PoliticsAssociated PressFate of Biden agenda rests with Schumer in 50-50 Senate
Chuck Schumer is used to drinking from a firehose. But the incoming Senate majority leader has never taken on such a torrent of challenges, with the opening days of both the Biden administration and Democratic control of the Senate coming at the very moment an impeachment trial gets underway. A 38-year veteran of Congress who first came to the Senate during President Bill Clinton's impeachment, Schumer is a 70-year-old bundle of energy with one overriding mandate: Help Joe Biden become a successful president.
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12 Pakistani police fired for not protecting Hindu temple
Pakistani authorities sacked a local police chief and 11 other policemen for failing to protect a Hindu temple that was set on fire and demolished last month by a mob led by hundreds of supporters of a radical Islamist party, police said Friday. The punishments come amid government assurances to the Hindu community that the temple in Karak, a town in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, would be rebuilt. The attack took place after members of the Hindu community received permission from local authorities to renovate the temple.
WorldBBCCovid-19: Brazil hospitals 'run out of oxygen' for virus patients
Hospitals in the Brazilian city of Manaus have reached breaking point while treating Covid-19 patients, amid reports of severe oxygen shortages and desperate staff. The city, in Amazonas state, has seen a surge of deaths and infections. Health professionals, quoted by local media, warned "many people" could die due to lack of supplies and assistance.
WorldReutersScottish nationalists set for record majority, boosting independence push
Scottish nationalists are on course to win a record majority in elections for Scotland's devolved parliament that would start a new push for independence, an opinion poll published on Thursday showed. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's first minister and head of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, will claim a mandate for another independence referendum if her party performs strongly in the elections scheduled for May 6. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who would have to agree to a new referendum, has said there is no need for a new vote after independence was rejected by Scottish voters in 2014.
- WorldChristian Science Monitor
Transatlantic alliance due for a reset. But what about China?
As tweets go, certainly by the standards of the outgoing Trump administration, it was downright benign, the cyber equivalent of a tap on the shoulder. The tweet came from Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden's choice for national security adviser. Mr. Sullivan chose his words carefully, but he left little doubt he hoped the EU would hold off.
ScienceAssociated PressRIP: Mars digger bites the dust after 2 years on red planet
NASA declared the Mars digger dead Thursday after failing to burrow deep into the red planet to take its temperature. "We've given it everything we've got, but Mars and our heroic mole remain incompatible,” said the German Space Agency's Tilman Spohn, the lead scientist for the experiment. Astronauts one day may need to dig into Mars, according to NASA, in search of frozen water for drinking or making fuel, or signs of past microscopic life.
WorldAssociated PressChina builds new quarantine center as virus cases rise
A city in northern China is building a 3,000-unit quarantine facility to deal with an anticipated overflow of patients as COVID-19 cases rise ahead of the annual Lunar New Year travel rush. State media on Friday showed crews leveling earth, pouring concrete and assembling prefabricated rooms in farmland in an outlying part of Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital of Hebei province, which has seen the bulk of the new cases. That recalled scenes from last year, when China rapidly built field hospitals and turned gymnasiums into isolation centers to cope with a then-spiraling outbreak in Wuhan, where the virus was first detected in late 2019.
PoliticsThe WeekTrump's team is reportedly trying to assemble a crowd for a 'major send-off' hours before Biden's inauguration
President Trump is planning to exit the White House on the morning of Jan. 20, a few hours before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in a short distance away, CNN reports. "Eager for a final taste of the pomp of being president, Trump has asked for a major send-off," and "as one of their final acts, Trump's team is working to organize a crowd to see him off on the morning of Biden's inauguration, when he plans to depart Washington while still president" for a flight to Palm Beach, Florida, where his term will officially end at noon. There are 20,000 National Guard troops currently deployed or en route to Washington, D.C., ahead of Biden's inauguration, because the last crowd Trump drew to the White House morphed into an insurrectionist mob that stormed the Capitol.
EntertainmentArchitectural DigestMore Inside Artist Jorge Pardo's Transformed Bushwick Carriage House
When it came to the lighting in his home, Pardo drew inspiration from the insides of fruits, nuts, and seeds, as well as sea creatures and machine parts. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldAssociated PressSpain rejects virus confinement as most of Europe stays home
While most of Europe kicked off 2021 with earlier curfews or stay-at-home orders, authorities in Spain insist the new coronavirus variant causing havoc elsewhere is not to blame for a sharp resurgence of cases and that the country can avoid a full lockdown even as its hospitals fill up. The government has been tirelessly fending off drastic home confinement like the one that paralyzed the economy for nearly three months in the spring of 2020, the last time Spain could claim victory over the stubborn rising curve of cases. Infection rates ebbed in October but never completely flattened the surge from summer.
WorldAssociated PressGerman lockdown loopholes criticized as deaths hit new high
Germany has too many loopholes in its coronavirus lockdown rules, the head of the country's disease control agency said as figures published Thursday showed the highest number of daily deaths since the start of the pandemic. The Robert Koch Institute said 1,244 deaths from COVID-19 were confirmed in one day up to Thursday, taking the total number to 43,881. There were also 25,164 newly confirmed cases, putting Germany's total known infections close to 2 million.
PoliticsReutersOn guns, abortion and voting rights, Trump leaves lasting mark on U.S. judiciary
When a U.S. appeals court declared that Florida could make it harder for convicted felons to vote - a ruling decried by civil rights activists - the impact of President Donald Trump's conservative judicial appointments was plain to see. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was divided 6-4 in the September ruling, with five Trump appointees in the majority. They ruled that the Republican-governed state could require felons to pay fines, restitution and legal fees after serving time and before casting ballots.
U.S.Business InsiderFlorida is becoming a vaccine tourism destination as foreigners and out-of-staters head there to get a COVID-19 shot
Florida is offering COVID-19 vaccines to adults aged 65 and up, and it's not requiring proof of residency. The governor discouraged vaccine tourism, but he said it's OK for out-of-staters who winter in Florida to get vaccinated. Although many states are now expanding their eligibility criteria for the COVID-19 vaccine, Florida was one of the first to offer the shot to adults aged 65 and older.
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Biden likely to end "silly trade war": Mahathir
"I expect it to be different from Trump, because Trump knew practically nothing about Southeast Asia," Mahathir said in a interview recorded on Jan. 7 and broadcast at the Reuters Next conference on Thursday. "Trump used to be against almost every country, but now I think Biden would want to reverse that policy and have some understanding or friendly relations with many of the countries, which in the past have been quite supportive of America. "Biden had said in November that the United States will be "ready to lead" again on the global stage when he formally takes over on Jan. 20, after the world grappled with Trump's "America First" policy that antagonized allies and sparked a trade war wi...
WorldAssociated PressIranian Guard drones in drill mirror those in Saudi attacks
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard conducted a drill Friday that saw “suicide drones” crash into targets and explode, triangle-shaped aircraft that strongly resembled those used in a 2019 attack in Saudi Arabia that temporarily cut the kingdom's oil production by half. Iran has long denied launching the attack on the sites of Abqaiq and Khurais while Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels initially claimed the assault. However, the United States, Saudi Arabia and U.N. experts believe the drones were Iranian, likely launched amid an escalating series of incidents stemming from President Donald Trump's unilateral withdrew from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMelania Trump didn't know whether she'd be attending Biden's inauguration until the president tweeted that he'd skip it
First lady Melania Trump found out that she wouldn't be attending President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration when her husband tweeted about it, CNN reported on Thursday. Before the president's tweet on January 8, the first lady wasn't sure whether he would break from tradition and refuse to attend, symbolically undermining the peaceful transfer of power. The first lady has largely remained quiet on her husband's campaign to overturn the 2020 election result but appeared to support his efforts by calling for "fair elections" after his loss.
U.S.Associated PressMan convicted in 3 killings to be last executed under Trump
The last federal inmate facing execution before President Donald Trump leaves office was sentenced to death for the killings of three women in a Maryland wildlife refuge, a crime that led to a life sentence for the man who fired the fatal shots. Dustin Higgs, 48, who is scheduled to be executed on Friday at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, says nobody alleges he pulled the trigger. His lawyers have argued it is “arbitrary and inequitable” to execute Higgs while Willis Haynes, the man who fatally shot the women in 1996, was spared a death sentence.
SportsAssociated PressUFC bouts return to Fight Island; McGregor back in octagon
By then, McGregor might know if another rematch is potentially on the table, this one against the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov, who called it quits in October with a 29-0 record after he retained his lightweight championship. McGregor's last loss was against Nurmagomedov in October 2018 in a bout known more a post-fight melee that spilled outside the octagon. Saddened by the recent death of his father and mentor, Nurmagomedov surprisingly retired in his prime after he beat Poirier in Abu Dhabi.
U.S.INSIDERLori Loughlin's husband is asking to serve the rest of his prison sentence at home after he spent 56 days in solitary confinement over COVID-19 concerns
Lori Loughlin's husband Mossimo Giannulli is serving five months in prison for his role in the college admissions scandal. He started his sentence at a prison in Lompoc, California, on November 19, and was immediately put into solitary confinement for a two-week isolation period to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But his lawyers say he ended up staying in solitary confinement for 56 days, which took a toll on his "mental, physical, and emotional well-being."
StyleINSIDERStylists reveal the 11 fashion trends we'll be seeing everywhere this year
Patrick Kenger, senior personal stylist with Pivot Image Consulting, told Insider that men's fashion will likely start to embrace high-waisted pants in 2021. "High-waisted pants have been popular for women, but men are starting to see that a higher waist can help them look leaner and taller," he said. Kenger also noted that men's fashion in 2021 may be influenced by more classic silhouettes from the 1950s and 1960s.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestJessie Schuster Transforms a Spacious SoHo Loft Inside an Old Factory Building
The Manhattan-based interior designer preserved the element of gritty New York through a “raw but elevated” renovation Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
BusinessReutersU.S.-China trade war has cost up to 245,000 U.S. jobs: business group study
U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war with China has caused a peak loss of 245,000 U.S. jobs, but a gradual scaling back of tariffs on both sides would boost growth and lead to an additional 145,000 jobs by 2025, a study commissioned by the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) shows. The group, which represents major American companies doing business in China, said the study by Oxford Economics also includes an "escalation scenario" which estimates a significant decoupling of the world's two largest economies could shrink U.S. GDP by $1.6 trillion over the next five years. This could result in 732,000 fewer U.S. jobs in 2022 and 320,000 fewer jobs by 2025, it said.
SportsAssociated PressOshie has 3 points, Capitals open with 6-4 win at Buffalo
Pete Laviolette was more pleased for his players — young and old — for kicking off the season on the right foot than he was getting a win in his debut as Washington's coach. “It is a lot more than just me,” Laviolette said after earning his 638th career win and first in Washington, a 6-4 season-opening victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. T.J. Oshie had a goal and two assists in a game the Capitals never trailed but were in jeopardy of squandering a 4-1 lead before Jakub Vrana scored 46 seconds into the third period.
SportsAssociated PressSteelers part ways with Randy Fichtner, 2 assistants
While quarterback Ben Roethlisberger played well for long stretches in his return from right elbow surgery, the running game disappeared over the second half of the season and finished dead last in the NFL in both yards rushing and yards per carry. I think when you are dead last in anything, it is (personnel and scheme),” Tomlin said. "We better assess it as such.
PoliticsBBCTrump impeachment: Republicans clash as Senate trial looms
It comes as Mr Trump prepares to leave office and faces a trial in the Senate. The House of Representatives voted by 232 votes to 197 on Wednesday to impeach him for allegedly inciting rioters who stormed the Capitol last week. The FBI has warned of possible armed protests planned for Washington DC and all 50 US state capitals in the run-up to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday.
“Governors are being WAY too precious about who gets this vaccine.”
“The federal government needs to give states strict parameters for when their vaccine allocation must be administered.”
“While public health leaders know what must be done, their critical work could be supported by a national COVID-19 Vaccine Corps.”
“The US vaccine campaign is not a disaster. Rather, I think it is predictably mediocre.”
“The best option may be to rely more on private industry.”