Wednesday,  Sept. 16th, 2020

The Trump administration and federal officials from Operation Warp Speed unveil plans for distributing doses of a COVID-19 vaccine once the FDA approves their use. (CBS News)

Madrid announces plans to introduce targeted lockdowns and other restrictions on movement on September 18, in areas with high cases, local authorities said as the region accounts for around one-third of active cases in Spain. (El Pais in English)

In Popayán, Colombia, members of the Misak indigenous community topple and decapitate a monument dedicated to Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar. (BBC)

The United Kingdom returns three antique bronze sculptures to India more than 40 years after they were stolen from a Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu. They were found in London after one was offered for sale in 2019. A total of four bronzes from the Vijayanagara period, which lasted from the 14th to the 17th century, were stolen in 1978 from a temple dedicated to the god Vishnu in Nagapattinam. (Reuters)

Part of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Pensacola, Florida, collapses due to 30 inches of rain. (USA Today)

A United Nations Human Rights Council fact-finding mission formally accuses the Venezuelan government of crimes against humanity, including cases of killings, torture, violence against political opposition and disappearances since 2014. President Nicolás Maduro and other senior Venezuelan officials are among those implicated in the charges. (BBC)

The head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, accuses the United States of “working behind the scenes” in Belarus towards another “colour revolution”, funding bloggers and training activists through NGO’s against the interests of Belarusian citizens. Minister of Defence Sergey Shoygu flies to Minsk after disputed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for weapons during a meeting in Moscow on Monday. Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov says Russia will, before the end of the year, disburse the first $1-billion tranche of a loan that was agreed also on Monday, to help Belarus’ financial stability. (Reuters)

Sources around President Donald Trump say that the United States plans to sell as many as seven major weapons systems, including mines, cruise missiles and drones to Taiwan. (Reuters)

Yoshihide Suga is elected Prime Minister of Japan, following the resignation of his predecessor Shinzo Abe over health concerns. (BBC)

A United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure report blames a “horrific culmination of a series of faulty technical assumptions by Boeing’s engineers, a lack of transparency on the part of Boeing’s management, and grossly insufficient oversight” by the Federal Aviation Administration for two deadly Boeing 737 MAX crashes, resulting in the airliner being grounded worldwide. (Reuters)

The Big Ten Conference announces its 2020 football season will begin on October 24 with an eight-game schedule, reversing its previous decision to cancel the season. (AP via WJRT-TV)

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Tuesday,  Sept. 15th, 2020

The death toll in the United States reaches 200,000. (Worldometers)

Brazil reports 1,113 deaths, the country’s highest in two weeks, thus bringing the death toll to 133,119. (Reuters)

The United States announces the suspension of the 10 percent tariff imposed on Canadian aluminum imports since August with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative citing a “sharp” decline in imports for the decision. (AFP via RFI)

A whistleblower working at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Georgia details a high rate of hysterectomies and other alleged medical neglect in a complaint to the Department of Homeland Security. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the House Homeland Security Committee chairman, says the allegations of hysterectomies being performed on women without consent are “incredibly disturbing”. (CNN) (BBC)

The city of Louisville, Kentucky, settles a wrongful death lawsuit with the family of Breonna Taylor, who was killed in a raid on her apartment by police in March. Her family will receive $12 million and several police reforms will also be enacted in the city as part of the agreement. (CNN)

China launched nine new satellites for the Jilin-1 remote sensing constellation from a barge out at sea. Launch of the nine Jilin-1 Gaofen-03 satellites took place at 01:23 UTC using the Long March 11 rocket.(Nasa Space Flight)

Pelosi promises further stimulus measures before November election House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reportedly told lawmakers on Tuesday that the House would not leave for the November election before moving forward on another coronavirus stimulus bill. “We have to stay here until we have a bill,” Pelosi reportedly said on a call. A bipartisan group of House lawmakers are set to unveil a $1.5 trillion coronavirus relief bill later on Tuesday, an effort to find a compromise after months of talks collapsed without a follow-up bill to the CARES Act that provided relief for unemployed Americans and stimulus measures as the economy continues to struggle amid the pandemic. The new bill includes another round of direct payments and boosted jobless benefits. Republicans previously pushed a $500 billion bill, while Democrats wanted a $3.4 trillion stimulus plan. Source: Reuters

DOJ reportedly opens criminal investigation into John Bolton’s book The Justice Department is reportedly investigating whether former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s recent book criminally disclosed classified information. A grand jury has issued a subpoena to Simon & Schuster, the publisher of The Room Where It Happened, for communications records. Bolton published his book in June, after the Trump administration attempted to prevent it from being released. A judge said, however, that Bolton had exposed himself “to civil (and potentially criminal) liability” and “likely jeopardized national security by disclosing classified information in violation of his nondisclosure agreement obligations.” Bolton has said that the book doesn’t contain classified information. Trump has accused Bolton of revealing classified information in his book while also claiming the book is full of “made up stories.” Source: The New York Times

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Monday,  Sept. 14th, 2020

The United Arab Emirates approves Sinopharm’s vaccine for frontline workers following successful Phase III clinical trials in Abu Dhabi. “The results of studies during the final stages of the Phase III trial showed that the vaccine is effective and resulted in a strong response, and the generation of antibodies to the virus. Studies on the safety of the vaccination have been reviewed and showed that it is safe and safe for use”, says Minister of Health Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais. The WHO-recognized trial began on July 16 and involved 31,000 volunteers. (The National).

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong files a lawsuit against ExxonMobil for their products contributing to the emissions that cause global warming and climate change. (CTMirror)

Satellite imagery shows that a big chunk of ice shattered into many small pieces from the last remaining ice shelf in Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden, Greenland. (BBC)

The first discovery of the perfectly preserved remains of a cave bear, believed to be 22,000 to 39,500 years old (Late Pleistocene), is made in Lyakhovsky Islands, Siberia in the thawing permafrost.(AP)

The Royal Astronomical Society announces that they have detected a gas called phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus that indicates microorganisms may inhabit Earth’s inhospitable neighbor. If confirmed, it would be the first known extraterrestrial life. (Reuters)

 

Sunday, Sept. 13th, 2020

Nvidia announce that they are acquiring Arm Holdings, the market-dominant designer of smartphone processors, for US$40 billion in the semi-conductor industry’s largest-ever deal. (BBC)

South Korea eases its tough social distancing measures for the next two weeks until September 28 in the Seoul Capital Area. The government lifts a ban on on-site dining after 9 pm local time, though it still requires restaurants and cafes to restrict seating and record patrons’ names and contact details. Effective tomorrow, franchise coffee shops will resume normal operations, after restricting service to takeouts. (CNA)

It is announced that Israel will enter a three-week nationwide lockdown starting on September 18 to contain the spread of COVID-19 after a second-wave surge of new cases. During the lockdown, Israelis will have to stay within 500 metres of their houses, but can travel to workplaces that will be allowed to operate on a limited basis. Schools and shopping malls will be closed but supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open. (Reuters)

It is announced that Saudi Arabia will lift all travel restrictions for citizens on January 1, the state news agency SPA said. The kingdom will also partially lift its suspension of international flights on September 15 to allow “exceptional categories” of citizens and residents to travel. (Arab News)

Two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies are shot while parked at a metro station in Compton. A small crowd, including demonstrators, gathers near the hospital in Lynwood where the deputies were transported. Witnesses say members in the group were chanting anti-law enforcement slogans and at one point tried to get inside the hospital. (KABC-TV)

Protests erupt in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania after police shot and killed a man following a domestic disturbance who charged police with a knife. Police use “chemical agents” against protesters outside the police station after members of the crowd allegedly damaged police vehicles and bricks were thrown at the police station and the post office window. (Lancaster Online)

Around 200 people in Istanbul, Turkey demonstrate against French magazine’s Charlie Hebdo’s decision to republish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed (France24)

Belarusian security forces close off Independence Square and October Square in Minsk, as 100,000 people gather in the capital calling for President Alexander Lukashenko to resign. At least 250 protesters are detained by police. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)

Housing Minister Yaakov Litzman resigns in protest of holiday lockdown, he also accuses the government of failing to act earlier and deliberately picking Rosh Hashanah as the start date of closure. (Times of Israel)

The End