are believed dead and 115 others are injured, according to local authorities.

Many are suffering from serious injuries, including burns.

Around 40 killed in New Year's fire at Swiss ski resort bar

 

Swiss President Guy Parmelin has described the blaze at Le Constellation bar as "one of the worst tragedies" the country has ever seen. 

The fire started at Le Constellation bar about 1:30am, local time, on January 1 after a crowd of young people packed into the venue to ring in the new year.

"I thought it was like [a] fight, like usual, maybe when people are drunk. But at the end … people start[ed] to scream," witness Ariel Amar, from Geneva, told the ABC.

"And after I've seen a guy pass next to me, covered in blood, burned.

"Even my brother came to help over there. So it was really shocking to see something like this, even when there was so much people, a lot of young people."

It is not yet known what caused the blaze but witnesses have told media outlets patrons were waving sparklers close to the basement bar's wooden ceiling at the time the fire broke out.

Mobile phone vision shows Le Constellation bar engulfed by flames in the early hours of January 1.

The sparklers were reportedly attached to champagne bottles.

"The sparks flew up to the ceiling and the whole thing caught fire. In a few seconds, the entire ceiling was on fire," one witness, Julie, told The Times.

Officials said the blaze likely triggered the release of combustible gases that ignited violently and caused what firefighters call a flashover or backdraft.

As the flames quickly spread, a crowd of people surged to the exit.

Eyewitness accounts suggest revellers made their way out of the basement using a narrow staircase or picked up furniture to smash through windows.

"I thought I was either going to die or I'd manage to get out," eyewitness Nathan said.

"But the only way was through a window, but the windows were blocked, so I grabbed a table and tried to smash it against a window.

"I couldn't, and I thought, well, I'm going to die. But finally, I managed to kick the glass, it broke, and then we got out."

First responders were quick to arrive on the scene but faced a difficult task treating a flood of injured people.

Mr Amar said emergency services appeared to be "overwhelmed", at least at first, as they began triaging revellers.

"The fire started really quickly, so they didn't [know] maybe how to act with this many people injured," he said.

"A lot of people helped them."

'They still haven't found the children missing'

Parents of missing children have been making their way to nearby hospitals in search of any news about their loved ones.

"We have some friends who went to the hospital directly to looking for their children, and they still haven't found the children missing," Mr Amar said.

"So it's terrifying."

Swiss officials said it could take days before they name all the victims.

Mathias Reynard, head of government of the canton of Valais, told Reuters that experts were using dental and DNA samples for the task.

"All this work needs to be done because the information is so terrible and sensitive that nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100 per cent sure," he said.

Bar was popular for young people

Located in south-western Switzerland, Crans-Montana is a popular spot for wealthy foreign tourists visiting during the ski season.

Witnesses said the bar where the blaze broke out was a regular meeting place for younger clientele.

Police stand guard near the scene of a blaze at a Swiss resort.

"It's really popular when you're a bit young, when [you're] from 16 or 17 years old. But some friends, all the little boys go there," Mr Amar said.

"When I was younger, I went there.

"So it's shocking."

Many of those at the venue at the time of the blaze were aged between 15 and 20 years old.

It is already feared the blaze could be one of Switzerland's biggest disasters given the number of people impacted.

Vigils as locals recall 'horror movie' blaze

As residents come to terms with the tragedy, dozens of people have begun leaving flowers on a makeshift altar at the top of the road leading to the bar.

Three people pay tribute to victims in a Swiss resort bar blaze.

Others have gathered around the vigil to stand in silence or light candles, some hugging each other for support.

"It was like a horror movie," Ilan Achour, 26, told Reuters.

"I lost my best friend, who was in my arms. We tried to revive her. There were firefighters, there were police officers, everyone was everywhere. It was insane."

Another local told the outlet that the blaze was a reminder tragedy could strike anywhere.

"You think you're safe here but this can happen anywhere. They were people like us," Piermarco Pani, 18, said.

Police have cordoned off most of the area near the blaze as the search begins to find its cause.

ABC/wires

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/violence-against-myanmar-demonstrators-draws-us-condemnation-20210210-p5713w.html

Philippines becomes regional star as gloom descends around Asia

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-wp-blm-news-bc-philippines24-20150824-story.html

MANILA, Philippines — It's more what the Philippines doesn't have than what it does have that's making the country Southeast Asia's safe haven amid an emerging-market rout.

Relatively low levels of foreign investment in its bonds and stocks are shielding the Philippines from an intensifying selloff, while a comparative lack of raw materials means it's less vulnerable than Indonesia or Malaysia to sliding commodities prices. Stability under President Benigno Aquino stands in contrast to Thailand, ruled by the military since May 2014, and Malaysia, where the prime minister is facing calls to resign amid a political scandal.

Philippine local-currency sovereign bonds returned 2.9 percent over the last three months, the most in Southeast Asia. The peso has held up better than its peers, losing 4.5 percent, compared with drops of 8 percent in Thailand's baht, 12 percent in Indonesia's rupiah and 18 percent in Malaysia's ringgit. The benchmark Manila stocks index has also declined the least in the region over the period.

"It's definitely the regional star," said Edwin Gutierrez, who helps oversee $13 billion as the head of emerging-market sovereign debt at Aberdeen Asset Management in London. "In a world starved of growth, Philippine growth -- albeit slowing -- is holding up relatively well," he said, adding that a relative lack of foreign participation had protected the country from capital flight.

The economy expanded 5.7 percent last quarter from a year earlier, according to a Bloomberg survey before data due Aug. 27. That would be an improvement from 5.2 percent expansion in the first three months, although slower than 6.1 percent in 2014. Indonesian and Malaysian growth slowed to 4.67 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively, last quarter, while Thai gross domestic product increased 2.8 percent.

A burgeoning business-process outsourcing industry is aiding the Philippine economy. Revenue from BPO, which includes customer call centers as well as the farming out of accounting tasks, will rise to $21.2 billion this year and $25 billion in 2016 from $18 billion in 2014, according to the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines.

Money sent home by Filipinos living abroad, which makes up about 10 percent of GDP, increased 5.6 percent to $12.1 billion in the first half from a year earlier. A net oil importer, the Philippines has also benefited from falling crude prices. The country ran a $3.3 billion current-account surplus in the first quarter, compared with $1.5 billion in the same period of 2014, according to central bank data...

Myanmar's military government has charged more than 200 people with violating the Southeast Asian country’s voting law ahead of a general election at the end of the month, keeping up pressure on opponents of the polls.

Critics of the election — which starts on Dec. 28 — claim it will be neither free nor fair and that it is designed to add the facade of legitimacy to military rule that began after the army in February 2021 ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

The takeover triggered widespread popular opposition that has grown into a civil war, which has complicated holding the polls in many contested areas. This is one of the reasons voting will be held in three phases, with the second on Jan. 11 and the third on Jan. 25

...LINK