Monday, Sept. 28th, 2020

Armenia and Azerbaijan’s respective armed forces clash along the border of the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh, formerly known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Several cities in Artsakh, including its capital city of Stepanakert, are under attack. At least 23 people are killed during the battle, of whom sixteen are Nagorno-Karabakh servicemen, five Azerbaijani civilians and two Armenian civilians. (BBC)

Armenia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh declare martial law and a full mobilization of its Artsakh Defence Army amid an Azerbaijani invasion. Azerbaijani Armed Forces say they have captured six Armenian villages. (The Guardian)

In a live televised address to the nation, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declares a general mobilization and orders citizens to “get ready to defend our sacred homeland”, following the clashes with Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. (The National)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declares martial law, and imposes curfews from 9 pm to 6 am in major cities, including the capital Baku, in response to the clashes between Azeri and Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. (Reuters)

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defence says advancing Azerbaijani troops have “liberated” the strategic Murovdag mountain peak, which was the scene of a previous battle in 1993, which ended in Armenian victory. (Trend)

The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths announces that the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government have agreed to a prisoner swap of 1,081 detainees. The release will include 400 government prisoners and 681 Houthi fighters. (Reuters)

Police carry out mass arrests as thousands of people gather for new protests; more than 50 protesters are arrested. (BBC)

Swiss voters reject the proposal, from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, to end an accord with the European Union that allows free movement of people. (BBC)

New York Times: Trump paid $750 in federal incomes taxes in 2016 and 2017 The New York Times obtained President Trump’s tax return data extending over more than two decades, though it does not include his personal returns from 2018 and 2019. Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes both in 2016, the year he defeated Hillary Clinton for the presidency, and in 2017, his first year in the White House. In 10 of the previous 15 years, he paid no income taxes because he reported losing more money than he made, the Times notes. The returns obtained by the Times are comprised of information he provided the Internal Revenue Service, not the findings of an independent financial examination, so while they show Trump owns hundreds of millions of dollars in valuable assets, they do not reveal his true wealth. Source: The New York Times

Senate committee’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing scheduled for Oct. 12 The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin its confirmation hearing for President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, on Oct. 12, Senate Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) revealed during an appearance Saturday on Fox News, hours after the nomination. Graham suggested the hearing will last for three to four days, with the first day reserved for introductions, opening remarks, and a statement from Barrett. The next two days will be dedicated to questioning, and then the markup process would start on Oct. 15. Committee rules mean the nomination will likely get held for a week, setting up a vote on Oct. 22. Graham then hopes to move Barrett’s confirmation to a full Senate vote by Oct. 26, a week before the presidential election. Historically, the expedited timeline has precedent, but it would be rapid compared to the number of days between nomination and confirmation for more recent nominees. Source: NBC News

Midwest breaks records as coronavirus cases surge Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota, and Wisconsin all reported record one-day increases in coronavirus cases Saturday, as COVID-19 infections continued to surge in the Midwest and rose nationally for the second straight week. Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming had also reported 24-hour records this week. Per Reuters, the influx of new cases can at least be partially attributed to an increase in testing, but hospitalizations, which are not tied to testing levels, have risen, as well. Wisconsin and South Dakota have set hospitalization records for six and five days in a row, respectively. Elsewhere in the U.S., New York state, the home of the worst coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. since the pandemic began, reported more than 1,000 cases in a day Saturday for the first time since June 5. The state’s infections are trending upward, but the positivity rate has mostly remained steady.  Source: Reuters

Armenia, Azerbaijan clash over contested region Fighting has broken out between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the Armenian government has declared martial law and total military mobilization. There have reportedly been at least 16 military and several civilian casualties. The neighboring nations have been mired in a decades-long standoff over the contested Nagorno—Karabakh region. A ceasefire was brokered in 1994, but there have been flare-ups since. Sunday’s escalation appears to be the worst since 2016. Both sides blame the other for instigating the fighting. The Armenian Defense Ministry said Azerbaijan launched an attack on civilian settlements Sunday morning, and in response Armenia shot down two helicopters and three drones and destroyed three tanks. Azerbaijan only acknowledged that one helicopter had been lost, and a defense ministry spokesperson said several villages in Nagorno-Karabkh “which were under enemy occuption for many years have been liberated.”  Source: BBC

The Los Angeles Lakers are headed to their 32nd NBA Finals, the most of any franchise in the NBA, after defeating the Denver Nuggets, 117-107, in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals in the Orlando bubble Saturday night. It’s the club’s first trip to the Finals since they won the title in 2010. LeBron James led the way for Los Angeles, dropping 38 points, 16 of which came in the fourth quarter to seal the game, and compiling his 27th career postseason triple-double. The 35-year-old James will be making the 10th finals appearance of his illustrious career, and his ninth in 10 years. The Lakers will await the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics. Miami holds a 3-2 advantage as the sides prepare to tip off Sunday night for Game 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.  Source: ESPN

Militants open fire on an army checkpoint in Araman, Lebanon, killing two members of the security forces. A militant is also killed in the attack. It is the third of a spate of attacks by Islamic State-linked militants in the country since August. (Reuters)

Militants kill at least 15 people in Ethiopia’s western Benishangul-Gumuz Region. (Reuters)

Governor of Oregon Kate Brown declares a weekend state of emergency for Portland, saying white supremacist groups are travelling from out of state to attend an event the Proud Boys allege to be organized to “end domestic terrorism.” Thousands of supporters are expected as police prepare for clashes in a city that has become the center of sometimes deadly political violence in the run-up to the November 3 election. (CBC)

 

Sunday, Sept. 27th, 2020

Johnson & Johnson begins phase 3 trial of single-shot COVID-19 vaccine Johnson & Johnson announced on Wednesday it has launched a phase three trial for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate and will enroll up to 60,000 participants. This is the fourth coronavirus vaccine candidate to enter phase three clinical trials in the United States but the first candidate hoping to provide protection with only one shot. Experts said a vaccine requiring just one dose would prove advantageous when it comes to getting it out to as many people as possible quickly. Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky called this as a “pivotal milestone,” and the company said that if the vaccine proves to be safe and effective, it’s expecting that “the first batches” could be “available for emergency use authorization in early 2021.”Source: The Washington Post

Johnson & Johnson shares promising early vaccine trial results Johnson & Johnson published interim results from its early-to-mid stage coronavirus vaccine clinical trial Friday, reporting that 99 percent of the participants between the ages of 18 and 55 developed neutralizing antibodies against the novel virus. The analysis also found that most of the side effects associated with the vaccine were mild and resolved within a matter of days. It wasn’t clear, however, whether participants over 65 were well-protected since immune response results were available for only 15 people in the demographic. One of the key aspects of Johnson & Johnson’s trial is that just a single dose produced a strong immune response in participants. Other companies developing vaccines like Moderna and Pfizer are using a two-dose approach. If Johnson & Johnson’s recently-launched phase three trial, in which 60,000 volunteers will enroll across three continents, eventually proves the single dose is safe and effective, it could simplify distribution of the vaccine. Source: Reuters

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces that the country has signed a deal with AstraZeneca to buy up to 20 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. (Business Recorder)

A Canadian woman is arrested for sending ricin poison to U.S. President Donald Trump last week. (The New York Times)

The National Snow and Ice Data Center of the United States reports that the Arctic sea ice in 2020 has melted to an area of 3.74 million square kilometers, its second smallest area since records began in 1979. (AFP via Bangkok Post)

The Australian government reports that over 200 pilot whales are stranded off the Macquarie Harbour in West Coast, Tasmania, at least 25 of which have died. A rescue mission for the surviving whales is scheduled for tomorrow. (AAP via The Guardian)

Governor Andy Beshear sends the Kentucky Army National Guard to Louisville in response to the protests. (The Hill)

U.S. President Donald Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the November 3 presidential election, saying “We’re going to have to see what happens”. (AP)

Astronomers announce the crescent shadow of Messier 87’s supermassive black hole is wobbling. Back in April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope captured the crescent shadow of the black hole, making it the first image ever taken of a black hole. (Sci News)

Archaeologists discover some chromium crucible steel (stainless steel) that was first made in Persia as early as the 11th century. (Sci News)

Jobless claims come in worse than forecast, rising to 870,000 The Labor Department said Thursday that 870,000 Americans filed new jobless claims last week, which was about 4,000 claims higher than the revised total from the week prior. The number was above the level that economists were expecting, as experts had forecast a decline to 850,000 claims. This was another week that the new jobless claims remained below one million, but months into the coronavirus crisis, they’re still at a level that far surpasses the worst week of the Great Recession. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the record for most claims filed in a single week was 695,000 in 1982. Schmidt Futures labor economist Martha Gimbel told NBC News, “It is astonishing that we are getting used to a number every week higher than we have ever seen before.” Source: CNBC

Trump won’t commit to peaceful transfer of power When asked by a reporter on Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transition of power should he not be re-elected in November, President Trump refused, saying, “Well, we’re going to have to see what happens.” More people are expected to use mail-in ballots in the general election because of the coronavirus pandemic, and Trump has repeatedly made baseless claims that this will lead to voter fraud designed to hurt him. On Wednesday, Trump said the ballots are “a disaster. Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very — we’ll have a very peaceful, there won’t be a transfer, frankly. There’ll be a continuation. The ballots are out of control.” This isn’t the first time Trump has refused to say if he will accept the election results, and he is also prone to suggesting he will serve more than two terms in office. Source: CNN

Wolf: White supremacists pose most lethal domestic security threat White supremacists have become the “most persistent and lethal” domestic security threat in the United States, Chad Wolf, acting Homeland Security secretary, told senators on Wednesday. Wolf’s assessment came despite repeated statements by President Trump and Attorney General William Barr depicting “left-wing” extremists rioting over racial injustice as the nation’s biggest internal security threat. Despite a series of racially motivated attacks last year, Trump said he didn’t consider “white nationalism” to be a growing problem. Wolf, whom Trump has nominated to officially become the department’s secretary, was accused earlier this month by a whistleblower of downplaying the threat of white supremacists. Wolf rejected the allegation during his Wednesday confirmation hearing, calling it “patently false” and “a fabrication.” Source: Reuters

At a campaign rally, United States President Donald Trump is set to make a speech in Atlanta, Georgia, advocating to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. (Fox News)

The Ontario government is implementing a number of new province-wide restrictions and public health measures aimed at curbing a surge in new cases. Under these rules, bars and restaurants, including nightclubs, are ordered to close at 11 p.m. local time and all strip clubs will be closed until further notice. The orders take effect at 12:01 a.m. local time tomorrow. (CBC)

President Donald Trump chooses Judge Amy Coney Barrett to take Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court. (The New York Times)

Trump officially nominates Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court As expected, President Trump on Saturday officially nominated Amy Coney Barrett, a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, for a Supreme Court seat following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last week. Speaking at the White House, Trump described Barrett, who traveled to Washington, D.C., from her home in South Bend, Indiana, for the nomination, as “one of our nation’s most gifted and brilliant legal minds” and a “woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials, and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution.” During her own remarks, Barrett, who is well-respected in conservative circles, said she shares the judicial philosophy of her mentor, the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Judges, she said, “must apply the law as written” while “setting aside any policy views they might hold.” Barrett must now be confirmed by the Senate in what is expected to be a contentious process. Source: The Washington Examiner

Governor of Oregon Kate Brown declares a weekend state of emergency for Portland, saying white supremacist groups are travelling from out of state to attend an event the Proud Boys allege to be organized to “end domestic terrorism.” Thousands of supporters are expected as police prepare for clashes in a city that has become the centre of sometimes deadly political violence in the run-up to the Nov. 3 election. (CBC)