Hundreds of migrants still dying in Med five years since 2015

Five years on from the migrant crisis of 2015 hundreds are still dying in the Mediterranean.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2QEZRme

Rival powers jockey for the lead in hypersonic aircraft

The US, China and Russia are pouring money into aircraft that can fly at five times the speed of sound.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3lzayFi

Coronavirus: How teachers are feeling as schools return

Four teachers share their experiences of the pandemic as they prepare to welcome pupils back to school.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3lv4SfD

The traditional crafts in danger of dying out

Who was the last British deckle-maker? Who makes withy pots? And what is an orrery?

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/32GvPUZ

Trump defends supporters accused in deadly clashes

The US president suggests right-wing activists in Wisconsin and Oregon acted in self-defence.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2EOY2AE

Zoom revenues skyrocket as profits double

The popular video conferencing app has seen a 458% jump in customer growth compared with last year.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2YRjmg4

Child Trust Funds: Teenagers get first chance to access cash

Savings pots could now be worth more than £1,000 but many teenagers are unaware they exist.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2EUq1yJ

The 1980s 'super recession': When unemployment topped 3m - and kept rising

As the UK copes with being in a recession, how does it compare with the recession in the 1980s?

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2EUlQmx

Rohingya crisis: Growing up in the world's largest refugee camp

Nayeem, 3, is one of 20,000 children born every year in the camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3jCnzfH

Meet Senegal's first female professional surfer

Khadjou Sambe, 25, defied social expectations to ride the Atlantic waves.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3bdUkfX

Why this black drive-in cinema is a big hit

Drive-ins are booming, of course. But this one is also responding to the other big story of the year.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3hKtMWl

Biden hits back on Trump's attacks: 'Do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters?'

“Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting,” Biden said. "It’s lawlessness, plain and simple."

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Dkk9yE

The alt-right group Patriot Prayer, associated with a man killed in the Portland protests, has a history of provoking left-wing groups: 'This was just a matter of time'

An Anti-Defamation League researcher fears that Aaron Danielson's killing will spur more bloodshed between right- and left-wing groups.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3lwfdIh

Russian opposition activist hospitalised after attack outside his home

A 22-year-old Russian opposition activist has been hospitalised after what supporters said was a vicious attack by two men outside his house in Moscow. Yegor Zhukov, who came to prominence last year when he was arrested and tried over opposition protests, posted pictures of his bruised and bloody face to social media following the attack. He was taken to hospital for an MRI scan which showed he had “fortunately managed to avoid serious injuries or internal bleeding,” a spokesman said. The activist “remained calm and even joked about what happened,” his team said in a social media post, adding that he was allowed home following tests.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ExzMU1

Burst of success for progressive challengers in U.S. congressional races may fizzle in Massachusetts

A solid year for progressive Democrats who have defeated at least three incumbents in the U.S. Congress in primaries could fizzle out this week in Massachusetts where three party stalwarts were set to fend off challengers. The progressive model for success has seen an array of mostly young candidates, sometimes minorities, toppling older establishment incumbents. Senator Ed Markey, 74, appeared to be holding off 39-year-old Representative Joe Kennedy III by touting the legislative battles he has waged over more than four decades in the House of Representatives and Senate on issues such as nuclear disarmament and climate change.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3baiZST

Ethiopia seeks US clarification on reported aid cut over dam

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3baseCx

New report deepens mystery around Trump’s sudden and suspicious visit to Walter Reed hospital

Vice President Mike Pence was reportedly prepared to take over the presidential duties

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2YRCI4A

'Hero' St. Louis police officer dies after being shot in the head

A St. Louis police officer died Sunday after being shot in the head by a gunman, authorities said.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/32Ed2d2

Japan country profile

Provides an overview of Japan, including key events and facts about this earthquake-prone country on the western rim of the Pacific.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Gg15Th

Mom rips gun and shoe from man accused of kidnapping her 1-year-old, Georgia cops say

The child has since been found safe, officials say.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QQGo2p

U.S. Senate's McConnell eyes revamped coronavirus relief bill, Mnuchin tells Fox Business

The Trump administration and Senate Republicans have been in regular contact over possible coronavirus relief measures and the Senate's top Republican will "hopefully" unveil a new bill next week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday. Asked about the collapse of talks with Democrats over aid legislation, Mnuchin told Fox Business Network that he and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows have been speaking regularly with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QIzRXq

With peak of hurricane season almost here, forecasters watch four areas for tropical development

The most active day of the hurricane season is around Sept. 10. As the season's peak nears, forecasters are watching four areas for development.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3bcOiw3

Schools are more segregated than 30 years ago. Here's what's driving the change.

School integration programs once broke down barriers. Today, white and Black students in cities like Minneapolis are growing up apart.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34QwXYI

Kim Klacik: President Trump is producing real results for the Black community

Republican congressional candidate Kim Klacik joins Maria Bartiromo on 'Sunday Morning Futures.'

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QBEeTQ

Trump to visit Wisconsin city on Tuesday where police shot Black man in the back

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday will visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, the city that has seen unrest since a white police officer shot a Black man in the back, a White House official told reporters on Saturday. Trump will meet law enforcement officials and assess damage in the city where the officer shot Jacob Blake, who is paralyzed from the waist down and remains in hospital, the official said. A 17-year-old boy is being held by authorities in Kenosha on suspicion of shooting three people who were protesting the shooting of Blake.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3bdjxqT

Teslas were 3 of the 10 fastest-selling used cars amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the data — see the full list

iSeeCars compiled a list of the 10 fastest used cars from March to June 2020. Tesla vehicles take up three of the 10 spots.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2YNt7fo

Report: New York tenants were not aware they would be featured at the Republican National Convention

The tenants were interviewed by a HUD official, they said. The RNC was criticized for blurring the lines between the government and partisan politics.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3lnzmA9

China restaurant collapses during birthday party, killing 29

Rescue efforts ended at a two-story restaurant in a northern Chinese village that collapsed during a local resident's 80th birthday celebration, leaving 29 people dead, authorities said Sunday. The Ministry of Emergency Management said another 28 people were injured, seven of them seriously, when the building suddenly crumbled on Saturday. Hundreds of rescue workers using sniffer dogs, cranes and high-tech sensors had searched the rubble, lifting slabs of concrete in hopes of freeing survivors.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31GlqcI

French lieutenant-colonel stationed at a NATO base in Italy charged with spying for Russia

A senior French military officer has been charged with espionage for allegedly passing top secret documents to Russian intelligence, Florence Parly, the defence minister, said on Sunday. The lieutenant-colonel, who has not been named, is stationed at a NATO base in Italy. He was detained by France’s General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), the equivalent of MI5, 10 days ago. The officer was about to return to Italy after a holiday in France, Europe 1 radio reported, and is being held at La Santé prison in Paris. Ms Parly said the defence ministry had referred the case to public prosecutors. She declined to give details about the nature of the information allegedly given to Russia, saying the matter was sub judice. “We have taken all necessary measures. Now justice must be allowed to take its course while respecting the secrecy of the investigation… It is for the judicial system to decide what he is guilty of and whether he is guilty.” If convicted, the officer risks life imprisonment and a €750,000 (£669,000) fine. The case is likely to embarrass France in the eyes of its western allies if security failings that could potentially compromise NATO are revealed. It comes after two former agents of France’s external intelligence service, the DGSE, were handed prison sentences of 12 and 8 years last month for spying for China. The highly sensitive trial was held behind closed doors and little is known about the case against the agents, who had already retired when they were charged three years ago. One of them, named as Henri M, served as the DGSE’s Beijing station chief in the 1990s. He was recalled after starting an affair with the French ambassador’s Chinese interpreter. After his retirement, he returned to China in 2003 and married the former interpreter. The couple took up residence on Hainan Island, off China’s southern coast. Now 73, he was arrested in France in 2017. Around the same time the other agent, named as Pierre-Marie H, 68, was arrested at Zurich airport carrying a large amount of cash after meeting a Chinese contact on an island in the Indian Ocean. Under French law, the full names of former intelligence agents may not be made public.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/32AZ4sc

Rally supporting police draws scores to downtown Kenosha

Scores of police supporters gathered Sunday in downtown Kenosha where protesters have been demonstrating against police brutality since the shooting of Jacob Blake last weekend. A Kenosha police officer shot Blake in the back Aug. 23, leaving the 29-year-old Black man paralyzed. Protesters have marched in Kenosha every night since Blake’s shooting, with some protests devolving into unrest that damaged buildings and vehicles.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3gMZ0ul

Trump, Vicar of Fear and Violence

By BY CHARLES M. BLOW from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/3bbyA4D

Jon Rahm Sinks a Big Putt to Win Playoff at the BMW Championship

By BY ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/31Iok0E

Stories of 2020: Five Lives Caught in a Year of Upheaval and Pain

By BY PETER BAKER, JOHN BRANCH, JOHN ELIGON, REID J. EPSTEIN, DAN LEVIN AND MARC STEIN from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3gJPdVW

The search engine boss who wants to help us all plant trees

Christian Kroll is the boss of Ecosia, which donates 80% of its profits to tree-planting projects.

from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2YPoIZg

The Papers: Tax rises 'backlash', and schools' budget 'crisis'

Several papers lead with criticism over Rishi Sunak's reported plans to raise taxes in the next Budget.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/31F4GT6

House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff says it's a 'falsehood' pushed by Trump that he leaked confidential information amid halt to election briefings

Schiff denied he or his staff have leaked confidential information as intelligence officials announced a halt to in-person election security briefings.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2EwActS

Restaurant collapse in China's Shanxi kills 29

Twenty-nine people were killed and seven seriously injured when a restaurant collapsed in northern China's Shanxi province, the country's emergencies ministry media said on Sunday. The accident in the two-storey structure occurred as villagers and relatives gathered for a birthday party, and the rescue operation ended early on Sunday, state media said. The Shanxi provincial government has set up a high-level team to investigate the accident in the county, which is under the jurisdiction of the city of Linfen, the emergency management ministry said.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ELXCLl

3-year-old girl safe after being lofted by kite in Taiwan

A 3-year-old girl in Taiwan was reported safe after becoming caught in the strings of a kite and lifted several meters into the air. The unidentified girl was taking part in a kite festival Sunday in the seaside town of Nanlioao when she was caught up by a giant, long-tailed orange kite.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3jx8Oe1

Africa's week in pictures: 21-27 August 2020

A selection of the week's best photos from across the continent and beyond.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2FXJ1Nq

India sets global record with single-day rise in coronavirus cases

India on Sunday reported the biggest single-day jump in coronavirus infections of any nation in the COVID-19 pandemic, as the epicentre shifts to the south Asian giant. India's 78,761 cases exceeded the 77,299 recorded in the United States on July 16, a Reuters tally of official data showed. The world's second-most populous nation is, with 3.54 million cases, the third-hardest hit by the pandemic, following the United States and Brazil, but its daily tallies have exceeded those of the other two countries for almost two weeks.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/32CTqpv

1 killed as Trump supporters, protesters clash in Portland

One person was shot and killed late Saturday in Portland, Ore., as Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters clashed, police said.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3jlCH0K

A couple received an anonymous note calling their unpainted house an "eyesore," then they received over $48,000 to help with repairs

A couple that has suffered multiple health issues received a note shaming them for their unpainted house. A GoFundMe page raised money for repairs.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3bcWbS9

In wake of shootings, Kenosha mayor backs police brass despite calls for resignations

Kenosha, Wis., Mayor John Antaramian told reporters Friday that he has no intention of requesting the resignations of Police Chief Daniel Miskinis or County Sheriff David Beth, despite calls from various civil rights groups for both men to step down.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3b7ncqr

Lebanon arrests 3 Egyptian suspects in Cairo gang rape case

Lebanese security forces have arrested three Egyptian men wanted in their home country on charges of involvement in an alleged gang rape at a luxury Cairo hotel six years ago. The arrest, reported late Saturday, followed an Interpol notice for the suspects at the request of Egypt. A Lebanese security official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said Sunday that “legal and administrative procedures” were underway to deport the three men, who are in their early 30s.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3jpbIRS

Dramatic last-second launch abort grounds spy satellite

The "hot-fire abort" derailed plans for three launches in just two days from Florida's Space Coast.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2GbvfqH

Flooding in Hereford: Residents still in temporary homes

People whose houses flooded twice in four months are still in temporary homes.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3gE22RS

Algeria's lessons from The Plague in the age of coronavirus

Finding parallels between the famous novel and how Algeria is coping with coronavirus amid political upheaval.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3hJHdWg

Covid warning as a million students set for uni return

Sending more than a million students back to university could spark second Covid wave, say lecturers.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3lxhZwz

Coronavirus: Life chances at risk if pupils don't return to school, Williamson says

The education secretary has written an open letter to parents insisting that schools are safe.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2YLCuvU

Coronavirus: How lockdown 'robbed' us of grieving for mum

Jenny Wilson’s mum died just as the UK was going into lockdown.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2QDNSFQ

Flooding in Hereford: Residents still in temporary homes

People whose houses flooded twice in four months are still in temporary homes.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3gE22RS

Begum Rokeya: The forgotten 19th Century feminist

Begum Rokeya was a writer, educationalist and reformer who tirelessly fought for women's rights.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2QCwJwg

One in four BHS stores remain vacant four years after collapse

Department store chain closed its last stores in 2016 but finding new uses is a lengthy process.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3lxldQH

The diary of my daughter's murder: 'We were in hell on earth'

Bea Jones started writing a diary as she tried to come to terms with the brutal murder of her daughter Moira.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2DbEHsV

Coronavirus doctor's diary: The fake news about schools that's misleading parents

A video claiming that children could be placed in quarantine at school could disrupt the start of term.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/34H2oEV

'They wanted to drown me at birth - now I'm a poet'

Kuli Kohli has always used writing as a means of escape from the prejudice she has experienced as an Asian woman with cerebral palsy.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3gFymDK

Algeria's lessons from The Plague in the age of coronavirus

Finding parallels between the famous novel and how Algeria is coping with coronavirus amid political upheaval.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3hJHdWg

What we know about the career of the officer who shot Jacob Blake

Rusten Sheskey said in an August 2019 interview that what he likes most about police work "is that you're dealing with people on perhaps the worst day of their lives and you can try and help them."

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2DbxE3y

Louisiana avoided Laura's 'wall of water'? Not so, says forecaster

The highest surge hit about 15 miles east of where Laura was forecast to make landfall but it "wobbled" at the last moment. Most U.S. media played up a nine-foot surge recorded by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration observation station near Cameron, Louisiana, and the NHC was criticized for perhaps raising too much alarm.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3b5eqsG

Biden buys ‘Keep America Great’ domain name and dedicates it to criticising Trump

The Biden campaign has acquired the web domain KeepAmericaGreat.com and has dedicated the site to criticising president Donald Trump‘s policies and handling of the coronavirus pandemic.When Mr Trump launched his reelection campaign for the 2020 presidential election last year, he revealed “Keep America Great” as its official slogan, following on from his 2016 phrase, “Make America Great Again.”

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3jsMthG

Arrest made after firefighter’s wallet stolen as he battled wildfires, CA officials say

The thief drained the bank account of the firefighter after the wallet was lifted from his vehicle. officials said.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/32ztprh

2 soldiers killed in Black Hawk training crash in California

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31Gc8gG

2 officers fired tasers at Jacob Blake before he was shot

Two other officers at the scene were identified as Vincent Arenas and Brittany Meronek.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2D5S2mw

Forecasters eye two developing systems in the Atlantic: Nana, Omar could be next up on the heels of Hurricane Laura

Although the remnants of Hurricane Laura are still drenching parts of the US Friday, there are already concerns about more storms stirring in the Atlantic.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3b2Dm4i

Fox News' Chris Wallace: Trump's RNC speech was 'far too long' and 'surprisingly flat'

The reviews are in for President Trump's Republican National Convention address, and Fox News' Chris Wallace, for one, wasn't overly impressed.The Fox News anchor on Thursday gave a tough review to the president's RNC speech, saying he was "surprised" by the "lack of fireworks" in it."First of all, it was far too long," Wallace said of the speech, which ran 70 minutes.Though Wallace went on to praise some of Trump's "good lines" dinging Democratic nominee Joe Biden, he concluded that overall, it certainly wasn't one of the president's best."I thought the president, who we've seen really turn on a crowd, was surprisingly flat and didn't seem to have the bite that he usually does have in his speeches," Wallace said.Wallace wasn't the only one on Fox News who didn't go crazy for the address, with analyst Brit Hume agreeing that it was too long and a bit "flat.""He's done very good speeches from teleprompters before," Hume said, per The Daily Beast. "But tonight he seemed to miss the excitement he generates in himself when he's ad-libbing."This comes after Fox News hosts last week heaped praise onto Biden's Democratic National Convention address, with Hume calling it "very good" and Wallace describing it as "enormously effective." Watch the latest video at foxnews.comMore stories from theweek.com Trump's RNC polling bounce more about 'subtraction on the Biden side,' pollster suggests 5 more scathingly funny cartoons about the Republican National Convention Many uninsured coronavirus patients reportedly don't qualify for Trump's coverage program because of other illnesses

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34LGksH

'More Than 30' rapists: Israel's #MeToo campaign

Allegations of a horrific hotel gang-rape in Israel where 30 men reportedly waited in line to assault a teenage girl have triggered an outraged campaign echoing the global MeToo movement.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3lwrJam

'A time to pick up:' Hurricane-hurt Louisiana begins cleanup

Residents in southwestern Louisiana embarked Saturday on the epic task of clearing away felled trees, ripped-off roofs and downed power lines after Hurricane Laura tore through parts of the state. The U.S. toll from the Category 4 hurricane rose to 16 deaths, with more than half of those killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from the unsafe operation of generators. President Donald Trump toured the damage from Laura in Louisiana and Texas on Saturday.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3lBwAYf

Kenosha shooting: Hundreds protest in Raleigh and Portland; 2 officers tried to use stun guns on Jacob Blake

Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old charged in the killing of two people at protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, did not appear in court Friday.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/32B5J5O

Five things to focus on in your CV

When it comes to CV-writing, maximise your chances of a job by focusing on these five things.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3lpT0eH

Medal for hero dog Kuno who saved soldiers' lives in Afghanistan

Kuno ran through a hail of bullets to tackle a gunman - and now has prosthetic paws after being shot.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3b3P4vw

Coronavirus unemployment: 'I felt worthless'

Julie changed jobs a week before lockdown - then found herself out of work and ineligible for help.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3luLSO3

A clever way to provide life-saving oxygen

An invention is saving children’s lives, providing oxygen in hospitals without reliable electricity.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2YM1tiN

Why parcel delivery courier company DPD is in court

Most DPD drivers are on self-employed franchise contracts without sick pay and holiday pay.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2YLzPCn

Week in pictures: 22-28 August 2020

A selection of remarkable images taken around the world this week.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2EC3ZB5

Jejoen Bontinck: I escaped a life of Islamic terror - now I rap about it

Jejoen Bontinck, an ex-member of Islamist group Sharia4Belgium, wants to use music to move on from his past.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/32xCKzS

Coronavirus: Bus journeys will be first challenge of new school year

As pupils return, there are concerns buses could be a weak link in the back-to-school safety plan.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2EHQwrd

Amazon fires: Are they worse this year than before?

Blazes are continuing to rage in the Amazon rainforest, despite the Brazilian president's fire ban.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/31FfZuC

Five things to focus on in your CV

When it comes to CV-writing, maximise your chances of a job by focusing on these five things.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3lpT0eH

Sleepy Donald closes out the RNC

After four nights of scalding and often shouted slash-and-burn attacks directed at Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, it was quite a shock on Thursday night when Donald Trump nearly lulled America to sleep with his Republican National Convention speech on the south lawn of the White House.It's not that Trump delivered a soothing address filled with warmth and good feeling. During long passages he savaged Biden as a Trojan Horse who would deliver America-hating socialists and anarchists to power. Those were the more lively sections of the speech. The trouble is that the charges against Biden had been made at the convention by many others before Trump, sometimes in identical language.But even when the precise words weren't recycled, they still felt like retreads because the speech was mind-numbingly repetitive. How many times did Trump say that if Biden is elected the Democrats would come for America's guns? That it was time to bring jobs back from China? That the stakes in the election couldn't be higher? It's as if the authors of the address thought everything in it was so important it needed to be reiterated two or three times.And then there were the lists. Lists of personages and events from American history at the beginning of the speech, and then again at the end of the speech. Lists, sprinkled throughout, of all the ways America is gloriously exceptional. Lists of Trump's wonderful, stupendous accomplishments. Lists of the wonderful, stupendous things he will accomplish if he's re-elected. The last of these lists made the latter half of the speech sound more like an interminable State of the Union address than a nomination acceptance.And all of it was delivered in the slurring, monotonous drone that Trump adopts whenever he's reined in by written remarks on a teleprompter. Throughout the second half of the address, you feel him breaking away from the script for a word here, a phrase there, like he was dying to turn the occasion into one of his vulgarity- and mockery-infused campaign rallies where he riffs for 90 minutes about his enemies.Or maybe he was just trying to keep himself awake. I know the feeling.More stories from theweek.com McConnell inexplicably claims that Democrats want to tell Americans 'how many hamburgers you can eat' The X-Files is getting an animated comedy spinoff 7 scathingly funny cartoons about the Republican National Convention

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3gERrWC

In pictures: Thousands gather for historic March on Washington

Some 50,000 supporters packed DC's National Mall to demand racial justice and urge people to vote.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QvwRgO

Rusten Sheskey, the officer who shot Jacob Blake, is a former campus officer who investigated a hate crime, and said he liked being a cop because 'people trust us'

Rusten Sheskey shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back on Sunday evening, prompting huge protests and a renewed national movement.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3hB6dPp

Japan’s Longest-Serving PM, Shinzo Abe, Quits in Bid to ‘Escape’ Potential Prosecution

Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, decided to resign Friday ostensibly because of his health, but also because he fears the unpleasant and unhealthy conditions of a Japanese prison. At a press conference, he cited his painful stomach condition ulcerative colitis as the reason for stepping down, but he leaves at a time when his ratings are plummeting and he is under at least one criminal investigation, with the public clamoring for the reopening of other cases.Abe is not resigning; he is escaping. He is under investigation by the Japanese prosecutors for violations of election laws, similar to those his former handpicked justice minister is now being tried for in the lower courts of Tokyo. Testimony in that case may implicate Abe in the political scandal as well. Abe’s efforts to shield himself from investigation by Japan’s authorities have fallen apart. A high-ranking member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), of which Abe also serves as president, told The Daily Beast on conditions of anonymity, “If Abe had been able to stack the prosecutor’s office with his choice—he’d still be clinging to power. His choice for the next head of the National Police Agency, Itaru Nakamura, was sidelined this month and Abe fears being arrested by either the prosecutors or the police. Resignation now allows him to escape a lot of scrutiny.” Nakamura was the high-ranking police chief that ended the rape investigation of Abe’s unofficial biographer.A source in the Ministry of Justice told The Daily Beast, “It’s a done deal. Abe resigns taking ‘social punishment’ and several criminal investigations into his conduct are going to be closed.” Former special prosecutor Nobuo Gohara says, “It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that he resigns the same week a criminal trial has started in which Abe’s involvement will become a central issue.”  The Tweet of DefeatThis year, Abe’s approval ratings sank as low as 27 percent in opinion polls. You’ll see many things cited in the Japanese press in the coming days about what caused Abe’s grip on power and popular support to fail. There have certainly been many gaffes this year. He ignored the growing threat of the novel coronavirus due to his obsessive desire to hold the Olympic Games, which meant that Tokyo had to appear safe. His plan to distribute two face masks to every household, when masks were in short supply, was an expensive disaster. The masks were too small, dirty, and they were slow to be delivered. They were ridiculed as “Abe No Mask,” which sounds much like “Abenomics” when said in Japanese. Abenomics was the PM’s much-touted fiscal policy that involved the imaginary “arrows” of monetary easing and financial reforms, but the overhaul never came and the policy was a total failure. Abe claimed that Japan’s “if you don’t test, you don’t know” coronavirus policy had worked fantastically, until it failed and the infection rates began shooting up again. This was accelerated by his obstinate push for the implementation of a weirdly named promotional campaign,“Go to Travel,” which ended up translating for many people to “Go to Quarantine” as the pandemic resurged. What has derailed his popularity isn’t his poor handling of the coronavirus pandemic, but an ill-timed attempt to consolidate his power in the midst of it. SayonaraAbe (in Japanese) was trending on Twitter months ago.  The end of the Abe era began with a single tweet that started his downward spiral in May. There is some irony in a prime minister who invested so much energy controlling Japan’s mainstream media being taken down by social media. On the evening of May 9,  there was a tweet by a 35-year-old female office worker that sparked an inferno of public dissent. The resulting tweetstorm was fueled by Japan’s usually apolitical celebrities and former prosecutors. Even LDP members expressed dissent.The content of the tweet seems rather prosaic. “I protest the proposed changes in the Public Prosecutor Office Laws.” There were 8 million tweets with the hashtag “I protest the proposed revision of the Public Prosecutors Office Law,” by May 14. Here’s the backstory. Abe has slowly exerted his control over government agencies, public broadcaster NHK, and even the media. In 2014, he created a Cabinet Personnel Bureau that gave the cabinet control over the appointment of hundreds of top-level bureaucrats. Ambitious government workers paid attention, and have since worked hard not to offend him and gain favor. He has incentivized them to cover up scandals without being directly asked. He has wined and dined the press to curry favor, and bullied them relentlessly when displeased. Japan’s press-freedom ranking was No. 22 when he took office; it now ranks 66th. At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Abe and the ruling LDP lobbied for changes in the constitution that would give the cabinet absolute authority in an emergency. The attempt failed but even conservative magazine PRESIDENT called it in an opportunistic and despicable grab for power. When he tried to put the public prosecutor’s office under his thumb this summer, he was going too far. Fatally Wounded The move against the prosecutors began on Jan. 31, when the Abe cabinet decided to delay the retirement of Japan’s second most powerful prosecutor, Hiromu Kurokawa. Kurokawa was reportedly very close to Abe and cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga. The press referred to him as “the guardian deity of the Abe cabinet.”  The majority of prosecutors are required by law to retire at 63; Kurokawa was allowed to stay on. Abe claimed this was not a problem because his cabinet had “reinterpreted the law” to make it possible. The opposition, legal scholars, and the public vehemently disagreed.The administration stood its ground but later proposed an amendment to the Public Prosecutor Laws. This was seen as a retroactive attempt to justify keeping Kurokawa in office, and clearing the way for replacing the top prosecutor in Japan. Former Prosecutor-General Kunihiro Matsuo and other ex-prosecutors wrote a protest letter to the Ministry of Justice stating explicitly that they believed the revisions were an attempt by the Abe administration to have prosecutors act in accordance with their will. The letter quoted John Locke: “Wherever law ends, tyranny begins.” Abe defended the bill in parliament, “There will be no instances of [prosecutorial] personnel affairs being determined arbitrarily,” he said. Only 16 percent of the public believed him.Typically, Abe would ramrod the bill into law anyway, as he has done with other unpopular legislation. By May 18, his approval ratings had plummeted to 34 percent. The same day, the LDP agreed to temporarily table the legislation. That evening, more than 600 lawyers submitted legal briefs to the Tokyo prosecutors office accusing Abe of misusing public funds to hold cherry blossom viewing parties for his constituents, a scandal that became known as “Cherryblossom-gate.” Bad luck followed Abe’s bad decisions. The weekly magazine Bunshun reported that Kurokawa had routinely played mahjong with reporters, gambling on the games in clear contravention of Japanese law. Kurokawa was given an admonishment and allowed to resign. After nearly a decade in power, Abe has become haughty, declaring in parliament last year “I am the nation.” He has been winning for a long time, but no one’s luck lasts forever. The legislative attempt to subvert the prosecutors may have been, to paraphrase the title of an epic war film, a bill too far. It was later abandoned entirely.  Already on Trial? The current investigation of “Cherryblossom-gate” is not the only problem facing Abe. He is being dragged into the high-profile trial of a close friend and supporter. This June, Katsuyuki Kawai, 57, a House of Representative member and his wife, Anri Kawai, 46, a member of the House of Councilors, were indicted on suspicion of handing out millions of yen in cash to politicians and supporters in Hiroshima Prefecture. This was allegedly in return for their efforts to secure votes in the Upper House elections held in July 2019. Abe appointed Katsuyuki minister of justice in September 2019; Katsuyuki resigned on Oct. 31. Their trial began this week.The LDP headquarters provided nearly $1.5 million (150 million yen) or more in campaign funds to Anri Kawai, and some of that money may have been used in bribing local politicians to help round up votes. If Abe himself, as president of the LDP, approved the whopping funding for Anri, he will move into the spotlight.Former Special Prosecutor Nobuo Gohara told The Daily Beast, “It seems clear from the opening statements by the prosecutors in the case of Kawai, that they will show Prime Minister Abe’s involvement in this case. For a former minister of justice, hand-picked by Abe to be involved in bribing other politicians—outrageous. Even if Abe can avoid criminal responsibility, he has a moral responsibility in the matter.”Gohara sees Abe’s inability to stomach his position as part of the stress of not knowing when or if he will be implicated in the current trial. There is a third fire burning under Abe’s feet, one known as the Moritomo-gakuen case. In 2017, it became clear that government land valued at nearly $8 million had been sold to a right-wing school operator for $1 million, reportedly at the urging of the prime minister and his wife, Akie. The school was going to be named Abe Elementary. When the scandal came to light, bureaucrats in the ministry of finance altered and destroyed documents to cover up Abe’s involvement. One government official, Toshio Akagi, refused to play along and killed himself in protest in March 2018. He left behind incriminating documents that his widow revealed this year. Over 70 percent of the Japanese public now wants a reopening of the investigation into the Morikake case.  He didn’t learnAbe virtually vanished for a month this summer, avoiding all press conferences and parliamentary discussions. He can now avoid discussing the scandals surrounding him very easily. He has seemingly timed his publicized visits to the hospital this week in a way to make sure that questions about his involvement in corruption cases were not asked. By visiting Keio Hospital on Aug. 24, the day before the Kawai trial, attention was shifted from his role in the case, to whether or not he was going to be able to continue as prime minister. Abe’s great escape is not as dramatic as the flight of former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn, but it’s a valiant effort. Abe was Japan’s longest reigning prime minister in its constitutional history, but never has so little been accomplished in such a long period of time. If he leaves any legacy at all, it is a number of bills passed into law that were so unpopular they now lie like landmines and may blow up Japan’s brittle democracy someday. Those laws include: a draconian conspiracy law that seems right out of the sci-fi film Minority Report; a repressive and Orwellian state secrets law that will muffle the press and whistleblowers; and the Peace Preservation Act, which allows ostensibly pacifist Japan to wage war.This was his second term in office after a disastrous stint from 2006 to 2007. He was able to resurface due to the support of the right-wing Shinto cult Nippon Kaigi, which will continue to yield great power in parliament long after Abe. They say those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it. Perhaps the root of Abe’s folly is that he is a well-known historical revisionist, the grandson of a war criminal, who has never been able to admit to the atrocities committed by Japan in World War II; many of his political appointees and allies admired Hitler. He’s been so busy trying to deny the past that it seems Abe can’t even learn from his own history. His life is a re-run.He leaves office much the same way he did when he stepped down in 2007: unable to handle the job while mired in scandals involving his cronies; unpopular, considered incompetent, and irrelevant. He will not be missed. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2EAt7rV

Tucker Carlson says teen charged with killing Wisconsin protesters was trying to 'maintain order when no one else would'

Fox News host Tucker Carlson has sparked controversy after claiming a teenager charged with killing demonstrators in Wisconsin protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake was trying to “maintain order when no one else would”.The television personality made the controversial comments as protests over the police-shooting of Mr Blake continued throughout the week, after video footage of the confrontation between a white officer and Mr Blake, a black man, went viral and drew national media attention.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ExVOWt

U.S. House panel announces contempt proceedings against Pompeo

The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee announced contempt proceedings against Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday, citing his refusal to comply with a subpoena for records into his "transparently political misuse" of department resources. The Democratic chairman of the House of Representatives committee, Eliot Engel, also cited a speech Pompeo recorded in Jerusalem for this week's Republican National Convention. Engel said Pompeo had "demonstrated alarming disregard for the laws and rules governing his own conduct and for the tools the Constitution provides to prevent government corruption."

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31BkqWZ

Kenosha officer who shot Jacob Blake said he always wanted to be in law enforcement

Rusten Sheskey said in an August 2019 interview that what he likes most about police work "is that you're dealing with people on perhaps the worst day of their lives and you can try and help them."

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2DbxE3y

Laura victims may go weeks without power; deaths climb to 14

The Louisiana coastline devastated by Hurricane Laura began a long and gloomy recovery Friday as hundreds of thousands of people still without water and power confronted the possibility that basic services may not return for weeks or even longer. Eight people died from carbon monoxide poisoning due to unsafe operation of generators, including three inside a Texas pool hall, where authorities say the owner had let seven Vietnamese shrimp boat laborers and homeless men take shelter. Lawrence “Lee” Faulk came back to a home with no roof in hard-hit Cameron Parish, which was littered with downed power lines.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34HohUK

Six US Air Force B-52 bombers make symbolic sweep over all NATO members

The one-off mission, titled "Allied Sky," is meant to signal the alliance's unity and improve interoperability, say U.S. military officials.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34IsDec