| 'Why our Nigerian online wedding suits us just fine' Posted: 20 Jul 2020 04:19 PM PDT  Two young Nigerian couples on why they don't regret doing things their own way and breaking with tradition.
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| Watchdog: Virus stalks Egypt's prisons amid news blackout Posted: 20 Jul 2020 04:02 PM PDT  The new coronavirus has struck several Egyptian prisons and killed at least 14 detainees, a leading human rights watchdog said Monday, as authorities seek to stifle news of the virus' spread behind bars. The organization, Human Rights Watch, released an extensive report based on letters smuggled from prison and interviews with inmates and their relatives, documenting multiple cases of detainees who died after experiencing virus symptoms without being tested or receiving adequate medical treatment. Tens of thousands of people in Egypt are crammed into what rights groups say are overcrowded and unsanitary prisons.
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| Navy vet beaten by federal agents: 'They came out to fight' Posted: 20 Jul 2020 03:14 PM PDT  Under the assault, 53-year-old Christopher David seems like a redwood tree — impervious to the blows. Militarized officers from a handful of agencies have been using tear gas, flash-bangs, pepper spray, "less-lethal" impact weapons and other munitions to disperse crowds. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which has deployed officers to Portland, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident that David recounted.
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| Biden outlines priorities for next pandemic relief package Posted: 20 Jul 2020 02:53 PM PDT  Joe Biden is calling President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic "inept" in a new statement that lays out his priorities for the next relief package in Congress. In the statement, shared first Monday with The Associated Press, Biden charged that Trump has "turned his back on the problem" and declared that "we are plainly a nation in crisis." "People are looking to Congress for the support they need to keep their heads above water," he said.
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| UK intelligence report to disclose Russian meddling in Scottish independence vote -The Telegraph Posted: 20 Jul 2020 02:43 PM PDT |
| Biden, lawmakers warn of foreign interference in election Posted: 20 Jul 2020 02:02 PM PDT  Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Monday that he is putting Russia and other foreign governments "on notice" that he would act aggressively as president to counter any interference in U.S. elections. The statement came hours after Democratic leaders issued a new warning that Congress appears to be the target of a foreign interference campaign. Biden said in a statement that he would treat foreign interference as an "an adversarial act that significantly affects the relationship between the United States and the interfering nation's government."
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| St. Louis couple charged for pulling guns at protest Posted: 20 Jul 2020 01:54 PM PDT  St. Louis' top prosecutor on Monday charged a husband and wife with felony unlawful use of a weapon for displaying guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion. Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who are white, are both personal injury attorneys in their 60s. Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner told The Associated Press that their actions risked creating a violent situation during an otherwise nonviolent protest last month.
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| Federal agents, local streets: A 'red flag' in Oregon Posted: 20 Jul 2020 01:39 PM PDT  Federal law enforcement officers' actions at protests in Oregon's largest city, done without local authorities' consent, are raising the prospect of a constitutional crisis — one that could escalate as weeks of demonstrations find renewed focus in clashes with camouflaged, unidentified agents outside Portland's U.S. courthouse. State and local authorities, who did not ask for federal help, are awaiting a ruling in a federal lawsuit filed late last week by state Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. Constitutional law experts said Monday the federal officers' actions are a "red flag" in what could become a test case of states' rights as the Trump administration expands its federal policing into other cities.
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| Syria reports suspected Israeli air raids on capital Posted: 20 Jul 2020 12:59 PM PDT |
| Rich Americans spew more carbon pollution at home than poor Posted: 20 Jul 2020 12:46 PM PDT  Scientists studied 93 million housing units in the nation to analyze how much greenhouse gases are being spewed in different locations and by income, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Residential carbon emissions comprise close to one-fifth of global warming gases emitted by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. Using federal definitions of income level, the study found that energy use by the average higher income person's home puts out 6,482 pounds of greenhouse gases a year. For a person in the lower income level, the amount is 5,225 pounds, the study calculated.
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| Putin attends keel-laying of new warships in annexed Crimea Posted: 20 Jul 2020 10:03 AM PDT  Russia's President Vladimir Putin pledged Monday to continue an ambitious program of building new warships on a trip to Crimea, which Russia has annexed from Ukraine. Speaking during the keel-laying of two landing vessels at a shipyard in Kerch, Putin said that Russia needs a strong navy to defend its interests and "help maintain a strategic balance and global stability." The Kremlin has made military modernization its top priority amid tensions with the West that followed Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
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| Papa Shirandula: Much-loved Kenyan comedian buried Posted: 20 Jul 2020 09:35 AM PDT  "Papa Shirandula" helped transform acting from being a pauper's job to a lucrative career in Kenya
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| US court upholds Turkish banker's conviction in Iran case Posted: 20 Jul 2020 09:32 AM PDT |
| Hopewell Chin'ono: Whistle-blowing Zimbabwean journalist arrested Posted: 20 Jul 2020 09:09 AM PDT  Hopewell Chin'ono recently exposed alleged high-level corruption in the Zimbabwean government.
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| The 'Messy Middle': How Trucking Will Get To An Electric Future Posted: 20 Jul 2020 08:51 AM PDT  OEMs, logistics companies tout varied technology solutions on the way to a zero-emissions future.The metaphors flowed freely during a recent panel discussion as trucking experts argued for a multifaceted approach to low-carbon fuel adoption."We call the next couple of decades 'the messy middle,'" said Mike Roeth, executive director for the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE.) While an electric truck future is achievable by around 2040, Roeth said, the interim period will feature an array of sustainable technologies ranging from diesel hybrids to renewable natural gas.Laurie Counsel, global environmental relations director for Cummins, the engine manufacturer, said trucking as an industry is often considered "a one-trick pony." "But now there are so many exciting things happening," Counsel said. "We just need to match the right technology with the duty cycle."An Incremental ApproachCounsel and Roeth were among the speakers who shared their experiences and insights during a webinar, Real-life Lessons for Trucking's Clean Future, focused on how trucking and logistics companies are incrementally adopting clean fuel technologies that reduce tailpipe pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.Patrick Browne, United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS) director of global sustainability, said the pandemic has put even greater pressure on transportation and logistics companies, and as a result the logistics giant is seeing a surge in volume. Yet UPS is doubling down on its effort to meet its greenhouse gas emissions goals: slashing emissions from global ground operations 12% by 2025 from a 2015 baseline.To help meet this goal, UPS is relying on two levers in the vehicle division. By 2025, 40% of all fuel sources will come from alternatives to gas or diesel, with the proportion today clocking in at 24%. Noting that electric alternatives are "not there" for medium-duty vehicles, Browne said UPS has invested over $1 billion in compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and fueling infrastructure over the past decade, with more and more of the fuel coming from renewable natural gas, also known as biomethane. Produced from the breakdown of organic material in landfills, wastewater and farms, biomethane is considered a carbon-neutral fuel and in some cases even carbon negative — meaning it takes more carbon out of the environment than it produces.In 2019, 25% of UPS natural gas deployment was renewable, and the company is on track to reach 50% penetration by next year, according to Browne.The second strategy is to invest in available electric and hydrogen vehicles as the fleet turns over. To that end, UPS recently ordered 10,000 electric vans from Arrival, a U.K. manufacturer."We're preparing for a polyfuel, polytechnology future," Browne said. "You can have short-term [emissions] reductions while planning for a net zero future."Science-Based Emissions Reduction StrategiesCounsel touched on several consumer and product strategies that fall under Cummins' new sustainability plan, Planet 2050, an effort to meet or exceed the greenhouse gas emissions goals in the United Nations Paris agreement on climate change. One tactic is a continuation of a current goal to partner with customers after the sale of the product, ensuring the Cummins engine has the greatest fuel economy. The engine maker is also using "sector decarbonization data" for both transportation and power generation to derive a "science-based target" of reducing absolute lifetime greenhouse gas emissions from its newly sold products by 25%, Counsel said."It's a little scary," she admitted, "because we are not in total control of that scenario. It all comes down to customer preference, market acceptance, speed of regulation and advocacy. "But we wanted to do our part and the math told us what our part was, as we all move forward to a path that leads to zero emissions."Policy LeversClean truck headlines in the past week have focused on a landmark rule California approved on June 25 that will require manufacturers to sell an increasing number of electric trucks starting in 2024. But there are other regulations that can help nudge the market to cleaner fuels, the panel said.Browne pointed to California's low carbon fuel standard, which incentivizes users to use clean fuels. The regulation will allow UPS to double its use of renewable natural gas in the state next year, he saidTax policy is another driver, he said. Because natural gas isn't as dense as diesel, UPS has to buy 1.7 gallons of CNG for every one gallon of diesel."Because we were using more we were paying more taxes," Browne explained. "We worked with a lot of states to offset taxes so different types of fuels were taxed differently."Regulations and incentives should target short-, medium- and long-term solutions, according to Roeth, with infrastructure and funding for fleets to buy the trucks taking priority."We need to be able to jog, walk and crawl. In some cases we're crawling," he said. "In other cases we are farther along."Related Stories:Electric, natural gas trucking sectors duel over who deserves funding — nowCalifornia approves world's first electric truck sales mandateCalifornia to fleets: Buy those electric trucksClick here for more FreightWaves articles by Linda Baker.See more from Benzinga * The Daily Dash: Freight Volumes, Capacity And Earnings Remain Strong * Marten, Heartland Stock Prices Get Boost After Strong Quarters * Solving The Recurring Problem Of Mobile Workforce Optimization(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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| Putin names new governor to Far East region hit by protests Posted: 20 Jul 2020 08:06 AM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin named a new leader of the Far Eastern region of Khabarovsk from the nationalist LDPR party on Monday after the arrest of its popular governor brought thousands to the streets. Putin sacked Sergei Furgal, who was detained this month on murder charges, and named LDPR lawmaker Mikhail Degtyarev, 39, as his replacement. A Kremlin decree said Furgal was sacked over a "loss of confidence" in his ability to govern.
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| Israeli court acquits 2 in mob killing of Eritrean migrant Posted: 20 Jul 2020 08:02 AM PDT |
| Putin appoints acting governor to region rocked by protests Posted: 20 Jul 2020 06:51 AM PDT  Russia's president on Monday appointed an acting governor to the Far Eastern Khabarovsk region, where tens of thousands have been protesting against the arrest of the popular incumbent on charges of involvement in multiple murders. Vladimir Putin signed a decree dismissing Sergei Furgal, who had run the region since 2018 and was arrested on July 9, and appointing lawmaker Mikhail Degtyaryov as acting governor. Speaking to Putin in a video conference, Degtyaryov thanked him "for the trust" and said he was prepared to fly out to Khabarovsk, a city 3,800 miles east of Moscow, immediately.
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| With tears, Congress honors Lewis, 'conscience of the House' Posted: 20 Jul 2020 06:06 AM PDT  The House on Monday stood for an emotional moment of silence for Georgia Rep. John Lewis, the civil rights icon who died last week from pancreatic cancer. Speaker Nancy Pelosi gaveled the House to order, calling on "all who loved John Lewis, wherever you are, rise in a moment of silence in remembrance of the conscience of the Congress." Several people on the dais wept as the House stood in silence, heads bowed.
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| Inequalities exposed by coronavirus and racism have world at ‘breaking point’: U.N. Secretary-General Posted: 20 Jul 2020 05:49 AM PDT  The coronavirus pandemic and racial tensions have unveiled the damage done by global inequality that has the world at a "breaking point," the top United Nations official said Saturday. "Nelson Mandela rose above his jailers to liberate millions of South Africans and become a global inspiration and a modern icon," said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, delivering the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, which commemorates the birthday of the anti-apartheid activist, who was jailed for 27 years for his social justice work and then went on to become president of South Africa. The current health crisis gripping the world is illustrating that threat perfectly, Guterres said.
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| First COVID-19, now mosquitoes: Bracing for bug-borne ills Posted: 20 Jul 2020 05:20 AM PDT  Doctors ultimately diagnosed the then-5-year-old Sudbury, Massachusetts, resident with eastern equine encephalitis, a rare but severe mosquito-borne virus that causes brain swelling. Garabedian survived the potentially fatal virus after about a month in Boston hospitals, but her parents say her ordeal and ongoing recovery should be a warning as people take advantage of the outdoors this summer. "It's been a rough year," said David Garabedian, her father.
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| Federal agents asked to leave as Portland protests continue Posted: 20 Jul 2020 04:06 AM PDT  With unrest continuing, the federal government is coming under increasing scrutiny for the activities of agents trying to clamp down on protests in Oregon's largest city — demonstrations that President Donald Trump says are led by "anarchists and agitators." Protesters outside Portland's U.S. courthouse set a fire in the building's entryway early Monday, part of yet another night of conflict with federal agents who repeatedly tear-gassed the demonstrators to drive them away, officials said. The latest unrest happened as local and state leaders expressed anger with the presence of the federal agents, saying the city's protests had started to ease just as the federal agents started taking action on the streets of Portland.
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| Iran executes man convicted of spying for CIA, Mossad Posted: 20 Jul 2020 02:50 AM PDT  Iran on Monday executed a former translator convicted of spying for the US and Israel, including helping to locate a top Iranian general killed later by the Americans, the judiciary said. The killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport in January brought decades-old arch enemies Iran and the United States to the brink of conflict. The judiciary's Mizan Online website said Mahmoud Mousavi Majd's death "sentence was carried out on Monday morning over the charge of espionage so that the case of his betrayal to his country will be closed forever".
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| Iran has executed an alleged CIA and Mossad agent who it says helped spy on Qassem Soleimani before his assassination Posted: 20 Jul 2020 02:27 AM PDT  Qassem Soleimani, who led Iran's Revolutionary Guard, was killed by a US drone strike in January. His death almost brought the US and Iran to war.
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| Egypt approves Libya deployment, risking clash with Turkey Posted: 20 Jul 2020 12:49 AM PDT  Egypt's parliament on Monday authorized the deployment of troops outside the country, a move that could escalate the spiraling war in Libya after the president threatened military action against Turkish-backed forces in the oil-rich country. A troop deployment in Libya could bring Egypt and Turkey, close U.S. allies that support rival sides in the conflict, into direct confrontation. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has called the strategic coastal city of Sirte a "red line" and warned that any attack on the city, which sits near Libya's main oil-export terminals and fields, would prompt Egypt to intervene to protect its western border.
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| Georgia Dems choose state chair to replace Lewis on ballot Posted: 20 Jul 2020 12:47 AM PDT  The head of Georgia's Democratic Party has been chosen to face a Republican reality TV personality in the November contest for the seat of the late Rep. John Lewis, a towering figure who served in Congress for more than 30 years. The selection of state Sen. Nikema Williams caps a quick and extraordinary process driven by state law where the party had roughly 72 hours to select someone to take Lewis' spot on the ballot. Williams received 37 of 41 votes from the executive committee of the Democratic Party of Georgia on Monday after it heard from five finalists in rapid-fire interviews during a meeting held by video conference because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Home learning, reopening schools especially hard in Africa Posted: 20 Jul 2020 12:08 AM PDT  The options for African students to keep studying while schools remain closed because of the coronavirus pandemic seem varied, but the reality for many is that they will fall behind and possibly drop out of school forever — worsening inequality on an already unequal continent. "I think education now is more of an emergency than the health issue," said Dr. Mary Goretti Nakabugo, a literacy expert who runs a Uganda-based education nonprofit called Uwezo, noting that there have been no reported virus deaths and just over 1,000 cases in this East African country, though, as elsewhere, limited testing means those figures are likely undercounts. Children "are completely helpless at the moment."
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| Families step in at Kabul COVID-19 ward to care for patients Posted: 19 Jul 2020 11:07 PM PDT  The intensive care unit at the Afghan capital's premier hospital for COVID-19 patients is a medical nightmare — and a stark warning how the country's war-ravaged health care system risks collapsing. The next-of-kin often guard their loved one's oxygen tank, fearing it could be stolen because there is a shortage of just about everything, including oxygen cylinders. The 100-bed Afghan-Japan Communicable Disease Hospital in western Kabul is one of only two facilities for coronavirus testing and treatment in the Afghan capital.
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| A Changing Sudan Doesn’t Belong on U.S. Terror List Posted: 19 Jul 2020 10:30 PM PDT |
| AP FACT CHECK: Trump's alternate reality on COVID-19 threat Posted: 19 Jul 2020 10:24 PM PDT  President Donald Trump appears to be living in an alternate reality when it comes to the COVID-19 threat. Trump also continued to wrongly insist that anyone who wants a coronavirus test is getting one, made the head-scratching suggestion that the virus is under control when infections are surging to fresh daily highs and lodged false accusations against the nation's top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Trump referred repeatedly to his "ban" on travel from China that wasn't so and issued a scattered indictment of Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden.
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| Trump not ready to commit to election results if he loses Posted: 19 Jul 2020 10:07 PM PDT  President Donald Trump is refusing to publicly commit to accepting the results of the upcoming White House election, recalling a similar threat he made weeks before the 2016 vote, as he scoffs at polls showing him lagging behind Democrat Joe Biden. Trump says it's too early to make such an ironclad guarantee. Trump also hammered the Pentagon brass for favoring renaming bases that honor Confederate military leaders — a drive for change spurred by the national debate about race after George Floyd's death.
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| Iranians unite in Twitter campaign over planned execution of 3 protesters, leading to retrial Posted: 19 Jul 2020 09:37 PM PDT  Iranians from a variety of political, economic and cultural backgrounds -- lawyers, teachers, footballers, artists, students, activists -- joined together in an unprecedented Twitter storm, sharing the hashtag #DoNotExecute to protest the judiciary upholding the death sentences of three men arrested after last year's nationwide protests. Five days after the campaign, Iran's Supreme Court agreed with the retrial request of the men's attorneys, who had gotten access to their clients' case after the hashtag went viral.
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| Biden eyes GOP supporters while Trump focuses on his base Posted: 19 Jul 2020 09:36 PM PDT  In the four months since Joe Biden effectively won the Democratic presidential nomination, he has focused on consolidating the party's divergent and often warring factions. As the closing stretch of the campaign nears, that effort will expand to include Republicans disaffected with President Donald Trump. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican and frequent Trump critic, has been approached and is expected to speak at the Democratic National Convention on Biden's behalf next month, according to a person with direct knowledge of the plans who insisted on anonymity to discuss strategy.
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| Iran executes man convicted of spying on US-slain general Posted: 19 Jul 2020 09:09 PM PDT |
| Son of US District Judge Esther Salas killed, husband shot Posted: 19 Jul 2020 07:55 PM PDT |
| Manufacturers urge government to clarify UK’s new standards regime Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:00 PM PDT |
| Scotland may be the price of Boris Johnson’s place in history Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:00 PM PDT |
| Putin names ‘opposition’ figure as governor of restive Khabarovsk Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:00 PM PDT |
| U.N. Chief pushes for global equality amid coronavirus pandemic Posted: 19 Jul 2020 12:52 PM PDT  The U.N. has asked for $10.3 billion to help poor countries impacted by the coronavirus, but has only received $1.7 billion. As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, inequality across the world has come to the forefront. On Saturday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres slammed world leaders for ignoring inequality issues in global institutions.
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