US President Joe Biden's speech on his country's withdrawal from Afghanistan is a turning point in American foreign policy. As the last troops pull out, leaving a shattered nation behind, Washington seems to have few regrets.

"I know my decision will be criticized. But I would rather take all that criticism than pass this decision on to another president of the United States," Biden explained. In essence, he was arguing that his three predecessors didn't have the guts to make the right decision, taking a swipe not only at Donald Trump, whom he mentioned my name, but also at George W. Bush and even his former boss, Barack Obama.

According to the president, the US was never in the business of nation-building in Afghanistan. Its objectives, he claims, were more immediate: to boost security and eliminate those who were responsible for the terrorist attacks on America. Apparently, these objectives have been reached. Questionable as that might be, the claim Washington had no nation-building ambitions is simply not true. However, the fact Biden is now fiercely denying the premise on which his country entered Afghanistan 20 years ago says a lot.

America's 2001 invasion of Afghanistan was an operation that sent a clear message: the US was prepared to transform the world by force. That attitude didn't start with George W. Bush or even Bill Clinton. This idea was first voiced by the American president who claimed victory in the Cold War: George H.W. Bush. Operation Desert Storm, in 1991, became the first sign of the "new world order," but the Soviet Union was still in existence at the time, and the intervention resulted in pushing Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, not in a regime change in Iraq.

A former top Chinese internet censor has been expelled from the Communist Party and will face trial for corruption, the party's top anti-graft body said on Tuesday.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection accused Peng Bo, 64, of disloyalty to the party and failing to supervise the internet industry when he was the deputy chief of the Cyberspace Administration of China.

"Investigations have found that Peng Bo has lost his faith and was disloyal to the party," the commission said in a statement.

"He strayed from the decisions and plans laid down by the Party Central about the propaganda struggle over the internet.

France has gone authoritarian in inept fashion, as its bid to control the movement of its citizens failed TWICE in a week when the platform that generates government QR codes was overwhelmed. The result, predictably, was chaos.

France and other budding authoritarian countries with ambitions to lord over their citizens' movements by introducing health passes have eyes that are bigger than their stomachs. They have proven repeatedly that they're far too incompetent to practice proper authoritarianism. Events last week are a case in point.

The Department of Health has asked the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation for a formal recommendation

The Moderna coronavirus vaccine has been authorised for people in the UK aged between 12 and 17, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said.

The regulator said it is up to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to advise the Government on whether children in this age group should be given the Moderna jab.

Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive, said:

"I am pleased to confirm that that the Covid-19 vaccine made by Moderna has now been authorised in 12 to 17-year-olds. The vaccine is safe and effective in this age group.

"We have in place a comprehensive safety surveillance strategy for monitoring the safety of all UK-approved Covid-19 vaccines and this surveillance will include the 12 to 17-year age group.

"It is for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to advise on whether this age group should be vaccinated with the Covid-19 vaccine made by Moderna as part of the deployment programme."

In what could be an indicator of things to come in the 2022 mid-term election, the GOP flipped a state senate seat in a Connecticut special election on Tuesday night - the first flip for either party in 2021.

The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) announced in an email:

State Republicans tonight delivered the first flip of a state legislative seat in a special election by either party in 2021, as Republican Ryan Fazio defeated liberal Democrat Alex Gevanter in Connecticut's state Senate District 36 - a district Joe Biden won by more than 25% in 2020.

RSLC President Dee Duncan hailed the moment as a sign that the "people of Connecticut are sick and tired" of the Democratic Party's radical agenda:

After holding the line in two Biden-won districts in New England early this year, our momentum continues tonight with the first successful flip of the 2021-2022 election cycle. Congratulations to Ryan Fazio on running a strong campaign. His victory demonstrates that the people of Connecticut are sick and tired of the radical tax and spend agenda coming from Democrats in Hartford and in Washington, D.C. They're looking for common-sense leaders who will champion conservative policies that will revive the economy, create jobs, reduce regulations, lower taxes, and keep families safe.

With Democrats controlling Washington, it's more important than ever that we have strong Republican leadership in the states. Tonight's result is further evidence that Republicans are on offense this cycle, and the RSLC has no intention of slowing down when it comes to winning the tough fights ahead of us. The RSLC will continue to support state Republicans to ensure wins like this so that we can grow the future of our party and stop socialism from spreading to the states.

To illustrate the significance of tonight's victory, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) told its supporters in a fundraising email that a loss in Connecticut's state Senate District 36 would put all of the committee's 2018 gains in jeopardy.

Georgia's State Election Board on Wednesday took a step toward a possible eventual takeover of elections in the state's most populous county under a process outlined in the state's sweeping new voting law that critics argue could open elections up to political interference.

The board voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a bipartisan, three-person review panel to investigate the handling of elections in Fulton County, a Democratic bastion that includes most of the city of Atlanta.

The county has long been a target for Republicans. Their attacks increased after former President Donald Trump baselessly claimed that fraud in the county contributed to his narrow loss in the state. An independent monitor appointed as part of a consent order between the county and the State Election Board found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.


GOP lawmakers last month asked the state board to appoint the performance review panel, initiating the process that could allow the Republican-controlled state board to replace the county's board of registration and elections with an administrator it chooses.

Fulton County accounts for about 11% of the state's electorate and President Joe Biden won nearly 73% of votes cast there in the November election. The county is about 45.5% white, 44.5% Black and about 7.6% people of Asian descent, according to U.S. Census data.

The review panel approved by the state board includes: Stephen Day, a Democratic appointee to the Gwinnett County election board; Ricky Kittle, a Republican appointee to the Catoosa County election board; and Ryan Germany, general counsel for the secretary of state's office.

Comedian Stephen Colbert comparing the Taliban to January 6 Capitol rioters may seem silly and dumb, but when he's joined by a chorus of Democrat activists, it becomes clear they're really saying the quiet part out loud.

"Why should our soldiers be fighting radicals in a civil war in Afghanistan? We've got our own on Capitol Hill," Colbert said during his show on Monday night, showing the photos of the January riot that Democrats like him insist was an "insurrection" against Our Democracy.


While the line got a laugh from the studio audience in New York, it was not really a joke - but a way to amplify the talking points put forth by Washington. After a weekend of watching in stunned silence as the US-backed Afghan government collapsed even before Western troops, diplomats and NGO staff could leave the country - resulting in harrowing images of stampedes at the Kabul airport - President Joe Biden returned to DC on Monday and tried to change the narrative.

Instead of addressing the downfall and the way it caught the US unprepared, Biden talked about the merits of leaving - a straw man issue, since the overwhelming majority of Americans actually agree. The ones that don't are the neocon hawks like Bill Kristol, the Cheney-Kinzinger 'Republicans' and the Lincoln Project types, all of whom backed Biden in 2020.

Taking credit for ending the war and arguing US troops shouldn't be fighting a civil war in Afghanistan, Biden left without taking questions from the media. His mission was accomplished: he had served up a new narrative to fill the void created by the Taliban's reality bomb.

That certainly appears to be the context for the first half of Colbert's "joke." As for the second, it caught the attention of journalist Glenn Greenwald, who warned back in January that Washington was itching to turn the powers of the national security state against domestic political opponents.

NANDO'S restaurants across the UK have been forced to close amid a lack of food and a shortage of deliveries.

The chicken chain, known for its Portuguese-inspired Peri-Peri flavours despite having been founded in South Africa, said the problems were a result of "disruption" across the UK supply chain.

On social media, the company described the supply issues as a "bit of a 'mare" and asked customers to remain patient.

It also said that it would be sending 70 of its staff to help to sort the supply issues more rapidly.

Like many people around the world, as of mid-2021, I have had to come to terms with the sordid likelihood that the only way I will ever see my family again is online.

My country, Canada, has chosen to implement increasingly draconian and frankly unscientific policies in the name of 'protecting' people. What Canadian authorities are really doing is ensuring an uptake of the experimental jabs. Don't want to take them? No worries, but you're not welcome in Canada.

Recently, my RT colleague, Rachel Marsden, described her anguish at being forced to turn away from her country and family because Canada has decided it is the 'science police' and has decided which 'science' matters.

She wrote, "I committed the apparent violation of trying to re-enter my own country with proof of naturally acquired Covid-19 antibodies made by my own immune system post-recovery rather than those generated by the manmade Covid-19 vaccine about which much is still to be learned." She noted that even her doctor had advised her against vaccination. But, for Canada, that is apparently irrelevant.

Some Kabul residents cautiously ventured back to work through quiet streets on Tuesday, fearful after a night broken by the sound of gunfire and facing questions from their new Taliban rulers stationed at checkpoints across the Afghan capital.

The Islamist Taliban, who stopped women from working and administered punishments including public stoning during their previous 1996-2001 rule, swept the country in days as U.S.-backed government forces melted away.

While the Taliban have pledged there will be no retribution against opponents and promised to respect the rights of women, minorities and foreigners, many Afghans are sceptical.

But they also know life must go on.