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Showing posts from April, 2020

Outsiders consider possibility of chaos in North Korea

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North Korea’s collapse has been predicted — wrongly— for decades. Others thought it would be during a 1990s famine or when national founder Kim Il Sung died in 1994. It's no surprise then that recent rumors that leader Kim Jong Un is seriously ill have led to similar hand-wringing. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3f380vS via IFTTT

One dead, five missing after Canadian helicopter goes missing during NATO exercise

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Canadian prime Minister Jusin Trudeau has confirmed that one man has died and five others are missing after a Canadian military helicopter went missing during a NATO operation. Debris and the aircraft's black box have been found in the sea between Greece and Italy, a Greek military officer and public television said Thursday. Canada's armed forces said the helicopter had been involved in an accident after taking off from the Canadian frigate Fredericton on Wednesday. "Debris has been found in Italy's zone of control and intervention" in the Ionian Sea, the Greek military officer told AFP, specifying the wreckage belonged to the Canadian helicopter. Six crew were aboard the helicopter when it disappeared, the officer said on condition of anonymity. Greek public television reported that a body had been found amid the wreckage in international waters off the Greek island of Kefalonia. Greek public television ERT said Italian and NATO vessels were also taking part in ...

The Next-Gen Air Force One Is Already Over Budget

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The converted Boeing 747s, designed to carry the POTUS, will fly in 2024. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Slqjm8 via IFTTT

An unprecedented coalition of Amazon, Walmart, FedEx, Target, Instacart, and Whole Foods workers is planning to strike over pandemic working conditions

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A coalition of workers from some of the US's largest essential businesses are protesting what they say are insufficient and unsafe conditions. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3f3GkXE via IFTTT

Pelosi Suggests Biden Does Not Need to ‘Directly’ Address Reade Allegation: ‘I’m Satisfied with How He Has Responded’

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) on Thursday dismissed the notion that vice president Joe Biden should “directly, publicly” respond to sexual-assault allegations made by his former Senate staffer, saying in an interview that she was "satisfied with how he has responded."Speaking to CNN, Pelosi defended Biden after she was asked if Biden should answer the allegation “head-on” and by “himself.”“I’m satisfied with how he has responded,” Pelosi said, adding she was “very proud to endorse him.”“It’s a matter that he has to deal with, but I am impressed with the people who worked for him at the time saying that they absolutely never heard one iota of information about this, nobody ever brought forth a claim or had anybody else tell them about such a claim,” she stated.> Nancy Pelosi was asked on @CNN about the Biden sexual assault allegation and she defended him.> > "He’s a person of great values, integrity, authenticity, imagination, and connection to the Amer...

Philippines rejects China's territorial label on island

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The Philippines protested on Thursday China’s designation of a disputed South China Sea reef, which it has turned into a heavily fortified island base, as a Chinese “administrative center.” The Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement objecting to what it called China’s “illegal designation” of Fiery Cross Reef as a regional administrative center in the hotly contested Spratly archipelago. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused China last week of taking advantage of widespread distraction over the pandemic to advance its territorial claims. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3bOryCa via IFTTT

California closes Orange County beaches where crowds defied coronavirus guidelines

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California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered beaches in Orange County in the southern part of the state to close, after crowds defied public health guidelines to throng the popular shoreline last weekend. The move came after Newsom complained that beachgoers could hasten the spread of the coronavirus in California, delaying the state's ability to ease public health restrictions even as millions of people in the most-populous U.S. state obey the stay-at-home rules imposed in March. Newsom's decision to close the Orange County beaches, announced at his daily coronavirus briefing, stood in contrast to media reports, including by Reuters, that the Democratic governor planned to close all parks and beaches in the state. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2VNhrIm via IFTTT

Roger Stone bought more than 200 fake Facebook accounts, which he used to run ads defending Roger Stone

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Stone, a longtime friend to Donald Trump, ran a sprawling network of fake Facebook accounts starting in 2016, according to newly unsealed FBI records. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2VQl2oN via IFTTT

Trump begins day with Twitter meltdown over newly released Michael Flynn FBI note

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Donald Trump began his Thursday with a barrage of tweets defending Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser, after Mr Flynn’s attorneys released documents that they believe show the FBI tried to entrap him.A note, written in January 2017 by then-counterintelligence director Bill Priestap, ponders how to approach Mr Flynn’s questioning. “What’s our goal?” asks Mr Priestap. "Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?" from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3f9S7DR via IFTTT

Brexit trade talks face collapse unless EU abandon demands for continued access to UK fishing waters

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Brexit trade negotiations face collapse unless the EU abandons its demands for continued access to UK fishing waters, sources close to the talks have said. Brussels has called for EU boats to keep access under “existing conditions” as a price for the free trade agreement being negotiated by the two sides. The UK insists any fishing agreement must be separate from the trade deal with access negotiated annually in a similar fashion to Norway’s agreement with the bloc. A UK source close to the negotiations said that the EU’s red line would need to change, otherwise the talks could be terminated in June. “There are some fundamentals that we're not going to change, nor going to move on. Because they are not so much negotiating positions as they're sort of what an independent state does” the source said. “An independent state has independent control over coastal waters,” the source added, “what we are wanting now is an EU understanding that we are not going to subordinate our laws to...

US Navy ship sails through Chinese-claimed waters in South China Sea

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A US Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed through waters near the Paracel islands in the South China Sea challenging China's claim to the area, the Navy said Wednesday. The USS Barry undertook the so-called "freedom of navigation operation" on Tuesday, a week after Beijing upped its claims to the region by designating an official administrative district for the islands. "Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose an unprecedented threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight and the right of innocent passage of all ships," it said. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3aMO1hF via IFTTT

California governor closes Orange County beaches

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Governor Gavin Newsom said the state is issuing a "hard close" of beaches in Orange County during the coronavirus pandemic. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Ylol9j via IFTTT

Everyone has to accept that Tesla is worth $150 billion precisely because Elon Musk doesn't behave like any other CEO in the business

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk attacked coronavirus-pandemic shelter-in-place orders, demanding a restoration of "freedom." from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2yhZB7b via IFTTT

Trump argues 1 million coronavirus cases in the U.S. is a reflection of 'superior' testing

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President Trump suggested Wednesday that the United State surpassing one million coronavirus cases is a statistic that sounds worse than it is, because it's really a reflection of the country's "superior" testing efforts, despite experts arguing testing needs to ramp up significantly.> On US reaching 1 million cases of COVID, Trump says the big number is "because of testing." > "So it's a number that, in one way, sounds bad, but in another way is really actually an indication that our testing is so superior."> > -- Jordyn Phelps (@JordynPhelps) April 29, 2020He also claims he received some outside validation about the U.S.'s performance from none other than South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Seoul has been heralded as the gold standard for handling the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to its intense and efficient testing program that helped the country keep infections and deaths relatively low, while also avoiding a full-scale economic...

Biden to give first interview responding to sexual assault accusation

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Presumptive Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden for the first time on Friday is set to personally address a former Senate aide's accusation that he sexually assaulted her in 1993 - a claim that his campaign has denied. Biden is scheduled to be interviewed about the matter on the MSNBC program "Morning Joe," the cable TV network said on Twitter on Thursday. Biden's campaign did not respond to a request for comment about the interview. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Sl9yYm via IFTTT

Two Arrested in Killings of Transgender Women in Puerto Rico

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By BY MICHAEL LEVENSON AND SANDRA E. GARCIA from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2YnU3CH

Peter Hunt, Who Directed the Broadway Hit ‘1776,’ Dies at 81

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By BY NEIL GENZLINGER from NYT Theater https://ift.tt/2VR35Xb

Scrambling the Political Divide: ‘No Normal Recession’

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By BY LISA LERER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2VQ3U2w

In a Crisis, True Leaders Stand Out

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By BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2Wc5wTr

Amazon Sells More, but Warns of Much Higher Costs Ahead

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By BY KAREN WEISE from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2xrY3Hw

Coronavirus: Armed protesters enter Michigan statehouse

Several senators reportedly wore bulletproof vests as armed demonstrators looked on from the gallery. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2y4mOtH

Coronavirus: 'I'm being penalised because I took maternity leave'

Self-employed women say they are missing out on government support as they've recently taken leave. from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/2xmPkGo via IFTTT

Debt warning over car finance payment holidays

Families say they have been trying for six weeks to secure a lockdown car finance payment holiday. from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/3bUgdjY via IFTTT

Will thermal cameras help to end the lockdown?

Thermal cameras can spot people with a temperature. Will they help to end the lockdown? from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3f37YnQ via IFTTT

Coronavirus: Madrid's balcony cinema screens films for people in lockdown

People in Madrid can watch films from their balconies after the local council brought in huge screens. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2SioCGa via IFTTT

'We'll starve to death if this continues'

Half of the world's workers could lose their jobs because of Covid-19, we meet four who are struggling with lockdown. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2SmvouB via IFTTT

In pictures: Iranian embassy siege in London

Images from 40 years ago, when six gunmen took over the Iranian embassy in Kensington. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2zIAJ9c via IFTTT

An unlikely coronavirus hotspot in forgotten US corner

How poverty and economic inequality are threatening an entire generation of African Americans. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2xkt53T via IFTTT

Coronavirus: How does contact tracing work and is my data safe?

Millions in the UK will soon be asked to download an app that helps to limit coronavirus spreading. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2zIPOaN via IFTTT

Boris Johnson, Carrie Symonds, and a baby in a very exclusive club

Baby Johnson joins Leo Blair and Florence Cameron to become a member of a very exclusive club. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2Ymv031 via IFTTT

Coronavirus: Searching for truth behind Spain's care home tragedy

Families want to know why so many of their elderly relatives have died. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2yZZBZt via IFTTT

Coronavirus: Japan's low testing rate raises questions

Japan's relatively low rate of virus testing raises questions about how it has tackled the pandemic. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2KKoxXB via IFTTT

How will airlines get flying again?

When passenger planes start flying again, the world of air travel will be very different. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3cXyT2s via IFTTT

Coronavirus: Why the fashion industry faces an 'existential crisis'

"No-one wants to buy clothes to sit at home in," as Next's chief executive Simon Wolfson puts it. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2Wc9YBC via IFTTT

Coronavirus kills 70 veterans at Massachusetts care home

Officials are investigating if residents received proper medical care at the Massachusetts home. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2ybbegh

Irrfan Khan: The Bollywood star loved by Hollywood

Irrfan Khan's biographer, Aseem Chhabra, writes about the life of one of Bollywood's biggest stars. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3eWGqQS

Coronavirus: Searching for truth behind Spain's care home tragedy

Families want to know why so many of their elderly relatives have died. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2yZZBZt

Coronavirus: Japan's low testing rate raises questions

Japan's relatively low rate of virus testing raises questions about how it has tackled the pandemic. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2KKoxXB

Training AI 'to translate mum's phone messages'

How African researchers are using the continent's languages to help spur innovation in Artificial Intelligence. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2xkftpr

Staging a 'socially distanced' boxing match

Inside the Nicaraguan boxing event that caught the world's attention during the pandemic. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3d3ojqW

Coronavirus: Why the fashion industry faces an 'existential crisis'

"No-one wants to buy clothes to sit at home in," as Next's chief executive Simon Wolfson puts it. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2Wc9YBC

Coronavirus: Why so many US nurses are out of work

At a time when many healthcare workers are risking their lives, some face pay cuts and job loss. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2VMxYMs

How will airlines get flying again?

When passenger planes start flying again, the world of air travel will be very different. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3cXyT2s

Coronavirus: Why the fashion industry faces an 'existential crisis'

"No-one wants to buy clothes to sit at home in," as Next's chief executive Simon Wolfson puts it. from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/2Wc9YBC via IFTTT

Peru's leader says to propose comprehensive pension reform

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Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra on Wednesday rejected a bill approved by Congress earlier this month that would have let people withdraw up to 25% of their holdings in private pension funds and vowed to send a full pension reform plan to lawmakers. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2W8hoFS

Training AI 'to translate mum's phone messages'

How African researchers are using the continent's languages to help spur innovation in Artificial Intelligence. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2xkftpr via IFTTT

Transgresora y tradicional: así es la reina del rap en quechua de Perú

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By BY JULIE TURKEWITZ from NYT en Español https://ift.tt/2VKKQTf

‘Governors Don’t Do Global Pandemics’: Cuomo Faults Others Over Virus

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By BY JESSE MCKINLEY from NYT New York https://ift.tt/3eUOBgJ

Trump Administration’s Message on Reopening Continues to Be Contradictory

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By BY PETER BAKER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2WdGKT0

How to Defend a Dissertation Virtually

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By Unknown Author from NYT Style https://ift.tt/3eWyBuy

Cooperstown: Wait Till Next Year?

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By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/2VM5oeg

China Mounts Aggressive Defense to Calls for Coronavirus Compensation

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By BY DAMIEN CAVE AND AMY QIN from NYT World https://ift.tt/3aKNe0H

Tucker Carlson Beats Sean Hannity as Trump Briefings Give Fox News a Boost

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By BY MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM from NYT Business https://ift.tt/2KNH6dn

It’s Not Enough to ‘Get Back to Normal’

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By BY SUSAN E. RICE from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2VMHYFJ

Pence Tours Mayo Clinic and Flouts Its Rule That All Visitors Wear a Mask

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By BY ANNIE KARNI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3eZbUWH

Children falling critically ill with new 'coronavirus-related syndrome' as NHS issues alert

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Children are falling ill with a mystery ‘inflammatory syndrome’ thought to be linked to coronavirus, senior doctors have warned. NHS leaders have issued a nationwide alert after a sudden spike in children admitted to intensive care with rashes, kidney failure, and stomach problems. The young patients have been struck down by symptoms similar to toxic shock and Kawasaki syndrome, a rare condition that weakens the blood vessels and usually affects children under five. Some have been admitted to intensive care after their hearts became dangerously inflamed, while others have been put on ventilators, it is understood. On Monday night, Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, said he had asked experts to examine "as a matter of urgency" whether a coronavirus-related syndrome among children may be emerging in the UK. "We have become aware in the last few days of reports of severe illness in children which might be a Kawasaki-like disease," he sai...

Australia asks China to explain 'economic coercion' threat in coronavirus row

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

Supreme Court Scraps Gun Case After New York Changes Law

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

Trump news: President denies responsibility for people drinking bleach to fight coronavirus as tweetstorm branded ‘indecent and obscene’

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As the number of US coronavirus cases climbs above 1 million and the nation's death toll surpasses deaths from the Vietnam War, Donald Trump claims the country is "very close" to testing 5 million people daily, as he continues to pressure states and local governments to begin "reopening" as the economy flounders.The president also suggested during a briefing on Tuesday that states with financial deficits could be forced to give undocumented people in custody over to federal immigration authorities if they want financial relief in the wake of the public health crisis. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3bLRv5g via IFTTT

Catholic Church angry after Italian government refuses to lift ban on religious services

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The Catholic Church in Italy is angry over the government’s refusal to allow the faithful to attend religious services, as the country edges towards a cautious relaxation of coronavirus lockdown rules. Under a new decree announced on Sunday night by the prime minister, businesses, factories and building sites will be allowed to restart on May 4 and people will be allowed out of their homes to exercise. Public parks will be reopened and children will be allowed out for fresh air and exercise, Giuseppe Conte said. But the government said churches and cathedrals would remain closed to congregations because there remained a high risk of the virus being spread. Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 and make up a high proportion of Italy’s dwindling churchgoers. "I understand that freedom of worship is a fundamental people's right," the prime minister said. "I understand your suffering. But we must continue discussing this further with the scientific commi...

Kim Jong Un 'alive and well,' South Korean official says amid new reports North Korean leader is ill

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Speculation about Kim's health began to swirl after the North Korea leader failed to attend the April 15 celebration of his grandfather's birthday. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2KCpt0d via IFTTT

Coronavirus: What African countries are doing to help people to eat amid the lockdowns

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What African countries are doing to help people to eat amid the lockdowns. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2WhJmPN via IFTTT

Reversing course, House won't return to D.C. next week because of coronavirus threat

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"We made a judgment that we will not come back next week," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said in a phone call with reporters. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3eZBR8v via IFTTT

Pentagon releases three UFO videos taken by US Navy pilots

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The Pentagon has released three declassified videos taken by US Navy pilots that appear to show unidentified flying objects (UFO).The black and white videos were recorded during training flights – one in November 2004 and two in January 2015 – and later leaked to the public, the Department of Defense said in a statement on Monday. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2KG52Q3 via IFTTT

Mitch McConnell wants to prevent a 'blue state bailout' of stimulus money. But Kentucky takes more from the federal government than almost any other state.

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Kentucky has a bigger balance than 47 other states from the 2015 fiscal year through 2018, according to the Rockefeller Institute of Government. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2VMNEiI via IFTTT

Scientists are perplexed by the low rate of coronavirus hospitalizations among smokers. Nicotine may hold the answer.

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No experts are remotely advocating for people to take up smoking to prevent COVID-19, but some researchers have theorized nicotine may be playing some role in keeping the virus at bay, Vice reports. That's because there's a surprisingly low rate of smokers among coronavirus hospitalizations.In France, for example, 25 percent of the population smokes, but only 5.3 percent of coronavirus patients have been recorded as smokers, and studies have found low rates in China and New York City, as well.Greek cardiologist and tobacco harm-reduction specialist Konstantinos Farsalinos thinks nicotine (crucially, not tobacco) might be lessening the intensity of cytokine storms, an overreaction of the body's immune system which seems to be the cause of the most severe coronavirus symptoms. French researchers have a slightly altered theory that nicotine prevents the virus from entering cells (the difference lies in the type of receptors the virus latches onto), and they're hoping to te...

Coronavirus: 98-year-old doctor working through the lockdown

France's oldest doctor continues to support patients during the pandemic, despite being at high risk of getting coronavirus. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3eYNAEg via IFTTT

Coronavirus: This is what reopening in US looks like

Barber shops, tattoo parlours, beaches and restaurants reopen in Georgia. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3cUny3a via IFTTT

Nova Scotia gunman killed 9 of his 22 victims by setting fire to their houses, police say

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Nine of the 22 victims killed in Canada's Nova Scotia province earlier this month in a weekend shooting rampage died in house fires set by the gunman, Canadian police told reporters on Tuesday. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/3f2dVBi

Mexico all but empties official migrant centers in bid to contain coronavirus

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Mexico has almost entirely cleared out government migrant centers over the past five weeks to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, returning most of the occupants to their countries of origin, official data showed on Sunday. In a statement, the National Migration Institute (INM) said that since March 21, in order to comply with health and safety guidelines, it had been removing migrants from its 65 migrant facilities, which held 3,759 people last month. In the intervening weeks, Mexico has returned 3,653 migrants to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador by road and air, with the result that only 106 people remain in the centers, it said. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2W0Do5x via IFTTT

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is 'alive and well'

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The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, is "alive and well", according to a top security adviser to the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in. The adviser downplayed rumours over Mr Kim's health following his absence from a key anniversary. "Our government position is firm," said Mr Moon's special adviser on national security, Moon Chung-in, in an interview with CNN on Sunday. "Kim Jong-un is alive and well." The adviser said Mr Kim had been staying in Wonsan, a resort town in the east of North Korea, since April 13, adding: "No suspicious movements have so far been detected." South Korean officials are calling for caution amid reports that Mr Kim may be ill or is being isolated because of coronavirus concerns. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2SczR2O via IFTTT

Louisiana pastor, while on house arrest, again defies coronavirus order with church service

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Life Tabernacle Church pastor Tony Spell admitted violating Louisiana's mandate to avoid large gatherings by hosting hundreds of worshippers. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3aG8Mvw via IFTTT

U.S. Supreme Court sidesteps major gun rights ruling but more cases loom

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a National Rifle Association-backed challenge to New York City restrictions on handgun owners transporting their firearms outside the home, avoiding for now the battle over the scope of the right to bear arms under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. There are other cases pending that could give the court's conservative majority a chance to widen gun rights including challenges to assault weapon bans in Massachusetts and Cook County, Illinois, and permit requirements to carry firearms outside the home in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maryland. The justices in an unsigned decision threw out the New York dispute because the measure that was challenged by individual gun owners and the state's affiliate of the influential NRA was rolled back by the city last July, rendering the case moot. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2VY9m2i via IFTTT