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