Saturday, 31 October 2020

2020 election results: Why Americans probably won’t find out who won on 3 November

2020 election results: Why Americans probably won’t find out who won on 3 November'There is no chance that we will know on election night the full vote total in Michigan'




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3jNHRlQ
via IFTTT

Dem Rep. Tells Hunter Biden’s Business Partner He Will Defend Him against ‘Partisan Hack’ Attack

Dem Rep. Tells Hunter Biden’s Business Partner He Will Defend Him against ‘Partisan Hack’ AttackA Democratic congressman told Hunter Biden’s former business associate, Tony Bobulinski, that he will defend him from attacks calling Bobulinski a "partisan hack" over his decision to go public with claims about the Biden family's foreign business dealings.Democratic Representative Ro Khanna sent an email to Bobulinski, who has donated to Khanna in the past, wishing him well and saying he vouched for him that he has "never been a ‘partisan hack’ in our interactions and have talked about putting country over party," Fox News reported.“Tony, hope you are doing okay. I did give an on the record statement to The NY Times that I know you, you have always acted honorably with me, and you and other family members supported me,” Khanna wrote in his message. “I have told any media outlets that have asked the same thing.”The California Democrat said that he “refused to comment on the details of your allegations because I don’t have personal knowledge about that, but have said I respect your service to our country and that you have never been a ‘partisan hack’ in our interactions and have talked about putting country over party.”In a Fox News interview that was aired Tuesday, Bobulinksi accused Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden of “lying” about whether he was directly involved in his son’s foreign business dealings.The former U.S. Navy lieutenant and corporate investor was the former CEO of SinoHawk Holdings, which he said was a partnership between the CEFC China Energy conglomerate and the Biden family. He was the recipient of a May 13, 2017 email that discussed a plan to have 10 percent in their related joint venture, Oneida Holdings, “held by H for the big guy?” The “big guy” was Joe Biden, and “H” was Hunter, Bobulinski confirmed.Bobulinski said he had several meetings with the former vice president, one on May 2, 2017, according to text messages about the meeting.Bobulinski said he decided to go public with documents and information on the Bidens after Democratic congressman Adam Schiff said on television that this “smear” of Biden “comes from the Kremlin,” a claim Bobulinski called "absolutely disgusting."“I also have made it clear that I do not think you are a Russian agent,” Khanna added in his email to Bobulinski. “I will continue to make that statement to any media that asks.”“I remain appreciative for your past support and your requesting your family members to support,” Khanna said. “After the heat of the election, if you want to, I am happy to chat.”Bobulinski also said he was warned by former partner Rob Walker that going public with his claims against the Bidens would “bury all of us.”“Throughout 2015 and 2016 while Joe was still the sitting vice president of the United States, these guys had been doing extensive work around the world,” Bobulinski said in the Fox News interview, adding that “the only qualification they had was the Biden name.”




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2HQ8Tf2
via IFTTT

'They give me the willies': scientist who vacuumed murder hornets braces for fight

'They give me the willies': scientist who vacuumed murder hornets braces for fightChris Looney helped dismantle the first nest of Asian giant hornets in the US. Now he’s preparing for the next stepThe eradication of the first nest of Asian giant hornets on US soil somewhat resembled a science fiction depiction of an alien landing site. A crew of government specialists in white, astronaut-like protective suits descended upon the hornet nexus to vanquish it with a futuristic-looking vacuum cleaner, to the relief of onlookers.The nest of the fearsome invasive insects, notoriously known as “murder hornets”, was found in a tree crevice near Blaine, in Washington state, via a tracking device attached to a previously captured worker hornet. The Washington state department of agriculture (WSDA) confirmed the nest had been successfully removed, with dozens of live captives taken back for inspection.“It was cold so they were docile, so between their slowness and the protective gear no one was hurt,” said Chris Looney, a WSDA entomologist who was tasked with vacuuming up the hornets.Wielding a lengthy, toxic stinger, the hornets can cause renal failure and death in people, as dozens of people in Japan have found out to their cost. One entomologist in Canada described the feeling of being stung as like “having hot tacks pushed into my flesh”.They can also squirt venom, as Looney saw first-hand when his lab workbench was sprayed by hornets as they roused themselves following capture. “I was more worried about getting permanent nerve damage in the eye from the squirted venom than being stung,” said Looney, who wore goggles for the capture. “They are pretty intimidating, even for an inch-and-a-half insect. They are big and loud and I know it would hurt very badly if I get stung. They give me the willies.”Murder hornets do not earn their moniker from killing people, however, with honeybees far more likely to be targeted. A honeybee colony can be decimated within a few hours, with the hornets decapitating their victims and feeding severed body parts to their young. This poses a gnawing concern for hobbyist beekeepers and even farmers in the US north-west, where managed honeybees are crucial for the pollination of crops such as blueberries and raspberries.Asian giant hornets were first discovered in North America last year, popping up in British Columbia, Canada, before a handful of specimens made it south of the border to Washington state. The hornets, native to east Asia, most likely arrived on the continent clinging to imported goods sent via sea or air. A close relative of the hornet has already made separate inroads into France and the UK.A key, and unnerving, question is how far they will manage to spread across America. Looney said the removal of the first nest found in the US was just a “small victory” in a battle likely to rage for several years to contain the insects. Thousands of sightings have been reported in Washington, and while many are false or mistaken, Looney said it was likely the hornets had spread, potentially establishing dozens more nests.“It’s hard to say how they will behave here compared to their native range, but the fear is that there are large apiaries of bees that could be sitting ducks, while as the hornets move south to warmer weather their colonies could grow larger,” he said. “The object of our work is to avoid finding this out.”Scientists who have modeled the potential spread of the hornets predict they will be able to extend down the west coast into California. The Rocky Mountains and drier interior of the US pose major barriers to an eastward push but environs on the east coast such as New York would be ideal homes for the murder hornets should they inadvertently be transported there.Looney said he was “troubled” by evidence that overwintering hornet queens like to bury themselves in straw and hay, commodities that are regularly shifted around the US by train or truck. A hornet queen that hitched a ride would still face challenges establishing a nest even if moved to the east coast – it could immediately be crushed underfoot, after all – but the potential pathway is there.“I’m more worried about human transportation of these hornets than I initially was,” Looney conceded.The Asian giant hornet is just the latest invasive species to make its mark on North America. Burmese pythons are now legion in southern Florida, while Asian carp are common in the Mississippi river system. In the insect world, the spotted lanternfly is a growing agricultural pest and emerald ash borers have arrived to lay waste to stands of trees.These arrivals are symptoms of the growth in international trade and tourism, while climate change is making many parts of the US more hospitable for certain invasive species. The Asian giant hornet, for example, is thought to favor the sort of elevated temperatures that the US is experiencing as the planet heats up. This could help it spread at the rate of its cousin species in France, which has been able to advance up to 78km a year. If it is not controlled, the murder hornet could fundamentally change ecosystems across the US.Still, even in a fraught year racked by a pandemic, social unrest and economic disaster, Looney said any fears of being assailed by a murder hornet should be “low on the anxiety meter”.He added: “We should be concerned about it but we will do our best until the money runs out or the battle is won or lost. If we fail, it will be unpleasant. But there are other things to be much more worried about right now.”




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2HIAH5G
via IFTTT

Tensions between left and right-wing protesters in Vancouver, Washington, after a Black man was shot dead by police officers in a drugs bust

Tensions between left and right-wing protesters in Vancouver, Washington, after a Black man was shot dead by police officers in a drugs bustKevin E. Peterson Jr, 21, produced a handgun and was shot dead by deputies, said Clark County Sheriff's Office.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2TGUlkU
via IFTTT

Pennsylvania's small-town Trump defectors: Rare — but possibly decisive

Pennsylvania's small-town Trump defectors: Rare — but possibly decisiveAnalysis: In one of the most hotly contested 2020 battlegrounds, some Democrats worry that Trump will win. But it wouldn't take many Trump crossover votes to tip the state to Biden.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31W8j6T
via IFTTT

Coronavirus surges are helping flip swing states back for Biden, analysis suggests

Coronavirus surges are helping flip swing states back for Biden, analysis suggestsThe trend mirrors national polling, which shows the president behind by about 8 points




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31Xrs8z
via IFTTT

Body-camera footage released of Wallace killing; family says officers were improperly trained

Body-camera footage released of Wallace killing; family says officers were improperly trainedThe footage from body-worn cameras that was taken as police responded to a call about Walter Wallace Jr. shows him emerging from a house with a knife as relatives shout at officers about his mental health condition, a lawyer for the man's family said Thursday.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/37VmH2R
via IFTTT

A high school newspaper has exposed how state police quoted Adolf Hitler and advocated violence in a training manual

A high school newspaper has exposed how state police quoted Adolf Hitler and advocated violence in a training manualThe training manual quotes from Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf, calling for the "perpetually constant and regular employment of violence."




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2HJlnFX
via IFTTT

SBA presses big businesses to justify aid, sparking uproar

SBA presses big businesses to justify aid, sparking uproarThe questions posed by the SBA have rattled banks, which issued the loans and would be responsible for delivering the questionnaires to the agency.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2HNsI6P
via IFTTT

'My parents had hearts of gold, they didn't deserve it'

How people are dealing with the effects of coronavirus in one New York neighbourhood.

from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/2TJaVR8

Christians Worldwide Mark International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Millions of Christians worldwide will unite on Sunday, Nov. 1 to join the global Body of Christ for the 2020 International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted (IDOP).

from CBNNews.com https://ift.tt/2TFVbhN Worldwide Mark International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Christians Worldwide Mark International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Millions of Christians worldwide will unite on Sunday, Nov. 1 to join the global Body of Christ for the 2020 International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted (IDOP).

from CBNNews.com https://ift.tt/3eciyZL

Robot Bores: AI-powered awkward first date

Two chatbots meet and put the world to rights online in battle to see who is most human-like.

from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/3mIzQki
via IFTTT

US Election 2020: Biden and Trump in last weekend dash round swing states

Joe Biden is in Michigan while Donald Trump arrives in Pennsylvania, both key to the White House race.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3ecV4U6

US election: The big issue that could hurt Trump

Just ahead of the election, the US is seeing what could be the largest outbreak of the pandemic so far.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3kQx63C

US election 2020: 'It just makes me feel like a nobody'

Former prisoner Davion Hampton from Florida wants to vote in this US election. But he can't.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/320sWi5

US election: 'All Republicans should marry Democrats'

Chenren and Cathy Shao haven't let political differences get in the way of their eight-year marriage.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2HVJXmN

US election 2020: The great dividing line of this campaign

For some Americans, civil unrest after police shootings is driving their support for Donald Trump.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2TJaHte

For transgender people in the military, much hinges on presidential election

For transgender people in the military, much hinges on presidential electionJoe Biden has been vague about his plans for the military if he wins the election, but one specific promise he has made is to roll back the Trump administration policy that effectively bars transgender service members from serving openly in accord with their gender identity.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2HG5aBj
via IFTTT

Police reach breaking point amid protests, pandemic, rising crime

Police reach breaking point amid protests, pandemic, rising crimeAmid rising crime rates, a polarizing election and the continued high-profile police killings of Black Americans, some police veterans say they can't recall a tougher time to be an officer.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/38cjXi3
via IFTTT

Friday, 30 October 2020

Who is leading key Senate races less than a week from election? Here’s what polls show

Who is leading key Senate races less than a week from election? Here’s what polls showWith five days to go, here’s how candidates stack up in key U.S. Senate races.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3e7rgIu
via IFTTT

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

OFFICERS AMBUSHED: Two New Orleans cops shot at in French Quarter

10/30/20 5:30 PM

Nursing Homes, Racked by the Virus, Face a New Crisis: Isolation


By BY JACK HEALY, DANIELLE IVORY AND SERGE F. KOVALESKI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2TCEnIb

Time Running Short, Trump and Biden Return to Northern Battlegrounds


By BY THOMAS KAPLAN AND ANNIE KARNI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3eeng93

Coronavirus: Slovakia holds national test but president calls for delay

Everyone in Slovakia over the age of 10 is to be tested for Covid - but the president is sceptical.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2HL5z50

Covid: Belgium announces return to national lockdown

Non-essential shops will close until mid-December to help curb the highest infection rate in Europe.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2TKYvYF

US election: What Latino first-time voters want

Every 30 seconds, a Latino in the US turns 18 and becomes eligible to vote.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/364Khbd

Berlin airport opens... 10 years late

Berlin's new airport is finally opening to the public, 10 years behind schedule and billions over budget.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3ecZ4UF

Woman Beheaded in French Knife ‘Terror’ Attack at Church, 3 Dead

Woman Beheaded in French Knife ‘Terror’ Attack at Church, 3 DeadThree people have been killed—including one elderly woman and another person by decapitation—and several others injured in a suspected terror attack inside the Notre-Dame basilica in the French city of Nice. The knife-wielding assailant, who was wounded by police gunfire, allegedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” several times, including while he was being detained, in what has come to be known as a battle cry for Islamic extremists in Europe.The city’s mayor, Christian Estrosi, wrote immediately after the killings that “everything suggests a terrorist attack,” and said the unnamed suspect had been arrested and taken to a hospital in the city. The Paris’ anti-terror prosecutors office said it has opened an investigation. Italian police said late Thursday that the killer is a 21-year-old Tunisian migrant who was smuggled to the Italian island of Lampedusa in September. After he completed the mandatory two-week COVID-19 quarantine, he left the migrant camp and made his way to France. Authorities have his details and fingerprints as part of the immigration process and are working with French police. “The suspected knife attacker was shot by police while being detained. He is on his way to hospital, he is alive,” Estrosi told reporters at the scene. Although a motive has not been confirmed by officials, the mayor expressed his wish to “wipe out Islamo-fascism” from the country.French President Emmanuel Macron declared a state of emergency and ordered security to be strengthened at places of worship across the nation. On Wednesday night, Macron had put France back into lockdown because of its out-of-control resurgence in coronavirus cases. Hours after the attack, he visited the basilica and met with security and rescue personnel.The Nice slashings occurred on the same day that an assailant was shot dead by police near another French city, Avignon, after he reportedly waved a gun at officers, and also as a guard was reportedly attacked outside the French consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Local reports in the French Riviera city say the elderly woman and a man who died were attacked inside the heart of the Nice basilica. The BBC reports a woman who fled to a nearby cafe was stabbed many times and died at a hospital, and that a witness at the scene managed to set off an alarm on a “special protection system” set up by city officials. One eyewitness told the BBC: “We heard many people shouting in the street. We saw from the window that there were many, many policemen coming, and gunshots, many gunshots.”In July 2016, Nice was the scene of unthinkable carnage when an armed French delivery driver attacked a waterfront Bastille Day fireworks party with a truck, killing at 84 people, including 10 children. France has been under high alert for terrorist acts in recent weeks as 14 people suspected of murdering 12 Charlie Hebdo staffers, a female police officer, and four men in a Jewish supermarket in 2015 in retaliation for the publication of cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad went on trial.As the courtroom proceedings opened, two people were stabbed near the publication’s old offices in Paris on Sept. 25 in what the French interior minister then declared was “clearly an act of Islamist terrorism.”The Nice attack also comes less than two weeks after the beheading of middle-school teacher Samuel Paty in Paris after he had shown his students cartoons published by the satirical magazine.Estrosi said the two attacks were similar. “The methods match, without doubt, those used against the brave teacher in Conflans Sainte Honorine, Samuel Paty,” he said.Family of Moscow-Born Teen Who Beheaded Teacher Were from Chechnya Where Charlie Hebdo Cartoons Are DemonizedPresident Macron delivered the eulogy at Paty’s funeral, and said France would not abandon its right to free speech. “We will continue, Professor. We will defend the freedom that you taught so well and we will promote secularism, we will not renounce caricatures, drawings, even if others retreat,” Macron said. “We will continue the fight for freedom and the freedom of which you are now the face.”Macron’s comments have drawn sharp criticism in the Islamic world with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling for a boycott of French goods. In response, Charlie Hebdo published a caricature of Erdogan in his underwear lifting a Muslim woman’s skirt on Wednesday, drawing scorn from Erdogan for what he referred to as a “a grave insult to my prophet.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3ejiCad
via IFTTT

FBI Investigating Hunter Biden for Money Laundering: Report

FBI Investigating Hunter Biden for Money Laundering: ReportThe FBI opened an investigation into Hunter Biden and associates in 2019 on suspicion of money laundering, a Justice Department official told Sinclair Broadcasting.The criminal investigation is ongoing, the DOJ official said.The revelation comes after Tony Bobulinski, a former business partner of Hunter Biden, came forward with a trove of documents regarding the Biden family's dealings with now-defunct Chinese energy firm CEFC. While Joe Biden has denied that he has ever spoken with Hunter regarding the latter's overseas business dealings, Bobulinski claims the former vice president is lying.> EXCLUSIVE: Tony Bobulinski tells @WeAreSinclair he was questioned by six @FBI agents, with counsel present, for five hours on October 23, listing him as a "material witness" in an ongoing investigation focused on Hunter Biden and his associates. His cell phones were examined. pic.twitter.com/5lPzRTREJN> > -- James Rosen (@JamesRosenTV) October 29, 2020Additionally, Bobulinski told Sinclair that he was interviewed by FBI agents for five hours last Friday and was listed as a "material witness" for the agency.The interview "was a very cooperative deep dive into all the facts across that time period" during which Bobulinski conducted business with members of the Biden family, Bobulinski said.The New York Post reported earlier this month that it was given materials purportedly from Hunter Biden’s laptop. While a subsequent Fox News report revealed that Hunter Biden’s laptop was subpoenaed by the FBI in connection with a money laundering investigation, the Thursday report by Sinclair marks the first confirmation that Hunter Biden himself is the subject of an ongoing criminal probe.The Biden campaign has not denied the veracity of any of the materials revealed by the Post or Bobulinski. However, the campaign has stated that "Joe Biden has never even considered being involved in business with his family, nor in any overseas business whatsoever."




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3eagWzJ
via IFTTT

Popular Thai pro-democracy figure charged over flash mob rally

Popular Thai pro-democracy figure charged over flash mob rallyOne of Thailand’s most popular anti-establishment politicians has been charged for his role in an illegal flash mob protest last year, in a move that is likely to fuel the current wave of pro-democracy protests. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, 41, a charismatic billionaire and founder of the dissolved Future Forward party, is accused of five public assembly violations linked to the rally in Bangkok's central shopping district last December, Krisadung Nutcharat, his lawyer, said on Thursday. The charges include failing to notify police of a public gathering, blocking a sky train station, using a megaphone without permission and holding a rally close to a royal residence. Four other people from his Progressive Movement Group and Move Forward Party face similar charges. All five deny any wrongdoing. Mr Thanathorn has been an outspoken advocate of the protest movement that has gripped the Thai capital, Bangkok, since June, and he recently condemned a short-lived emergency order aimed at keeping demonstrators off the streets. During last year’s elections, he and his pro-democracy Future Forward Party, proved to be enormously popular with young, first-time voters, and garnered the third-largest share of seats.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3mDcDQb
via IFTTT

Kyle Rittenhouse extradited to Wisconsin following terse ruling from Illinois judge accusing him of asking the court to 'ignore binding Illinois law'

Kyle Rittenhouse extradited to Wisconsin following terse ruling from Illinois judge accusing him of asking the court to 'ignore binding Illinois law'Rittenhouse, charged in Wisconsin with first-degree homicide over the shooting of three people at Kenosha protests, had been fighting his extradition.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34IG8Kw
via IFTTT

Body-camera footage released of Wallace killing; family says officers were improperly trained

Body-camera footage released of Wallace killing; family says officers were improperly trainedThe footage from body-worn cameras that was taken as police responded to a call about Walter Wallace Jr. shows him emerging from a house with a knife as relatives shout at officers about his mental health condition, a lawyer for the man's family said Thursday.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/37VmH2R
via IFTTT

Republican Sen. Mike Lee said fact-checking labels placed by social media companies are a form of censorship

Republican Sen. Mike Lee said fact-checking labels placed by social media companies are a form of censorshipThe comment was made in a Senate hearing where Republicans said Twitter, Facebook, and Google discriminate against conservatives on their platforms.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34DomIs
via IFTTT

"Someone's reading our texts": Tucker Carlson, UPS and the non-stolen Biden documents

"Someone's reading our texts": Tucker Carlson, UPS and the non-stolen Biden documentsCarlson implied he was the target of a deep-state plot when "damning" documents went missing. Then UPS found them




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3mG9cbJ
via IFTTT

White House coronavirus adviser Dr Birx boycotting Covid task force over misinformation

White House coronavirus adviser Dr Birx boycotting Covid task force over misinformationDr Birx has travelled to 40 states in a personal bid to advise officials on Covid




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3kIS9oM
via IFTTT

Gov. Ron DeSantis had trouble voting because someone had falsely submitted a change of address under his name

Gov. Ron DeSantis had trouble voting because someone had falsely submitted a change of address under his nameAnthony Guevara, 20, was charged with altering a voter registration without consent and unauthorized access of a computer, in connection to the case.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3mDygzN
via IFTTT

Europe Is Locking Down Everything to Keep Schools Open During COVID’s Second Wave

Europe Is Locking Down Everything to Keep Schools Open During COVID’s Second WaveROME—The Ambrosoni family in the central part of the city here have one computer, painfully slow internet, and three children in elementary school, making learning from home something of a challenge. When schools closed down last March, the children essentially stopped learning, the family says. And the family does not want to see that happen again.“During the first lockdown in the spring, each child had to sacrifice a third of their school day so their siblings could also attend classes,” mom Gabriella, who is still on furlough from the last lockdown, told The Daily Beast. “Which means they all basically lost the last part of the school year.” And with dad Angelo working at a restaurant—now subject to further restrictions and likely new closures—buying two more computers just isn’t in the cards at the moment.The Ambrosoni family struggle is mirrored across Europe, where keeping schools open during new lockdowns in the second wave of the pandemic has been a priority. Not only do smaller housing and spotty infrastructure make at-home learning difficult, but in many southern European countries like Italy, where daycare centers are scarce and grandparents as caregivers are now off-limits due to COVID concerns, schools play a vital role in keeping parents at work.But as European education ministers fight to keep schools open, experts across the continent are warning that while young people do not generally suffer the same consequences of COVID-19, the schools are likely contributing to the rapid spread of the virus. Writing in Bloomberg News, Italian economics analyst Ferdinando Giugliano says the biggest dilemma for governments during the second wave is what to do about schools. “Closing them could lead to a ‘lost generation’ of learners and make it harder for parents to get back to work,” he says. “Keeping them open could further propagate the virus.”So far, the majority of European governments are struggling to find that balance, and with no centralized European policy, the solutions are quite literally all over the map.French President Emmanuel Macron announced a nationwide lockdown Wednesday night after his country topped more than 50,000 new cases in a single 24-hour period over the weekend, but schools for the most part will remain open. “I have decided that we must return to confinement,” he said Wednesday night. “The whole territory is concerned.”The same scenario is playing out in Germany, which is also under new lockdown measures for all leisure activities. There, too, keeping schools open is a priority both to ensure that kids whose families can’t afford multiple computers or who have spotty internet won’t have to sacrifice their children’s education. Addressing the nation to announce new measures on Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear that “social sacrifices must be made” to ensure schools stay open. “We will do everything so that our children are not the losers of the pandemic,” she said. “School and daycare need to be the most important things.”In Italy, which is also now under new restrictions until Nov. 24 that include the shuttering of gyms and theaters and the early closure of bars and restaurants at 6 p.m., daycare centers and elementary schools are also being prioritized, while high schools now have to teach 75 percent of their curriculum online and stagger entrances to institutions to ensure proper social distancing. Many Italian high school students are, however, streaming their classes on smartphones rather than computers, calling into question the quality of education they are getting. And the policy isn’t nationwide. The southern region of Puglia ordered all schools closed Thursday after several clusters tied to elementary schools emerged. And the region of Campania, where Naples has become a major hot spot this time after having few cases in the first wave, has waffled in its closures, first shutting down all schools in a lockdown and then opening nursery schools and elementary schools as parents struggled to find adequate daycare without them open.Other European countries have admittedly lost the battle to keep in-person learning going. The Czech Republic, which has one of Europe’s highest contagion rates after largely avoiding problems in the first wave, closed schools last week. “I apologize to school directors. I apologize to parents for the permanent uncertainty,” Czech Education Minister Robert Plaga said when making the announcement. “But it’s necessary to do it and to do it fast.”Several studies have pointed to mixed results in whether in-person learning leads to the spread of the virus. A study in Germany by the Institute of Labour Economics in Bonn found no correlation between the opening of its schools in September and the uptick in cases in late October. A similar study in Italy instead found a direct correlation, with more than 2,800 incidents of outbreaks within a month of school starting in mid-September.A database of global superspreader events being kept by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has identified very few incidents within school settings. “Schools should be important given that so many networks come together [there]—with kids, parents, and social life,” Gwen Knight, the project director, told the Financial Times. “But the signal doesn’t seem to be very strong. We are finding it quite hard to find direct evidence of transmission within the school setting, but we are not doing enough testing.”As the second wave envelopes Europe, most government leaders are trying to keep schools open as long as they can, even as most concede that given how fast the virus is spreading, winter holidays will almost undoubtedly start for students much sooner than usual.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/37PFgpi
via IFTTT

Thursday, 29 October 2020

How do I find a new job during Covid and which sectors are hiring?

Jobseekers are having a tough time at the moment, but support is available.

from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/30PPCkZ

CEO Secrets: The aviation workers starting new businesses

We hear from three people who have started their own companies during the downturn in aviation.

from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/2HAJ0jX

Getting too many texts? Blame the election

Every election campaign uses more sophisticated tech, but the text message still cuts through.

from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/37SvCSN
via IFTTT

Trump’s Hard-Line Immigration Policies Go Before Voters


By BY ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/34COUcW

Trump and Biden Converge in Florida, an Elusive Prize Still Up for Grabs


By BY KATIE GLUECK AND PATRICIA MAZZEI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3jOnh57

Jimmy Orr, a Favorite Target of the Colts’ Unitas, Dies at 85


By BY RICHARD GOLDSTEIN from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/3kTRvoF

Dems Mess With Texas


By BY LISA LERER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/37TXZQo

US Election 2020: Trump and Biden duel in critical state of Florida

Democrat Biden's lead over the US president is narrower in must-win states, with Florida a key prize.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2HM9uyS

Coronavirus hardship in Mexico, Nigeria and Bangladesh

Three people from around the world who lost their jobs during the pandemic explain how it has affected their lives.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3oMNWD5

'We asked Trump to stop playing YMCA' - Village People singer Victor Willis

Village People's lead singer says he doesn't endorse the US president, who regularly plays the classic at rallies.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2TDO09O

Greenwald resigns from The Intercept over Biden article

Greenwald resigns from The Intercept over Biden articlePulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald said Thursday he had resigned from The Intercept after the US investigative media outlet refused to publish his article critical of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/35MG2k5
via IFTTT

‘White racist cops got my own dad’: Walter Wallace’s young son speaks out

‘White racist cops got my own dad’: Walter Wallace’s young son speaks outAn investigation has been opened into the police shooting of Walter Wallace who died in Philadelphia on Monday afternoon




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3owqR7k
via IFTTT

Major train derailment forces schools and businesses to evacuate in Texas community

Major train derailment forces schools and businesses to evacuate in Texas communityA video shows the train derailing in front of drivers on a Texas highway.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31UgFvK
via IFTTT

USPS admits delivery times are plummeting, says there's no "constitutional right" to timely delivery

USPS admits delivery times are plummeting, says there's no "constitutional right" to timely deliveryUSPS data shows that less than 70% of first-class mail arrived on time on Wednesday — and only 42% in Philadelphia




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31UPtwU
via IFTTT

Walmart is removing guns and ammo from shelves and display cases in all stores as a precaution amid 'civil unrest'

Walmart is removing guns and ammo from shelves and display cases in all stores as a precaution amid 'civil unrest'Guns and ammo will no longer be on display at Walmart but still be available for purchase upon request in stores where they are sold.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34GBc8R
via IFTTT

'Safer than your local grocery store': How the Pentagon kept the virus at bay as the White House struggled

'Safer than your local grocery store': How the Pentagon kept the virus at bay as the White House struggledThe contrast between the chaos the pandemic has wreaked on the White House and the limited impact it has had on the health of the 25,000-strong Pentagon workforce, which has rigorously followed CDC guidelines, could not be more pronounced.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/37M0RyZ
via IFTTT

Supreme Court issues flurry of last-minute election orders

Supreme Court issues flurry of last-minute election ordersWisconsin, no. That’s how the Supreme Court has answered questions in recent days about an extended timeline for receiving and counting ballots in those states. At first blush, the difference in the outcomes at the Supreme Court seems odd because the high court typically takes up issues to harmonize the rules across the country. A big asterisk: These cases are being dealt with on an emergency basis in which the court issues orders that either block or keep in place a lower-court ruling.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2HKZPIR
via IFTTT

Trump retakes Iowa, gains in Florida in last Quinnipiac poll before election

Trump retakes Iowa, gains in Florida in last Quinnipiac poll before electionPresident Trump has received a dose of good polling news days ahead of the election — but it may not be enough to turn the tide.In polls wrapping just a week before Election Day, Democratic nominee Joe Biden has posted no new gains in the swing states of Florida, Iowa, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, a Quinnipiac University survey out Thursday reveals. Meanwhile Trump's support has grown in Florida, Iowa, and Pennsylvania — and enough so in Florida and Iowa to be well in contention of winning.In Florida, Biden has 46 percent to Trump's 42 percent, the poll of likely voters showed. That's a 6-point loss for Biden and a 2-point gain for Trump from Quinnipiac's poll earlier this month, in which Biden posted a massive 11-point lead. Biden also lost 4 points in Iowa as Trump gained 2, enough to give the incumbent a narrow 47-46 lead. Biden meanwhile maintains a solid 51-44 point lead in Pennsylvania and a 48-43 lead in Ohio, where Trump slid 4 points since earlier this month.Analysts say a loss in Florida for Trump will likely cost him the whole election, but Biden has enough support in the Midwest to override a Florida slump. A CNN poll out late Wednesday — its last before election day — gives Biden a 12-point lead over Trump nationally, also a gain of 4 points for Trump from CNN's previous poll.Quinnipiac surveyed between 1,186 to 1,324 likely voters from Oct. 23–27 in each of the states, with margins of error between 2.7 and 2.9 percentage points.More stories from theweek.com How to make an election crisis 64 things President Trump has said about women Republicans are on the verge of a spectacular upside-down achievement




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31Ud29a
via IFTTT

A couple has lived in a 130-square-foot tiny house for 5 years — here's what a typical week looks like for them

A couple has lived in a 130-square-foot tiny house for 5 years — here's what a typical week looks like for themAs part of the "A Week in My Tiny House" series, Alexis Stephens and Christian Parsons show the reality of living in a tiny house with your partner.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/35K1Wod
via IFTTT

Hackers breach Trump campaign website, threaten to release 'evidence' of crimes

Hackers breach Trump campaign website, threaten to release 'evidence' of crimesThe Trump campaign's website was briefly hacked late Tuesday, with the culprits posting a typo-riddled message on the site threatening to release "evidence" of the president's "criminal involvement" in a supposed scheme to sway next week's election. The hackers, whose identity was not immediately known, only managed to crack into the Trump website's "about" page. The rest of the website ...




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3mvevdK
via IFTTT

Nice stabbings: Pictured, the church worker among three killed in suspected terror attack

Nice stabbings: Pictured, the church worker among three killed in suspected terror attackReports that Nice attacker passed through Lampedusa spark political row in Italy Leo McKinstry: The Nice attack is an appalling assault on Western civilisation Malaysian ex-PM tweets that Muslims have 'right' to kill French people after deadly attack Rakib Ehsan: The vilification of Macron by Muslim countries is disturbing A woman has been decapitated, and two others have been killed, during a knife attack inside the Notre Dame Basilica church in the French city of Nice. The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, tweeted that the incident is a "terrorist" attack. Here's what we know so far: At least three people, two women and a man, have been killed, including one woman who was decapitated. The man is reportedly the sexton of the church. The man, a sacristan at the church, has been named locally as 45-year-old, father of two Vincent L. The suspected attacker has been identified as Brahim Aoussaoui, a 21-year-old Tunisian migrant who arrived in France from the Italian island of Lampedusa in October. He is reportedly unknown to French security services. Nice mayor Christian Estrosi said it was a terrorist attack, and that the "Islamo-fascist" assailant "didn't stop shouting Allahu Akhbar even under medication" after being shot and arrested. France raises its alert status to "terror attack emergency" - PM Castex. President Emmanuel Macron has delivered a defiant message to the French people, saying the attacks would not force France to "give up our values". A Saudi citizen has also been arrested in Jeddah for stabbing a security guard outside the French consulate with "a sharp tool".




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34BzO7t
via IFTTT

Wednesday, 28 October 2020

'Furlough pay should be kept at 80% of our salaries'

Workers facing new lockdowns: "We need furlough pay to be kept at 80% of our salaries."

from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/3jERljc

Animal Crossing: 'My sister lives on in a video game'

Tending to her sister's virtual town in Animal Crossing helps Meredith Myers keep her memory alive and cope with her grief.

from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2HIGJDb
via IFTTT

Mali Radisson Blu attack: Two Islamists sentenced to death

Two Islamists are convicted of carrying out two attacks targeting foreigners, in which 25 people died.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/35JsOEJ

Facebook, Twitter and Google face questions from US senators

Heads of Facebook, Google and Twitter defend a key piece of internet law, in front of senators.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/35G2LOW

US Election 2020: Will America's race issue decide the next president?

The BBC's Clive Myrie goes to the crucial state of Arizona, where black votes could decide who wins.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2GdMEzu

Animal Crossing: 'My sister lives on in a video game'

Tending to her sister's virtual town in Animal Crossing helps Meredith Myers keep her memory alive and cope with her grief.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2HIGJDb

End Sars protests: 'I felt I was going to die there'

Ephraim, a British-Nigerian activist at the heart of the End Sars protests in Lagos, talks about what he saw.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/35IgmoL

‘Perception Hacks’ and Other Potential Threats to the Election


By BY DAVID E. SANGER AND NICOLE PERLROTH from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2TAHEb0