Thursday, Sept. 24th, 2020

German vehicle company BMW is fined $18 million by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve allegations that it inflated sales figures between 2015 and 2019.(AP)

French health authorities report a new record of 16,096 daily cases in the last 24 hours, the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. The new record comes a day after the government announced new restrictions on bars and restaurants in major cities, including Marseille and Paris, provoking an outcry from local politicians and business owners. (France 24)

The government announces a plan to elevate Donegal to Level 3 out of a five-alert level alongside Dublin effective midnight tommorow, which means that authorities will tighten restrictions due to an increase in cases; restrictions include a ban on indoor restaurant dining and an advisory for people not to travel outside the county. The measure will remain in place for three weeks until October 16. (The Irish Times)

The United Kingdom sees new cases rise by 6,634 in the last 24 hours, the highest figure ever reported by the Department for Health and Social Care since the beginning of the outbreak. The new record tally brings the total number of cases reported in the country to 416,363. (The Independent)

The Thai Ministry of Digital Economy and Society files legal complaints against Facebook and Twitter for ignoring requests to take down content, such as those that criticize the royal family. (Reuters)

Hong Kong police arrest veteran activist of the League of Social Democrats Koo Sze-yiu [zh] and Joshua Wong of the defunct Demosisto for violating the anti-mask policy in place under last year’s protests. Other pro-democracy activists condemn the arrests. (The New York Times)

Indonesia reports a record jump of 4,634 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide total at 262,022, while the death toll from the virus surpasses 10,000. The number of daily cases is the highest since the beginning of the pandemic and a new record for two consecutive days. (detikHealth)

Hong Kong police arrest veteran activist of the League of Social Democrats Koo Sze-yiu [zh] and Joshua Wong of the defunct Demosisto for violating the anti-mask policy in place under last year’s protests. Other pro-democracy activists condemn the arrests. (The New York Times)

2 officers wounded amid protests sparked by lack of Breonna Taylor killing charges Protests broke out in Louisville, Kentucky, and around the country Wednesday after a grand jury indicted one of the three Louisville police officers involved in the March 13 shooting of Breonna Taylor, but not directly for her death. Two Louisville police officers were shot while responding to a report of gunfire downtown, and officials said they are in stable condition and expected to survive. A suspect is in custody, but law enforcement did not say if this person was involved in the protests. Police shot Taylor while executing a no-knock warrant in search of her ex-boyfriend, who was not in the apartment, but the only officer to face charges was indicted on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for shooting into the apartment next door; if convicted, the officer faces one to five years in jail. Source: Louisville Courier-Journal

Biden ahead or competitive in Iowa, Georgia, and Texas, poll finds Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is leading President Trump by more than 7 percentage points in national polling averages, but as Trump showed in 2016, winning the Electoral College is what gets you elected. “Trump is on the defensive in three red states he carried in 2016,” The New York Times reported Thursday morning, unveiling polling of likely voters in Iowa, Georgia, and Texas. Thanks to “a wall of opposition from women,” the Times reports, Trump trails Biden by 3 points in Iowa, is tied with him in Georgia, and is ahead by 3 points in Texas, and the Democrats are competitive in those states’ Senate races as well. An overwhelming majority of voters say they have definitely made up their mind about their vote, meaning late swings in support are unlikely. Source: The New York Times

The End

 

Wednesday,  Sept. 23rd, 2020

Israel reports a record jump of 6,923 new cases in the past 24 hours, as the country imposes a second nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. Further restrictions are being considered. (Al Jazeera)

King Salman of Saudi Arabia calls for a “comprehensive and firm” response to Iran’s nuclear program and condemns what he describes as “its expansionist activities, create its terrorist networks, and use terrorism”, adding that it produces nothing but “chaos, extremism, and sectarianism”. An Iranian official rebuffs the accusations as “baseless”. (Al Jazeera)

Mexico is investigating claims that six Mexican women were sterilised while in a migrant detention center, says Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. A whistleblower the previous week alleged hysterectomies were being performed on immigrants in the United States without their proper consent. Mexico called such operations “unacceptable”. (BBC)

President Alberto Fernández demands Iran extradite the Iranian citizens accused of responsibility for the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires and states that the demand is of “vital importance”. (Argentine Official News Agency Télam)

A grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, indicts former police officer Brett Hankison on felony charges of wanton endangerment, but no officers are charged directly with Breonna Taylor’s death. A large police presence is seen in Louisville as protests continue. (USA Today) (CNN)

Two Louisville Metro Police officers are shot and wounded during protests over the Breonna Taylor indictment. One suspect is reportedly in custody. (AP)

A grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky indicts former police officer Brett Hankison on felony charges of wanton endangerment. (USA Today)

Republican senators find no evidence of wrongdoing regarding Biden and Ukraine

The Senate Homeland Security Committee released an interim report on Wednesday related to its investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden’s dealings with Ukraine, saying the Republican-led panel has found no improper influence or wrongdoing by Biden. Committee chair Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) admittedly hoped to prove Biden’s “unfitness for office,” but said the investigation found no “massive smoking guns” regarding Biden or his son Hunter Biden. Republicans have sought to find collusion between Biden’s vice presidency and his son’s work at the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, seeing as Biden led Ukraine policy at the time. While Hunter Biden’s work with Burisma reportedly made things “awkward” for State Department officials, the investigation did not confirm Republicans’ accusations that Biden tried to oust Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin to protect his son from an investigation. Source: The New York Times

U.S. tops 200,000 COVID-19 deaths; Pence focuses on lives ‘saved’

More than 200,000 Americans have died from the new coronavirus, and an average of nearly 1,000 more are dying each day. COVID-19 deaths are rising again in the U.S. after a four-week decline, with Texas and Florida leading the news fatalities, Reuters reports. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicts 300,000 deaths by Dec. 9 and 378,000 by the end of 2020, if current trends continue. The U.S. has about 4 percent of the world’s population and 20 percent of its COVID-19 deaths. Speaking in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence called the death toll “a heartbreaking milestone,” but praised the administration’s response to the pandemic, saying he knows “in my heart that we have saved hundreds of thousands of American lives.” Source: Reuters, Politico

House approves stopgap measure to avoid shutdown

The House passed a stopgap funding bill on Tuesday with a 359-57 vote, averting a government shutdown after the budget year ends on Sept. 30. This measure, which keeps federal agencies running through Dec. 11, is expected to pass in the Senate. It includes Agriculture Department subsidies for farmers and ranchers, which was pushed by the Trump administration, as well as food aid for poor families whose children cannot get free or reduced lunches due to schools being closed, something House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) requested. In addition to keeping agencies funded, the measure also extends health programs, as well as federal flood insurance and highway and transit programs. Source: The Associated Press

The End

 

Tuesday,  Sept. 22nd, 2020

Insurgents kills at least 14 security forces in Gizab District, Uruzgan Province. (TOLOnews)

Abu Dhabi ends its alcohol licence system, meaning residents will no longer need a licence to buy and consume alcohol. Customers must be at least 21 and the purchase should be for personal use only, according to the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism. (The National)

An arms depot belonging to Hezbollah explodes in Ain Qana, Nabatieh, Lebanon, injuring several people. (Reuters)

The Netherlands post a record weekly number of new confirmed cases. In the week ending today, cases hit 13,471, an increase of 60% on the 8,265 cases reported the week prior. (Reuters)

The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States passes 200,000. (BBC)

The Palestinian National Authority resigns the chairmanship of the Council of the Arab League in protest of the bloc’s failure to condemn Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates’s normalization of ties with Israel. (DW)

Russian special forces, including Federal Security Service agents, arrest cult leader Vissarion, who claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, after storming several remote hamlets occupied by his followers in Krasnoyarsk Krai. Russian authorities say he will be charged with organizing an “illegal religious organisation”, as well as subjecting his followers to extortion and emotional abuse. (The Guardian)