| UAE: Iran's aggressive policies made Arabs look at Israel Posted: 25 Sep 2020 03:27 PM PDT  The United Arab Emirates didn't need peace with Israel to counter Iran, a top UAE official said Friday, but he said Iran's aggressive policies over three decades alarmed many Arab countries and made them look at their relationship with Israel "with fresh eyes." Anwar Gargash, the UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, acknowledged at a virtual briefing on the sidelines of the equally virtual U.N. General Assembly's annual meeting of world leaders that this may not have been Iran's intention.
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| OK prosecutors argue Uber driver accused of murder may flee Posted: 25 Sep 2020 02:41 PM PDT |
| They said it: Leaders at the virtual UN, in their own words Posted: 25 Sep 2020 02:32 PM PDT  Here, The Associated Press takes the opposite approach and spotlights some thoughts you might not have heard — the voices of leaders speaking at the first all-virtual U.N. General Assembly leaders meeting who might not have captured the headlines and the airtime on Friday, the fourth day of the 2020 debate. "I hope to be able to address the room in a lively, more interactive fashion."
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| Abbas seeks UN Mideast conference after Arab deals with Israel Posted: 25 Sep 2020 01:28 PM PDT  Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas appealed Friday to the United Nations for an international conference on the Middle East in 2021, hoping for a new start after US elections and the milestone of Gulf Arabs' recognition of Israel.
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| At UN assembly quieted by a pandemic, the US-China clash is loud Posted: 25 Sep 2020 01:27 PM PDT |
| Egyptian police disperse rare, small protests; 10 arrested Posted: 25 Sep 2020 01:25 PM PDT |
| Global Portable Coolers Industry Posted: 25 Sep 2020 01:16 PM PDT |
| U.S. envoy says the U.N. "should be cheering us," not criticizing Posted: 25 Sep 2020 01:15 PM PDT  "To my disgust and astonishment, each country used the opportunity to really be very negative about the United States," Trump's U.N. ambassador tells CBS News.
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| Probe into 'discarded' ballots becomes campaign outrage fuel Posted: 25 Sep 2020 01:03 PM PDT  The news release from a U.S. attorney in Pennsylvania was provocative: Nine mailed-in military ballots had been "discarded" by the local election office in a swing county of one of the most important presidential battleground states. All of them were marked for President Donald Trump, it said. Despite the information vacuum, the White House press secretary told reporters "ballots for the president" had been "cast aside."
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| Global Portable Medical Devices Industry Posted: 25 Sep 2020 12:56 PM PDT |
| Trooper quietly buried amid scrutiny over Black man's death Posted: 25 Sep 2020 12:20 PM PDT  A Louisiana state trooper who died in a single-car crash just hours after he was told he would be fired for his role in the death of a Black man was buried with honors Friday at a ceremony that authorities sought to keep secret out of concerns it would attract a mass protest. State Police officials and family members mourned Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth under tight security at services that marked the latest turn in the long-simmering in-custody death case of Ronald Greene, which has prompted a federal civil-rights probe and increasing calls for authorities to release body-camera video. Hollingsworth, who was white, was the only one of six troopers placed on leave earlier this month in the May 2019 death of Greene following a high-speed chase.
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| 'I Feel Sorry for Americans': A Baffled World Watches the U.S. Posted: 25 Sep 2020 12:04 PM PDT  BANGKOK -- Myanmar is a poor country struggling with open ethnic warfare and a coronavirus outbreak that could overload its broken hospitals. That hasn't stopped its politicians from commiserating with a country they think has lost its way."I feel sorry for Americans," said Myint Oo, a member of Parliament in Myanmar. "But we can't help the U.S. because we are a very small country."The same sentiment prevails in Canada, one of the most developed countries. Two out of three Canadians live within about 60 miles of the U.S. border."Personally, it's like watching the decline of the Roman Empire," said Mike Bradley, the mayor of Sarnia, an industrial city on the border with Michigan, where locals used to venture for lunch.Amid the pandemic and in the run-up to the presidential election, much of the world is watching the United States with a mix of shock, chagrin and, most of all, bafflement.How did a superpower allow itself to be felled by a virus? And after nearly four years during which President Donald Trump has praised authoritarian leaders and obscenely dismissed some other countries as insignificant and crime-ridden, is the United States in danger of exhibiting some of the same traits he has disparaged?"The USA is a first-world country, but it is acting like a third-world country," said Aung Thu Nyein, a political analyst in Myanmar.Adding to the sense of bewilderment, Trump has refused to embrace an indispensable principle of democracy, dodging questions about whether he will commit to a peaceful transition of power after the November election should he lose.His demurral, combined with his frequent attacks on the balloting process, earned a rebuke from Republicans, including Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah. "Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power," Romney wrote on Twitter. "Without that, there is Belarus."In Belarus, where tens of thousands of people have faced down police after the widely disputed reelection last month of President Alexander Lukashenko, Trump's remarks sounded familiar."It reminds me of Belarus, when a person cannot admit defeat and looks for any means to prove that he couldn't lose," said Kiryl Kalbasnikau, a 29-year-old opposition activist and actor. "This would be a warning sign for any democracy."Some others in Europe are confident that U.S. institutions are strong enough to withstand assault."I have no doubt in the ability of the constitutional structures of the United States with their system of checks and balances to function," said Johann Wadephul of Germany, a senior lawmaker from Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives.Still, that the president of the United States, the very country that shepherded the birth of Germany's own peaceful democracy after the defeat of the Third Reich, was wavering on the sanctity of the electoral process has been met with disbelief and dismay.The diminution of the United States' global image began before the pandemic, as Trump administration officials snubbed international accords and embraced an America First policy. Now, though, its reputation seems to be in free fall.A Pew Research Center poll of 13 countries found that over the past year, nations including Canada, Japan, Australia and Germany have been viewing the United States in its most negative light in years. In every country surveyed, the vast majority of respondents thought the United States was doing a bad job with the pandemic.Such global disapproval historically has applied to countries with less open political systems and strongmen in charge. But people from just the kind of developing countries that Trump has mocked say the signs coming from the United States are ominous: a disease unchecked, mass protests over racial and social inequality, and a president who seems unwilling to pledge support for the tenets of electoral democracy.Mexico, perhaps more than any other country, has been the target of Trump's ire, with the president using it as a campaign punching bag and vowing to make Mexicans pay for a border wall. Now they are feeling a new emotion that has overtaken their anger and bewilderment at Trumpian insults: sympathy."We used to look to the U.S. for democratic governance inspiration," said Eduardo Bohorquez, director of Transparency International Mexico. "Sadly, this is not the case anymore."'Being great' is simply not enough," he added.In Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority democracy, there is a sense that the United States has left the world adrift, even if its application overseas of democratic ideals was imperfect. For decades, Washington supported some of Asia's most ruthless dictators because they were considered vital to halting communism in the region."The world sees the dismantling of social cohesion within American society and the mess in managing COVID," said Yenny Wahid, an Indonesian politician and activist. "There is a vacuum of leadership that needs to be filled, but America is not fulfilling that leadership role."Wahid, whose father was president of Indonesia after the country emerged from decades of strongman rule, said she worried that Trump's dismissive attitude toward democratic principles could legitimize authoritarians."Trump inspired many dictators, many leaders who are interested in dictatorship, to copy his style, and he emboldened them," she said.In places like the Philippines, Mexico and others, elected leaders have been compared to Trump when they have turned to divisive rhetoric, disregard of institutions, intolerance of dissent and antipathy toward the media.But there is also a sense that Americans are now getting a glimpse of the troubles people living in fragile democracies must endure."They now know what it's like in other countries: violating norms, international trade and its own institutions," said Eunice Rendon, an expert on migration and security and the director of Migrant Agenda, a nonprofit organization in Mexico. "The most powerful country in the world all of a sudden looks vulnerable."Already, a U.S. passport, which once allowed easy access to almost every country in the world, is no longer a valuable travel pass. Because of the coronavirus, American tourists are banned from most of Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and Latin America.Albania, Brazil and Belarus are among a small group of countries welcoming Americans with no restrictions, however.The State Department has tried to play up its role in battling the coronavirus overseas, even as the United States struggled to supply its own doctors and nurses with adequate equipment early in the pandemic. In March, the United States provided 10,000 gloves and 5,000 surgical masks, among other medical supplies, to Thailand, which today has recorded fewer than 3,520 coronavirus cases and 59 deaths. Despite the low caseload, most Thais continue to wear face masks in public, and the country never suffered a mask shortage."Through the American people's generosity and the U.S. government's action, the United States continues to demonstrate global leadership in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic," a State Department statement said.In Cambodia, which reports being largely spared by the virus so far, there is a measure of schadenfreude toward the United States. Prime Minister Hun Sen has survived as Asia's longest-serving leader by cracking down on dissent and cozying up to China. He has turned his back on U.S. aid because it often came with conditions to improve human rights. Now he and his administration are ridiculing the United States and its handling of the pandemic."He has many nuclear weapons," Sok Eysan, a spokesperson for Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party, said of Trump. "But he is careless with a disease that can't be seen."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| At UN, Pakistani leader says India sponsors anti-Muslim hate Posted: 25 Sep 2020 12:02 PM PDT  Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday assailed India's Hindu nationalist government and its moves to cement control of Muslim-majority Kashmir, calling India a state sponsor of hatred and prejudice against Islam. Khan said at the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders that Islamophobia rules India and threatens the nearly 200 million Muslims who live there. "They believe that India is exclusive to Hindus and others are not equal citizens," he said in a prerecorded speech to the U.N. General Assembly, which is being held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Latin American leaders push at UN for free Covid vaccine Posted: 25 Sep 2020 11:17 AM PDT  Latin American leaders have appealed at the United Nations for free access to a future Covid-19 vaccine, urging major powers to share their know-how for the sake of global well-being.
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| Takeaways: Labor abuses in the palm oil industry Posted: 25 Sep 2020 11:04 AM PDT |
| New measurements show moon has hazardous radiation levels Posted: 25 Sep 2020 11:02 AM PDT  China's lander on the far side of the moon is providing the first full measurements of radiation exposure from the lunar surface, vital information for NASA and others aiming to send astronauts to the moon, the study noted. "This is an immense achievement in the sense that now we have a data set which we can use to benchmark our radiation" and better understand the potential risk to people on the moon, said Thomas Berger, a physicist with the German Space Agency's medicine institute. Astronauts would get 200 to 1,000 times more radiation on the moon than what we experience on Earth — or five to 10 times more than passengers on a trans-Atlantic airline flight, noted Robert Wimmer-Schweingruber of Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany.
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| Egyptian arrested for smuggling narcotics in box of dates Posted: 25 Sep 2020 10:55 AM PDT |
| UK set to become biggest country donor to World Health Organisation, Boris Johnson to announce Posted: 25 Sep 2020 10:53 AM PDT  The UK will become the World Health Organisation's largest country donor, Boris Johnson will announce today, amid calls for the body to get tough on China and identify where Covid-19 came from. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the Prime Minister will reveal that the UK will pledge £340 million to the global health body over the next four years, a 30 per cent increase on its previous contribution. The extra funding will be seen as an attempt to plug the gap left by Donald Trump's decision to pull the US out of the WHO over its handling of the pandemic. However, the UK has made clear that the increase is conditional on the organisation undergoing significant reform in the wake of widespread criticism of its covid response and allegations that it failed to obtain vital information from China at the outset of the crisis. However, Whitehall sources suggested his speech would strike a markedly different tone to Mr Trump's speech earlier this week, during which he hit out at China for its role in the crisis and demanded that the UN hold it "accountable." While Mr Trump intends to withdraw the US, the WHO's largest donor, in July next year, his Democratic rival Joe Biden has said he would reverse the decision if he is elected. In his virtual address, Mr Johnson will also call for a worldwide network of 'zoonotic hubs' to identify dangerous pathogens before they leap from animals to humans, as Covid-19 is believed to have done.
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| Under virus strain, Europe's leaders plead at UN for unity Posted: 25 Sep 2020 10:44 AM PDT  Struggling to contain resurgent virus infections, European leaders decried a collective failure to vanquish the pandemic and told the U.N. General Assembly on Friday that the time has come for countries to reinvent international cooperation. This year's unusual work-from-home General Assembly — with leaders communicating only in prerecorded speeches — comes as COVID-19 cases escalate in many regions but especially in Europe, where some of the world's most advanced hospitals in some of the world's richest countries are again under strain. "This emergency has, more than a thousand treaties or speeches, made us suddenly realize that we are part of one single world," said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
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| Internova Travel Group Celebrates World Tourism Day Posted: 25 Sep 2020 10:30 AM PDT  Internova Travel Group recognizes and affirms the vitality of World Tourism Day, held this year on September 27. The day of observance, backed and promoted by the United Nations, is a time to show the impact of tourism to healthy economies around the world, celebrate achievements in the field and educate the traveling public about this sector. Travel & Tourism is a crucial field, providing employment for millions, as well as a service that helps businesses and people across the world learn, grow and experience history, new cultures and places.
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| Global Power System State Estimators Industry Posted: 25 Sep 2020 10:16 AM PDT |
| Trump's coronavirus remarks weigh on minds of senior voters Posted: 25 Sep 2020 10:12 AM PDT  President Donald Trump's remarks at a campaign event in Ohio this week reverberated all the way to a sparkling waterfront in Florida, where senior citizens parsed his assessment of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump said that COVID-19 was seriously affecting "virtually nobody" under the age of 18 and sought to frame the pandemic as largely impacting older Americans, as he argued for school districts to resume in-person learning. "Now we know it affects elderly people with heart problems and other problems," Trump said.
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| The other issues: Pandemic focus at UN pushes out key topics Posted: 25 Sep 2020 10:09 AM PDT  At the United Nations this week, Kenya's president lamented the loss of animal species and called for measures to combat climate change. None of these issues — nor numerous others — is getting lavish attention during this year's virtual General Assembly leaders meeting, which goes through Sept. 29.
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| Global Precision Irrigation Industry Posted: 25 Sep 2020 09:56 AM PDT |
| As campaign heats up, Trump woos Latino, Black voters Posted: 25 Sep 2020 09:44 AM PDT  With fewer than 40 days left before the election, President Donald Trump unveiled his second policy plan in as many days as he tries to chip away at his Democratic rival's support among Black and Hispanic voters and in key battleground states. At a "Black Voices for Trump" event in Atlanta, Georgia, Trump's campaign said that in a second term, he would push for economic development and loan money for Black people and designate Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Trump was on a two-day campaign swing that ticked off a long list of boxes, both geographically and with key constituencies.
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| COVID-19 can't crush human rights, UN gathering declares Posted: 25 Sep 2020 09:34 AM PDT  In a diminished spotlight because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading human rights defenders on Friday urged people in these fractured times to connect through politics — and vote, too. "In many places around the world, participation is being denied and civic space is being crushed," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on the sidelines of the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders, this year held online.
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| Auschwitz Memorial director offers to serve sentence for Nigeria 'blasphemy' boy Posted: 25 Sep 2020 09:33 AM PDT  Polish historian says he will serve part of the jail term of a boy, 13, convicted of blasphemy in Nigeria.
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| 'Climate detectives' uncover new Northern Hemisphere record low temperature Posted: 25 Sep 2020 09:24 AM PDT  Move over, Russia. A team of climatological sleuths recently confirmed an astonishingly low temperature originally set nearly 30 years ago is the lowest ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere.Greenland is now the new record-holder for the lowest temperature ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere, after the World Meteorological Organization confirmed on Wednesday a jaw-dropping temperature of minus 93.3 F (minus 69.6 C) at an automatic weather station in Greenland on Dec. 22, 1991. The new record eclipses previous records held by Russia, where a temperature of minus 90 F at the Russian sites of Verkhoyansk (February 1892) and Oymyakon (January 1933) held the record for lowest-recorded temperature in the Northern Hemisphere. The world's lowest temperature record, of minus 128.6 F on July 21, 1983, is still held by Antarctica."In the era of climate change, much attention focuses on new heat records. This newly-recognized cold record is an important reminder about the stark contrasts that exist on this planet," said WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas.The temperature was recorded at weather station at a remote site called Klinck, which sits at an elevation of 10,187 feet (3,105 meters) near the topographic summit of the Greenland Ice Sheet.CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APPThe new low, which was confirmed after nearly three decades from the original date, was uncovered by "climate detectives" with the WMO Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes. The archive was opened in 2007, well after this extreme temperature was first recorded.In terms of how the record was discovered and eventually confirmed, the WMO said "a WMO blue-ribbon international panel of polar scientists" tracked down the original scientists involved with the recording of the temperature. They then proceeded with a deep and detailed analysis of the equipment and observation practices that were carried out in back in 1991. "In this case, the temperature reading, because it was part of a research project, and not a long-standing permanent weather station, was only recently discovered," said AccuWeather Senior Weather Editor Jesse Ferrell."In general, investigations [into global temperature records] are extensive and can be lengthy," Ferrell explained. "They involve a committee which looks into instrument trustworthiness and calibration, proper 'siting' -- location of the instruments at proper height, with proper ground covering, sufficient shelter from sunlight, and distance away from buildings. They also look at nearby weather stations to compare readings, taking into account localized conditions on the day in question."It was after researchers investigated all of the factors that were at play during the original recording of the temperatures, that the panel unanimously recommended acceptance of the observation as valid. In this July 18, 2011 file photo, a boat steers slowly through floating ice, and around icebergs, all shed from the Greenland ice sheet, outside Ilulissat, Greenland. Climate historians hunting for past temperature extremes have unearthed what the U.N. weather agency calls a new record low in the Northern Hemisphere. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File) On the report, Arizona State professor Randall Cerveny, rapporteur of climate and weather extremes for WMO, commended the ability of today's climate scientists, saying that they "not only identify modern climate records but to play 'climate detective' and uncover important past climate records.""It is testimony to the dedication of climate scientists and weather historians that we are now able to investigate many of these older records and secure a better global understanding of not only current, but also historical, climate extremes," Taalas said in a WMO statement. Thanks to the hard work of climate scientists, the WMO Archive of Weather and Climate extremes has uncovered a slew of similar meteorological records over the years. In 2014, the record for the "Highest Significant Wave Height as measured by a Buoy" was confirmed to be 62.3 feet, in the North Atlantic Ocean. That wave was caused by the passage of a cold front that produced winds up to 50.4 mph, the WMO said.This past June, the WMO confirmed multiple astounding records for lightning that were set in South America in recent years, including the longest duration for a lightning flash and the longest distance traveled by a bolt, which stretched an incredible 440 miles across southern Brazil.Currently, the organization is investigating whether a new all-time record high was set in June for the Arctic Circle. A temperature of 100.4 F (38 C) was recorded in Verkhoyansk, on June 21 amid a Siberian heat wave, the same town where one of the previous all-time record lows was recorded for the Northern Hemisphere. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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| Pope to UN: Use COVID crisis to come out better, not worse Posted: 25 Sep 2020 09:18 AM PDT  Pope Francis urged world leaders Friday to use the coronavirus emergency as an opportunity to reform the injustices of the global economy and the "perverse logic" of the nuclear deterrence doctrine, warning that increased isolationist responses to problems "must not prevail." Francis laid out his appeal for greater involvement and influence of the United Nations in protecting the poor, migrants and the environment in a videotaped speech Friday to the U.N. General Assembly, held mostly virtually this year because of the pandemic. Francis said the world has a choice to make as it emerges from the COVID-19 crisis and addresses the grave economic impact it has had on the planet's most vulnerable: greater solidarity, dialogue and multilateralism, or self-retreat into greater nationalism, individualism and elitism.
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| Coronavirus: Age and climate seen as behind Africa's low cases Posted: 25 Sep 2020 09:13 AM PDT  The continent has been spared the surge in coronavirus cases seen elsewhere in the world.
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| 200 Popular Grocery Store Brands Just Made This Major Pledge Posted: 25 Sep 2020 08:53 AM PDT  When it comes to food waste, we can all do a better job of finishing the groceries we buy, especially fresh produce. However, food manufacturers are also big contributors to the problem, which is why almost 200 brands made a pledge to cut their food waste in half in the next decade. (Check out 8 Grocery Items That May Soon Be in Short Supply Again.)The food makers to join the 10x20x30 initiative, which The Washington Post describes as "a global effort to slash the staggering amount of food that is discarded every year," will now be working alongside some of the largest food retailers in the world in a joint effort to make a difference.Ten major retailers, which include Walmart, Kroger, and the parent of Giant foods, all joined the campaign last year. The ten were then expected to rally 20 of their suppliers to sign onto the initiative in the hopes of halving the world's food waste by 2030, a goal that was initially set at the 2015 United Nations General Assembly."Food loss and waste is a massive global challenge. While addressing this challenge is a priority for us, 10x20x30 is built on the fact that no one company can address this challenge alone," Laura Phillips, senior vice president of sustainability at Walmart, said in a statement last year. "With 10x20x30, retailers work to reduce in-store food loss and waste as well as support their upstream suppliers to reduce their own loss and waste."In 2017, Unilever, PepsiCo, and Nestle Global, General Mills, and Conagra were among 15 brands that were part of the "inaugural class" of U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions, which preceded the 10x20x30 campaign. Now, companies that produce Rice Krispies cereal, Spam, and Hellman's mayonnaise have signed on as well.According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, about 30% of the world's food is unharvested or thrown away at some point in the supply chain. This considerable loss also contributes to climate change, accounting for as much as 8% of the global greenhouse emissions.A report from nonprofit ReFED revealed that 80% of food waste comes from restaurants, grocery stores, and home kitchens. For tips on how you can reduce food waste in your home, check out The Worst Food Storage Mistake You're Making Right Now, According to Experts.To stay informed on the latest food news, sign up for our newsletter.
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| Virus cases rise in US heartland, home to anti-mask feelings Posted: 25 Sep 2020 08:50 AM PDT  It began with devastation in the New York City area, followed by a summertime crisis in the Sun Belt. Elsewhere around the country, Florida's Republican governor lifted all restrictions on restaurants and other businesses Friday and all but set aside local mask ordinances in the political battleground state, in a move attacked by Democrats as hasty. Meanwhile, confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S. hit another milestone — 7 million — according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University, though the real number of infections is believed to be much higher.
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| Pope rejects 'erosion of multilateralism' in UN speech Posted: 25 Sep 2020 08:44 AM PDT  Pope Francis warned world leaders on Friday against a growing breakdown of multilateralism, appealing in a speech to the United Nations for an end to what he called a global "climate of distrust."
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| Mali coup: Bah Ndaw sworn in as civilian leader Posted: 25 Sep 2020 08:42 AM PDT  The ex-defence minister was picked by the coup leader to head a transitional government until elections.
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| Japan's new PM says stable Japan-China ties key to region Posted: 25 Sep 2020 08:30 AM PDT |
| Palestinian leader calls for new peace process in UN speech Posted: 25 Sep 2020 08:29 AM PDT  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday called for an international conference early next year to launch a "genuine peace process" while criticizing the recent decision of two Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel. Abbas seemed to acknowledge the growing international weariness with the decades-old conflict as he delivered the latest in a long series of addresses to the U.N. General Assembly. The Palestinians have rejected President Donald Trump's proposal to end the conflict, which overwhelmingly favors Israel, and have officially cut off contacts with both the U.S. and Israel.
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| 2 charged over handling of virus outbreak at veterans home Posted: 25 Sep 2020 08:19 AM PDT  Two former administrators of a Massachusetts veterans home where nearly 80 people sickened by the coronavirus died have been charged over their handling of the outbreak, the state attorney general said Friday. It's believed to be the first criminal case in the country brought against nursing home officials for actions during the pandemic, Attorney General Maura Healey said. Former Holyoke Soldiers' Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former Medical Director Dr. David Clinton were indicted by a grand jury on charges stemming from their decision in March to combine two dementia units, packing residents who were positive for the coronavirus into the same space as those with no symptoms, Healey said.
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| Putin proposes election non-interference pact with US Posted: 25 Sep 2020 07:51 AM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed Friday concluding a pact with Washington against interfering in one another's elections and internal affairs, just weeks before the US hosts a divisive presidential vote.
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| Coronavirus: Is the rate of growth in Africa slowing down? Posted: 25 Sep 2020 07:36 AM PDT  The overall rate of increase may be slowing, but there have still been sharp rises in some countries.
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| Abbas asks UN for international Mideast conference next year Posted: 25 Sep 2020 07:32 AM PDT  Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas appealed Friday to the United Nations to arrange an international conference on the peace process, in the wake of Gulf Arab recognition of Israel.
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| The Latest: Boris Johnson to urge global unity against virus Posted: 25 Sep 2020 07:28 AM PDT  Japan's new prime minister says he's determined to host the Tokyo Olympic Games next summer as "proof that humanity has defeated the pandemic." Yoshihide Suga said in a recorded speech Saturday at the U.N. General Assembly in New York that he will "spare no effort in order to welcome you to Games that are safe and secure." Surveys have shown that a majority of Japanese companies and the public don't think the Olympics will, or should, happen next year.
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| Virginia governor, wife test positive for coronavirus Posted: 25 Sep 2020 07:07 AM PDT  Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday that he and his wife have both tested positive for the coronavirus, though he said he is showing no symptoms. The Democrat, the country's only governor who is also a doctor, has previously been criticized by some Republican lawmakers who say his restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the viru s are too stringent. "We are grateful for your thoughts and support, but the best thing you can do for us — and most importantly, for your fellow Virginians — is to take this seriously," Northam said.
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| Trump camp hopes Mideast pacts translate to Jewish support Posted: 25 Sep 2020 07:06 AM PDT  Jewish American voters have leaned Democratic for decades, but Republicans are hoping the recent steps toward normalized relations between Gulf states and Israel — which Trump vigorously touted earlier this month — bolster his appeal to Jewish voters. With battleground states like Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan collectively decided in 2016 by fewer than 200,000 votes, any loss of the Jewish support by Democratic nominee Joe Biden could be pivotal. "Democrats like to say they have a majority of the Jewish vote," said Republican Jewish Coalition executive director Matt Brooks, whose group is spending $10 million to boost Trump and other GOP candidates in electoral battlegrounds ahead of November.
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| Gen Z’s Radical, Virtual Quest To Save The Planet Posted: 25 Sep 2020 07:00 AM PDT  It's time to wake up. On Global Day of Climate Action, VICE Media Group is solely telling stories about our current climate crisis. Click here to meet young climate leaders from around the globe and learn how you can take action. Many people first started paying attention to the youth climate movement in 2018, when now-17-year-old Greta Thunberg began protesting outside Swedish Parliament in her home country. Her small act of civil disobedience had a ripple effect. Students across the globe began striking by refusing to attend classes, which eventually turned into the "Fridays For Future" movement.It may sound like a ploy to get out of chemistry, but it's not. Gen Z ranks climate change as the most important issue of our time, according to last year's Amnesty International survey of more than 10,000 members of 18- to 25-year-olds. "Older generations were not out there protesting in the streets on this issue the way Gen Z is," asserts Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo, PhD, who teaches political science and environmental policy at Christopher Newport University. These under-25 activists have formed organizations like Fridays For Future and Zero Hour, a movement that focuses on helping young people take action. Others have sued their state or even the United Nations. They've staged hunger strikes. They've performed spoken word poetry. These kids care. A lot. "Younger people see the total mess that Boomers and, to a lesser extent, millennials have left, and they have to figure out how to fix it," says Jessica Green, PhD, an associate professor focused on climate governance at the University of Toronto. That's a heavy burden to bear. Many self-report feeling eco-anxiety, or "a chronic fear of environmental doom," according to the American Psychological Association. "For some Gen Z folks with whom I work, their eco-anxiety is related to a continuation of generations' worth of oppression," notes Kristi E. White, PhD, a clinical health psychologist with a focus on how climate change affects well-being. She's referring specifically to BIPOC communities, which "have always been the most severely impacted by sustainability failures." Others are confronting the more recent realization that they're "inheriting many generations' worth of avoidance and poor stewardship," she says.While not every young adult is channeling their energy into activism, the post-millennials who are seem particularly ardent. Their attitude is: "The world is falling apart right now, and if you think it's okay, what's wrong with you?" Green says. We talked to leading climate activists in the U.S. — most of whom still can't buy a legal drink — about how they got their start, what their activism looks like mid-pandemic, and why they think the youth are such incredible change-makers. DashDividers_1_500x100 Alexandria VillaseñorAge: 15 Location: New York City, NY Activism History: Founder of Earth Uprising; co-founder of the US Youth Climate Strike, a part of the Fridays for Future movement; filed a complaint against the United Nations, along with Greta Thunberg and 15 other climate activists. On getting her start in activism"When I was young, 5 or 6, I wanted to be a writer. I never would have expected that I'd end up being a climate activist at 15. But in 2018, I started striking at the end of the week as part of Fridays for Future. People called me alarmist and dramatic. I would tell them that, in the future, school wouldn't matter anymore because we'd be running from multiple crises. And here we are. That future is now. Even if COVID didn't exist, the entire West Coast couldn't go because of the air quality. It would be so unsafe. And other places are beginning to see catastrophic events because of climate change. "The fires show us just how quickly we need to take action. I have a lot of family out in California. I was actually there over the last few months, very close to the LNU Lighting Complex fire. I'm very lucky to have been able to leave a few weeks ago. But as an asthma sufferer, I'm still recovering from the smoke inhalation. The scientists are warning us about the future and that it will get so much worse. We should listen to them." On channeling fear for the future into action "I feel a sense of eco-grief. For me, that means a feeling of sadness and loss. I'm seeing the collapse of our biodiversity. I recently wrote a chapter in the book All We Can Save, and doing that reminded me of the Monarch butterflies in California. When I was growing up every year in the springtime, we'd get just so many butterflies. I'd see them on the playground, and in the fields, and it was always so exciting. But the population has declined drastically in the past couple of years. And so it's just extremely upsetting to see those things that were very personal, and know that future young people won't be able to experience them. "One thing that helps my eco-grief is taking direct action. Going out and protesting."On why younger generations make great activists"Young people are forces when it comes to climate change because we speak very directly and bluntly. We have resources such as technology and social media and use them to our advantage when it comes to organizing and connecting with each other. Especially during the pandemic, we've been using social media to our advantage. Doing initiatives and campaigns, and putting pressure on politicians and those in power. "Youth activists think more outside the box, and don't think just in terms of what's 'politically possible.' It's not only that we'll be using the planet the longest — although things will get worse in our lifetime. We'll see the worst consequences of climate change. "The youth climate movement has also seen how our movement needed to grow and be more intersectional, that it needs to have more people of color and people being affected directly by the climate crisis at the front lines. Because of that, I think that we'll come out of this pandemic even stronger."DashDividers_1_500x100 Sophia Kianni Age: 18 Location: McLean, Virginia School: Indiana University, public policy analysis major Activism History: Founder of Climate Cardinals; Youngest member of the United Nations Secretary-General's Youth Advisory Group On Climate ChangeOn getting her start in activism"I first got into climate activism in sixth grade. My dad and I have a tradition of stargazing together. He's super into astronomy, and we'd go out every night when I was little and he'd talk to me about the different constellations. But when I was visiting my grandmother's house in the capital of Iran, Tehran, I went out and couldn't see the stars because of the air quality. I thought, That's so sad. "The climate crisis is affecting the Middle East, with temperatures rising more than twice the global average. I was struck by the fact that my relatives weren't really aware of what was happening and didn't know about climate change. And so for the past, like, six years, I've been translating climate information to help educate them. "And it's not just my relatives. I found a study that showed only 5% of Iranian university students could properly explain the greenhouse gas effect. I saw there was clearly an issue, and I couldn't find much climate change education that was available in Farsi, the language they speak. So, I founded Climate Cardinals, where I work with volunteers to translate climate information into 109 different languages. Recently we partnered with the UN's environmental program to translate their Youth ForNature Manifesto that they're going to be releasing soon in different languages." On why younger generations make great activists"I think it's because we have more to lose. We're going to be around much longer than the politicians who are in their 60s and 70s who haven't taken action on the climate crises. They just don't have as much as stake. Hopefully the rest of us have many years left on this planet, and we don't want to continue to live knowing it's getting worse every year."On going to extremes to raise awareness"Last year, at 17, I got up at 5 a.m. and took an Uber by myself to DC instead of going to school. I was the youngest person and one of the only women to join a week-long hunger strike at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. I was demanding that she take action, and wanted an on camera, hour-long meeting with her to discuss the climate emergency. She was calling the Green New Deal 'The Green Dream, or whatever.' I could only join in DC the first day because I couldn't skip more school, but I continued the hunger strike. I had such a horrible headache by the time I stopped. The first thing I finally had was a strawberry and almond milk smoothie because I didn't want to overwhelm my body. "Sometimes you have to escalate things to raise awareness, to get people and press to pay attention. And the climate crisis is being escalated every year, so."On inciting change during a pandemic"There's no substitute for nonviolent, civil disobedience like the way Fridays for Future was doing with their weekly protests. But there are a lot of ways to continue activism virtually, during COVID. I've been very much focused on continuing to grow Climate Cardinals during this time, and our transcriptions can be done from the safety of your home. Anyone who cares about climate change should know there are still ways to get involved, and I'd urge them to take the first step and put themselves out there." DashDividers_1_500x100 Meghna ShankarAge: 19 Location: Redmond, Washington School: University of Washington, physics and computer science major Activism History: Organizer at Fridays For Future Seattle; Member of Sunrise UWOn getting her start in activism "In fifth grade, I read Al Gore's book on climate change, Our Choice. The book was a gift from my dad. It got me interested in the cause. Then in high school, I heard about Greta Thunberg's strike for global action on March 15, 2019, so I started organizing a protest. We walked out, went to our city hall, and spoke to our mayor and our city council president about our concerns about climate change. I believe students in [112 countries] also walked out in solidarity with the movement that day. I think it really shows that many young people are willing to put their education at stake for the sake of their future. "I was so nervous that day because I had never done something like that before. I honestly was known for being a more quiet student, and following the rules. So for me, it was a big deal. I kept striking on some Fridays after that. I remember I would talk to my friends, and some of them would say, 'Oh, I don't see why this is such a big issue. I don't want to skip lunch to come to your protest.' In high school, there tends to be a lot of apathy coming from students because they don't want to stand out. You know, they wanted to look cool. But climate change is something you can't really opt out of." On inciting change during a pandemic"Since the COVID pandemic, we haven't been able to strike in person, but Friday For Future has been doing digital campaigns. We'll do Twitter storms, and create informational graphics for the Global Day Of Action. "But it's not the same. I think if you don't see the protests every day, you feel detached after a while. With Fridays For Future, we were able to engage young people in the community who weren't necessarily able to do more intensive actions like going to policy makers offices or writing letters. Very young children would go to our strikes, and they would just hold up a sign. Anyone could get involved. Now we have to resort to posting photos on our Instagrams every Friday, which isn't the same as standing outside for an hour. It feels a bit sad, but there are a lot of other youth-led organizations that are filling the gap virtually." On channeling fear for the future into action "In the back of my head, I'm always thinking about climate change. Because of the fires on the West Coast, I'm looking out my window right now and I can maybe see half a mile away, I can't really see the mountains. "It's scary because even adults who claim to support you aren't doing enough to make change. Mayors, senators — they say 'oh we're so proud of what you're doing, and we support you.' And they're happy to take a picture with us, but they don't really do anything. Or they'll approve things that increase carbon emissions. They say they're for climate justice and the next week approve a new cruise ship terminal Seattle. And, right now, that gives me more anxiety than not being able to protest in the streets. It feels like adults are seeing the changes happening around us but nobody cares enough to do something about it. That's why we have to act."DashDividers_1_500x100 Zanagee ArtisAge: 20 Location: Clinton, Connecticut School: Brown University, environmental studies and political science Activism History: Co-founder and deputy director of policy at Zero Hour; Fellow for Joe Biden's campaignOn getting a start in activism "When I was a kid, I loved the beluga whale at the Mystic aquarium in Connecticut. I have a picture of me standing in front of the giant tank with huge whales. I look so tiny. Going to the aquarium back then got me interested in environmental activism. I learned about pollution, and thought, Look at all these amazing sea creatures that are being impacted by plastic in the ocean."On why younger generations make great activists"The youth climate movement is really about taking our futures into our own hands, but also fighting for people who are facing climate change in the present. Environmental actions of the past were not as radical in calling for systemic overhaul as we are today. But we know that without dismantling the systems at the root of climate change — the patriarchy, colonialism, capitalism, and racism — we'll never be able to have climate justice and have a transition to sustainable energy for the future. "We started Zero Hour to emphasize that we have run out of time to address climate change. You can see rising temperatures in the Arctic, for indigenous communities their lifestyles and livelihoods are changing, you can see desertification, and deforestation happening in the Amazon. We know that this has been happening for at least the past few years now, and that climate change has been a stressor on communities around the world. And so we need to act right now."On channeling fear for the future into action"I think a worst case scenario for the planet is something that most people are incapable of comprehending. The amount of change to the natural environment that will happen if we don't act is terrifying. It could look like elongated hurricane and tornado seasons. Or like wildfire spreading from the West coast all throughout the country. We don't really know for sure, although the climate scientists know a lot. It could look like the apocalypse. That's why we're fighting every day. "After I finish at Brown, I'm planning to go to law school, and I'm interested in studying environmental or constitutional law. I want to do this to enhance my powers as an activist. I want to advocate for young people, especially those who are unable to vote, and anyone who I believe is being disproportionately harmed by a system that was not designed to protect them. And I'd like to someday eventually run for elected office." DashDividers_1_500x100 Delaney ReynoldsAge: 21 Location: Miami, Florida School: University of Miami, marine science and geology major Activism history: Founder of The Sink or Swim Project; member of the Youth Leadership Council of EarthEcho International; Suing the state of Florida; Member of the CLEO Institute's Leadership CouncilOn getting a start in activism "I grew up in and around the water, learning about sustainability. And because of that, I've always had a vast love for the ocean. When I was 8 years old, I actually wrote my first children's book about ecology based on No Name Key, a super-small island in the Florida Keys where I grew up part-time. As I was researching for that, I began to learn about climate change and how it'd affect the habitat that I love so dearly. I started to become extremely concerned because of how dire the situation seemed to be. I went on to found The Sink or Swim Project, a nonprofit advocacy organization focused on sea level rise and other environmental topics. "It's sad; my family has lived in Florida for generations, but recently, we've started having really bad flooding days every October. They have to close down the park where both my father and I learned how to swim. I hate it, because I want my future kids to follow in my dad and my footsteps and learn to swim there too." On going to extremes to raise awareness"I'm the lead plaintiff in the Reynolds vs. The State of Florida climate change lawsuit. Seven of my friends and I are suing our state for not upholding duties outlined in the Florida constitution and something called the Public Trust Doctrine. That doctrine says the state has the responsibility to protect our land, the water, and, we believe, also the atmosphere. We're asking the state to implement laws to help cut back carbon emissions so that we can help protect our atmosphere, because we know that burning fossil fuels and emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is what's causing the crisis. So we're basically asking the judge to require that the state do their job. "I have to say, I never expected to sue anyone at the age of 18. Now I'm 21, and we just had our first hearing in June. But we've kept pushing on it. It's been daunting at times, but it's also really important. We're seeing the effects of sea level rise, and it's hurting the coral reefs, the land, and us." On channeling fear for the future into action"Our family just finished recovering and renovating from Hurricane Irma, which made landfall in 2017 at our home in the Keys. Then we recently had another hurricane, Sally. When she went over the panhandle last week, all we had was some light rain, luckily. But hurricane season is extremely stressful. With a record number of storms forming in the Atlantic, it is a constant reminder of climate change. Warm ocean water is what fuels these hurricanes, so as we continue to warm our planet, these storms will become increasingly more frequent and stronger. That's scary, and that's why we have to keep fighting." Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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| Biden's push for unity faces test with Supreme Court fight Posted: 25 Sep 2020 06:48 AM PDT  From the opening of his third presidential bid, Joe Biden has argued that he is in a unique position to mend a fractured nation and work — even with Republicans — to "unify the country" into some semblance of consensus. In the week since liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, he's faced pressure from progressives seeking bolder action. President Donald Trump is expected to name his pick on Saturday, launching a confirmation process that may only deepen the nation's sectarian politics.
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| First man cured of HIV infection now has terminal cancer Posted: 25 Sep 2020 06:46 AM PDT  Timothy Ray Brown, the first person known to have been cured of HIV infection, says he is now terminally ill from a recurrence of the cancer that prompted his historic treatment 12 years ago. Brown, dubbed "the Berlin patient" because of where he lived at the time, had a transplant from a donor with a rare, natural resistance to the AIDS virus. For years, that was thought to have cured his leukemia and his HIV infection, and he still shows no signs of HIV.
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| Voters struggling with witness rules in early voting Posted: 25 Sep 2020 06:34 AM PDT  As the pandemic prompts a surge in voting by mail, voters in a handful of states, including the presidential battlegrounds of North Carolina and Wisconsin, are facing a requirement that already is tripping up thousands — the need to have a witness sign their ballot envelope. A lack of a witness signature or other witness information has emerged as the leading cause of ballots being set aside before being counted in North Carolina, with problems disproportionately affecting Black voters in the state, according to an Associated Press analysis of state election data. "People are confused by this whole witness requirement," said Barbara Beckert, an advocate for Disability Rights Wisconsin, which was part of a lawsuit that unsuccessfully challenged the witness mandate.
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| Kim Jong Un offers 'extremely unusual' apology to South Korea over killing of official Posted: 25 Sep 2020 05:33 AM PDT  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has offered a rare apology following the killing of a South Korean official.Kim in a message to South Korea on Friday said he's "deeply sorry that an unexpected and unfortunate thing has happened in our territorial waters" after a government official from South Korea was killed at sea by North Korean troops earlier this week, The New York Times reports. The official, South Korea said, was apparently "trying to defect to North Korea" and "was killed by troops in the North who set his body on fire for fear he might be carrying the coronavirus," the Times previously wrote. It was the "first time that North Korea has killed a South Korean citizen in its territory since 2008," the Times added, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in called the official's killing a "stunning and deeply regrettable act that cannot be tolerated." North Korea in its message on Friday reportedly denied that troops burned the body of the official, who they called an "illegal intruder," but did say they burned his flotation device "according to our epidemiological regulations." Institute for National Security Strategy researcher Byun Sang-Jung explained to ABC News that it's "extremely unusual for North Korea to issue a statement of regret so fast," and in fact, according to the Times, this was the first apology to the South issued in Kim's name during his time as North Korean leader. Ewha Womans University international studies professor Leif-Eric Easley told the Times this apology was a "low-cost way of managing a potential crisis situation," adding that it "may also mitigate the deepening of North Korea's pariah status in South Korean public opinion." More stories from theweek.com America is the Holy Roman Empire of the 21st century Photo of Ben Carson's speech notes reveal he's 'not happy' with White House personnel office Trump will reportedly nominate Amy Coney Barrett to replace RBG
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| Japan's newly minted prime minister steps into UN limelight Posted: 25 Sep 2020 05:28 AM PDT  Japan's new prime minister, stepping from the shadows of his longtime supporting role, said Saturday in his debut at the U.N. General Assembly that he's willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without any conditions. The offer comes as Yoshihide Suga — only days into his tenure — tries to do what his predecessor and former boss, Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, couldn't: resolve the decades-old issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens, along with the North's growing nuclear and missile program. "Establishing constructive relations between Japan and North Korea will not only serve the interests of both sides but will also greatly contribute to regional peace and stability," Suga said in a recorded speech that came Friday afternoon at the COVID-hit annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. in New York.
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