Wednesday, September 29th, 2021 

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace approves a request for 150 military tanker drivers to help deliver fuel to petrol stations. The Petrol Retailers Association says that 37% of its 5,500 stations have run out of fuel. (BBC) 

The United Kingdom’s Department for Transport announces that it is seizing control of train operating company Southeastern beginning next month following a “serious breach” of financial conduct. An investigation found that around £25 million in taxpayer funding is currently unaccounted for. (Sky News) 

NASA announces the scheduled launch of Lucy, a 12-year space probe on the Jupiter trojan asteroids, the first mission to do so. It will launch from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on October 16. (AFP via The Straits Times) 

U.K. readies troops to help deliver fuel to gas stations Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday placed British army troops “on standby” in case they are needed to drive trucks to deliver fuel to gas stations running low due to panic buying and labor shortages. The United States and other countries have faced a labor crunch caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but in the United Kingdom the problem has been even worse, because the country’s departure from the European Union has cut off the free movement of workers from Eastern Europe. Those workers used to accept low-paid jobs many Britons avoid, including positions working in nursing homes and driving cargo trucks. British officials said the country has adequate fuel supplies, but is struggling to get it from ports and refineries to the pump.  THE WASHINGTON POST 

Top general calls Afghanistan a ‘strategic failure’ Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, defended the withdrawal of the last U.S. forces from Afghanistan last month in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, although he acknowledged that the process did not go according to plans. He said the evacuation operation was successful, but that the nation’s war was a “strategic failure.” “Strategically, the war was lost. The enemy is in Kabul,” Milley said in reference to the Taliban, who regained control of the country as U.S. forces prepared to leave. Top generals told senators that they had advised President Biden and his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, to keep about 2,500 American troops in Afghanistan, contradicting Biden, who has said nobody warned him against going through with a full withdrawal as arranged by the Trump administration. POLITICO 

Yellen warns government running out of options to avoid debt default Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday warned lawmakers that the federal government would run out of ways to avoid a catastrophic federal-debt default by Oct. 18 unless Congress raises the debt ceiling. Economists say a default would send financial markets plunging and delay payments to millions of Americans. Yellen also warned that the deadline could come earlier depending on “unavoidable” shifts in the federal government’s cash flows. “This uncertainty underscores the critical importance of not waiting to raise or suspend the debt limit. The full faith and credit of the United States should not be put at risk,” Yellen wrote. Senate Republicans have said they would not provide any votes to raise the debt ceiling.  CNN 

Pfizer gives FDA trial data on pediatric vaccine  Pfizer and BioNTech announced Tuesday that they had submitted trial data to the Food and Drug Administration indicating that their coronavirus vaccine was safe to administer to children ages 5 to 11. The drugmakers said they would request authorization to start distributing the shots within weeks. The news came as many parents express eagerness to get young kids vaccinated now that they are back in school. The FDA said it would analyze the trial results quickly. About 28 million children in that age group would be eligible for the vaccine. About 17 million young people ages 12 to 15 became eligible to get vaccinated in May. About 42 percent of the older children have been fully vaccinated, compared to 66 percent of adults. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Democrats scramble to salvage Biden agenda and avoid shutdown  Democrats hit an impasse Tuesday in their negotiations to resolve infighting over legislation needed to avert a government shutdown and a default on federal debt, as well as two massive spending bills that are crucial parts of President Biden’s economic and social agenda. A group of progressive House Democrats said they would defy House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) by opposing a bipartisan infrastructure bill coming to a scheduled vote on Thursday, because a bigger, $3.5 trillion spending package they want is still being negotiated. Meanwhile, President Biden is talking directly to moderate Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who have said they won’t support the huge budget bill without significant cuts. Democrats need all 50 of their votes in the evenly split Senate to push through that legislation. BLOOMBERG

Fumio Kishida wins party run-off to become Japan’s presumptive prime minister Fumio Kishida, Japan’s former foreign minister, won a run-off election for leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership on Wednesday, all but guaranteeing he will be the country’s next prime minister. Kishida is set to replace the outgoing Yoshihide Suga as prime minister on Monday following a special parliamentary session. Suga has served just one year in power. His popularity dropped sharply due to criticism of his response to the coronavirus pandemic. Kishida, a 64-year-old moderate party stalwart, was preferred by the party elite over his chief rival, Taro Kono, an outspoken American-educated maverick, in the 257-170 runoff vote dominated by the party’s members of parliament. THE WASHINGTON POST

Maryland judge sentences ‘Capital Gazette’ killer to 5 life terms A Maryland judge on Tuesday sentenced Jarrod Ramos to five life sentences without parole for fatally shooting five people in the Capital Gazette newsroom in 2018. A jury in July rejected Ramos’ insanity plea and found him guilty on murder, assault, and other charges connected to the killings. The victims included Rob Hiaasen, 59, the newspaper’s deputy editor; Gerald Fischman, 61, editorial page editor; sports reporter and editor John McNamara, 56; Wendi Winters, 65, a reporter; and Rebecca Smith, 34, a sales assistant. “To say the defendant showed a callous and cruel disregard for the sanctity of human life is simply an understatement,” said Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Michael Wachs. “What I impose is what the defendant deserves.” NPR 

North Korea says it tested a hypersonic missile North Korea said Wednesday that its military successfully fired a newly developed hypersonic missile on Tuesday, the latest in a series of weapon launches. The state-run KCNA news agency called the missile “a strategic weapon,” implying it has nuclear capabilities. KCNA also said that “national defense scientists confirmed the navigational control and stability of the missile,” including “the guiding maneuverability and the gliding flight characteristics of the detached hypersonic gliding warhead.” Tuesday’s launch took place shortly before North Korea’s U.N. envoy demanded that the United States and South Korea stop joint military exercises. Over the weekend, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s influential sister, Kim Yo Jong, said her country would resume talks with South Korea if it ends what she called its “hostile policies.” AXIOS 

Obama breaks ground on his presidential library Former President Barack Obama broke ground Tuesday on his presidential library alongside former first lady Michelle Obama. The ceremony marked the start of the final push to finish the long-delayed Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side. Obama said he wanted the center to be a place dedicated to strengthening democratic ideals rather than being a “static museum.” “I don’t believe it’s inevitable that we succumb to paralysis or mutual hatred or abandon democracy in favor of systems that reserve power and privilege for the few as has been true throughout our history,” the former president said. “I believe we have it in us to re-imagine our institutions. To make them responsive to today’s challenges and rebuild our societies in a way that give more and more people a better life.” CNN 

Coronavirus-delayed Bond film has world premiere The highly anticipated new James Bond film No Time to Die had its world premiere Tuesday in London. The film’s release, originally scheduled for early March 2020, was one of the first to be postponed when theaters were shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, and Camilla Parker-Bowles were among the guests who attended the London premiere, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Thank you all for coming tonight,” Daniel Craig, who stars as Bond in the movie for the last time, said on the red carpet. “This is amazing. I really, genuinely didn’t think we’d get here, but we are.” Craig thanked MGM and Universal for “holding their nerve” to ensure that the film would still debut in movie theaters. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

Tuesday,  September 28th, 2021 

At least 50 civilians were killed by a Nigerian Air Force airstrike at a fish market in the village of Daban Masara, Borno State, two days ago. The military has imposed a ban on fishing in the area due to allegations that ISWAP was using the sales of the fish to fund their operations. (Reuters) 

Mali accuses France of “abandoning the country” by reducing its forces in the fight against jihadist groups. In response to the remarks, France accuses Mali’s military junta of “wiping their feet on the blood of French soldiers”. (Channel 4) 

Five Sudanese security forces personnel are killed and a sixth is injured during clashes with an IS-linked group in Khartoum. Eleven terrorists are arrested. (Reuters) 

Women are barred from working or attending classes at Kabul University by the university’s Taliban-appointed chancellor Mohammad Ashraf Ghairat. Ghairat says that “as long as [a] real Islamic environment is not provided for all, women will not be allowed to come to universities or work.” (The Hill) 

Spain declares the island of La Palma a “disaster zone” as the Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to erupt and produce lava flows. (Reuters) 

Lava flows from the volcano have reached the Atlantic Ocean after nine days, causing a massive cloud, according to local residents. (Reuters) 

The Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation will allow the Serum Institute of India to conduct trials of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine in children between the ages of 7 and 11 years. (Business Standard) 

Jarrod Ramos is sentenced to life in prison for the June 2018 killings of five employees in a mass shooting at Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, United States. (MSN) 

Twenty-four people are killed and 42 others are wounded during a battle between rival gangs at a prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Some of the inmates were armed with guns and grenades. (Al Jazeera) 

The End Wednesday 

Tuesday,  September 28th, 2021 

Jury finds R. Kelly guilty in sex-trafficking trial A federal jury in New York on Monday found R&B singer R. Kelly guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. Prosecutors said Kelly used agents, bodyguards, and others to lure and trap girls and young women he then sexually abused. Kelly also was convicted of violating the Mann Act, which bars travel over state lines for illegal sex. Kelly will be sentenced in May, and faces from 10 years to life in prison. Kelly’s lawyer, Deveraux Cannick, said the defense was “disappointed with the verdict” and was considering an appeal. Acting U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn M. Kasulis said the jury “delivered a powerful message to men like R. Kelly” that they will be held accountable. CHICAGO TRIBUNE 

Hospitals brace for staff shortages as vaccine mandates kick in Hospitals and nursing homes braced for staff shortages on Monday as deadlines arrived for health-care workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in several states, including New York and California. Some administrators fear some employees will quit or face dismissal or suspension rather than get the shots. “How this is going to play out, we don’t know,” said Jan Emerson-Shea, a spokesperson for the California Hospital Association, which supports the vaccine requirement. “We are concerned about how it will exacerbate an already quite serious staffing problem.” New York health-care employees had until the end of the day Monday to get their first dose, but some hospitals started during the day to suspend holdouts. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

U.S. killings jump by nearly 30 percent  Killings surged by nearly 30 percent in the United States last year, according to data the FBI released Monday. The jump was the largest in a single year since the 1960s, when the federal government started compiling the national figures on murder and manslaughter. The overall violent crime rate rose by 5.6 percent in 2020. Property crimes dropped by 7.8 percent. Criminologists and police officials have been looking into whether the sudden rise in killings could be linked to societal changes brought by the coronavirus pandemic. So far in 2021, homicides have risen, but less sharply than last year. THE WASHINGTON POST 

New Kabul University chancellor bans women from campus Mohammad Ashraf Ghairat, the new Taliban-appointed chancellor of Kabul University, tweeted on Monday that women are now prohibited from studying or teaching at the school. “I give you my words as chancellor of Kabul University, as long as a real Islamic environment is not provided for all, women will not be allowed to come to universities or work,” he said. “Islam first.” The move marks a reversal from earlier in the month, when the Taliban said Afghan women could stay enrolled at universities, as long as they wore burqas and were segregated from male students. However, it is in line with how the Taliban ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when women and girls were barred from going to school and working and had to be accompanied by a male relative while out in public. AXIOS 

Five Sudanese security forces personnel are killed and a sixth is wounded during clashes with an ISIL-linked group in Khartoum. Eleven terrorists are arrested. (Reuters) 

Women are barred from working or attending classes at Kabul University by the university’s Taliban-appointed chancellor Mohammad Ashraf Ghairat. Ghairat says “as long as real Islamic environment is not provided for all, women will not be allowed to come to universities or work. Islam first”. [sic] (The Hill) 

Spain declares the island of La Palma a “disaster zone” as eruptions and lava flows continue from the Cumbre Vieja volcano. (Reuters) 

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announces that the state of emergency that was declared in April is slated to end on September 30, with COVID-19-related restrictions will be gradually eased thenceforth. (NPR) 

Russia reports a record 852 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 205,531. (The Brussels Times) 

Australia and Nauru announce that, last week, they renewed their agreement to maintain a detention center in Nauru for asylum seekers and refugees trying to reach Australia. Australia has provided millions of dollars to maintain the detention center offshore. (RNZ) 

Twenty-five people are injured, four critically, during an explosion at a block of flats in Gothenburg, Sweden. An accident is ruled out, with authorities suspecting a criminal background. (The Guardian) 

In a 35-page report, a commission appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to investigate sex abuses during the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo finds that “clear structural failures” and “individual negligence” for the sex abuse and rape of women and girls between 2018 and 2020 by WHO staff. WHO’s head Tedros Adhanom apologizes for the abuses. (France24) 

Senate Republicans block bill needed to avert shutdown Senate Republicans on Monday blocked a measure to avert a government shutdown and possible default on federal debt, pushing the country closer to a fiscal crisis. The vote was 48-50, with 60 votes needed to advance the legislation. No Republicans joined Democrats in support of the bill. Congress has through Thursday to pass a government funding package to prevent a partial government shutdown on Friday. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned Congress might have to act as soon as next month to prevent a first-ever federal debt default. Democrats also are trying to resolve infighting so they can pass a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and a $3.5 trillion spending package. Both bills are crucial for President Biden’s economic agenda. THE HILL

Judge grants John Hinckley unconditional release A federal judge on Monday granted an unconditional release to John Hinckley Jr., who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman in Washington said Hinckley could remain free as long as he remains mentally stable and follows a set of rules imposed when he left a Washington, D.C., hospital in 2016. Hinckley was 25 years old when he shot and wounded Reagan outside a Washington hotel. He also shot three others, including then-Press Secretary James Brady, who was paralyzed and died in 2014. A jury in 1982 found Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity, but he was committed to a mental health facility for three decades. “At this point the ball is in Mr. Hinckley’s hands,” assistant U.S. attorney Kacie Weston said at a hearing Monday. USA TODAY

Newsom signs law making universal mail-in voting permanent California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a law requiring that election officials send a mail-in ballot to every registered voter. The move made California the eighth state to make universal mail-in ballots permanent. The policies spread during the pandemic to help people vote in the 2020 election without risk of coronavirus infection. California had already been taking steps for two decades to give voters more options for casting ballots. “Data shows that sending everyone a ballot in the mail provides voters access. And when voters get ballots in the mail, they vote,” Assemblyman Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto), the bill’s author, said in a July Senate committee hearing.LOS ANGELES TIMES 

Dallas and Boston Fed presidents resign amid stock-trade scrutiny The Federal Reserve banks of Dallas and Boston said Monday that their presidents are stepping down after their stock trading during the coronavirus pandemic triggered a review of the central bank’s ethics rules. Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan said he decided to retire because “unfortunately, the recent focus on my financial disclosure risks becoming a distraction to the Federal Reserve’s execution of that vital work.” Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren said earlier Monday he was stepping down nine months early for health reasons. Kaplan and Rosengren are both 64, and most regional Fed leaders have to retire at 65. Both regional Fed presidents decided to resign separately and were not forced to resign by Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, according to The Wall Street Journal. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Biden administration proposes rule to firm up protections for DREAMers  The Biden administration on Monday proposed a rule seeking to restore a program providing protection against deportation for hundreds of thousands of so-called DREAMers, immigrants who arrived in the United States without documentation when they were children. A federal judge in Houston ruled in July that the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was illegal, largely because of procedural shortcuts taken by the Obama administration. The Biden administration’s rule recreates the 2012 policy but goes through the federal regulatory process to shore up its legality. The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who led a DACA challenge with eight other states, did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Monday,  September 27th, 2021 

ISIL–K leader Mawlawi Ziya ul-Haq is killed and more than 80 fighters are arrested during Taliban raids in the eastern Nangarhar Province. The raids are carried out as IS has killed several people during attacks in Jalalabad in recent days. (Al Jazeera) 

Ten FARC dissidents are killed during a military bombing in Morichal Nuevo, Guainía Department. (Reuters) 

The government places the army on standby to help deliver fuel to petrol stations if it becomes necessary after panic buying has depleted their stocks. The increased demand arose after press reports that the ongoing delivery driver shortage could reduce the availability of fuel. (BBC) 

Power outages are reported in the Northeast China provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang. Local media said that the cause of the outages was an increase in coal prices. The State Grid Corporation of China said that it would take comprehensive measures to ensure an adequate power supply for people’s basic needs and try its best to avoid power cuts. (BBC) (Xinhuanet) 

The Health Ministry panel committee approve the usage of the single-dose monoclonal antibody-based treatment sotrovimab developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology to treat mild and moderately-ill COVID-19 patients. (The Japan Times) 

Singapore limits the maximum group sizes for social gatherings and dine-ins at restaurants and bars to two people as well as defaulting to work from home in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. These restrictions will remain in effect until October 24. (Singapore Business Review) 

People over the age of 75 in Vermont can now register to receive a booster shot of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (AP) 

President Joe Biden receives his third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (CNBC) 

The government announces that the state of catastrophe and the night curfew in the country will end on October 1. (Cooperativa.cl) 

Afghanistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations Ghulam Isaczai withdraws from the list of speakers at the United Nations General Assembly. The move comes after the Taliban nominated a delegation to represent Afghanistan at the United Nations, although the UN continues to recognize the Ashraf Ghani-led government as the country’s permanent mission. (AFP via Dawn) 

Sudan resumes its importation of oil from neighboring South Sudan, which was temporarily halted due to Darfur War-related protests blocking access to Port Sudan. (AFP via Radio France Internationale) 

Three regions in Poland repeal their status as an “LGBT-free zone” after pressure from the European Commission and activists. The declaration of “free of LGBT ideology” had been imposed in 2019 under heavy pressure from Catholic conservatives in the regions. (Reuters) 

The Provisional Electoral Council postpones indefinitely the election and constitutional referendum for a third time, targeting 7 November 2021, after Prime Minister Ariel Henry dismissed several members of the council. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer) 

UEFA announces that it has abandoned and nullified its disciplinary cases against football clubs Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid over their commitment to the controversial European Super League, following a Madrid court ruling. UEFA also says that it will not request payment of the sums offered by the nine other founding clubs. (AFP via New Straits Times) 

The End Tuesday 

Germany’s center-left Social Democrats narrowly beat Merkel’s bloc Germany’s Social Democrats narrowly beat outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union bloc in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results. The Social Democrats appeared to have won 26 percent of the vote, while the CDU/CSU got 24.5 percent in their worst showing since the party’s founding in 1945. Social Democrat leader Olaf Scholz said he had a “clear mandate” to lead after 16 years of conservative-led rule under Merkel. With the results so close, Christian Democratic leader Armin Laschet vowed to do “everything possible” to form a ruling coalition himself. Negotiating a coalition deal could take months. The Greens won a record 15 percent, and will demand concessions on climate in negotiations to join a ruling bloc. REUTERS 

Pfizer to submit children’s COVID-19 vaccine data to FDA in days Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Sunday that the company plans to submit the data from COVID-19 vaccine trials for children between ages 5 and 11 to the Food and Drug Administration within “days, not weeks.” Last week, Pfizer revealed that the vaccine it developed in tandem with BioNTech was safe and effective within the age group even with a smaller dose than the one that’s been approved for ages 12 and up. Once the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sign off, younger children will be able to get vaccinated, which will likely help schools prevent outbreaks. Bourla, speaking on ABC’s This Week, also said it would be possible to provide enough doses for both the unvaccinated and those eligible for booster shots. ABC NEWS 

Hungary and Russia sign a natural gas supply deal which will see Gazprom supply Hungary with 4.5 billion cubic metres of gas to Hungary annually via Serbia and Austria for the next 15 years. Ukraine criticizes the gas pact, saying it was a “purely political, economically unreasonable decision”, in response, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto accuses Ukraine of “meddling” in its internal affairs. (Reuters) 

Cumbre Vieja volcano reactivates its activity after lowering it and ceasing to emit lava and ash for a few hours. (El País) 

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hits the Greek island of Crete, leaving one person dead and twelve more wounded. (Reuters) 

Pelosi delays infrastructure vote as Democrats seek unity House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday night that the House would vote on the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill on Thursday, delaying beyond a previous Monday deadline to give Democrats time to work out their differences on President Biden’s larger domestic policy package. The new timetable would provide just enough time to strike a deal to avert a possible government shutdown. Pelosi said she was still working on getting Democrats unified behind President Biden’s $3.5 trillion spending bill, which Democrats in the evenly split Senate can pass without Republican votes using a process called budget reconciliation. Some moderate Democrats want to make deep cuts to the legislation, and Pelosi said it “seems self-evident” that its cost will be lower. CNBC 

Mayorkas says more than 10,000 Haitians admitted to pursue asylum claims Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Sunday that between 10,000 and 12,000 of the roughly 15,000 Haitian migrants who wound up in a makeshift camp near the Mexico border in Del Rio, Texas, had been admitted to the United States to pursue asylum cases. Several thousand others were deported to Haiti, sparking an outcry from immigrant rights advocates and some of President Biden’s fellow Democrats, who argued that it was inhumane to send migrants home to an impoverished nation struggling to respond to political instability made worse by gang violence and the recent assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Haiti also faces a humanitarian crisis on its southern peninsula following a devastating earthquake. YAHOO NEWS 

Iceland elects female-majority parliament for 1st time Iceland elected its first female-majority parliament over the weekend, making the North Atlantic nation the only one in Europe with women lawmakers outnumbering men. With all votes counted on Sunday, women held 33 seats in Iceland’s 63-seat parliament, the Althing. The three parties in Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir’s outgoing coalition government won 37 seats in the Saturday vote, a two-seat gain likely to allow the coalition to stay in power. Iceland was ranked the world’s most gender-equal nation for the 12th straight year in a World Economic Forum report released in March. It offers men and women the same parental leave, and passed its first law on equal pay for men and women in 1961. Forty-one years ago, it became the first country to elect a female president. BBC NEWS 

Texas governor promises to hire border agents if Biden fires them Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Sunday that he would hire any Border Patrol agents at risk of being fired by the Biden administration over viral images that showed agents on horseback appearing to use their reins as whips against Haitian migrants crossing the border from Mexico. “If they are at risk of losing their job by a president who is abandoning his duty to secure the border, you have a job in the state of Texas,” Abbott said on Fox News Sunday. “I will hire you to help Texas secure our border.” Biden has condemned the images, and the Department of Homeland Security has launched an investigation of the incident. Attorney General Merrick Garland has threatened to sue Abbott for overstepping his authority on border policy. THE HILL 

San Marino residents vote to legalize abortion San Marino voters on Sunday overwhelmingly backed a proposal to legalize abortion in the European microstate, which is surrounded by Italy and home to 33,000 people. About 77 percent of those casting ballots in the referendum supported making abortion legal in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, rejecting a 150-year-old law that criminalized the procedure, according to official returns broadcast on San Marino RTV. Under the proposal, abortion also would be legal later in a pregnancy if the woman’s life or health is in danger. Next, San Marino’s Parliament will have to draft a bill formally legalizing abortion. San Marino, one of the world’s oldest republics, is one of the last European states to legalize abortion, which is still illegal in Malta and Andorra. Poland introduced a near-total ban this year. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

U.S. wins Ryder Cup in rout of normally dominant Europeans U.S. golfers on Sunday reclaimed the Ryder Cup for just the third time this century, completing a three-day rout of the previously dominant European team. American Patrick Cantlay remained undefeated in this year’s contest with a 4 and 2 win over Shane Lowry of Ireland at Whistling Straits golf course in Wisconsin. The American team included eight players under 30, the youngest American team in the 94 years of the event. Golf luminaries like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, who had led the squad since the 1990s, didn’t play. “This is the next era of Ryder Cup teams for the USA, and I wanted to send a message,” Cantlay said. “Everyone on our team has a killer’s instinct and we’re going to bring that to future Cups.” THE NEW YORK TIMES 

The End

Sunday, September 26th, 2021 

The first evacuees from Afghanistan arrive in Massachusetts. (WBZ-AM) 

The Taliban calls for international commercial flights at the Kabul International Airport to resume after the airport was closed for evacuations. (UrduPoint) 

Five Palestinians are killed in Biddu, Jerusalem, and two more are killed in Burqin during overnight military raids by Israeli soldiers. Two soldiers are also injured during one of the raids. According to Israeli officials, the Palestinians were members of a Hamas cell who were planning large-scale kidnappings and murders across the country. (Al Jazeera)  

Sudan claims that it has repelled an advance by Ethiopian troops into Umm Barakit District, al-Fashaga. However, Ethiopia denies any movement of its forces on the Ethiopia–Sudan border. (BBC) 

UK Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announces the oil industry will be exempted from the Competition Act 1998 so that companies can coordinate and deliver petroleum products easier in light of fuel shortages brought on by panic buying. (BBC) 

Peruvian prime minister Guido Bellido warns companies which drill for gas in the country to either pay higher taxes or face nationalization. (Reuters) 

An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 strikes Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. (Al Jazeera) 

The Serbian government accuses Kosovo of “provocations” after it mobilized its special police units to the border, and places the Serbian Army on a heightened state of alert. The police units were mobilized after hundreds of Kosovo Serbs staged daily protests and blockaded roads connected to the two border crossings between the two countries after the Kosovar government passed a law requiring that Serbia-registered vehicles wear temporary license plates when entering the country. (Al Jazeera) 

Yahoo! News reports that members of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), including then-Director Mike Pompeo, planned in 2017 to kidnap or potentially assassinate WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for leaking documents describing hacking tools used by the CIA. (Rolling Stone) 

Palestinian Legislative Council member Khalida Jarrar is released from Israeli prison after close to two years in detention. She was charged for her affiliation with the left-wing political party Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is considered an illegal organization in Israel. (Al Jazeera) 

The Taliban’s religious police orders barbers in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province and Kabul to stop trimming beards. (BBC) 

Germans head to the polls to elect the new Bundestag, as well as a new Chancellor to succeed Angela Merkel, who is stepping down after 16 years in power. (Al Jazeera) 

Projections show the centre-left Social Democratic Party of Germany narrowly beating Merkel’s party the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in the popular vote by 1.7 percentage points, with the latter on course for its worst showing since the end of World War II. Both parties claim the mandate for the Chancellorship. (Politico.eu) 

The Greens and Free Democratic Party made enough gains to formed the government with the Social Democratic Party. (NPR) 

British racing driver Lewis Hamilton becomes the first driver to win 100 races in Formula One after winning the 2021 Russian Grand Prix for Mercedes. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer) 

In American football, Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker kicks a 66-yard field goal during the team’s 19-17 victory against the Detroit Lions, making it the longest field goal in National Football League history. (The Baltimore Sun) 

The End Monday 

Space reportedly dwindling at Idaho funeral homes amid virus surge  As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen in Idaho, some funeral home directors say they’re running out of space to store bodies, CNN and The Washington Post report. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Idaho has the third lowest vaccination rate in the country — it’s 41.3 percent mark trails only West Virginia and neighboring Wyoming. The CDC has also found that COVID-19 has killed an average of 20 people per day in Idaho over the past week, and 90 percent of the intensive care unit beds in the state are occupied, more than half of them being used by COVID-19 patients. CNN 

Israeli security forces kill at least 4 Palestinians in arrest operation Israeli security forces killed at least four Palestinians in shootouts on Sunday, the Israeli military said. The clashes occurred during a large-scale arrest operation in the West Bank where Israel is attempting to crack down on Hamas. An Israeli officer and soldier reportedly suffered serious injuries during the exchange and were airlifted for medical treatment. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the targeted Hamas fighters “were about to execute terror attacks in the very immediate future.” In response, Hamas, praised those killed as “heroic martyrs” and said their deaths were the result of the “continuing coordination” between the Palestinian Authority, the group’s internationally-recognized political rival, and the Israeli government. The Palestinian Authority condemned Israel’s actions, however. AL JAZEERA 

Taliban calls for international flights to resume from Kabul The Taliban on Sunday requested that airlines resume international flights from Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. The group promised to cooperate with the companies and said that issues at the airport, which has seen limited traffic in the wake of the chaotic evacuation process last month, have been resolved. Technical teams from Qatar and Turkey have assisted with the reopening, and a small number of aid and passenger flights have operated from the Afghan capital over the last few weeks. REUTERS 

Xi congratulates new leader of Taiwan’s main opposition party Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday sent a congratulatory letter to Eric Chu, the former mayor of New Taipei City who was elected as the new leader of Taiwan’s main opposition party, Kuomintang, on Saturday. Chu has pledged to renew talks with Beijing, which claims Taiwan as Chinese territory and has been increasing military and political pressure on the island despite the fact that most Taiwanese people, including President Tsai Ing-wen, are not in favor of Chinese sovereignty. In the letter, Xi said the situation in the Taiwan Strait is “complex and grim,” adding that “all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation must work together with one heart and go forward together.” Chu responded by saying he hopes to “seek common ground and … strengthen exchanges and cooperation so as to allow the continued peaceful development of cross-strait relations.”  REUTERS 

New vent opens on Spanish island volcano Another vent has opened up on Cumbre Vieja, the volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma that has been erupting for a week, scientists say. Huge bursts of lava could be seen shooting into the air. The development comes as the intensity of the eruption continues to increase, exposing more islanders to danger. Nearly 7,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes because of lava flows, and the island’s airport shut down on Saturday because of the ash cloud formed by the eruptions. Aside from the lava flow, those who live on the island could be susceptible to earthquakes, toxic gases, and acid rain. CBS NEWS 

Saturday, September 25th, 2021 

In an article for Science, a team of researchers based at Bournemouth University conclude that a series of human footprints preserved at White Sands National Park in the U.S. state of New Mexico date back between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum, suggesting that humans lived in the Americas 5,000 years earlier than previously thought. The team also determined that most of the footprints came from children and teenagers. (NPR) 

Fossilized footprints suggest humans reached Americas earlier than previously thought Researchers say in a new report that fossilized footprints found in a dry lakebed in New Mexico indicate that early humans were present in North America about 23,000 years ago, thousands of years earlier than many experts previously thought. The first of these footprints were discovered in White Sands National Park in 2009. Many archaeologists have long argued that humans first came to the Americas at the end of the Ice Age, based on the oldest known tools, which date to about 13,000 years ago. The analysis of the footprints suggests that there were humans in the area during the Ice Age. “This is probably the biggest discovery about the peopling of America in a hundred years,” said Ciprian Ardelean, an archaeologist at Autonomous University of Zacatecas in Mexico, who was not involved in the work. USGS 

China declares cryptocurrency transactions illegal On Friday, Chinese government agencies declared all cryptocurrency transactions illegal and banned crypto mining across the country. The People’s Bank of China said that the Chinese government would “clamp down on virtual currency speculation, and related financial activities and misbehaviour in order to safeguard people’s properties and maintain economic, financial and social order.” It was an example of China “intensifying its crackdown on cryptocurrencies,” CNN wrote, which came after Chinese Vice Premier Liu He previously vowed the government would “clamp down on Bitcoin mining and trading activity.” Bitcoin took a hit after Friday’s announcement, dropping “as much as 7 percent,” The New York Times reports. Vijay Ayyar of the digital currency exchange Luno told CNBC that “Chinese regulators have always been extreme in their views and these comments are not new,” but noted that these latest developments came amid a “slightly nervous environment for crypto.” REUTERS 

Mali asks for private military help from Russia’s Wagner Group to fight extremist terrorism in the country, according to a news outlet citing Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. (Reuters) 

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says that the international recognition of the Taliban government “at present juncture is not on the table”. The comments come after Taliban-appointed foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi appointed Suhail Shaheen as the representative of the Taliban to the United Nations. (Reuters) 

Four men who kidnapped a businessman and his son in Herat are shot dead by Taliban police during a gunfight. The bodies of the kidnappers have been hanged in public, in an apparent warning to others to not commit crimes. (BBC) 

A Taliban soldier is killed and seven more are injured in Jalalabad when their convoy hits a roadside bomb planted by ISIL-K. (Hindustan Times) 

A suicide car bombing near the presidential palace in Mogadishu kills eight people and injures seven others. Al-Shabaab claims responsibility for the attack, saying that they targeted a convoy of cars traveling to the palace. (Reuters) 

Chris Cuomo accused of sexual harassment by his former boss Chris Cuomo, the CNN host and brother of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), has been accused of sexual harassment by his former boss at ABC News. Shelley Ross, a journalist who has served as producer at ABC and CBS, in a New York Times essay published Friday alleged that Cuomo “sexually harassed me at a going-away party for an ABC colleague” in 2005. Ross, who was formerly Cuomo’s executive producer at ABC’s Primetime Live, writes that he “walked toward me and greeted me with a strong bear hug while lowering one hand to firmly grab and squeeze the cheek of my buttock,” and he allegedly told her, “I can do this now that you’re no longer my boss.” Ross says Cuomo emailed her to apologize an hour later, and the essay includes a copy of that email. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Panic buying of fuel is reported at petrol stations in the United Kingdom amid a shortage of lorry drivers. A fuel purchase limit of £30 per customer is introduced at many locations due to “unprecedented” demand. (The Guardian) 

An Amtrak passenger train derails near Joplin, Montana, U.S., killing at least three people and injuring at least 50 others. (CBS News)  

The Netherlands begins to require a COVID-19 pass for people over the age of 13 years old as a precondition to enter hospitality venues and arts and cultural events, which replaces most social distancing and mask requirements. (NL Times) 

State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy Mona Keijzer is dismissed from the Cabinet by Prime Minister Mark Rutte after publicly criticising the cabinet position on COVID-19 measures. (Politico) 

South Korea reports a record for the second consecutive day of 3,273 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 298,402. (The Asahi Shimbun) 

Kim Yo-jong, sister of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, says that North Korea is open to holding another summit in South Korea if mutual respect between the two countries can be assured. (The Korea Times) 

Icelanders head to the polls to elect the members of the Althing, the oldest surviving parliament in the world. (The New York Times) 

Early election results show that the three-party coalition led by Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir of the Left-Green Movement is expected to retain their majority. (AFP via NDTV) 

Biden hosts Quad leaders for first in-person meeting President Biden on Friday hosted Australian Prime Scott Morrison, Indiana Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the White House for the so-called Quad’s first in-person summit. The four Indo-Pacific countries have sought to strengthen ties because of their shared concerns about China, though none of the four leaders mentioned Beijing explicitly in their opening remarks, instead focusing on their cooperation on climate change, critical infrastructure, and the coronavirus pandemic. Biden, though, said the four nations jointly believe in a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” which was likely a reference to combating Chinese military expansion in the South China Sea. Morrison said the Quad hopes “sovereign rights of all nations are respected” in the region and “disputes are settled peacefully in accordance with international law.” The Washington Post writes his meaning “was unmistakable.” THE GUARDIAN 

Biden won’t use executive privilege to hide Trump records from Jan. 6 probe President Biden will not invoke executive privilege to shield former President Donald Trump’s records from the Jan. 6 select committee, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday. “The president has already concluded that it would not be appropriate to assert executive privilege,” Psaki said. Trump reportedly has yet to ask Biden to protect any records, notes Politico. The White House has been leaning toward releasing to Congress information regarding the whereabouts of Trump and his aides on Jan. 6, The Washington Post reports. The ex-president has said he will cite “executive privilege” to block any requests, “seeking protection from a legal theory that has allowed past presidents and their aides to avoid or delay congressional oversight for decades,” writes Politico. Once the documents are delivered, Trump has “30 days to approve or deny the release.” If he objects, Biden still has final say on the matter, per Politico. REUTERS 

PG&E hit with manslaughter charges over deadly California wildfire Power company Pacific Gas and Electric has been hit with manslaughter charges in connection with a “completely preventable” California wildfire that left four people dead last year. Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett on Friday announced 31 charges against PG&E after determining the company was “criminally liable” for the 2020 Zogg fire that killed four people and destroyed about 200 homes. In March, officials determined that the fire was sparked by a pine tree coming into contact with PG&E electrical lines. The company has been blamed for a number of fires and in 2019 filed for bankruptcy protection. “PG&E has a history of repeatedly causing wildfires that is not getting better — it’s getting worse,” Bridgett said in a press briefing. “Those who lost loved ones need justice. BLOOMBERG 

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley will run for re-election in 2022 Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) announced Friday morning that he will, in fact, run for an eighth term next year. Grassley, who just turned 88 and has been in the Senate since 1981, has been coy about his 2022 plans for more than a year. “His decision is a victory for national Republicans who have made it clear they wanted Grassley — who has repeatedly been re-elected by double-digit margins — to run again,” the Des Moines Register reports, noting that a recent Register poll found him beating leading Democratic challenger Abby Finkenauer by 18 percentage points, 55 percent to 37 percent. Several other incumbent Senate Republicans are not seeking re-election, complicating the GOP’s hopes of retaking the Senate.  THE WEEK 

U.S. soldier reports assault at base housing Afghan evacuees The FBI confirmed Friday that it has launched an investigation into a United States service member’s allegation that she was assaulted “by a small group of male evacuees” being housed at Fort Bliss in New Mexico. Details about the alleged assault and the extent of the woman’s possible injuries were not released, and it’s unclear if anyone has been arrested. The Army’s statement on the matter did not clarify whether the evacuees were Afghan, though Lt. Col. Allie M. Payne said the alleged victim was working as part of Operation Allies Welcome, which the Department of Homeland Security describes as an “effort to resettle Afghan refugees.” NBC NEWS 

Spanish volcano activity intensifies Officials on the Spanish Island of La Palma, which is part of the Canary Islands archipelago, ordered more evacuations on Friday in response to intensifying activity from the Cumbre Vieja volcano. More than 6,000 people have evacuated as lava engulfed several communities. About 593 acres, with a 9.8-mile perimeter, have been affected by the flow, and 390 buildings have been destroyed, BBC reports. There are also concerns that when the lava reaches the sea, it could create dangerous plumes of gas that could cause eye, lung, and skin irritations. Meanwhile, the eruptions, which have occurred for six straight days, have created a large ash cloud, which has forced flight cancellations and is now drifting toward the Spanish mainland. BBC 

Michael K. Williams’ death ruled accidental drug overdose Michael K. Williams, the actor best known for his performances as Omar Little on The Wire and Chalky White on Boardwalk Empire, died this month from an accidental drug overdose, New York City’s medical examiner has determined. The city medical examiner announced Friday that the actor’s cause of death was “acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin and cocaine,” The New York Times reports. His death was ruled accidental. Williams was found dead in his New York apartment on Sept. 6. He was 54. DEADLINE 

Friday,  September 24th, 2021 

Canadians accused of espionage released from China Hours after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was released from house arrest in Canada on Friday, China freed two Canadians accused of espionage. Michael Spavor, a founding member of an organization that facilitates international business and cultural ties with North Korea, and Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat employed by the International Crisis Group, are headed home after nearly three years. Spavor was facing 11 years in prison, while no decision had been reached in Kovrig’s case. The two men were initially detained shorty after Vancouver police arrested Meng in 2018 on a U.S. warrant — she was accused of and eventually admitted to misleading U.S. investigators about Huawei’s business dealings in Iran. Meng was released following a deal with U.S. prosecutors. China has maintained that the Spavor and Kovrig arrests were not retaliatory, though the timing of their release casts doubt on that claim. REUTERS 

Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou reaches a deferred prosecution agreement, pleading not guilty to multiple fraud charges. Meng’s extradition case was subsequently dropped and she was released after spending nearly three years under house arrest in Vancouver, Canada, reportedly travelling to Shenzhen, China. (CBC News) 

Several hours after Meng Wanzhou was released, Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are also released after spending more than 1,000 days in detention in China and will return to Canada. (CBC News) 

China’s largest property developer Evergrande misses the payment deadline of 83.5 million USD in offshore bonds, increasing its chances of a bankruptcy. (Financial Times) 

The People’s Bank of China rules that all financial transactions and activities involving cryptocurrency are illegal in the country. (AFP via NDTV) 

Taliban co-founder says executions, amputations will resume in Afghanistan One of the founders of the Taliban, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Islamist group will bring back executions and amputations of hands it used the last time it ruled Afghanistan to punish people for violations of its harsh interpretation of Islamic law. In the past, the executions were sometimes carried out in public and denounced by world leaders. “Everyone criticized us for the punishments in the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their punishments,” said Turabi, who was the chief enforcer of the Taliban’s laws before the group was toppled 20 years ago by a U.S.-led invasion. “No one will tell us what our laws should be. We will follow Islam and we will make our laws on the Quran.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

The Taliban-appointed defense minister of Afghanistan Mohammad Yaqoob orders a crackdown on those members of the Taliban who commit abuses following reports by Kabul residents who complained about abusive treatment by certain Taliban members. Yaqoob says that “We direct you to keep them out of your ranks, otherwise strict action will be taken against you,” and added that the Taliban does not “want such people in our ranks.” (Reuters) 

Jitender Mann Gogi, a major Indian gangster, is shot dead inside a courtroom in Rohini, Delhi, where a case was being heard against him. The two attackers, who both posed as lawyers, are killed by police. (BBC) 

Israeli soldiers open fire using rubber bullets against Palestinians allegedly throwing rocks towards soldiers during a protest against Israeli settlements in the West Bank, killing one person and injuring eight others. (Al Jazeera) 

Rwandan president Paul Kagame announces during a press conference in Pemba, Mozambique, that Rwandan troops will continue to be stationed in Mozambique for the reconstruction of areas affected by the extremist insurgency. Mozambican president Filipe Nyusi thanks Kagame for the country’s commitment to fight terrorism in the region. (Al Jazeera) 

A French serviceman, Maxime Blasco, is killed in a shootout with jihadists in a forest near Mali’s border with Burkina Faso. The gunman who shot Blasco was also killed during the clash, according to the Ministry of Armed Forces. (France 24) 

The Cumbre Vieja volcano enters a more explosive and extreme phase, forcing the evacuation of three more neighborhoods. Currently, 390 buildings and 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) of roads have been destroyed by lava flows. (El Mundo) 

Argentina and Brazil jointly announce that they will be producing COVID-19 vaccines after being selected by the Pan American Health Organization. Two manufacturing plants will be built, one in each country, to produce both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. (Voz de América) 

The Italian National Institute of Health recommends that pregnant women should receive a COVID-19 vaccines after the first three months of their pregnancy due to growing evidence on the safety of vaccines during pregnancies for both the fetus and mother. (The Economic Times) 

In escalating tensions, Algerian foreign ministry official Amar Belani says that Algeria “may escalate its dispute” with Morocco, adding that the “adoption of additional measures cannot be ruled out”. Both countries suspended diplomatic relations in August 2020 and have had strained relations due to Algeria’s support for the Polisario Front in Western Sahara and alleged Moroccan support for the MAK, a Berber separatist group in Algeria. (Reuters) 

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas says that the Haitian migrants have been cleared from the International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas. Around 2,000 of the migrants were deported to Haiti. (NBC News) 

Military junta leader and de facto president Mahamat Déby appoints 93 new members to the junta, which serves as Chad’s interim parliament ahead of a proposed election. Déby says that the new parliament comprises parties previously represented in the dissolved parliament, as well as members of the armed forces. (AFP via TRT World) 

 House Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Trump aides The House select committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters issued its first subpoenas Thursday to former senior Trump administration officials. The committee demanded documents and depositions from former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and one-time Trump strategist Steve Bannon, as well as former senior White House aide Dan Scavino, and Kash Patel, who was chief of staff for the acting defense secretary at the time of the riot. The panel said it was seeking information about Trump’s actions before, during, and after his supporters forced their way into the Capitol hoping to prevent lawmakers from certifying Trump’s election loss to President Biden. ABC NEWS 

Ex-Louisiana state trooper charged in flashlight beating of Black motorist Jacob Brown, a former Louisiana State Police trooper, was charged Thursday with violating the civil rights of Aaron Larry Bowman, a Black man he hit 18 times with a tactical flashlight. If convicted, Brown, 31, faces up to 10 years in prison. This is the first criminal case to come out of federal investigations into the assault of multiple Black motorists by members of Troop F, a police unit made up primarily of white officers. Brown previously was charged with using unreasonable force during the arrests of Bowman and two other Black motorists; he was arrested in December and resigned three months later. The Associated Press obtained records showing that over five years Brown was part of 23 use-of-force incidents, with 19 involving Black people. NBC NEWS 

Trump criticizes Bush over fundraiser for ‘warmongering’ Liz Cheney Former President Donald Trump continued his feud with former President George Bush after news broke that Bush was sponsoring an Oct. 18 Dallas fundraiser for the re-election campaign of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), a frequent Trump critic. Trump is backing a Republican challenging Cheney in the GOP primary next year. Trump lashed out at both Bush and the “warmongering and very low polling” Cheney. “Bush is the one who got us into the quicksand of the Middle East,” Trump said in a statement. Previously, Trump criticized Bush for saying on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that domestic extremists and Islamist terrorists posed similar threats to the United States. Bush and Cheney are among numerous high-profile Republicans who have criticized Trump for falsely claiming that voter fraud cost him the 2020 election. USA TODAY 

Thursday, September 23rd, 2021 

The European Commission announces plans to require the USB-C connection to become the standard port for wired charging of all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld video game consoles. (The Hill) 

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid downplays the presence of ISIL in Afghanistan, as analysts say that ISIL is using the same urban warfare tactics previously used by the Taliban to fight the Western-backed Afghan government’s forces. After the attack against Kabul airport last month, the Taliban has vowed to capture the leader of ISIL in Afghanistan. (Reuters) 

Prime Minister Antonio Costa announces that all remaining COVID-19-related restrictions will be lifted on October 1, allowing nightclubs to reopen and restaurants to operate without capacity limits as more than 80% of people have been fully vaccinated. (Bloomberg) 

Russia reports 820 deaths in the past 24 hours, matching a single-day record set in late August, bringing the nationwide death toll to 201,445. (The Times of Israel) 

In a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, President Laurentino Cortizo says that Panama is expected to reach herd immunity in the coming weeks after vaccinating 4.2 million people. (Reuters) 

Namibia reports the new strain of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the country that has infected thousands of cattle. (Reuters) 

United States Special Envoy for Haiti Daniel Lewis Foote resigns, citing his dissatisfaction with the Biden administration’s policy of deporting illegal Haitian immigrants. (AFP via France 24) 

French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian tells U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that it will take “time and actions” in order to restore confidence and good relations between France and the United States after France condemned the security pact between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia announced last week. (Reuters) 

Fugitive former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont is arrested at an airport in Alghero, Sardinia, by the Italian police in compliance with a search and arrest warrant issued by the Supreme Court of Spain. He is accused of sedition for his role in the 2017 Catalan independence referendum and the subsequent failed declaration of independence. (Cadena SER) 

A gunman opens fire at a Kroger supermarket in Collierville, Tennessee, United States, killing one person and injuring 12 others before killing himself. (CNN) 

The End Sunday 

Thursday, September 23rd, 2021 

Biden, Macron talk to soothe tensions over submarine deal 

Thursday, September 23rd, 2021 

Biden, Macron talk to soothe tensions over submarine deal President Biden on Wednesday talked with French President Emmanuel Macron for the first time since France objected strongly to a U.S. deal to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines. The plan, part of a new security pact involving the United States, Britain, and Australia, left France feeling betrayed by its allies, because it prompted Australia to scrap a $66 billion contract with France to buy diesel-power submarines. Biden reportedly acknowledged mistakes in the way his administration handled the matter. In a joint statement, the U.S. and France said Biden and Macron “agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners.” France had recalled its ambassador over the incident, but said after the call it was sending him back. CNN 

Texas sends state vehicles to border to make ‘steel wall’ Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) sent hundreds of state-owned vehicles to form a “steel wall” on the border to discourage a wave of migrants, most of them Haitian, trying to cross the border from Mexico to seek asylum. Abbott told Fox News that the miles-long barrier of Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles was among the “unprecedented steps” Texas was taking to prevent people from “walking into the state of Texas.” About 15,000 migrants have crossed the Rio Grande to a makeshift camp under an international bridge near Del Rio, Texas. Several thousand have been flown back to Haiti. White House officials met Wednesday with nine members of the Congressional Black Caucus who called for halting deportations of the migrants to the Caribbean nation, which is overwhelmed as it responds to an earthquake and the assassination of its president. In Miami, Haitian Americans have protested in the street, waving signs reading, “Stop the racism at the border!” THE WASHINGTON POST 

Lawmakers say police-reform talks have collapsed Congressional negotiations on a bipartisan compromise on a national policing overhaul officially collapsed on Wednesday. Sen. Corey Booker (D-N.J.), the lead Democratic negotiator, said the talks ended with no breakthrough in sight. “We weren’t making any more meaningful progress on establishing really substantive reform for Americans’ policing,” Booker said at a news conference. Lead Republican negotiator Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) blamed Democrats for the failure, saying they let their “misguided idea of perfect be the enemy of good, impactful legislation.” The two sides started talks in April as public support rose for addressing systemic racism in law enforcement. One of the sticking points was possible changes to criminal and civil penalties to make it easier to punish police officers for abuses. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Biden meets with Democrats seeking unity on spending bills President Biden met with divided congressional Democrats on Wednesday in an urgent push to salvage two major spending bills that form the heart of his economic and social agendas. Biden held talks with party leaders, and leaders of the party’s progressive and moderate factions, hoping to unify them behind a $3.5 trillion spending package Democrats can pass without Republican support, provided all 50 of the Democrats in the evenly divided Senate vote for it. “We are in a pivotal period of our negotiations and discussions” requiring “deeper engagement by the president,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. “This is a messy, sausage-making process … He’s rolling up the sleeves.” The push is heading for a crucial deadline on Monday, when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) plans a vote on an infrastructure bill that liberals say they won’t support unless the broader spending bill goes through, too. THE WASHINGTON POST 

New EPA climate rule to slash use of hydrofluorocarbons The Biden administration plans Thursday to finalize Environmental Protection Agency regulations cutting the use and production of chemicals known as hydrofluorocarbons in the United States by 85 percent over the next 15 years. The administration’s first new climate rule, which implements a law Congress passed last year, goes after greenhouse gases warming the planet far faster than carbon dioxide. White House officials said curbing such super-pollutants often used in refrigeration and air conditioning will address global warming while creating jobs by encouraging the manufacturing of alternative technologies. “It’s a win on climate and a win on jobs, and American competitiveness,” Gina McCarthy, the White House national climate coordinator, said Wednesday. “It’s really — frankly, folks — a very big deal.” THE WASHINGTON POST 

Teen killed in drive-by shooting at Louisville school bus stop A drive-by shooting at a Louisville, Kentucky, school bus stop left a 16-year-old boy dead and another teenager wounded on Wednesday. The surviving victim’s injuries were not life-threatening. A girl suffered minor injuries, although she was not shot. Police did not immediately release the victims’ names. Investigators asked people in the area to come forward with any security-camera footage that might help identify a suspect. “The biggest thing we’re taking away right now is that we had kids that couldn’t even wait at a bus stop this morning without getting shot, and that is horrifying and devastating,” Louisville Metro Police Maj. Shannon Lauder said. “And we’re going to throw all our resources into finding out who did this.” NBC NEWS 

Powell says Fed to start tapering stimulus soon Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday that the central bank would be able to start tapering the $120 billion in monthly asset purchases it has been using to stimulate the economy as soon as November. “Participants generally viewed that so long as the economic recovery remains on track, a gradual tapering process that concludes around the middle of next year is likely to be appropriate,” Powell said. The comments came after a two-day policy meeting concluded with the Fed saying it would only start easing back on its stimulus if the economy makes “substantial further progress” toward the Fed’s goals of maximum employment and stable prices. Powell noted that inflation was still significantly higher than the Fed’s target rate of 2 percent. YAHOO FINANCE 

Petito case sparks calls for attention to missing women of color Intense media coverage of the death of Gabby Petito, a white woman who disappeared during a cross-country van trip with her boyfriend, has prompted calls for more attention to be focused on the cases of missing people of color, including hundreds of missing or murdered indigenous women. “It does make you feel, you know, ‘Well, what about us?’” said Kimberly Bryan, whose sister Tiffany Foster, a 35-year-old Black mother of three from Georgia, has not been seen since March 1. At least 710 Indigenous women were reported missing between 2011 and 2020 in Wyoming, the state where Petito’s body was found days after a search started. The disparity in responses is “kind of heart-wrenching,” said Lynnette Grey Bull, who is Northern Arapaho and advocate for missing indigenous women.  NPR 

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021 

Eight hatchlings from one of the world’s rarest crocodile species are found in the Sre Pok Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Cambodia, raising hopes for the continuing survival of the species in the wild. Conservationists found the baby Siamese crocodiles in a river earlier this month, according to a statement from Cambodia’s Environment Ministry and the World Wildlife Fund. (9 News) 

The End

 

 

 

 

 

Eight hatchlings from one of the world’s rarest crocodile species are found in the Sre Pok Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Cambodia, raising hopes for the continuing survival of the species in the wild. Conservationists found the baby Siamese crocodiles in a river earlier this month, according to a statement from Cambodia’s Environment Ministry and the World Wildlife Fund. (9 News) 

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021 

King Salman of Saudi Arabia insists on the “importance of keeping the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction … and support international efforts aiming at preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons”. Salman also accused Yemen’s Houthis of launching attacks against the kingdom despite proposed ceasefires by Saudi Arabia. (Reuters) 

French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden agree to meet in Europe soon to repair the strained relations following the security pact between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. France also agrees to send back its ambassador to the United States. (Al Jazeera) 

Two more energy companies have entered bankruptcy and ceased trading, bringing the total since the gas crisis began to seven with dozens more still at risk. More than one million customers have now been affected by the collapse of energy companies in the United Kingdom this month. (BBC) 

Houthi forces capture the Bayhan District in Yemen’s Shabwah Governorate where oil fields are located and continue their advance into neighboring Usaylan District. (Xinhua via The Manila Times) 

Authorities in Germany link a belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and far-right extremism as motives behind the killing of a cashier in Idar-Oberstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, four days ago. The 20-year-old was murdered at the shop where he worked by a man who refused to wear a mask. Far-right extremists praised the killing and made denigratory comments against the victim. (BBC) 

Gunmen open fire against a vehicle carrying Serhiy Shefir, one of the officials closest to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, near the village of Lisnyky, outside of Kyiv, wounding the driver of the car. The attack is deemed an assassination attempt against Shefir. (Al Jazeera) 

Chinese property giant Evergrande announces that it has agreed on a method of payment for a 4 billion yuan ($620 million) bond denominated in Chinese yuan. Sources for the payment were unclear as it was “settled in negotiations outside the market.” (DW) 

A Russian An-26 transport aircraft, believed to have six people on board, disappears while flying at an ultralow altitude of 600 meters. The plane went off radar some 38 kilometres (24 mi) from Khabarovsk airport in southeastern Russia. (DW) 

Singapore reports a record 1,457 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, surpassing the previous record of 1,426 cases set in April 2020, and thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 81,356. (Yahoo! News) 

The U.S. FDA announces the approval of a booster dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 65 and older. (CNET) 

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune orders the prohibition of all Moroccan-registered aircraft on Algerian airspace after the two countries broke off diplomatic ties on August 24. (AFP via The Times of Israel) 

The Derbyshire Constabulary charges a 31-year-old man with four counts of murder following a suspected mass murder in Killamarsh, Derbyshire, England, on Sunday. (BBC) 

Protesters return to the Melbourne CBD for the third day straight, albeit in lesser numbers than yesterday. The protests end with a three hour stand-off with riot police firing non-lethal rounds and teargas at the Shrine of Remembrance. Prime Minister Scott Morrison condemns the protests. (The Guardian) 

President Kais Saied declares that he will rule by decree. (AFP via Radio France Internationale) 

After Germany’s uncontested nomination of current World Health Organization chief, Ethiopian Tedros Adhanom, he poses for a second term as the head of the United Nations body. Tedros refused to comment when questioned about his undisputed reelection amid accusations by the government of Ethiopia that he has lobbied for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in the ongoing Tigray War. (France24) 

The United States will require athletes to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to compete in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing. (Axios) 

Biden promises U.N. a ‘new era’ of diplomacy President Biden told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that the United States was “opening a new era of relentless diplomacy,” determined to work closely with other world powers to address global threats following the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden, in his first address to the U.N. since taking office, said his administration would dedicate its resources to ending the pandemic, fighting terrorism, and adjusting to shifting global power dynamics to better collaborate with other nations on matters of common concern, such as trade and cyber threats. “Our security, our prosperity, and our very freedoms are interconnected, in my view, as never before,” Biden said. “And so, I believe we must work together as never before.” POLITICO 

J&J says its booster significantly increased COVID protection Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday that a second dose of its one-shot coronavirus vaccine significantly increased protection against COVID-19 in a clinical trial. Researchers found that the booster showed 94 percent efficacy against mild to severe COVID-19 in U.S. trial participants, up from 74 percent efficacy from the first shot. The two doses were 100 percent effective at preventing severe COVID cases, although that figure came with a wide range of statistical uncertainty. Johnson & Johnson said in a news release that it had submitted the data to the Food and Drug Administration. An FDA advisory committee on Friday recommended authorizing the Pfizer-BioNTech booster to recipients of the Pfizer vaccine who are at least 65 years old or highly vulnerable to COVID. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

House passes stopgap bill aiming to prevent shutdown The House on Tuesday passed legislation seeking to raise the debt limit and avert a potential government shutdown by funding the government through Dec. 3. No Republicans joined the Democratic majority in the 220-211 vote. Senate Democrats need at least 10 Republican votes to beat a GOP filibuster. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said Republicans wouldn’t help Democrats raise the debt ceiling. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said the debt limit was a “phony issue,” because it merely lets the federal government pay bills Congress has approved. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said allowing a government shutdown would be “catastrophic” for American families. House Republicans said the bill would provide a blank check for “socialist” programs. NBC NEWS 

Lava flow forces more evacuations in Canary Islands Lava blasted out of a new vent that opened in a volcano on the island of La Palma in Spain’s Canary Islands on Tuesday. Rivers of lava, in some areas nearly 20 feet high, rolled down hillsides toward the tourist haven’s more densely populated coastal areas, burning everything along the way. The lava flows have destroyed 190 houses and forced 6,000 people to evacuate. The island is home to about 85,000 people. The lava’s speed slowed to about 400 feet an hour, and was expected to reach the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, according to the head of the Canary Island Volcanic Emergency Plan, Miguel Ángel Morcuende. When the lava, heated to more than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, hits water, it could set off explosions and release toxic gas.THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

European court finds Russia responsible for killing of Kremlin critic The European Court of Human Rights said Tuesday that Russia was responsible for killing Kremlin critic and former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko, who died in London by polonium poisoning in 2006. Litvinenko died in London weeks after drinking tea later determined to have been laced with the deadly radioactive compound. In its ruling, the court said it “cannot but conclude” that two Russian intelligence agents, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, committed the assassination “acting as agents” of Russia. A 2016 British inquiry said Russian President Vladimir Putin “probably approved” the killing. Litvinenko said from his death bed he was certain Putin was responsible. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.  CNN 

Trump sues niece, NYT over tax story Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against his niece, Mary Trump, and The New York Times over a 2018 story based on tax records and other financial documents. The article said Trump “participated in dubious tax schemes … including instances of outright fraud.” The article said tax dodging helped Trump make $413 million from his father’s real estate empire. Trump’s lawsuit, filed in a Dutchess County, New York, argued that his niece, the Times, and three of the newspaper’s reporters “engaged in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly-sensitive records.” The Times reporters won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for their work detailing the Trump family’s tax history. Trump has declined to release his returns, unlike other major party presidential nominees. THE DAILY BEAST 

Tuesday,  September 21st, 2021 

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says that girls will return to school soon, adding that “We are finalizing things … it will happen as soon as possible”. The announcement came as the Taliban banned girls from grades six to 12 from attending school, to which Mujahid said that this was only “temporary” and that new announcements would be made soon. (Deutsche Welle) 

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, South Korean president Moon Jae-in asks for a formal end to the decades-long conflict between the two Koreas. (Reuters) 

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announces that Michigan will build an electrified road to charge wireless vehicles, becoming the first U.S. state to do so. (USA Today) 

The number of adult population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Malaysia surpasses 80%. (The Straits Times) 

Singapore reports 1,178 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since April 2020. (Business Times) 

The government announces that public servants will soon be a target of the “no jab, no job” policy and that they will have to either resign or receive half-pay if they refuse to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. (RNZ) 

San Francisco Mayor London Breed announces that the San Francisco International Airport will mandate COVID-19 vaccines, making it the first U.S. airport to do so. (Los Angeles Times) 

Haiti reports the first outbreak of the African swine fever in 37 years when an operation in Anse-à-Pitre near border with the Dominican Republic suffered an outbreak that began on August 26. (Reuters) 

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen suspends negotiations for a free trade agreement with Australia over Australia’s recent cancellation of a submarine contract with France, demanding that Australia must apologise to France before the agreement can continue. (The Guardian) 

Argentine President Alberto Fernández asks Iran to “cooperate with the Argentine justice” regarding an investigation into the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires and demands that countries where the Iranian officials wanted by Argentina are currently residing are welcome to comply with the red notices that Argentina issued through Interpol. (Infobae) 

In a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs requests representation at the seventy-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly. The Emirate’s Foreign Minister Ameer Khan Muttaqi also requests that Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations Ghulam Isaczai be replaced by Mohammad Suhail Shasheen. The Taliban also note that former President Ashraf Ghani had been “ousted and [countries across the world] no longer recognize him as president.” (CNN) 

A coroner in Teton County, Wyoming, confirms that the remains found on September 19 were that of Petito, who disappeared from Grand Teton National Park on August 27, and rules her death a homicide. (AFP via Today) 

The Court of Justice of the European Union imposes a daily fine of €500,000 (2.31M zł) on Poland for its refusal to close the Turów Coal Mine, which was declared illegal by a temporary injunction from the court in May. (WIAT-TV) 

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announces a two-week suspension of construction work in the state after yesterday’s riot at the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) office. Rioters claimed that they were construction workers, although CFMEU officials and others claim that there were only a few construction workers present. (ABC News Australia) 

FIFA sanctions the Hungarian Football Federation with a US$216,000 fine and orders the Hungarian national team to play their next two World Cup qualification home matches behind closed doors, following incidents of racist behavior among their fans during a match against England on September 2. (CNN) 

Sudanese forces thwart a coup d’état attempt against the ruling civilian-military government from loyalists of former president Omar al-Bashir that began overnight. Interrogations of instigators were to begin today, sources close to the government say. (Reuters) 

Harbin bans visits at retirement homes, closes spas, cinemas and mahjong salons, reducing the tourist attraction capacity to 50%, and suspending religious activities to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in poorly ventilated spaces after one community transmitted case was found. (Al-Arabiya English) 

The government announces in the week that public servants will soon be target of the “no jab, no job” policy and that they will have to step down or receive half-pay if they refuse to get their COVID-19 vaccine. (RNZ) 

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stalls a free trade agreement with Australia over the latter’s recent cancellation of a submarine contract with France, demanding Australia must apologise to France before the agreement can continue. (The Guardian) 

The European Court of Human Rights rules that agents acting on behalf of the Russian state were responsible for the fatal poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006. (BBC) 

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announces a two-week halt to construction work after yesterday’s riot at the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union office. Rioters claimed they were construction workers, although CFMEU officials and others have doubted that the majority were. (ABC News Australia) 

Protesters return to the Melbourne CBD for the second day straight, assaulting journalists and blocking the West Gate Freeway. Riot police respond with rubber bullet rounds. (New Zealand Herald) 

Pfizer, BioNTech say their vaccine is safe, effective for children Pfizer and BioNTech said Monday that a low dose of their coronavirus vaccine proved safe and effective in children aged 5 to 11 years. Children account for more than 20 percent of new infections, and more of them have wound up in hospitals and intensive care units in recent weeks due to the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant. The Pfizer-BioNTech trial results raised hopes among many parents, teachers, and doctors that younger children soon will be able to get vaccinated, reducing the chances of infections in schools. “We’ve been waiting for these kids to be protected,” said Dr. Kristin Oliver, a pediatrician and vaccine expert at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. CNN 

United Nations General Assembly starts amid deep divisions World leaders return to the United Nations on Tuesday for the first time in two years for the General Assembly as tensions rise between the U.S. and China, and concerns mount over Afghanistan’s future following the U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban’s return to power. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres “will pull no punches in expressing his concern about the state of the world, and he will lay out a vision to bridge the numerous divides,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. President Biden is scheduled to address the assembly on Tuesday. Biden will “drive home the message that ending the war in Afghanistan closed a chapter focused on war and opened a chapter focused on purposeful, effective, intensive American diplomacy,” a senior U.S. official said Monday. THE WASHINGTON POST 

U.S. coronavirus death toll equals that of 1918 Spanish flu The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has now reached more than 675,000 people, surpassing that of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic to become the deadliest disease event in American history, based on raw numbers. Proportionally, the Spanish flu death toll remains considerably greater because the U.S. population is now more than three times what it was in 1918. The grim milestone comes as the country struggles to contain a new surge of infections driven by the highly infectious Delta variant, with the daily death toll now back to about 2,000 per day. Some hospitals are having to ration care because they have been overwhelmed with coronavirus cases. CNN 

DHS investigates use of agents on horseback to drive out migrants The Department of Homeland Security on Monday announced an investigation after video surfaced showing Border Patrol agents on horseback using what appeared to be whips to drive away Haitian migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the images “horrific.” She said she didn’t know the full context of the videos, but couldn’t “imagine what context would make that appropriate.” In one video, mounted agents charged migrants shouting, “Let’s go! Get out now! Back to Mexico!” About 14,000 migrants, most of them from Haiti, have crossed the border and waited under the international bridge in Del Rio, Texas, to apply for asylum. The U.S. already has sent several planeloads of migrants to Haiti. USA TODAY 

U.S. stocks dive in S&P 500’s biggest drop since May U.S. stocks fell sharply on Monday in Wall Street’s worst day in months. The S&P 500 fell by 1.7 percent, its biggest drop since May. At one point the benchmark index was down by 2.9 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down by 1.8 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 2.2 percent. The losses came after Hong Kong’s main index plunged on concerns about weakness among property stocks. U.S. investors also are increasingly worried about signs of economic damage from the Delta-variant-fueled surge in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations. “What’s happened here is that the list of risks has finally become too big to ignore,” said Michael Arone, chief investment strategist at State Street Global Advisors. Futures for the three major indexes rose by about 0.7 percent early Tuesday. CNBC 

Trudeau holds onto power as Liberals win snap election Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held onto power on Monday as his Liberal Party won a snap election. Trudeau, his popularity up due to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, called the vote, hoping his party would take back the majority in Parliament. The Liberals appeared to have won only a few more seats than before, signaling a status quo Parliament and leaving Trudeau open to renewed criticism from Canadians who opposed making people vote as the highly infectious Delta variant spread. As of early Tuesday, the Liberals led in or had won 155 seats, the Conservatives had 121, the Bloc Québécois had 33, and the NDP had 27. Trudeau said the vote provided “a clear mandate” as the government leads the country through the pandemic. THE GLOBE AND MAIL 

2 GOP operatives charged with funneling Russian’s money to Trump campaign Federal prosecutors have charged two longtime Republican operatives with helping a Russian national illegally contribute $25,000 to former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, keeping another $75,000 for themselves, according to a grand jury indictment unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The two men, Jesse Benton, 43, and Doug Wead, 75, pleaded not guilty to six felony counts in a remote hearing. The indictment “alleges that Benton and Wead worked together to accept $100,000 from an unidentified Russian national in order to get the foreigner a meeting with then-candidate Trump at a fundraiser in Philadelphia on Sept. 22, 2016,” Politico reported. There was no indication that Trump or his campaign aides knew the money came from the Russian donor.  POLITICO 

Biden hikes refugee cap to 125,000 President Biden intends to raise the number of refugees the United States will accept to 125,000 in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, the State Department announced Monday. Biden promised during his 2020 campaign to increase the refugee cap from the historically low level of 15,000 set by former President Donald Trump. In May, Biden raised the number for the current fiscal year to 62,500, vowing to double it in his first full fiscal year as president. Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, said Biden had sent Congress a report detailing his plan to raise the cap to “address needs generated by humanitarian crises around the globe.” The increase is not expected to affect people fleeing the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, or the thousands of Haitians seeking asylum in a makeshift camp on the U.S.-Mexico border. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

FBI searches Brian Laundrie’s home in Gabby Petito investigation  The FBI on Monday searched the Florida home of the parents of Brian Laundrie, a day after search crews in Wyoming found human remains believed to be those of his fiancée, Gabby Petito. The remains were found at a campsite in Bridger-Teton National Forest on the eastern edge of Grand Teton National Park. Laundrie’s parents were escorted away from their North Port, Florida, home during the search, then brought back in for questioning. Laundrie had returned home alone from a cross-country trip he and Petito made in her small van, then disappeared after declining to talk to police. Petito went missing days after a witness reported seeing Laundrie slapping her outside a Wyoming restaurant. CNN 

 

Monday,  September 20th, 2021 

A court in Rwanda finds Paul Rusesabagina, a former hotel manager portrayed as a hero in the Hollywood film about the genocide, guilty of terrorism-related charges. Rusesabagina, who remained handcuffed in court, denounced president Paul Kagame and said that he was abducted from exile in Dubai in order to stand trial in Rwanda. (Reuters) 

Volkswagen submits an offer of €2.5 billion for French car rental firm Europcar. The deal, which would give Volkswagen 66% of Europcar’s shares, has been accepted by the board but still needs to be accepted by regulators in France. Volkswagen previously owned Europcar and sold it to French investment firm Eurazeo for €3.3 billion in 2006. (RTE) 

Twitter agrees to pay $809.5 million to settle a shareholder class action lawsuit that accused the social media company of painting an overly rosy picture of its future. (Bloomberg) 

More than 100 homes on the island of La Palma in the Spanish Canary Islands are destroyed by lava flows, and 5,000 people are evacuated. Several schools on the island suspend classes. (El Mundo)  

England and Scotland begin the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines for children between the ages of 12 and 15 as part of an expansion of their vaccination programme in order to protect more people from COVID-19 during the winter. (BBC) 

The Austrian government announces that it will require protective face masks and COVID-19 passes for users of ski lifts this winter in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the country will allow foreign skiers for the first time in two years. (Reuters) 

Switzerland begins to implement a mandatory negative COVID-19 test result for travellers who have not been vaccinated or who have not recovered from COVID-19 upon entering the country in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Schengen Visa Info) 

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announces that COVID-19 vaccines will be required for all teachers and students in the district by November 1. (The Washington Post) 

The CDC releases a study which finds that 99.4% of all current cases of COVID-19 in the United States are of the highly transmittable Delta variant. (The New York Times) 

The total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. surpasses the total number of deaths from the Spanish flu in the U.S. in 1918-1919. (ABC News) 

Pfizer says that their vaccine candidate is effective for children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. (CBS News) 

Six people are killed and around 20 more are wounded in a mass shooting at Perm State University in Perm, Perm Krai, Russia. The gunman, an 18-year-old student at the university, has been arrested. (BBC) 

Poland accuses Russia and Belarus of “orchestrating a wave of illegal immigration” after four people were found dead yesterday at the Polish–Belarusian border. (Al Jazeera) 

Three former U.S. intelligence operatives, who worked as senior managers at a United Arab Emirates–based company, have been ordered by the Department of Justice to pay $1,685,000 in fines for “leveraging zero-click exploits to illegally obtain and use access credentials for online accounts issued by U.S. companies, and to obtain unauthorized access to computers globally, including in the United States”. (Fox Business News) 

Voters in Canada go to the polls to elect members of the House of Commons to the 44th Canadian Parliament, with pollsters predicting a tight race between Justin Trudeau’s incumbent Liberal Party and Erin O’Toole’s opposition Conservative Party. (CTV News) 

The parliament of Lebanon approves the government formed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati. (AFP via France 24) 

Members of Melbourne’s far-right violate lockdown laws and riot at the office of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union, damaging windows and assaulting state secretary John Setka before being dispersed by police. The rioters were dressed in the high-visibility clothing associated with the construction industry and presented themselves as Union rank-and-file protesting a bureaucracy which they claimed was working to impose mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations. Setka said that the Union opposes mandatory vaccinations and blamed the riots on “outside extremists”, stating that only a minority of those in attendance were Union members. (The Guardian) 

The End Tuesday 

The CDC releases a study which finds that 99.4% of all current cases of COVID-19 in the United States are of the highly transmittable Delta variant. (The New York Times) 

Six people are killed and about 20 more wounded in a mass shooting at Perm State University in Perm, Perm Krai, Russia. The gunman, an 18-year-old student at the university, has been arrested. (BBC) 

Three former U.S. intelligence operatives, who worked as senior managers at a United Arab Emirates–based company, have been sentenced by the Department of Justice to pay $1,685,000 in fines for “leveraging zero-click exploits to illegally obtain and use access credentials for online accounts issued by U.S. companies, and to obtain unauthorized access to computers, like mobile phones, around the world, including in the United States”. (Fox Business News) 

Anti-vaxxers riot at the offices of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union in Melbourne before being dispersed by police. CFMEU state secretary John Setka says the Union opposes mandatory vaccination and blames misinformation spread by “outside extremists” for the riot. (The Guardian) 

U.S. starts sending home Haitian refugees who crossed from Mexico The United States on Sunday stepped up its effort to clear out a massive makeshift camp housing about 14,000 Haitian refugees who crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico to get to the Texas border town of Del Rio. U.S. officials blocked the Mexican border there, and sent three flights of Haitians back to their impoverished Caribbean homeland. The government plans to increase the pace to six planeloads per day soon, one U.S. official said. Many of the migrants have been in Brazil and other Latin American countries for years, but recently headed through Mexico to seek asylum in the U.S. Haiti, already struggling to respond to an earthquake and presidential assassination, protested the forced return, saying it wasn’t prepared to handle so many deportees. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Senate parliamentarian rules against immigration measure in budget bill  Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled on Sunday that it is “not appropriate” for Democrats to include a pathway to citizenship for 8 million people in their budget reconciliation bill, which only needs a simple majority to pass the Senate. Democrats argued the policy would help the economy. The Senate parliamentarian is nonpartisan and rules on technical issues, and MacDonough wrote that such a “tremendous and enduring policy change … dwarfs its budgetary impact.” MacDonough said the move would “set a precedent” that could be used to defend rescinding people’s immigration status, too. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats were “deeply disappointed,” and would consider alternate proposals to “provide lawful status for immigrants in budget reconciliation.” THE WASHINGTON POST 

Democrats say they might have to cut back $3.5 trillion spending bill Congressional Democrats said Sunday that they probably would have to reduce the size of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion social spending bill. They can’t afford to lose a single Democratic vote in the evenly divided Senate, and West Virginia moderate Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin has said he would not vote for the bill unless it is scaled down considerably. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) might have to push passage of a bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill beyond a Sept. 27 deadline so it can be passed alongside the bigger spending bill, House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth said on Fox News Sunday. Both bills are critical parts of Biden’s agenda, but face reluctance from some moderate Democrats and staunch opposition from Republicans. REUTERS 

Russian opposition parties allege fraud in parliamentary elections Russian opposition parties and independent observers on Sunday reported widespread ballot fraud on the third and final day of parliamentary elections. President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party was expected to win the official count but with weakened control in the State Duma — the lower house of the Russian Parliament. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny remained in jail after Moscow declared his network an extremist organization in June, effectively banning it from participating in the campaign. Navalny’s organization appealed to Russians to go out to vote against United Russia. “Today is the day your vote really matters,” the network said under Navalny’s name via his Instagram account. “Because today is the day that each of us can be especially efficient in convincing the doubters.”  CNN 

Biggest post-U.S.-withdrawal evacuation flight yet leaves Kabul A chartered Qatar Airways flight carrying more than 230 passengers, including Afghan and American citizens, took off from Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport on Sunday, Qatari Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah Al-Khater announced. The plane’s trip to Doha was the largest such evacuation flight since the U.S. military withdrawal from the country was completed on Aug. 31 after 20 years of war. The flight came as concerns continued about the Taliban’s willingness to allow the departures of Afghans and foreigners desperate to leave Afghanistan rather than stay under the Islamist group’s control. A Qatari official told Reuters the country “will continue its collaboration with international partners on efforts that ensure freedom of movement in Afghanistan.” CBS NEWS 

Searchers find body believed to be Gabby Petito Search crews in northern Wyoming on Sunday found human remains matching the description of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old who went missing during a cross-country trip in a van with her boyfriend, the FBI in Denver announced. The body was found by law enforcement agents who looked for Petito at camp sites on the eastern border of Grand Teton National Park. The North Port Police in Florida, where Petito lived, issued the following statement saying they were “saddened and heartbroken to learn that Gabby has been found deceased.” Investigators have identified the boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, as a person of interest in the case. Laundrie, 23, returned to his family’s home in Florida but disappeared on Tuesday after declining to talk to investigators. Police are continuing to search for him. DESERET NEWS 

Chinese version of TikTok places limits on kids’ use TikTok parent company ByteDance plans to limit children’s access to Douyin, the Chinese version of the short-video app, to 40 minutes a day. Douyin said in a blog post over the weekend that its “youth mode” would restrict use by people under age 14 to between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Douyin introduced some limits as an optional feature in 2018, but made them mandatory to protect young users from harmful content. The company also said that its youngest users would get educational content, including science experiments and history lessons. Douyin appealed to parents to help with enforcement by making sure their kids were registered with their real ages. The changes followed a crackdown by the Chinese government on social media firms over alleged problems regarding data-security, labor, and competition. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Thousands evacuated after volcano erupts in Canary Islands A volcano on one of Spain’s Canary Islands off Africa’s western coast erupted on Sunday, forcing about 5,000 people to flee as lava flows destroyed 20 homes and threatened more. The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma island (pop. 85,000) came after a weeklong buildup of seismic activity as molten lava built up inside. The strongest of the several earthquakes felt before the eruption measured 4.2 on the Richter Scale. The volcano last erupted in 1971. “We call on people to exercise extreme caution and to stay away from the eruption area in order to avoid unnecessary risks,” the local government tweeted on Sunday. “Likewise, it is very important to keep roads clear so that they can be used by our land operatives.” CNN 

Fauci: FDA should get Moderna, J&J booster data within weeks Federal regulators should receive the test data they need on Moderna’s and Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine boosters within weeks, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s top medical adviser, said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Friday recommended Pfizer’s booster be given to people aged 65 and up or at high risk of severe COVID-19, but stopped short of advising that it be administered more broadly. Fauci urged fully vaccinated Americans to wait to seek an additional shot until the FDA recommends it for a group they fall into. Fauci noted that the FDA panel’s decision is not binding, so the agency might take other factors into consideration to determine whether to offer boosters more broadly. “This is not the end of the story,” Fauci said on CNN’s State of the Union. REUTERS 

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