Portugal has become the latest European state to announce new coronavirus restrictions, as Austria and England also prepare for lockdown, amid public backlash in other states forced into quarantines by the second wave of Covid-19.
In Portugal, people were ordered to stay home except for work, school or essential shopping, while companies will switch to remote working wherever possible.
New lockdown measures are set to take effect on November 4 and will immediately impact nearly 70 percent of the population in 121 municipalities. Prime Minister Antonio Costa, however, warned that even more areas could be added to the list if the rate of coronavirus infections continues to soar.
We have a very tough month ahead of us. It is more likely we will add more municipalities than we drop from that list next time.
While Portugal has recorded a relatively low 2,507 deaths so far, the daily number of new infections soared over 4,000 in the recent days, with a total of 1,972 people hospitalized and the country slowly running out of intensive care units.
“If nothing is done, the rise in infections will inevitably lead us to a situation of failure of our health system,” Costa added, echoing the reasoning behind the lockdown in England that was announced by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson just hours earlier.
In England, from November 5 to at least December 2, people will only be allowed to go outside for specific reasons, including education, work, exercise, shopping for essentials or caring for the vulnerable. Pubs and restaurants will be shut down and only allowed to sell takeaway. All non-essential trade will also stop. However, essential shops, schools, and universities will remain open.
In Austria, a mass lockdown kicks off on November 3, with a curfew in place from 8pm to 6am every night until December.
All restaurants, bars and cafes will be closed except for the delivery and takeaway services. Theaters, museums and gyms, as well as kindergartens and primary schools, will also close, while high schools and universities will switch to distance learning.
Even though Austria's healthcare system is considered to be one of the best in the world, and the number of Covid-19 patients currently requiring hospital treatment is only 1,867, Kurz warned that “if we don't act now, our intensive care capacity will be overwhelmed.”
We did not take this decision lightly but it is necessary… We can’t say how strongly the population will support these measures and how strong their effect will be
Thousands of people have been marching in the streets of European cities, arguing that the restrictions are excessive, while the economic toll on businesses is unbearable. Anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police in Naples and other cities in Italy earlier this week, after authorities imposed night-time curfews, among new strict measures against Covid-19. Clashes later took place in Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona, where the protesters tried to erect barricades before being dispersed by police. Meanwhile, peaceful rallies against lockdowns were staged in London and Vienna on Saturday.
At least two people were killed and five more wounded in a stabbing attack in Quebec, Canada on early Sunday morning. Police have arrested the suspect.
The attack took place near the regional parliament building. Police said the assailant was armed with a bladed weapon and dressed in “medieval clothes.”
After a brief manhunt, the suspect was arrested at around 1am local time. The police have yet to provide any details about his identity or possible motive.
Le suspect a été arrêté. Deux décès sont confirmés. Plus de détails à venir. https://t.co/cCUG4IsrRS
According to local media, at least two people were killed, while five more were hospitalized.
The incident took place three days after a Tunisian migrant went on a stabbing rampage inside a Catholic church in the French Mediterranean city of Nice, killing three people. He was shot by police and taken into custody.
Turkish seismologists have detected a powerful 5.0 magnitude aftershock off the country's Aegean Sea coast. The jolt follows the devastating earthquake that killed at least 27 and injured over 800 across Turkey and Greece.
The aftershock was reported by Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) early on Saturday. It was not immediately clear whether the tremor inflicted more damage on the country.
The devastating earthquake, measured at 6.6 magnitude by Turkish authorities and 7.0 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), struck the Aegean shore on Friday afternoon. More that 470 aftershocks, with at least 35 measuring over 4.0 in magnitude, followed the quake.
Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey, was the worst hit by the earthquake. Several multi-story buildings have been reduced into rubble, with dozens of people trapped inside. Some 100 people have been rescued from the debris, and rescue efforts continue at eight locations.
At least 25 people were killed including one individual who has drowned, latest figures by the Turkish authorities show. Two more people died on the Greek island of Samos. More than 800 people suffered various injuries across the two countries during the disaster.
The leaders of Turkey and Greece, two neighbors trapped in a bitter dispute over Mediterranean natural resources exploration rights for months, have shown rare solidarity in wake of the disaster. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the phone, expressing condolences and offering help to one another.
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Show HN: IRC like chat platform with 4chan like reply system Hello HN, I want to share something that I worked on for quite a while as my side project - www.heahy.com an IRC like chat where you can share various media and even record yourself (using web MediaRecorder api). Here is a thread with short explanation on how it works: https://ift.tt/3ef3WbT I am looking for any feedback and if you have any ideas, advice or questions I am eager to hear it here or on heahy! November 1, 2020 at 01:53AM
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has said that his government will not tolerate religious extremism after dozens of Turkish youths reportedly stormed through a church in Vienna.
Between 30 and 50 Turkish teenagers are said to have rampaged through the Catholic Church of St. Anton von Padua in Vienna-Favoriten. According to local media reports, the youths shouted “Allahu akbar” as they kicked benches and the church’s confessional. The youths scattered after the pastor called the police.
Writing on Twitter about the rowdy flash mob, the Austrian chancellor said that all Christians in the country must be able to “exercise their faith freely and safely.”
We will resolutely continue the fight against political Islam and will not show any false tolerance here.
No one was injured during the incident and police are currently reviewing surveillance footage. The youths reportedly met earlier in the day at a square, where they shouted “Islamic slogans” and set off firecrackers.
Alle Christen müssen in #Österreich frei und in Sicherheit ihren Glauben ausüben können! Wir werden den Kampf gegen den politischen Islam entschieden weiterführen und hier keine falsche Toleranz zeigen.
Danke an alle Polizisten für ihren Einsatz! https://t.co/1Psz3C82vn
According to Austrian media, law enforcement initially labeled the unsettling disturbance as a “youth prank,” but the case was later referred to the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and dozens of police officers were dispatched to the area as a safety precaution.
Interior Minister Karl Nehammer vowed to protect Austria’s Christian community “with all our resources” and said that security was being bolstered following a string of violence and attempted attacks in France that have been linked to Islamic extremists.
An attack on Thursday at a church in Nice, France left three people dead. The suspect, a Tunisian migrant who had recently arrived in the country, was accused by French officials of being an “Islamo-fascist,” although his family in Tunisia denies that he holds radical religious beliefs.
France launched a crackdown on extremism following the murder of a schoolteacher, Samuel Paty, who was beheaded by a Chechen refugee after showing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed during a lesson on freedom of speech.
Demonstrators against new restrictions on abortion flooded the streets of Warsaw, in what has been described as one of the largest protests in decades to rock the Polish capital.
Tens of thousands of people marched through Warsaw on Friday night, as part of a week-long series of demonstrations sparked by a court decision that banned nearly all abortions in Poland.
Drone footage published by Ruptly, RT’s video agency, shows a sea of protesters pouring into the city’s roadways. People lit flares, waved lights and held homemade signs as they moved through the capital. The protest was so large that even footage taken from the air doesn’t appear to show the entire demonstration, with columns of people seemingly continuing into the distance.
The massive demonstration was largely peaceful, but there was a noticeable police presence due to concerns that clashes could break out with right-wing counter-protesters.
Poland’s constitutional tribunal ruled earlier this month that abortions in instances where the fetus has a serious birth defect were unconstitutional. The decision makes abortion unlawful in almost all circumstances, as Poland already has some of the most restrictive laws on the procedure in Europe.
Poland’s government has accused the demonstrators of endangering public health by spreading coronavirus. Abortion activists argue that they are fighting for human rights.
Spain has been gripped violence, with anti-lockdown protesters clashing with police in multiple cities, including Madrid and Barcelona, over the state and regional governments’ move to toughen Covid-19 restrictions.
Protesters torched garbage containers and erected makeshift barricades on Gran Vía, and reportedly smashed several store fronts elsewhere in central Madrid on Saturday night.
BREAKING 🚨 Gran Via, #Madrid - lawlessness as protestors are on street clashing with police after they follow to be #Spain’s lockdown rules.
When police moved in to clear the unruly gathering, they were pelted with stones and flares, and reportedly fired blank bullets forcing the protesters to disperse into nearby streets.
Meanwhile in Barcelona, police officers were once pelted with stones and other projectiles, as they tried to disperse a smaller-scale anti-lockdown protests for the second consecutive night.
Aaand the second day of rioting and police activity in Barcelona. Not as bad as yesterday. pic.twitter.com/MhxRQy9v3C
The regional government of Catalonia approved a new package of measures this week, including the perimeter confinement of each municipality, limiting people to their own district on weekends.
Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez urged Spaniards, in a Saturday night tweet, to show patience and demonstrate “responsibility, unity and sacrifice” to defeat the global pandemic, while condemning the “violent and irrational behavior” by a “small minority” of the population.
Disturbios y enfrentamientos entre la Policía Nacional y manifestantes en la Gran Vía de Madrid, a pocos minutos de entrar en vigor el toque de queda impuesto por el gobierno de España. Decenas de personas protestan contra las restricciones #31octpic.twitter.com/Aqa8ed6Rdm
Spain's parliament approved a six-month extension to the national state of emergency last week , granting regional authorities more power to tackle the country's second wave of Covid-19. This is Spain's third extension to the state of emergency during the pandemic and will be in force until May 9, but with the option for it to be lifted on March 9.
Under this new extension, regional governments have the power to control freedom of movement and curfew times without having to go through complicated fortnightly procedures in parliament. Since then, many regions have toughened their coronavirus measures, with nighttime curfews, lockdowns and travel restrictions.
A driver has plowed a car into the gates of the iconic Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, damaging the entrance to the shrine. Nobody was seriously injured in the incident and the motorist is now in custody.
The collision on Friday night saw a driver careen off the road and slam into the mosque – known formally as the Masjid al-Haram – captured in footage circulating online.
A driver rammed his car into Door 89 of the Grand Mosque in Mecca (Masjid al-Haram) at 22:25pm Saudi time.
The driver was arrested and based on video footage posted on social media, local media reports, there were no casualties. pic.twitter.com/CzNKWq5OO5
According to a representative for the Mecca regional government, Sultan al-Dosari, the car “swerved while moving at a high speed on one of the roads surrounding the southern courtyard of the Grand Mosque” before crashing. “Thankfully, no one was injured,” he added, sharing a photo of the wreck.
The arrested citizen is in an abnormal condition. He was referred to the public prosecution.
Saudi authorities say they arrested the driver of a car that sped into the pedestrian area (it appeared empty at the time) outside Masjid Al Haram in Mecca, before crashing into the mosque. He's described as a Saudi citizen who was "in abnormal condition." No injuries reported. https://t.co/fKcUClcMwi
Makkah Government: “The security authorities responded to an accident that involved a car hitting one of the doors of the Grand Mosque as a result of drifting while traveling at high speed on one of the roads surrounding the southern square of the Grand Mosque 1/2 pic.twitter.com/Nk14KnapLc
The renowned house of worship resumed public prayer earlier this month following a lengthy hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic, closing its doors for some seven months. Saudi authorities also permitted citizens to gradually return to performing the Umrah pilgrimage in October, which typically attracts millions of worshipers from around the world to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities known to Islam. With the health crisis, however, the number of devotees allowed to visit will be limited to 6,000 per day.
A large pro-Trump demonstration in Beverly Hills turned violent as a group of black-clad counter-protesters harassed a man holding an American flag, punching, kicking and beating him with a metal pole, forcing police to intervene.
The incident apparently began when a person wearing a helmet with ACAB painted on the side trying to take the flag from one of the Trump supporters, according to a video posted on Twitter by photographer Shane Murphy. Ironically, although the man was beaten and kicked by at least half a dozen counter-protestors, police had to pull him off one of the assailants after dispersing the other attackers.
#BeverlyHill
What proceeded the attack:
A group in tactical vests harass this man and a person with ‘ACAB’ on a motorcycle helmet tries to steal his flag. He is then attacked. pic.twitter.com/6AHuiS0KtX
The overall scale of the pro-Trump rally on Saturday could be seen with an aerial view shared by Beverly Hills Courier reporter Samuel Braslow. Some of the demonstrators showed up three hours early, and the crowd spilled onto Santa Monica Boulevard as it grew, Braslow said. Beverly Hills police directed a line of traffic through an open lane in the crowd at one point.
Police then closed off the street to traffic. When counter-protesters arrived, police in riot gear formed a line blocking them. Once violence flared, police declared the counter-protest an unlawful assembly.
The counter-protesters moved a line of temporary fence sections in front of the line of police but apparently walked back toward Roxbury Park once officers moved toward them.
An earthquake in the Aegean Sea has prompted Turkey and Greece to lay aside their rivalry over resources in the Mediterranean as the leaders of the two neighbors offered each other condolences and help in the wake of the disaster.
A powerful quake, measured at 6.6 magnitude by Turkish authorities and 7.0 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), struck the Aegean shore early Friday morning. More than 800 people were injured and at least 22 others lost their lives in Turkey, with the port of Izmir taking the brunt of the destruction. On the Greek island of Samos, the bodies of two teenagers – a boy and a girl – were discovered near a collapsed wall after the tremors.
Following the tragedy, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to offer condolences, while the foreign ministers of the two countries also made contact, with the Greek side expressing readiness to send rescue teams to Izmir to help extract people from the rubble.
“Whatever our differences, these are times when our people need to stand together,” Mitsotakis wrote on Twitter.
Erdogan responded in kind, saying that “Turkey, too, is always ready to help Greece heal its wounds.”
That two neighbors show solidarity in difficult times is more valuable than many things in life.
Relations between Ankara and Athens have hit a low point in recent months due to competing claims to continental shelves in the east Mediterranean, which are believed to be rich in energy resources.
The dispute has seen the two neighbors – both NATO member states – mobilize warships and planes, with Greece calling on the EU to slap Turkey with sanctions over what it deemed aggressive behavior after Ankara sent a research vessel into disputed waters near Cyprus.
Video footage out of Texas shows a convoy of pickup trucks and other vehicles bearing Trump flags and surrounding a Biden-Harris campaign bus, which Democrats called a dangerous harassment effort.
At one point, a black pickup is shown pushing a white sport-utility vehicle that was straddling two lanes out from behind the bus. Eric Cervini, an author who said he traveled to Texas to participate in a driving tour in support of Joe Biden's presidential campaign, said trucks lined up along Interstate 35 between San Antonio and Austin Friday to “ambush” the Biden-Harris bus, which they surrounded and tried to force off the road.
This is violence, hitting people with cars is violence. All Republicans need to denounce this political violence
— Alex “Test, Trace, Isolate” Lawson (@alaw202) October 31, 2020
The bus tour involved a group of Texas Democrats and was meant to “drum up enthusiasm” at polling sites. Cervini said the tour had to be canceled for safety reasons. He said he flagged down a police officer, who declined to help, saying the matter was not his “jurisdiction.”
I flew down to Texas to help with the Biden/Harris bus tour, intended to drum up enthusiasm at polling locations. Instead, I ended up spending the afternoon calling 911. 1/ pic.twitter.com/gKAjv7gv85
Video shot from another angle shows a different view of the convoy with more than a dozen trucks escorting the Democrat bus up the highway. A blogger who goes by the Twitter account name “L” called the long line of trucks “the most badass thing I've ever seen in my life.”
Democrat state Representative Rafael Anchia called the group “armed Trump trolls” and accused them of “ramming volunteer vehicles and blocking traffic for 40 minutes.” Travis County Democratic Party Chairwoman Katie Naranjo said the Trump supporters followed the Biden bus throughout central Texas and yelled curse words and threats.
This is a 1st for me - but we just cancelled a joint event in Pflugerville w/ @JoeBiden campaign, @AustinYoungDems, & more, due to security reasons. Unfortunately, Pro-Trump Protestors have escalated well beyond safe limits. Sorry to all who looked forward to this fun event. https://t.co/tSq4moqro0
Another video posted of the convoy indicated that there were about 100 vehicles in the pro-Trump group. A video by Austin television reporter Jordan Bontke purports to show Trump supporters getting in their trucks to follow the Biden-Harris bus.
A joint event that the Biden campaign and a group called Austin Young Dems planned to hold Friday in Pflugerville, north of Austin, had to be canceled for security reasons, Democrat state Representative Sheryl Cole said. “Unfortunately, pro-Trump protestors have escalated well beyond safe limits,” she added.
As the Biden bus rolled down 11th street toward I-35, Trump supporters scrambled to their trucks to follow it. @cbsaustinpic.twitter.com/idnbDqFU3L
Unruly Trump supporters have been a thorn in the side of the Biden campaign this week. As Biden tried to deliver a speech Friday at a drive-in rally in Minnesota, Trump backers honked their horns, prompting the Democrat candidate to call them “ugly folks.”
Canadian opposition party leader Erin O'Toole was appalled by Justin Trudeau's tepid support for "free speech" in the face of Islamist attacks over Mohammed cartoons, saying the prime minister is undermining a pillar of democracy.
“It is very disturbing when the prime minister sends the signal that he is not protecting freedom of expression,” O'Toole said Saturday on Twitter.
It is one of the pillars of our democracy, and without it, we slide into ignorance.
O'Toole's rebuke came one day after Trudeau responded to a question about the right to show a caricature of the Prophet Muhammed by saying: “We owe it to ourselves to act with respect for others and to seek not to arbitrarily or unnecessarily injure those with whom we are sharing a society and a planet.”
We will always defend freedom of expression, but freedom of expression is not without limits.
Trudeau made his comments amid a wave of terrorist attacks in France, which began earlier this month with the beheading of a schoolteacher who had shown his class cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed as part of a discussion of free speech. Those cartoons had been first published by Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, triggering an outrage all over the Muslim world and a 2015 terrorist attack that killed 12 people at the satirical magazine's office in Paris.
France's president, Emmanuel Macron, last week responded to the schoolteacher murder by defending free-speech rights, leading to calls for a boycott of French products by Turkey and other Muslim countries.
Canada has strong ties to France. In fact, French is the mother tongue of 7.2 million Canadians, or 21 percent of the country's population. Canada also is home to more than 1 million Muslims.
Trudeau called this month's terror attacks “unjustifiable,” but appeared to distance himself from Macron. “In a pluralist, diverse and respectful society like ours, we owe it to ourselves to be aware of the impact of our words, of our actions on others, particularly these communities and populations who still experience a great deal of discrimination,” he said.
Trudeau's comments were met with criticism at home and abroad. Quebec journalist Benoît Dutrizac said Trudeau should be forced to resign after making statements that “place him on the side of the worst Islamists.” He added, “We already knew he had bad judgment, but now he's gone way too far.”
Dear Justin,we don’t live in an ideal world,people mustn’t but everyday they are breaking signal,doing drugs,molesting others,hurting sentiments.If every petty crime’s punishment is beheading each other then why we need a Prime Minister or any law n order? https://t.co/U9ronFrvbZ
Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley said Trudeau failed to give a “full-throated” defense of the free-speech rights granted to all Canadians. “What Justin Trudeau did this week was say that he agrees with freedom of speech or freedom of expression as long as no one is hurt – or as long as you don't offend people who may act out violently,” Lilley wrote.
The controversy raised eyebrows as far away as India, where Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut blasted Trudeau for failing to defend free-speech rights. “If every petty crime's punishment is beheading each other, then why (do) we need a prime minister or any law and order?” she tweeted.
Except when it applies to his own freedom of expression of course — nothing he says ever applies to himself. Following his logic, it would be okay for someone to take offence to his costume and have a possibly unwanted reaction. #shoepolishtrudeaupic.twitter.com/8Tg4lVFnNR
EU member states will be allowed to use only official EU-approved Covid-19 vaccines, Brussels said in response to remarks by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that Budapest was negotiating for shots with Russia and China.
“There is no question that any vaccine that is, or could be, made available on the territory of the European Union would have to comply both with the quality standards that are expected for these types of products in the EU and follow the approval procedures” currently in effect, European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said at a press conference on Friday, asked about Orban’s comments.
While not calling out Orban by name, Mamer’s comments came after Hungarian PM said Budapest was talking to Beijing and Moscow and hoping to have two or three different vaccines by early next year.
The first shipment of vaccines should arrive in December or January, and Hungary will be able to “declare victory over the pandemic” by next spring, Orban said on Friday in a radio interview.
It appears that Brussels will not allow Hungary to do so, however, as the bloc has signed agreements with AstraZeneca, Sanofi-GSK, and Johnson and Johnson for “safe and effective vaccines” against the coronavirus, once they complete the clinical trials.
“We are not in negotiations with either Russian or Chinese companies,” Mamer added. “That is the European vaccine strategy. All member states have signed up to this process.”
Johnson & Johnson had paused its trials in mid-October, citing an “unexplained illness” in one of the participants. AstraZeneca had also halted their trials over a UK volunteer experiencing complications, but restarted them even after a Brazilian volunteer died on October 20.
Russia was the first in the world to register a coronavirus vaccine. Dubbed ‘Sputnik V’, it is based on the adenoviral vector platform previously studied and considered safe, and is currently undergoing phase-three trials. Moscow has applied for the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Emergency Use Listing program, which would allow accelerated approval of the vaccine for use.
Brussels and Washington have objected to the Russian vaccine, ostensibly on the grounds of safety. The US also appears to have leaned on governments to pressure them away from ‘Sputnik V’. On October 16, the US embassy in Kiev announced that Ukraine “will NOT be buying Russia’s [Covid-19] vaccine, which has not passed clinical trials for safety!”
Meanwhile, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed distrust of Western pharmaceutical companies, accusing them of being “all about profit.” Duterte said he would seek a deal to buy the vaccine from China or Russia, which Manila was prepared to pay for.
Some 2,000 doses of the Russian vaccine were sent to Venezuela in early October, after the authorities in Caracas asked for help due to US and EU sanctions ravaging the country’s healthcare system.
The virus, which was first detected in China in December 2019, quickly spread around the world, with the WHO declaring a pandemic in March. Almost 45.5 million people have been infected so far, with 1.18 million deaths attributed to the virus. Much of Europe and the US have locked down in an effort to slow the spread, with disastrous economic consequences.
The EU’s Mamer did acknowledge that “at some point” vaccines produced outside the bloc “may” be considered for distribution, but declined to elaborate.
A complete separation of the US and Chinese economies is utterly unrealistic, a senior Chinese official has said, emphasizing the need for cooperation between various nations amid the pandemic-induced global economic uncertainty.
Speaking at a news briefing in Beijing on Friday, the deputy director of the Office of China’s Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs, Han Wenxiu, argued against severing ties between the world’s two largest economies.
“Decoupling is basically not realistic, and there’s no benefit for China or the US, or the entire world,” Han stated.
Those who want decoupling are few. Those who want collaboration are far more.
The official explained that the US and China will be able to maintain their positions as the largest economies only if they complement each other. Moreover, the two should be operating in an open global environment, as it provides more opportunities for the rest of the world, Han added.
While the US and China remain major business partners, the duo have been locked in an open economic standoff for over two years already. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened a “complete decoupling” of the American economy from China, accusing Beijing of using unfair trade practices. While the president insisted it was not only possible, but even beneficial for the American economy, other top US officials have doubted his idea was even remotely realistic.
The US-China economic standoff, which has already escalated into a full-blown trade war, is further reinforced by various geopolitical tensions. The most recent flashpoint came last week, after the US approved a $1.8 billion arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing considers to be an integral part of China. China demanded Washington abandon its arms sales plan and immediately “stop military contact” with Taiwan, threatening sanctions against the American arms manufacturing giants if the deal goes through.
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Now three quarters of a century old, the Russian nuclear industry in 2020 has influence way beyond its borders.
Russia is сontributing to the ITER (International Experimental Thermonuclear Reactor) mega-science project that aims to prove fusion is a feasible clean energy source. ITER Director-General, Bernard Bigot, told us that, “Without innovation, we cannot rely on existing resources.”
“Humanity has been relying on renewable energy for centuries, a millennium indeed, but it was before we were less than one billion inhabitants.”
Given the planet's surging population, Bigot believes we need renewable energy, but complimented by mass production. He sees hydrogen fusion as the way forward, due to a near unlimited supply.
“The raw material is water and lithium, and there’s enough water and lithium on Earth to supply energy for a population of 10 billion inhabitants for a hundred million years.”
Bigot added that the low-levels of helium released and general safety, means this sort of fusion has little to no impact on the environment and climate.
India has tested yet another missile, as it ramps up its military trials program amid ongoing tensions with China. The anti-ship projectile left the target vessel severely damaged and in flames.
On Friday, a KH-35 Uran missile was test-fired from the INS Kora, smashing into the decommissioned minesweeper INS Cannanore in the Bay of Bengal.
According to the Indian Navy, the test was carried out at “maximum range” and the projectile demonstrated “precise accuracy,” leaving the target ship in flames. The navy has shared the photos of the live-fire exercise and the damaged ship on social media, highlighting India’s combat readiness on the high seas.
Videos showing the test-firing have also emerged on Twitter.
BREAKING NOW.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO 👇
Kh-35 Uran, an antiship missile fired by Indian Navy's Guided Missile Corvette INS Kora.
It hit the target ship M68 at maximum range with precise accuracy in Bay of Bengal. Target ship severely damaged & in flames. 👇@NewsX & @Inkhabarpic.twitter.com/9Dimmqqfk5
Originally of Soviet design, the KH-35 has been adopted by the Indian armed forces since 1996. The missile was fired from a guided-missile corvette – one of five currently active in the Indian navy.
This was the second publicly announced test-firing of a KH-35 this month. Last Friday, the navy launched Uran from INS Prabal into a decommissioned Godavari-class frigate in the Arabian Sea.
In the past two months, India has carried out more than 10 missile tests, including of the Nirbhay cruise missile, the supersonic surface-to-surface Shaurya strategic missile, and a laser-guided anti-tank guided missile.
India has been stepping up its military trials, primarily of indigenous-built hardware, as part of an attempt to demonstrate its capabilities amid heightened tensions with China along the Line of Actual Control – a de facto border in the Himalayas, as well as in the Indian Ocean. Earlier this year, troops from the two nations clashed in Eastern Ladakh, causing casualties on both sides, although Beijing has not officially commented on the numbers.
India and China are currently engaged in ongoing military- and diplomatic-level dialogue in the hope of arriving at a “mutually acceptable solution.”
The Tunisian suspect in the attack that left three people dead in the French southern city of Nice on Thursday was arrested for violence and using a knife back in 2016, a Tunisian judiciary official has said.
The Nice attack suspect, identified as a 21-year-old migrant from Tunisia who arrived in France a few weeks ago, was known to authorities in his home country. Back in 2016, he was arrested for knife violence, Mohsen Dali, a Tunisian judiciary official, said on Friday.
In the aftermath of the deadly attack, Tunisia launched its own investigation into the incident. Late on Thursday, officials said the suspect was not on its list of suspected militants at the time that he left the country in mid-September.
Tunisia promised to investigate the claims made by an entity called the Mahdi Organisation which it said on social media that it was responsible for the attack. Authorities have already launched a probe to determine whether the group exists and if what it says is true.
The deadly assault unfolded early on Thursday, when the suspect attacked people with a knife inside the largest Catholic church in the city. He managed to slit the throats of two people, who died at the scene, and to mortally wound a third, who managed to escape the church, but died at a restaurant nearby.
The attacker was shot and critically injured by the four police officers who responded to the incident, and currently remains in hospital in a serious condition.
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A driver has plowed a car into the gates of the iconic Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, damaging the entrance to the shrine. Nobody was seriously injured in the incident and the motorist is now in custody.
The collision on Friday night saw a driver careen off the road and slam into the mosque – known formally as the Masjid al-Haram – captured in footage circulating online.
A driver rammed his car into Door 89 of the Grand Mosque in Mecca (Masjid al-Haram) at 22:25pm Saudi time.
The driver was arrested and based on video footage posted on social media, local media reports, there were no casualties. pic.twitter.com/CzNKWq5OO5
According to a representative for the Mecca regional government, Sultan al-Dosari, the car “swerved while moving at a high speed on one of the roads surrounding the southern courtyard of the Grand Mosque” before crashing. “Thankfully, no one was injured,” he added, sharing a photo of the wreck.
The arrested citizen is in an abnormal condition. He was referred to the public prosecution.
Saudi authorities say they arrested the driver of a car that sped into the pedestrian area (it appeared empty at the time) outside Masjid Al Haram in Mecca, before crashing into the mosque. He's described as a Saudi citizen who was "in abnormal condition." No injuries reported. https://t.co/fKcUClcMwi
Makkah Government: “The security authorities responded to an accident that involved a car hitting one of the doors of the Grand Mosque as a result of drifting while traveling at high speed on one of the roads surrounding the southern square of the Grand Mosque 1/2 pic.twitter.com/Nk14KnapLc
The renowned house of worship resumed public prayer earlier this month following a lengthy hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic, closing its doors for some seven months. Saudi authorities also permitted citizens to gradually return to performing the Umrah pilgrimage in October, which typically attracts millions of worshipers from around the world to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities known to Islam. With the health crisis, however, the number of devotees allowed to visit will be limited to 6,000 per day.
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will reportedly impose a national lockdown next week after his scientific advisers warned that the NHS could be overwhelmed by mid-December and more than 85,000 people could die this winter.
The dramatic move is expected to be announced sometime next week, The Times newspaper and the Daily Mail reported on Friday night, citing sources from within 10 Downing Street. The details or the duration of the supposed lockdown are yet unknown.
Both the Mail & the Times have been briefed there is likely to be a national lockdown from next week pic.twitter.com/pb56MsgXNg
Johnson is reportedly meeting over the weekend with the leaders of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to work out “a common approach to Christmas,” as his cabinet is divided on the new lockdown. Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock and Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove supposedly back the measure, while Chancellor Rishi Sunak has reservations.
A recent study by the University of Warwick blamed Sunak’s ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ initiative for the spike in cases that contributed to the ‘second wave’ of the virus.
The disturbing reports come after the SAGE committee presented 10 Downing Street with a bleak assessment that the coronavirus is spreading “significantly” faster than their original “worst-case scenario” predictions, and if it continues on its current track would kill more than 85,000 this winter.
More than 46,000 deaths have been attributed to the coronavirus so far, out of some 992,000 infections in the UK since the start of the pandemic. The Mail reported that 50,000 Britons were getting infected every day, citing the Office of National Statistics. However, on Thursday the UK registered 23,065 new infections and 280 new deaths.
The scientists, led by Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, have warned Johnson that all hospitals in England will be full by December 17.
As of Friday morning, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was still defending the current tiered strategy, saying that a national lockdown would be regarded as “desperately unfair” in less affected areas.
Lockdown critics have denounced the notion of a “circuit-breaker” lockdown, saying that previous such measures did little to nothing to stop the virus.
“The concept of a four-week lockdown to save Christmas is yet more cruel and inhumane policy which will further fuel the growing mental health crisis – all justified by holding out a false hope,” said Jon Dobinson, of the group Recovery. “People are dying in their thousands from lockdown and restrictions: it's time to focus on that.”
Experts advising Johnson believe the UK is on track to face 1,000 deaths a day within a month if nothing changes, however. The government had previously been told to prepare for 85,000 deaths this winter, with 500 deaths a day and more than 300,000 people hospitalized, but SAGE said things have already accelerated past this “reasonable worst-case scenario.”
Germany’s deputy finance minister said on Friday that the European Union will need pragmatism in its relations with the UK because the City of London remains Europe’s biggest financial center.
German companies “rely massively” on wholesale financing offered from the City of London, Joerg Kukies told an Afore Consulting online event. “So in that sense we will have to maintain pragmatism, no matter what happens,” the deputy finance minister explained.
Kukies said he was “deeply concerned” about the lack of progress in trade talks between Brussels and London. However, he expressed hope that the current situation will not lead to “animosity,” citing the intensity of relationships between EU member states and Britain.
The UK’s post-Brexit transition period ends on December 31, and the City could be largely cut off from the bloc after that.
Brussels is negotiating UK financial firms’ access to the EU separately from trade deal talks. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says these talks are “making good progress,” a view that contradicts that of Kukies.
The trade and security discussions are now being held in Brussels, after a week in the UK capital, and critical issues are still common rules and standards for firms, as well as rules governing state subsidies and the fisheries, according to von der Leyen.
The row over fishing quotas has persisted as a major stumbling block, with Paris insisting the EU should not bow to UK demands. French Europe Minister Clement Beaune went further by saying, “the face of Brexit will be the face of our fishermen,” and adding that their interests should be protected.
Despite the current disagreements, however, Brussels hopes to start the ratification process in mid-November, according to European Council President Charles Michel.
The head of the DHS has castigated Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in a withering letter, arguing his platform endangered national security after locking the account of a top border official over a post it alleged to “promote violence.”
The Department of Homeland Security acting chief Chad Wolf penned the letter to Dorsey on Friday, insisting “corporate bureaucrats” should not act as arbiters of truth for the American public, calling Twitter’s move to suspend the handle of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) executive Mark Morgan “unjustified” and “disturbing.”
“The fact that the tweet was removed and the account locked is startling,” Wolf said. “It is hard to understand how anyone believed Mr. Morgan’s tweet promoted violence, threats or harassment. Especially considering the facts about the border wall system support the tweet.”
There was no reason to remove Mr. Morgan’s tweet from your platform, other than ideological disagreement with the speaker. Such censorship is disturbing. Twitter’s conduct censoring US government officials also endangers the national security.
Twitter’s censoring of factual information poses a threat to national security.
In the offending post – which has since been reinstated – Morgan said the CBP was continuing to work with the Army Corps of Engineers to construct a wall along the border with Mexico, adding that “every mile” of the barrier “helps us stop gang members, murderers, sexual predators, and drugs from entering our country. It’s a fact, walls work.”
.@CBP & @USACEHQ continue to build new wall every day. Every mile helps us stop gang members, murderers, sexual predators, and drugs from entering our country.
Wolf insisted Morgan’s tweet did not promote violence of any sort and was factually accurate, arguing that the CBP “arrests thousands of violent criminal gang members each year,” rescues young women forced into the sex trade and “intercepts dangerous drugs,” including “enough of the opioid fentanyl to kill every man, woman and child in the United States several times over.”
He also accused the platform of lying about events surrounding Morgan’s lock-out, noting that a Twitter spokesperson gave a misleading quote to the media about how the company revived the account.
“Adding insult to injury – and insult to Americans’ intelligence – Twitter spread disinformation by misrepresenting Twitter’s intentional censorship,” Wolf went on, adding that a company representative told Politico’s Caitlin Oprysko that it reversed the decision on appeal. Wolf said that gave “the false impression that Twitter’s appeal process remedied a mistake, but in fact Twitter’s appeal process failed.”
Twitter actually denied CBP’s appeal. Twitter only reversed itself after controversy and embarrassment escalated.
After being locked out of his handle for some 20 hours, Morgan has since issued a statement about the incident, saying Twitter is “out of control in their clear bias against this administration” and slamming the company for “censorship” that should “outrage every American.”
Back online after Twitter lock out for ~20 hours. @Twitter’s censorship should outrage every American. Not only did Twitter block me from posting, they BLOCKED YOU from the TRUTH.
An earthquake in the Aegean Sea has prompted Turkey and Greece to lay aside their rivalry over resources in the Mediterranean as the leaders of the two neighbors offered each other condolences and help in the wake of the disaster.
A powerful quake, measured at 6.6 magnitude by Turkish authorities and 7.0 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), struck the Aegean shore early Friday morning. More than 800 people were injured and at least 22 others lost their lives in Turkey, with the port of Izmir taking the brunt of the destruction. On the Greek island of Samos, the bodies of two teenagers – a boy and a girl – were discovered near a collapsed wall after the tremors.
Following the tragedy, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to offer condolences, while the foreign ministers of the two countries also made contact, with the Greek side expressing readiness to send rescue teams to Izmir to help extract people from the rubble.
“Whatever our differences, these are times when our people need to stand together,” Mitsotakis wrote on Twitter.
Erdogan responded in kind, saying that “Turkey, too, is always ready to help Greece heal its wounds.”
That two neighbors show solidarity in difficult times is more valuable than many things in life.
Relations between Ankara and Athens have hit a low point in recent months due to competing claims to continental shelves in the east Mediterranean, which are believed to be rich in energy resources.
The dispute has seen the two neighbors – both NATO member states – mobilize warships and planes, with Greece calling on the EU to slap Turkey with sanctions over what it deemed aggressive behavior after Ankara sent a research vessel into disputed waters near Cyprus.
At least four people have died after a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Turkey. The tremblor toppled buildings in Izmir, caused damage across several Turkish towns and shook the Greek capital of Athens.
The USGS issued a preliminary alert recording the quake as a 7.0 magnitude temblor, but Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said it was a 6.6 quake which struck along the Aegean coast.
The temblor struck shortly after 1:51pm local time near the Greek island of Samos, with the Mayor of eastern Samos claiming multiple buildings had collapsed.
Eyewitness footage from around the Aegean shows crowds evacuating onto the streets as large dust clouds emanated from collapsed buildings in the distance.
Turkey's Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu issued a Twitter statement about the earthquake, claiming that at least six buildings had collapsed in Izmir and reports of potential casualties were streaming in from several other cities.
“Until now, 6 building demolition notices have been received in İzmir Bornova and Bayraklı. Damage and loss of life reported in Uşak, Denizli, Manisa, Balikesir, Aydın and Muğla, our teams continue their screening and interventions in the field. Get well soon,” Soylu wrote.
According to local media reports, the earthquake lasted roughly 15 seconds, with shockwaves felt as far away as Istanbul and Athens.
Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said the epicentre of the use was 17 km (11 miles) off the coast of the Izmir in the Aegean Sea, at a depth of 16km. The USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 10km some 33.5km offshore.
Fears were raised that a tsunami could hit in the aftermath of the deadly quake as eyewitness footage from the seafront in Izmir revealed that the sea had retreated several meters.
