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Top Republicans offer conflicting messages about Trump’s loss while campaigning in Georgia

www.washingtonpost.com

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-georgia-conflicting-messages/2020/12/17/a1038b80-409a-11eb-8db8-395dedaaa036_story.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics

These very different messages highlight the conflict within the Republican Party about the best way to win an election that will determine control of the Senate. While Trump and his supporters continue to push baseless claims of voter fraud, McConnell's allies have warned that Democrats would run rampant if they gain control of both houses of Congress and the presidency. The Fix's Amber Phillips analyzes how some of the rhetoric from Trump allies could depress Republican turnout ahead of the Georgia Senate runoff elections. (The Washington Post)That conflict was on display Thursday, as Pence repeatedly refused to acknowledge that Biden had won the 2020 election. "I promise you, we will keep fighting," Pence said. But even as Pence pledged to fight on, Perdue struck a slightly different tone. On Thursday, he spoke of protecting Trump's accomplishments. "We have to hold the line to make sure that what we've accomplished under Donald Trump and Mike Pence, that we hold on to what we've accomplished — the regulatory work, the tax work, the energy work," he said. Even the crowd seemed to sense a shift. Attendees didn't break out in "Stop the steal" or "Fight for Trump" cheers, as they did at Pence's last rally. Instead, they chanted, "Hold the line," a slogan Republicans have been using to stress the stakes of the Jan. 5 runoffs. Perdue's remarks Thursday are the closest that he or Loeffler has come to publicly acknowledging Trump's defeat. The candidates have publicly supported Trump's efforts to file more ­baseless lawsuits to overturn results in the states that handed Biden victory — hoping to keep the president happy so that he will encourage his most fervent supporters to turn out to vote. McConnell's allies at the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), a super PAC that has several offshoots engaged in the two runoff elections, have decided to drive home a direct message that Georgia marks a last stand for a Republican foothold of power in Washington. Perdue and Loeffler have parroted the arguments across Georgia, invoking the names of popular Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), as often as the names of their runoff opponents. "Everything is at stake with control of Washington in the balance," the narrator says in one such ad, beginning with images of Black protesters dancing by a fire. The Peachtree PAC, founded by SLF for these two races, has booked an estimated $43 million for that advertisement with Georgia's TV stations. This constellation of super PACs, run by a former McConnell chief of staff, have reserved roughly $150 million worth of TV and radio advertising over the two-month sprint from after the Nov. 3 election until Jan. 5, according to estimates provided by two GOP sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal strategy. That's almost five times as much as their counterparts in Schumer's super PAC orbit have booked for spending, according to Republican and Democratic estimates. The stakes could not be higher. Right now, Republicans control 50 Senate seats; Democrats have 48. If Democrats win both Georgia races, Schumer will become majority leader on Jan. 20 when Democratic Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris is sworn in and provide the tie-breaking vote for Democrats in the Senate. That prospect, giving the incoming Biden administration more room to maneuver, energized liberal online donors across the nation who poured tens of millions of dollars into the campaigns of Jon Ossoff, Perdue's opponent, and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, Loeffler's opponent. This has allowed the Democratic candidates to run far more advertisements than the two Republican campaigns. This week, according to GOP estimates, Ossoff and Warnock are running a combined $25 million worth of advertisements across the state, while the Perdue and Loeffler campaigns combined for about $14 million in ads. But Republican super PACs' significant spending has evened the financial playing field among the campaigns. McConnell's allies have privately believed that their best strategy in Georgia, a traditionally GOP-leaning state, is to ­nationalize the race as a last stand against Democratic control of the White House and Congress. Their ads have likened Ossoff and Warnock to left figures such as Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez. But Trump's false statements about the election have at times undermined that GOP message in Georgia. Trump has fueled a false conspiracy theory that the state's voting machines are rigged, and some of his supporters here have held rallies calling for conservatives to boycott the Senate races as a way to protest the Biden victory — a message that could hand the Senate to Democrats. Other close Trump allies, including Donald Trump Jr. and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), were scheduled in Georgia for fundraising events Thursday. The president's son has amplified his father's baseless claims of voter fraud but urged voters to turn out. Cruz was unable to attend his event because of Senate votes Thursday. Cruz had previously pledged to litigate two cases based on unfounded claims of voter fraud that went to the Supreme Court — both of which were rejected by the conservative-leaning justices. In Columbus on Thursday, Trump backers openly grappled with this conflict. State Rep. Vernon Jones, a Democrat who has endorsed Trump, attended the rally after becoming a popular surrogate for the president, including speaking gigs at the Republican National Convention and in Valdosta earlier this month. He told the crowd that he was "frustrated" by claims of election fraud. He intimated that the president's hopes of winning the election in Georgia might be ending. "The fat lady may be walking up to the microphone, but she hasn't started singing yet," he said. In an interview after his speech, Jones said he was trying to thread the needle between blasting the election system and encouraging people to vote for Republican candidates.

Aide: Biden won't talk about son Hunter with AG candidates

abcnews.go.com

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/aide-biden-talk-son-hunter-ag-candidates-74831846

Share to FacebookEmail this articleWASHINGTON -- President-elect Joe Biden's incoming press secretary said Sunday that Biden would not discuss the investigation of his son with any prospective candidates for attorney general. A federal investigation into the finances of Biden's son, Hunter, will likely be a major point of contention during Senate confirmation hearings for Biden's nominee to lead the Justice Department. Some Republicans are already calling for the appointment of a special counsel to deter the role of politics in an investigation. Biden spokeswoman Jen Psaki told "Fox News Sunday" that Biden is looking for somebody who is at "the highest level of integrity" to oversee the Justice Department. "And that person, whomever it is, will be overseeing whatever investigations are happening at the Department of Justice," she said. The president-elect himself is not a subject of the investigation. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., and Merrick Garland, a federal appeals court judge, have emerged as the leading contenders to serve as attorney general, The Associated Press has learned. But dynamics could shift, as any Biden choice now will be scrutinized for any perceived loyalty to the president-elect and bias in any investigation of his son.

US airport traffic rising despite holiday travel warnings

abcnews.go.com

https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory/us-airport-traffic-rising-holiday-travel-warnings-74832028

Share to FacebookEmail this articleSAN RAMON, Calif. -- More than 1 million people have passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints in each of the past two days in a sign that public health pleas to avoid holiday travel are being ignored, despite an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases. It marks the first time U.S. airports have screened more than 1 million passengers since Nov. 29. That came at the end of a Thanksgiving weekend that saw far more travel around the country than had been hoped as the weather turned colder and COVID-19 cases were already spiking again. Now, hospitals in many areas are being overwhelmed amid the largest outbreak of COVID-19 in the U.S. since March, when most Americans were ordered to stay home and avoid interactions with other households. The seven-day rolling average of newly reported infections in the U.S. has risen from about 176,000 a day just before Thanksgiving to more than 215,000 a day. It's too early to calculate how much of that increase is due to travel and gatherings over Thanksgiving, but experts believe they are a factor. Although lockdowns are no longer in effect in many parts of the country, stay-at-home orders have returned in some areas in effort to contain the virus. Nearly 99% of California's population of roughly 40 million people, for instance, has been told to remain at home except for essential work, shopping and exercise. Nevertheless, about 1.07 million people passed through the security checkpoints at U.S. airports on Friday and again on Saturday, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Saturday's volume was down 57% from the same time last year, the smallest year-over-year decline in daily traffic at U.S. airports since Nov. 22 as people began their Thanksgiving getaways. If that early trend continues, U.S. public health officials fear it will lead to more superspreader events as people unwittingly transmit the virus to family and friends while gathering indoors for holiday celebrations. Health officials note the upcoming holiday period from Christmas to New Year's Day covers a longer timespan than the Thanksgiving break. Even more travel is expected as Christmas draws closer. AAA projects about 85 million people will travel between Dec. 23 and Jan. 3, most of them by car. That would be a drop of nearly one-third from a year ago, but still a massive movement of people in the middle of a pandemic.

Iraqi army: 8 rockets target US Embassy in Baghdad

abcnews.go.com

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraqi-officials-rockets-target-us-embassy-baghdad-74831850

Share to FacebookEmail this articleBAGHDAD -- Eight rockets targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone late Sunday, Iraq's military and Iraqi officials said, sparking fears of renewed unrest as next month's anniversary of the U.S. slaying of an Iranian general draws near. An Iraqi military statement said an "an outlawed group" launched eight rockets targeting the Green Zone, injuring one Iraqi security person manning a checkpoint and causing material damage to a residential complex and some cars. The residential complex is usually empty. The U.S. Embassy's C-RAM defense system, which is used to destroy missiles in mid-air, was activated to deflect the attack, the embassy said in a statement. "The U.S. Embassy confirms rockets targeting the International Zone (Green Zone) resulted in the engagement of embassy defensive systems," the statement said. It said there was some minor damage to the embassy compound. "We call on all Iraqi political and governmental leaders to take steps to prevent such attacks and hold accountable those responsible," the statement said. The thundering sound of the defense system could be heard by Associated Press reporters located on the other side of the Tigris River. The C-RAM system was installed by the U.S. over the summer as armed groups stepped up rocket attacks targeting the embassy and its premises. The U.S. withdrew some staff from its embassy in Baghdad earlier this month, temporarily reducing personnel ahead of the first anniversary of the U.S. airstrike that killed Iran's top general, Qassim Soleimani, outside Baghdad's airport on Jan. 3. American officials said the reduction stemmed from concerns about a possible retaliatory strike. Soleimani's killing sparked outrage and led Iraq's parliament to pass a non-binding resolution days later calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops from Iraq. The frequency of rocket attacks in Iraq has frustrated the Trump administration. Iran-backed militia groups have been blamed for orchestrating the attacks. In September, Washington warned Iraq that it will close its embassy in Baghdad if the government fails to take decisive action to end rocket and other attacks by Iranian-backed militias on American and allied interests in the country. The partial withdrawal from the embassy came amid a drawdown of American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan announced by the outgoing Trump administration last month. In Iraq, the U.S. plans to reduce the number of troops from 3,000 to 2,500 by mid-January, before Trump is to leave office. Associated Press writer Murtada Faraj contributed to this report.

Will Biden wage a confirmation battle over AG? Some current DOJ insiders hope so

abcnews.go.com

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-wage-confirmation-battle-attorney-general-current-doj/story?id=74817763

As Joe Biden nears a much-anticipated decision over his choice for attorney general, several current officials inside the Justice Department have told ABC News they want the president-elect to launch a contentious confirmation battle against Republican lawmakers if that's what it will take to put the right person in place. For the prosecutor, that means he hopes Biden nominates former deputy attorney general Sally Yates, who spent more than two decades at the Justice Department but would likely face significant opposition from Republicans during the confirmation process. Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, May 8, 2017. He said two other candidates Biden is reportedly considering for attorney general -- federal judge Merrick Garland and outgoing Alabama senator Doug Jones -- would "have a learning curve that she doesn't have" since their time within the department was so long ago. Other career officials inside the department agreed, with one describing Yates as someone who "could hit the ground running on day one." But even some of those who aren't pulling for Yates said they believe Biden should be up for a political fight over his nominee. "If there was one cabinet position worth having a confirmation battle over, it's this one," said another career Justice Department official, who wants Biden to choose a "dark horse candidate" like Preet Bharara, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York who would be the first Indian American attorney general in U.S. history. Another Bharara supporter inside the Justice Department similarly said attorney general is "such an important position that it's worth fighting" for. For Yates or any nominee to actually become the attorney general, they must receive approval from a majority of the Senate, which is currently controlled by Republicans. That means the Biden team must persuade at least some Republican lawmakers to vote for confirmation -- an inevitably arduous process made even more challenging by the heated political environment. A spokesman for Biden's transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News. As Biden weighs who should take charge of the Justice Department's more than 100,000 employees, many former department officials, advocacy groups and lawmakers have publicly expressed individual preferences. But it's relatively rare for current career officials -- whose positions are inherently apolitical and can span several administrations -- to weigh in publicly. Yet another federal prosecutor said that while he hopes Biden will pick Yates, he also "understands the concern" that the Biden team might have over the resistance she likely would face from Republican lawmakers. President Donald Trump's allies on Capitol Hill are particularly upset about the last year of her tenure at the Justice Department, when she helped oversee the start of the federal investigation into alleged ties between Trump's campaign and Russian operatives, and when, as acting attorney general in the first days of the Trump administration, she publicly protested Trump's executive order blocking travel from Muslim-majority countries. Asked recently about Yates as attorney general, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, "I don't think so." But he did say he could give a "thumbs-up" to Garland or Jones. Merrick Garland, chief judge of the D.C. Circuit Court, waits for a meeting at Hart Senate Office Building in Capitol Hill, May 18, 2016. Many of the career federal prosecutors who spoke with ABC News balked at the notion that such comments should influence Biden. "I've heard a few people around my office comment, 'Who's making this appointment? Is it Joe Biden or Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell?'" one career federal prosecutor said. Garland has served on the federal appeals court in Washington for more than two decades. President Barack Obama nominated him to the Supreme Court in 2016, but Republicans blocked the nomination. During the Clinton administration's first term, Garland was appointed to serve as a senior Justice Department official, and he helped oversee the prosecution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. Before that, he served for nearly three years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Washington. President-elect Joe Biden speaks as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris looks on via video during a news conference at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Dec. 16, 2020. Jones, also during the Clinton administration, served as U.S. attorney in Alabama, where he led the prosecution of two Ku Klux Klan members for their role in the deadly bombing of Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2017, filling a void created when Jeff Sessions became attorney general. Almost all of the current officials who spoke with ABC News said they felt any of Biden's choices would be an improvement over recent Justice Department leadership, insisting that the department's reputation has been battered by years of attacks on the department from the president himself and from several politically charged, high-profile decisions by Trump's attorneys general. The next attorney general, however, will have to navigate a federal investigation into the global business affairs of Biden's son, Hunter, and a recently appointed special counsel investigating the origins of the Russia probe, which Yates helped oversee at its beginning. Many of the officials who spoke with ABC News also cited their desire to see the department refocus on matters of civil rights and social justice, and to include women and people of color in leadership positions. That's one of the reasons the career official supporting Bharara hopes Biden chooses him. "Make Republicans vote against a historic pick," the official said. ABC News' Alex Mallin and Luke Barr contributed to this report.

Germany ponders limiting UK flights due to virus

abcnews.go.com

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/latest-belgians-dutch-halt-uk-flights-fearing-variant-74827785

TORONTO — Canada is banning passenger flights from the UK in a bid to block a new strain of coronavirus sweeping across southern England. A person familiar with the matter confirmed the development on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly ahead of an announcement. France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and Bulgaria all announced restrictions on U.K. travel, hours after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that Christmas shopping and gatherings in southern England must be canceled because of rapidly spreading infections blamed on the new coronavirus variant. Johnson said Saturday that a fast-moving new variant of the virus that is 70% more transmissible than existing strains appeared to be driving the rapid spread of new infections in London and southern England in recent weeks. But he stressed "there's no evidence to suggest it is more lethal or causes more severe illness," or that vaccines will be less effective against it. In Congress, negotiators have reached agreement on a new round of pandemic aid that would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefits and $600 direct stimulus payments to most Americans, along with a fresh round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and funding for schools, health care providers, and renters facing eviction. An expert committee has put people 75 and older and essential workers like firefighters, teachers and grocery store workers next in line for COVID-19 shots as a second vaccine began rolling out to U.S. hospitals. European countries are halting U.K. flights, fearing a new coronavirus variant. The variant seems to spread more easily than others, though experts are unsure about that, and they add that there is no evidence that it is any deadlier. GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The leader of a north Georgia megachurch who has been a spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump has tested positive for COVID-19. News outlets report Jentezen Franklin was absent from Sunday services at Free Chapel in Gainesville. Pastor Javon Ruff announced the diagnosis during Free Chapel's Sunday service. The diagnosis came within days of Franklin attending a Christmas party at the White House. More than a dozen parties at the White House have been criticized for being held indoors and not enforcing masks, but a church spokesperson says Franklin's infection wasn't related to that visit. LOS ANGELES -- Medical staffing is stretched increasingly thin as California hospitals scramble to find beds for patients amid an explosion of coronavirus cases that threatens to overwhelm the state's emergency care system. As of Sunday, more than 16,840 people were hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 infections — more than double the previous peak reached in July. An enormous crush of cases in the last six weeks has California's death toll spiraling ever higher. Another 161 fatalities were reported Sunday. All of Southern California and the 12-county San Joaquin Valley to the north have exhausted their regular intensive care unit capacity, and some hospitals have begun using "surge" space. A nurse in hard-hit Los Angeles County estimates she's been averaging less than 10 minutes of care per patient every hour. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas' governor is urging residents to protect each other from the coronavirus this holiday season. The state on Sunday reported 1,536 new COVID-19 cases and 46 more deaths. One in every 190 people in Arkansas tested positive in the past week. The Arkansas Department of Health said that the state has reported more than 201,000 cases and more than 3,200 deaths since the pandemic began. "The high number of Arkansans who have died is heartbreaking," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday on Twitter. Health officials said that 1,057 people with COVID-19 are in Arkansas hospitals. TOPEKA, Kan. — A FedEx executive says a higher-than-normal volume of Christmas-season package deliveries won't interfere with the company's effort to ship coronavirus vaccine doses. Jenny Robertson, a FedEx senior vice president, said two trucks on Sunday moved doses of a vaccine developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health from a factory in Olive Branch, Mississippi, to the company's world hub in nearby Memphis, Tennessee, so that shipments could be loaded onto its airplanes bound for multiple states. She said the company is keeping its networks for shipping the vaccine and handling Christmas packages separate. Robertson said the company has seen holiday-level volumes for shipping packages since March because consumers switched how they buy products during the pandemic. ZAGREB, Croatia — Croatia's prime minister says the country is temporarily suspending air traffic with Great Britain over fears about the new strain of coronavirus. Several European countries said Sunday they would halt flights from the U.K., hours after Britain's government imposed tough new coronavirus restrictions on large areas of southern England to curb what officials described as a fast-moving new strain of the virus. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Sunday said on Twitter the suspension will apply for 48 hours until more information is available. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia has temporarily suspended all international passenger flights for citizens and residents over fears about the fast-spreading new variant of the coronavirus. The country's land and sea ports will also close for a week. The government ordered anyone who has returned from or passed through a European country over the past three months to get tested for COVID-19 immediately. The ministry added that the travel suspension will not affect the country's cargo flights and supply chains. NEW YORK -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants a ban on flights from Great Britain to New York City over fears about the new strain of coronavirus. Cuomo told reporters in a teleconference on Sunday that the six flights arriving daily at Kennedy Airport from Britain pose a health risk. He called on the federal government to either ban the flights or require testing on all passengers. OKLAHOMA CITY — As new daily cases of the coronavirus have surged in Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt is starring in a promotional video encouraging people to visit. The Oklahoma State Department of Health on Sunday reported 4,970 new cases and 23 deaths. That brings the state's totals to more than 260,000 cases and more than 2,200 deaths since the pandemic began. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say there were 1,081 new cases per 100,000 people in Oklahoma over the past two weeks, which ranks 12th in the country for new cases per capita. One in every 175 people in Oklahoma tested positive in the past week. Stitt, who has resisted calls for a statewide mask mandate, stars in a 30-second video that has has more than 100,000 views on YouTube. The video is also being promoted on digital and social media platforms in surrounding states, The Oklahoman reported. The video was posted on YouTube on Nov. 19 — the same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised against traveling around the Thanksgiving holiday. An Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department spokeswoman says the ads will run through Dec. 30. Stitt spokesman Charlie Hannema tells The Oklahoman newspaper that the campaign is part of a state strategy to support businesses affected by the pandemic. "We need people to continue to take precautions, but with the vaccination rollout starting, the light is at the end of the tunnel," Hannema said. Health officials in the state have been pleading with residents to take precautions, and warn that pandemic is far from over. WASHINGTON — The chief science adviser for the U.S. government's vaccine distribution effort says it will be shipping nearly 8 million doses of coronavirus vaccine Monday. Dr. Moncef Slaoui said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that 5.9 million doses of a vaccine made by Moderna and 2 million of a vaccine made by Pfizer will be shipped. At least a dozen states reported last week that they would receive a smaller second shipment of the Pfizer vaccine than they had been told previously. Army Gen. Gustave Perna, in charge of the distribution effort, apologized Saturday for "miscommunication" with states over the number of doses to be delivered in the early stages of distribution. Slaoui said the mistake was assuming vaccines that had been produced were ready for shipment when there was a two-day delay. Slaoui also said the U.S. will experience "a continuing surge" in the coronavirus, with larger numbers of cases possible from gatherings for the Christmas holiday. SOFIA, Bulgaria— Bulgaria is banning until January 31 all flights coming from and leaving for Britain in reaction to the new coronavirus strain. At an emergency meeting on Sunday, the government had introduced new restrictive measures for all persons arriving from the United Kingdom, including a mandatory 10-day quarantine. Hours later, it added the flight ban to the list of restrictions. SAN RAMON, Calif. - More than 1 million people have passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints in each of the past two days in a sign that public health pleas to avoid holiday travel are being ignored, despite an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases across the country. It marks the first time U.S. airports have screened more than 1 million passengers since Nov. 29. That came at the end of a Thanksgiving weekend that saw far more travel around the country than had been hoped as the weather turned colder and COVID-19 cases were already spiking again. Now, hospitals in many parts of the country are being overwhelmed amid the largest outbreak of COVID-19 in the U.S. since the pandemic since March when most people in the U.S. were ordered to stay at home and avoid interactions with other households. WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for U.S. surgeon general says it's more realistic to think it may be mid-summer or early fall before coronavirus vaccines are available to the general population in the United States, rather than late spring. Murthy, who also served as surgeon general in the Obama administration, said Biden's promise of 100 million vaccines during his first 100 days in office is realistic and that the Biden team has seen more cooperation from Trump administration officials. WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's surgeon general is defending Trump's not getting a coronavirus vaccine, saying there are medical reasons for it. U.S. Surgeon General and Vice Admiral Jerome Adams, speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, noted that Trump both contracted COVID-19 in October and was treated with monoclonal antibodies. "And that is actually one scenario where we tell people maybe you should hold off on getting the vaccine, talk to your health provider to find out the right time," Adams said. Asked about Trump doing a public-service announcement for the vaccine to encourage his supporters to get it, Adams noted that both he and Vice President Mike Pence got vaccinated. Adams, who is Black, said he understands that mistrust of the medical community and the vaccine among Blacks "comes from a real place," the mistreatment of communities of color. JERUSALEM —— Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the country is banning flights from Britain, Denmark or South Africa due to fears about the new strain of coronavirus. "Those are the countries where the mutation is found," he said. He also said Sunday that anyone returning from those countries would have to go into mandatory 14-day quarantine in state-run hotels. Netanyahu spoke a day after he was vaccinated against the coronavirus – the first Israeli to do so in what he said was an attempt to encourage the public to follow suit. Israel pushed ahead with its vaccination campaign on Sunday, beginning with other top officials and front-line health-care workers. LONDON — Eurostar trains between London, Brussels and Amsterdam are being canceled from Monday, after the Belgian government announced that borders with the U.K will close at midnight Sunday. The high-speed train operator said Sunday that trains continue to operate on the London to Paris route. The Belgian government has said it will review the position in 24 hours. Eurostar said they're awaiting further details from relevant governments on how travel restrictions will be enforced. European countries including the Netherlands, Austria and Italy said Sunday they would halt flights from the U.K., hours after Britain's government imposed tough new coronavirus restrictions on large areas of southern England to curb what officials described as a fast-moving new strain of the virus. MILAN — Both the number of COVID deaths and new positives were significantly lower on Sunday, a day when typically many fewer tests are carried out. Deaths rose by 352, down by several hundred from recent days, and bringing Italy's known coronavirus dead to 68,799, the highest in Europe. Another 15,104 people tested positive, down by over 1,000 from a day earlier as the number of tests dropped by nearly a quarter. Sunday marked the last day Italians were permitted to move from one region to another without a valid motive, including work and health. The government has imposed more stringent restrictions for the Christmas holiday in a bid to prevent celebrations from setting of a new surge. Shopping streets in major cities were packed ahead of the imposition of a partial lockdown this week.

Cross-country Christmas storm likely to have severe impact on East Coast

abcnews.go.com

https://abcnews.go.com/US/cross-country-christmas-storm-severe-impact-east-coast/story?id=74827871

The potential of a cross-country Christmas week storm hitting the U.S. is increasing. The storm could cause numerous hazards, especially as it arrives on the East Coast on Christmas Eve. Its sharp cold front could bring Arctic blasts for Christmas. After a blast of cold air hit the eastern U.S. on Saturday, much of the East is trending a little bit closer to seasonable. There are a couple of quick-moving systems that will travel through the Eastern and Central U.S. over the next few days. The first one is a frontal system that will bring a quick burst of snow from Ohio to New York. Some of this snow might hang on and bring snow showers to the I-95 corridor Sunday. TOPSHOT - People walk in the snow in Boston, Massachusetts, on Dec. 17, 2020. The next disturbance will slide in from Canada Monday morning and bring with it a quick burst of snow to the upper Midwest. We are not expecting any significant accumulation, but there could be a couple of slick spots, and visibility may drop briefly. In the Northwest, a storm is bringing very heavy rain. In areas such as Oregon and Washington, up to 8 inches of rain could fall. This could trigger mudslides, landslides and avalanches. Some flooding may also occur. Attention will then turn to a storm system that will travel across the country for Christmas week. Unfortunately, even though the precise magnitude of the impacts remain uncertain, the storm looks like it will bring quite a bit of weather drama with it. The new storm could cause numerous hazards, especially as it arrives on the East Coast on Christmas Eve. Its sharp cold front could bring Arctic blasts for Christmas. The storm could bring powerful winds on Christmas Eve and Christmas in the Northeast, a combination of heavy rain, mild temperatures and melting snow in the Northeast later this week and a potentially brief period of snow on the colder side of the storm -- especially in the Appalachian Mountains. It will arrive in the Northwest by Monday, and then bring some more rain and mountain snow before it races off into the Central U.S. by Wednesday. On Wednesday, as the storm becomes more organized, a powerful cold front will develop and bring some heavy rain and strong thunderstorms, especially in the Mississippi River Valley. On the colder side of the storm, snow will likely begin to wrap around the low pressure, causing a burst of snow in parts of the upper Midwest. By Christmas Eve, the frontal system will approach the Eastern U.S. A tremendous amount of mild air ahead of the system will bring temperatures well into the 50s, and maybe low 60s in the Northeast, where there is a decent snowpack from last week's nor'easter. The potential of a cross-country Christmas week storm hitting the U.S. is increasing. As the front approaches, very heavy rain is likely to develop. The combination of heavy rain and melting snow will likely cause flooding. Areas with high elevations, such as northeast Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont, where locally over 2 feet of snow fell, are more at risk. There could be flooding in the region as the storm approaches. Also on Christmas Eve, there is a chance that along with heavy precipitation, there will be powerful wind gusts, especially in parts of the Northeast Coast. While it is too early to determine how strong the winds will be, power outages may occur. On Christmas Day, cold air will be wrapping around the storm system and surging into the U.S. Heavy rain and strong thunderstorms may also hit the Southeast on Christmas Eve. In the Appalachians and near the Great Lakes, there could be brief periods of accumulating heavy snow as well as low temperatures. On Christmas Day, cold air will wrap around the storm system and surge into the U.S. In the Midwest, wind chills could easily be in the -10s and -20s. Wind chills in the teens and 20s may also travel all the way to the South. Meanwhile, the East Coast may experience very dramatic temperatures over the holidays. Parts of New Jersey could see temperatures near 60 on Christmas Eve, but single digits by Christmas night.

Fiji cyclone death toll rises to 4 with 1 missing

abcnews.go.com

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/fiji-cyclone-death-toll-rises-missing-74827046

Share to FacebookEmail this articleSUVA, Fiji -- The death toll from a powerful cyclone that battered the Pacific island nation of Fiji last week has risen to four with one missing, an official said Sunday. While Cyclone Yasa on Thursday spared the capital city, Suva, and the major tourist hub of Nadi on Fiji's largest island, Viti Levu, the full extend of damage was still being assessed. Fiji's National Disaster Management Office Director Vasiti Soko told reporters that 7,731 people were still in 183 evacuation centers throughout the country. Soko said an Australian military C-17 transport was expected to arrive later Sunday with shelter kits. Before the cyclone hit with gusts of up to 345 kilometers (214 miles) per hour, authorities had imposed an overnight curfew and declared a state of natural disaster. Located about one-third of the way from New Zealand to Hawaii, Fiji has a population of about 930,000.

More students abducted in Nigeria but are quickly rescued

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https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/students-abducted-nigeria-quickly-rescued-74827650

Share to FacebookEmail this articleMAIDUGURI, Nigeria -- Gunmen in Nigeria abducted more than 80 Islamic school students in northwestern Katsina state Saturday night, but the pupils were quickly rescued by security forces after a fierce gun battle, police announced Sunday. The foiled abduction comes less than two days after the release of 344 schoolboys who were kidnapped in the same area on Dec. 11. The incidents have highlighted the insecurity in northern Nigeria. Saturday night's attempted kidnapping took place in Dandume, about 64 kilometers (40 miles) from Kankara, the town where the earlier kidnapping of schoolboys occurred. The bandits had already abducted four people and stolen a dozen cows when they ran into the schoolchildren who were on their way home from a celebration, Katsina state police spokesman, Gambo Isa, said early Sunday morning. Police and a local community self-defense group rescued the children from the bandits after a gunfight, he said. Dandume, an area bordering the northern part of Kaduna state, is one of the region's hotspots for banditry and kidnapping, according to residents. "Dandume is a no-go-area for many of us because of the high level of crimes and insecurity being perpetrated by armed bandits," said Saidu Lawal, an official of a local civic group in Katsina, told The Associated Press.

Billionaire Ray Dalio confirms son's car crash death: 'My family and I are mourning'

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Billionaire Ray Dalio confirms son's car crash death: 'My family and I are mourning'A car drove into a Connecticut store and burst into flames, police said. Share to FacebookEmail this articleBillionaire hedge fund founder Ray Dalio has confirmed the news of son Devon Dalio's death. "It is with great pain that I am sharing with you that my 42 year old son was killed in a car crash yesterday. My family and I are mourning and processing and would prefer to be incommunicado for the time being," Ray Dalio, 71, wrote on Twitter Friday night. The car crash that killed Devon Dalio occurred Thursday afternoon in Greenwich, Connecticut, a family spokesperson told Connecticut media Friday. An Audi drove into a Verizon store at the Riverside Commons shopping center and burst into flames, Greenwich police and Fire Chief Joseph McHugh said, according to the Greenwich Time. The store was reportedly destroyed, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation, according to the newspaper. FILE PHOTO: Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, speaks at the 2019 New Economy Forum in Beijing, China, Nov. 21, 2019. "We know that the terrible pain we are feeling has been and continues to be felt by so many others so our sympathies go out to them. May God be with you and may you cherish your blessings, especially at this time of year," Ray Dalio wrote on Twitter. His late son with wife Barbara Dalio worked as a project manager at Bridgewater Associates, according to his LinkedIn page. He left behind a wife, a daughter and three brothers, the Greenwich Time reported.

Palestinian foreign minister urges Israel to return to talks

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CAIRO -- The Palestinian foreign minister on Saturday urged Israel to return to talks based on a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ahead of the transition to a new U.S. administration. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki's comments came in a joint statement with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry and Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. In a news conference after their meeting, al-Malki said that the Palestinian Authority is ready to cooperate with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, on the basis of achieving a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital on territory Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. "We are ready for cooperation and dealing with the new U.S. administration, and we are expecting that it would re-draw its ties with the state of Palestine," he said. The Palestinian diplomat said coordination with Cairo and Amman is a "center point" that would establish a "starting point" in dealing with the incoming Biden administration. Egypt and Jordan are close U.S. allies. In September, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an international conference early next year to launch a "genuine peace process," based on the U.N. resolutions and past agreements with Israel. The Palestinians urged that the conference be multilateral, since they contend the United States is no longer an honest broker. Palestinian negotiators have suffered numerous setbacks under the Trump administration, and complained about what they say are biased pro-Israel steps from Washington. Trump has sidelined the Palestinian Authority, recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, slashed financial assistance for the Palestinians, and reversed course on the illegitimacy of Israeli settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians. Israel captured east Jerusalem and the West Bank in the 1967 war. The international community considers both areas to be occupied territory, and the Palestinians seek them as parts of a future independent state. Israel annexed east Jerusalem and considers it part of its capital — a step that is not internationally recognized. Israel has built a far-flung network of settlements that house nearly 700,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Jerusalem since their capture in 1967. The Palestinians want both territories for their future state and view the settlements as a violation of international law and an obstacle to peace — a position with wide international support. Al-Malki also said they have returned to security coordination with Israel, after Israeli authorities sent a "message, for the first time, that they are abiding to all agreements" made with the Palestinians. In May, the Palestinian president announced that the PA would cut ties with Israel, including security coordination, following Israel's pledge to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank. In a statement following their meeting, the three ministers said they would work to rally international support against Israel's "illegitimate measures" that include settlements' expansion, demolishing dozens of Palestinian homes and seizing their land. "These are illegitimate Israeli actions on the ground that affect all chances to reach a comprehensive peace process that can only happen by the two-state solution," said Safadi, Jordan's top diplomat, at the news conference. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi also met with the Jordanian and Palestinian ministers, according to the Egyptian leader's office. He was apparently referring to the election of Biden as the U.S. president, and the normalization deals between Israel and four Arab countries including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. That deals, crafted by the Trump administration, dealt another heavy setback for the Palestinians.

State senator dies from COVID-19 complications

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State senator dies from COVID-19 complicationsHe became infected at a Republicans Caucus meeting. Share to FacebookEmail this articleMinnesota State Republican Sen. Jerry Relph has died due to complications from COVID-19. The 76-year-old began serving in the Minnesota Senate in 2017 and represented the 14th district that includes St. Cloud. His wife confirmed the news of his death in a statement published on the Minnesota Senate Republicans Caucus' website Friday night. "I'm heartbroken to share that my husband, Jerry Relph, has passed away and entered his heavenly home. Jerry was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. He was a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam, an attorney, small businessman, and dedicated public servant in the Minnesota Senate," Pegi Broker-Relph wrote. "Jerry dedicated his life to service and representing Senate District 14 was one of the highest honors he had.I can't count the number of times he would come home at night and tell me about helping solve a constituent's problem, or a story he heard from someone in a parade or at a public event, or even just someone he met during a 'day on the hill' event. He loved serving the people of St. Cloud in the Senate, and he cherished every minute of it. Jerry loved diving into the issues, finding compromise, and working together to solve problems and I have no doubt he would have continued solving problems outside the legislature," she added. Minnesota State Republican Sen. Jerry Relph is pictured, Oct. 2019. On social media, various state representatives voiced their sadness over the news. Relph contracted the virus at a Republican Caucus meeting on Nov. 5, where other senators were also infected, KSTP reported. He began quarantining on Nov. 10 and started seeing symptoms three days later. It's unclear when his condition began to worsen.

German court upholds tree-felling ban at Tesla plant site

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Share to FacebookEmail this articleBERLIN -- A German court ruled Saturday that automaker Tesla has to stop clearing trees on some parts of the site outside Berlin where it is building the company's first electric car factory in Europe. The top administrative court in the Berlin-Brandenburg region upheld an earlier temporary ban on the clearing of the forested site after two environmentalist groups appealed a lower court's decision to allow the tree-cutting. It specifically ruled that areas on the fringes of the plot where protected species live may not be cleared. The court also said that Tesla had not provided demanded information on paying for possible environmental restoration projects until a deadline earlier this week, German news agency dpa reported. The company planned to open the factory next summer. It was not immediately clear if the ruling would cause a delay. The cased resulted from a lawsuit brought by environmental groups NABU and Gruene Liga, which claimed that wildlife in the forest hadn't been safely resettled before the clearing started. They were particularly concerned about sand lizards and smooth snakes, NABU wrote on its website. Both are protected species in Germany. Tesla expects to make 150,000 electric cars a year at the new plant starting in mid-2021, with plans to increase that number to half a million annually. The company, which is headquartered in California, announced late last year that it had decided to build its first European factory in the Berlin area. The planned site is at Gruenheide, just east of the capital in Brandenburg state.

After 9 months, Congress reaches COVID-19 compromise deal

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Top congressional lawmakers announced a roughly $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill on Sunday, just hours ahead of a government shutdown deadline -- a deal nearly nine months in the making. House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer informed the caucus that they will vote on a one-day stopgap funding bill Sunday night in order to avert a government shutdown, per Democratic aides. A final vote on the spending bill and COVID-19 relief bill will be on Monday in the House, before it heads to the Senate. McConnell outlined a $900 billion dollar package that includes, among other things, a second draw of the paycheck protection program. "We've not worked so hard to save as many jobs as possible all these months only to fumble the ball with vaccinations already underway," McConnell said. After several months of partisan bickering over the size and scope of the relief deal, lawmakers agreed to a $300 boost in weekly unemployment benefits, $600 relief checks for individuals, more than $300 billion for small business aid and huge pots of money for schools, hospitals and vaccine distribution. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) walks through the Capitol, Dec. 17, 2020. The agreement comes as 12 million people are set to lose benefits if pandemic-era provisions to expand unemployment eligibility expire. Millions across the country face eviction if a federal moratorium expires at the end of the year. All this comes as the rising number of COVID-19 cases are taking a toll on the economy: The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose again to 885,000 in the week ending Dec. 12 -- the highest weekly total since September. Congressional leaders worked through the weekend but a deal was stalled over disagreements related to the Federal Reserve's lending powers. GOP Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania was advocating for a provision on the Federal Reserve to be included in the final COVID-19 relief deal. His provision would block the next administration and the Federal Reserve from relaunching several expiring lending programs next year. Democrats cried foul over the last-minute squabble and accused Republicans of inserting partisan language that would kneecap efforts by the incoming Biden administration to respond to economic crises. "Right now, Democrats stand together. There was no dissension in the caucus. We cannot make a change like this," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., told reporters Saturday night on Toomey's provision. "We keep trying. We're trying, but this is a new thing. And what they've asked for goes way beyond. This is the kind of thing that should have a strong legislative discussion," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. Despite the 11th hour haggling, negotiators remained optimistic that a deal would be reached. A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed late Saturday night that an agreement had been reached on the Toomey matter. "Now that Democrats have agreed to a version of Senator Toomey's important language, we can begin closing out the rest of the package to deliver much-needed relief to families, workers and businesses," McConnell spokesperson Doug Andres said. Per a Democratic aide, Toomey agreed to drop the language prohibiting the fed from reestablishing lending facilities similar to the ones established in the CARES Act. Republicans also claimed victory, with Toomey's team outlining the compromise as one that prohibits the programs from being duplicated without congressional approval. But now, a government shutdown deadline at midnight Sunday is bearing down on Congress as it seeks to pass both the stimulus relief package and a must-pass $1.4 trillion stimulus deal. The House is expected to vote on both packages first, followed by the Senate -- but they are under time constraints and will likely need more time to get both packages across the finish line. Leadership has warned members of Congress to keep their schedules open as they may have to work through Monday, and it would also require another short-term funding bill. If lawmakers don't approve a short-term funding deal in the meantime, a lapse could lead to a partial, low-impact shutdown. Leaders expressed frustration earlier in the week that their negotiations were once again up against a tight deadline. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, walks to the Senate Floor at the Capitol, Dec. 18, 2020. "I think McConnell is the principle culprit. But I don't think the rest of us are without blame," he said. McConnell remained upbeat on coronavirus aid talks over the weekend. The new COVID-19 relief legislation would "repurpose" over $400 billion in unused funds from the CARES Act, which Congress passed back in March -- which means this bill will include about $500 billion in new funding if the $900 billion top-line holds. Mitch McConnell talks to reporters after the Senate voted to confirm Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh at the U.S. Capitol October 06, 2018, in Washington. | Nancy Pelosi rallies support for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford in the Rayburn Room in the U.S. Capitol September 26, 2018 in Washington. Democrats acknowledged defeat in getting $160 billion in aid for state and local governments in the deal due to Republican opposition. At the same time, McConnell has agreed to set aside liability protections for businesses, which he had said was a "red line" for Republicans. Democrats and Republicans alike both fought hard to include direct stimulus checks for Americans at $1,200 -- the same amount approved in the CARES Act by both chambers of Congress in March. An effort by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., to secure $1,200 direct checks to Americans failed earlier Friday. Hawley, who had been working with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on a direct check effort for several weeks, left the floor so frustrated that he said he may derail the short-term funding effort to prevent a government shutdown later Friday. Hawley said he and other rank-and-file members have been left "in the dark for days" on what's in the relief package and without assurances that there are direct checks in the package and a package ready to be voted on, he's prepared to stand in the way of efforts to buy a bit more time with a short-term funding bill -- known as a continuing resolution or CR. "If we are going to spend hundreds of billions of dollars bailing out this, that and the other, surely we could start with reasonable modest relief to the working people in need in this nation," Hawley said on the floor. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., opposed the measure out of concern that it was ineffective and would drive up debt. ABC News' Allison Pecorin contributed to this report. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Police sergeant put on leave over bodycam footage of George Floyd protests

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Boston police sergeant put on leave over bodycam footage of George Floyd protestsThe police commissioner ordered an investigation into the officers' actions. Share to FacebookEmail this articleA Boston police sergeant has been placed on administrative leave, and an investigation is underway after body camera footage was released Friday that showed officers violently clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in May. In one of the videos, an officer is seen boasting about hitting a protester with their vehicle. The video was posted by the news site The Appeal and showed officers using mace on protesters, making comments about attacking the demonstrators and charging at them during the May 31 event, shortly after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis. In one of the videos, an unidentified officer is seen talking with another about striking a protester with their vehicle. When the officer finds out they're being recorded on a body camera, they begin to change their story. Attorney Carl Williams, who is representing some of the protesters who were arrested that night, obtained the footage as part of discovery in his case against the city and the officers and provided it to The Appeal. A man who was pepper sprayed by police has milk poured on his face in Downtown Crossing after a march held to protest the death of George Floyd in Boston, May 31, 2020. Boston Police Commissioner William Gross released a statement Friday in response to the videos and said he ordered the Bureau of Professional Standards to conduct an investigation. "I have placed a sergeant involved in this incident on administrative leave, and I will take any additional action as necessary at the conclusion of the investigation. I want to encourage people to bring these matters to our attention so that we can investigate them appropriately," Gross said in a statement. The Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, the union representing Boston police officers, released a statement Saturday and said the footage didn't tell the full story, as they say "hundreds" of officers were "treated for trauma and injuries" they received from protesters. A man is arrested after tensions rose following a peaceful march in Boston, May 31, 2020. "The reality-altering effort and insult aside, the fact remains, the violence and hatred perpetrated against our officers and our city that night will forever be engrained in the minds of our officers," the union said in a statement. The BPPA accused Williams of editing the footage, and Williams responded, contending that he gave the unedited body camera footage. The Appeal said Williams was given 44 videos and more than 66 hours of footage as part of a discovery file in his case. Hundreds of protesters in front of Boston Police Station District 2 demand justice for George Floyd before marching to the Massachusetts State House in Boston, May 31, 2020.

Birx traveled to Delaware vacation property with family after warning of holiday gatherings

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Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. For many Americans that guidance has been difficult to abide, including for Birx herself. The day after Thanksgiving, she traveled to one of her vacation properties on Fenwick Island in Delaware. She was accompanied by three generations of her family from two households. Birx, her husband Paige Reffe, a daughter, son-in-law and two young grandchildren were present. Even in Birx's everyday life, there are challenges meeting that standard. She and her husband have a home in Washington. She also owns a home in nearby Potomac, Maryland, where her elderly parents, and her daughter and family live, and where Birx visits intermittently. In addition, the children's other grandmother, who is 77, also regularly travels to the Potomac house and returns to her 92-year-old husband near Baltimore. Birx's own experiences underline the complexity and difficulty of trying to navigate the perils of the pandemic while balancing a job, family and health, especially among essential workers like her. Yet some of Birx's peers in public health say she should be held to a higher standard given her prominent role in the government's response to the pandemic and the current surge in COVID-19 deaths across the country. Birx has expressed a desire to maintain a significant role on the White House coronavirus task force when President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated next month, according to a person familiar with the Biden team's personnel deliberations and a Trump administration coronavirus task force official. Neither was authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations and both spoke on condition of anonymity. After The Associated Press raised questions about her Thanksgiving weekend travels, Birx acknowledged in a statement that she went to her Delaware property. She declined to be interviewed. She insisted the purpose of the roughly 50-hour visit was to deal with the winterization of the property before a potential sale — something she says she previously hadn't had time to do because of her busy schedule. "I did not go to Delaware for the purpose of celebrating Thanksgiving," Birx said in her statement, adding that her family shared a meal together while in Delaware. Birx said that everyone on her Delaware trip belongs to her "immediate household," even as she acknowledged they live in two different homes. She initially called the Potomac home a "3 generation household (formerly 4 generations)." White House officials later said it continues to be a four-generation household, a distinction that would include Birx as part of the home. Birx's job makes her an "essential worker" by federal guidelines, in a position that requires extensive travel to consult with state and local officials on the pandemic response. She has traveled to 43 states, driving 25,000 miles, she said, often to coronavirus hot spots. Birx also has an office in the White House, where numerous COVID-19 infections have been revealed. Through it all, she said she has kept herself and her family safe through isolating, wearing a mask and regular testing. Birx has not said how long she isolates for before visiting family. Medical experts say people who only recently became infected often do not test positive. They say wearing a mask has limited efficacy in an environment such as the White House, where few others use them. Margaret Flynn, the children's other grandmother comes to the Potomac home to provide child care, then returns to her husband, who has health complications. Birx said that she hasn't seen the other grandmother since the beginning of the pandemic and does not know how frequently she visits the Potomac house. Flynn confirmed that she hasn't spoken to Birx in months. Flynn declined to say how frequently she visits the home to look after the grandchildren. From the podium at the White House, Birx has spoken about how she comes from a multigenerational family with her parents and her daughter's family, including grandchildren, all living under one roof. Many saw that as a relatable family dilemma. In early April, she said she understood the sacrifices many were making and explained that she couldn't visit her Potomac home when one of her grandchildren had a high fever. She has resumed her visits to the house since then. Numerous elected officials, including prominent Democrats, have been forced to acknowledge that they have not heeded their own stern warnings to the public about the dangers of spreading the virus. But Birx occupies a position of far greater authority when it comes to the pandemic. Many Americans rely on the advice that she and the government's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, have given. Kathleen Flynn, whose brother is married to Birx's daughter who lives in the Potomac house, said she brought forward information about Birx's situation out of concern for her own parents, and acknowledged family friction over the matter. "She cavalierly violated her own guidance," Flynn said of Birx. Richard Flynn, her father, confirmed details of Birx's Thanksgiving holiday gathering and visits to the Potomac house, but said he trusted the doctor and believes she's doing what's right. He said Birx's visits to the house have occurred only every few weeks of late. "Dr. Birx is very conscientious and a very good doctor and scientist from everything I can see," Richard Flynn said during a recent interview. Medical experts say public health officials such as Birx need to lead by example, including personal conduct that's beyond reproach. "We need leadership to be setting an example, especially in terms of things they are asking average Americans to do who are far less privileged than they are," said Dr. Abraar Karan, a global health specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, about the high-profile lapses in judgment. Birx came to the White House coronavirus task force with a sterling reputation. A public servant since the Reagan administration, Birx has served as a U.S. Army physician and as a globally recognized AIDS researcher. She was pulled away from her ambassadorial post as the U.S. global AIDS coordinator to assist the task force in late February. Birx, however, has faced criticism from public health experts and Democratic lawmakers for not speaking out forcefully against Trump when he contradicted advice from medical advisers and scientists about how to fight the virus. While she stayed in Trump's good graces far longer than Fauci, who frequently contradicted Trump, the president by late summer had sidelined Birx, too. Kathleen Flynn said she urged her brother and sister-in-law not to allow her mother to babysit, arguing it put her mother at risk by spending so much time in a household other than her own, while also posing a danger to Birx's elderly parents. Flynn, who said she has long had a strained relationship with her brother, is currently not on speaking terms with him and has never met Birx.Flynn said her mother waited about a week after Birx's Thanksgiving trip before returning to the Potomac home to provide child care help. Lawrence Gostin, a public health expert at Georgetown University's law school who has known Birx professionally for years, said that he's confident that Birx took all necessary precautions to minimize risks in her Thanksgiving travel. Still, he said it undercuts her larger goal to get Americans to cooperate with government officials' efforts to minimize the death and suffering caused by the virus.

Trump campaign takes fight over Penn. election, ballot laws to Supreme Court

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President Trump's campaign team on Sunday filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to reverse several cases by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to change the state's mail ballot law before and after the 2020 presidential election. The president's campaign alleged in a statement that the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court's changing of the law was a violation of Article II of the U.S. Constitution and Bush v. Gore. Attorney General William Barr listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Republican state attorneys general. The petition cites a "related Pennsylvania case" where Justice Samuel Alito and two other justices observed the constitutionality of the state court's decision to extend the statutory deadline for receipt of mail ballots from 8 p.m. on Election Day to 5 p.m. three days later. The campaign team said the constitutionality of the court's decision had "national importance" and may violate the U.S. Constitution. The petition marks the latest episode in an ongoing saga of lawsuits brought by the Trump campaign challenging the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Trump still refuses to concede and continues to promote allegations that there was massive voter fraud. Electors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia last week cast ballots, formalizing Joe Biden's victory over Trump. According to the results of the election, Biden topped Trump by an Electoral College count margin of 306-232. Should the U.S. Supreme Court take up the Trump campaign's case against Pennsylvania, it's not a given that it would fundamentally impact the certification of the Electoral College in Congress. The new U.S. House of Representatives and Senate will meet Jan. 6 to convene in a Joint Session of Congress to certify the results of the Electoral College. Any challenge to the certification would require a vote by both the House and Senate to toss out a state's electoral votes. Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

McConnell: Coronavirus relief deal reached, final package expected in 'matter of hours'

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Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday evening said lawmakers have reached a long-awaited coronavirus relief bill, though it will be hours before the full details are made public, Fox News has learned. After days of negotiations, McConnell said he was "relieved" that a deal was in the offing. Fox News was told that it could take "hours" to prep the relief bill. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., walks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 15. Before hitting the full House for a vote, the bill first must go through the House Rules Committee, though it remains unclear when that will be. According to congressional leaders, the agreement would establish temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefits and $600 direct stimulus payments to most Americans, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and money for schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction. The House and Senate were expected to vote on the legislation on Monday. Meanwhile, the House passed a one-day stopgap spending bill 329-69 to avert a government shutdown at midnight. The Senate was expected to vote on the interim spending bill later Sunday. Senators held talks on Capitol Hill late Saturday when Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., hit the Senate floor with a list of grievances on the $900 billion package. But Fox News learned late Saturday that Toomey had agreed to compromise language from his initial proposal that would have prevented the Federal Reserve chairman from establishing federal lending programs similar to those set up in March to help credit markets function during massive U.S. economic shutdowns. The apparent compromise, following discussions between Toomey and Chuck Schumer, appeared to open a path to a final agreement on the coronavirus package. The plan, as of now, is to load the $900 billion coronavirus bill onto a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending plan to fund the government through Sept. 30, 2021. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told "Fox News Sunday" that the deal is expected to include $600 checks to most Americans, covering adults and children, extended unemployment benefits, and additional paycheck protection loans for small businesses. The House Democratic leadership began meeting at 1 p.m. ET on a coronavirus bill, but there was no sense of when they may have the final text and go to the Rules Committee, which is the first step in the process. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, speaks during a news conference with other Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington, while Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, listens at left. After the announcement, Schumer and Pelosi offered additional details, including $25 billion in rental assistance, $15 billion for theaters and other live venues, $82 billion for local schools, colleges, and universities, and $10 billion for child care. But Pelosi qualified that the bill was only an initial step, telling her colleagues in a letter that "more help will be on the way" when President-elect Joe Biden enters the White House. The bill also was an engine to carry much of Capitol Hill's unfinished business, including a 400-page water resources bill that targets $10 billion for 46 Army Corps of Engineers flood control, environmental and coastal protection projects. Another addition would extend a batch of soon-to-expire tax breaks, including one for craft brewers, wineries and distillers. House Democrats passed their massive $3 trillion HEROES Act that Senate Republicans rejected in favor of a more targeted approach to helping American people and businesses. Fox News' Caitlin McFall, Chad Pergram, Ronn Blitzer and Jason Donner contributed to this report.

McCarthy after FBI briefing: 'No way' Swalwell should serve on intel committee

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Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., discusses FBI briefing details on Rep. Eric Swalwell's Chinese relations. The classified briefing on Friday included only McCarthy and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Since House leaders have the authority to choose which representatives serve on committees, McCarthy said he's going to request that all intel committee members receive the "exact same" briefing as he did. "Because if this individual is sitting on this committee ... they've got to know the background of what has gone on," he said. Axios reported that a woman named Christine Fang or Fang Fang had made inroads with several political figures, including Swalwell. That same report said that Fang had sexual encounters with at least two Midwestern mayors. Swalwell has declined to answer questions multiple times about his relationship with her. Fox News' Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.

Coronavirus mutation not vaccine-resistant, current, future surgeon generals believe

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The current and potential surgeons general of the United States have assured they see no potential danger posed by the new coronavirus strain reported in Britain. News of a more virulent strain of COVID-19 found in the U.K. has unsettled world leaders and citizens alike, seeming to arise just as global distribution of the Pfizer vaccine is underway and Moderna's vaccine not far behind it. However, both Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams and President-elect Biden's pick for the position, Dr. Vivek Murthy, believe that the new strain does not pose a threat as long as Americans continue to observe basic health policies as suggested by the CDC guidelines. Adams cautioned that the public should remember that viruses mutate "all the time," but that it does not necessarily make them more dangerous. FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2014, photo, then U.S. Surgeon General appointee Dr. Vivek Murthy appears on Capitol Hill in Washington. Murthy has been named as co-chair by President-elect Joe Biden to his COVID-19 advisory board. Murthy echoed the surgeon general's message and urged Americans to stay calm and continue to follow "the pillars" of preventing COVID transmission: wearing face masks, hand-washing and social distance. With both men confident in the vaccine's effectiveness even against the new strain, the focus will be on ensuring the distribution and uptake of vaccinations across the country. Adams addressed concerns with what some have called a slow rollout of the vaccine, with 3 million doses shipped but only around 170,000-270,000 vaccines actually administered. The surgeon general assured that this was a normal and expected process, with numbers "going up and down" over the coming weeks.

Murthy believes 'realistic' timeline sees public vaccinations starting midsummer

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President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for surgeon general believes that a more "realistic" timeline will see the coronavirus vaccine distributed to the public starting midsummer 2021. Dr. Vivek Murthy cautioned that the Trump administration's timeline, which would see general public access to the vaccine as early as April 2021, is possible but would require everything to go right. FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2014, photo, then U.S. Surgeon General appointee Dr. Vivek Murthy appears on Capitol Hill in Washington. Murthy has been named as co-chair by President-elect Joe Biden to his COVID-19 advisory board. "I think that if everything goes well, we may see a circumstance whereby late spring, people who are lower risk categories can get the vaccine, but that would really require everything to go exactly on schedule," he said. Biden, however, made a pledge of 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days – a pledge Murthy downplayed when asked if that timeline was more realistic. "Is it doable? Yes, I think we can do it, but what we've got to do is prepare and be ready to execute," Murthy said, shifting the focus to being ready to deliver the vaccine. Murthy claimed that he and "others on the Biden team" were working with suppliers and the Trump administration to make that they can deliver the vaccines when ready. "This is going to be the most aggressive and ambitious vaccination campaign we've attempted in this country's history, and that's why we're ready on day one," Murthy said.

Nunes calls for new criminal referral over Peter Stzrok texts

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Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., argues Durham's investigation into origins of Russia probe should continue, calls for special prosecutor to investigate Biden family's business ties to China. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., is calling for a criminal referral to investigate why the FBI and Department of Justice failed to previously turn over certain text messages from former FBI agent Peter Strzok that he said would have been key for Republicans' investigation of the Russia probe. Troves of messages from Strzok had been made public in the past, but the DOJ released additional messages earlier this month after Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, requested their release. Nunes complained that they should have already been released to members of Congress. "This is clearly lying and obstructing Congress. This is information that we asked for numerous times," Nunes said. Nunes was confident that Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham, who has been leading an investigation of his own into the Russia probe's origins, will take action. "I don't see how John Durham can't bust several people for lying and misleading Congress," he said.

Romney: Trump continuing to dispute election results is 'really sad' and 'embarrassing'

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Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, called President Trump's refusal to concede the 2020 election "really sad" and "embarrassing" on Sunday. "He could be going out championing this extraordinary success, and instead he's leaving Washington with conspiracy theories and things so nutty and loopy that people are shaking their head wondering what in the world has gotten into this man? I think that's unfortunate because he has more accomplishments than this last chapter suggests he is going to be known for," Romney continued. The president has refused to concede to President-elect Joe Biden and continues to claim without evidence that there was massive voter fraud in many of the key battleground states where Biden beat Trump, giving the former vice president a large 306-232 Electoral College victory over the GOP incumbent. Biden also beat the president by more than 7 million votes in the national popular count. However, Romney said he would not leave the Republican Party, as Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Mich., recently announced he would. Fox News' Paul Steinhauser and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.

Rep.-elect Nancy Mace still recovering from June coronavirus bout: 'I was really, really sick'

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Nancy Mace, the first GOP woman elected to Congress in South Carolina, joins 'Fox & Friends Weekend' to discuss her election and campaign. Rep.-elect Nancy Mace, the first woman to graduate from The Citadel military college, still suffers lingering effects from a serious bout of coronavirus this summer and cautions others to take the disease seriously. Mace, who won back South Carolina's 1st District for Republicans, arrived in Washington wearing a face mask with her last name embroidered in bright block letters. Not only did the "MACE" mask serve as a helpful pandemic-era nametag during congressional orientation, but it sent a message that masks are a priority to her. Mace, an active and healthy 43-year-old divorced mother of two, tested positive for COVID-19 on June 23. She said her blood oxygen level dipped to 87 at one point and her breathing was so labored her son called her "Darth Vader." She avoided getting steroid treatment at the hospital, which in retrospect Mace thinks was a mistake, as she was ill for another three months with so-called "long hauler" symptoms. The symptoms hit in the midst of a highly competitive campaign to win back the coastal Charleston district. Mace said she couldn't get through a day without taking an afternoon nap of one to two hours, which posed an "incredible challenge" for the working mom. Even now, Mace, an avid cyclist, has been unable to resume a rigorous exercise schedule. She can walk three miles, but she lamented last month that she hasn't been able to break an 18-minute pace yet. Mace wore masks publicly prior to getting sick and she's unclear how she contracted COVID. Still, she wants to help others lower the risk of experiencing what she did, so she's touted coronavirus precautions wherever she goes. Her sister embroidered at least 100 of the "MACE" face coverings during the campaign that also turned into cute campaign swag for volunteers. Mace has hand sanitizer hanging from her purse for easy access. Inside her bag, she travels with at least three extra masks in case she encounters someone without one. On the campaign trail, she said she limited capacity at her gatherings and preached social distancing. As a pro-mask Republican, Mace experienced blowback at times. Mace is among at least five incoming House freshmen who have contracted coronavirus, which has killed 315,000 Americans.  At least 38 current House members were infected as well as seven sitting Senators and the president. Their experiences with the disease ranged from being asymptomatic to hospitalization. Her Democratic rival in the South Carolina race, Rep. Joe Cunningham, also got coronavirus back in March but experienced mild symptoms. Mace's journey to Congress is one of shattering barriers and second chances. She grew up in Goose Creek, S.C. Her father was a Citadel graduate and a decorated retired Army brigadier general. Her mom is an educator who graduated with a master's degree in teaching from The Citadel Graduate College, where unlike the cadet program, women have attended since the 1960s. Her mom was teaching at Mace's high school when she dropped out at age 17 feeling dejected about the future. Mace found herself working as a waitress at a nearby Waffle House where she recalls standing on a piece of duct tape in the kitchen calling out hash brown orders to the cooks. When Mace set out to attend the Citadel, it wasn't with the intention of making history. Rather after her setbacks, she wanted to prove to her parents that she could be successful. She graduated from the Corps of Cadets in 1999 with nearly a 4.0 GPA and later wrote a book about her experience as the first female to do so. She left the Citadel armed with important life lessons about courage and grit, and that "as a woman, you have to work twice as hard to be seen as equal," she said. Mace went on to earn a master's in mass communications from the University of Georgia in 2004. As a young mom in 2008, she started her own public relations consulting business, the Mace Group, to work from home with her children. That role sparked her interest in politics when she was hired to program the 2010 campaign websites for now-Sen. Tim Scott and former Rep. Mick Mulvaney when they first ran for Congress, she said. Mace later got her real estate license and made a living in commercial sales. Mace launched her political career in 2014 with a primary challenge against powerful Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a move she admits was "ballsy" for a political novice. She got 6% of the vote in a seven-way primary, but the experience fortified her for future success. Mace won a state House seat in 2018. During the congressional race, she campaigned as a fiscal conservative who supports active duty and retired military and a secure border. She also ran as a conservationist who wants to permanently ban offshore drilling. Mace shocked the nation when she beat Cunningham in a seat that was rated "lean Democratic." She was outspent by Cunningham, but despite her fatigue from coronavirus she was determined not to be outworked. "We made possible what so many said was impossible," Mace said. Mace made history again as the first Republican woman to be elected to Congress from South Carolina. She joins a record-breaking freshman class of at least 17 GOP women. The number could swell to 19 when two final races are called in Iowa and New York. Rep-elect Nancy Mace, R-S.C. Mace celebrated her win at that same Waffle House she waitressed 25 years ago in a message to young people to dream big and work hard. "My life has been an entire series of second chances," she said.

Sen. Barrasso on coronavirus relief bill: 'This gets done today'

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Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., chair of the Senate Republican Conference, vowed that lawmakers will have a bill to provide additional relief from the coronavirus pandemic by the end of the weekend. In a conversation with "Fox News Sunday," Barrasso blamed Democrats for delaying the relief, while expressing confidence that Democrats and Republicans have finally managed to resolve their differences. Barrasso said that the first thing is to get people vaccinated, predicting that 20 million people will have received the vaccine before the end of 2020. The second thing, he said, was to make sure that people have economic relief. That help, Barrasso said, will include $600 checks to most Americans, covering adults and children, extended unemployment benefits, and additional paycheck protection loans for small businesses. Barrasso blamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for delaying the process for political purposes. House Democrats passed their massive $3 trillion HEROES Act that Senate Republicans rejected in favor of a more targeted approach to helping American people and businesses. Lawmakers worked deep into the night Saturday to reach a framework of a deal, but the language of the bill had not yet been finalized. Barrasso is confident that this will get done Sunday. The office of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the House will meet at noon Sunday and is expected to vote on government funding and coronavirus relief. The Senate is scheduled to convene at 1 p.m. Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

Israeli Pegasus spyware allegedly used to hack phones of dozens of Al Jazeera journalists in large-scale attack - report

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The personal phones of some 36 Al Jazeera journalists have been hacked by "government operatives" who used a controversial spying tool by Israel's infamous NSO Group to snoop on them, a report by a Canadian research lab claims. The report, released on Sunday by Citizen Lab, a research unit at the University of Toronto specializing in cybersecurity, alleged that the phones belonging to the employees of the Qatar-based media network, including journalists, producers, anchors, and executives, had been compromised and hacked with "an invisible zero-click exploit in IMessage" in July and August this year. The exploit allowed the perpetrators of the attack, which Citizen Lab, "with a medium degree of confidence," blamed on "government operatives" from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to infect the phones with spyware without the journalists having to click on malicious links themselves. In its report, Citizen Lab said that the clandestine techniques employed in the attack "were sophisticated" and therefore "difficult to detect," since the "targets" were often unaware of anything suspicious going on. The hack might have remained undetected this time as well, were it not for the network's Arabic language channel reporter Tamer Almisshal, who sounded the alarm that his phone might have been spied-on and let the researchers monitor his online traffic starting from January 2020. Several months after, in July, the researchers saw his personal phone visiting a website where it got infected with NSO's group Pegasus spyware without Almisshal's ever clicking on the link. The discovery has prompted a wide-ranging search for possible other victims among Al Jazeera staff, eventually leading to Citizen Lab and the channel's IT unit identifying a total of 36 personal phones that had been successfully targeted by the "four NSO group operators." One of them, who the group nicknamed "Monarchy," allegedly tapped into 18 phones, while another one - dubbed "Sneaky Kestrel" - spied on 15 phones. The researchers said that the security loophole that facilitated the hack was closed with the IOS 14 update released in September, but noted that, until then, it had likely been taken advantage of on a large scale. Apple, for its part, appeared to throw weight behind Citizen Lab's allegations of a state-sanctioned hack, saying that the reported attack "was highly targeted by nation states," but noted that it could verify the findings of the report. The Israeli group told The Guardian it would "take all necessary steps," if it is provided with "credible evidence" that its spying tools were abused. It's not the first time the producer of Pegasus spyware kit finds itself in the spotlight in connection with allegations that its tech was used against reporters. Amnesty International reported in June this year that an award-winning Morocco-based journalist Omar Radi fell victim to the same spyware in an attack strikingly similar to the one described by Citizen Lab. Last year, WhatsApp confirmed that dozens of Indian lawyers, journalists, and rights activists were among 1,400 users affected by the snooping software. Despite the perpetual controversy surrounding the NSO group, an Israeli court in July sided with the firm and the Israeli Ministry of Defense in a case brought by Amnesty International, which demanded a ban on international sales of the software.

Saudi Arabia shuts down international air, see & land travel over new fast-spreading Covid-19 strain

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Riyadh has sealed its borders for all passenger travel for at least a week, suspending international flights as well as entry to sea and land ports over a mutant Covid-19 variant that was first discovered in the UK. With a growing number of European countries locking out travel from the UK, Saudi Arabia has pulled all the stops in its effort to curb the spread of the new strain of the coronavirus, imposing a sweeping ban on all commercial travel, Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday, citing an "official source" with the country's Interior Ministry. The ban will see all international flights, save for "exceptional cases," be suspended for a period of one week, that may be extended for yet another week. Land and sea ports will be closed for international arrivals as well. The measures were taken in "precaution" and until the nature of the strain, which is said to be highly contagious, "becomes clear," the agency reported. A rapidly growing list of countries that have banned travel from the UK, citing concerns about the new virus, after British PM Boris Johnson announced strict Tier-4 lockdowns for parts of the country, including London, the Southeast and, Peterborough in the east of the UK. France, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Italy have already imposed restrictions on travel from the UK, while Turkey and Germany did not stop at that, extending the ban to South Africa, where the same strain of the virus is said to have caused a surge in coronavirus cases.

‘Let us in!’ Students swarm Charlie Kirk-headlined Turning Point USA conference for 2nd day after HUNDREDS locked out on 1st night

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Turning Point USA's Student Action Conference is underway in Palm Beach, Florida. Footage shows hundreds attending the event, despite last minute capacity changes that led to chaotic first night. "Students once again attempt to get into @TPUSA Student Action Summit after many of them were blocked by police from entering the venue last night due to questionable last minute capacity changes by county officials," Blaze reporter Elijah Shaffer tweeted on Sunday, along with footage of the massive crowd gathered in Florida to hear conservative speakers such as Vice President Mike Pence, My Pillow founder Mike Lindell, and Donald Trump Jr. The "questionable last minute capacity changes" led to a chaotic first night for the summit where some speakers brought the show outside to attendees who were blocked from entering the building due to Covid-19 restrictions. Turning Point USA, a conservative organization mainly aimed at students and young Americans, told to Red State that the contract for the event had to be renegotiated with city officials once the Covid-19 pandemic hit, but that didn't stop people from being barred from the event. The new contract, according to statements from Turning Point, would have allowed overflow audience members to still take part in the conference by occupying an exhibit hall, so as not to violate the event's 50 percent capacity rule for the main hall. Palm Beach County officials, however, blocked students from entering the lobby area to register for the event once the main ballroom was at capacity. According to the local CBS affiliate, city officials said that Turning Point USA over-registered the event, while the conservative group claimed access to the main ballroom was cut off well below the 50 percent threshold, and the overflow agreement was not adhered to as attendees were blocked from receiving badges to actually enter. Once speakers like Fox News host Tucker Carlson got wind of the situation, they decided to take the event to the streets. Some conservatives cried bias over the limitations on the event, citing "leftist" protests across the country from groups like Black Lives Matter that not only turned violent sometimes, but also blatantly breached Covid-19 restrictions. "Leftist goons can burn down city blocks, but conservative kids can't gather in a convention center?" radio host Todd Starnes tweeted in response to the debacle.

Trump campaign take election battle to Supreme Court, seeking Pennsylvania rulings to be overturned

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President Donald Trump's legal team filed an appeal to the US Supreme Court on Sunday, requesting multiple rulings out of Pennsylvania be overturned in their latest attempt to overturn election results over alleged voter fraud. The appeal follows numerous legal battles in key swing states like Pennsylvania and Georgia. Trump and his team have alleged massive voter fraud in these and other states led to Joe Biden's victory, which was certified by the Electoral College earlier this month. These decisions "eviscerated the Pennsylvania's Legislature's protection against mail ballot fraud," the release continues. The legal team also claims the "right of campaigns to observe the canvassing of mail ballots" only meant observers were allowed to be "in the room," but could not properly verify information because they were too far away. "Statutory requirements that voters properly sign, address, and date mail ballots" were also not enforced thanks to the state's Supreme Court, they contend. Trump's legal team is seeking for electors committed to Joe Biden be "vacated" and the Pennsylvania General Assembly be allowed to select replacements. With Congress set to meet on January 6 to certify the votes of the Electoral College, the campaign is seeking an "expedited" process and a response from the Supreme Court within days. As it stands, Biden earned 306 Electoral College votes compared to Trump's 232. Pennsylvania has 20 votes.

Rockets ‘targeting US embassy’ rain on Baghdad’s Green Zone – VIDEOS show fiery intercepts

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Multiple rockets have targeted the Iraqi capital's heavily fortified Green Zone on Sunday evening. The US embassy's C-RAM air defense systems were engaged to intercept the missile attack, which it said resulted in no casualties. Most if not all of the rockets were apparently destroyed mid-air, and the US Embassy in Iraq later said that it resulted only in some minor property damage. The embassy then called on Iraqi leaders to prevent any such future attacks and to prosecute those responsible. The C-RAM systems were deployed by the US to its embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone this summer. Earlier this year, the mission already saw a string of rocket attacks targeting the diplomatic facilities. Washington blamed the incidents on the Iran-aligned militia group Kataib Hezbollah. The group's commander was killed alongside Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in a US air strike in early January. The US is now concerned about a potential uptick in the number of attacks by militant groups seeking to avenge the killing as the anniversary of the US strike draws near. In early December, Washington announced it would pull some of its diplomatic staff from the mission in Baghdad to "minimize" the risks. In September, it also threatened to shut it down altogether, but never followed through on this threat.

Covid mutation behind UK travel bans FOUND IN ITALY, health ministry says

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The mutant ‘British' Covid-19 strain that prompted a number of European nations to shut down travel to and from the UK, and is thought to be highly contagious, has also been discovered in Italy, after it imposed its travel ban. The very same new coronavirus strain behind the current scare in Europe has been isolated in a laboratory at Celio Military Hospital in Rome. It was obtained from a person that had previously tested positive for Covid-19, the nation's health ministry confirmed. "The Celio Scientific Department … sequenced a genome of a virus … similar to the variant found in the UK over recent weeks," the ministry stated on Sunday. The patient infected with the new virus strain and his partner had recently returned from the UK and landed in Rome's Fiumicino airport, according to Italian authorities. Earlier on Sunday, Italy had joined a host of other European nations that are temporarily suspending all travel to and from the UK, due to concerns about the new virus strain. Even those who had travelled through British territory over the last 14 days have been barred from entering Italy, under an order signed by the Health Minister, Roberto Speranza."This Covid variant, recently discovered in London, is worrying and will need to be investigated by our scientists," the minister said, while providing no details about the timing of the ban. Rome also declared a nationwide lockdown for the upcoming holidays, closing non-essential stores and restricting home visits. Other EU nations, including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands, also said they would shut down all travel to and from the UK, while Turkey said it's shutting down connections with both the UK and the Netherlands, as well as with Denmark and South Africa. Previously, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted that the newly discovered, highly contagious strain is "out of control," as he called for more restrictive measures to stem its spread. The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced strict Tier-4 lockdowns in an area including London, the Southeast, and Peterborough in the east on Saturday, justifying the measures by the spread of this new Covid-19 variant.

Cyber-war on Israel? ‘Iran-linked’ hacker group claims to have breached Israel Aerospace Industries’ servers

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The relatively "new" hacker group Pay2Key claimed on Sunday they had hacked into the systems of various Israeli defense industry corporations, including Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). "I thought so too, but sometimes something changes... Stay alert!" the group's Twitter account posted afterwards. Pay2Key later posted what they claimed was proof they had access to IAI's directory, as well as access information for IAI subsidiary Elta Systems Ltd. Reports suggest the group published a list of users on Elta Systems servers on the Dark Web, including Camila Edry, head of cyber projects development. The information leaked was not classified, but rather showed names and computer registries. It could suggest, however, that the group has access to more sensitive information. IAI is currently investigating the potential breach, though it claims no classified or damaging information was stolen. Reports on Pay2Key from cybersecurity firms Check Point and Whitestream suggest the group hacks servers and holds information hostage in exchange for ransom. Some experts have cited the most recent cyberattack against Israel as being from Iran, as the Whitestream report links Pay2Key to the nation by tracking a past ransom payment to an Iranian cryptocurrency exchange. "We followed the sequence of transactions, which began with the deposit of the ransom and ended at what appeared to be an Iranian cryptocurrency exchange named Excoino," the report states. Lotem Finkelstein, head of cyberintelligence at Check Point, also suggested Pay2Key has "advanced capabilities" and could have breached IAI servers days or even weeks before announcing themselves, but insisted the attack is primarily financially motivated, though ransom demands have yet to be made. The current cyber attack is the latest in a spike in hacks against Israel. A report from Check Point from earlier in December claimed over 100 Israeli companies had seen their servers hacked in both October and November.

‘Are we the baddies?’ Brits not amused as Ireland & France join EU states in locking out travel from UK over mutant Covid strain

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Dublin and Paris have imposed restrictions on travel from Britain for at least 48 hours. It comes as a slew of European countries mull travel bans over the new coronavirus strain the UK government has warned Brits about. The Irish government says the measures, banning private travel between the UK and Ireland, will take effect on Sunday night and initially stay in place for at least two days. Cargo planes and freight vessels, as well as some essential supply-chain workers, will still be allowed to cross the border. "General travel between here and Britain is going to be restricted, and we will review it on Tuesday morning," Transport Minister Eamon Ryan told Virgin Media News. For those in Britain, Londoners and residents of Southeast England in particular, it doesn't look like the tightening of coronavirus rules is going away in a few days, however. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson ramped up the restrictions on Saturday, including to near-lockdown ‘Tier 4' level in the said regions. This means in effect that Christmas has been cancelled for millions of Brits, in spite of the looser plan announced earlier, while other parts of the UK have had any potential gatherings severely restricted. Many weren't happy at the prospect and, while crowds took to railway stations and roads to try and escape Tier-4 areas in time for the Sunday travel ban, Brits on social media vented at Johnson for the seemingly abrupt change of heart. Sunday's numerous movement bans on UK travellers in Europe have only added insult to injury. "Time to (re-)acquaint ourselves with the phrase 'sick man of Europe'," one unhappy Mancunian wrote. "Love to see Ireland cancelling flights from the UK so I'm stuck here again, thanks Boris you halfwit moron," another frustrated commenter wrote. "This is what happens when you don't think through your excuse for making the mother of all U Turns," a Yorkshire man tweeted in an apparent jab at Johnson's move. "The whole of EUROPE is going to ban us to teach us the biggest lesson ever!" tweeted yet another critic. In contrast, few in the UK have been cheering on the restrictions, although the measures have been justified by the "rapidly spreading" new strain of coronavirus detected in England. On Saturday, Johnson said there has not been any evidence the mutation is more dangerous for health or that it would not be susceptible to the available vaccines. However, just as the EU countries said they needed days to assess the potential new dangers, the significance of the newly-emerging strain is yet to be studied and described.

Trump’s China tweet ‘destructive & deceitful’ as there isn’t ‘ANY QUESTION’ Russia behind latest hacking scare, Adam Schiff claims

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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has joined Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in blaming Russia for a recent massive cyber attack. He also slammed President Donald Trump for the inconvenient suggestion China could have been the culprit. "Based on what I've seen, I don't think there's any question that it was Russia," Schiff, who is the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told MSNBC on Sunday, commenting on the hack. The hacking operation in question targeted the SolarWinds Orion Platform, a network monitoring tool used by US government agencies and numerous corporations. There has been no evidence presented that Russia was behind the hack, but Pompeo alleged otherwise in a recent interview. The president broke with his secretary of state on Saturday and called out "fake news media" for their anonymous reports pinning the hack on Russia. He also suggested China may have been behind the hack, tying it to his ongoing allegations of voter fraud in key swing states during November's election. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) also pushed back against the president on Sunday, accusing him of having a "blind spot" when it comes to Russia. "What Russia has done is put in place a capacity to potentially cripple us in terms of our electricity, our water, our communications," the senator told CNN's Jake Tapper. Similarly to 2016, the claim of a major Russian cyber attack on the US comes amid the expected transition of power at the White House – although President Trump continues his legal efforts disputing the election result over the alleged mass-scale voter fraud. When Trump assumed his post in January 2017, the stage had already been set for the worsening of relations with Moscow, which included dozens of Russian diplomats getting expelled by the Obama administration over the allegations of meddling in US affairs and over "hacking" of the election. As Trump's term progressed, overshadowed by the failed ‘Russiagate' investigation, initial hopes of a detente with Moscow have all but faded.

The joy of six: Football starlet seals FASTEST-EVER Serie A goal after just SIX SECONDS in stunning start for pace-setters (VIDEO)

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Anyone who tuned in late to AC Milan's 2-1 win against Sassuolo on Sunday will have missed a little bit of Serie A history after Portuguese forward Rafael Leao etched his name into the record books with a lightning-quick strike. Leao struck just 6.2 seconds after kick-off when his canny run from the left flank was found by the advancing Hakan Calhanoglu, who played him through on goal before the 21-year-old slid the ball past goalkeeper Andrea Consigli. The goal was soon confirmed as being the quickest-ever strike in the history of the Italian top flight, beating the previous record, set in 2001, when Paulo Foggi scored for Piacenza against Fiorentina after 8.9 seconds. The rapid opener was soon noted as being the earliest strike ever scored in ANY of Europe's top leagues. Calhanoglu turned creator again 25 minutes later when he set up Alexis Saelemaekers for a second before Sassuolo - the surprise package in Italian football in recent years - salvaged a consolation from Domenico Berardi just before the final whistle. The three points were enough for Milan to maintain their advantage over city rivals Inter at the Serie A summit, with Antonio Conte's side also winning 2-1 against Spezia. The game, though, will be best remembered for Leao's sensational early strike - and it is a record which looks set to stand for some time. Leao's goal streaks to the top of the list of early strikes in Europe's most technical leagues. Southampton's Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long holds the Premier League record after he netted 7.69 seconds into a game against Watford last year. Real Vallodolid's Joseba Llorente has held the record for Spain's fastest top flight goal since 2008, when he scored after 7.8 seconds against Espanyol, while Caen's Michel Rio found the bet for Caen against Cannes with just eight seconds on the clock - a record which has been untouched since 1992. As for the German Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen's Karim Bellarabi holds the record for his 2014 goal against Borussia Dortmund, which came in a comparatively tardy 9.32 seconds.

‘It will end by spring’: Covid-19 crisis may be over in Russia in early 2021, health watchdog chief claims amid Sputnik V rollout

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With mass vaccinations against Covid-19 already having started in Russia this month, the head of its consumer health watchdog believes that the worst could be over in just a few months — though not all officials are optimistic. The short and seemingly upbeat comment from the health watchdog boss, Anna Popova, came on Saturday during a TV program called ‘Dangerous virus. Year one' on Russia's channel 1. "It will end by spring, and if we try, it may end earlier. It depends on how everyone acts today," Popova said. She didn't elaborate on her prediction, but it was included in a montage of health officials discussing the vaccination timeline and herd immunity developing against coronavirus. While the assertion is likely to give hope to a country suffering from the ever-spreading virus — over 50,000 have died of the disease since the beginning of the year – not everyone was quite as optimistic. Speaking on the same TV program, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin warned that the country would be fighting Covid-19 "for a long time," with the most severe period just around the corner. Last week, it was revealed that more than 150,000 Russians have already been vaccinated with the pioneering Sputnik V jab, which officials said is more than any other country. The vaccination is slowly being opened up to more and more categories of citizens, with another million Muscovites eligible for the jab starting next week. Russia has officially registered 2,848,377 cases of Covid-19 as of this weekend, with over 612,000 people currently under medical supervision. Compared to the rest of the world, the country has the fourth most detected cases, behind the US, India, and Brazil.

Argentina football icon Maradona ‘could be dug up, embalmed & displayed like Soviet founding father Lenin to meet his dying wish’

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Late Argentina striker Diego Maradona ordered his body to be embalmed and put on public show as part of a letter written a month before his death, according to a report claiming he was inspired by ex-Russian leader Vladimir Lenin. Colorful World Cup winner Maradona, who died from heart failure at the age of 60 last month, is said to have told lawyer Matias Morla that he wanted his body to be put on display after his passing, just as Lenin's is in Moscow's Red Square. The Napoli and Barcelona legend wanted to be displayed alongside some of the spoils of his glittering career, according to an account that described how the lawyer of his last partner, Veronica Ojeda, envisaged his corpse being exhumed from Bella Vista cemetery, near Buenos Aires. "After a deep analysis, I want to express my wish that after my death my body be embalmed and exhibited in a museum," Maradona wrote in a signed letter on October 13, The Sun has claimed. Ojeda's former representative added: "The plan is to create a mausoleum somewhere for fans to visit. "It was something Maradona had also discussed with his brothers. The proposal we have is serious, concrete and with the expenses covered. Earlier this week, an Argentine court ruled that Maradona's body should be preserved in case of future paternity cases.

‘Racist troll’: Republican congressional hopeful makes waves after targeting ‘CHINESE WIVES’ of McConnell & Zuckerberg on Twitter

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"Mark Zuckerberg's wife is Chinese. I just post facts," Klacik tweeted on Saturday evening. Other "facts" she pointed out to her 500,000-plus followers included that "Mitch McConnell's wife is Chinese,""the coronavirus is from China," and a promise that she will run for Congress again in 2022. Klacik, who became popular among Republican voters thanks to a viral ad of her walking through Baltimore and accusing Democrats of not caring about black lives, ran to represent Maryland's 7th congressional district in a special April election, as well as the November election. The Republican's tweets targeting McConnell and Zuckerberg's wives drew most of the criticism, with many pointing out that McConnell's wife is from Taiwan and the Facebook founder's spouse, Priscilla Chan, was actually born in the US. "I get what you're saying, but not every Chinese person is affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party," another user pointed out. Even more conservative pundits pushed back against Klacik's tweets, especially her message seemingly targeting McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, the US secretary of transportation. "Someone's decided they are done with their political career I see," writer Stephen L. Miller penned in response. "I made so many people mad tonight on twitter that I don't actually care about. It happens," she tweeted in response to criticism. She also appeared to blame voter fraud on her election loss.

Germany to restrict entry from UK over new, fast-spreading coronavirus variant

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Germany has become the latest European nation to reveal its plans to restrict entry after the UK announced that a variant of Covid-19 is rapidly spreading. German government spokeswoman Martina Fietz announced on Sunday that the country intends to join Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, and Belgium in restricting UK flights to stop the variant from spreading. "Because of the reported coronavirus #Mutation the federal government intends to restrict travel options between Germany and Great Britain and South Africa. A regulation is currently being drawn up," Fietz declared, adding that the German government is currently "in contact" with its "European partners" over the matter. German tabloid Bild reported earlier on Sunday that the government wants to restrict entry from midnight to January 6.

Imagine the HORROR! Bristol students who had to spend week without working lighting due to Covid-19 quarantine whine to the press

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A story most blood-chilling comes exclusively from the Independent. A bunch of students at the University of Bristol had to spend a week unable to use the main lighting in their flat after one of them tested positive for Covid-19. The Covid-19 pandemic is the source of so many stories, some tragic and heartbreaking, some inspiring and soul-warming. And then there are those that make one wonder why they even made it into the media. One from the last category comes, courtesy of the Independent, from the University of Bristol, where students living in a 10-bed flat on campus had to spend over a week without working lighting because one of them had tested positive for Covid-19 and the maintenance had to be postponed until after they'd all quarantined. The problem may seem barely an inconvenience, considering the sockets in the flat were fine and everybody had lamps. There were also main lights in the shared kitchen, but, apparently, for one student the situation was stressful enough to prompt them to go to the newspapers about it. "Once it hit around 3pm, we would come into the kitchen, and we'd be like, ‘I can't do any work now'," the anonymous student was cited as saying. To cut a long story short, there was a power cut and it caused an issue that couldn't be fixed remotely. The main lights in the bedrooms were switched off for safety, but the problem was deemed non-urgent, so it was only fixed a week later, after the quarantine was over. The work was done just a day after the flat was no longer in self-isolation and the students said they were satisfied with how things were handled, according to the university. Except somebody complained that, in the dark flat, "having the motivation to actually get up and do work, without a change of scenery, was just really hard." The initial reader reaction to the Independent's story was a mixture of resentment and sarcasm, indicating that dealing with issues by broadcasting them to the public is probably not the best way to find a compassionate shoulder to cry on.

‘We must not let anything slide’: French govt ministers outraged by slew of anti-Semitic comments about Miss France contestant

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The French interior minister has said that police resources were "mobilized" in reaction to a torrent of anti-Semitic comment directed at the runner-up in the Miss France beauty pageant. "#MissFrance2021 is not an anti-Semitic competition," Citizenship Minister Marlene Schiappa tweeted, sending her support to April Benayoum, Miss Provence and the first runner-up in this year's Miss France contest. Schiappa said she has filed a report with the public prosecutor about "incredibly violent anti-Semitic comments" Benayoum has been receiving on social media. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he was "deeply shocked" by the hate directed at the beauty queen. "We must not let anything slide. Shame on the authors. Police and gendarmerie have been mobilized," he tweeted. Several lawmakers and regional politicians also condemned the anti-Semitic comments. The beauty pageant concluded on Saturday night. According to French media, Benayoum was among the favorites to win and was going head-to-head in points with Miss Normandy Amandine Petit, who was ultimately crowned Miss France 2021. During the contest, Benayoum, 21, revealed that her mother was Serbo-Croatian, and her father was Israeli-Italian. This prompted a torrent of anti-Semitic posts, most of which came from "far-right activists," according to Voici magazine.

‘Disconnect from reality’: Brits seethe as ‘one of richest UK men’ Chancellor Sunak claims people ‘BUILT UP SAVINGS’ under Covid

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Rishi Sunak, the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, was called out by Brits on Sunday after he claimed people had been "building up savings" during the coronavirus and were ready to go on a spending spree when the lockdown ends. Some pointed out that Sunak – who is married to an Indian billionaire's daughter who is reportedly richer than the Queen – is one of the richest men in the country, with an estimated net worth of £200 million (about $270 million). Helene went on to note that "most people don't have the savings he's talking about" – a sentiment shared by many others, who asked what savings Sunak was referring to. Prime Minister Boris Johnson angered Brits on Saturday by introducing a strict new set of rules just days before Christmas, prohibiting many family members in different households from meeting each other, starting Sunday. Justified by a "rapidly spreading" new coronavirus strain, the last-minute restrictions in effect caused a mass exodus from London, with videos showing packed railway stations and huge road traffic jams.

Elon Musk discloses his bitcoin kink and messes with crypto-enthusiasts via cheeky tweets

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Shaking up a calm weekend in his inimitable style, billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk has dropped another bitcoin bomb in an ongoing series of provocative tweets targeted at cryptocurrencies. Musk has tweeted in the past about bitcoin, dogecoin and the like, often in a joking manner. This time around, however, the Tesla and SpaceX founder, started by saying bitcoin was his "safe word," and tweeted: "Just kidding, who needs a safe word anyway?!" an hour later. Shortly thereafter, he posted a frivolous picture featuring the bitcoin logo. In a follow-up post, he asserted that bitcoin was almost as useless as fiat money. That tweet was followed by another, about dogecoin – which was introduced as a "joke currency" in 2013 – reportedly boosting its price, which rose 17 percent. He also added the role "CEO of Dogecoin" to his Twitter account biography. Earlier this year, Musk tweeted a meme implying that a dogecoin standard is inevitable and that the cryptocurrency will take over the global financial system. Back then, the tweet resulted in dogecoin gaining by over 20 percent.

Ukraine's Zelensky warns he cannot justify rejecting Russia's Sputnik V unless West supplies Kiev with other Covid-19 vaccines

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed his frustration with the US' coronavirus vaccine export ban, claiming that it is "impossible" for his government to justify refusing help from Moscow if the West stands idly by. In an interview with the New York Times, Zelensky's exasperation at Washington was clear, especially given that some form of inoculation against Covid-19 could already have begun in Ukraine if Kiev had chosen to cooperate with Moscow. However, despite the fact that the humanitarian reasons for such a move would have been clear, it would represent a departure from over half a decade of Ukrainian state policy, and would likely be met with fierce resistance from local nationalists. "I believe that this issue can become another geopolitical blow," he said, urging both Washington and London to move Ukraine up the priority list. However, the president denied that rejection of Sputnik V was entirely political, noting that the "Russian vaccine that has not passed all the tests" and there is "no real evidence that this vaccine has a 100% positive effect," a statement which, of course, could apply to any of the vaccines developed this year. Ukraine's prospects for receiving help quickly got worse after US President Donald Trump banned the export of vaccines, meaning that Kiev will have to wait a long time for any doses, a disastrous situation for a country being battered by the novel coronavirus, is reliant on a dysfunctional health system that has been beset by corruption for three decades. On Friday, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal revealed that Ukraine may only receive its first batch in February, noting that the government is talking to every single vaccine manufacturer, apart from those in Russia. Medvedchuk believes his country should work with Moscow and get the Russian vaccine, announced by President Vladimir Putin on August 11. On December 14, figures released by the Sputnik V team revealed that the inoculation has a 91.4 percent efficacy, based on the results of over 26,000 volunteers. Earlier this month, Putin ordered the start of mass vaccination in Russia.

Former Miss Belarus released from jail after 42 days behind bars for protesting against government

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Belarusian beauty queen Olga Khizhinkova has been released from prison after spending six weeks locked up for taking part in unauthorized rallies against embattled president Alexander Lukashenko. Khizhinkova was arrested on November 8, and had her original 12-day sentence extended twice after evidence linked her to being at two other anti-government protests. Her release date was supposed to be December 11, but she ended up serving an extra nine days. The former Miss Belarus has been very open about her opposition to Lukashenko, regularly posting photos from protests in Minsk. Speaking to Belarusian website tut.by, Khizhinkova explained how she'd slept on the floor with no heating and had wrapped herself in clothes to keep warm. However, she has no plans to flee the country now that she's been released. "I want to live here, I have many friends here, I had no idea how many. I don't even think about leaving, I love my country, I want to live and work here," she said. The political landscape in Belarus has been volatile since August 9, when incumbent President Lukashenko won the country's presidential election. According to official results, which the opposition claims were rigged, 80.1 percent of voters voted for the long-time leader, with just 10.12 percent voting for leading opposition candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. After the closure of polling stations, demonstrations began against the alleged falsification of results. In the months since, there have been regular protests around the country, with demonstrators demanding that the president resign.

Tokyo bikers club in Santa outfits ride through city to raise awareness of violence against children (PHOTOS)

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Bikers from the ‘Harley Santa Club' rode their motorcycles in the Japanese capital to raise awareness of child abuse and deliver toys to orphans. This year the usually large event was reduced to about 100 participants, many wearing masks, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The parade was followed by a toy run to donate toys and candy to children living in orphanages. The club noted that children have become more vulnerable to domestic violence and abuse due to lockdowns. "Especially because of the coronavirus pandemic this year, I think there are many child abuse cases that are out of sight," Takashi Mine, director of the event, told Reuters. "It is very likely now that parents will take the stress out on their children after losing their jobs," he warned. Members of motorcycle clubs around the world hold annual events dedicated to the protection of children and helping minors in need.

No laughing matter: Jockey SMILES while showing off horrendously broken arm after violent fall (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)

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Koby Jennings required invasive surgery to repair a double forearm fracture after a nasty fall at Australia's Goulburn racecourse, but you wouldn't know he was too concerned about it judging by photographs taken afterwards. Jennings, 25, has a metal plate and "a lot of screws" inserted into his left forearm after breaking both bones in it when he came off his horse, the three-year-old Eliseo, during the race. Photographs taken shortly after the accident show Jennings' left arm bending at an eye-watering angle below the elbow, with the jockey inexplicably appearing to smile and laugh in the images. After an x-ray confirmed the extent of the damage, Jennings has surgery at Norwest Hospital and is expected to be absent from the racetrack for a period of 10 weeks or more. This caps an extended spell of bad luck for the jockey who has more than 300 career wins under his belt, as he had recently returned to action after recovering from a broken jaw. "I won't be rushing anything because I kind of rushed back a bit quick when I broke my jaw last year and I don't think that was for the best," Jennings said of the timetable for his return.

Moscow refuses Christmas Covid-19 lockdown: Festivities to go ahead with curfews & tests as mayor says end to pandemic in sight

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Although cases of coronavirus are continuing to rise in Russia, the mayor of Moscow has said there is light at the end of the tunnel, as the city prepares to celebrate a socially-distanced Christmas and New Year. Sergey Sobyanin told Rossiya 1 news channel on Saturday that he believes "we'll fight Covid-19 for a long time to come, but the most acute period should end in a few months." He added that the most difficult choice for political leaders was not when to close things down, but when to open them back up. "Cancelling restrictions means you risk the possibility of mass infections," he said, reiterating that it was necessary to avoid catastrophic damage to whole sectors of the economy. Bars, restaurants and cafes will be able to operate over the period, but won't be ringing in the New Year itself, as they'll be forced to take last orders before 11pm. Revellers will also have to have a certified negative coronavirus test, taken at most three days beforehand, in order to be let into venues and hotels. Moscow has been Russia's Covid-19 epicenter since the start of the pandemic in March, with over 135,130 positive tests recorded in the city and its surrounding region. Officially, 2,645 people have died of the virus over that period. On Friday it was reported that more than 9,000 people had been vaccinated in the capital, with 93 centers offering the Russian-made Sputnik V jab, the first in the world to be registered.

'Looks like he was hit with an axe': Former Conor McGregor sparring partner Van Heerden suffers GROTESQUE cut in ring (VIDEO)

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South African boxer Chris van Heerden, a former sparring partner of UFC star Conor McGregor, saw his fight with Jaron Ennis ABANDONED in the first round after a clash of heads opened up a massive gash on his forehead on Saturday. Van Heerden, undefeated since a 2015 loss to the highly-rated Errol Spence Jr., was paired with another unbeaten fighter in the promising Ennis as part of the undercard to Saturday's fight between Emmanuel Rodriguez and Reymart Gaballo - but the contest didn't last long after the fight was called as Van Heerden was deemed unfit to continue after an inches-long gash formed on the right side of his forehead following an unintentional head clash. As the fight did not progress past the fourth round and the injury was deemed the result of an accidental headbutt, the fight was subsequently declared a no-contest. Van Heerden was taken to hospital immediately afterwards but confirmed later that he had been discharged after receiving stitches to stem the wound. The South African hit the headlines in 2016 when he took on UFC superstar Conor McGregor in a highly-publicized sparring session ahead of the Irishman's UFC 202 rematch with Nate Diaz. Despite McGregor having little boxing experience at the time (this was a full year before his 2017 bout with Floyd Mayweather), Van Heerden was effusive in his praise for the Dubliner's in-ring prowess. "Can Conor McGregor box? Yes. He can," he told Australian outlet Submission Radio at the time. "I was shocked at how well he could handle himself in the ring.

'Congratulations on your historic record, Lionel': Pele praises Messi for tying his all-time single club goalscoring tally

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Football icon Pele has paid tribute to Lionel Messi after the Argentine ace drew level with the Brazilian's all-time record of 643 goals for a single club with a strike during Barcelona's 2-2 draw with Valencia. Messi stooped to head a first-half injury time goal from a rebound after he saw his spot kick saved by Jaume Domenech to claim the record-equaling goal on Saturday, drawing level with Pele who scored the same number of goals during an 18-year career with Brazilian side Santos. Messi, whose first appearance for the Catalan side came as a 17-year-old in 2004, took 748 Barca games to score his 643 strikes while Pele needed just 665 games to set the record which had stood unequaled since he ended his career with Santos in 1974. "When your heart overflows with love, it is difficult to change your path. Like you, I know what it's like to love wearing the same shirt every day," the three-time World Cup winner wrote on Instagram via translation. "Like you, I know that there is nothing better than the place we feel at home. Congratulations on your historic record, Lionel. But above all, congratulations on your beautiful career at Barcelona. Pele, 80, made his debut with Santos as a 15-year-old in 1956 and scooped six Brazilian league titles as well as two Copa Libertadores championships in his near two-decades with the club. He departed his boyhood club in 1975 for a three-season stint in the United States with NY Cosmos where he scored a further 64 goals in 107 appearances. However, Messi still has some way to go to eclipse Pele's total goalscoring record in club and international football, with some tallies suggesting Pele bagged somewhere north of 1,000 total career strikes.

'Like the karate version of Muhammad Ali!': Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson overpowers Geoff Neal in UFC Vegas 17 headliner

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Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson served notice that he remains among the most high caliber strikers in the UFC's welterweight division as he blitzed Geoff Neal in a conclusive five-round main event in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Former two-time title challenger Thompson was on the front foot throughout the fight, beating former 'Contender Series' standout Neal - winner of five straight under the UFC banner - to the punch in practically every exchange en route to being awarded a unanimous score of 50-45 on each of the judges' cards. The results rarely looked in doubt, even from the early exchanges after the opening bell. Thompson, the UFC's premier karate specialist, used his dynamic arsenal to stifle the game Neal who, despite displaying impressive heart, rarely found any type of foundation with which to pressure his opponent. Thompson's jab was prevalent throughout and he used a strategy of landing kicks to the body each time Neal tried to push forward, and this was the scenario for much of the fight - as 'Wonderboy' proved that he can still be considered a viable threat to the welterweight division's top-ranked contenders. The win is Thompson's second straight and comes after a decision win against Vicente Luque at the aforementioned UFC 244 event last November. Afterwards, Thompson called for a rematch with an opponent he defeated relatively easily three years ago - Jorge Masvidal.

'Masterclass': Faultless Canelo Alvarez dominates Callum Smith, calls for Golovkin trilogy fight

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Canelo Alvarez underlined his status as boxing's pound-for-pound best as he dominated England's Callum Smith to win a clear-cut unanimous decision, afterwards calling for a trilogy fight with fellow P4P great Gennady Golovkin. Despite an almost comical seven-inch size advantage, the previously undefeated Smith was unable to mount any significant offence throughout 12 rounds in which the Mexican multiple weight champion dominated with pressure fighting, defensive excellence and clever, calculated punches. Smith, who was attempting to avenge the defeat his brother Liam suffered to Alvarez four years ago, had no answer for Canelo's constant forward movement and his coaches came close to pulling him from the fight after a poor ninth, telling their fighter that he had "one more round". In the end, Smith saw that final bell but was routed on the scorecards (119-109, 119-109, 117-111). Alvarez, meanwhile, earned his 54th career win and said afterwards that he knew that he could handle Smith's power "from the first round". "This is one of the best nights I have had," the Mexican said afterwards, suggesting that a third showdown with Kazakh star Gennady Golovkin could be next. Canelo has also noted his interest in facing Britain's WBO champ Billy Joe Saunders in what would be a title unification fight. The two were originally scheduled to fight each other in May before it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The defeated Smith, meanwhile, said that he was devastated by the one-sided defeat. "I came here to win," Smith told the partisan crowd in Texas. "No excuses, he was very good. The result also sets up the potential for a third fight between Alvarez and Golovkin after their two prior fights ended in a draw and win for the Mexican. 'GGG' was successful in his latest fight on Friday, needing just seven rounds to stop the previously unbeaten Pole Kamil Szeremeta.

Govt aware latest lockdown could have ‘severe’ impact on British economy — UK health minister

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The economic impact of fresh restrictions introduced by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson amid a rapidly spreading new coronavirus strain are expected to be very severe, admits British Health Minister Matt Hancock. Hancock suggested that the tighter measures in several parts of the UK could stay in place for some time, as the new variant of the coronavirus that has recently emerged is very difficult to handle. "We really need to get this under control. We've got a long way to go to sort this, essentially we've got to get that vaccine rolled out to keep people safe," the health minister said. On Saturday, the British PM announced tougher restrictions in England with a new Tier 4: ‘Stay at Home' alert level for London, the southeast and the city of Peterborough. The measure bars people from meeting family and friends from other households over Christmas. The health minister added that the government was planning to have half a million people vaccinated by the end of the weekend, urging residents of Tier 4 areas to act as if they have the virus and restrict social contact.

EU countries shutting down travel to and from UK amid new highly infectious Covid-19 strain scare

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Belgium, Italy, and other European nations are following the Netherlands' lead and closing their borders for all travel to and from the UK, due to a new strain of SARS-CoV-2 that is spreading in southern England. The string of travel bans announced on Sunday was started by Belgium. Its restrictions come into force at midnight and will affect air travel and Eurostar trains, which connect the country to the UK via France, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in an interview. The restriction will remain in force for at least 24 hours, he told the Flemish television program ‘De Zevende Dag'. The Belgian leader described the decision as a "precautionary measure" that followed a similar move by the Netherlands, which closed its border for the UK until at least January. De Croo said his government is taking scientific consultations and would extend its ban "if that proves necessary". "There are still many questions to be asked, about the mutation itself and about whether or not it has already reached the European mainland. We do not yet have a conclusive answer," De Croo explained. Belgium already treats the UK as a "red zone" country and requires all people arriving from there to self-quarantine for up to seven days and take a Covid-19 test. Even before the British lockdown announcement, Belgium was preparing to tighten rules for international travel next week and possibly to ban UK nationals from entry starting January 1, to reflect a change in the country's status after Brexit. The grace period after London's divorce with the EU expires at the end of this month. Later in the day, Italy said it was also suspending travel to and from the UK, due to concerns about the new variant. Announcing the new step, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said his government's priority was to protect its own people. Rome has ordered a countrywide lockdown for the upcoming holidays, shutting non-essential stores, restricting home visits, and instructing restaurants that they can only serve take-out food. A similar move was announced by Austria, which, like Italy, offered no immediate details on the timing of the ban, according to the news agency APA. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic has imposed stricter quarantine measures for people arriving from the UK. According to AFP, Germany is considering a travel ban with the UK too, with a source saying it was seen as "a serious option" by Berlin. The new strain of the virus is said to be significantly more infectious than those identified previously. British Health Secretary Matt Hanckock said Sunday the new version was "out of control" and that more restrictive measures were necessary to curb its spread. The Tier-4 lockdowns announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday came as a big disappointment to the British public, who were hopeful that a relaxation of the guidelines would come for Christmas as promised. Johnson said the new coronavirus strain has made the plan impossible to implement.

New Zealand declared ‘main Zealand’ by Twitter after offering to share its oversized vaccine stockpile with neighboring islands

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It has enough Covid-19 vaccine doses to immunize its population three times over, so New Zealand's giving some to its neighbors. Twitter reacted with adulation, but some think the Kiwis simply had it too easy with the infection. This week, the government of New Zealand announced it has pre-purchased additional quantities of Covid-19 vaccines produced by AstraZeneca and Novavax, and has secured sufficient to inoculate 15 million people. The reserve may seem an overkill, considering the South Pacific country's entire population only numbers around five million. The rationale is that its drug regulator Medsafe will determine which of the procured medicines works best in which cases during the approval process, and they will be distributed accordingly. The procurement deals have been signed with four different providers and cover three different types of vaccines. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the new purchases and outlined her government's plans to begin the biggest immunization program New Zealand has ever carried out from Thursday. Any citizen who wants to be vaccinated will get a jab for free as soon as possible, she promised. Wellington has also offered a helping hand to its neighbors across the South Pacific. The island nations of Tokelau, Niue, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, and Tuvalu can get vaccines for their people from New Zealand, Ardern said. This is in addition to economic aid and development assistance programs meant for the islanders. The news brought a new wave of adoration directed at the Kiwi prime minister on social media, on top of the domestic and international love Ardern already enjoys. Commenters ‘crowned' her country the "leader of the free world," while one person suggested New Zealand should be considered "main Zealand" – that might be considered rather a snub to the Dutch province after which the country was named, however. New Zealand's response to the Covid-19 pandemic was one of the most successful in the world. The relatively small, isolated nation shut its borders and contained the few outbreaks that happened on its territory thanks to an extensive testing and tracing program and limited lockdowns. It registered just over 2,100 confirmed cases and 25 fatalities, and is considered free from Covid-19 at present. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, once they are approved by Medsafe, the vaccines will first be directed to border workers. "Our first priority will be to vaccinate border workers and essential staff who are at the greatest risk of getting COVID-19. We expect vaccines to be delivered to our frontline workers in the second quarter of 2021," the prime minister said. Some people however remain skeptical about New Zealand's example, pointing out that its size and isolation made the job easier than in larger more integrated nations. A few seemed offended by its decision to overstack the vaccines while others need them more.

Approval of Catholic Church in Poland dips to nearly 30yr low amid pedophilia scandal & protests over new abortion restrictions

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Public opinion of the Catholic Church in Poland is the lowest it has been since the early 1990s, a new poll shows. The clergy's reputation was damaged by recent sexual abuse allegations and protests over restrictive abortion laws. The results of the CBOS poll published by Polish media earlier this week showed that 47 percent had a negative view of the activities of the Catholic Church in the country, compared to just 41 percent who viewed the Church's activities favorably. The survey was conducted between November 30 and December 10, and included 1,010 people. This is the lowest approval rating the Church has had since 1993. Investigative website OKO.press reported that people were dismayed by its "excessive" role in social and political life that year – a strict anti-abortion law took effect that January and Warsaw signed a treaty with the Vatican several months later. The situation now seems to have repeated itself, as many Poles are angered by new restrictions on abortion and dismayed that the clergy have been embroiled in sex abuse scandals. The Catholic Church traditionally plays an important role in Poland, especially compared to fellow EU nations. The bishops and the Catholic media are considered one of the bedrocks of the support of the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party. However, the Church's approval rating has been steadily declining in recent years. Its positive perception dropped below 50 percent in May 2019, which coincided with the premiere of a documentary about the sexual abuse of young boys by the Polish clergy. The film caused an uproar, receiving more than 20 million views on YouTube in just eight days. The scandal was followed by the resignation of Edward Janiak, a bishop at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalisz, who was accused of shielding the priests that were implicated in abusing children. The Church's reputation took another dent in October, when the country's highest court removed severe fetus deformities from the already short list of reasons for which a woman is legally permitted to seek an abortion. The ruling immediately sparked widespread protests across the country. The fierce protests ultimately forced the government to miss the deadline for the certification of the court ruling, which has indefinitely delayed the implementation of the new abortion restrictions.

China Daily chief calls Nigel Farage ‘a big joke’ & ‘Trump’s puppet’ after Brexit leader says China cancelled Christmas

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Chen Weihua tore into Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage after the former, parroting the talking points of anti-China activists who claim the country purposely spread Covid-19 to the West, accused Beijing of cancelling Christmas. Following UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision on Saturday to prohibit households in London and parts of the Southeast and East of England from meeting family and friends over the holiday period, Farage attempted to pin the blame on the other side of the world. The government took the last-minute decision due to the discovery of a new strain of Covid-19 that supposedly spreads more quickly. "Christmas cancelled. Thank you, China," he tweeted, receiving nearly 100,000 likes. Farage, like many politicians in both the UK and US, has publicly blamed China for the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in Wuhan. His sharp comments received more than 130,000 likes on Twitter and managed to trigger Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). Just over a week later, Weihua publicly humiliated German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel after it used the wrong Chinese character as the feature image for an article on China's "Wolf Warrior" diplomacy.

Bitcoin surges towards $25,000 as Coinbase signals its intent to go public. RT’s Boom Bust examines the moves in cryptocurrency

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Bitcoin set its new all-time high, breaking past $24,000 as the world's number one cryptocurrency continues its rally on the weekend before Christmas. The cryptocurrency capped out at $24,122 on Saturday before retreating to around $23,978, up nearly 5.5 percent on the day, according to the CoinDesk index. The surge pushed its year-to-date gains to 225 percent. Meanwhile, prominent cryptocurrency brokerage Coinbase said it filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), paving the way for an eventual initial public offering (IPO). But since the original basis of cryptocurrency was to offer financial freedom to everyone and break away from the traditional restraints of the banking sector, Coinbase's move towards Wall Street may evoke some dramatic changes in the market. Christy Ai, on RT's Boom Bust, explores whether investors will cash out after this pivot away from everything that the industry stands for.

Toyota says electric vehicles are overhyped

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https://www.rt.com/business/510085-electric-vehicles-too-much-hype/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

There is too much hype surrounding electric vehicles (EVs), one of the world's top automakers, Japan's Toyota, says, noting that the electricity needed to charge electric cars would strain grids and increase carbon emissions. If all cars in Japan were electric, the country would be short of electricity in the summer, while the infrastructure for a 100-percent EV fleet would cost the equivalent of up to US$358 billion, The Wall Street Journal quoted Toyota's President Akio Toyoda as saying at a press conference in his role as chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. Japan is reportedly considering a ban on the sale of new gasoline-fueled cars in the middle of the 2030s, reports emerged earlier this month. "When politicians are out there saying, ‘Let's get rid of all cars using gasoline,' do they understand this?" Toyoda said, as carried by the Journal. A rush to ban gasoline and diesel cars would destroy the automotive industry and leave millions of people out of a job, Toyota's president also said. Toyota is selling the Mirai fuel cell vehicle running on hydrogen, and plans to boost tenfold the global sales of the Mirai with the second-generation Mirai. The new Toyota Mirai will have a 30-percent increase in driving range to around 650 kilometers (404 miles), the carmaker said at the end of last month. "The introduction of the new Mirai will see Toyota target deeper market penetration with a 10-fold expansion in sales volume. This growth will be supported by the new model's stronger performance and greater customer appeal, notably as a more affordable vehicle with a selling price reduced by around 20 percent," Toyota said. The Japanese carmaker also plans to become the first auto manufacturer to sell an EV with a solid-state battery in the early 2020s, Nikkei Asia reported last week.

Bullet time: UFC knockout Valentina Shevchenko poses with cannons and visits aquarium in series of sultry snaps in New Orleans

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https://www.rt.com/sport/510215-valentina-shevchenko-new-orleans/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

While UFC women's flyweight champ Valentina "Bullet" Shevchenko has appeared invincible in the cage in recent outings, she has also shown off her softer side by posing for snaps during a relaxing tour of New Orleans. Shevchenko last defended her title against Jennifer Maia last month, securing her sixth successive win since she lost a close split decision in a bantamweight championship fight with women's pound-for-pound great Amanda Nunes in 2017. Since that fight, Shevchenko has won five straight world title fights of her own - a number that will inevitably lead to speculation of a third fight with the irrepressible Nunes, who also beat Shevchenko in 2016. But before "Bullet" takes on the the next top contender in the UFC's flyweight frame, it appears that the 32-year-old star has been spending time recharging her batteries. Shevchenko, whose older sister, Antonina, is also a UFC fighter, has posted a sequence of photos of herself enjoying the sights of New Orleans to her following of more than 1.6 million on Instagram. Shevchenko hasn't yet been handed her next Octagon assignment - but with former strawweight title holder Jessica Andrade making a successful flyweight debut against former Shevchenko victim and second-ranked contender Katlyn Chookagian, it seems likely that UFC matchmakers will attempt to pair them sometime early next year. Either way, Shevchenko says that she doesn't want to spend too much time on the sidelines. "I don't want to wait that much because I was waiting a lot already and I'm not agreeing to wait more (for) their fight (to happen)," Shevchenko said via MMA Junkie following her win against Maia last month.

Trump lashes out at ‘dumbest’ ex-adviser Bolton after CNN interview about ‘appalling’ idea to rerun election under martial law

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https://www.rt.com/usa/510235-trump-bolton-martial-law/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

"Martial law = Fake News," Donald Trump tweeted, before targeting Bolton, a former member of his administration who became a vocal critic of the incumbent president after parting ways with Trump in September last year. Trump reminded his Twitter followers how, in 2018, then-advisor Bolton threw a wrench into the talks with North Korea on its nuclear arsenal by suggesting it follow a "Libya model" of disarmament. In 2003, Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi agreed to shut down his nuclear weapons program in exchange for rapprochement with the West, only to be ousted from power and brutally murdered during a NATO bombing campaign in 2011. Pyongyang says it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself from the US. The outraged presidential posts appear to have been prompted by Bolton's appearance on CNN. Bolton had been invited to comment on the idea promoted by one of his predecessors, Michael Flynn, who believes the US is on a brink of civil war and Trump would therefore be justified in declaring limited martial law and running a new presidential election under the supervision of the military. During his interview, Bolton called the suggestion "appalling, unbelievable, and almost certainly completely without a precedent" and suggested that even considering it showed incompetence on Trump's part. "There is a difference between incompetence and malevolence, and, in Trump's case, this is incompetence. He is unfit for the job," he said, reiterating a point he has been making since resignation. Flynn and others argue that the precedent was set by Abraham Lincoln during the run-up to the US Civil War. At the time, the president thought the federal government's existence was under threat from a Southern rebellion and took drastic measures to protect it, including allowing the military to make arrests without a specific charge. The US today is in a similarly perilous position, proponents of martial law believe, due to the alleged widespread fraud that secured a victory for Joe Biden last month. Flynn reportedly had a chance to argue his position before Trump during a Friday meeting at the White House. The meeting, first reported by the New York Times based on accounts of "two people briefed on the discussion," at times escalated into shouting matches between lawyer Sidney Powell, a Flynn ally, and Trump advisers. The White House officials reportedly objected to the suggestion that Powell is authorized by the president to investigate voter fraud. Trump refused to concede to Biden and repeatedly alleged that the election had been stolen from him. Some of his supporters still believe that, even though his lawyers' attempts to overturn the outcome have repeatedly failed in the courts. Powell was considered part of Trump's legal team until last month, when she became a vocal promoter of a case that involves alleged manipulation of tabulation by vote machines. Her lawsuits in the swing states of Georgia and Michigan have been tossed out as merely "an amalgamation of theories, conjecture, and speculation," however. Biden's victory was officially sealed by the US Electoral College earlier this week.

Road rage at clinic: Doctors flee in horror as angry driver repeatedly rams pickup truck into hospital in India (VIDEO)

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A driver has gone on the rampage and repeatedly crashed his truck into a hospital, forcing staff to run for their lives. The attack was reportedly prompted by an argument over the treatment of the perpetrator's relatives. The incident took place on Friday. Security camera footage, published by ANI. shows a white truck nearly mowing down two people outside a hospital near the city of Gurgaon, not far from New Delhi. The truck hits a parked vehicle and several motor scooters before ramming the building. The truck then pulls back and rams the building several more times, destroying the hospital pharmacy and forcing startled doctors and nurses to flee from a ward. After failing to wreak any further damage, it drives away. The hospital's director, Balwan Singh, told ANI that between 10 and 15 vehicles were damaged. According to the Dainik Jagran newspaper, several people were injured. Singh said the driver was a relative of two patients who were being treated at the hospital. It is not clear what had caused the rampage, but, according to ANI, the perpetrator had a "tussle" with some family members over the treatment of elderly relatives. A criminal investigation has been launched, but there have been no reports of any arrests.

UK defence chief says he wants to beat Russia & China ‘at their own game’ with focus on ‘сyber escalation’ below war threshold

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https://www.rt.com/uk/510225-uk-defense-staff-chief-russia-china/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

The UK needs to "beat" Russia and China "at their own game", General Sir Nick Carter, Britain's defence chief, told the Times newspaper after outlining an ‘up-to-date' strategy that appears to be rooted in Cold War mentality. Cyber attacks, asymmetric conflicts and digital surveillance – the list of "threats" and "challenges" posed to the UK and its allies by an assertive Russia and China appears to be long, at least in the mind of the British top brass. General Sir Nick Carter defined Moscow as an "acute threat" and called China a "chronic challenge" in an interview with the Times. The general believes the UK needs a brand-new strategy if it hopes to meet this perceived challenge posed by the two powers that supposedly view the world as a "no-holds-barred continuous struggle," as the Times put it. "The way to win is to beat them at their own game, and that means beating them below the threshold of war," Carter said, doubling down on the strategy he outlined during the annual Chief of the Defence Staff Lecture on Thursday. At the same time, the general did not discount traditional warfare, saying that the British military should resort to "all of the instruments of statecraft" at its disposal, including ideology, trade policy and military power in order to win the "competition below the threshold of war" – a preferred scenario, by all appearances. The list of suggestions tabled by the general also included some strategic exercises for decision-makers aimed at supposedly getting them used to making "hard choices" – something London's allies across the pond appeared to have been practising for a while. It was revealed earlier this year that a US drill involving former Defense Secretary Mark Esper featured a scenario of America nuking Russia – an idea that sparked concerns in Moscow. Speaking to the Times, Carter gave the drills involving "the nuclear button" a passing mention as well, only for his aide to assure the reporter that no references to modern politics were intended. Still, this strategy portraying rivals of the UK – and the West, for that matter – as powers seeking perpetual struggle seems to be pretty much rooted in good old Cold War tropes. Carter himself admitted that Britain and its allies need a "new Long Telegram" – a reference to the USSR deterrence strategy suggested by the US diplomat George Kennan back in 1946.

China’s share of global luxury spending doubles amid coronavirus lockdown

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https://www.rt.com/business/509979-china-doubles-luxury-spending/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

China's luxury goods market has nearly doubled this year, as consumers had to spend cash inside the country due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The market is set to expand further to become the largest in the world. Despite a rocky start to the year, during which the Chinese government had to impose a strict lockdown to contain the spread of the virus, the domestic luxury goods market has not only recovered in 2020, but also managed to expand. According to a report published by consultancy firm Bain & Co. and Tmall, an online retail platform operated by Alibaba, the Chinese luxury market is set to grow 48 percent this year and reach 346 billion yuan ($53 billion). While the global luxury market fell around 23 percent, mainland China's share nearly doubled. It rose from about 11 percent last year to 20 percent in 2020, as big-spending Chinese buyers switched to domestic malls and e-commerce platforms, instead of looking for discounts at international shopping hubs. However, the report noted that the growth in mainland China failed to compensate for an approximately 35 percent drop in Chinese consumers' total luxury spending and the Chinese consumption lost overseas. Nevertheless, the positive trend is set to continue, the authors of the report say, forecasting that China will be the main driving force of the market in five years. Bain and Tmall's joint research showed that four factors were also behind this year's results – namely repatriation, millennial and Gen Z shoppers, digitalization, and the Hainan island duty-free stores. The latter played a role in the growth, according to the report. Some Chinese brands saw double- and even triple-digit increases in the rate of domestic luxury spending due to border closures. They will continue to enjoy positive domestic growth of around 30 percent at least until the second half of next year, the report predicts. It noted that before the situation in the world gets back to normal, local producers will have to convince Chinese luxury consumers that domestic shopping is a better choice.

Sarah Palin joins calls to pardon Assange, condemns previous comments on WikiLeaks founder: ‘I made a mistake’

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Former Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has joined the chorus of voices calling for a pardon for Julian Assange, despite condemning the "bad guy" in the past. As rumors swirl of a possible pardon for Assange from outgoing President Donald Trump, more and more advocates have thrown their support behind the WikiLeaks founder – and Sarah Palin is one of the more surprising of those calling for clemency. Palin's own emails were released by WikiLeaks in 2008. In addition to personal emails, it also appeared through the correspondence that she had conducted gubernatorial business through a private Yahoo email account. While Palin has publicly warmed to Assange in recent years, her support for a pardon, though welcomed by his advocates, surprised many of them. "Wow never thought I would see Sarah Palin of all people calling for the pardon of Assange," journalist Luke Rudkowski tweeted in response to the video. Assange was arrested last April after seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for almost seven years. He is currently awaiting potential extradition to the US, where he would face conspiracy and espionage charges that carry a sentence of up to 175 years. Activists have also been pushing for a pardon for Edward Snowden, who has lived in Russia since revealing warrantless government spying programs in 2013. Trump has said recently that he is open to the idea of pardoning Snowden, who has called for "clemency" for Assange over himself.

Virginia law professor raises eyebrows with suggestion to achieve racial ‘equality’: DOUBLE-COUNTING the votes of black people

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https://www.rt.com/usa/510229-black-people-vote-double/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

A law professor at Virginia's Washington and Lee University has devised a creative solution to help create a "racially just" society: double-count the votes of black people to undo America's "structurally racist" political system. He graciously suggested that so-called "vote reparations" should also be extended to Native Americans, but his proposal was nevertheless roasted on social media as inherently racist. "I don't think advocating for systemic racism would be in the best interest of the country, no," one commenter tweeted.

Netherlands bans air travel from Britain till NEXT YEAR over new Covid-19 strain similar to fast-spreading variant in the UK

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The Dutch government has imposed a ban on commercial flights from the UK to the Netherlands after it reported a first case of the new, fast-spreading Covid-19 strain. The ban will be in effect until at least January. The travel restrictions will apply to all passenger flights from the UK bound to the Netherlands starting 6:00am Sunday local time, the government said in a statement issued several hours before the ban was due to come into force. It described the sweeping ban on air travel for the whole Christmas period as a "precautionary measure" needed to "limit" potential further exposure of the population to the new strain of the virus, which was first detected in the UK and is allegedly highly contagious. Citing data by a local health agency, which recommended the ban, the Dutch government revealed that the strain, believed to be the same that prompted UK PM Boris Johnson's latest lockdown, was detected in the Netherlands "at the beginning of December" as part of a case study. In light of the situation in the UK, the government said it would "further investigate" the case to determine "how the infection came about" on Dutch soil, and whether there are more cases triggered by the mutant strain. While suspending only passenger flights for the time being, Amsterdam did not rule out that the ban will be expanded to cover other means of transportation as well. The move comes shortly after Johnson effectively cancelled Christmas for those living in London, the Southeast, and the city of Peterborough, placing those areas under so-called Tier 4 restrictions. Those affected by the plan have been barred from "mixing with anyone outside their own household at Christmas," with Johnson saying the much-feared new strain is to blame for the no-go rule. There's currently no evidence it's more lethal or more vaccine-resistant than the earlier variant of the virus, however. Measures aimed at discouraging travel have had the opposite effect so far. Footage showed London's rail stations flooded with passengers hoping to get onto the last services and escape the Tier 4 zone before Saturday's midnight deadline struck.

BoJo’s latest lockdown order spurs mass exodus to provinces, setting off ‘first evacuation of London since 1939’ (VIDEO)

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https://www.rt.com/uk/510227-lockdown-exodus-station-video/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Londoners took PM Boris Johnson's announcement of a Covid-19 lockdown for the Christmas holiday as their cue to flee London, in doing so, perhaps achieving exactly the opposite of the latest efforts to contain the virus. Videos posted on social media showed large crowds at rail stations queuing to escape the area designated as Tier 4 under the UK's Covid-19 rules. Johnson said earlier on Saturday that those living in the Tier 4 zone – which includes London, the Southeast, and Peterborough in the east – should not mix with anyone outside their own household, effectively cancelling Christmas. Non-essential businesses will be closed from Sunday. The crackdown came in response to a new strain of coronavirus that allegedly spreads 70 percent faster, although there's currently no indication it's more lethal or more vaccine-resistant than the earlier variant of the virus. However, if the goal were to keep the new strain from being spread to other parts of the country, the lockdown may have been ill conceived. The announcement of a midnight Saturday London lockdown gave residents only about eight hours to find a way out of the city. Videos on Twitter show massive crowds of travellers trying to flee London, including a long line of people waiting to board the train for Leeds from St Pancras Station. "Every person on this train, including myself, has made what is probably a very silly and irresponsible decision to travel, albeit within the law," journalist Harriet Clugston tweeted. "But that's what people were always going to do to be together at Christmas." She added that the train to Leeds was being delayed because of overcrowding. The scene at St Pancras was so crowded and chaotic, it was announced that social distancing wouldn't be possible, the Evening Standard website reported. Londoners had apparently ignored a statement by Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty during the prime minister's afternoon press conference advising people trying to flee Tier 4 areas to unpack their bags and stay at home. It's not clear what sort of Covid-19 troubles could be waiting for the evacuees at their destinations. Government rules that allowed as many as three households to gather from December 23 to December 27 were cancelled in Tier 4 areas and curtailed elsewhere in England. Outside Tier 4, three-household gatherings are limited to Christmas Day only, rather than the five-day period that had been planned. Non-essential travel in and out of Tier 4 areas was banned as of midnight. The shutdown will remain effective until at least December 30, when the government will reassess the situation.

Are we ‘following the science’? Fauci tells kids he flew to North Pole and VACCINATED SANTA in Covid-19 advisory on Sesame Street

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Dr. Anthony Fauci has been known to change his expert opinions on Covid-19 topics, such as whether to wear a mask, but his statements on Santa's readiness for a pandemic Christmas took a head-scratching, jarring turn on Saturday. Appearing on CNN's ‘Sesame Street Special', the mainstream media's favorite Covid-19 authority was asked by children how Santa Claus would be able to visit their houses amid the pandemic. The message might have sounded reassuring, except Fauci himself said just a few weeks ago that Santa wouldn't need a vaccine. "Santa is exempt from this because Santa, of all his good qualities, has a lot of good innate immunity," Fauci told USA Today. The apparent flip-flop left some on Twitter to wonder whether a ‘conspiracy' was afoot. Even without the conflicting statements, the North Pole trip sounded far-fetched, given the travel restrictions imposed in Washington. Meanwhile, Joe Biden supporters kicked around a few ideas for honoring Fauci. "Someone give Dr. Fauci some kind of humanitarian award," one commenter tweeted. "That man is such a gift to America." Others debated whether he should be in line for a Nobel prize or the Medal of Freedom. But Fauci isn't the only star of the US political establishment to stage an arguably creepy Santa-themed propaganda pitch this week. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer held a Zoom call with Santa – apparently before Fauci arrived at the North Pole with his syringe – to show children asking scripted, Covid-19 questions. The key takeaway was: Stay home, call your grandparents and other relatives, but don't have Christmas gatherings. "This year has to look a little bit different so we can stay safe," Whitmer said.

Netanyahu calls Covid-19 vaccine ‘giant step for health’ as he becomes first Israeli to get Pfizer jab

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Hoping to lead by example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got a jab of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine in an event broadcast live, as the polls showed a high level of mistrust to the immunization drive among Israelis. The ceremonial injection took place at the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv on Saturday, with Netanyahu sticking to his earlier promise and becoming the first person in the country to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The PM was administered a shot of the immunization jointly developed by US pharma giant Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech. Israel, which plans to begin the vaccination of the general public next week, has so far received 300,000 doses of the inoculation, but expects to be have acquired 3.8 million doses by the end of December. In launching the vaccination campaign, Israel was "leaving the darkness of the coronavirus" and setting off on a journey to "a great light," Netanyahu said, as cited by the Times of Israel. The PM has faced harsh criticism and large-scale protests over his handling of the Covid-19 outbreak. It remains to be seen if the populace will heed their leader's advice and follow suit en masse. A new poll published on Friday suggested that the vast majority of Israelis were wary of getting vaccinated right away. The results of the survey, conducted by the Ynet News website, showed that less than 25 percent of Israelis were ready to receive a coronavirus shot immediately. Another poll, by Haifa University, published on Tuesday, put the number of those willing to be in the forefront at only around 20 percent. Nonetheless, according to the Ynet poll, some two-thirds of the Israeli population, or 64 percent, say they do plan to get the jab, albeit in the long run. This falls short of Netanyahu's vision for all Israelis without exception to be vaccinated, however, and a poll last week by the newspaper Israel Hayom showed that a third, or 37 percent, of Israel's citizens are planning to refuse the vaccination altogether.

‘If you compare risks, you’ll take a vaccine’: Renowned US physician says Covid-19 jabs are ‘quite safe’ (VIDEO)

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https://www.rt.com/news/510224-vaccine-safety-risks-stanley-plotkin/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

While "nothing is 100 percent safe," the chances of side effects from vaccination are hundreds of thousands of times lower than those of contracting Covid-19 by staying unvaccinated, prominent immunologist Stanley Plotkin told RT. With an increasing number of Covid-19 jabs approved by regulators, nations across the world are launching vaccination campaigns. However, in the absence of long-term trials, many people appear to be reluctant to take the jab, prompting governments to resort to various means to encourage compliance, from PR campaigns to the threat of sanctions. RT approached Stanley Plotkin, a renowned US physician and a co-developer of several vaccines, including against polio, rubella and rabies, to seek his view on concerns about the Covid-19 vaccines and their safety. "If you compare the risks and are intelligent, then you will take the vaccine," Plotkin said. The immunologist, who worked as a consultant for governments and vaccine manufacturers such as Sanofi Pasteur, explained that the chance of suffering negative side effects from receiving a shot was incomparable to the danger posed by the disease itself. Even if the risk of being infected is just about 20 percent, it still means that two in every 10 people will be infected, Plotkin explained. In the case of a vaccine, the risk of a negative reaction to it is "one in a million," he added, explaining that "vaccines in general have been quite safe" and those Covid-19 jabs that have received approval appear to demonstrate high safety levels as well. The thing that does concern scientists is whether the Covid-19 vaccines are effective in preventing infection and thus stemming the spread of the virus, Plotkin said, explaining that a vaccine could theoretically prevent a person from getting ill but would still leave them contagious if they caught the virus. "If they do not prevent infection then we will have a situation where vaccinated people will be protected, but unvaccinated people will not be protected," the physician said. Getting the immune response rightThe vaccine developers are already working on ways to improve the existing Covid-19 jabs. A prime example, which RT quizzed Plotkin about, is a collaboration between the UK's AstraZeneca and Russia's Gamaleya Institute, which developed the world's first registered vaccine, Sputnik V. Last week, the Cambridge-based company announced it would team up with the scientists from Moscow to find out if its vaccine formula could produce better results when combined with elements of the Russian jab. Plotkin sees it as a step in the right direction, particularly due to the platform both vaccine developers use. Both jabs are based on a modified adenovirus carrying a Covid-19 protein to provoke an immune response to this protein. However, since successful immunization requires two doses, "immunity may develop to the vector itself as well as to the inserted protein," the scientist said. The response could be improved by using two types of adenovirus instead of just one, he added.

EVEN TRUMP dumps on BoJo for stealing Christmas from millions of Brits as #Tier4 gets memed into oblivion

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https://www.rt.com/uk/510221-trump-boris-johnson-lockdown-tier4/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's fresh coronavirus restrictions have earned the Conservative PM the scorn of commentators online. Even US President Donald Trump is holding up his lockdown as an example of what not to do. "It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned," Johnson told the nation on Saturday, announcing a new ban on meeting family and friends from different households in the ‘Tier-4' restricted areas of London, the Southeast and Peterborough. In the rest of the country, household mixing will be allowed only on Christmas Day itself, rather than the five days either side, as originally planned. Johnson's Grinch-like restrictions were made in response to a new strain of the coronavirus that spreads faster. However, there is no indication whether the new variant is any more deadly or resilient than the previous strain, and the public hammered Johnson on Twitter for his heavy-handedness, venting at the new lockdown, and blasting the prime minister with memes. Other posts suggested the public does not quite believe the ruling class will observe the same strict rules imposed on millions of Brits from Sunday. Shortly beforehand, Trump took aim at the news media in the US, which he accused of unfairly covering his administration's response to the virus. "The entire WORLD is being badly hurt by the China Virus, but if you listen to the Fake News Lamestream Media, and Big Tech, you would think that we are the only one," he tweeted, along with another video of Johnson's announcement. Both the UK and US have approved a coronavirus vaccine manufactured by US drug firm Pfizer, while the US has also approved a shot by pharma company Moderna. Still, mass rollout is not expected until next year. In Washington, the government's infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci has predicted a return to normality by summer 2021, while in the UK, Health Minister Matt Hancock has issued a similar forecast.

Soros-funded Los Angeles DA stokes more outrage by calling family of murder victim too uneducated to ‘KEEP THEIR MOUTH SHUT’

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https://www.rt.com/usa/510217-la-soros-da-insults-victims/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

"It's unfortunate that we have people that do not have enough education to keep their mouth shut for once so we can talk," District Attorney George Gascon said Friday, outside a courthouse in Pomona, California. The 65-year-old prosecutor, who was born in Cuba and was previously San Francisco's DA, took office in Los Angeles earlier this month, after being elected with more than $2.5 million in campaign funding from Soros, who has helped install far-left prosecutors across the US. Gascon quickly angered families of crime victims by announcing such policies as banning the death penalty, stopping use of cash bail and directing prosecutors to help criminals who were sentenced too harshly in the past win reductions to their prison terms – even as they struggle to keep up with surging crime. Gascon also banned prosecutors in the nation's largest DA's office from seeking sentences of life in prison without parole in especially heinous cases – those involving "special circumstances." One beneficiary of the new policy is Rhett Nelson, who allegedly murdered Russian snowboarding star Dmitry Koltsov and Deputy Sheriff Joseph Gilbert Solano in June 2019. About an hour after leaving Koltsov to die on the sidewalk, Nelson allegedly shot Solano in the back of the head while the deputy waited in line at an Alhambra fast-food restaurant. After a public backlash over his decision, Gascon said on Friday that he would allow for use of special circumstances in certain types of cases, including hate crimes and cases involving child or elder abuse. Killing a law enforcement officer is still not considered a special circumstance by Gascon, however. The DA's office is moving forward with dropping special circumstances in cases that don't fit Gascon's exceptions to the rule. That provision was dropped on Friday in the case against the five men who allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and murdered 20-year-old Julian Andrade in 2018. The suspects allegedly abducted Andrade because they thought he had stolen some of their marijuana. According to prosecutors, the men repeatedly beat and stabbed their victim, then drove up into the mountains northeast of Los Angeles to dump his body. On the way, they discovered he was still alive, so they stomped on his head. They then threw him off a cliff, but one of the suspects had to go down to finish him off after hearing him still struggling. Andrade's mother, Desiree Andrade, told Fox 11 Los Angeles that the alleged killers smirked in court on Friday as the special circumstances in the case were dropped. They could reportedly be eligible for parole in as little as 20 years.

CNN & Dems call to unleash HELL on Tucker Carlson for ‘trying to kill people’ with vaccine SKEPTICISM as his Covid rant goes viral

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https://www.rt.com/usa/510220-tucker-carlson-covid19-vaccine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

"How many people did Tucker Carlson try and kill tonight?" Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-California) tweeted on Friday. While such a message might seem extreme, it's just one of many reactions to a recent vaccine critique from Carlson. In a segment on his show, Carlson, one of the president's more vocal supporters, targeted the "marketing campaign" behind the Pfizer vaccine, noting both reports of allergic reactions to the shots and social media companies cracking down on what they deem to be "misinformation" about it. The lack of debate and conversation, Carlson noted, only hurts potential "trust" in the vaccine. "Our leaders," the Daily Caller founder said, "are definitely not pro-choice" when it comes to the vaccine. "If you want people to take your vaccine, they must trust your vaccine. And if you want them to trust it, you have to let them speak freely about it," he said, pointing to a CNN interview with philanthropist Melinda Gates, wife of Bill Gates, where she called for the targeting of vaccine misinformation. Mainstream media voices struck back fast. In a Saturday CNN op-ed, former Bill Clinton White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart encouraged news organizations to mass-attack Carlson and other Fox News hosts for such critiques. "The science denial, vaccine skepticism and falsehoods that are spewed on Fox News pose a clear and present danger to the health of many Americans," Lockhart wrote, comparing Carlson's segment to running "into a crowded theater and yelling fire," an often cited hypothetical often referenced by those citing limitations for free speech in the US. In an MSNBC segment, Dr. Vin Gupta lambasted Carlson, as well as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and others, for daring to question the effectiveness of the vaccine. "This vaccine is broadly safe, and this vaccine keeps people out of ICUs. Sen. Ted Cruz, Tucker Carlson, and those propagating this myth ... they haven't cared for patients in the ICU," he said. The Pfizer vaccine, which was over 90 percent effective in trials, began getting distributed last week and various polls have shown skepticism of its effectiveness has slowly eroded, as more and more public figures such as Vice President Mike Pence, as well as Fox News' Rupert Murdoch, have taken it. Among Republicans, however, hesitancy remains the highest. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll this week found 42 percent of Republicans would "probably or definitely not" take a Covid-19 vaccine. Minus political leanings, 27 percent of respondents were hesitant to take a vaccine.

If only they’d listened to Greta: World Economic Forum mocked for comparing CLIMATE CHANGE ON VENUS with that on Earth

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https://www.rt.com/news/510218-wef-venus-climate-change/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

When it comes to the fight against climate change, the boffins at the World Economic Forum think we can learn from the planet Venus, which had its oceans and milder climate wrecked. All that, and nobody on Venus ever drove a car. "We can learn a lot about climate change from Venus, our sister planet," read an article on the website of the World Economic Forum (WEF) this week. According to the post, new scientific modeling has revealed that, for much of its history, Venus had surface temperatures similar to those of present-day Earth, complete with oceans, rain, and even snow. That all changed when continuous volcanic eruptions spewed enough carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to make the planet the scorching, uninhabitable wasteland it is today. Massive volcanic eruptions, which occur here on Earth every 20 to 30 million years, could do the same to our planet, the WEF article warned, permanently altering our planet the way fossil fuel consumption never could. That's not to say man-made climate change doesn't exist here on Earth – which, unlike Venus, we're pretty sure has been habitable (and inhabited) for some time. But such predictions are apocalyptic, and to a legion of online commenters, undermined the WEF's argument that humanity needs to urgently move to a zero-carbon economy to survive global warming – all part of the post-coronavirus ‘Great Reset' envisioned by the organization and its supporters in politics. "If only Planet Venus would have listened to the scoldy truant teen," conservative pundit Stephen Miller tweeted, in an apparent reference to Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, whose crusade against fossil fuels dominated headlines last year. While cataclysmic volcanic eruptions could possibly undo any carbon tax, vehicle ban, or ‘Green New Deal' passed here on Earth, the WEF's article did not discount the effects of man-made climate change – it simply didn't mention it. Should that happen, the WEF already has its eyes on the Moon, and predicts a ‘gold rush' in the coming decades, as companies and governments set out to strip the barren space-rock of its precious thorium, uranium, and helium.

Covid-19 pandemic causes minor damage to corporate India, but takes heavy toll on the poor, Credit Suisse says

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https://www.rt.com/business/510196-india-covid-economy-impact/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

The cost of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Indian economy is smaller than was projected, as the corporate sector managed to bring down costs and bolster balance sheets, according to Credit Suisse's top equity strategist for India. Previous analysis carried out by the Zurich-based financial institution predicted India's economy would see a loss of 20 trillion rupee ($270 billion), but 75 percent of the factors considered in coming up with the figure didn't have a lasting impact, and so the damage turned out to be significantly less than first thought. "We call it ‘water under the bridge'. What people didn't earn, they didn't consume. So, the lasting implications were very low," Neelkanth Mishra, Credit Suisse's India strategist and co-head of equity strategy, Asia Pacific, said in an interview with BloombergQuint. According to the him, the estimated loss has contracted to $200 billion, of which nearly $110 billion was borne by the government in terms of increased debt. However, prospects are not so bright for non-corporate India, as the loss in personal income or wages has reportedly come to nearly $61 billion in total, leaving the poor with a worse balance sheet. The remaining $27 billion is the loss of retained earnings and capital for companies. Severe cost-cutting measures introduced by corporate giants reportedly pushed the major negative impacts of the lockdown down to the smaller 30-40 percent of enterprises and individuals. "From an inequality perspective that's a disastrous outcome but from an economic momentum perspective that's actually the best possible outcome," Mishra said. According to the analyst, the top 10-20 percent of Indian corporations, households and individuals, who spend the most, came out of the lockdown with a better balance sheet because their consumption was severely impacted while their income was secure. At the same time, the bottom 50 percent were less fortunate, as their income was severely affected while the consumption remained at the same basic level. The extra savings that the top corporations, households and individuals have may boost investing and consuming activity and, hence, growth in the near future, Mishra said. "That is the economic stimulus that has come through and therefore the lasting damage to the economy is much lower," he said.

Wokestradamus? Parody Twitter account ‘Titania McGrath’ perfectly predicted the latest social justice battles

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https://www.rt.com/news/510216-titania-mcgrath-woke-predictions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

‘Titania McGrath' doesn't exist, and is a creation of Spiked columnist Andrew Doyle. Yet her Twitter account, which parodies and ridicules modern society's obsession with political correctness, has fooled the unaware before, even earning a ban from Twitter after a biting send-up of critical theory in which she argued doctors were "bullying and dehumanizing" sick people – i.e. "those who do not conform to their perceptions of "'wellness'" – and thus medical science should be banned as an oppressive, cisnormative, patriarchal construct. While her satirical posts often imitated the most ridiculous declarations of the woke, they were never meant to be taken as an instruction manual. Yet, she now says that's exactly what happened, crediting herself with the ideas that progressive organizations and media outlets apparently embraced well after her tweets describing them – and this time it might not even be satire. ‘Was Beethoven black?' In any normal society, the answer would be no, but we no longer live in a normal society. "On 22 December 2018, I called for biological sex to be removed from birth certificates," McGrath tweeted on Friday. On Thursday, the New England Journal of Medicine actually suggested doing the same, leading some commenters to wonder if the prestigious medical journal had fallen victim to a prank. Unfortunately it hadn't, and was deadly serious. But it was far from the only outlet to "parrot" Titania's woke ideas. Last year, McGrath suggested that white parents who want to prove they're not racist should "send your teenage daughters on unaccompanied walking holidays in the tribal regions of North Pakistan," areas hardly known for their enlightened view of women. It's more likely that in the aftermath of every major civil rights battle having already been won, the fights picked by the woke in 2020 often cross over the line separating satire from reality. And with that line becoming ever more blurred, some commenters under McGrath's Twitter thread were still fooled. "Satire doesn't stand a chance against reality anymore," American cartoonist Jules Feiffer famously said in 1959. One wonders what he makes of the likes of Titania McGrath.

History made: Lionel Messi on the brink of breaking another record after drawing level with football icon Pele in club scorer list

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https://www.rt.com/sport/510211-messi-equals-pele-record/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Lionel Messi has etched his name into the history books once more after scoring his 643rd Barcelona goal on Saturday, drawing the Argentina icon level with Pele for the most goals scored by a player for a single club. Messi, 33, scored the historic goal just before half-time with a diving header, reacting quickest after Valencia 'keeper Jaume Domenech saved his spot kick in additional time during Barcelona's 2-2 draw with Valencia at the Camp Nou on Saturday. Neither Messi nor Barca boss Ronald Koeman got the three points which would have given their stuttering title bid a much-needed shot in the arm, but the club's all-time top scorer will no doubt be satisfied with his historic contribution. Barca skipper Messi achieved his 643 goals in just 748 appearances for the team he has represented since he was a boy, which is just under 100 games more than Pele required to score the same total (656 games) in his 18 seasons with Brazilian side Santos. Since his Barcelona debut in 2004, Messi has risen to be considered very much the equal of the sport's accepted legends such as Pele and Messi's late compatriot, Diego Maradona. His tally of six Ballon d'Or titles is a record, and one more than that of perennial rival Cristiano Ronaldo. In addition to his individual honors, Messi has also dominated the domestic game in Spain and Europe. He has 10 La Liga titles to his name, as well as four Champions League titles among the 34 trophies he has won in his career. Messi still has a long way to go to surpass Pele's career goalscoring total. The Brazil icon is credited with scoring more than 1,000 goals in the entirely of his career - with Messi currently standing at 730 strikes for club and country. The Argentine will have his first opportunity to take the single-club goalscoring record when he lines up for Barcelona in Tuesday's clash away to Valladolid on Tuesday. There has been continual speculation around Messi's future after he attempted to engineer a move away from the Camp Nou after he interpreted language in his contract as meaning that he could leave the club on a free transfer days before the start of the new Spanish campaign. He withdrew his request when it appeared that the resulting dispute would lead him to the courtroom before it would the training ground of Paris St. Germain or Manchester City, the two clubs thought to be his principle suitors.

Dead dogs hung from trees along Siberian highway as hunter takes grisly revenge on pack of strays (GRAPHIC VIDEO)

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https://www.rt.com/russia/510213-dead-dogs-hunter-syberia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

An investigation has been launched in the remote Russian region of Kemerovo, after viral footage showed the dead bodies of half a dozen dogs strung up in trees along the roadside. However, when no neighbours came forward to identify their pets, local authorities concluded that they were strays. The circumstances are now being investigated. In June, another Russian hunter, Oleg Potapov, made headlines after shooting dead a husky in front of its horrified owners, who allege he acted out of retribution, after the dead animal chased off a goose he had been stalking. Potapov insists that they had been walking their dog over his land, and that it had mauled more than 50 geese that he was farming for their eggs, meat and feathers.

American analysts downbeat as Washington chooses to withdraw its diplomatic presence in Siberia & Russia’s remote Far East

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https://www.rt.com/russia/510212-analysts-downbeat-washington-consulates/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

As Russia moves to liberalize its Visa system for most Western visitors, the US has said it will close its last consulates outside Moscow. This step is certain to reduce person-to-person contacts between Americans and Russians. The decision, which has echoes of the Cold War. albeit with roles reversed in terms of the paranoia at play, will see diplomatic offices close in the Far Eastern capital Vladivostok, and in Ekaterinburg, Russia's fourth largest city, located east of the Ural Mountains. President Donald Trump's administration notified Congress of the plans over a week ago, but the news received little coverage until Saturday. While the exact timings of the closures have not yet been made clear, it is understood that American officials will be transferred to the country's embassy in Moscow, while local Russian support staff will be laid off. In news that will satisfy Washington's deficit hawks, the State Department predicts that the move, if made permanent, would save $3.2 million each year. In a written communiqué, the administration claims that its actions are "in response to ongoing staffing challenges of the US Mission in Russia in the wake of the 2017 Russian-imposed personnel cap on the US Mission and resultant impasse with Russia over diplomatic visas." The presence of state representatives first became an issue in 2016, when Washington expelled 35 of Moscow's diplomats, limiting its mission's numbers, over alleged attempts to interfere with that year's Presidential elections, which Russia strenuously denies. The decision leaves the US without formal representation anywhere apart from the capital, in a country that bridges two continents. As well as providing consular services to the more than a quarter of a million Americans who visit Russia each year, the offices are charged with issuing visas to Russians wishing to travel stateside. Residents of Russia's Far East who wish to visit the US will now have to fly for up to nine hours to Moscow for a Visa, with no guarantees that their application will be approved. Likewise, Americans needing to access consular services will face days of travel if they need support in Siberia or the Far East. The move, and the restrictive Visa regime, flies in the face of Russia's recent policy towards liberalizing the process, with the introduction of a digital system offering tourists stays of up to 16-days for no more than $50 to be rolled out in January 2021. Americans are excluded from the scheme, but citizens of most NATO states are eligible. While ties between Moscow and Washington have been consistently under strain over a number of issues in recent months, it is unclear how the decision to shutter diplomatic offices is expected to relieve tensions. In most cases, consulates fulfil a purely administrative role, but they often also act as hubs for cultural and political exchanges, hosting events and enabling diplomats to get a better understanding of a country beyond its capital. Shuttering them also deprives the US of a useful vantage point in Vladivostok, in close range of China, North Korea and Japan. These decisions have widely been interpreted as attempts to restrict the kind of human-to-human contact that helps challenge established narratives about countries. In the Soviet-era, access to the country for foreign visitors was tightly restricted. But now, it would appear that the situation has reversed and, if a new Cold War is indeed underway, the US has chosen to close its doors to many Russians.

Trump lashes out at media for blaming ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ for hacking, says it ‘may be China’

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https://www.rt.com/usa/510214-trump-russia-hack-china/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

President Donald Trump has broken with the media and his own Secretary of State, brushing aside allegations that Russia was behind a massive computer hack. Trump instead claimed that the real culprit could be Beijing. As well as hitting out at the "Lamestream" media for blaming Russia, Trump also suggested that there may have "been a hit on our ridiculous voting machines during the election." The president has often cited a series of unexplained computer"glitches" as proof that someone interfered to deny him victory in five key swing states. The "Cyber Hack" referred to by Trump, however, is a hacking operation that targeted the SolarWinds Orion Platform, a network monitoring tool used by nearly every Fortune 500 corporation and multiple US government agencies, among them the State Department, NASA, and the Pentagon. The hack was revealed earlier this month, and pinned on Russia evidence-free by none other than the Washington Post, quoting its usual anonymous sources. Moscow denies any involvement in the cyber attack.

Cosmonauts to intensify search for leak on ageing International Space Station amid concerns over DEPLETING oxygen reserves

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https://www.rt.com/russia/510210-iss-leak-oxygen-rogozin/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Mission control has asked cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to find the source of a leak from Russia's Zvezda module on the facility, warning that the craft has been losing its reserve supply of oxygen. "Practically, we don't understand in what part of the intermediate chamber we currently have an extra leak," a specialist from the Russian Mission Control Center in the town of Korolyov in the Moscow Region told the crew, on Saturday according to a broadcast by NASA. "Regrettably, we won't be able to do anything without your input," he added, asking the cosmonauts to intensify the search for the leak. The problem has to be solved "soon" because the station has been running out of reserve oxygen to compensate for the leak, mission control said. A small crack caused a drop in pressure in the ISS in August, with the leak later being discovered in the Zvezda module. The Russian cosmonauts fixed it with plasticine provided by their US colleagues, but it didn't fully resolve the issue. The Russian crew said in October that another possible source of decompression could've been located in the module's intermediate chamber. The exchange between the station and Earth provoked alarming headlines in Russian media, but ISS cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov assured all that that there was no reason for panic. "There are no problems aboard. We're working in routine manner" to locate the leak, Vinogradov said. "It's OK. We've been flying like this for half a year now," he added. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, also insisted that the situation was "under control." If need be an additional supply of oxygen will be delivered to orbit. "We're planning to send Progress cargo ship to the ISS in February," Rogozin said. There was also an option to "use our relations with NASA" and deliver oxygen to the station via US transports, he added. Rogozin promised to "cure" the problems of the ISS, but pointed out that in any case it would only be a temporary solution, as the station is aging. "Through its older modules the station is slowly telling us: 'It's time for me to retire.'" The leaks were natural as some components of the station were made in the Soviet Union and intended for 15 years in service, but ended up spending a much longer time in space, he explained. The ISS will only remain functional until 2024 or even 2028, "that's why we're now considering building a new station – a Russian national station," the Roscosmos boss said.

‘I have nothing to declare but my genius’: UFC’s Conor McGregor looks shredded as he returns from Portugal training camp (PHOTOS)

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https://www.rt.com/sport/510209-conor-mcgregor-poirier-training/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Irish UFC star Conor McGregor looked in outstanding shape after several weeks spent training in the Algarve ahead of his pivotal January rematch with lightweight title rival Dustin Poirier, channeling Oscar Wilde upon his return. The "Notorious", 32, will set foot in the UFC cage for the first time in almost exactly a year when he faces former title challenger Poirier on "Fight Island" on January 23 in a sequel to their UFC 178 clash six years ago, which McGregor won by first-round TKO. All these years later, both men approach their second fight on a very different foundation to their first. McGregor has become one of the biggest generational stars in combat sports, winning world titles in two separate weight classes to realize his soothsaying "Mystic Mac" predictions in which he promised exactly that. Poirier, too, enters the fight in a different gear. Since that ego-bruising defeat to McGregor he has been on a tear - winning an (interim) world title in the lightweight frame before surrendering to Khabib Nurmagomedov in what was the Russian champion's second title defence last year. Predictably, all eyes are on the returning McGregor in what will just be his third UFC bout in the past four years. Judging by the images posted to his Instagram, McGregor has left no stone unturned in his quest to enter the fight in supreme condition. The now shaven-headed provocateur looked to be ripped as he wrote on the social media platform, apparently from a Portuguese airport, that he had nothing to declare to customs "except my genius" while posting photos of him decked out in a skintight top. The Dubliner was previously reported to have been staying at a $13,500 luxury villa but will return to his native Ireland for the final preparations ahead of what will be the UFC's first high-profile fight of the new year.

Fluent in goals: Suarez ‘appears in Italian citizenship cheating hearing’ - then is branded a ‘b*stard’ by Costa after scoring two

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https://www.rt.com/sport/510206-luis-suarez-costa-atletico-elche/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

An eventful week for Luis Suarez has ended with the Uruguay star reportedly testifying before investigators in a case about his Italian citizenship test, scoring for Atletico Madrid and being scorned by strike partner Diego Costa. Police launched an investigation earlier this month after discovering that Suarez, whose move from Barcelona to Juventus fell through, allegedly attempted to cheat the test at the University of Perugia. Suarez was assisted by an interpreter and gave evidence in Spanish via a video link, according to the Corriere Dello Sport, although the exact nature of what was said remains confidential. Back on the pitch on Saturday, Suarez hit the top of the Liga top scorers charts with a goal either side of half-time as Atletico went three points clear at the summit with at least a game in hand on the four sides below them. On his 200th Liga appearance, Suarez made it seven goals in nine league games since joining Atletico in a shock move in September that ended his prolific six-year spell at Barcelona. Barca, who started their match at home to Valencia later in the day nine points behind Atletico, might have rued their decision to release Suarez for a paltry sum as they went a goal down and managed only one shot on target in the first half before Suarez's close friend, Lionel Messi, equalized during another underwhelming performance. Atletico's former Chelsea forward, Diego Costa, was also envious of Suarez after emerging from the bench to score a late penalty in his side's 3-1 win over Elche.

FDA investigating allergic reactions to Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine after multiple incidents

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https://www.rt.com/usa/510207-pfizer-vaccine-allergic-reactions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to find the "culprit" behind reports of allergic reactions to the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, announced on Friday that at least five cases of allergic reactions to the vaccine, which began being administered last week, are being looked into by the agency. "I think we have, at this point, the right system in place, a mitigation strategy with the availability of treatment for a severe allergic reaction being at the ready, and we'll continue to monitor it very closely," Marks told reporters on Friday evening. Reports of allergic reactions came from Alaska and other states last week, following similar instances reported from the United Kingdom. One healthcare worker in Alaska reportedly experienced shortness of breath, elevated heart rate, and rashes, only 10 minutes after receiving the vaccine, and was transferred to an intensive care unit in Juneau, though she was treated and is now expected to make a full recovery. Another healthcare worker in Alaska, who also reportedly had an anaphylactic reaction minutes after receiving the vaccine, experienced tongue swelling and difficulty breathing. She too has made a full recovery. Federal guidelines currently recommend people receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine be monitored for 15 minutes after receiving the shot, or 30 minutes if they have a history of allergic reactions.

‘Can’t have Christmas as planned’: BoJo tells London, Southeast & Peterborough to STAY HOME over rapid spread of new Covid strain

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https://www.rt.com/uk/510208-london-england-new-christmas-restrictions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

UK PM Boris Johnson has effectively cancelled Christmas for London, the Southeast and the city of Peterborough, banning Brits from meeting family and friends from other households, due to a fast-spreading new coronavirus variant. "It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned. In England, those living in Tier 4 areas should not mix with anyone outside their own household at Christmas," Johnson said in a televised press conference on Saturday. Across the rest of the country, the Christmas rules allowing up to three households to meet will now be limited to Christmas Day only, rather than the five days as previously set out. The latest restrictions were made in response to a new variant of the coronavirus that reportedly spreads faster, though there is currently no indication that it is any more deadly or immune to vaccines. Johnson claimed the new strain "may be up to 70 percent more transmissible than the old variant", and that most cases of it have been recorded in those areas now under Tier 4 restrictions.

Legal battle begins after Maricopa County REFUSES to conduct forensic audit of Dominion voting machines ordered by Arizona senate

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https://www.rt.com/usa/510193-arizona-gop-maricopa-subpoena-audit/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Arizona's Republican Party has accused Democrats of undermining efforts at election transparency after Maricopa County announced it would challenge ballot and voting machine audits ordered by the state senate. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has refused to comply with two subpoenas issued by the state's Senate Judiciary Committee, instead voting 4-1 to challenge the directives in court. Eddie Farnsworth, the Republican chairman of the Senate committee, issued the two orders on Tuesday. One subpoena called for a scanned ballot audit, while the other asked for a "full forensic audit of ballot tabulation equipment, the software for that equipment, and the election management system" used in the 2020 presidential contest. The county was given until Friday, November 19 to hand in the requested information, which included digital images of every mail-in ballot, along with a list of logs and reports from Dominion tabulation machines. In their legal complaint, the county supervisors allege that the state Senate has no right to demand such data, arguing that the subpoenas violate Arizona laws for ballot secrecy. They also alleged they had insufficient time to comply with the subpoenas. The county supervisors asked the court to "quash" the subpoenas and declare them unlawful. The move was met with a series of seething tweets fired off by the Arizona Republican Party. Using the hashtag "#HoldTheLine," the state's GOP suggested that county officials feared a full audit because they had something to hide. The legal battle is one of countless cases that have gone before state and federal courts involving the 2020 election results. Maricopa County also uses Dominion systems, but insists the machines have been rigorously tested, and meet all state and federal guidelines. Biden won the county, which includes Phoenix, paving the way for a narrow victory in the traditionally red state. Biden was certified as president-elect by the Electoral College on Monday, but Trump and his allies continue to insist the election results are illegitimate due to widespread fraud.

‘On a different tier’: Klopp fires title warning after Liverpool’s magnificent seven demolishes Crystal Palace in Premier League

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https://www.rt.com/sport/510201-liverpool-crystal-palace-premier-league/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Liverpool registered their largest top-flight away victory in more than 30 years after Jurgen Klopp's sensational Reds fired seven goals past Crystal Palace in a performance that served significant notice to their title rivals. These are unusually testing times at Anfield in which injury has deprived Klopp of two of his most dependable defensive stalwarts, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, and the FA has rejected the coach's campaign to increase the number of substitutes available to him. Amid those struggles, you might be forgiven for thinking that the German's Liverpool juggernaut might soon stray from its rails - but any talk of a forthcoming slump was swiftly dismissed in the December sunshine in South London on Saturday afternoon. Liverpool began on the front foot, with Takumi Minamino taking just three minutes to become just the seventh Japanese to score a Premier League goal. It seemed, even at this early stage, that the writing was on the wall - and it was. Crystal Palace rallied for much of the next half hour before Sadio Mane doubled Liverpool's advantage on 35 minutes, and from that point on the floodgates opened. Roberto Firmino got on the scoresheet twice, with captain Jordan Henderson bagging one. Mohamad Salah, the subject of tabloid transfer talk in Saturday's morning's UK red-tops, had been dropped to the bench but emerged late on for a predictably impactful cameo - the second of his two goals a delightfully curled strike from outside the box into the top-left corner of Vicente Guaita's net. The win extends Liverpool's advantage over second-placed Tottenham to six points, ensuring that Klopp and his team took full advantage of Wednesday's 2-1 win against Jose Mourinho's team - although Spurs have a game in hand. The result also enshrines Klopp in Anfield history. It was his 127th Premier League win in charge of Liverpool, placing him one ahead of Rafa Benitez on the club's all-time list. Moreover, the performance - or, more specifically, the manner in which the victory was achieved - has prompted legions of fans on social media to endorse Liverpool as the surefire favorites to claim their second Premier League title in succession. On Saturday afternoon's evidence, it is difficult to disagree.

Bugs for the poor, lab steaks for the rich? Vat-grown chicken meat makes debut in first-ever sale at posh Singapore restaurant

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Commercial cultured meat has made its global market debut after climate-conscious teens got served premium-priced nuggets made from vat-grown chicken meat at a luxurious Singapore restaurant. On Saturday evening, the 1880 restaurant in Robertson Quay, a posh entertainment district in Singapore, began serving a special kind of dish. The diners were served what are basically chicken nuggets, but not a single chick died for them. The meat was cultured from chicken muscle cells in a lab and, according to the supplying company, previews a titanic change in the global food industry. Current agriculture technologies are not keeping up with humanity's growing numbers and appetites, and it is especially true for animal products. By weight, livestock animals account for roughly 60 percent of all mammals on Earth, humans included, while domesticated poultry outweigh wild birds threefold. Growing all that meat takes too much water and land and produces a significant amount of methane, a greenhouse gas. Factory farming also poses the threat of epidemics due to overuse of microbiotics and, many critics would argue, is an appallingly cruel industry. Cultured meat is produced in a sterile bioreactor without all the problems of growing and slaughtering live animals and is one possible solution. The nuggets served in Singapore this week come from Eat Just, a California-based company that, like dozens of other startups, works to make their product commercially viable. The nutrients for the cell came from a solution that includes foetal bovine serum, but later lines are expected to be purely plant-fed. Vat meat can become more affordable once scale economies kick in, but price is not the only factor. Plant-based alternatives have a reputation of failing to win over the general public because they fail to replicate the facture and taste of the real deal and remain a niche product for climate-conscious clientele. Cultured meat has a better potential in that regard, but so far, pioneering companies stick to simpler things like nuggets and hamburgers. The technology is not there yet to lab-grow longer muscle fibers like those found in a chicken breast or a steak. Of course, even if and when biotechs are able to make a perfect slice of beef in a vat, the cost drop may not be as big as is hoped for. With traditionally produced meats likely to be taxed based on their carbon footprint, poorer people who still want their protein intake to come from animals may be left with the third option – insects. Advocates say bugs can make for more efficient farming and their diseases are less likely to affect humans, so crickets or larvae, not slaughter-free nuggets, may be the mass food of the future.

Democrat Senator wants govt. to investigate Amazon’s ‘invasive’ fitness tracker, which records user and asks for NUDES

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https://www.rt.com/usa/510205-amazon-halo-fitness-klobuchar/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

An unassuming-looking gray wristband, Amazon's Halo collects such intimate personal data that it "just cries out for some kind of rules and regulations in place," Klobuchar told TechCrunch in an interview published on Friday. "Between the HHS Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Trade Commission, they've got to come up with some rules to safeguard private health information," she added. A week earlier, Klobuchar wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, asking the secretary to explain what his department was doing to ensure companies such as Amazon safeguard the private health information they collect, and asking him to consider imposing stricter privacy protections on fitness trackers. Chief among her concerns was what Amazon does with this personal information once it's collected. Last year, a study in the British Medical Journal found that nearly eight in 10 health apps "routinely" share personal information with third parties, without providing transparency. Launched in ‘early access' form in August, the Halo goes beyond its competitors in the data it sucks up. A microphone periodically records snippets of the user's voice to analyze its tone, rating it as "condescending," "opinionated," "proud," and all points in between. Users are also asked to strip down and photograph their naked bodies so Amazon's artificial intelligence can estimate their body fat percentage. "This wearable is much better at helping Amazon gather data than at helping you get healthy and happy," its scathing review continued. Amazon contends that the most invasive features – body fat and voice tone analysis – are optional, and that the company does not have access to the data collected. Amazon is just one tech giant looking to cross over into healthcare. Google, Apple, and Facebook have all made inroads into the lucrative healthcare market, counting on the vast amounts of user data they collect to give them an edge over their competitors. In his testimony before Congress two years ago, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted that his company collects medical data from users, with that collection continuing even after users log off. A 2016 lawsuit revealed that the company collected data on one user's participation in cancer support groups outside Facebook. Building healthcare profiles on their millions of users could prove highly rewarding for these companies, both in targeting ads for medication and for selling health insurance. Privacy advocates have also cautioned that having a person's medical records linked with their social media profiles could one day be used against them – for instance, by insurance companies or lenders that could deny services or charge the ill exorbitant rates. The likes of Google and Amazon have come under intense scrutiny recently, due to their size and market dominance. Amazon has been hit with antitrust charges in the European Union, while new European laws could see massive financial penalties imposed on the company, along with other top tech firms, for its anti-competitive behavior. In the US, the Trump administration has hit Google with the largest antitrust case brought against a tech company in over two decades. Nevertheless, it has pressed ahead with its acquisition of Fitbit, a rival to Amazon's Halo. The $2 billion deal has been in the works since 2019, and is expected to close sometime next year. It faced some pushback in Europe, however, with the European Commission declaring in August that it could increase "the already vast amount of data that Google could use for personalization of the ads it serves and displays." The commission agreed to the deal only this week on condition that Google agreed not to use Fitbit data for ad targeting for 10 years.

Men & women in Panama obliged to do Christmas shopping ON DIFFERENT DAYS, officials announce, amid complaints over trans rights

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https://www.rt.com/news/510204-panama-quarantine-gender-trans/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Panama is about to reinstate nationwide movement restrictions by ordering men and women to do Christmas shopping on different days, in an attempt to stem the spread of the coronavirus, the health minister announced. "As of Monday 21, with the aim of reducing mobility, purchases will be made by gender," Luis Sucre, Panama's health minister, said in a televised address on Friday. On Christmas Day and New Year's Day, there will be total quarantine across the country for men and women alike, he added. The announcement came after the Central American state set daily records for the number of Covid-19 infections and deaths, with 3,348 new cases and 42 fatalities on Thursday. Panama already imposed a gender-based quarantine between April and September in an attempt to halve the number of people on the streets. During this period, women could leave their home only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while the men's days were Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The person's gender was established by the information in the ID card. But the intervention of the authorities in Panama City has garnered harsh criticism from human rights groups and LGBTQ activists. Gender-based restrictions have "failed to recognize diverse gender identities, and may reproduce inequalities and injustice for non-binary individuals, with unknown long-term effects," a study by the London School of Economics insisted. The Hombres Trans Panamá group said it had recorded some 50 incidents of discrimination against trans people during the quarantine who had got into trouble with the police no matter on which day they left their homes. In one of the incidents reported by the media, a trans man who went shopping in accordance with the gender in his identity card was denied access to a supermarket because it was claimed male shoppers would raise an objection. At the same time, a trans woman faced arrest for going out on a females-only day as it didn't match the gender in her ID document. "Transgender people in Panama are being humiliated and accused of breaking the law under the quarantine policy simply for being themselves," José Miguel Vivanco, Americas division director at Human Rights Watch, complained. In July, Panama's authorities acknowledged the country had some way to go in upholding transgender rights. They insisted the country respected "diversity of identity and expression" nonetheless, and vowed to punish those guilty of discrimination.

Pompeo labels Putin ‘enemy’ of freedom as Trump era ends in war of words with Russia

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https://www.rt.com/russia/510202-pompeo-labels-putin-enemy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Any hopes Moscow may have that relations with the US could improve during Donald Trump's final month in office are likely fading, as Mike Pompeo claimed Russia is an "enemy" of the US amid a growing spat between the two nations. A number of bilateral agreements between Russia and the US, aimed at reducing the prospect of nuclear war, have broken down during Trump's presidency. At the start of December, Washington pulled out of the Open Skies Treaty in a major break with other NATO members. The Cold War-era agreement had facilitated mutually beneficial aerial surveillance between its partners, allowing for the monitoring of troop movements and deployment of warheads. The Americans blamed Russia for violating the treaty, which the Kremlin strongly denies. On Thursday, Putin was asked about the potential renewal of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which is set to expire in February. Earlier this year, it was hoped that an agreement would be reached with the Trump administration to extend the deal, which limits the numbers of deployed nuclear warheads, missiles and bombers each country can maintain. However, negotiations have since slowed as the administration prepares to hand over the keys to the White House to former vice president Joe Biden.

Less than 25% of Israelis prepared to take Covid-19 jab immediately, poll shows, as country heads for mass-vaccination campaign

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https://www.rt.com/news/510194-israel-coronavirus-vaccine-mistrust/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Israeli citizens have demonstrated great mistrust towards the immunization campaign against coronavirus, scheduled to kick off this weekend, a just-released poll shows, with only a fourth prepared to get vaccinated immediately. Some 25 percent of Israelis have expressed their readiness to receive a coronavirus jab off the bat, the poll, released by Ynet News, has found. The level of mistrust towards the vaccination campaign turned out to be particularly high among younger Israelis. At the same time, some 50 percent of people over the age of 65 expressed their readiness to get a Covid-19 shot without delay. Moreover, some 82 percent of elder Israelis said they would like to get vaccinated sooner or later.All in all, only some 63 percent of Israelis plan to get vaccinated, the poll results suggest. The findings are in line with an earlier survey that delved into the immunization plans in Israel. A study by Haifa University, for instance, indicates that only about 20 percent of Jewish-Israeli and only 16 percent of Arab-Israeli respondents were amenable to geting a jab right after the start of the mass-vaccination campaign. "There appears to be a striking lack of trust in a large part of the whole Israeli population, and particularly among Arabs and women, in a Covid-19 vaccine," director of University of Haifa's international master's program in public health, Prof. Manfred Green, said, as cited by local media. The mass-immunization campaign is expected to kick off late on Saturday, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu, followed by Health Minister Yuli Edelstein becoming the first ones to get a shot. The high-profile inoculation will take place at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv and broadcast live. Netanyahu's PR stunt is aimed at "encouraging the Israeli public to get the vaccine," the PM's office said in a statement, adding that it will make him one of the first world leaders to get vaccinated against coronavirus. So far, Israel has registered some 370,000 coronavirus patients, with more than Covid-linked 3,000 deaths, the latest statistics by Johns Hopkins University shows. While the figures are not particularly high compared to the worst-hit nations that have recorded millions of cases, the toll is arguably large for the nation of 8.9 million. The epidemic situation has fueled mass protests against Netanyahu that continue in Israel, on top of allegations of corruption and with accusations of badly mishandling the coronavirus crisis.

Cuff luck! Russian Police officer dodges death when drug dealer opens fire, with bullet lodging in cop’s handcuffs (VIDEO)

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https://www.rt.com/russia/510200-police-officer-bullet-handcuffs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

They're designed to stop people from getting away, but one Russian policeman owes his lucky escape to a pair of handcuffs, after they stopped a bullet heading for his chest during an attempt to arrest a suspect. In shocking footage, captured by CCTV, the man can be seen turning to face an approaching officer, before raising a handgun and pulling the trigger. According to the source, "the bullet hit a pair of handcuffs on the vest of the policeman, and got stuck among the links." The suspect can be seen wrestling with police before disappearing off screen. Local sources say that he then killed himself with the gun. Russian authorities have previously estimated that there are as many as 25 million illegal firearms in the country, with tough laws banning their use for everything except hunting and sports. However, after a spate of violent killings at the start of 2002, Russia's homicide rates have dropped dramatically.

‘It’s all about the money’: Canelo issues sparring invite to YouTube brothers the Pauls and claims they ‘lack respect for boxing’

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https://www.rt.com/sport/510195-canelo-alvarez-jake-logan-paul/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Pound-for-pound great Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez says he has no interest in a money-spinning showdown with YouTube sensations the Paul brothers, although he says he would happily put either through their paces in a training session. Canelo has his hands full when he takes on undefeated Englishman Callum Smith in Texas on Saturday night in a fight billed as one of the year's most significant bouts - but in a boxing landscape largely governed nowadays by the number of Instagram followers fighters can boast rather than professional records, Alvarez says that the new trend developing within prizefighting concerns him. Whatever the broadcast numbers for Saturday's scrap end up being, it is likely that they won't eclipse the stunning figures announced for last month's fight between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr - a pugilistic curiosity that was bolstered by the appearance of YouTuber and professional prankster Jake Paul on the undercard. Along with his older brother, Logan, Jake has made frequent forays into boxing in the last couple of years and despite many figures within their sport scoffing at the concept of novice boxers topping fight cards, the sheer bottom line is proving to be an attractive commodity for promoters. Logan - a winless boxer with two fights (one amateur and one professional) under his belt - has managed to talk himself into a February exhibition bout with unbeaten great Floyd Mayweather and Canelo, who has frequently called for a rematch with the one man to beat him in his pro career, has stated his disdain for the idea. "You know, it's all about the money," Canelo said to TMZ via translation. "I don't think we would agree that people that are basketball players, that are YouTubers get licenses. The simple fact of the matter is that Canelo would almost certainly make more money fighting one or both of the Paul brothers that he will for Saturday's clash with Smith, but he says that the athletic challenge means more to him than that numbers on his paycheck. "No," he declared when asked if he would consider fighting either of the Pauls. "I truly believe that it's a lack of respect. Having said that, Canelo isn't against the idea of inviting Jake and Logan to spar at his gym, and says that they would leave with a newfound respect for top-level boxing. "I have other stuff going on, and I would invite him for a sparring session so that he truly knows what it's all about," he said. Summing up his feelings on Jake, Logan and their very specific brand of fight promotion, Canelo suggested that their antics fly in the face of the accepted practices of the 'sweet science'. "For true fighters, I do believe it is a lack of respect," he said.

Stay home for Christmas despite your FOMO, as ‘few more months of sacrifice’ lie ahead, WHO’s top official in Europe urges

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https://www.rt.com/news/510199-who-christmas-lockdown-covid19/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

The World Health Organization's director for Europe has asked people to avoid large gatherings during the holidays, despite the depression and anxieties caused by "social exclusion" amid the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a difference between "what you are being permitted to do by your authorities and what you should do," WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement. "The safest thing right now is to remain at home," Kluge stressed, explaining that large gatherings during the holiday season were "not worth the risk," despite people's natural feeling of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). "We have a few more months of sacrifice ahead and can behave now in a way that we are collectively proud of," the official cautioned. Kluge acknowledged that "social exclusion" caused by the lockdowns and self-isolation has contributed to anxieties and depression during the pandemic. We expect to see a larger number of people facing more severe mental health challenges in the coming months as the reality of this experience takes hold. A second wave of Covid-19 infections forced many European countries to bring back tougher restrictions, including lockdowns, curfews and limits on the number of households allowed to celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve together. There is hope that vaccines will slow down the spread of the coronavirus. A nationwide vaccination campaign kicked off in the UK earlier this month. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that vaccination will start across the EU on December 27-29. The EU's drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency, is currently reviewing vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech, and by Moderna.

Pop idol: Russian long jump star Klishina poses in swimsuit as she pledges ‘delight in uncertain times’ with music debut (VIDEO)

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https://www.rt.com/sport/510197-daria-klishina-music-video/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Russian world silver medalist long jumper Daria Klishina has offered fans "positive vibes" with her first foray into music, wiggling her behind, chomping a strawberry and strolling on a beach as part of a new video she stars in. The two-time European Indoor champion is the catalyst for a new dance song by WDP 365, appearing in an array of costumes and against a variety of backdrops as she twirls and flirts her way through the sub-three minute piece of pop. Klishina appears in various dresses, in front of skyscrapers at night, kicking a football and with her backside in close focus in a pair of denim shorts for her first step into music. "Here is my first spontaneous adventure into the world of music," the 29-year-old told her Instagram following of more than 335,000. The announcement caps a busy week on social media for Klishina, who has given her fans the chance to win signed copies of her personal calendar and spoken about her plans for the new year. "Celebrations are approaching fast and everyone's in a rush to find gifts for their close ones, including me," she said, also giving an insight into the gruelling training regime that has driven her remarkable sporting achievements. When a fan asked why she had spent the last seven years in Atlanta, Georgia, the revered athlete explained that her American coach, Loren Seagrave, lives there. She has previously admitted her desire to pursue her modeling work, and also used the opportunity to provide details of the highly disciplined diet she follows. Klishina's nutritional diary includes egg whites and oatmeal for breakfast, meat with rice or boiled potatoes for lunch and the option of soup or salad before training. She advised her followers to eat a large piece of fruit or drink a protein shake shortly before training in order to gain muscle mass, and offered them the chance to quiz her on Instagram's Stories feature for advice on their own meals.

UK coronavirus lead Chris Whitty has become a popular Christmas-gift icon, outselling Britney Spears

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https://www.rt.com/uk/510198-coronavirus-whitty-gift-icon/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Novelty items featuring one of the most prominent faces of the UK's Covid response, Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty, are reportedly more popular than those depicting some of the world's biggest celebrities. According to a report by the BBC, Whitty and his deputy, Jonathan Van-Tam, have become "two unlikely cult heroes on novelty mugs, T-shirts, beer labels, birthday cards and even prayer candles" in the lead-up to Christmas. One gift merchant, Hannah Spiers, told the outlet that items with Whitty's face on have been outselling items featuring Britney Spears and Michael Jackson. "We're trying to work out why we've sold so many!" she said. Spiers added that her company's Chris Whitty appreciation mug had been the "biggest seller of the year," and "sold 10 times as many as our second best seller" in the past 24 hours alone. Other items available via Spiers' online store include face mask- and hand sanitiser-themed bottles of wine, and mugs emblazoned with the image of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak – another prominent face of the UK's pandemic response. University College London psychologist Dr. Dimitrios Tsivrikos explained to the BBC that Whitty's popularity at the moment is likely due to the fact that he and other officials have become "brand ambassadors" for the Covid-19 pandemic. "They're part of the solution, so they're seen as heroes," Tsivrikos said, predicting that similar pieces of merchandise would appear throughout the pandemic, including T-shirts that proclaim the wearer has been vaccinated. A similar phenomenon has been noted in the United States, where White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr Anthony Fauci has become a similarly popular icon. Pillows, soaps, tree ornaments, bobblehead collectible dolls, and Christmas sweaters featuring Fauci's name and likeness are just a few of the items being manufactured and sold Stateside in the run-up to Christmas.

‘We support free press, but…’: Conservatives mutiny after neocon Heritage Foundation says Assange is ‘US enemy’ unworthy of pardon

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https://www.rt.com/usa/510183-heritage-foundation-assange-pardon-wikileaks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Right-leaning pundits and social media users are sharpening their pitchforks after the Heritage Foundation, a conservative US think tank, insisted that Julian Assange is not a member of the press and should not receive clemency. The Washington, DC-headquartered public policy institute on Friday expressed its displeasure over rumors that President Donald Trump is mulling a pardon for the WikiLeaks founder, who is fighting extradition to the US. "We support a free and open press–but Assange is not a free speech hero," the think tank wrote, adding that the Australian national, who has been languishing in a UK prison since April 2019 after being arrested in London, "deserves to face the full legal consequences of his actions" and "under no circumstances" is worthy of the president's mercy. The tweet linked to a commentary published by the Heritage-funded Daily Signal, which describes Assange as "an enemy of the United States who, among other things, deliberately recruited an American soldier to illegally disclose national security secrets and who then released those secrets to the public." The piece argues that Trump must not pardon the WikiLeaks founder, and urges the president to reconsider his position if he does intend to grant Assange clemency. It wasn't just popular media figures who took exception, though. Heritage's tweet was flooded with furious replies from former supporters who vowed to never again donate to the think tank. Others picked apart the organization's claim that it supports press freedom, and issued their own interpretation of Heritage's argument. "We support a free and open press – as long as it doesn't report on neocon war crimes,"read one dismissive ‘translation' of the think tank's stance. There was almost unanimous opposition to the conservative group's characterization of Assange, but one Twitter user said he fully agreed that Assange should face the "consequences" of his actions. "I agree that he deserves to face the full legal consequences of his actions, a slap on the wrist is too much. He deserves immediate release and a full pardon," the comment read. American authorities have accused Assange of "conspiring to commit computer intrusion" with US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2010. If convicted, he faces up to 175 years in prison. A recording of a telephone conversation between Assange and State Department lawyer Cliff Johnson, released by the conservative outlet Project Veritas earlier this week, shows that the WikiLeaks founder had warned Hillary Clinton's State Department that a former employee of the site was preparing to release a tranche of unredacted US diplomatic cables, and offered to help the US government mitigate the potential fallout. WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson told RT that the audio recording serves as "overwhelming evidence" contradicting the US charges brought against Assange. Rumors have been circulating for the past several weeks that Trump could grant clemency to Assange, and possibly other high-profile individuals such as former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, before leaving office on January 20. However, so far there has been no confirmation from the White House.

‘The case is meritless’: Lawyer for NBA ace says $1 million lawsuit claimant from alleged parking lot spat was ‘unstable and rude’

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https://www.rt.com/sport/510192-rajon-rondo-assault-lawsuit/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Atlanta Hawks guard Rajon Rondo and his girlfriend are facing a $1 million lawsuit after a woman filed a suit alleging that they "cussed out and beat" her in a "heated parking lot dispute", calling her a "b*tch" during an assault. Toktam Jorshari is taking legal action against what she claims was "assault and battery, infliction of emotional distress and conspiracy" stemming from the July incident at an apartment complex in Los Angeles where both Jorshari and Rondo's girlfriend reside. Rondo, 34, was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers at the time but signed a deal with the Hawks last month. Multiple online reports have stated that the claim alleges Rondo parked his car in a handicap space but did not have a permit to do so. Jorshari claims that she parked her car beside Rondo's and inadvertently blocked access to Rondo's driver-side door in the process - which, she said, prompted the NBA veteran to lash out. She claims that Rondo issued a torrent of abuse towards her, saying: "B*tch, why do you think you can park here?" before he pushed her against her car. She then states that Rondo's girlfriend violently assaulted her, striking her several times to her head and upper body. Joshari says that she did not retaliate during the alleged assault which she claims Rondo oversaw, giving his girlfriend a "green light" to escalate the situation. She claims she suffered several injuries during the assault, including one which has left her with a "permanent disability" - though legal counsel for Rondo says that the allegations are entirely without substance. "The case is meritless," Mark Baute said. "I have seen the video tape. Mr Rondo was polite throughout the encounter. Rondo was a bit-part player for the Lakers in their NBA Championship winning season this year before he inked a two-year, $15 million deal with the Hawks ahead of the start of the new campaign.