| More checks? A payroll tax cut? Trump and Congress split on next coronavirus relief plan Posted: 11 May 2020 01:37 PM PDT  Another round of relief checks? A payroll tax cut? Republicans and Democrats have pitched a number of ideas for the next coronavirus relief package.
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| China berates New Zealand over support for Taiwan at WHO Posted: 11 May 2020 02:35 AM PDT |
| Coronavirus: Mexican jailed gang leader Escamilla dies Posted: 11 May 2020 06:04 AM PDT  Mexican Moisés Escamilla was serving a sentence for crimes including the decapitation of 12 people.
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| Dr. Anthony Fauci says there's 'virtually no chance' that COVID-19 will be eradicated Posted: 11 May 2020 11:19 AM PDT  "With the travel, the global travel, every single day, there's no chance we're going to be virus-free," Fauci told NBC Sports' Peter King.
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| Iran raises death toll in friendly fire missile strike to 19 Posted: 11 May 2020 03:38 AM PDT  The friendly fire incident happened on Sunday near the port of Jask, some 1,270 kilometers (790 miles) southeast of Tehran.
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| Cuomo: N.Y. Has ‘Reached the Other Side of the Mountain’ and Can Begin Reopening Posted: 11 May 2020 10:48 AM PDT  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday that New York has reached "the other side of the mountain" with the coronavirus outbreak in the state and can begin reopening the economy in phases."We're right about where we were on March 19 before we went into the abyss of the COVID virus," Cuomo said at his daily news conference giving updates on the virus outbreak."We're coming out of the other side. So in many ways, from my point of view, we're on the other side of the mountain, right? We got hit with the virus, we saw that incline, we saw the number of cases growing, we saw the number of deaths growing. We finally hit a plateau because we did what we needed to do, and we changed our behavior, and we closed down, and we turned the corner, and then we started to come down the other side," Cuomo continued.Some "low-risk" businesses such as landscaping companies and drive-in movie theaters will be allowed to reopen on Friday, when the state's stay at home order is scheduled to expire. However, many measures put in place in response to the outbreak will remain in effect, including eviction protections.Non-essential businesses will remain closed in each of the state's 10 regions until regions are able to show that they have met certain criteria, including enacting social distancing protocols and performing health screens of employees, before reopening in four phases."The decline has gotten to a point where we are just about where we started the journey," Cuomo said Monday. "We have abated the worst by what we've done, and now we can intelligently turn to reopening."The governor emphasized last week that the state must open its economy gradually to prevent a spike in the infection rate, forcing it close businesses again."If we didn't do anything, you would have seen that infection number keep going straight up," Cuomo said Friday. "We reopen irresponsibly, you will see that infection number go straight up."New York state has seen more than 340,600 cases of the coronavirus, close to a fourth of all cases in the U.S., and more than 26,600 people have died in the state after being infected.
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| Texas Salon Owner Admits to ‘The View’ She Received PPP Funds Before Court Date Posted: 11 May 2020 10:10 AM PDT  Shelley Luther, the Texas hair salon owner who received national attention for defying orders to keep her shop temporarily closed during the coronavirus pandemic, admitted on Monday morning that she had received $18,000 in stimulus funds days before her fateful court appearance.Luther became a conservative hero when she was briefly jailed last week following her refusal to apologize to a Texas judge after she was found guilty of civil and criminal contempt for violating a temporary restraining order by keeping her shop open despite stay-at-home orders. Sentenced to seven days in jail and a $7,000 fine, Luther was quickly freed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and her fine was paid by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.Appearing on the popular ABC talk show The View, Luther was confronted on her previous claims that she violated the state's shelter-in-place orders because she and her shop's stylists were facing financial hardships."You applied for small business loans and unemployment, and you did receive some aid from the government," co-host Sunny Hostin noted. "You received $18,000 from the government.""So I understand why people feel so strongly about going back to work because they feel that the government isn't doing its job and taking care of people, but in this instance, two days before you went to court, the money went into your account," Hostin added. "So I'm troubled by that."Luther replied that she could understand why the View host "would be troubled" before claiming that she didn't know what to do with the money she applied for and received through the Paycheck Protection Program."What happened was I already had the court date, and I already had been open the entire time," the salon owner asserted. "There was $18,000 dropped in my bank account with no notice of what it was. So I get no instructions."Saying that she thinks the money is from "one of the loans," Luther went on to claim that she doesn't "know how I'm supposed to spend it," adding that she is aware that there are a number of regulations and guidelines that come with the funds."I didn't want to put myself in deeper debt by spending it the wrong way, you know, and also having to close the salon," Luther said. "So until I got further instruction on that, I didn't want to spend it.""And giving me $18,000 to spend when my stylists aren't actual employees of mine, they're actually subleasing," she concluded. "So I wasn't sure if I was even able to give them any of that money as employees because I don't pay them."Besides the widespread adulation she received from the right over her defiance of stay-at-home orders, which included praise from President Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) flying in for a haircut at her salon, Luther was also the beneficiary of a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $500,000 on her behalf.Texas Monthly, however, recently reported that the crowdfunding effort for Luther, which labeled her an "American hero," was actually created back on April 23, one day before she reopened her salon. The campaign organizer wrote that they "researched her and her cause" and decided that "we would approach her and offer to support her as our first patriot cause."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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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| Biggest US solar project approved in Nevada despite critics Posted: 11 May 2020 03:57 PM PDT  The Trump administration announced final approval Monday of the largest solar energy project in the U.S. and one of the biggest in the world despite objections from conservationists who say it will destroy thousands of acres of habitat critical to the survival of the threatened Mojave desert tortoise in Nevada. The $1 billion Gemini solar and battery storage project about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Las Vegas is expected to produce 690 megawatts of electricity — enough to power 260,000 households — and annually offset greenhouse emissions of about 83,000 cars. It will create about 2,000 direct and indirect jobs and inject an estimated $712.5 million in the economy as the nation tries to recover from the downturn brought on by the coronavirus outbreak, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said.
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| Iran accidentally fires missile at its own military ship, killing 19 Posted: 11 May 2020 03:18 AM PDT  An Iranian ship fired a missile during a training exercise which accidentally struck another vessel, killing 19 sailors, state media reported.
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| Americans more worried about reopening too quickly than not opening quickly enough, survey says Posted: 11 May 2020 01:48 PM PDT  Few Americans believe it's safe now for coronavirus-related social distancing restrictions to be scaled back, according to the survey.
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| More than 90% of Tokyo hospital beds for COVID-19 patients filled: government Posted: 10 May 2020 08:59 AM PDT  More than 90 percent of hospital beds secured for COVID-19 patients in Tokyo have already been occupied, the Japanese Health Ministry said on Sunday, underscoring the pressing need to curb the further spread of the new coronavirus. The Tokyo Metropolitan government aims to boost the number of beds for COVID-19 patients to 4,000 eventually. About 5,000 people in Tokyo were confirmed to have been infected with the virus, representing nearly one-third of Japan's total infections of around 16,000, according to public broadcaster NHK.
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| Interpol issues red notice for US diplomat's wife charged with killing Harry Dunn Posted: 11 May 2020 08:49 AM PDT  Interpol have issued a red notice for the wife of a US diplomat charged with killing Harry Dunn, as police told his parents she was "wanted internationally". British prosecutors charged Anne Sacoolas with causing death by dangerous driving after a car crash that knocked the 19-year-old off his motorbike outside a US military base in Northamptonshire last year. It is alleged the 42-year-old suspect had been driving on the wrong side of the road before the crash. Ms Sacoolas is the wife of a US intelligence official based at RAF Croughton and claimed diplomatic immunity to allow her to return to America, sparking an international row. An extradition request submitted by the Home Office was rejected by the US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in January. In a significant escalation of Britain's stance on the issue, it emerged on Monday that Interpol had issued a request to police forces worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest Ms Sacoolas if she crossed their borders. Number 10 said the refusal by the US to extradite Ms Sacoolas, who was charged in December, amounted to a "denial of justice". Red notices are issued by the international policing organisation - of which both the UK and US are members - at the request of a member country. They are distinct, however, from an international arrest warrant and Interpol cannot compel police in any country to arrest someone who is the subject of a red notice. In an email sent by Northamptonshire Police, the 19-year-old's parents were told the suspect is "wanted internationally" and "should she leave the USA the wanted circulations should be enacted". Reacting to the development, Harry Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles said: "It's been a terrible time for us. "We are utterly bereft and heartbroken and miss our Harry every minute of every single day. "This is important news that (our spokesman) has just passed on to us and we are in pieces. "I just want to urge Mrs Sacoolas to come back to the UK and do the right thing. Face justice and maybe then our two families can come together after the tragedy and build a bridge." A spokeswoman for the US state Department last reiterated its position on April 30, saying that, at the time of the accident and for the duration of her time in the UK, the driver had immunity from criminal jurisdiction. Mr Dunn's parents had separately written to Donald Trump, the US President, asking him to review the decision to block the extradition request. News of the Interpol notice came just hours after the head of the armed forces told the grieving family that he will make representations to his US colleagues about setting up a meeting after claims of "near misses" involving American military staff. General Sir Nick Carter penned a letter to Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn promising to raise the matter - saying "I am very supportive of positive engagement between you and the US base commander". His parents had issued a plea to arrange a meeting with the base following claims of "three near misses" involving their staff since the teenager's death.
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| A woman who accused Biden of inappropriate touching says she supports him as the 'obvious choice' to defeat Trump Posted: 10 May 2020 07:30 PM PDT  Amy Lappos accused Biden of touching her inappropriately at a political fundraiser in 2009. She says he is the "obvious choice" over Donald Trump.
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| India, China in high-altitude fistfight at disputed border Posted: 10 May 2020 09:43 AM PDT  Several Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in a high-altitude cross-border clash involving fistfights and stone-throwing at a remote but strategically important mountain pass near Tibet, the Indian Army said Sunday. There have been long-running border tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, with a bitter war fought over India's northeastern-most state of Arunachal Pradesh in 1962. The "stand-off" on Saturday at Naku La sector near the 15,000-feet (4,572-metre) Nathu La crossing in the northeastern state of Sikkim -- which borders Bhutan, Nepal and China -- was later resolved after "dialogue and interaction" at a local level, Hooda said.
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| Release of Iranian scientist in doubt as US official 'calls BS' Posted: 11 May 2020 10:23 AM PDT  Homeland security questions whether Tehran wants return of Sirous AsgariA potential deal to release a renowned Iranian scientist from a US jail and return him to Iran appears to be in danger of breaking down after a senior US official questioned whether Tehran really wanted him returned.Iran's foreign minister, Javad Zarif, claimed on Monday that Sirous Asgari had been freed by US authorities and would be able to return to Iran immediately if he tested negative for coronavirus.But his remarks were dismissed as "BS" by a senior US Department of Homeland Security official, who accused Iran of slow-walking a deal.A well-regarded materials scientist, Asgari was acquitted on charges of stealing US trade secrets but remains in immigration detention where he contracted the coronavirus.Zarif said on Monday that Asgari "has been acquitted of false charges and we have been very active in preparing the ground for his return. If his coronavirus is negative he could return on the first flight".Zarif's statement was reported on the margins of an Iranian parliament foreign and security committee meeting in Tehran.Speaking generally about the return of Iranian prisoners held in the US, Zarif said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to exchange all Iranian prisoners in the United States and other countries, imprisoned under American pressure, with American prisoners in Iran."He repeated Iran's position that further talks with the US were not necessary for a prisoner swap between Iran and the US.But the US deputy secretary for homeland security, Ken Cuccinelli , accused Zarif of stalling over Asgari, tweeting: "We have been trying to return Sirous Asgari and you suddenly wake up and say you actually want him back. You say you want all your citizens back, I call BS. How about you put your money where your mouth is? We have 11 of your citizens which are illegal aliens who have been trying to return to your country."He proposed Zarif charter a plane and then the US would send all 11 Iranians back.He added: "If you have really been speaking the truth these last few weeks and you really want your citizens back then stop stalling and send the plane. The world is watching and expecting the usual outcome namely you will do nothing except keep talking."Asgari arrived in the US in 2017 with his wife and with valid passports and visas, but upon arrival he discovered he was being prosecuted by the US government for alleged violations of sanctions law.After his acquittal, he was kept in jail on the basis that his visa had expired. He had offered to buy his own flight ticket home, and it looked as if he was being held until the Iranians agreed to release Americans in Iranian custody.The US has been trying to secure the full release of a US Navy veteran, Michael White, who contracted coronavirus in jail and was then transferred to the Swiss embassy in Tehran. There was no direct swap of Asgari and White on the cards, but the progress on the cases is seen as entangled.In an interview with the Guardian in March, Asgari accused the US immigration authorities of leaving inmates to contract coronavirus in overcrowded and dirty prisons. He said: "The way Ice [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] looks at these people is not like they are human beings, but are objects to get rid of."A professor at the Sharif University of Technology, a public university in Tehran, said: "The way that they have been treating us is absolutely terrifying. I don't think many people in the US know what is happening inside this black box."
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| Not Feeling the iPhone? Consider One of These Android Phones Instead Posted: 11 May 2020 09:00 AM PDT |
| Southern California birthday party blamed for virus cluster Posted: 09 May 2020 08:35 PM PDT  One attendee joked that, because she was coughing, she probably had the virus, a city of Pasadena spokeswoman said.
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| After controversy, parole grant in officer's slaying delayed Posted: 10 May 2020 10:04 PM PDT |
| This Home Beautifully Blends Traditional and Modern Japanese Architecture Posted: 11 May 2020 04:01 PM PDT |
| Pandemics have 2 endings, says historians Posted: 11 May 2020 10:29 AM PDT  When will the COVID-19 pandemic end? And how? According to historians, pandemics typically have two types of endings: the medical, which occurs when the incidence and death rates plummet, and the social, when the epidemic of fear about the disease wanes.
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| Additional video shows Georgia jogger Ahmaud Arbery did nothing illegal before being killed, attorneys say Posted: 10 May 2020 05:04 PM PDT  Surveillance video recorded minutes before the slaying of jogger Ahmaud Arbery proves the Georgia man was not involved in a crime, attorneys say.
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| Trump wades into Pennsylvania coronavirus plan, governor pushes back Posted: 11 May 2020 08:05 AM PDT  President Donald Trump accused Democrats of moving to reopen U.S. states from coronavirus lockdown measures too slowly for political advantage on Monday, as Pennsylvania's governor hit back against Republicans pushing a faster timetable. Trump has encouraged states to ease restrictions designed to mitigate the spread of the new coronavirus. On Monday, he targeted the election battleground state of Pennsylvania, which has a Democratic governor, Tom Wolf.
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| Stranded German fugitive spends 54 days in Indian airport after coronavirus lockdown Posted: 11 May 2020 07:52 AM PDT  A 40-year-old German fugitive has spent a remarkable 54 days in the transit area of a New Delhi airport, after becoming stranded due to the coronavirus lockdown. In scenes reminiscent of Hollywood blockbuster The Terminal, Edgard Ziebat is using the bathrooms to wash while airport security staff are providing him with food. "The person looks physically fine and psychologically he is perfect, he hasn't asked us for anything," said a bemused official from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). On March 18, Mr. Ziebat was waiting to catch a connecting flight from New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport to Istanbul - where he has family - after a trip to Vietnam. India suddenly cancelled all flights to and from Turkey in the wake of the pandemic and Mr. Ziebat refused to travel to Germany on remaining commercial flights or subsequent relief flights because he is wanted there on criminal charges, according to the MEA official. "There is a lookout notice against him and as soon as he reaches there [Germany], he would be arrested," the official said. Details of his arrest warrant have not been made public. Mr. Ziebat refused offers to be flown to a third-country or to apply for a temporary entry visa for India. It is believed that the German Embassy in New Delhi has refused to accept custody of Mr. Ziebat because of his criminal record, which would make it a law enforcement matter. Officials said Mr. Ziebat has spent the last 54 days reading magazines and newspapers and catching up with family and friends outside the terminal on his mobile phone, which he is able to use through the airport wifi. He has also been interacting with airport housekeeping staff and taking regular walks around the transit area. Indians took to social media to express their amazement at the story, as the airport is hardly renowned for its cleanliness. "Is this human? Show some empathy and ensure he gets back to home," wrote one. A source within German foreign ministry circles said it was working on Mr Ziebat's situation. "The case is known to the foreign ministry, our embassy in New Delhi is in contact with the Indian authorities about this and the individual concerned has been informed about the possibilities of return to Germany," said the source. "We cannot provide further details about individual consular cases for reasons of personal rights and data protection."
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| Tammy Baldwin: I'm in "regular" contact with Biden campaign Posted: 11 May 2020 12:43 PM PDT  But she said "I keep my counsel with the vice president's campaign private."
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| South Dakota tribes defy governor and maintain checkpoints in coronavirus fight Posted: 11 May 2020 03:36 PM PDT  "We have every legal right to do what we're doing," said Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Harold Frazier. "We're just doing preventative action."
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| Israeli army destroys home of Palestinian bomb suspect Posted: 10 May 2020 05:39 PM PDT  Israel's army on Monday demolished the West Bank home of a Palestinian charged with involvement in a bomb attack that killed an Israeli teenager, AFP journalists said. The explosion last August 23 near a spring close to the Jewish settlement of Dolev in the West Bank killed 17-year-old Rina Shnerb and wounded her father and brother. Four men were later arrested and charged including Qassam Shibli, who Israel said had made and planted the explosive device.
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| Asia latest: China's ground zero reports new cases, virus pauses long-running cartoon Posted: 11 May 2020 03:51 AM PDT  China reported a new cluster of coronavirus cases in the city of Wuhan. Five new infections were confirmed in one district of Wuhan, the city believed to be ground zero for the global pandemic. Officials reported 35 new infections, taking the total to 10,909, after recording only single-digit increases for eight of the preceding 12 days.
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| Violence Against Asian Americans Is on the Rise—But It’s Part of a Long History Posted: 11 May 2020 02:13 PM PDT  A new docuseries on PBS calls attention to how Asian Americans have often been violently scapegoated for larger societal issues
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| UK COVID-19 study reassures pregnant women, but warns risks higher later Posted: 11 May 2020 05:08 AM PDT  Pregnant women are no more likely to become severely ill with COVID-19 than other women, according to a preliminary study in Britain, but most expectant mothers who do develop serious illness tend to be in the later stages of pregnancy. The study looked at 427 pregnant women who were admitted to hospital with COVID-19, the lung disease caused by the new coronavirus, between March 1 and April 14. It found fewer than 0.5 percent of all pregnant women were admitted to hospital with the disease, and only around 1-in-10 of those needed intensive care.
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| North Korea outbreak fear as Chinese border city locked down Posted: 11 May 2020 02:02 AM PDT  China has enforced a lockdown on a city bordering North Korea, raising suspicions about a coronavirus outbreak in the isolated country. Residential compounds have been closed and transportation shut down in Shulan, a city of 700,000 in the north-eastern province of Jilin, state broadcaster China Central Television reported on Sunday. Students who already had returned to school, were sent back home again to study, and the city's threat level has been raised from medium to high risk. As of Saturday, Jilin province had reported a total of 105 locally transmitted Covid-19 cases and 19 imported ones. There were 11 new coronavirus cases in Shulan on Saturday, local health authorities said. North Korea closed its borders in January when Covid-19 first began to take hold in China, and has consistently stated that nobody inside the country has been infected.
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| Biden sexual assault claim divides Democrats as Republicans pounce Posted: 10 May 2020 03:00 AM PDT  While high-profile Democrats voice support for the presumptive presidential nominee, some progressives call for a closer look at Tara Reade's allegationsThe allegations of sexual misconduct by Tara Reade against the former vice-president Joe Biden have caused new fault lines within the Democratic party, especially between its left wing and the establishment.Reade is a former Biden Senate staffer who has accused the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee of sexually assaulting her while she worked in his office in the 1990s. Biden and his campaign have flatly denied the allegations and major news outlets have continued to investigate.Meanwhile, liberal grassroots activists have clashed with centrist Democrats and senior party figures over how to respond to the allegations. The arguments often point to how Democrats approached previous high-profile sexual assault allegations, such as the accusations by Christine Blasey Ford against Brett Kavanaugh during the now supreme court justice's contentious confirmation hearings.Peter Daou, a Democratic strategist who has argued that the "Democratic establishment" has moved to undercut Reade's allegations, said three basic factions had emerged."You have Biden's opponents on the Republican side and they're going to seize on this," Daou said, adding that there was also "the left – progressives and leftists" who want to see Reade's allegations taken more seriously, and then the Democratic party establishment figures who are trying to undermine Reade. The latter group, Daou said, is "just absolutely wedded to Biden right now, will not let go, so they'll defend him at all costs – even if that means completely destroying the MeToo movement".Daou pointed out that other women have accused Biden of unwanted touching. In response to those accusations, Biden has said he would work to better respect other people's personal spaces.Republicans have been eager to confront as many rank-and-file Democratic politicians as possible with the allegations. The National Republican Congressional Committee has been blasting out emails targeting specific Democratic House candidates over Reade's claims.The subject line of a Friday email from the NRCC read: "Why does McBath not believe Tara Reade?" It asked why the Georgia congresswoman Lucy McBath was "yet to say whether she'll stand by her endorsement of Biden amidst allegations of sexual assault, although she was quick to support Dr Ford during the Kavanaugh hearings".Similar questions are being asked by progressives and some more moderate Democratic party leaders. David Sirota, a former speechwriter and senior strategist for Bernie Sanders, has argued that Democrats have been too eager to discount Reade's allegations.A small group of insurgent Democratic congressional candidates have begun to raise concerns that Reade's allegations are not being taken seriously enough. Rebecca Parson, a liberal Democrat challenging the Washington state congressman Derek Kilmer, said in an interview on Friday that Biden should step down over Reade's allegations. Parson said she believes Reade and thinks the charges create too much of a vulnerability for Biden in the 2020 presidential election."I want to defeat Donald Trump in November and yes, I'm a progressive and I'm in the left-wing of the party, but something that really unites the people in the centrist wing and the progressive wing is we all want to defeat Trump," Parson said. "I don't think we do that with somebody who has all these allegations against him, especially because Donald Trump has assault allegations against him and unfortunately with Donald Trump, Trump doesn't care about being a hypocrite."Parson added: "I think that Biden should withdraw and any one or more of the candidates who aren't running should restart their campaign because the Democratic primary isn't over yet."Those arguments aren't shared by many of the most high-profile figures in the Democratic party. The New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a leading advocate against sexual harassment and sexual assault, told reporters on Tuesday that she supported Biden amid the allegations."So when we say believe women, it's for this explicit intention of making sure there's space for all women to come forward to speak their truth, to be heard. And in this allegation, that is what Tara Reade has done," Gillibrand said, according to CNN. "She has come forward, she has spoken, and they have done an investigation in several outlets. Those investigations Vice-President Biden has called for himself. Vice-President Biden has vehemently denied these allegations and I support Vice-President Biden."The former Georgia state house minority leader Democrat Stacey Abrams also said she believed Biden."The New York Times did a deep investigation and they found that the accusation was not credible. I believe Joe Biden," Abrams said in late April.Others, including the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, have also said they support Biden in response to Reade's allegations.But Parson is not alone in arguing that at this point Biden should drop out of the race. A Politico/Morning Consult poll found that over a third of Democratic voters surveyed say the party should switch out Biden as their presumptive nominee because of the allegations.Other Democrats argued that Biden can both adequately address Reade's allegations and still be a viable opponent against Trump. The Massachusetts congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, a progressive favorite, wrote a Medium post arguing that the allegations can be examined without undercutting Biden's chances of beating Trump."I reject the false choice that my party and our nominee can't address the allegations at hand and defeat the occupant of the White House," Pressley wrote.
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| Nearly one-third of Americans believe a coronavirus vaccine exists and is being withheld, survey finds Posted: 10 May 2020 12:58 PM PDT  The Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project found some misinformation about the coronavirus is more widespread that you might think.
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| Rhino killed as poaching attempts increase amid India virus lockdown Posted: 10 May 2020 05:05 PM PDT  A rare one-horned rhino has been killed as poaching attempts increase in one of India's best-known national parks during the coronavirus lockdown, officials said Sunday. The lack of vehicles on the highway near Kaziranga National Park in Assam state -- home to the world's biggest population of one-horned rhinos -- amid the lockdown has seen animals move towards the boundaries, making them vulnerable to poachers. "It is suspected that the rhino was killed at least two to three days ago," the park's director P. Sivakumar told AFP, adding that the rhino's horn was also missing.
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| Israel demolishes home of alleged Palestinian attacker Posted: 11 May 2020 12:42 AM PDT |
| China warns of countermeasures to new U.S. rule for Chinese journalists Posted: 11 May 2020 10:57 AM PDT  China warned on Monday that it will take countermeasures in response to a U.S. decision to tighten visa terms for Chinese journalists and urged the United States to immediately "correct its mistake."
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| Ahmaud Arbery: Man who recorded deadly shooting says he was in 'complete shock' Posted: 11 May 2020 06:25 AM PDT  A man who who recorded the viral video that showed a white father and his son allegedly shooting a black 25-year-old named Ahmaud Arbery while he was jogging has spoken out about the fatal incident.William Roddie Bryan said in a new interview he was in "complete shock" when he witnessed the shooting in Brunswick, Georgia that took place on 23 February, and has received threats since the video he recorded drew national media attention.
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| Russia's Putin orders gradual easing of coronavirus lockdown despite surge in cases Posted: 11 May 2020 01:40 AM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced a gradual easing of coronavirus lockdown measures despite a new surge in infections which took Russia's tally past Italy's, making it the fourth highest in the world. Putin, in a televised nationwide address, said that from Tuesday he would start lifting restrictions that had forced many people to work from home and businesses to temporarily close. The Russian leader emphasised the lifting of restrictions would be gradual and that individual regions in the world's largest country would need to tailor their approach to varying local conditions.
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| 'If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me': Elon Musk confirms Tesla is restarting its factory against local rules Posted: 11 May 2020 02:11 PM PDT  Last month, Elon Musk said shutdowns designed to slow the spread of the virus were "fascist" and un-American.
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| Fact check: Convicted 1980s abortion clinic bomber attended anti-lockdown protests in Ohio Posted: 10 May 2020 06:29 PM PDT  John Brockhoeft was convicted of planning to bomb the Pensacola The Ladies Center in 1988 and served 26 months in federal prison.
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| Yazidi girl returns home to Iraq after years of IS captivity Posted: 10 May 2020 01:22 PM PDT  A Yazidi girl abducted by the Islamic State group returned to Iraq Sunday to be reunited with her family after the coronavirus lockdown in Syria delayed her homecoming, a community member said. Layla Eido, 17, was among dozens of women and girls from Iraq's minority Yazidi community who were abducted by IS from their ancestral home of Sinjar in 2014. The women were enslaved, systematically raped, or married off by force to jihadists, but for Eido the nightmare came to an end when the jihadist group's so-called "caliphate" collapsed last year.
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| Saudi Arabia triples taxes, cuts $26B in costs amid pandemic Posted: 10 May 2020 11:55 PM PDT  Saudi Arabia announced Monday it was tripling taxes on basic goods, raising them to 15%, and cutting spending on major projects by around $26 billion as it grapples with blows from the coronavirus pandemic and low oil prices on its economy. Saudi citizens will also lose a bonus cost-of-living allowance that had been in place since 2018, according to the country's finance minister. Brent crude now hovers around $30 a barrel, far below the range Saudi Arabia needs to balance its budget.
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| Germany sees worrying COVID figures after weeks of relaxation Posted: 11 May 2020 09:03 AM PDT  Scientists are watching closely as the "reproduction rate" of the virus behind COVID-19 has risen above a crucial threshold for 2 days in a row.
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| Coronavirus: South Dakota Sioux refuse to take down 'illegal' checkpoints Posted: 11 May 2020 04:58 AM PDT  Tribal officials say the checkpoints are the only way to ensure the virus does not enter their land.
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| Australia's biggest state to ease coronavirus lockdown from May 15 Posted: 09 May 2020 07:27 PM PDT  Australia's most populous state, home to Sydney, will allow restaurants, playgrounds and outdoor pools to reopen on Friday as extensive testing has shown the spread of the coronavirus has slowed sharply, New South Wales state's premier said on Sunday. The state has been worst hit by the coronavirus in Australia, with about 45% of the country's confirmed cases and deaths. From May 15, New South Wales will allow cafes and restaurants to seat 10 patrons at a time, permit outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people, and visits of up to five people to a household.
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