BBC NEWS: August 2020

Monday 31 August 2020

Biden Condemned Violence. Why Won’t Trump?

By BY MICHELLE GOLDBERG from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2QNebcp

Trump Defends Kyle Rittenhouse

By BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3lE5lfl

A Long History of Language That Incites and Demonizes

By BY PETER BAKER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/31KRbBp

‘We Germans,’ Alexander Starritt by the Author: An Excerpt

By Unknown Author from NYT Books https://ift.tt/2ENgSIq

Unwitting Progressives for Trump

By BY BRET STEPHENS from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2QJ2YJY

Facebook Could Block Sharing of News Stories in Australia

By BY DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI AND MIKE ISAAC from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/32KSNdo

Frustrated by Election Boycott, Venezuela’s Leader Pardons 100 Opponents

By BY ANATOLY KURMANAEV from NYT World https://ift.tt/3hYVvCR

A Teacher and Congresswoman Confronts School Reopenings

By BY REID J. EPSTEIN from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3jxJ29n

Trump Fans Strife as Unrest Roils the U.S.

By BY PETER BAKER AND MAGGIE HABERMAN from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2YQLyQa

World Bank: Lebanon blast caused damage up to $4.6 billion

The massive explosion in Beirut earlier this month that killed and injured thousands of people has caused up to $4.6 billion in physical damage, the World Bank said in a report released Monday. The Aug. 4 blast was caused by the explosion of nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut since 2014. The blast was the most destructive single incident in Lebanon’s history with thousands of buildings, including residential homes, hospitals, schools and museums suffering considerable damage.

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Russian opposition activist hospitalised after attack outside his home

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

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More migrant arrivals fuel local anger in Italy's Lampedusa

A fishing boat carrying nearly 370 migrants landed overnight on the Italian island of Lampedusa, the country's news agencies said on Sunday, fueling anger from local officials over a recent rise in illegal arrivals.

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Letters to the Editor: California's blackouts prove it: We still need oil and gas for energy

California's leaders need to set aside ideology and admit that in the near term, the state still needs fossil fuels to prevent blackouts.

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Indiana Congressman introduces bill to ban protest 'thugs' from receiving unemployment aid

U.S. Rep. Jim Banks introduced a bill that would ban people from receiving unemployment aid if convicted of a federal offense related to protests.

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House Democrats say postmaster Louis DeJoy has ignored their document requests

House Democrats say Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is giving them the cold shoulder.When DeJoy testified for the House Oversight Committee last week, many congressmembers requested documents regarding the changes he has overseen at the United States Postal Service. But DeJoy apparently hasn't followed up, prompting Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), the committee chair, to say Monday she'd soon be subpoenaing DeJoy for those documents.> New: @OversightDems say they will subpoena Louis DeJoy for withholding key documents about USPS mail delays from Congress. He has not provided a single additional document since testifying on August 24 https://t.co/dS4Q52mPPx pic.twitter.com/apaDYfqSPw> > — Ari Berman (@AriBerman) August 31, 2020Reports of delays and mismanagement within the postal service have gone up under DeJoy's watch, and Republicans have tried to block funding for the USPS to try and fix those problems. Democrats say it's because the Trump megadonor is trying to further a long-held conservative goal of phasing out the post office for private business. Trump has also admitted that he is withholding funding from the USPS because without it, "you can't have universal mail-in voting."More stories from theweek.com Data firm predicts election 'chaos' as Trump seems to win in a landslide before losing as more votes are counted Ron Jeremy hit with 20 more sexual assault charges involving 13 women Pandemic adviser with no epidemiology background reportedly pushes White House to adopt herd immunity strategy

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Worth the wait: Yellowstone’s Giantess Geyser erupts for first time in six years

Giantess is one of the biggest geysers in the national park, and typically explodes between twice and six times a year In these troubled times there comes a point where we all need to let off steam.For this huge geyser in Yellowstone park, the moment was now and the eruption was spectacular, after a six-year wait.But, for the rest of us, watching this natural phenomenon is strangely meditative and beautifully distracting from much of the bad news around, despite the violent geothermal forces propelling it.Giantess Geyser spouted for the first time in more than six years in Yellowstone National Park, which straddles part of Wyoming and a little of Montana, on 25 August, according to the US National Park Service (NPS).“She” has more typically erupted between twice and six times a year in the past, according to the NPS website, and blasts a spout up to 200ft high.“The surrounding area may shake from underground steam explosions just before the initial water and/or steam eruptions,” the NPS website adds.Giantess is one of the biggest geysers in the park, alongside phenomena such as the super-tall Steamboat geyser, the largest active geyser in the world, and the park’s most famous, Old Faithful, renowned for its punctual regularity as it soars from the ground about 20 times a day.Colorful hot spring features in the park include the blue-hued Morning Glory Pool and the psychedelic Grand Prismatic spring, as well as whiffy, sulfurous bubblers and roiling natural pots of scalding hot water fizzing out of the rocks.The features are among more than 10,000 hot springs and geysers in the park, a Unesco world heritage site.

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

The child has since been found safe, officials say.

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Paul Rusesabagina: Hotel Rwanda film hero arrested

Paul Rusesabagina's efforts to save people during the Rwanda genocide were depicted in a film.

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Will my child be sent home for cough, runny nose? What to know about day care guidelines during COVID-19

With flu, cold and allergy season around the corner, experts say a runny nose or cough is almost inevitable at daycare facilities.

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German govt condemns 'unacceptable' attempt to storm Reichstag

The German government Sunday slammed the "unacceptable" behaviour of protesters during a mass rally against coronavirus restrictions in which hundreds were arrested and an attempt was made to storm the Reichstag parliament building.

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New top story on Hacker News: Python setuptools v50 breaks pip installation on Debian/Ubuntu

Python setuptools v50 breaks pip installation on Debian/Ubuntu
13 by mrlatinos | 3 comments on Hacker News.

New top story on Hacker News: Ask HN: Captcha Alternatives?

Ask HN: Captcha Alternatives?
47 by ev1 | 42 comments on Hacker News.
TLDR: I help with a gaming community-related site that is being targetted by a script kiddie, they are registering hundreds of thousands of accounts on our forums to 'protest' a cheating (aimbot) ban. They then post large ASCII art spam, giant shock images (the first one started after we blocked new accounts from posting [img]), the usual. Currently we use a simple question/answer addon at registration time - it works against all untargeted bots and is just a little "what is 4 plus six" or "what is the abbreviation for this website" type of question. It's worked fine for years and we don't really get general untargeted spam. I am somewhat ethically disinclined to use reCAPTCHA, and there are some older members that can't reasonably solve hcaptcha easily. Same for using heavy fingerprinting or other privacy invading methods. It's also donation-run, so enterprise services that would block something like this (such as Distil) are both out of budget and out of ethics. Is there a way I can possibly solve this? Negotiation is not really an option on the table, the last time one of the other volunteers responded at all we got a ~150Gbps volumetric attack. I've tried some basic things, like requiring cookie and JS support via middleware; they moved from a Java HTTP-library script to some kind of Selenium equivalent afterward. They also use a massive amount of proxies, largely compromised machines being sold for abuse.

New top story on Hacker News: Hapax Legomenon

Hapax Legomenon
8 by brudgers | 1 comments on Hacker News.

Sunday 30 August 2020

Colleges crack down on student behavior as virus threatens more closures - POLITICO

Colleges crack down on student behavior as virus threatens more closures POLITICO
36 states report a total of 8,700 Covid-19 cases at colleges and universities; country nears 6 million CNN
Colleges With Covid Outbreaks Advised to Keep Students on Campus Bloomberg
Can Colleges Meet the Covid Challenge? The New York Times
College students brace for the 'second curve' of COVID-19 — its mental health impact NBC News
View Full Coverage on Google News

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Standoff in Woodland Hills after report of shots at pro-Trump caravan - Los Angeles Times

Standoff in Woodland Hills after report of shots at pro-Trump caravan Los Angeles Times
SWAT swarms LA apartment after 'shots were fired at a Trump car caravan' Daily Mail
View Full Coverage on Google News

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Norway bunker partygoers poisoned with carbon monoxide

More than 20 people were hospitalised after attending the party in the Norwegian capital Oslo.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3lyzLje

Europe's migrant crisis: The year that changed a continent

More than a million people arrived in Europe in 2015. Five years on, we reflect on what's changed.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2ET2wpK

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

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

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

Letter from Africa: Why Kenyans are no longer cheering their constitution

It is a time of reflection 10 years after the country was promised a rebirth, writes Waihiga Mwaura.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3baM8wW

Trump, Vicar of Fear and Violence

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

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

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

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

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

Chicago police respond to 10 shootings in about 3 hours Sunday, including 3 homicides and an attack that left 2 officers seriously wounded

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

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

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1 killed as Trump supporters, protesters clash in Portland

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

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Kentucky AG has received ballistics in Breonna Taylor case

Kentucky's attorney general has received a long-awaited FBI ballistics report in the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor. Attorney General Daniel Cameron tweeted Sunday that there is additional analysis needed now that the report is in his hands, and there would be no announcement on the investigation this week. “We continue to work diligently to follow the facts and complete the investigation,” Cameron tweeted.

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SpaceX may attempt 3 rocket launches on Sunday

SpaceX, Elon Musk's aerospace company, has scheduled two back-to-back Falcon 9 launches in Florida, just nine hours apart.

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Letters to the Editor: Keep up the pressure on Postal Service officials who appointed Louis DeJoy

Recent protests at the San Marino home of a Postal Services Board of Governors member are a welcome development, says a reader.

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Joe Biden to go on the road again as poll lead shrinks

With his poll lead narrowing, Joe Biden is ready to campaign in person after months of being hunkered down in his Delaware basement because of the coronavirus pandemic. The former vice-president will go on the road after the September 7 Labour Day public holiday in the US. No itinerary has been set, but Mr Biden is expected to visit key swing states including Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Urban unrest and an aggressive performance by Donald Trump at last week’s Republican National Convention have cut Mr Biden’s lead by several points. According to Morning Consult, Mr Biden now has a six-point lead over the president, compared with 10 points before the Republican convention. Other polls have shown Mr Trump edging into the lead in two pivotal states: Michigan and Wisconsin.

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Protests erupt at Portland police building, mayor's condo

Fires set outside a police union building that's a frequent site for protests in Portland, Oregon, prompted police to declare a riot early Saturday and detain several demonstrators. An accelerant was used to ignite a mattress and other debris that was laid against the door of the Portland Police Association building, police said in a statement. As officers approached to move demonstrators away from the building and extinguish the fire, objects including rocks were thrown at them, police said.

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Laura's death toll rises to at least 14, threatens tornadoes, heavy rain after damage in Texas, Louisiana

Laura left death and destruction across Louisiana and parts of Texas. Forecasters now warn of new dangers for the Eastern Seaboard.

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A teen activist in New Jersey received a $2,500 bill to pay for police presence at a Black Lives Matter protest she organized

Mayor Mario Kranjac of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, said the bill covered police presence and their overtime hours.

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Sex workers blame Bella Thorne for changes at OnlyFans that harm their income

The content subscription platform said its new transaction rules were not due to one user and will "continue to review these limits" amid the backlash.

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New top story on Hacker News: Ex-neuralink employees describe rushed timelines clashing with science’s pace

Ex-neuralink employees describe rushed timelines clashing with science’s pace
34 by DanielleMolloy | 18 comments on Hacker News.

New top story on Hacker News: Drug Cartel Now Assassinates Its Enemies with Bomb-Toting Drones

Drug Cartel Now Assassinates Its Enemies with Bomb-Toting Drones
15 by eplanit | 2 comments on Hacker News.

New top story on Hacker News: Banks create money out of thin air, but it's less impressive than it sounds

Banks create money out of thin air, but it's less impressive than it sounds
6 by baobabKoodaa | 1 comments on Hacker News.

Saturday 29 August 2020

New top story on Hacker News: The Evolution of Psychiatry

The Evolution of Psychiatry
4 by elsewhen | 0 comments on Hacker News.

8 juicy details from the new Melania Trump tell-all book - POLITICO

8 juicy details from the new Melania Trump tell-all book POLITICOView Full Coverage on Google News

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AMBER ALERT Update: Kidnapped child found safe, 2 arrested - 11Alive.com WXIA

AMBER ALERT Update: Kidnapped child found safe, 2 arrested 11Alive.com WXIA
UPDATE: 1-year-old boy found safe after being kidnapped at gunpoint, police say WSB Atlanta
AMBER ALERT: Police, FBI investigate suspected kidnapping of 1-year-old in Chamblee 13WMAZ.com
UPDATE: 1-year-old located, 2 arrested after Chamblee kidnapping Atlanta Journal Constitution
AMBER ALERT, toddler snatched from mother in Atlanta wgxa.tv
View Full Coverage on Google News

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‘It Was Challenging’: Bucks Return, Balancing Basketball and Activism

By BY MARC STEIN from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/31GQF7a

Coronavirus Around the World

By Unknown Author from NYT Home Page https://ift.tt/3hHLF8b

Fox News anchor Chris Wallace slams colleagues for appearing to rationalize 17-year-old charged in Kenosha shooting: 'There is no justification'

The veteran Fox News host said he didn't think it was right for vigilante justice to "fill the void" of police presence at protests.

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Kenosha police union gives its version of Blake shooting

The Kenosha police union on Friday offered the most detailed accounting to date on officers' perspective of the moments leading up to police shooting Jacob Blake seven times in the back, saying he had a knife and fought with officers, putting one of them in a headlock and shrugging off two attempts to stun him. The statement from Brendan Matthews, attorney for the Kenosha Professional Police Association, goes into more detail than anything that has been released by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which is investigating. The Sunday shooting of Blake, a Black man, put the nation’s spotlight on Wisconsin and triggered a series of peaceful protests and violence, including the killing of two people by an armed civilian on Tuesday.

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

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

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Portland protesters occupied mayor's presumed condo complex

Police declared a riot at another protest after a fire was set at the police union building.

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Hurricane Laura's 'unsurvivable' storm surge: It looks like Louisiana was spared, but some rural areas likely hit hard

Gov. John Bel Edwards said Louisiana "caught a break" on storm surge. The National Hurricane Center says the surge was likely as bad as feared.

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Kenosha police chief explains why suspect was able to walk away after allegedly shooting 3 people

At a press conference on Friday, Kenosha, Wis., Police Chief Dan Miskinis responded to a question about why suspect Kyle Rittenhouse was able to walk by law enforcement after allegedly shooting three people in the aftermath of Jacob Blake being shot by police.

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

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

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Australia open to talks over where NZ mosque shooter serves life sentence

Australia's prime minister said on Friday he was open to discussions over whether Australian mass killer Brenton Tarrant, jailed for life without parole this week for the New Zealand mosque shootings, should serve his sentence in his home country. Scott Morrison told broadcaster Channel Seven he had not received a formal request from New Zealand for such a transfer, although New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters suggested it after Tarrant was sentenced on Thursday. "We'll have an open discussion and look at the issues around this," Morrison said, adding that the views of the affected families would need to be considered first.

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Dramatic last-second launch abort grounds spy satellite

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

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Iranian man sentenced to nine years in prison for beheading daughter while she slept in 'honour killing'

An Iranian has been sentenced to nine years in jail for beheading his teenaged daughter in her sleep, local media reported Friday, adding that the mother wants him executed. The so-called "honour" killing of 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi on May 21 sparked widespread outrage, with media condemning "institutionalised violence" in the Islamic republic. Media said Romina was decapitated at the family home in the village of Talesh in the northern province of Gilan. "Despite the judicial authorities' insistence on a 'special handling' of the case, the verdict has terrified me and my family," Rana Dashti, the mother, told ILNA news agency. "I don't want my husband to return to our village ever again," she said, calling for the verdict to be reviewed and changed to "execution". Having lived with the man for 15 years, Dashti said she now fears for the life of the rest of her family. Ebtekar newspaper said at the time of Romina's killing that Iran's "eye for an eye" retributive justice does not apply to a father who kills his child, for which the customary sentence is jail time and fines. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has "expressed his regrets" following the girl's killing and called for the speedy passing of several anti-violence bills. Romina had reportedly run away after the father refused to give permission for her to marry a man 15 years her senior. But she was detained by authorities and taken home, despite having pleaded with a judge that she feared for her life if returned. The man she wanted to marry, Bahman Khavari, was sentenced to two years in prison, local media said, without specifying the charge. The legal age of marriage for women in Iran is 13.