Sunday, October 24th, 2021 

Saudi Arabia sets net-zero carbon emission target ahead of COP26 Saudi Arabia aims to reduce pollution to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2060, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Saturday at a Saudi forum ahead of the United Nations’ 26th UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, in Glasgow. The prince said the oil-rich nation would pursue the goal with a varied approach that includes curbing emissions, planting 450 million trees, and rehabilitating degraded lands to expand protected areas. Prince Charles warned in a virtual keynote speech at the forum that there is a “dangerously narrow window” to speed up the world’s “green recovery” to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change, and said Saudi Arabia’s work on “energy transition is critically important.” CNN 

Scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa announce the discovery of 2M0437b, one of the youngest exoplanets ever found at a distant star. The exoplanet was discovered using the Subaru Telescope at the observatory on Mauna Kea. (SciTech) 

Colombian forces capture country’s most wanted drug lord Colombian military forces and police captured the South American nation’s most wanted drug trafficker, Dairo Antonio Úsuga, in his rural hideout near the Panama border on Saturday. Úsuga, better known as Otoniel, is the leader of Colombia’s largest criminal gang. He became the head of the Gulf Clan after his brother, its previous leader, was killed by police during a raid nearly 10 years ago. The government had offered a $800,000 reward for confirmed information on how to find him. The United States had placed a $5 million bounty on him. “This is the biggest blow against drug trafficking in our country this century,” President Iván Duque Márquez said in a televised message. “This blow is only comparable to the fall of Pablo Escobar in the 1990s.” BBC NEWS 

Facebook platforms spread religious hatred in India Inflammatory content jumped by 300 percent on Facebook’s products in India as religious protests swept the country in the early months of 2020, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, citing an internal Facebook report. A Hindu man in Delhi told Facebook researchers he got “very dangerous” messages on Facebook and WhatsApp, such as, “Hindus are in danger, Muslims are about to kill us.” A Muslim user in Mumbai said there was “so much hatred going on” he feared for his life. In February 2019, two Facebook employees set up a dummy account with the profile of a 21-year-old woman in North India to gauge the user experience. When violence flared in the India-Pakistan territorial dispute in Kashmir, the Facebook account was inundated with nationalist propaganda and anti-Muslim hate speech. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

The Canadian Coast Guard and local firefighters combat a fire on board the MV Zim Kingston, off Victoria, British Columbia. The fire, which started yesterday, is focused on ten containers as authorities say that the ship itself is not on fire. (Washington Post) 

Uzbeks head to the polls to elect their president. Analysts say incumbent Shavkat Mirziyoyev has his victory for a second term secured as the country struggles with its tourism industry and security issues on the Afghanistan–Uzbekistan border since the Taliban takeover. (Deutsche Welle) 

U.S. drone strike kills senior al Qaeda leader The U.S. military said Saturday that it killed a senior al Qaeda leader, Abdul Hamid al-Matar, with a drone strike Friday in northwest Syria. Army Maj. John Rigsbee, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said al-Matar’s death will disrupt the Islamist terrorist organization’s “ability to further plot and carry out global attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians.” Rigsbee added that al Qaeda “uses Syria as a base for threats reaching into Syria, Iraq, and beyond.” Two days before the airstrike, a U.S. military outpost in southern Syria was attacked with drones and rockets, although there were no American casualties. Iranian-backed forces commonly target U.S. forces with drones and rocket fire in eastern Syria and Iraq. NBC NEWS 

Clashes between the Somali National Army and Sufi paramilitary group Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a leave at least 30 people dead and more than 100 others injured in Galmudug. (Reuters) 

Turkey calls for departure of U.S. ambassadors and 9 other envoys Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday he ordered his government to declare the United States and nine other Western countries “persona non grata at once,” after they signed a joint statement demanding the “urgent release” of imprisoned philanthropist Osman Kavala. The ambassadors of the U.S., Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and New Zealand issued the statement on Monday calling for a “just and speedy” resolution to the case against Kavala, who has been in prison since 2017 after being charged with financing 2018 protests in Turkey and participating in a failed 2016 coup. Kavala was acquitted in 2020 on protest charges, but the decision was overturned this year. Kavala has denied all the allegations against him. REUTERS 

2 children die in Texas drag-racing accident A drag racing vehicle veered off a track in Texas on Saturday and hit spectators, killing two children and injuring eight other people. A 6-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the track. An 8-year-old boy died later at a hospital. The 34-year-old driver was hospitalized in stable condition. The accident occurred at “Airport Race Wars 2,” an event held on a makeshift track at Kerrville Aviation at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport, 65 miles northwest of San Antonio. Investigators said the driver lost control of his vehicle and drove off the runway that was being used as a racetrack, and veered into parked vehicles and spectators. NBC NEWS 

Eastern Europe surpasses 20 million cases of COVID-19, with Russia, Ukraine and Romania reporting the most deaths among the most five affected countries in the region. (Al Jazeera) 

Saturday, October 23rd, 2021 

U.S. reports record migrant apprehensions at southern border Federal authorities apprehended more than 1.7 million migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border over the 12 months that ended in September, the most ever in a single fiscal year, according to Department of Homeland Security data released Friday. The surge peaked in the summer. About 61 percent of those caught at the border were sent right back to Mexico or their home country under a pandemic-era policy designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The policy, enacted by the Trump administration in March 2020, has resulted in a higher rate of repeat border-crossing attempts, as many of those sent back simply try again. In September, 26 percent of those caught illegally crossing the border had tried before, Customs and Border Protection said. CBS NEWS 

Supreme Court declines to block Texas abortion law, agrees to hear challenges The Supreme Court on Friday said it would let Texas continue enforcing a new law that bans most abortions in the state, but hear arguments in the case on Nov. 1. The justices first will consider whether the Justice Department and abortion providers can pursue lawsuits challenging the ban in federal court. The law prohibits abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected at about six weeks, before most women know they’re pregnant. The ban has resulted in an 80 percent reduction in abortions in Texas, according to women’s health clinics. Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the law was “enacted in open disregard of the constitutional rights of women seeking abortion care in Texas.” Court precedents guarantee abortion rights until fetal viability, at about 24 weeks. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Film crew complained of working conditions before fatal accident A half-dozen crew members walked off the New Mexico set of Rust hours before actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a prop gun, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. Hutchins reportedly had advocated for better working conditions for her team after complaints of long hours and other issues. There had been two misfires on the prop gun on Saturday and one the previous week, a person familiar with the matter told the Times. “There was a serious lack of safety meetings on this set,” the person said. An assistant producer reportedly handed Baldwin the prop gun, a Colt revolver, before a scene being filmed at Bonanza Creek Ranch outside Santa Fe, and told him it was “cold,” meaning it was understood to be loaded with blanks and not live rounds. LOS ANGELES TIMES 

Clashes continue for the second day in Lahore, Pakistan, as the banned far-right Islamic extremist political party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan is demonstrating to pressure the government to release its leader Saad Hussain Rizvi, who was arrested last year. Three protesters and two policemen were killed yesterday during the clashes and two protesters are killed today. (Al Jazeera) 

IS claims responsibility for the killing of 16 civilians during an assault at a village in Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo, three days ago. (Reuters) 

Namibia suspends the usage of the Russian made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine amid reports from South Africa that the vaccine carries a risk of causing HIV infections in men. (WION) 

Russia reports a record for the fifth consecutive day of 1,075 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 229,528. The country also reports a record for the third consecutive day of 37,678 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8.2 million. (ANI News) 

The percentage of the population that is fully vaccinated in South Korea surpasses 70%, allowing the government to ease their COVID-19-related restrictions in November. (The Straits Times) 

At a rally in central Budapest, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accuses the United States, the European Union, and philanthropist George Soros of trying to meddle in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The accusations come as opinion polls show Orbán’s alliance Fidesz–KDNP and the rival United Opposition polling neck-and-neck. (Al Jazeera) 

The trial of Matteo Salvini opens in Palermo, Italy. Salvini is accused of kidnapping and abuse of office when he ordered the detaining of 147 migrants at sea in August 2019, when he was serving as minister of the interior. Salvini said that the decision was agreed upon with the government, including then-prime minister Giuseppe Conte. (France24) 

Colombian police arrest Dario Antonio Úsuga (alias “Otoniel”), a leader of the Clan del Golfo drug cartel, in the town of Necoclí. Úsuga has been listed by authorities as one of the country’s most-wanted drug traffickers. (AFP via CNA) 

Lev Parnas, a former Giuliani ally, convicted on campaign finance charges Former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas was convicted Friday of illegally funneling money to U.S. political campaigns to gain influence and bolster a marijuana business. The Soviet-born Parnas and his co-conspirator, Andrey Kukushkin, tried to “manipulate the United States political system for their own financial gain,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. Kukushkin also was convicted. The men directed money to American politicians during the 2018 midterms aiming to increase the marijuana business’ profits, Williams said. Parnas and another associate, Igor Fruman, also collaborated with Giuliani to find information that could damage President Biden’s campaign, to help former President Donald Trump. That scheme led to the first of Trump’s two impeachments. USA TODAY 

Astros win ALCS to advance to World Series The Houston Astros advanced to the World Series for the third time in five seasons on Friday with a 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox, winning the American League Championship Series. Yordan Alvarez, who was named ALCS MVP, drove in the first run with a double, and later hit a triple and scored again. Right fielder Kyle Tucker put the game away with a three-run homer. The Astros will go after the club’s second championship against either the Atlanta Braves or the Los Angeles Dodgers, with Game 1 of the World Series scheduled for Tuesday. “We feel like we deserve this, and we’re together in this,” second baseman Jose Altuve, whose Game 4 eighth-inning home run turned the series’ momentum, said. USA TODAY 

FDA scientists say Pfizer vaccine’s efficacy in children outweighs risks Food and Drug Administration scientists said Friday that the likely benefits of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds outweighed the risks, including rare cases of heart inflammation. If the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sign off on the kid-sized doses of the Pfizer vaccine, it will be the first COVID-19 vaccine available to people that young. Also on Friday, Pfizer and BioNTech said their vaccine was 90.7 percent effective against coronavirus in clinical trials of children from 5 to 11, who were given either two 10-microgram doses or a placebo. The doses were a third as large as those given to people 12 and up. Sixteen of the trial participants who received the placebo got COVID, compared to three who were vaccinated. REUTERS 

New whistleblower says Facebook put profit before safety A second Facebook whistleblower has submitted an affidavit to the Securities and Exchange Commission with more allegations that the social media giant prioritized growth and profits over fighting hate speech and misinformation, The Washington Post reported Friday after obtaining a copy of the document. The unidentified new whistleblower, who once worked on Facebook’s Integrity team, said Facebook communications official Tucker Bounds at one point shrugged off the controversy over Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. According to the whistleblower, Bounds said lawmakers would “get pissy” about misinformation spread on Facebook, then “move onto something else. Meanwhile we are printing money in the basement.” Bounds said it was hard to respond to an “empty accusation” from a “faceless person.” THE WASHINGTON POST 

Dow rises to its 1st record high since August The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at an all-time high on Friday after Wall Street’s third straight week of gains. The Dow rose by 74 points or 0.2 percent to 35,677.02, its first record since Aug. 16. The S&P 500, which set a record on Thursday, edged back by 0.1 percent on Friday. The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell by 0.8 percent. The Dow’s gains came as many investors shifted away from tech stocks and bought blue-chips like American Express, which rose by 5.4 percent after a strong earnings report. Intel and Snap fell after posting disappointing earnings, dragging down the Nasdaq. Despite some struggles among tech companies, earnings season has been strong so far. CNBC 

Robert Durst charged with murder of wife Kathie Durst New York police have charged millionaire real estate heir Robert Durst with second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Kathie Durst, who disappeared in 1982, authorities confirmed Friday. A state police investigator filed the complaint on Oct. 19 in Lewisboro, New York, where the Dursts lived when Kathie Durst disappeared, Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah’s office said in a statement. Durst, 78, was sentenced to life in prison without parole last week for killing a friend, Susan Berman, who allegedly helped him cover up his ex-wife’s murder but was preparing to confess in 2000. The case was featured in the 2015 HBO documentary The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. NBC NEWS 

Friday,  October 22nd, 2021 

The leader of the Haitian gang who kidnapped 17 United States and Canadian missionaries has threatened to kill the hostages if the gang does not receive the $17 million ransom for their release. (CNN) 

The United States Department of Defense reports that forces have killed a senior al-Qaeda leader in Syria through an MQ-9 drone strike. (AFP via Arab News) 

Tesla reports biggest quarterly profit ever Tesla on Wednesday reported its biggest quarterly profit ever thanks to record electric vehicle sales over the summer despite a global shortage of computer chips. Tesla said its third-quarter net income reached $1.62 billion, smashing its previous record of $1.14 billion set the previous quarter. Tesla’s $331 million profit in this year’s third quarter was nearly five times its profit in the same period last year. Revenue reached $13.76 billion, which also marked a record although it fell short of the $14 billion analysts expected, according to FactSet. Tesla said it aimed to expand its factory capacity quickly and see sales grow by 50 percent annually over the next few years. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Chinese property developer Evergrande Group reports that it transferred US$83.5 million to pay off interests on its dollar bonds, allowing it to avert short-term default a day before its deadline. (Business Insider) 

Sixteen people are killed and another is injured by an explosion at a chemical plant in Ryazan Oblast, Russia. (Reuters) 

Mass Friday prayers resume in the capital Tehran after a 20-month suspension due to the pandemic. Worshippers must adhere to social distancing measures and use face masks during the gatherings, with most worshippers using their own prayer rugs and clay tablets. (Al-Arabiya English) 

The Chinese capital Beijing begins administering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to “at-risk” individuals over the age of 18, which includes those participating, organizing, or working in the 2022 Winter Olympics as well as people working in education, manufacturing, retail, and public facilities. (The Hill) 

Belarus ends its short-lived mask mandate that was introduced on October 9 despite a record number of COVID-19 cases as President Alexander Lukashenko dismissed the measures as “unnecessary”. (AP) 

Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 1,064 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the nationwide death toll to 228,453. The country also reports a record for the second consecutive day of 37,141 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 8,168,305. (Saudi Press Agency) 

Ukraine closes schools and public venues in Kyiv and will only permit the schools to reopen if teachers are vaccinated in other “red zone” areas after the country reported a record for the second consecutive day of 29,785 new cases and 614 deaths from COVID-19. (AFP via Barron’s) 

The New Zealand Government sets a target of 90% of the population fully vaccinated, which is very high by international standards, in order to end lockdown measures and shift to a new traffic light system giving vaccinated Kiwis more freedoms. (1 News) 

Pfizer says that its vaccine is 90% effective in children between the ages of 5 and 11. (CBS News) 

Police and the army open fire on a group of health workers protesting outside a hospital in Eswatini, injuring 30 people. (BBC News) 

After appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and the Old Bailey, Ali Harbi Ali is charged with the murder of David Amess and remanded to Belmarsh prison. He is due to be tried on March 7, 2022. (BBC News) 

Luxembourg legalizes cannabis, becoming the first country in Europe to do so. (TheStreet) 

The Israeli Defense Ministry designates six humanitarian Palestinian groups, including human rights organization Al-Haq and non-profit organization Union of Agricultural Work Committees, as “terrorist organisations” for their alleged connections to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The Palestinian National Authority, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and several human rights groups harshly criticize the designations. (Al Jazeera) 

CDC approves Moderna, J&J boosters and mix-and-match vaccines The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has signed off on the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson coronavirus boosters, clearing the way for eligible, fully vaccinated Americans at risk of severe COVID-19 to get the shots beginning Friday. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky also went along with the recommendation of expert advisers and the Food and Drug Administration to let people mix-and-match vaccines, so eligible people will be able to choose a booster made by a different company than the one that made their initial vaccine. Walensky said in a statement Thursday night that the vaccines had been shown to be safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, “as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given.” THE WASHINGTON POST 

DeSantis calls special legislative session to block Biden vaccine mandates Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday stepped up his fight against the White House over COVID-19 restrictions, calling for a special legislative session so the state’s Republican-dominated Legislature can block President Biden’s vaccine mandates. “We have an opportunity here to take additional action, and I think we have to do it,” said DeSantis, who also has vowed to challenge Biden’s mandates in court. “I think we have got to stand up for people’s jobs and their livelihoods.” Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls said his office had not received details on the plan for a special session. Biden in September said his administration would impose vaccine mandates on federal workers and businesses with more than 100 employees, prompting criticism from Republicans who said getting vaccinated should be a personal choice. POLITICO 

India celebrates its billionth coronavirus vaccine dose India administered its billionth COVID-19 vaccine dose on Thursday. The milestone marked a sign of hope in a country of nearly 1.4 billion people after a devastating coronavirus surge this year fueled by the fast-spreading Delta variant. Roughly half of India’s population now has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. About 20 percent are fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data. India has stepped up the pace of its vaccinations in the second half of the year after a slow vaccine rollout due to vaccine shortages and distribution problems. India is using two-dose vaccines, so accelerating the distribution of second doses is “an important priority,” said V.K. Paul, head of the country’s COVID-19 task force. “Complete coverage is absolutely critical,” Paul said. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Pfizer/BioNTech booster 95.6 percent effective in Stage 3 trial The Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine booster dose was 95.6 percent effective against COVID-19 in a Phase 3 trial, the companies announced Thursday. The “efficacy was consistent irrespective of age, sex, race, ethnicity, or comorbid conditions,” Pfizer and BioNTech said. More than 10,000 fully vaccinated people ages 16 and up randomly got the 30-microgram booster dose or a placebo, with a median delay of 11 months after getting the second dose to complete the initial regimen. During the study, 109 people who received the placebo got COVID, compared to just five people who got the booster. “These results provide further evidence of the benefits of boosters as we aim to keep people well-protected against this disease,” Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s chairman and chief executive officer, said in a news release Thursday. CNN 

Ex-Minneapolis officer gets 57 months for killing 911 caller Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor was sentenced to 57 months in prison on Thursday for fatally shooting an unarmed Australian-American woman, Justine Ruszczyk Damond, after she called 911 to report a possible rape behind her home in 2017. Noor initially was sentenced to a 12 1/2-year sentence for his initial third-degree murder conviction, which was overturned last month. Judge Kathryn Quaintance said she imposed the maximum sentence for manslaughter because Noor showed a “generalized indifference to human life” when he fired “across the nose of your partner” after Damond appeared suddenly at the driver-side window. Noor was fired after he was charged. He has served more than 29 months, and with good behavior could be released next summer. NPR 

Remains found in Florida identified as Brian Laundrie’s Dental records showed that human remains found in a Florida nature reserve were those of Brian Laundrie, who disappeared last month after returning alone from a cross-country trip with his fiancée, Gabby Petito, the FBI’s Denver office confirmed on Thursday. Investigators on Wednesday said they found a backpack and notebook belonging to Laundrie near the remains. A week after Laundrie went missing, authorities in Wyoming found Petito’s body in a national forest. A coroner ruled her death a homicide by strangulation by hand. Laundrie’s parents were notified by local police and had no further comment, their lawyer said. A lawyer for Petito’s family said her parents are “grieving the loss of their beautiful daughter” and would make a statement “when they are emotionally ready.” CNN 

Cinematographer dies when Alec Baldwin’s prop gun misfires Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died Thursday after she was injured by a prop gun discharged by actor Alec Baldwin on the set of a Western movie, Rust, being filmed in New Mexico. The film’s director, Joel Souza, was injured. The 63-year-old Baldwin was seen in tears outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, where he was questioned about the accident. Juan Rios, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said the shooting occurred at Bonanza Creek Ranch while a scene was being rehearsed or filmed. “We’re trying to determine right now how and what type of projectile was used in the firearm,” he said. A spokesperson for Baldwin said the accident occurred when a prop gun with blanks misfired. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Thursday, October 21st, 2021 

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is killed during the production of the upcoming American film Rust in Bonanza City, New Mexico, while film director Joel Souza is in critical condition, after actor Alec Baldwin reportedly misfired a prop gun. (AFP via The Straits Times) 

The United States House of Representatives votes 229-202 to hold former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon in criminal contempt for refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by the January 6 select committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The contempt is referred to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and United States Attorney General Merrick Garland to decide whether to prosecute Bannon. (AP) 

Health problems from climate change getting worse  Heat deaths, infectious diseases, hunger, and other health problems linked to climate change are getting worse as global temperatures rise, according to two annual reports published Wednesday. “Rising temperatures are having consequences,” said University of Washington environmental health professor Kristie Ebi, the co-author of a report commissioned by the medical journal Lancet. That report tracked 44 global health indicators and found that all of them are increasingly alarming, said Lancet Countdown project research director Marina Romanello, a biochemist. The reports — one global and one covering the United States — found that the amount of time that vulnerable populations experienced dangerous heat rose last year, with people over 65 facing a total of three billion more “person-day” exposures to extreme heat than they did on average from 1986 to 2005. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

President of Russia Vladimir Putin says that he will not attend the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, which is seen as a blow to efforts to get leaders to negotiate a new deal to stall climate change. (BBC News) 

Greenpeace partially leaks a draft report from the International Panel on Climate Change, revealing that a number of large oil, coal, beef and animal feed-producing countries including Australia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Argentina are lobbying the IPCC for looser restrictions on global heating. (AP) 

The University of Oxford links the Chinese government to a disinformation campaign promoting the unfounded claim that COVID-19 could have been imported to China from the United States through Maine lobsters shipped to a seafood market in Wuhan in November 2019. (NBC News) 

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin announces a non-working week from October 28 until November 7 in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Only firms that serve essential goods and the city infrastructure would be allowed to operate. (The Moscow Times) 

Latvia enters a month-long lockdown until November 15 that closes non-essential shops, cinemas and hairdressers, as well as implements a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Medical Xpress) 

Protesters criticize Netflix over Dave Chappelle’s special Protesters gathered at a Netflix office in California on Wednesday, two weeks after the streamer’s release of comedian Dave Chappelle’s controversial new standup special. Hundreds of employees and activists attended the rally outside Netflix’s headquarters in Los Angeles to criticize the streaming video service for releasing Chappelle’s latest special The Closer, in which Chappelle says he’s “team TERF,” meaning “trans-exclusionary radical feminist,” among other comments and jokes about the LGBTQ community. Netflix staffers also planned a virtual walkout over the company’s response to the backlash. The rally also drew Chappelle supporters, including one holding a sign that read “Netflix Don’t Cancel Free Speech.” VARIETYLOS ANGELES TIMES 

Saudi Arabia begins the rollout of booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines for people aged above 18 and have received their second dose at least six months ago. (Gulf News) 

The Biden administration announces that the United States has donated 200 million COVID-19 vaccines to countries around the world, fulfilling a pledge from President Joe Biden that the U.S. would be the “world’s arsenal” in vaccines. (The Hill) 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorses booster shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. (The New York Times) 

A working group to find a more permanent solution to the license plate issue, consisting of negotiators from the governments of Kosovo and Serbia, meet for the first time in Brussels. If negotiations are successful, the group will announce their proposals in 6 months. (Gazeta Tema) 

The French National Assembly votes 135 to 125 to approve the extension of the COVID-19 Health Pass until at least July 31, 2022. The bill will be debated at the French Senate on October 28 in preparation for adopting the bill on November 15. (The Connexion) 

Former Minneapolis Police Department Officer Mohamed Noor is resentenced to four years and nine months in prison for the manslaughter of unarmed 9-1-1 caller Justine Damond. Noor had originally been sentenced to 12.5 years for murder in 2017. (CNN) 

Twenty-four people have been executed in Syria for deliberately starting wildfires in late 2020 that killed three people. (BBC News) 

FDA OKs Moderna and J&J boosters, plus mix-and-match shots The Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that it was authorizing the emergency use of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine boosters. The decision will make most fully vaccinated adults eligible for another shot to increase their protection against infection and severe COVID-19 after a recommended waiting period. The FDA also said people could get a booster made by a different company than the one that made their initial vaccine. “The availability of these authorized boosters is important for continued protection against Covid-19 disease,” said acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock. The Pfizer-BioNTech booster was approved previously for certain groups, including the elderly and those facing elevated risk. The decisions promised to help the Biden administration pursue its push to make boosters widely available. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

White House unveils plan for vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 The White House on Wednesday announced its plan for distributing coronavirus vaccines to children aged 5 to 11. The Biden administration will kick off the effort to get shots to the 28 million children in the age group as soon as federal health officials give emergency-use authorization for administering the reduced dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The Biden administration expects that to come as soon as the first week of November. The government would distribute the specially packaged vaccine to more than 25,000 pediatricians’ and other doctors’ offices, pharmacies, hospitals, community health centers, and school and community clinics. Getting most of these children vaccinated “would play a major role in diminishing the spread of infection in the community,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Trump announces financial backing for his own social media platform Former President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he has lined up investment money to launch a publicly-traded social media company and a new app, “Truth Social.” Trump said the app would start an invite-only trial run in November and roll out nationwide in 2022. His investing partner is Digital World Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) incorporated in Miami in December 2020. Trump, who was banned by Facebook and Twitter after the Jan. 6 insurrection, and his investors said the venture’s purpose is “to create a rival to the liberal media consortium and fight back against the ‘Big Tech’ companies of Silicon Valley.” But Axios said the “bottom line” is that “there are not yet enough details to suggest that this deal has much legitimacy.” THE NEW YORK TIMESAXIOS 

Taliban lines up support to call for U.N. donor conference The Taliban on Wednesday got support from 10 regional powers for a proposal to hold a United Nations donor conference to get enough aid to help Afghanistan avoid economic collapse and a humanitarian disaster. Russia, China, Pakistan, India, Iran, and five formerly Soviet Central Asian states backed Afghanistan’s new rulers in their call for a U.N. conference on rebuilding the war-ravaged country, which still faces mounting attacks from a rival Islamic extremist group affiliated with the Islamic State. Representatives of the countries participating in the talks in Moscow said the conference should take place with the understanding that “the main burden … should be borne by the forces whose military contingents have been present in this country over the past 20 years,” a reference to the United States and its allies. CNN 

FBI, police find unidentified remains near Brian Laundrie’s backpack The FBI and local police found unidentified human remains near a backpack and other items belonging to fugitive Brian Laundrie in a North Port, Florida, nature reserve, FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson said Wednesday. The remains were found in an area that recently was underwater. The FBI Tampa’s Evidence Response Team is on the scene using “all available forensic resources” to process the site and identify the remains. The discovery came more than a month after Laundrie disappeared. He was last seen by his parents after he returned alone from a cross-country trip he took with his fiancée, van-life vlogger Gabby Petito. Her remains were later found at a campsite in a Wyoming national forest. CNN 

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta lifts the nationwide curfew that had been in place since March 2020 and allows places of worship to be filled to two-thirds of their capacity as the number of COVID-19 cases decreases. (Bloomberg) 

Russian President Vladimir Putin approves the cabinet proposal for non-working days for employees from October 31 until November 7 amid a persistent increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. (VOA) 

Researchers at NYU Langone Health in New York City announce that a team of surgeons last month, lead by Dr. Robert Montgomery, successfully attached a genetically-modified pig kidney to a brain dead patient for two days without rejection. (NPR) 

The End

Wednesday, October 20th, 2021 

Israel reports its first case of the Delta subvariant “AY4.2” in a boy who travelled from Moldova. (The Times of Israel) 

U.K. keeping ‘close eye’ on ‘Delta Plus’ coronavirus subvariant U.K. officials are “keeping a very close eye on” a new COVID-19 subvariant known as AY.4.2, also known as “Delta Plus,” the spokesperson for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a Tuesday BBC News report. The Delta variant mutation is not yet considered a variant of concern, but it has been blamed for an increasing number of infections in the United Kingdom. Data indicates that it might be about 10 percent more transmissible than the most common Delta strain in the U.K. “At this stage I would say wait and see, don’t panic,” said professor Francois Balloux, director of University College London’s Genetics Institute, of the variant. “It might be slightly, subtly more transmissible but it is not something absolutely disastrous like we saw previously.”  BBC NEWS 

United Kingdom reports 233 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of daily deaths since March 3. (Inews.co.uk) 

And also…why does Putin hate the Earth so much?

President of Russia Vladimir Putin says he will not attend the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, seriously weakening hopes of a breakthrough international deal on climate change. (BBC) 

Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, erupts, sending smoke to 3,500 meters into the sky. The eruption began around noon local time. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno says that there are no reports of injuries but says he heard there were climbers on the mountain before the eruption and they are checking the situation. (The Asahi Shimbun) 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declares statewide drought emergency California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Tuesday declared a statewide drought emergency, urging Californians to “redouble our efforts to save water in every way possible.” Most of California’s 58 counties had been in a drought emergency since July, when temperatures soared and Newsom urged residents to reduce water use by 15 percent. Water use fell by just 5 percent in August. The State Water Resources Control Board will have the authority to impose emergency regulations to help save water, including banning people from hosing down sidewalks or washing cars without shut-off nozzles. On Monday, the state announced that the water year ending on Sept. 30 was California’s driest since 1924, with 11.87 inches of rain and snow — well below the yearly average of about 23.58 inches. LOS ANGELES TIMES 

FBI raids 2 homes tied to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska FBI agents on Tuesday raided two houses tied to Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. One of the houses was described as the oligarch’s Washington, D.C., home, although he isn’t allowed to own property in the U.S. because of sanctions imposed against him. The other property is in New York. An FBI spokesperson said the searches were related to a federal investigation out of New York. A Deripaska spokesperson said the raids were “being carried out on the basis of two court orders, connected to U.S. sanctions.” The Trump administration in 2018 imposed sanctions against Deripaska and about two dozen other oligarchs and Kremlin officials due to their connections with Putin. Deripaska was targeted “for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of” a senior Russian Federation official, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said. CNBC 

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announces a stay-at-home for unvaccinated or unrecovered people age 60 years and older and ordering businesses to shift 30% of their workers to remote work beginning from October 25 due to record 1,015 deaths in Russia over the past 24 hours. (CBC) 

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority rejects the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine due to some safety concerns the manufacturer wasn’t able to answer such as failed HIV vaccines that use Adenovirus Type 5 that similar to Russian-made vaccine. (AP) 

Committee votes to recommend holding Bannon in criminal contempt The select committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot by a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend a criminal contempt charge against former Trump strategist Steve Bannon for refusing to comply with a subpoena to provide testimony and documents. House Democratic leaders said the full House would vote on the recommendation Thursday. Bannon promoted efforts by Trump and other Republicans to overturn President Biden’s election victory, telling listeners to his radio show on Jan. 5: “Now we’re on, as they say, the point of attack — the point of attack tomorrow.” On Monday, Trump filed a lawsuit seeking to block the committee from getting White House records relating to the insurrection. CNN 

Trump statement disparaging the late Colin Powell angers critics Former President Donald Trump issued a statement on Tuesday criticizing former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who died Monday of COVID-19 complications. “Wonderful to see Colin Powell, who made big mistakes on Iraq and famously, so-called weapons of mass destruction, be treated in death so beautifully by the fake news media,” Trump wrote Tuesday. Trump went on to call Powell a “classic RINO, if even that,” and concluded: “He made plenty of mistakes, but anyway, may he rest in peace!” Critics pounced on the former president. “What a vile, disgusting ‘statement,’” tweeted Republican political strategist Ron Christie. “No decent human being will defend Trump’s malevolent, spiteful, narcissistic statement on Gen. Powell,” wrote political scientist Larry Sabato. USA TODAY 

Transplant surgeons successfully test pig kidney in human Surgeons in New York successfully attached a kidney from a genetically altered pig to a brain-dead woman in September, and the kidney worked with no signs of rejection. “It was better than I think we even expected,” Dr. Robert Montgomery, who led the team at NYU Langone Health, told The New York Times. “It just looked like any transplant I’ve ever done from a living donor. A lot of kidneys from deceased people don’t work right away, and take days or weeks to start. This worked immediately.” Experts in the field described the experiment as a scientific breakthrough that could lead to a vast new supply of organs for severely ill patients. “It’s a big, big deal,” said Dr. Dorry Segev, a Johns Hopkins School of Medicine professor of transplant surgery who was not involved in the research. Still, more work needs to be done. “We need to know more about the longevity of the organ,” Segev said. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Dr. Rachel Levine named 1st transgender 4-star officer Dr. Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary of health, made history on Tuesday after being promoted to become the first openly transgender four-star officer in any of the eight uniformed services in the United States. Levine, already the nation’s most senior transgender official, said she was “honored to take this role for the impact I can make and for the historic nature of what it symbolizes,” adding, “I stand on the shoulders of those LGBTQ+ individuals who came before me, both those known and unknown. May this appointment today be the first of many more to come, as we create a diverse and more inclusive future.” Levine, a pediatrician, previously served as Pennsylvania’s health secretary, and has addressed such issues as the opioid epidemic, maternal mortality, and childhood immunization. NBC NEWS 

Two bombs attached to a military bus detonate as it passes under Jisr al-Rais bridge in Damascus, killing 14 people. Minutes later, military shellfire kills at least 10 people in Ariha, Idlib Governorate. (BBC) 

Defence minister Sadio Camara confirms that the Islamic branch of the government is willing to negotiate with the local affiliate of al-Qaeda, a move that is strongly opposed by France. (Al Jazeera) 

Nikolas Jacob Cruz, accused of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, United States, pleads guilty on all 34 charges. (CNN) 

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi says that he plans to visit Iran by the end of November in an effort to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. (Newsweek) 

The Brazilian Senate releases a report recommending that President Jair Bolsonaro should face criminal charges for homicide regarding his response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. (Reuters) 

Global investment bank Credit Suisse agrees to pay a US$475 million fine to U.S. and British authorities after pleading guilty to conspiring wire fraud towards investors, which violated the anti-corruption law of Mozambique regarding bond offerings. (AFP via RFI) 

Tuesday,  October 19th, 2021 

Egor Babaev and collaborators with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology publish an experiment showing evidence of a new state of matter called electron quadruplets. (Phys.org) 

FDA to approve ‘mix-and-match’ COVID boosters The Food and Drug Administration plans to let people get a coronavirus booster that is different from their initial vaccine, according to Monday news reports that cited officials familiar with the matter. The move could come as early as this week. The FDA won’t recommend any booster over others, the officials said, and will urge people to get a booster from the company that made their initial vaccine when possible. State health officials have been requesting freedom to give “mix-and-match” vaccines. A federally funded study released Friday found that antibody levels increased 76-fold over 15 days in recipients of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot who received a Moderna booster. Similar patients who got the J&J booster got a four-fold antibody increase. THE WALL STREET JOURNALTHE NEW YORK TIMES 

The Olympic torch relay begins in Olympia, Greece, without public attendance. (ANI News) 

EPA moves to limit ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it would hurry to establish enforceable limits on some polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” that threaten the health of millions of Americans, and are used in many products, including cosmetics, dental floss, food packaging, clothing, and cleaning supplies. Forever chemicals don’t break down normally and can find their way into the water supply. The Obama administration established a recommended but unenforceable limit of 70 parts per trillion for some PFAS chemicals in drinking water. Scientists said that level was too high to adequately protect public health. If the mandatory standards get approved in a process expected to take years, local communities could face penalties for exceeding the limits. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Colin Powell, 84, dies of COVID-19 complications Soldier-turned-statesman Colin Powell died Monday from COVID-19 complications, his family said. He was 84. Powell was fully vaccinated but his immune system had been compromised by multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. “We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather, and a great American,” the family said. Powell started a distinguished career as a soldier who saw combat in Vietnam. He later served as national security adviser under Ronald Reagan and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under George H.W. Bush. He served as the first Black secretary of state under George W. Bush. In that post, he pushed faulty intelligence to justify the Iraq invasion, something he called a “blot” on his record. CNN THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell dies from COVID-19 at the age of 84 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. (The New York Times) 

Haiti protesters call for ending gang violence after latest kidnapping Protesters took to the streets in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on Monday calling for an end to intensifying gang violence following the kidnapping of 17 missionaries and their children. The U.S. government sent a team to work with the Haitian government and the U.S. embassy to find the group, which includes 16 Americans and one Canadian. The brazen abduction was the latest in a wave of kidnappings that has targeted everyone from street vendors to corporate executives, priests, and government officials. Angry Port-au-Prince residents have blocked roads with barricades or burning tires in some areas to show their frustration with worsening insecurity. Police have blamed the notorious 400 Mawozo gang for the kidnapping of the U.S.-based Christian Aid Ministries group, which was on a trip to visit an orphanage. THE NEW YORK TIMESTHE WASHINGTON POST 

Khalilzad stepping down as U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is resigning as special envoy to Afghanistan, effective Tuesday. Khalilzad, who negotiated the U.S. withdrawal agreement with the Taliban for former President Donald Trump, was among the most senior Trump administration officials to continue serving under President Biden. His departure comes a month and a half after the last U.S. troops left Afghanistan and the Taliban returned to power 20 years after the U.S.-led invasion that ousted them. “I decided that now is the right time,” Khalilzad said in a resignation letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, “at a juncture when we are entering a new phase in our Afghanistan policy.” It was not immediately clear whether members of the Biden administration asked Khalilzad to step down. Blinken thanked Khalilzad for his work. THE WASHINGTON POST 

1st day of jury selection in Ahmaud Arbery murder trial focuses on race Defense lawyers representing three white men accused of murdering Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery asked potential jurors on the trial’s first day whether the Confederate battle flag is racist. “We do know that race is an issue in this case,” said Franklin Hogue, a lawyer for one of the defendants. Three of the first group of 20 potential jurors indicated they did see the flag as racist. Former policeman Gregory McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan are accused of chasing and killing Arbery in their Georgia neighborhood. George McMichael’s vanity license plate showed the old Georgia state flag, which included the Confederate symbol. All three have pleaded not guilty, saying they thought Arbery was a burglar and were trying to make a citizen’s arrest. REUTERS 

ENDF airstrikes on the city of Mekelle in Ethiopia‘s Tigray Region kill at least three people. (Al Jazeera) 

Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini orders the closure of schools across Eswatini in an attempt to stop pro-democracy protests that have occurred across the kingdom in the past few months. Protesters demand an end to the absolute monarchy of King Mswati III, the last of its kind in Africa, as ministers back the move, saying that there “is no room for such anarchy in our society”. (Bloomberg) 

German publishing house Axel Springer dismisses Julian Reichelt as the editor-in-chief of its tabloid newspaper Bild following sexual harassment complaints against Reichelt from his co-workers. (The New York Times) 

Russia surpasses eight million cases of COVID-19 after reporting a record for the fourth consecutive day of 34,325 new cases. (ABC News) 

Phase three trial results suggest that the Valneva COVID vaccine is effective at priming the immune system to fight COVID-19. (BBC News) 

Russia announces that it will be suspending its mission to NATO in Brussels as early as November 1, in response to the expulsion of 8 diplomats accused of espionage from the mission earlier this month. The NATO information bureau and military liaison in Moscow will also be terminated. (CNN) 

Iraq receives Ghazwan al-Zawbaee, the alleged mastermind of the ISIL suicide truck bombing that killed 340 people in Karrada, Baghdad, in 2016, which was the deadliest single-bomb attack in Iraq. Al-Zawbaee was arrested two days prior through a joint operation in a neighbouring country. (BBC News) 

State Administration Council chairman Min Aung Hlaing announces that his military junta will release a total of 5,636 jailed protesters to commemorate the Thadingyut Festival. (AFP via ABS-CBN News) 

Citing Roe v. Wade, the United States Department of Justice requests the Supreme Court to vacate the mandate of the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on allowing the Texas Heartbeat Act to remain in effect, thereby blocking the law. (AFP via RTL) 

Ecuadorian president Guillermo Lasso declares a nationwide state of emergency, citing an increase in drug-related crime. (AFP via Manila Bulletin) 

Monday,  October 18th, 2021 

China’s economic growth slows  China’s economy grew by 4.9 percent in the third quarter, the slowest pace in a year for the world’s second largest economy, according to data released Monday. The drop from the previous quarter’s 7.9 percent pace came as supply chain delays and power outages hurt factory output. A construction downturn and fallout from the coronavirus pandemic also hurt. In the first quarter of the year, the economy grew a record 18.3 percent, as overseas buyers snapped up Chinese-made goods when the winter coronavirus surge eased. China could see more “ugly growth numbers” in coming months, and that could prompt policymakers to “take more steps to shore up growth,” said Louis Kuijs, head of Asia economics at Oxford Economics. REUTERS 

At least 300 suspected members of a Muslim mob are arrested for the killing of two Hindu men three days ago at a temple in Noakhali, Bangladesh. The violence erupted after an alleged Quran desecration at a Hindu temple in Haziganj Upazila. Several Hindu temples were also damaged in the clashes. Four members of the mob were also killed when Bangladesh Police personnel opened fire. (Al Jazeera) 

Fauci: J&J vaccine probably should have been 2 shots all along Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot coronavirus vaccine probably should always have been given in two doses, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said Sunday on ABC’s This Week. A panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers on Friday recommended emergency-use authorization for a second J&J shot to boost immunity, noting that the company’s vaccine had been shown to offer less protection than the vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. “What the advisers to the FDA felt is that, given the data that they saw, very likely this should have been a two-dose vaccine to begin with,” Fauci said. The FDA advisers unanimously voted to recommend booster shots for everyone 18 and older who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, as early as two months after the initial shot. USA TODAY 

Haiti police blame notorious gang for U.S. missionaries’ kidnapping  Haitian police said Sunday that the notorious 400 Mawozo gang, which has spread terror with a string of kidnappings and murders, was responsible for the abduction of 17 missionaries from the U.S.-based Chrisian Aid Ministries. The Ohio-based missionary group said the victims included five children, seven women, and five men. Sixteen are U.S. citizens. One is Canadian. The organization said the missionaries had gone to visit an orphanage when armed men seized them. Christian Aid Ministries returned its American staff to the organization’s Haiti base last year after a nine-month absence prompted by Haiti’s worsening security situation and kidnapping epidemic. Police said 400 Mawozo, which means “400 inexperienced men” in Haitian Creole, controls the Croix-des-Bouquets area where the crime occurred. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

 

Maduro ally to make 1st appearance after extradition Colombian businessman Alex Saab, allegedly a financier of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, is scheduled to appear in court Monday after being extradited from the West African island nation of Cape Verde to the United States to face money-laundering charges. Saab is accused of using his U.S. accounts to launder money siphoned from a government-subsidized food program called CLAP to provide hundreds of millions of dollars for Maduro and his allies. “Rather than ensure that this vulnerable population receives the food it desperately needs, the regime uses the CLAP program as a political tool to reward support and punish political criticism,” the U.S. Treasury Department said in 2019. Maduro’s government has halted talks with the U.S.-backed opposition in retaliation for Saab’s extradition. BBC NEWS 

‘Halloween Kills’ scores best horror-film debut of pandemic  Halloween Kills, the 12th installment in the long-running slasher-movie franchise, took in $50.4 million at the domestic box office this weekend, Variety reported Sunday. It beat A Quiet Place Part II to post the biggest opening-weekend haul for a horror film during the pandemic. The debut was impressive given lingering coronavirus concerns and the fact that the film was made available to stream on Peacock at no additional cost to subscribers. The last Halloween movie to come out before the pandemic brought in $76 million in its 2018 debut. Halloween Kills was the latest in a series of blockbusters to come out simultaneously in theaters and streaming platforms as moviegoers and theaters slowly come back after pandemic-induced shutdowns. VARIETY 

Ford to convert England engine plant to make electric-power units Ford said Monday it would spend $315 million transforming a northwest England factory to produce electric-power units for cars and trucks to be sold in Europe. The automaker said the factory, which currently makes engines and transmissions for gasoline-powered vehicles, will start making the electric-power units by mid-2024, with a target capacity of about 250,000 units per year. “This is an important step, marking Ford’s first in-house investment in all-electric vehicle component manufacturing in Europe,” said Stuart Rowley, president of Ford of Europe. The company aims to sell only electric passenger vehicles in Europe by the end of the decade. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Saks online unit prepares for IPO Saks Fifth Avenue’s e-commerce business is planning an initial public offering targeting a valuation of about $6 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. The last time the fast-growing online business of the luxury retailer was valued, in March, the estimate was just $2 billion. The company is interviewing potential underwriters for the IPO, which could take place in the first half of next year. The stock sale would be the second part of a deal reached earlier this year to separate the booming online business from Saks’ brick-and-mortar stores, which are growing more slowly. Saks and other department stores have seen a surge in online sales as the coronavirus pandemic encouraged people to shop from home. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Jury selection begins in Ahmaud Arbery case Jury selection is set to begin Monday for the trial of three white men charged with chasing and fatally shooting Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed Black man who was running through their neighborhood outside Brunswick, Georgia. It is expected to take two weeks or more to pick a jury in the case, after the killing was captured on a graphic video that sparked a national outcry resulting in the arrest of father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan. An ex-prosecutor has been accused of “showing favor” to the suspects. Arbery’s father said he was praying for justice that Black victims are often denied. “This is 2021, and it’s time for a change,” Marcus Arbery Sr. told The Associated Press. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Sunday, October 17th, 2021 

The Saudi Arabia-led coalition says that they have killed 160 Houthi militants in Marib, Yemen, during 32 airstrikes in the past 24 hours. The coalition also reports that they killed a total of more than 700 Houthis during the past week. (Al Jazeera) 

Saudi Arabia eases its COVID-19-related restrictions, lifting mandatory social distancing requirements as well as a requirement to wear face masks outdoors. (Arabian Business) 

Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 34,303 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 7.99 million. (Euronews) 

The French ambassador to Belarus departs following a directive issued by the Belarusian government, which did not cite a rationale. The ambassador had not presented his credentials to President Alexander Lukashenko. (AFP via The Moscow Times) 

The End

Sunday, October 17th, 2021 

Shenzhou 13 launches on a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, Inner Mongolia, for the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station, where the crew will stay for six months. It will be China’s longest crewed mission to date. (AFP via NDTV) 

Lucy, a NASA spacecraft that will visit Jupiter’s trojan asteroids, launches today at 09:34 UTC from Cape Canaveral, Florida. (CNN) 

Russian actor, director return after 12 days at space station A Russian actor and a film director returned to Earth in a Soyuz MS-18 capsule on Sunday after spending 12 days at the International Space Station, where they worked on the first movie to be filmed in space. The capsule descended by parachute and landed in remote western Kazakhstan three hours after leaving the space station with actress Yulia Peresild, director Klim Shipenko, and Russian ISS crew member Oleg Novitskiy on board. The return came days after 90-year-old actor William Shatner, who played Capt. James Kirk in the Star Trek TV series, became the oldest person to reach space in a brief flight aboard a spacecraft operated by Blue Origin, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space-flight company. REUTERS 

Taliban promises security for Shiite mosques after bombings The Taliban on Saturday vowed to increase security at Shiite mosques in Afghanistan following two deadly suicide bombings in a week. The pledge came as mourners gathered to bury victims of the second attack, which killed at least 41 people and wounded 70 at the Fatima mosque in Kandahar. A health official said some of the wounded were in critical condition and the death toll could rise. The Afghanistan affiliate of the Sunni extremist group Islamic State, ISIS-K, has claimed responsibility for the attack. ISIS-K terrorists have been stepping up their attacks to challenge the Taliban’s control. The head of Kandahar’s police said officers would be sent to protect Shiite mosques previously guarded only by local volunteers with special authorization to carry weapons.  REUTERS 

The Saudi Arabia-lead coalition says that they have killed 160 Houthi militants in Marib, Yemen, during 32 airstrikes in the past 24 hours. The coalition also reported that they killed a total of more than 700 Houthis this week. (Al Jazeera) 

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says that the mass release of wastewater at the Fukushima nuclear plant cannot be delayed. The water, which has been inside the plant since the 2011 meltdown, is planned to be dumped into the Pacific Ocean over several decades with strong opposition from local fishermen, and the governments of China and South Korea. (CNA) 

Cape Verdeans head to the polls to elect their new president to replace outgoing term-limited Jorge Carlos Fonseca. The candidates of Fonseca’s right-wing MpD and the leftist PAICV are the main contenders. The election is seen as important to reopen the important tourism industry which was hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. (Reuters) 

The Instituto Nacional Electoral in Mexico says that 2.85 million signatures are needed for a recall election against president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. López Obrador had promised this move which is opposed by the opposition. (Yahoo! News) 

Gang kidnaps U.S. missionaries in Haiti Gang members kidnapped as many as 17 Christian missionaries and their family members, most of them Americans, as they were leaving an orphanage in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on Saturday, according to Haitian security officials and an audio prayer alert from their group, Christian Aid Ministries. Local officials said the missionary group, which included children, was abducted from a bus headed to the airport and another destination. Haiti has been plagued by political tension and security problems for years, but the crisis has deepened since the July assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Kidnappings have spiked sixfold this year. The Caribbean nation now has the highest per-capita kidnapping rate in the world, according to The Washington Post.  THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Rebels open fire on a group of Indian workers from Bihar in Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir, killing two people and wounding another. (Greater Kashmir) 

U.K. police identify terror suspect held in lawmaker’s murder The suspect arrested in the fatal stabbing of British lawmaker David Amess has been identified as Ali Harbi Ali, a British citizen of Somali descent, U.K. media reported late Saturday. The suspect reportedly was not believed to have been on the radar of security officials, but had been referred to the U.K.’s Prevent counter-terrorist program, which aims to prevent at-risk people from being radicalized. Police said the suspect, originally arrested on suspicion of murder, was being held by London police after being rearrested under the Terrorism Act. Police said early results of the investigation into the killing suggested the motive could be linked to Islamic extremism. Amess, a member of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party, was stabbed multiple times Friday during a meeting with constituents.  BBC NEWS 

Venezuela halts talks with opposition after Maduro ally’s extradition The Venezuelan government said Saturday it was halting talks with the opposition in response to the extradition of an ally of President Nicolas Maduro on money-laundering charges. Lead government negotiator Jorge Rodríguez said his delegation would not go to Mexico City for the next scheduled meeting with members of the U.S.-backed opposition, although he did not say the talks were being scrapped permanently. The Maduro ally, businessman Alex Saab, lost a 16-month battle against extradition and was put on a plane to fly to the U.S. from Cape Verde. Rodriguez called the arrest an illegal act of “aggression” by Washington, which has called Maduro’s controversial reelection illegitimate. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Hollywood union reaches deal with studios just before strike deadline The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees reached a tentative deal with studios and streaming services on Saturday, just in time to avert a strike before a 12:01 a.m. Monday deadline. A strike threatened to shut down film and television industry production. The deal, which still must be ratified by union members, covers about 40,000 film and television workers who belong to 13 local IATSE unions on the West Coast. Under the new contract, union workers would get better pay on streaming-service productions, more frequent breaks, and other benefits. “This is a Hollywood ending,” said IATSE International President Matthew Loeb. “We went toe to toe with some of the richest and most powerful entertainment and tech companies in the world.” THE WALL STREET JOUNAL 

Sudan protesters call for military rule  Thousands of protestors rallied in front of Sudan’s presidential palace in Khartoum on Saturday to demand that the military take power to end the east African country’s political crisis. The demonstrators chanted “down with the hunger government” and urged Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who leads the armed forces and Sudan’s joint military-civilian Sovereign Council, to take control. The military and civilians have been sharing power in a tense two-year transition following the 2019 toppling of longtime President Omar al-Bashir. Tensions have intensified since a foiled coup attempt by Bashir loyalists in September. Military leaders are calling for replacing the cabinet and reforming the Forces of Freedom and Change coalition, the civilian alliance that led anti-Bashir protests and plays a key role in the transitional government. CNN 

Saturday, October 16th, 2021 

The Taliban says that they will step up security at Shi’ite mosques after IS-KP bombed mosques in Kunduz and Kandahar this month, killing over 120 people in total. (Reuters) 

Two workers are killed by gunmen in Srinagar and Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, in a spike of civilians being killed by rebels in the area. (Greater Kashmir) 

Seven activists are sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to twelve months’ imprisonment for protesting against the national security law in July 2020. Among those sentenced are Leung Kwok-hung and Figo Chan. Leung is currently serving two sentences of 18 months’ imprisonment for other charges and Chan is currently serving a sentence of 18 months’ imprisonment for unauthorized assembly. (RTHK) 

A Lashkar-e-Taiba commander and another militant are killed during a gunfight with security forces in Pulwama. The killed commander, who was involved in the murder of two policemen, was among the top 10 targets of Jammu and Kashmir police. It is also announced that two more rebels, involved in the recent killings of civilians, were killed yesterday during a gunfight in Srinagar. (India Today) 

Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 1,002 deaths from COVID-19, which is the first time that the country has reported more than 1,000 COVID-related deaths in a single day since the pandemic began. Only 32% of the population has been fully vaccinated, amid wide distrust in vaccines. (France 24) 

An unidentified armed gang kidnaps 15 American missionaries and their families in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (AFP via Barron’s) 

Colombian businessman Alex Saab is extradited to the United States from Cape Verde ahead of an initial court appearance in Florida on October 18 over his alleged money laundering for the Venezuelan government. (AFP via Deccan Herald) 

French president Emmanuel Macron condemns the Paris massacre of 1961 on the eve of its 60th anniversary, but does not issue a formal apology. Macron is the first French president to attend a memorial ceremony for the victims. (AFP via WION) 

Friday,  October 15th, 2021 

Three suicide bombers attack a Shiite mosque in Kandahar, Afghanistan, killing 47 people and injuring 70 others. The explosions occur at the main door and inside the mosque. Taliban authorities later arrived and secured the mosque. Taliban interior ministry spokesman Qari Saeed Khosti says that authorities are currently collecting evidence in order to determine responsibility for the bombing. (Al Jazeera) 

ISIL-K claims responsibility for the attack, reporting that two attackers shot and killed security guards outside the mosque before blowing themselves up inside, where people were worshipping. (Reuters) 

United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel Stuart Scheller is reprimanded by a military judge following his criticism of the U.S. military’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. (ABC News) 

President Xi Jinping of China will not attend in person the Cop26 climate change conference in Glasgow, as it’s told to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The announcement comes amid international pessimism that, now compounded by the absence of China, a global leader in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, the event would not result in any substantiative change. (Reuters) 

A Cameroonian policeman is lynched by a mob after he killed a five-year-old girl at a checkpoint in Buea Southwest Region. Protests involving hundreds of people occurred after the killing of the child. (The Guardian) 

President Faustin-Archange Touadéra declares a unilateral ceasefire with the Coalition of Patriots for Change and the anti-balaka militia groups. (AFP via Barron’s) 

David Amess, United Kingdom MP for Southend West, is stabbed to death in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, while meeting constituents at Belfairs Methodist Church. The suspect was arrested at the scene, and police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. (BBC News)  

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook receive booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Yonhap News Agency) 

The Brussels-Capital Region expands the use of the COVID Safe Ticket to the hospitality industry, sports centres, and indoor events with more than 50 people. (The Brussels Times) 

Italy‘s Green Pass becomes mandatory for all workplaces, but there are fears of disruption among transport workers and at ports where COVID-19 vaccination rates are relatively low. (BBC News) 

Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 999 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 221,313. The country also reports a record for the second consecutive day of 32,196 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 7.92 million. (Interfax) 

During an online emergency meeting, the foreign ministers of the ASEAN agree to exclude Myanmar’s military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing from the upcoming ASEAN Summit to be held later this month. The country will instead be represented by non-political representative at the summit. (AFP via Al Arabiya) 

Masten Wanjala, the Kenyan suspected serial killer of 14 boys, who escaped from prison two days ago, is murdered by lynching by a mob of villagers in Bungoma. Wanjala was hiding at his parents’ home when he was identified by neighbours. (BBC News) 

Beirut street violence erupts during protest of port blast inquiry Intense gunfire erupted in Beirut Thursday during a Hezbollah protest over the investigation into a huge explosion last year at the city’s port. The fighting with pistols, automatic rifles, and rocket-propelled grenades left at least six people dead and dozens more wounded in the worst street violence the Lebanese capital has seen in years. The gunfire lasted for hours, forcing the evacuation of schools. Many residents fled to hide in shelters. It was not immediately clear who started the shooting, which broke out shortly after a crowd brought out by Iran-backed Hezbollah and Shiite Muslim allies from the Amal Movement started their protest against Judge Tarek Bitar, who is leading the port-blast investigation. Hezbollah accuses the judge of singling out its political allies for questioning. NPR 

Three suicide bombers blow themself up at a Shiite mosque in Kandahar, Afghanistan, killing 37 people and wounding 70 others. The explosions occur at the main door and inside the mosque. Taliban authorities have arrived and secured the place. Taliban interior ministry spokesman Qari Saeed Khosti says that authorities were collecting evidence to determine responsibility. (BBC) 

Italy‘s Green Pass becomes mandatory for all workplaces on Friday, but there are fears of disruption among transport workers and at ports where COVID-19 vaccination rates are relatively low. (BBC News) 

Masten Wanjala, the man who killed 14 boys around Kenya and escaped from prison two days ago, is lynched by a mob of villagers in Bungoma. He went at his parents home before being identified by their neighbours. (BBC) 

Southend West UK MP David Amess is stabbed in Leigh-on-Sea while meeting constituents at Belfairs Methodist Church. The suspect was arrested at the scene and police are not looking for anyone else in connection. (BBC News)(CNBC) 

FDA advisers recommend limited emergency use of Moderna booster  A panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers recommended emergency-use authorization of Moderna’s coronavirus booster shot for people 65 and older, and those 18 to 64 at high risk of severe COVID-19 or elevated risk due to their jobs. The panel’s 19 members unanimously backed starting to give these groups the 50-microgram third dose, which is half the size of the initial two doses. Patients in the targeted groups would be eligible six months after receiving the initial two-dose regimen. Committee members said they would have liked to see more data justifying the Moderna booster, but that it made sense to approve it given that they have already cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech booster for emergency use. Regulators aren’t obligated to follow the advisers’ recommendations, but typically do. CNN

Weekly jobless claims fall below 300,000 for 1st time since pandemic hit The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell below 300,000 last week for the first time since the pandemic began, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time jobless claims dropped by 36,000 to 293,000 for the week that ended Oct. 9 in what was widely interpreted as a sign that hiring was bouncing back as the summer coronavirus surge driven by the highly infectious Delta variant wanes. Continuing claims, which run behind the “headline number” by one week, also dropped to their own pandemic-era low, having fallen by 134,000 to 2.59 million. The decline came after a record 4.3 million Americans left their jobs in August, suggesting one reason for declining layoffs was that many workers are leaving voluntarily. CNBC 

Suspect in deadly Norway bow-and-arrow attack issued ‘warning’ in video Police said Thursday that the Danish man accused of fatally shooting five people with a bow and arrow in Norway is a radicalized Muslim convert who posted a 2017 video calling himself a “messenger” delivering “a warning.” “Hello. I’m a messenger. I come with a warning. Is this really what you want? And for all who want to make up for themselves, so it’s time. Bear witness that I am a Muslim,” the 37-year-old man, Espen Andersen Bråthen, reportedly said in English in a Facebook video flagged to law enforcement in 2017. The attack on Wednesday in the town of Kongsberg, about 40 miles southwest of Oslo, left four women and a man dead, Police Chief Ole B. Saeverud said. The victims were between the ages of 50 and 70. Several other people were wounded. The Norwegian intelligence service said it was treating the attack as an “act of terror.” NEW YORK POST 

Biden to meet with Pope Francis at Vatican President Biden will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Oct. 29 to discuss “working together on efforts grounded in respect for fundamental human dignity, including ending the COVID-19 pandemic, tackling the climate crisis, and caring for the poor,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Thursday. Biden, the United States’ second Catholic president, and Francis share concerns on key issues, including climate change and economic disparities. Conservatives in the church have questioned whether Biden should be allowed to receive Communion because of his support for abortion rights. Francis recently appeared to criticize conservative bishops, repeating the church view that abortion is “murder” but saying he had never refused anyone the eucharist because the decision on granting Communion should be pastoral, not political. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Disgraced S.C. lawyer arrested in insurance fraud case South Carolina authorities on Thursday arrested disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh, whose wife and son were murdered in June, and charged him with swindling millions of dollars from the sons of his longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who died in 2018 after falling down stairs at Murdaugh’s South Carolina home. Murdaugh referred Satterfield’s sons to a lawyer to file a wrongful death suit, but didn’t tell them that the lawyer, Cory Fleming, was his college roommate. Murdaugh and his insurers reached a $4.3 million settlement, but the housekeeper’s sons, Tony Satterfield and Brian Harriott, said Murdaugh got most of the money. Murdaugh, also suspected of stealing from clients and asking a cousin to kill him so his son would get a life-insurance payout, was arrested at a Florida drug detox center. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Bill Clinton hospitalized with non-COVID-related infection Former President Bill Clinton was hospitalized in Southern California on Tuesday for a non-COVID-related infection, his spokesman Angel Urena said on Thursday. In a statement, Urena said Clinton, 75, was admitted to the University of California Irvine Medical Center and is now “on the mend, in good spirits, and is incredibly thankful to the doctors, nurses, and staff providing him with excellent care.” Clinton received intravenous antibiotics and fluids, and is being treated in the hospital’s intensive care unit for his privacy and safety, and remained hospitalized for monitoring, according to a statement Thursday night from his doctors. Clinton underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 2004, and had another heart procedure in 2010 to open a blocked artery. CNN 

Thursday, October 14th, 2021 

A former Boeing chief test pilot is indicted by a United States grand jury for deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration during the certification process for the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which resulted in two fatal crashes and a subsequent grounding of the aircraft. (AFP via The Australian) 

Six people are killed and 32 more are injured during a shooting at a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, against the judge investigating the 2020 port explosion. Hezbollah and Amal accused the attackers of being members of the Christian Lebanese Forces. Clashes occurred for hours afterwards between the militias involving snipers, pistols, Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenades even after the army was deployed. (BBC News) 

A Taliban police commander is killed and 11 more people are wounded as a bomb targeting the commander’s vehicle explode in Shigal District, Afghanistan. (The Defense Post) 

Pakistan International Airlines suspends flights to the Afghan capital Kabul, citing “heavy-handed” interference from the Taliban. It was the only foreign carrier operating regular flights out of Kabul. (BBC News) 

An Italian court in Rome drops charges against four Egyptian police officers for the 2016 murder of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni in Cairo, citing its inability for the four officers to be tried in absentia since their prosecutors failed to inform them of their charges. (AFP via France 24) 

The man accused of killing five people and injuring three more yesterday at a supermarket in Kongsberg, Viken, Norway, using a bow and arrow, is identified as a 37-year-old Norwegian man and convert to Islam with Danish citizenship, who police had been concerned about regarding radicalization. (Reuters) 

The Nigerian Army confirms that Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the leader of ISWAP, died two months ago. However, the circumstances of al-Barnawi’s death are not clear. (BBC News) 

Brazil‘s Central Bank sells $1 billion to offset declines in the currency that have fallen ⅓ relative to the US dollar in 2021 alone, with another $1 billion in sales scheduled for later today. (Mercopress) 

LinkedIn announces that it will shut down its social media services in China later this year, citing heavy-handed compliance requirements from the government, and will replace it with a traditional job-listing site. LinkedIn was the only major Western-based social media site to legally operate within the country prior to the announcement. (BBC News) 

 

‘Star Trek’ actor William Shatner returns from space, muses on ‘death’ On Wednesday, 90-year-old actor William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk on the original hit sci-fi TV show Star Trek, headed to the edge of space courtesy of Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company Blue Origin. The 11-minute journey clearly left him moved and musing on mortality: “It was unbelievable … To see the blue cover go whoop by. And now you’re staring into blackness,” Shatner recounted once he was back on Earth. As he went on: “You look down, there’s the blue down there, and the black up there. There is Mother and Earth and comfort and there is … Is there death? I don’t know. Was that death? Is that the way death is? Whoop and it’s gone. Jesus. It was so moving to me.” As The New York Times notes, “The word ‘death,’ repeatedly mentioned by Mr. Shatner in his post-flight monologue, is rarely thought of as a selling word for space tourism.” THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Blue Origin launches four crew into sub-orbit on a New Shepard rocket from its Corn Ranch spaceport in Van Horn, Texas. The crew includes Blue Origin Vice President Audrey Powers, NASA engineer Chris Boshuizen, space tourist Glen de Vries, and actor William Shatner. Shatner, best known for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in the Star Trek media franchise, becomes the oldest ever person in space at the age of 90. (BBC) 

Six people are killed and 32 more wounded during a shooting at a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, against the judge investigating the 2020 port explosion. The attacker is believed to be a Christian sniper. Clashes erupt between the snipers and Hezbollah militias after the shootings. (BBC) 

The man who killed five people and wounded two more yesterday at a supermarket in Kongsberg, Viken, Norway, using a bow and arrow, is identified as a 37-year-old Islamic extremist Norwegian man with Danish citizenship . (Reuters) 

At least 46 people are killed and 79 others injured by a fire at a 13-storey tower block in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (BBC) 

Armenia expands its case before the International Court of Justice against Azerbaijan, accusing it of violating the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, to which both states are signatories, for allegedly promoting ethnic hatred against Armenians. Azerbaijan denies the accusation and themselves accuse Armenia of violating the treaty. (Reuters) 

A man imprisoned for murdering 14 boys in Kenya escapes from his prison cell in Nairobi and is on the run. He is described as “extremely dangerous”. (BBC) 

Sri Lanka drops charges against Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, who was accused of being part of a group of 14 navy personnel who kidnapped 11 children and then murdered them after attempting to extort money from their families. The actual number of children murdered by the group is suspected to be at least three times higher. The crimes were carried out in 2008 and 2009, amid the chaos of the Sri Lankan Civil War. (Al Jazeera) 

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida dissolves the lower house of Japanese Parliament ahead of the election on 31 October. (UPI) 

Biden announces broad effort to clear clogged ports before Christmas President Biden on Wednesday announced agreements with the largest U.S. ports, retailers, and freight haulers to expand operations in what administration officials called a “90-day sprint” to clear supply-chain bottlenecks before the crucial holiday shopping season. The Port of Los Angeles agreed to join its sister port, Long Beach, and start operating 24/7, the White House said, while Walmart, FedEx, UPS, Target, and Home Depot committed to sending more drivers to the ports in the expanded hours to remove shipping containers clogging the ports and get the products to shelves. Labor unions agreed to supply the workers. Analysts called it a good first step in resolving supply problems that have fueled rising inflation and caused random shortages of goods, but said there’s only so much a U.S. president can do unsnarl a global logistical mess. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

At least 5 dead in Norway bow-and-arrow attack A man walked around the Norwegian town of Kongsberg shooting at people with a bow and arrow, killing at least five people and injuring two others, local police said Wednesday. Officers arrested the suspect, a 37-year-old Danish citizen and recent Muslim convert who had been flagged as having been radicalized. “It is natural to consider whether it is an act of terrorism,” Regional police chief Oeyvind Aas said. “But the man has not been questioned and it is too early to come to any conclusion.” Investigators believed the attacker acted alone. No details on the identities of the victims were immediately released. CNN 

Inflation accelerated due to supply disruptions, high demand Inflation in the United States sped up in September, reaching its highest rate in more than a decade as the coronavirus pandemic continued to cause labor and material shortages. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that the consumer-price index jumped by 5.4 percent from a year earlier, slightly higher than in August, and the same rate seen in June and July as the economy reopened. The core price index, which factors out volatile food and energy prices, rose by 4 percent in September compared to a year earlier, the same as August’s rate. On a monthly basis, the CPI increased by 0.4 percent in September, faster than August’s rate of 0.3 percent. In Federal Reserve meeting minutes released Wednesday, Fed officials expressed concerns last month that supply disruptions could increase the risk of persistent high inflation. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Data suggest other boosters might be best after J&J vaccine  People who got Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine could benefit from a second dose of the initial, one-shot vaccine, but might get even better protection from a booster made with different vaccine technology, The Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing data from an FDA review of Johnson & Johnson test results and a preprint study that tested mixing booster doses from different drug makers. About 15 million people received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the United States. Far more got messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. An FDA advisory panel of outside experts is scheduled to meet Friday to consider the Johnson & Johnson booster and a National Institutes of Health study in which vaccinated people got boosters made by companies that didn’t make their original vaccine. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Administration says coronavirus vaccination rates rose after mandates U.S. coronavirus vaccination rates have jumped by more than 20 percentage points since numerous businesses, hospital systems, social institutions, and government entities adopted vaccine requirements, the Biden administration said Wednesday. Seventy-seven percent of eligible Americans now have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters. President Biden and his team have pushed recently to chip away at resistance among some Americans to take widely available vaccines that proved safe and effective in trials. Biden last month ordered most health-care workers and federal employees to get vaccinated, and urged large employers to make their employees provide proof of vaccination or face weekly COVID testing. REUTERS 

Judge says D.C. jail violated Jan. 6 suspect’s rights A federal judge asked the Justice Department to determine whether the Washington, D.C., jail was violating the civil rights of defendants charged with committing crimes during the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters. District Judge Royce Lamberth said jail officials had violated the rights of one accused Capitol rioter, Christopher Worrell, by failing to get him “proper treatment” for medical issues, including surgery for a broken hand and care for a Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis. Royce held Warden Wanda Patten and Department of Corrections Director Quincy Booth in civil contempt for failing to turn over Worrell’s medical records. An attorney for the jail said Worrell was getting medical care for his cancer and pain management for his broken hand. CNN 

William Shatner becomes oldest person to visit space William Shatner, the actor best known for playing Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek, became the oldest person to fly to the edge of space. Shatner, 90, soared to a maximum altitude of 66 miles with three others on the second human spaceflight of a New Shepard rocket made by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin aerospace company. The rocket left the company’s West Texas launch site for the 10-minute trip, which ended with the spacecraft parachuting back to Earth. All four passengers returned safely. “In a way it’s indescribable,” Shatner told Bezos. “Not only is it different than what you thought, it happened so quickly. The impression I had that I never expected to have is the shooting up: There’s blue sky –” he said, pausing when Bezos sprayed a bottle of champagne in celebration. USA TODAY 

Biden administration unveils plan for more offshore wind farms Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Wednesday announced a Biden administration plan for putting large-scale wind farms along nearly all of the U.S. coastline. Haaland said the government would identify and eventually lease federal waters for electricity-producing offshore turbines in the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of Maine, and waters off the Mid-Atlantic, North and South Carolina, California, and Oregon, as well as in the New York Bight between Long Island and New Jersey. Just months ago, the administration approved the nation’s first major commercial offshore wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. A dozen other potential offshore wind projects are under review for other spots along the East Coast. The administration also has approved two areas off Central and North Carolina for commercial wind power. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Stock futures rise as stocks linked to recovery gain U.S. stock index futures rose early Thursday as stocks linked to the economic recovery gained ground. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 were up by about 0.6 percent several hours before the opening bell. Futures for the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained about 0.8 percent. Carnival led stocks that stand to gain from the recovery from coronavirus pandemic damage. Its shares jumped by 2 percent as falling COVID-19 cases fueled hopes of stronger growth. Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s September policy meeting released Wednesday indicated the central bank might start tapering its efforts to boost the recovery in mid-November or mid-December. “We still think November but one month isn’t going to matter to markets at this point,” said Lawrence Gillum, fixed income strategist for LPL Financial. CNBC 

Adele confirms the release date for ’30’ Adele has spoken. After teasing the release of her highly-anticipated next album, 30, on billboards around the world, the singer released a statement on Wednesday confirming that we only have to wait five more weeks to hear the final product.  “I was certainly nowhere near where I’d hoped to be when I first started [30] nearly three years ago. Quite the opposite actually,” Adele wrote to her fans, adding that “I’ve painstakingly rebuilt my house and my heart since then and this album narrates it.” Previously, Adele told Vogue that the new music was inspired by her divorce from her husband, Simon Konecki, although she’s reluctant to call it a “divorce album” since the split was “was amicable — Konecki lives in a house she bought across the street from her own, and they have regular movie nights together with [their son] Angelo, now 9,” Vulture reports. VULTUREVOGUE 

Neil deGrasse Tyson is utterly baffled by Demi Lovato insisting ‘aliens’ is offensive to aliens Neil deGrasse Tyson can’t wrap his head around Demi Lovato’s claim that calling extraterrestrials “aliens” is offensive. “To be worried about offending them by calling them an alien, what [is Lovato] thinking is going on in the head of species of life from another planet?” Tyson ranted to TMZ. “I mean, I know it’s very considerate of [Lovato], but really? Really?” Tyson went on to clarify that he uses the term “space aliens” and that when referring to migrants, “undocumented immigrants, that’s what the new term is for them, and I’m all in on that.” As a result, he insisted, “So what that means is … the only invocation of the word ‘alien’ is for creatures from outer space that want to kill us all. First, I don’t care what they feel. Plus, why should I even believe they know English? So, yeah, I’m not all in on that. I don’t get it.” TMZ 

LAD BIBLE 

Cardi B got a mansion for her birthday Offset bought Cardi B a Caribbean mansion for her birthday, which is apparently something rich people do when they’re not buying themselves tickets to outer space. “For a hot minute now I’ve been telling Set that I really want to invest in short term home rental properties … but I felt like he didn’t agree with me and would rather put money into other investments,” Cardi wrote on Instagram, adding cheerfully: “Well, I was wrong.” The property has six bedrooms, seven-and-a-half bathrooms, an infinity pool overlooking the ocean, and a lot of really hideous staging art, according to the birthday reveal video that Cardi B shared to Instagram. Still, for all her excitement, Cardi gave Offset an I.O.U. for properly thanking him: “I can’t wait for this hangover to go away,” she added, “so I can show you my full appreciation.” PEOPLE 

INSTAGRAM 

Wednesday, October 13th, 2021 

It is reported that at least 415 children committed suicide in Japan in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic while schools were closed. (Reuters) 

Pro-democracy protests intensify in Eswatini, as police use tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds during this week’s protests. Government spokespeople have denied to comment as King Mswati III denies accusations of autocratic rule in the last absolutist monarchy in Africa. (Reuters) 

The Nigerian government announces that they will require workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to submit a negative PCR test from the previous 72 hours beginning on December 1. (Vanguard) 

Russia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 984 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 219,329. (Newsweek) 

Iqaluit, capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, issues a state of emergency after evidence is found of gasoline in the city’s tap water. All residents are advised to not drink, boil or cook with the city’s water. The city had issued a Do Not Drink Water advisory the previous day. (Global News) 

Opposition lawmakers present a formal impeachment proceeding against Chilean president Sebastián Piñera over connections to a 2010 sale of a mining company, for which a prosecutor opened a case against Piñera for alleged bribery, corruption, and tax violations. (Al Jazeera) 

Kenyan world record holder in the women’s 10 kilometres event Agnes Tirop is stabbed to death at her home in Iten, Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya. Tirop’s husband is the prime suspect in her murder, according to police. (BBC) 

Four people are killed and 24 others are left injured during a protest over Quran desecration at a Hindu temple in Haziganj Upazila, Bangladesh. (AFP via ABS-CBN News) 

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