- U.S.INSIDER
People in the US have been receiving packages of jewelry that actually contain mysterious seeds from China, report says
A number of people across the country have been receiving packages of jewelry that actually contain mysterious seeds from China. Residents of Utah have shared incidents of receiving small packages with Chinese writing that indicated the items as jewelry, according to FOX 13. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services also made an announcement Friday, stating that they were aware of several residents receiving "packages containing seeds that appear to have originated from China."
- WorldReuters
Tens of thousands protest against Putin in Russian far east
Tens of thousands marched in the Russian far east on Saturday, the third such weekend protest in a row, to express their anger over what they say is President Vladimir Putin's mishandling of a local political crisis. Residents of Khabarovsk, around 3,800 miles (6,110 km) and seven time zones east of Moscow, are unhappy about the detention this month of the wider region's popular governor, Sergei Furgal, who was arrested on murder charges he denies. His arrest, which his supporters say was politically motivated, triggered the protests and created a headache for the Kremlin which is trying to troubleshoot a COVID-19-induced drop in real incomes and keep a lid on unrest.
- U.S.USA TODAY
Coronavirus updates: A double-whammy of hurricane season and case surge in Texas, Hawaii; no Yankee Stadium pitch for Trump
Texas and Hawaii are coming to grips with two simultaneous natural disasters Sunday: Incoming major storms and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Hanna, downgraded to a tropical depression after reaching Texas as a hurricane Saturday, soaked the Gulf Coast with 50 mph winds and rains that destroyed boats, flooded streets and knocked out power across a region already reeling from a surge in coronavirus cases. Gov. Greg Abbott said some sheltering would take place in hotel rooms so people could maintain distance and avoid getting infected with the virus.
- U.S.CBS News
Transcript: Nancy Pelosi on "Face the Nation"
The following is a transcript of an interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that aired Sunday, July 26, 2020, on "Face the Nation." MARGARET BRENNAN: We begin this morning with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Speaker Pelosi, thank you for joining us.
- U.S.BBC
Hurricane Hanna: Flood threat remains despite weakening
Heavy rain is likely to lead to "life-threatening" flash flooding in southern Texas and north-eastern Mexico even as Hurricane Hanna weakens, US officials have warned. The hurricane made landfall on Saturday but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. But the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) says that rains and strong winds "remain a threat".
- WorldNBC News
Nigerian refugee creates N.Y.C.'s first full-time shelter for asylum-seekers
Before Edafe Okporo founded New York City's first and only shelter for asylum-seekers and refugees, he was wandering the streets of Elizabeth, New Jersey, a refugee with nowhere to go. Although he was homeless, Okporo was happy to be in the United States. "Everything just changed when I stepped my feet into this country," said Okporo, 30, an LGBTQ activist who fled his homeland, Nigeria, in 2016, "because there is an opportunity to dream of a better future, to have a path here as a gay man."
WorldAFPNorth Korea declares emergency over suspected virus case
North Korean authorities have imposed a lockdown on the border city of Kaesong after discovering what they say is the country's first suspected coronavirus case, state media reported Sunday. Leader Kim Jong Un convened an emergency politburo meeting on Saturday to implement a "maximum emergency system and issue a top-class alert" to contain the virus, the official Korean Central News Agency said. If confirmed, it would be the first officially recognised case of COVID-19 in North Korea, where medical infrastructure is seen as woefully inadequate to deal with any epidemic.
- U.S.Associated Press
Mountain rescuers heft ailing St. Bernard off English peak
St. Bernards are known for helping to rescue distressed travelers in the mountains, but the tables were turned Sunday in northern England. Sixteen volunteers from the Wasdale mountain rescue team took turns carrying Daisy, a 121-pound (55 kilogram) St Bernard, from England's highest peak, Scafell Pike. The mountain rescue team spent nearly five hours rescuing Daisy, who had collapsed Friday evening while descending the mountain with her owners.
- U.S.INSIDER
A woman accidentally injured 3 members of her armed militia in a shooting at a Breonna Taylor protest in Louisville
Brett Carlsen / Getty A trainee in an armed militia group, NFAC (Not F---ing Around Coalition), accidentally fired her gun at a Breonna Taylor protest in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday. Three other members from the militia group were injured and rushed to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Louisville Metro's interim Chief of Police Robert Schroeder said there are no outstanding suspects, and the investigation is ongoing.
WorldAFPCurious onlookers flock to closed US consulate in China
Taking selfies and waving Chinese flags curious locals flocked to the US consulate in Chengdu Sunday as officials prepared to remove its official plaque just days after Washington and Beijing ordered each other to close one of their diplomatic missions. Tensions between the two countries over trade and the coronavirus rose another notch on Tuesday when the US ordered China's consulate in Texas closed, saying it was a hub of espionage and intellectual property theft. The measures however didn't stop a local draping a huge Chinese flag from his balcony and shouting "China" into the street.
- U.S.The Independent
Portland protests: Police declare riot as demonstrators break through court fence
Police in Portland, Oregon have declared a riot after protesters breached a fence surrounding a court building where federal officers have been stationed during ongoing protests against police brutality and the presence of militarised law enforcement. A police announcement condemned protesters' "violent conduct" that created a "grave risk of public alarm" after a group of protesters had pulled down a section of fencing around 1.20am on Sunday. "Dozens of people in the crowd maintained this level of violence and tumultuous conduct and were either intentionally or recklessly creating a grave risk of public alarm," police said in a statement.
- WorldReuters
Refugee who volunteered at French cathedral confesses to setting blaze, lawyer says
A Rwandan refugee who volunteered as a warden at France's 15th-century Nantes cathedral has confessed to setting the blaze that gutted its interior a week ago, his lawyer said on Sunday. "With these confessions, there's a kind of relief: it's someone who is scared, who is somehow overwhelmed," his lawyer, Quentin Chabert, told a news conference on Sunday. The July 18 blaze engulfed the inside of the Gothic structure of the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, destroying its grand organ, stained-glass windows and a painting.
- CelebrityBusiness Insider
Bernie Sanders slams Tesla CEO Elon Musk, saying it's 'pathetic' that Musk is against another government stimulus package
Joe Raedle/Getty Images Sen. Bernie Sanders called Tesla CEO Elon Musk a "hypocrite" and "pathetic" over his tweet disparaging another government stimulus package. "Another government stimulus package is not in the best interests of the people imo," Elon Musk said on Twitter on Friday. Musk on Friday said only direct payments should be included in a new relief bill.
- U.S.The Week
Climate expert suggests Biden will have to 'admit there will be tradeoffs' to reach zero carbon goal
Climate activists and scientists have generally received former Vice President Joe Biden's plan to eliminate U.S. carbon emissions by 2035 warmly, but there will likely be some backlash ahead, especially regarding a potential reliance on wind and solar alternatives, The Guardian reports. David Keith, a climate and energy expert at Harvard University who co-authored research in 2018 that found America's transition to solar and particularly wind would require up to 20 times more land area than previously thought, said windmills certainly shouldn't be abandoned moving forward, but suggested they could be limited. "You should tilt the energy system toward low land footprints, which means focusing on solar, nuclear, and carbon capture and storage, with wind at the margins," he told The Guardian.
- WorldBBC
Malaysia arrests Bangladeshi migrant who criticised government on TV
Malaysian authorities say they have arrested a Bangladeshi man who criticised on television the country's treatment of undocumented migrants during the coronavirus pandemic. In a documentary on Al Jazeera, Rayhan Kabir said the government discriminated against irregular foreign workers by arresting and jailing them. The detentions were carried out when Malaysia was under lockdown due to Covid-19.
- PoliticsYahoo News Video
Mnuchin says virus aid package will come soon, $1,200 checks by August
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday that Republicans were set to roll out the next COVID-19 aid package Monday and assured there was support from the White House.
- U.S.Associated Press
Hanna's rain remains biggest threat to virus hot spot Texas
South Texas braced for flooding Sunday after Hanna roared ashore as a hurricane the day before, bringing winds that lashed the Gulf Coast with rain and storm surge to a part of the country trying to cope with a spike in cases of the coronavirus. The first landfall happened at around 5 p.m. about 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of Port Mansfield, which is about 130 miles (209 km) south of Corpus Christi. The second landfall took place nearby in eastern Kenedy County.
- U.S.INSIDER
Police in Australia won their Supreme Court bid to stop a Black Lives Matter protest
Paul Kane/Getty Images Police in New South Wales, Australia won a Supreme Court case to stop a Black Lives Matter protest from taking place on Tuesday, July 28th due to coronavirus concerns. The family of a man who died in police custody at a jail in Australia in 2015 organized the protest to demand justice for those who were involved in his death. The protest was blocked after police raised concerns that it would "breach public health orders" and lead to a spike in coronavirus infections.
- WorldNBC News
China turns a blind eye as North Korea evades sanctions
After a brief lull due to the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea is carrying out large-scale smuggling operations off the coast of China in violation of U.N. sanctions, importing oil and selling coal and sand to keep its economy afloat, according to experts and current and former Western officials. Much of the sanctions-busting operations rely on front companies registered in China and take place within China's heavily patrolled territorial waters, where Chinese radar and coast guard vessels closely track commercial shipping traffic, experts said. China has made major investments in its navy and coast guard in recent years, and it seems improbable that Beijing is not able to detect or prevent the North Korean shipments that often employ large barges, said Neil Watts, who served on a U.N. panel investigating North Korea's sanctions violations.
- U.S.CBS News
Invasion! The threat from Asian giant hornets
Ted McFall, of Custer, Washington, loves his bees … like, REALLY loves them. "Some people love their cats. Some people love their dogs.
- WorldReuters
Exclusive: Alibaba, Jack Ma summoned by Indian court on former employee's complaint
An Indian court has summoned Alibaba and its founder Jack Ma in a case in which a former employee in India says he was wrongfully fired after objecting to what he saw as censorship and fake news on company apps, documents seen by Reuters showed. The case comes weeks after India cited security concerns in banning Alibaba's UC News, UC Browser and 57 other Chinese apps after a clash between the two countries' forces on their border. Following the ban, which China has criticized, India sought written answers from all affected companies, including whether they censored content or acted for any foreign government.
- PoliticsBusiness Insider
Kudlow says next round of coronavirus relief will include $1,200 checks and extension of eviction moratorium
White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow on Sunday said that the next round of coronavirus relief will include more checks to Americans and extend the federal eviction moratorium. "There's a $1,200 check coming, that's going to be a part of the new package," Kudlow said during an interview with "State of the Union" on CNN. On Friday, the federal eviction moratorium ended, and this weekend, the extra $600 unemployment benefit ended.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
Jake Tapper Grills Coronavirus Testing Czar: Are You ‘Afraid’ of Upsetting Trump?
CNN anchor Jake Tapper took Assistant Secretary of Health Adm. Brett Giroir to task over the continuing issues with coronavirus testing, asking the coronavirus testing czar if he is “afraid” of bringing these problems up with President Donald Trump. During a contentious 20-minute interview on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday morning, Tapper repeatedly pressed Giroir on the weeklong delays in coronavirus testing results Americans are experiencing. “Are you happy where testing is right now?” Tapper asked, prompting Giroir to say he's “never going to be happy” until they have the pandemic under control.
- PoliticsYahoo News Video
James Carville still thinks Trump might pull out of race rather than risk losing by a landslide
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville doubled down on his prediction on Friday that President Trump may yet abandon his run for reelection.
- U.S.BBC
Kenyan police officers arrested after fatal shooting in Garissa
Two police officers in Kenya have been arrested in connection with a shooting in which two people were killed. The shooting happened at Soko Ng'ombe market in eastern Garissa county on Saturday, during a protest against the arrest of a man suspected of murder. The two victims have been named as Aden Abdi Madobe and Muhiyadin Adow Shibin.
“However bad things look for Trump, strange things — perhaps even stranger than we saw four years ago — could happen.”
“If the election were held today, Biden would win the presidency, even if the polls were exactly as wrong as they were four years ago.”
“It’s important to remember that President Trump has yet to unload his full arsenal.”
“To state the obvious: A coronavirus cure would help as would clear evidence that the economy is on the mend.”
“Teflon Don’s superpower of distracting us from one scandal with the next one is finally starting to fail him.”