PoliticsBBCJoe Biden: President-elect fractures foot while playing with dog
US President-elect Joe Biden has fractured his foot while playing with one of his dogs, his doctor has said. Mr Biden, 78, twisted his ankle on Saturday when he slipped while with Major, one of his two German shepherds. The Democrat visited an orthopaedist in Newark, Delaware, a day later "out of an abundance of caution".
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China sanctions leaders of US groups over Hong Kong actions
China on Monday said it is sanctioning leaders of U.S. government-affiliated bodies that promote democracy around the world in response to what it calls practices that “blatantly meddle in Hong Kong affairs.” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the measures would cover the senior director for Asia at the National Endowment Democracy, John Knaus, the regional director for the Asia-Pacific at the National Democratic Institute, Manpreet Singh Anand, and two of the institute's officials responsible for Hong Kong. Hua gave no details and the institute said in a news release that it had no further information but that it “remains steadfastly committed to these core principles and to continuing our work in support of democracy worldwide.”
WorldReutersTurkish exploration vessel back in port ahead of EU summit
Turkey's seismic exploration vessel Oruc Reis returned to port on Monday from disputed Mediterranean waters, less than two weeks before a European Union summit where the bloc will evaluate possible sanctions against Ankara. NATO members Turkey and Greece have conflicting claims to continental shelves and rights to potential energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Tensions flared in August when Ankara sent Oruc Reis to map out energy drilling prospects in waters also claimed by Greece.
PoliticsThe WeekBiden names all-female White House communications team
President-elect Joe Biden announced Sunday that his White House communications team will be made up of seven women who worked on his campaign or in the Obama White House, including Jen Psaki as press secretary, Kate Bedingfield as communications director, and Symone Sanders as press secretary for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Psaki, who is currently overseeing confirmations for Biden's transition team, will be the face of the Biden administration. She previously worked as White House communications director, press secretary to Secretary of State John Kerry, and several other jobs during President Barak Obama's two terms.
U.S.Associated PressCharging the 'Beatles': Inside the case against IS militants
As two Islamic State militants faced a judge in Virginia last month, Diane Foley listened from home through a muffled phone connection and strained to make out the voices of the men prosecutors say kidnapped her son before he was murdered. Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh stand accused of belonging to an IS cell dubbed “the Beatles,” an incongruously lighthearted nickname for British citizens blamed for the jailing, torture and murder of Western hostages in Syria. After geopolitical breakthroughs and stalemates, military actions in Syria and court fights in London, the Justice Department's most significant terrorism prosecution in years was finally underway.
WorldReutersHK's top leader piles up cash at home after U.S. sanctions
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says she has to pile up cash at home as she has been unable to open a bank account in the global financial centre since Washington sanctioned her shortly after Beijing imposed a national security law on the city. Beijing circumvented Hong Kong's legislature and imposed a national security law on the former British colony on June 30, a move condemned by some foreign governments, business groups and rights groups. Hong Kong and authorities in Beijing said the law was necessary to restore stability after more than a year of anti-government protests.
WorldThe Daily BeastZimbabweans Can Hardly Believe This But They Regret Replacing Mugabe with Brutal New Leader
In recent months, scores of people have been arrested, some brutalised or killed as Mnangagwa's regime mounts an unprecedented clampdown on pro-democracy campaigners, opposition political party members, journalists, and ordinary citizens daring to voice disquiet over rising corruption, the failing economy and a human rights crisis. In 2018, six people were brutally killed when soldiers opened fire on opposition supporters who were protesting against attempts by the ruling ZANU-PF party to steal a tightly contested general election. And last year, 17 more people were killed when soldiers openly fired shots at citizens protesting over massive fuel price hikes.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump said world leaders complained to him about the election results — but most of them have already congratulated Biden
President Donald Trump suggested on Fox Business that several world leaders have supported his unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. Neither Trump nor the White House offered any evidence of such conversations. Numerous world leaders have congratulated and recognized Joe Biden as the president-elect, almost immediately after the race was called for him.
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Is Ethiopia's war really over?
A triumphant Abiy Ahmed praised his troops in Ethiopia's parliament on Monday (November 30) for their victory in the country's northern Tigray region, even as the forces he claims to have defeated said they were still fighting. His soldiers captured Tigray's capital Mekelle at the weekend, prompting a declaration that a military operation in the region was completed. "The defense forces never killed a single person in a single town.
WorldAssociated PressTurkey's new virus figures confirm experts' worst fears
When Turkey changed the way it reports daily COVID-19 infections, it confirmed what medical groups and opposition parties have long suspected — that the country is faced with an alarming surge of cases that is fast exhausting the Turkish health system. In an about-face, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government this week resumed reporting all positive coronavirus tests — not just the number of patients being treated for symptoms — pushing the number of daily cases to above 30,000. The group maintains, however, that the ministry's figures are still low compared with its estimate of at least 50,000 new infections per day.
U.S.BBCBlack Lives Matter founders: We fought to change history and we won
The year 2020 will be remembered for a lot of things - not least the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement around the world. The organisation has led huge street rallies and high-profile campaigns against racism and police brutality. "Black people alongside our allies stood up to change the course of history and we won," said Alicia Garza.
WorldAssociated PressIran newspaper: Strike Haifa if Israel killed scientist
An opinion piece published Sunday by a hard-line Iranian newspaper urged Iran to attack the Israeli port city of Haifa if Israel carried out the killing of the scientist who founded the Islamic Republic's military nuclear program in the early 2000s. Though the hard-line Kayhan newspaper has long argued for aggressive retaliation for operations targeting Iran, Sunday's opinion piece went further, suggesting any assault be carried out in a way that destroys facilities and "also causes heavy human casualties. Israel, suspected of killing Iranian nuclear scientists over the past decade, has not commented on the brazen slaying of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
PoliticsAssociated PressJill Biden, Joe's chief protector, to step up as first lady
“No,” Jill Biden, then clad in a bikini, wrote in Sharpie across her stomach and then marched through a strategy session in which advisers were trying to talk her husband into challenging Republican President George W. Bush. Protecting Joe stands out among Jill Biden's many roles over their 43-year marriage, as her husband's career moved him from the Senate to the presidential campaign trail and the White House as President Barack Obama's vice president. Now, with her husband on the brink of becoming the 46th president, Jill Biden is about to become first lady and put her own stamp on a position that traditionally is viewed as a model of American womanhood — whether that means hewing to old ways or finding new, activist ones, in the manner of Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama, for example.
U.S.The Daily BeastThe South’s Deadly Revenge for the Emancipation Proclamation
More than half were Black, most of them former slaves—a fighting force most rebel soldiers had never seen before. Though Black soldiers had fought in a handful of engagements in 1862 and 1863, their presence in combat was still relatively new. The fight did not last long.
WorldBBCAustralia demands China apologise for posting 'repugnant' fake image
Australia has demanded China apologise for posting a fake picture on a government Twitter account that depicted an Australian soldier murdering an Afghan child. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Beijing should be "utterly ashamed" for sharing the "repugnant" image. Earlier this month, a report found "credible information" that 25 Australian soldiers were involved in the murders of 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2009 and 2013.
LifestyleAssociated PressWhite House Christmas decor gives nod to 1st responders
First responders and frontline workers being challenged by the deadly coronavirus pandemic are highlighted in White House Christmas decorations that also give a special nod to Melania Trump's redesigned Rose Garden. It's the final Christmas in the White House for the Trump family, although the president continues to insist — despite evidence to the contrary — that he won the Nov. 3 election. President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn into office on Jan. 20.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump legal team will ‘get their clock cleaned’ by Supreme Court in challenging Pennsylvania election results, official says
Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor, a Democrat, has warned that Donald Trump's lawyers would “get their clock cleaned” in the Supreme Court if they attempt to overturn the commonwealth's electoral results. "I hope they do [appeal to the Supreme Court]," Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman told CNN on Saturday. President-elect Joe Biden was projected to win Pennsylvania and its 20 Electoral College votes after garnering more than 80,000 votes over Donald Trump.
U.S.INSIDERThe strange, metal monolith recently found in the remote Utah desert has mysteriously vanished
The metal monolith that was recently discovered by Utah state employees during a bighorn sheep survey in the red-rock Utah desert has vanished, local officials said. There was no indication of where the object came from, but Insider reported it seemed to have appeared between 2015 and 2016, according to images obtained on Google Earth. The monolith that was recently discovered in a remote area of the red-rock Utah desert has vanished, local officials said.
BusinessAssociated PressGM rethinks planned stake in electric vehicle maker Nikola
General Motors will not be taking a stake in the electric vehicle company Nikola, and the company said Monday that it was scuttling one of its marquee vehicles, an electric and hydrogen-powered pickup, after GM pulled technological support from the project. Shares of Nikola plunged 24%. Nikola on Monday released updated terms between the companies for a supply agreement related to GM's fuel-cell system, replacing an agreement signed in September.
WorldAssociated Press'World’s loneliest elephant' arrives safely in Cambodia
The pachyderm dubbed the “ world's loneliest elephant ” after languishing alone for years in a Pakistani zoo was greeted on his arrival in Cambodia on Monday by chanting Buddhist monks and was then sent on his way to a wildlife sanctuary. Like other travelers during these times, Kaavan needed to be tested for COVID-19 before his flight. Once his large metal crate was safely on board, Kaavan was provided with in-flight snacks — 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of them — for the seven-hour journey.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump was convinced he was going to win on election night in a repeat of 2016, and was 'shouting at everyone' when Fox News called Arizona for Biden
President Donald Trump and top aides were convinced on election night that as in 2016, Trump would upset the odds and clinch victory, reported The Washington Post. But when the usually loyal Fox News network projected that Joe Biden had flipped the key swing state of Arizona, the president was "yelling at everyone," a senior administration official told the Post. Since losing the election more than two weeks ago, Trump has made baseless claims of election fraud and refused to concede defeat.
LifestyleUSA TODAY50 amazing gifts that women actually want
For the one who loves their couch: A cozy throw blanket Doubling as home decor and personal comfort, throw blankets are truly a great gift for everyone. For a splurge, Barefoot Dreams, the brand that makes the cult-favorite, comfortable CozyChic cardigan, sells a CozyChic blanket. Chrissy Teigen recommended these blankets as the gift to buy last year in a tweet (she owns one and claims to use it '365').
HealthAssociated PressBeware of COVID-19 scams as vaccine approaches FDA approval
The coronavirus vaccine inching toward approval in the U.S. is desperately anticipated by weary Americans longing for a path back to normal life. Homeland Security investigators are working with Pfizer, Moderna and dozens of other drug companies racing to complete and distribute the vaccine and treatments for the virus. “We're all very excited about the potential vaccine and treatments,” said Steve Francis, assistant director for global trade investigations with Homeland Security Investigations.
WorldAssociated PressOn London street, virus forces small shops to adapt or close
In late October, Matthew Jones was enjoying a rare “bit of normality” at his London barber shop in a year that has been short on that. Jones, 43, endured 15 weeks without any income after the three Sharpes barber shops he co-owns were forced to shut in the spring as the government imposed restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The shops, including a tiny one in east London's trendy Hackney neighborhood, had been open for four months when Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a new lockdown.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump tells viewers to watch 'anything else' but Fox News ahead of his 1st interview since Election Day
President Donald Trump on Saturday once again slammed Fox News, calling it "unwatchable" and urging his followers to watch "anything else." Trump is scheduled to appear in an interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo later Sunday in his first interview since the presidential election. President Donald Trump on Saturday called Fox News "unwatchable" and urged his followers to watch more conservative outlets as his relationship with the network grows increasingly tense in the aftermath of the election.
“This metastasizing debt crisis has had tremendous social costs. An entire generation has been set back.”
“It is not the government’s job to step in and rescue those who took on more debt than their future incomes would support.”
“Many student-borrowers need relief, but well-off borrowers who are thriving — thanks to their college degrees — do not.”
“It will stimulate the lagging economy. And though not everyone will directly benefit, the country as a whole will improve.”
“Canceling student debt would cost billions of dollars each year and would exacerbate, not lessen, economic inequalities.”