Current News: May 2020

Sunday, May 31, 2020

Long-haul carrier Emirates says it fires staff amid virus

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Saudi Arabia reopens mosques with strict regulations for worshippers

Saudi Arabia's mosques opened their doors to worshippers on Sunday for the first time in more than two months as the kingdom, the birthplace of Islam, eased restrictions imposed to combat the coronavirus. "It is great to feel the mercy of God and once again call people for prayers at mosques instead of at their homes," said Abdulmajeed Al Mohaisen, who issues the call to prayer at Al Rajhi Mosque, one of the largest in the capital Riyadh.

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Fire, pestilence and a country at war with itself: the Trump presidency is over

A pandemic unabated, an economy in meltdown, cities in chaos over police killings. All our supposed leader does is tweetYou’d be forgiven if you hadn’t noticed. His verbal bombshells are louder than ever, but Donald J Trump is no longer president of the United States.By having no constructive response to any of the monumental crises now convulsing America, Trump has abdicated his office. He is not governing. He’s golfing, watching cable TV and tweeting.How has Trump responded to the widespread unrest following the murder in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for minutes as he was handcuffed on the ground?Trump called the protesters “thugs” and threatened to have them shot. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” he tweeted, parroting a former Miami police chief whose words spurred race riots in the late 1960s.On Saturday, he gloated about “the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons” awaiting protesters outside the White House, should they ever break through Secret Service lines. > In reality, Donald Trump doesn’t run the government of the United States. He doesn’t manage anythingTrump’s response to the last three ghastly months of mounting disease and death has been just as heedless. Since claiming Covid-19 was a “Democratic hoax” and muzzling public health officials, he has punted management of the coronavirus to the states.Governors have had to find ventilators to keep patients alive and protective equipment for hospital and other essential workers who lack it, often bidding against each other. They have had to decide how, when and where to reopen their economies.Trump has claimed “no responsibility at all” for testing and contact-tracing – the keys to containing the virus. His new “plan” places responsibility on states to do their own testing and contact-tracing.Trump is also awol in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.More than 41 million Americans are jobless. In the coming weeks temporary eviction moratoriums are set to end in half of the states. One-fifth of Americans missed rent payments this month. Extra unemployment benefits are set to expire at the end of July.What is Trump’s response? Like Herbert Hoover, who in 1930 said “the worst is behind us” as thousands starved, Trump says the economy will improve and does nothing about the growing hardship. The Democratic-led House passed a $3tn relief package on 15 May. Mitch McConnell has recessed the Senate without taking action and Trump calls the bill dead on arrival. What about other pressing issues a real president would be addressing? The House has passed nearly 400 bills this term, including measures to reduce climate change, enhance election security, require background checks on gun sales, reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act and reform campaign finance. All are languishing in McConnell’s inbox. Trump doesn’t seem to be aware of any of them.There is nothing inherently wrong with golfing, watching television and tweeting. But if that’s pretty much all that a president does when the nation is engulfed in crises, he is not a president.Trump’s tweets are no substitute for governing. They are mostly about getting even.When he’s not fomenting violence against black protesters, he’s accusing a media personality of committing murder, retweeting slurs about a black female politician’s weight and the House speaker’s looks, conjuring up conspiracies against himself supposedly organized by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and encouraging his followers to “liberate” their states from lockdown restrictions.He tweets bogus threats that he has no power to carry out – withholding funds from states that expand absentee voting, “overruling” governors who don’t allow places of worship to reopen “right away”, and punishing Twitter for factchecking him.And he lies incessantly.In reality, Donald Trump doesn’t run the government of the United States. He doesn’t manage anything. He doesn’t organize anyone. He doesn’t administer or oversee or supervise. He doesn’t read memos. He hates meetings. He has no patience for briefings. His White House is in perpetual chaos. His advisers aren’t truth-tellers. They’re toadies, lackeys, sycophants and relatives.Since moving into the Oval Office in January 2017, Trump hasn’t shown an ounce of interest in governing. He obsesses only about himself.But it has taken the present set of crises to reveal the depths of his self-absorbed abdication – his utter contempt for his job, his total repudiation of his office.Trump’s nonfeasance goes far beyond an absence of leadership or inattention to traditional norms and roles. In a time of national trauma, he has relinquished the core duties and responsibilities of the presidency.He is no longer president. The sooner we stop treating him as if he were, the better. * Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a columnist for Guardian US

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Tropical storm Amanda leaves 9 dead in El Salvador: officials

Tropical storm Amanda, the first named storm of the season in the Pacific, lashed El Salvador and Guatemala on Sunday, leaving nine people dead amid flooding and power outages. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency, announcing it on his Twitter account. "We have nine dead," Salvadoran Interior Minister Mario Duran said, adding that the toll could rise.

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Derek Chauvin, officer arrested in George Floyd's death, has a record of shootings and complaints

The Minneapolis officer fired after George Floyd's death was involved in police shootings during his 19-year career.

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Amid Riots and a Pandemic, Church Attendance Resumes in ‘a Very Broken World’

By BY SHAWN HUBLER AND RICK ROJAS from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3djRpCI

Video Appears to Show a Tanker Truck Driving Into Minneapolis Protesters

By BY THE NEW YORK TIMES from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2yQEOrH

‘We’re Sick and Tired’: Voices From Minneapolis Protests

By BY KATIE G. NELSON, MIKE SHUM, SAMEEN AMIN, DMITRIY KHAVIN AND BARBARA MARCOLINI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2TTYlis

Symbol of N.Y.C. Unrest: A Burning Police Car

By BY AZI PAYBARAH AND NIKITA STEWART from NYT New York https://ift.tt/3gGd9L9

Destructive Power of Despair

By BY CHARLES M. BLOW from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/3gzWNDX

What Trump and Toxic Cops Have in Common

By BY JENNIFER SENIOR from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/36MQrfT

Glimmer of hope for world's rarest primate

The discovery of a new breeding pair raises hope for the future of a critically endangered gibbon.

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Nasa SpaceX launch: What is the Crew Dragon?

A guide to SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehicle, which carried astronauts to the space station.

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How Venezuela's fuel crisis is hitting coronavirus victims

Venezuela's fuel crisis has been so acute that even funeral homes are struggling to transport bodies to the cemetery.

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Wikipedia article of the day for June 1, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for June 1, 2020 is SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse.
SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was a German pre-dreadnought battleship of the Kaiser Friedrich III class, built as part of a program of naval expansion under Kaiser Wilhelm II. She was laid down in January 1898, launched in June 1899, and completed in May 1901, and was armed with a main battery of four 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns in two twin gun turrets. The vessel served in the Home Fleet and later the High Seas Fleet for the first seven years of her career, participating in training cruises and maneuvers. Placed in reserve in 1910, the battleship was returned to active service in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I, tasked with coastal defense in the North Sea. The ship was deployed briefly to the Baltic but saw no action. In 1915, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was again withdrawn from service and relegated to secondary duties as a depot ship in Kiel and then a torpedo target ship. The vessel was sold for scrapping and broken up in 1920. (This article is part of a featured topic: Battleships of Germany.)

Coronavirus changes how doctors deal with death

Five doctors administering end-of-life care reflect on the current crisis.

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Glimmer of hope for world's rarest primate

The discovery of a new breeding pair raises hope for the future of a critically endangered gibbon.

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George Floyd death: Why do some protests turn violent?

In the US, peaceful protests over police violence have escalated into widespread riots and looting.

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Remote working: How cities might change if we worked from home more

Our homes, transport and city-centre spaces would change if we worked from home for good.

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Russia and Turkey risk turning Libya into another Syria

Gen Haftar's forces have been beaten back from Tripoli but that does not mean peace is at hand.

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The man whose death convulsed US

He was an athlete, friend and father whose life and struggles were emblematic of any American.

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Nasa SpaceX launch: What is the Crew Dragon?

A guide to SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehicle, which carried astronauts to the space station.

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How Venezuela's fuel crisis is hitting coronavirus victims

Venezuela's fuel crisis has been so acute that even funeral homes are struggling to transport bodies to the cemetery.

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Saturday, May 30, 2020

U.S. warns of Russian bid for Libya stronghold after warplane delivery

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8pm saturday

By Unknown Author from NYT Briefing https://ift.tt/2XfPJ7C

Trump delays 'outdated' G7 leaders' summit

The US president says he is postponing this year's meeting and wants to invite other leaders as well.

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Trump delays 'outdated' G7 leaders' summit

The US president says he is postponing this year's meeting and wants to invite other leaders as well.

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Former Justice Department official says Trump is 'basically calling for the shooting of protesters'

Vanita Gupta, head of the department's Civil Rights Division in the Obama administration, said the Minneapolis Police Department was on her “radar” during her tenure.

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NASA is broadcasting live radio chatter from the astronauts on Saturday's historic SpaceX launch. Here's how to listen.

Listen to the NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon as they launch into orbit.

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India extends lockdown in high-risk zones, to allow partial reopening elsewhere

India extended its coronavirus lockdown until June 30 in high-risk zones but permitted restaurants, malls and religious buildings to reopen elsewhere from June 8 despite a record high number of cases detected nationwide on Saturday. The home ministry ordered state governments and local authorities to identify "containment zones", or areas that should remain under lockdown, as they continue to report high number of infections. India reported a record daily jump of 7,964 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday and has so far recorded 173,763 positive cases and 4,971 deaths, making the world's second-most populous country ninth on the list of most infections, Reuters data showed.

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Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck had 18 previous internal complaints against him

The Minneapolis police officer who was filmed kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for several minutes even as he said “I can’t breathe” has previously been the subject of multiple complaints filed to the Minneapolis Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division, it has emerged.Mr Chauvin, who has been fired along with the other three police officers who apprehended Mr Floyd, was reported to the division 18 times. According to a police summary, only two of the complaints were “closed with discipline”.

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Sen. Ron Johnson releases transcripts of Michael Flynn's calls with Russian ambassador

Phone conversations between then-incoming White House national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russian Amb, Sergey Kislyak were used as part of the Russia collusion investigation; David Spunt reports.

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SpaceX successfully launches Nasa astronauts into orbit

* Donald Trump and Mike Pence witness launch in Florida * First attempt was cancelled minutes from blast-offA rocketship named Dragon breathed new fire into America’s human spaceflight programme on Saturday, carrying two astronauts on a much-anticipated adventure.The launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon crew capsule from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station (ISS) marked the first time since 2011 that humans had blasted off into orbit from US soil.Equally significant, it heralded a new direction for crewed spaceflight, entrepreneur Elon Musk’s company SpaceX becoming the first commercial operator to carry astronauts into space under a public-private partnership set up by Nasa, the American space agency, in 2010.Dragon, atop the powerful nine-engine Falcon rocket, lifted from the launchpad on schedule at 3.22pm ET, creating thick plumes of smoke and fire as it climbed over the Atlantic. “Thank you for the first human ride for Falcon 9,” co-commander Doug Hurley said from the flight deck after Dragon reached orbit. “It was incredible … appreciate all the hard work and thanks for the great ride to space.”As on Wednesday, when the first attempt at launch was postponed with 17 minutes on the countdown clock, mission managers played cat and mouse with the weather, facing only a 50% chance of a “go” at daybreak, when thunderstorms, lightning and low clouds stalked Cape Canaveral. This time they caught a break.The Falcon rocket booster, as has become almost routine for SpaceX, returned to Earth after first-stage separation and landed successfully on a recovery ship in the Atlantic for use on a future mission.The capsule reached orbit 12 minutes later, and will spend 19 hours chasing the space station 250 miles above the planet before docking on Sunday. Hurley and Bob Behnken, veterans of space shuttle missions, will join their Nasa colleague Chris Cassidy, already resident with two Russian cosmonauts aboard the ISS.As a test mission paving the way for regular flights of Dragon later this year, every aspect of the spacecraft’s performance will be analyzed by SpaceX engineers. Behnken and Hurley will remain in orbit for up to 120 days.“It’s been way too long,” Jim Bridenstine, the Nasa administrator, said of the launch. “It was just an amazing day. I’m breathing a sigh of relief but I won’t be celebrating until Bob and Doug are home safely.”Although the public was urged to watch the launch remotely because of coronavirus restrictions, Donald Trump and his wife Melania, and Vice-President Mike Pence, attended in person. Trump has made space a priority through the foundation of space force as a branch of the US military, independent of Nasa, and the unveiling of his America First National Space Strategy.He has also directed Nasa to land humans on the moon by 2024, for the first time since the final Apollo mission in 1972, although the agency’s deep-space Artemis program is many months behind schedule and over budget.Some analysts, see Trump as seeking to exploit space programs set in motion before his presidency for political gain, channeling a message of US global supremacy even amid a pandemic to which his response has been roundly criticized.Saturday’s flight was groundbreaking. The four-seat, touch-screen technology Dragon capsule is a 21st-century spacecraft bearing little resemblance to the largely mechanical Apollo capsules of the 1960s and Nasa’s fleet of space shuttle orbiters.The crew eschewed the “tin-can” Astrovan that has been the crew transport since the US began sending humans into space in 1961, traveling to the launchpad in electric cars manufactured by Tesla, another Musk company, listening to music by AC/DC.Their pressurized flight suits, partly designed by Musk himself, look like “something out the Jetsons” according to Leland Melvin, a former shuttle astronaut.Some traditions remain. Dragon fired off from launchpad 39A, site of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s blast-off to the moon in 1969, the first flight of the space shuttle Columbia in 1981 and also the most recent crewed Nasa flight, the 2011 launch of the orbiter Atlantis, piloted by Hurley.The launch is another milestone for SpaceX, Musk’s company, which has been ferrying cargo to the ISS aboard uncrewed spacecraft. One of two contractors under Nasa’s $6.2bn commercial crew program, SpaceX stole a march on Boeing by completing an uncrewed abort test in January. Boeing’s Starliner capsule suffered an in-flight anomaly during its test flight in December. Future launch dates are under review.“It’s really hard to believe this is real,” Musk, the billionaire PayPal founder who doubles as the California-based company’s chief engineer, said before Wednesday’s launch attempt.“This is a dream come true for me and everyone at SpaceX, the result of a tremendous number of smart people working tremendously hard to make this day happen.”SpaceX has overcome challenges of its own. A Crew Dragon capsule was destroyed in a ground test explosion at Cape Canaveral in April 2019 and in 2015, a Falcon rocket blew up 139 seconds into flight. On Friday, a prototype of its next-generation Starship spacecraft exploded during a ground test in Texas.“The joke we make is that at Nasa, failure is not an option,” said Jeff Hoffman, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a former Nasa astronaut.“But at SpaceX failure is how they learn, how they get things right. And that’s been one of the ways that Musk has been able to make the progress and carry out the innovation that SpaceX has brought about.“The age of the public-private partnership in spaceflight is here. Whether Nasa is going to save a lot of money by paying SpaceX rather than paying the Russians, that’s not clear. But the money is staying in the US. And for strategic and geopolitical reasons it’s good to have our own human launch capability.”Since 2011, Nasa has been forced to rely on the Russian space agency, purchasing seats aboard ageing Soyuz spacecraft for up to $85m apiece. If this mission, known formally as SpaceX Demo-2, is successful, all that has changed.

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Minnesota Riots Hurt Klobuchar’s VP Nomination Prospects, According to Biden Ally

The ongoing riots in Minnesota hurt Senator Amy Klobuchar's prospects for Democratic nomination as vice president, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D., S.C.) said on Friday.Klobuchar declined to bring charges against multiple Minneapolis police officers involved in shootings over the course of her seven-year tenure as attorney for Hennepin County. Minneapolis has seen four days of riots after resident George Floyd, an African-American man, died following his arrest at the hands of white officers."We are all victims sometimes of timing….This is very tough timing for Amy Klobuchar, who I respect so much," Clyburn told reporters. When asked directly if Klobuchar's chances at the nomination were diminished, Clyburn said, "that is the implication, yes,” although he added that Klobuchar "absolutely is qualified" to be vice president.Clyburn is the highest-ranking African American member of Congress, and was instrumental in Biden's victory over Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) in the Democratic primaries. Following Clyburn's endorsement of Biden, the former vice president received overwhelming support from African American primary voters.Biden on Friday denied that his campaign's vice presidential nomination process was affected by the Minnesota riots."What we are talking about today has nothing to do with my running for president or who I pick as a vice president," Biden told MSNBC. "It has to do with an injustice that we all saw take place."Klobuchar has expressed regret for not prosecuting police officers accused of offenses, instead opting to send the cases to grand juries."I think that was wrong now,” Klobuchar said in a Friday interview on MSNBC. “I think it would have been much better if I took the responsibility and looked at the cases and made the decision myself.”

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Italy records 111 new coronavirus deaths, 416 new cases

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 111 on Saturday, against 87 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new cases fell to 416 from 516 on Friday.

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Transcripts released of Flynn's calls with Russian diplomat

Transcripts of phone calls that played a pivotal role in the Russia investigation were declassified and released Friday, showing that Michael Flynn, as an adviser to then-President-elect Donald Trump, urged Russia's ambassador to be “even-keeled” in response to punitive Obama administration measures, and assured him “we can have a better conversation” about relations between the two countries after Trump became president. Democrats said the transcripts showed that Flynn had lied to the FBI when he denied details of the conversation, and that he was undercutting a sitting president while ingratiating himself with a country that had just interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

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Laura Ingraham to Black Americans: Trump Understands Police Violence Because of Russia Probe

Fox News host Laura Ingraham attempted to explain to African-Americans on Thursday night that President Donald Trump can empathize with inequality and police brutality due to his “own experience” with federal investigators during the Russia probe.With protests raging across the nation over the death of an unarmed black man in Minneapolis police custody, Ingraham lectured protesters over the demonstrations devolving into violence and looting. After chastising the non-Fox media for supposedly fanning racial flames over the police killing and subsequent protests, Ingraham then decided to address the black community as a whole to tell them how they should properly protest the killing of George Floyd.“Now, I’m not going to pretend for a millisecond to know what it’s like to be a black person in America,” she said. “I don’t. But the only thing I do know is that we all need to do better.”Reiterating that we need to “do better,” the conservative Fox News host—who once told LeBron James to “shut up and dribble”—said the “real change agents in America are those who stay in their communities and build them up, not burn them down” before invoking a civil rights icon.“Rosa Parks is a beloved, global symbol of freedom and justice because of the determination and dignity to which she carried out her civil disobedience,” she said. “Would burning a store have been more powerful and transformative? I don’t think so.”Without skipping a beat, the pro-Trump Fox star then referenced the president’s anger at the FBI and Justice Department during the Russia investigation to let black people know Trump understands their experience.“And to our African-American fellow citizens, I say this: Given his own experience with an out-of-control FBI and unfair investigation, given all the work on criminal justice reform, President Trump knows how poisonous and out-of-control law enforcement process can be,” Ingraham proudly declared, concluding her mini-monologue.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.

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How to watch the SpaceX Crew Dragon launch

Watch live as two NASA astronauts lift off aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, ushering in a new era for the U.S. space program.

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A Tennessee police chief had a message for fellow law enforcement: turn in your badge if 'you don't have an issue' with George Floyd's death

David Roddy's tweet about police brutality has garnered over 159,000 retweets. He has been part of the Chattanooga Police Department for 24 years.

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New report alleges killings, mass detentions in Ethiopia

A new report by the rights group Amnesty International accuses Ethiopia’s security forces of extrajudicial killings and mass detentions even as the country’s reformist prime minister was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The report issued Friday says security forces killed at least 25 people in 2019 in the East Guji and West Guji zones of the restive Oromia region amid suspicions of supporting a rebel group, the Oromo Liberation Army, and a once-exiled opposition group. The government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who was awarded the peace prize in December for sweeping political reforms and restoring ties with neighboring Eritrea after two decades of hostilities, acknowledged that “the reform process has at times experienced bumps” but called the report “a one-sided snapshot security analysis that fails to appropriately capture the broader political trajectory and security developments."

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Trump justice department forces out top FBI lawyer in Flynn case – report

* NBC News: general counsel Dana Boente forced out on Friday * Fox News host Lou Dobbs slammed lawyer in April * Flynn transcripts show he discussed sanctions with RussianA top FBI lawyer who was criticised on Fox News for his role in the investigation of Michael Flynn has resigned after being asked to do so by senior figures at the Department of Justice, NBC News reported on Saturday.The FBI confirmed to NBC that Dana Boente, its general counsel and a former acting attorney general, announced his resignation on Friday after a near-40-year career. NBC cited two sources anonymous sources as saying the decision came from “Attorney General William Barr’s justice department”.Boente joined the DoJ in 1984 and in 2015 became the US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, after being nominated by Barack Obama.In January 2017, he briefly served as acting attorney general, after Trump fired Sally Yates, an Obama-era deputy, for refusing to defend an executive order on immigration.Temporarily overseeing the investigation of Russian election interference, Boente signed a warrant authorising FBI surveillance of Flynn.The retired general, Donald Trump’s first national security adviser, was fired for lying to the vice-president about contacts with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition.Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the conversations and cooperated with the special counsel Robert Mueller as he took over the investigation of Russian election interference and links between Trump and Moscow.Flynn sought to withdraw his guilty plea before sentencing. Earlier this month, Barr said the justice department would drop the case, although a federal judge put that decision on hold.On Friday, the same day Boente was forced out of the FBI, Trump’s new director of intelligence and Senate Republicans released transcripts of the calls in question, between Flynn and the Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.Opponents of the president said the transcripts proved that Flynn had been treated fairly. Supporters of Trump said they showed Flynn had been treated unfairly.As Trump attempts to construct a scandal called “Obamagate”, with the surveillance of Flynn at its centre, his administration is releasing material it hopes will put Obama officials in a bad light.Boente also wrote a leaked memo concerning material put into the public domain about Flynn, which he said was not exculpatory.Trump is notoriously open to the views of key Fox News contributors.On 27 April, the Fox News host Lou Dobbs told viewers: “Shocking new reports suggest FBI general counsel Dana Boente was acting in coordination with FBI director Christopher Wray to block the release of that evidence that would have cleared General Flynn.”Trump has reportedly been urged to fire Wray, whom he appointed to replace James Comey, the man he fired in May 2017 in an attempt to close the Russia investigation.Comey’s firing led to the appointment of Mueller, who concluded a near-two year investigation without proving criminal conspiracy between Trump and Russia.Mueller did, however, obtain convictions of Trump aides and say in his report the campaign was receptive to Russian help. He also laid out extensive evidence of attempts by the president to obstruct his investigation.Trump has fired or forced out FBI and DoJ figures including Andrew McCabe, Comey’s deputy, lawyer Lisa Page and Peter Strzok, an FBI agent who worked on the case.On Friday, Wray issued a statement about Boente.“Few people have served so well in so many critical, high-level roles at the department,” he said. “Throughout his long and distinguished career as a public servant, Dana has demonstrated a selfless determination to ensure that justice is always served on behalf of our citizens.”

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Trump Hopes for His Own Booster Shot from SpaceX Rocket Launch

By BY PETER BAKER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3gJZF1d

Photos From the Protests in 29 Cities Over Racism and Police Violence

By BY WEIYI CAI, JULIETTE LOVE AND JUGAL K. PATEL from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3dkl3aW

Draw a Self-Portrait

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Here’s What You Need to Know About Breonna Taylor’s Death

By BY RICHARD A. OPPEL JR. from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3eAuQdj

Wikipedia article of the day for May 31, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 31, 2020 is British hydrogen bomb programme.
The British hydrogen bomb programme was the ultimately successful British effort to develop thermonuclear weapons. The successful test of an atomic bomb in Operation Hurricane in 1952 made Britain a nuclear power, but hopes that the United States would be sufficiently impressed to restore the Special Relationship were soon disappointed. In 1954, Cabinet agreed to proceed with the development of the hydrogen bomb. The scientists at the Atomic Weapons Establishment did not know how to build one, but produced three designs: Orange Herald, a large boosted fission weapon; Green Bamboo, an interim design; and Green Granite, a true thermonuclear design. The first series of Operation Grapple tests (newsreel featured) were hailed as a success, but Green Granite was a failure. In November 1957, they successfully tested a thermonuclear design. Subsequent tests demonstrated a mastery of the technology. Together with the Sputnik crisis, this resulted in the 1958 US–UK Mutual Defence Agreement, and the Special Relationship was restored.

Friday, May 29, 2020

Ex-Officer Charged in Death of George Floyd in Minneapolis

By BY NEIL MACFARQUHAR, TIM ARANGO AND MANNY FERNANDEZ from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2Am86Pv

George Floyd Worked With Officer Charged in His Death

By BY MATT FURBER, AUDRA D. S. BURCH AND FRANCES ROBLES from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2XeUwGB

‘The Pain Is Too Intense’: Biden Challenges White Americans

By BY JONATHAN MARTIN AND KATIE GLUECK from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2XLfQSS

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

White House briefly locked down as unrest reported in Atlanta, Washington and New York City in wake of George Floyd's death

05/29/20 5:38 PM

Coronavirus: Belgian zoo comes back to life from lockdown

After two months without visitors, Pairi Daiza is welcoming the public back, but in smaller numbers.

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George Floyd death: Why has a US city gone up in flames?

Tensions in Minneapolis did not start with the death of George Floyd. They've been years in the making.

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Akinwumi Adesina: Why the US is targeting a flamboyant Nigerian banker

The US pushes for new inquiry into allegations of corruption against the African Development Bank boss.

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China-India border: Why tensions are rising between the neighbours

Tensions in the Himalaya have the potential to escalate as they pursue their strategic goals.

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'You can't ask people to die': Coronavirus woes deepen Argentina's crisis

A new deadline to restructure the country's debt is just days away.

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Coronavirus: Bill Gates ‘microchip’ conspiracy theory and other vaccine claims fact-checked

Fact-checking vaccine claims - including ones about the ex-Microsoft boss and a dubious cow-dung trial.

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George Floyd death: Ex-officer charged with murder and manslaughter

Derek Chauvin, one of the officers seen kneeling on George Floyd's neck, has been charged with murder.

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90-year-old woman tries to help grandson during arrest

Bodycam footage shows a woman, dressed in a nightgown, seem to fall onto her grandson during the incident.

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World's largest all-electric plane takes flight

An historic day for the aviation industry as the world's largest all-electric plane takes flight.

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Wikipedia article of the day for May 30, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 30, 2020 is Samuel Mulledy.
Samuel Mulledy (1811–1866) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit. Born in Virginia, he attended Georgetown College in Washington, D.C., where his brother, Thomas F. Mulledy, was the president. He then entered the Society of Jesus in 1831 and proved to be a good student. He was sent to Rome to study for the priesthood and to prepare for teaching. Upon his return, he held senior academic positions, culminating in his appointment as president of Georgetown College in 1845. Mulledy reluctantly accepted the position but requested to be relieved just eight months later. He continued to teach and minister, until his expulsion from the Jesuit order in 1850 due to alcoholism. For the next decade, he was a transient at churches in Massachusetts and New York, until being assigned to St. Lawrence O'Toole in New York City, where he remained for the rest of his life. On his deathbed, Mulledy successfully petitioned to be re-admitted to the Society of Jesus.

Coronavirus: Belgian zoo comes back to life from lockdown

After two months without visitors, Pairi Daiza is welcoming the public back, but in smaller numbers.

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George Floyd death: Why has a US city gone up in flames?

Tensions in Minneapolis did not start with the death of George Floyd. They've been years in the making.

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Akinwumi Adesina: Why the US is targeting a flamboyant Nigerian banker

The US pushes for new inquiry into allegations of corruption against the African Development Bank boss.

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China-India border: Why tensions are rising between the neighbours

Tensions in the Himalaya have the potential to escalate as they pursue their strategic goals.

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'You can't ask people to die': Coronavirus woes deepen Argentina's crisis

A new deadline to restructure the country's debt is just days away.

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Coronavirus: Bill Gates ‘microchip’ conspiracy theory and other vaccine claims fact-checked

Fact-checking vaccine claims - including ones about the ex-Microsoft boss and a dubious cow-dung trial.

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George Floyd death: Ex-officer charged with murder and manslaughter

Derek Chauvin, one of the officers seen kneeling on George Floyd's neck, has been charged with murder.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2Ap1UWF

90-year-old woman tries to help grandson during arrest

Bodycam footage shows a woman, dressed in a nightgown, seem to fall onto her grandson during the incident.

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World's largest all-electric plane takes flight

An historic day for the aviation industry as the world's largest all-electric plane takes flight.

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Thursday, May 28, 2020

Hong Kong loses US 'special status' -- what next?

Washington's declaration that Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently autonomous from China is a historic moment with potentially far-reaching consequences for the finance hub -- though much will depend on what President Donald Trump does next. The revocation of special status could radically rearrange the fortunes of a city that has served for decades as China's economic gateway to the world if targeted sanctions, tariffs or trade restrictions are imposed. - What is Hong Kong's special status?

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White House punts economic update as election draws near

The White House took the unusual step on Thursday of deciding not to release an updated economic forecast as planned this year, a fresh sign of the administration's anxiety about how the coronavirus has ravaged the nation just months before the election. The decision, which was confirmed by a senior administration official who was not authorized to publicly comment on the plan, came amid intensifying signals of the pandemic's grim economic toll. At least 2.1 million Americans lost their jobs last week, meaning an astonishing 41 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since shutdowns intended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus began in mid-March.

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George Floyd death: AOC says politicians scared of ‘political power of police’ as she and Ilhan Omar call for officer to be charged with murder

Democratic congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar have called for the police officer who knelt on George Floyd‘s neck to be charged with murder, as the former claims politicians are scared of “the political power of police.”On Monday, four police officers in Minneapolis were fired after footage emerged of one of them kneeling on the neck of Mr Floyd, a black man, who repeatedly shouted that he couldn’t breathe.

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'Orwell is rolling in his grave': Anger and disbelief at strict new lockdown rules in Moscow

The Moscow City Hall on Wednesday promised to re-open parks and finally allow walks after nine weeks of coronavirus lockdown but the incredibly strict rules regulating outdoor activities have been met with universal derision. Sergei Sobyanin, the Moscow mayor, announced something that could be a cause for celebration on Wednesday, telling Vladimir Putin, the president, in a televised conference call that the Russian capital was poised to begin lifting some of the lockdown restrictions. The number of new Covid-19 cases recorded in Moscow on Thursday, was just over 2,000, the lowest in five weeks, and the number of hospitalisations dropped by 40 per cent in a fortnight, according to the mayor. Most of Moscow’s shops and parks will re-open on Monday, and walks and outdoor exercises will finally be allowed but with a caveat. The details of what the City Hall dubbed an “experiment” have angered even the mayor’s supporters who have credited him for stemming the outbreak. Each apartment building will be assigned three days a week when residents will be allowed to venture outside but only between 9 am and 9 pm, exercising will be permitted only before 9 am, and face masks will be mandatory.

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Ford made its police SUV heat itself up to more than 133 degrees to kill the coronavirus

Ford worked with Ohio State and police departments to develop the tech. Ford has a longstanding relationship with law enforcement.

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Study: Death Rates for Drivers Vary by Car Size

When it comes to vehicle crashes, size and weight matter a great deal. That’s the conclusion of a comprehensive, three-year study into how drivers fared in their vehicles over time by the Insuran...

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Coronavirus Briefing: What Happened Today

By BY PATRICK J. LYONS from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3cevNGs

Pompeo Releases Letter Clearing Him of Violating Law With Kansas Trips

By BY DAVID E. SANGER AND EDWARD WONG from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/36EmcHX

National Geographic Plan to Dismantle Granite Sculpture Hits Snag

By BY REBECCA J. RITZEL from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/2TLEzoX

Kosovo Court Says New Government Can Be Formed Without an Election

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National Guard Called as Minneapolis Erupts in Solidarity for George Floyd

By BY MATT FURBER, JOHN ELIGON AND AUDRA D. S. BURCH from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3esGzdN

Millions Relying on Pandemic Aid Can See Its End, and They’re Scared

By BY BEN CASSELMAN from NYT Business https://ift.tt/2ZM0qk5

Rohingya refugee crisis: 'The bodies were thrown out of the boat'

Khadiza Begum, a Rohingya refugee, left Myanmar to escape violence but found more horror at sea.

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Africa's week in pictures: 22 - 28 May 2020

A selection of the week's best photos from across the continent.

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The films to look out for at the We Are One festival

Cannes, Toronto and Sundance are among the film festivals uniting for an online streaming event.

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The little lights now packing a deadly punch

LEDs already light our houses but developments are making them even more powerful.

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The coronavirus conundrum when your mouth is your ‘hand’

The coronavirus pandemic becomes a different kind of challenge when you use your mouth as your ‘hands’.

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Wikipedia article of the day for May 29, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 29, 2020 is Pod (The Breeders album).
Pod is the debut album by American alternative rock band the Breeders, released by 4AD records on May 29, 1990. Engineered by Steve Albini, it features band leader Kim Deal (pictured) on vocals and guitar, Josephine Wiggs on bass, Britt Walford on drums, and Tanya Donelly on guitar. The Breeders formed in 1988 when Deal, a member of the Pixies, befriended Donelly of Throwing Muses during a European tour. They recorded a country-infused demo in 1989, leading to 4AD co-founder Ivo Watts-Russell funding an album, Pod, recorded that year at the Palladium studio in Edinburgh, Scotland. The album became a critical and popular success, reaching number 22 in the UK. Critics praised its dark, sexualized lyrics, and compared it favorably to the Pixies. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain said it was one of his favorite records, and Pitchfork ranked it number 81 on its list of the best albums of the 1990s. The cover art was designed by Vaughan Oliver and portrays a man performing a fertility dance while wearing a belt of eels.

Rohingya refugee crisis: 'The bodies were thrown out of the boat'

Khadiza Begum, a Rohingya refugee, left Myanmar to escape violence but found more horror at sea.

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Africa's week in pictures: 22 - 28 May 2020

A selection of the week's best photos from across the continent.

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

The films to look out for at the We Are One festival

Cannes, Toronto and Sundance are among the film festivals uniting for an online streaming event.

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

The little lights now packing a deadly punch

LEDs already light our houses but developments are making them even more powerful.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2Xe8o3Y

The coronavirus conundrum when your mouth is your ‘hand’

The coronavirus pandemic becomes a different kind of challenge when you use your mouth as your ‘hands’.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2B9Uabz

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Melania Trump told Americans to wear face masks in public but ignored her own advice during Memorial Day events

Later on Monday, the president shared a tweet mocking former Vice President Joe Biden for wearing a mask during a public Memorial Day appearance.

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Lost hikers found alive after 18 days in New Zealand forest

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Israeli court: Alleged child sex abuser fit to stand trial

An Israeli court Tuesday ruled that a former teacher accused of sexually abusing her students in Australia is fit to stand trial for extradition, capping a years-long battle that has strained relations between the two allies and angered Australia's pro-Israel Jewish community. The ruling was hailed by Malka Leifer's alleged victims, who have accused their one-time school principal and Israeli authorities of dragging out the case for far too long. A July 20 extradition hearing was set by the court.

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