2020年10月4日星期日

Yahoo! News: World - China

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: World - China


Kellyanne Conway tests positive for COVID, with ‘mild’ symptoms, as epidemic spreads through Trump circle

Posted: 02 Oct 2020 08:38 PM PDT

Kellyanne Conway tests positive for COVID, with 'mild' symptoms, as epidemic spreads through Trump circlePresident Trump tested positive for COVID-19 earlier int he day. "As always, my heart is with everyone affected by this global pandemic," Kellyanne Conway tweeted.


Thousands protest anti-coronavirus restrictions in Germany over weekend

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 04:05 AM PDT

Thousands protest anti-coronavirus restrictions in Germany over weekendThousands of demonstrators in southern Germany protested against coronavirus restrictions over the weekend, police said on Sunday, although organisers failed to mobilise enough people for a planned human chain around Lake Constance. Thousands of counter-demonstrators in Constance also turned out to show support for the government's measures to contain the coronavirus while also protesting against right-wing supporters in the other group, police said. Overall, police counted between 10,500 and 11,000 people taking part in the different demonstrations on Saturday and the two-day protests continued on Sunday with sunny weather likely to draw in further participants, a police spokesman said.


Cunningham admits sending sexually suggestive texts

Posted: 02 Oct 2020 10:56 PM PDT

Cunningham admits sending sexually suggestive textsThe Democratic challenger in North Carolina's closely contested U.S. Senate campaign has acknowledged exchanging sexually suggestive text messages with a woman who's not his wife, but he said he will not drop out of the race. Cal Cunningham apologized late Friday for the text message exchanges in which he tells the woman he wants to kiss her and she says she wants to spend the night with him. Cunningham's admission regarding the text messages, along with his opponent U.S. Senate Thom Tillis announcing Friday night he has tested positive for COVID-19, could reshape the nation's most expensive Senate campaign, which is considered key to determining the power balance in the Senate.


SNL skewers Trump for Supreme Court Covid superspreader event as Jim Carrey joins cast as Biden

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 12:21 AM PDT

SNL skewers Trump for Supreme Court Covid superspreader event as Jim Carrey joins cast as BidenCarrey's Biden mutes Alec Baldwin's Trump, says 'I think we all need a break'


Margaret Ferrier faces being kicked out by her constituents if she refuses to resign, SNP warns her

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 09:55 AM PDT

Margaret Ferrier faces being kicked out by her constituents if she refuses to resign, SNP warns herMargaret Ferrier faces being kicked out of her seat by her constituents, the SNP's Westminster leader has warned her as she continued to ignore Nicola Sturgeon's personal appeal to quit. Ian Blackford said the Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP, who travelled from Scotland to the Commons and back by train while suffering from coronavirus, should "do the honourable thing" and resign her seat. In a direct warning to Ms Ferrier, he told the Daily Telegraph that failing to resign "on her own terms" would mean she risks "having her fate taken out of her hands." SNP chiefs are understood to believe that she will be suspended from Parliament for at least 10 sitting days, or 14 consecutive days, the benchmark that could allow her constituents to recall her and force a by-election. But they are extremely worried that the longer Ms Ferrier clings on, the more damage will be inflicted to Ms Sturgeon's public health message to the Scottish people and her personal authority. The First Minister spoke on Friday morning to the MP, whom she described as a friend, urging her to resign but the 60-year-old defied her. She did not quit even when the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation on Friday evening.


Sellouts to the Black community. Traitors to fellow officers. Black police chiefs are caught between 2 worlds after George Floyd's killing.

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 02:58 AM PDT

Sellouts to the Black community. Traitors to fellow officers. Black police chiefs are caught between 2 worlds after George Floyd's killing.Black police chiefs are sometimes brought on to act as a bridge between the police and the Black community, but they face challenges from both sides.


The best 20 airports in the world for 2020 according to expert reviewers

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 05:03 AM PDT

The best 20 airports in the world for 2020 according to expert reviewersSkytrax completed its annual ranking just before the pandemic upended global travel but these are the airports worth a visit once the world re-opens.


SARS: Nigeria 'rogue' police unit banned from stop and search

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 08:30 AM PDT

SARS: Nigeria 'rogue' police unit banned from stop and searchVideos allegedly showing SARS officers extorting money and shooting people cause public outrage.


As another migrant caravan heads toward the United States, skeptics ask: Why now?

Posted: 02 Oct 2020 06:39 PM PDT

As another migrant caravan heads toward the United States, skeptics ask: Why now?There is no evidence of political meddling behind a caravan of two thousand migrants that left Honduras this week, although figures as prominent as Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador have expressed their doubts.


Fears for foreign exchange trips as peers urge Government to scrap plans to force all children from Europe to carry passports

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 01:39 PM PDT

Fears for foreign exchange trips as peers urge Government to scrap plans to force all children from Europe to carry passportsFears have been expressed for foreign exchange trips as peers urge the Government to scrap plans that would force all children from Europe to carry passports after Brexit is completed. The Government plans to end the use of European ID cards as proof of identity for travel when the transition period ends on December 31. Promised by the Conservative Party in December last year before Boris Johnson's landslide general election win, the plan is now set to be codified as part of the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination Bill. The restriction on ID cards was first floated by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, with the intention of improving border security of the UK after it leaves the European Union. Monday (October 5) will see the Bill debated in the House of Lords at its report stage amid warnings from peers that it could "devastate" the UK's English language schooling sector. Writing in Monday's Telegraph, peers including Lord Blunkett, the former Home Secretary, and the crossbench peer Lord Alton warn that the industry "may not survive" the double blow of Brexit and Covid-19.


Search underway for murder hornet nest in Washington state

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 11:57 AM PDT

Search underway for murder hornet nest in Washington stateAgricultural officials in Washington state said Friday they're trying to find and destroy a nest of Asian giant hornets — also known as murder hornets.


India's federal police to probe alleged gang rape of woman who died of injuries: statement

Posted: 03 Oct 2020 11:05 AM PDT

India's federal police to probe alleged gang rape of woman who died of injuries: statementIndia's federal police will investigate the alleged gang rape of a young woman in northern Uttar Pradesh state whose death sparked nationwide protests, the local government said in a statement on Saturday. The 19-year-old Dalit woman died of her injuries earlier this week, triggering protests by both opposition political parties and the public in New Delhi and elsewhere against atrocities against a community often ostracized under India's centuries-old caste system. India is one of the world's most dangerous places for women, with a rape occurring on average every 15 minutes based on federal data.


Mom outwits stranger who offers $1,500 for her 2-year-old child, Washington cops say

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 08:02 AM PDT

Mom outwits stranger who offers $1,500 for her 2-year-old child, Washington cops sayThe mother got his email and phone number "in case she changed her mind."


Chilling details revealed in JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan deaths

Posted: 03 Oct 2020 08:09 PM PDT

Chilling details revealed in JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan deathsThe discovery of the Idaho siblings in backyard graves was the result of a complicated six-month investigation that unraveled a sordid tale of murder, greed and religious fanaticism


Trump mocked for signing apparently blank paper in ‘staged’ photos at Walter Reed

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 09:35 AM PDT

Trump mocked for signing apparently blank paper in 'staged' photos at Walter ReedTwitter users decry 'reality TV presidency'


Over 100,000 march in Belarus against authoritarian leader

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 10:39 AM PDT

Over 100,000 march in Belarus against authoritarian leaderMore than 100,000 people marched in Belarus' capital on Sunday to protest against the country's authoritarian leader, who won his sixth term in office in an election widely seen as rigged. The demonstrators demanded the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko, and freedom for political prisoners. Police used water cannons in an attempt to disperse the crowds, but the protesters remained undeterred.


Investigators probe 'possible ecological catastrophe' in Russia's far east

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 09:04 AM PDT

Investigators probe 'possible ecological catastrophe' in Russia's far east"We need to understand what will happen to our health, to the health of animals," said surfer Anton Morozov.


Karabakh cathedral repurposed as bomb shelter

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 01:00 PM PDT

Karabakh cathedral repurposed as bomb shelterA candle lights the strained faces of civilians huddled in the basement of Holy Mother of God cathedral in Nagorno-Karabakh's main city Stepanakert, where they have sought refuge from fighting that erupted a week ago over the disputed region.


AT&T shelving DSL may leave hundreds of thousands hanging by a phone line

Posted: 03 Oct 2020 08:53 AM PDT

AT&T shelving DSL may leave hundreds of thousands hanging by a phone lineAT&T; stopped selling DSL Oct. 1, stranding many existing subscribers on low-speed links and residents of DSL-only areas without any wired broadband.


Father-son duo charged for chasing, shooting at Black teens riding ATVs in Mississippi

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 08:00 AM PDT

Father-son duo charged for chasing, shooting at Black teens riding ATVs in MississippiTwo white males in rural Mississippi have been arrested and charged with assault after chasing and shooting at two Black teenagers who were riding ATVs on their property, according to local news reports. Forty-eight-year-old Wade Oscar Twiner and his 22-year-old son Lane Twiner were arrested in late September and each charged with three counts of aggravated assault. Deputies from the Yazoo County Sheriff's Office responded to calls of the father and son chasing the teens in a white Chevrolet pickup truck and shooting at them as they were riding ATVs near their home.


‘Camel’s nose under the tent’: Activists fear Homestead Base deal could lead to new airport

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 05:00 AM PDT

'Camel's nose under the tent': Activists fear Homestead Base deal could lead to new airportCould a new county plan for Homestead Air Base become an airport?


Jim Carrey's Biden mutes Alec Baldwin's Trump in SNL cold open debate parody

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 05:59 AM PDT

Jim Carrey's Biden mutes Alec Baldwin's Trump in SNL cold open debate parodySaturday Night Live is back.The live comedy sketch show was up and running again Saturday night for its 46th season on NBC. The episode, which did not shy away from President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis, actually began with a cold open parody of Tuesday evening's presidential debate between the incumbent, Trump, who was once again portrayed by Alec Baldwin, and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, who was played by Jim Carrey. SNL alum Maya Rudolph also returned to the stage during the skit as Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).The skit took aim at the chaotic nature of the actual debate, which was rife with interruptions. Beck Bennett's Chris Wallace struggled, as did the real Wallace, to keep things on track as moderator before Rudolph's Harris came in to assert control.Carrey's Biden spent quite a bit of time talking to himself in an attempt to stay calm, but usually couldn't refrain from getting angry at Baldwin's Trump, who continuously cut him off. In the end, Carrey's Biden simply muted and froze his opponent, so he could get a clean word out. Watch the full skit below and read more about the rest of the season premiere, which was hosted by Chris Rock, at The Washington Post. More stories from theweek.com 7 insanely funny cartoons about the chaotic first debate The Good Lord Bird perfectly captures the great tragicomedy of America Biden campaign stands by decision to ax negative ads despite calls for reversal


ICE put up billboards with the mugshots of immigrants who were released from police custody

Posted: 03 Oct 2020 09:02 AM PDT

ICE put up billboards with the mugshots of immigrants who were released from police custodyThe immigrants featured on the billboards in Pennsylvania had been released from jails either by serving their sentences or paying their bond.


Tropical Storm Gamma leaves 5 dead in southern Mexico

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 04:54 PM PDT

Texas shutdown of mail-in ballot drop-off sites hits diverse cities hardest

Posted: 03 Oct 2020 09:54 AM PDT

Texas shutdown of mail-in ballot drop-off sites hits diverse cities hardestGovernor Greg Abbott decision to restrict drop boxes to one per county under pressure from his own party faces legal challengeGovernor Greg Abbott's announcement of the closure of several mail-in ballot drop-off sites across Texas on Thursday imposed a limit of one to each county. The move came on the same day Travis county, which is largely composed of the state's capital, Austin, had just opened four drop-off locations.In July, Abbott had issued an executive order to ease voting restrictions due to the pandemic by extending the early voting period by six days. But after facing pressure from his own Republican party, Abbott now seems to be backtracking.Large, populous counties such as Travis and Harris county will be disproportionately affected by this order. These counties includes Texas's most diverse cities: Austin and Houston, respectively. Nine per cent of Travis county's population are black and 33% are Hispanic. In Harris county, 20% of the population are black and 43% Hispanic. Harris countyHarris county is the third most populous county in the country with more than 4.7 million residents. As of 2018, it has nearly 2.4 million registered voters. After Abbott's new order, the vast county has gone from having 12 ballot drop-off sites to just one, located at the NRG Stadium in central Houston.HC mapHarris County spans 1,777 square miles and is larger than Rhode Island. Residents in and around suburbs like Cypress, Tomball and Humble must now travel almost an hour one-way with moderate traffic to reach the single drop-off site. Those living in rural areas like Waller or Hockley will have even farther to travel.RI mapCivil rights organizations in the state have banded together to take legal action against the governor, claiming his order "can cause 'confusion' and even undermine public confidence in the outcome of the election itself".Ralph Edelbach, a resident of Cypress, is 82 and disabled. He is a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Edelbach originally planned on dropping off his ballot to a location 16 miles away from his home. He must now travel 72 miles into the city and back."When I saw there was an option to use mail outpost box options, I thought that was certainly something I wanted to consider doing," Edelbach said. "Then I saw the governor's proclamation. His attempt to suppress the vote is clear."Edelbach said he should not have to mail in his ballot, citing his distrust of the US Postal Service after the discovery of major mail slowdowns after the Trump appointee Louis DeJoy was appointed postmaster general in June."I'm 82 years old. I do not have to vote in person," Edelbach said. "I do, in Texas, have the option of voting absentee and I'm exercising that right. There is no evidence that I've seen at all about any significant fraudulent voting going on anywhere."Ravi Doshi, senior voting rights counsel at the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), is an attorney in the case."We wouldn't have filed this lawsuit if we didn't think it had merit," he said. "The election in Texas is under way. People are already voting. They made plans on how they would vote based on the rules that were already set, before the election started. To change these rules midstream and get rid of drop-boxes is to make it more difficult for people to be able to exercise their right to vote. That is plainly wrong and it should be stopped."The voter registration deadline in Texas is 5 October and early voting begins on 13 October. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is 23 October. All mail-in ballots must be postmarked by 3 November and received by 5pm on 4 November.


Police searching for suspect after deadly stabbing on subway platform

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 05:31 AM PDT

Police searching for suspect after deadly stabbing on subway platformPolice are searching for a suspect after a deadly stabbing at a subway station in Lower Manhattan.


Suspected Russian hitman on trial over Berlin killing

Posted: 03 Oct 2020 08:33 PM PDT

Suspected Russian hitman on trial over Berlin killingA Russian man goes on trial Wednesday accused of assassinating a former Chechen commander in a Berlin park on Moscow's orders, a case that has cast a pall over ties between Russia and Germany.


Schools and mosques closed in Tehran as COVID-19 infections rise

Posted: 03 Oct 2020 05:06 AM PDT

Schools and mosques closed in Tehran as COVID-19 infections riseThe closure plan, which will also affect universities, seminaries, libraries, museums, theatres, gyms, cafes and hair salons in the Iranian capital, came after Alireza Zali, head of the Tehran Coronavirus Taskforce, called for the shutdown to help control the epidemic. Zali warned in an interview on state television that if the spread of the epidemic continues at the current rate in Tehran, there would be a three- to five-fold increase in cases and a rise in the fatality rate to between 1.5% and 3%. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said anyone concealing a COVID-19 infection should face a severe penalty.


A woman accused her neighbor — a Latino man and history teacher — of kidnapping a white toddler. The boy was his grandson.

Posted: 03 Oct 2020 08:44 AM PDT

A woman accused her neighbor — a Latino man and history teacher — of kidnapping a white toddler. The boy was his grandson.Police surrounded the grandfather Abel Mata as his neighbor, a samurai sword-wielding white woman, claimed he was an abductor.


India's new paper Covid-19 test could be a ‘game changer’

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 04:01 PM PDT

India's new paper Covid-19 test could be a 'game changer'The test, named after a famous Indian fictional detective, is based on gene-editing technology called Crispr.


Here are the people in President Trump’s circle who have tested positive for COVID-19

Posted: 03 Oct 2020 12:28 PM PDT

Here are the people in President Trump's circle who have tested positive for COVID-19Since Thursday, several people who have been around new coronavirus patient President Donald Trump also have said they've tested positive for COVID-19.


Op-Ed: Exide's latest bid to avoid additional liability for poisoning L.A. County communities

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 03:51 PM PDT

Op-Ed: Exide's latest bid to avoid additional liability for poisoning L.A. County communitiesBankruptcy laws are stacked in favor of corporate polluters, and the federal DOJ has made clear it intends to allow Exide to abandon its toxic Vernon facility.


Azerbaijan says Armenia targets cities outside conflict zone

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 06:03 AM PDT

Azerbaijan says Armenia targets cities outside conflict zoneThe fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces continued on Sunday over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with Azerbaijan accusing Armenia of targeting the country's cities that are far beyond the conflict zone. Hikmet Hajiyev, aide to the Azerbaijani president, said Sunday that Armenia targeted large cities Ganja and Mingachevir with missile strikes.


We should wish Trump well. But he's been astoundingly irresponsible at every turn

Posted: 03 Oct 2020 03:23 AM PDT

We should wish Trump well. But he's been astoundingly irresponsible at every turnConcern for a person's health should not suppress debate about their conduct. And Trump's policy choices have been disastrousA veil of solemnity descends upon the land at times like this, when elected officials or public figures get sick or die.We wish them speedy recovery, or extend sympathies, as we should. We ignore their faults and failings, as we would want our own ignored.These are the norms of politics and public life. Established norms, like behaving with dignity and self-restraint in a presidential debate, or condemning racist terrorists and murderers.For the record, we should all wish Donald and Melania Trump a full and speedy recovery. But that does not answer the fundamental question this president will leave behind when he leaves office. What norms survive a man who takes pleasure in destroying norms?First, let's place the current norms in context. Concern for a person's health – or respect for their death – should not suppress an honest discussion about their own conduct.You can't ignore a smoker's choices as you lament their lung cancer. And we can't ignore the president's choices in a pandemic, even as we wish for his recovery from Covid-19.From the beginning, Trump has been wrong about almost everything to do with the coronavirus. Even as he knew about the pandemic's dangers, his policy choices were recklessly, dumbfoundingly, disastrously wrong. At every turn.The pandemic didn't disappear like a miracle, or with the summer. It couldn't be treated with an injection of disinfectant or bright light. It wasn't halted by banning some air passengers (but not all) from China. Testing, tracing and mask-wearing has never been established on a national basis to stop the national spread of the disease.For months, Trump claimed that cases were only rising because testing was rising. So now he knows, as he has all along, that his own case exists regardless of testing.Which brings us to the most damaging impact of all, beyond the physical damage to the body of a 74-year-old man who makes mysterious trips to hospital.Trump's infection with Covid-19 destroys what's left of his credibility as someone who can lead a nation through the pandemic. If he can't protect himself, how on earth can he protect American citizens?This is essentially the same question that destroyed what was left of George W Bush's credibility when Hurricane Katrina submerged New Orleans. If you can't protect an American city, how can you protect American forces in Iraq or the American people against terrorists?Looking back at what may well be the first and last presidential debate in this election, it's hard to see Trump's argument about mask-wearing as anything but suicidal – both personally and politically."I put a mask on when I think I need it," said our now-infected president. "Tonight, as an example, everybody's had a test and you've had social distancing and all of the things that you have to. But I wear masks when needed. When needed, I wear masks. I don't wear a mask like him. Every time you see him, he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from me and he shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen."Trump was speaking in a room that included his family who, naturally, were not wearing masks, despite the entreaties of a physician from the Cleveland Clinic. There's a chance he was already infected at the time he was explaining why he didn't need to wear a mask."Masks make a big difference," said Biden. "His own head of the CDC said if we just wore masks between now, if everybody wore a mask and social distanced between now and January, we'd probably save up to 100,000 lives. It matters. It matters."One of those lives may, or may not, include his debate opponent, who disputed that idea on Tuesday."They've also said the opposite," Trump heckled."No serious person has said the opposite," replied Biden. "No serious person."> Trump could emerge as a changed man. Pigs could also grow wings and begin service from New York to LondonTrump is not a serious person. Not for the last four years, and especially not now. His entire re-election campaign hinged on his promise that he could rebuild the economy – his economy, he claims.But his own infection means that promise looks even less serious than it did before his Covid test. When asked why voters should trust him to handle the pandemic at Tuesday's debate, Trump blamed China, attacked Biden, and said: "We've done a great job."Quite possibly a heckuvajob.There are moments in almost every presidential cycle when you know the die is cast: a point of no return where the momentum pushes the contest beyond anything the candidates – or external events – can influence in time for the election.In 2008 it was the combination of the financial crisis and the first debate, when the McCain campaign self-immolated and Barack Obama sailed through his final test unscathed. In 2016, it was a final weekend bookended by James Comey's unprecedented opening and closing of an email investigation into Hillary Clinton.This 2020 contest was already mostly baked. Early voting has begun across the nation. Trump's disastrous first debate served to dig a deeper hole for a president who has lagged far behind Biden all year.The most recent polling averages give Biden an eight-point lead nationally, and similar leads in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – three states that Trump narrowly won to give him an electoral college majority four years ago.Now, with Trump's infection, you can stick a fork in it. There are unlikely to be any more presidential debates, even if the veep candidates meet next week. There are no more Trump rallies worthy of the name. Nothing to change the dynamic of a blowout Trump defeat.Trump himself could emerge from his bout of Covid as a changed man, ready to take the pandemic seriously and scientifically. Pigs could also grow wings and begin passenger service from New York to London.Alternatively, he could emerge as an entirely unchanged man, dismissing it as a case of the sniffles. That's if he can escape the intensive care experience that his young friend Boris Johnson suffered.With so many septuagenarian and octogenarian members of Congress within a hug's distance of a White House official, it's entirely possible that Capitol Hill shuts down for the remainder of this election.Despite Mitch McConnell's insistence, Trump's Covid infection could effectively suspend his own supreme court nomination. McConnell will then be forced to make this confirmation a life or death issue for those who say they support the right to life.For a political party that has proudly undermined any reasonable policy response to the pandemic, this turn of events is as ironic as it is irresponsible.In the words of the classic bumper sticker, their karma has finally run over their dogma.


Easily overblown, little-understood, and dangerous: Why we need to understand political microtargeting

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 02:01 AM PDT

Easily overblown, little-understood, and dangerous: Why we need to understand political microtargeting"While the effects are reasonably strong, they should not be overestimated," Dr. Tom Dobber told Business Insider.


Election officials taking report of possible ballot-collecting scam seriously

Posted: 02 Oct 2020 07:34 PM PDT

Election officials taking report of possible ballot-collecting scam seriouslyAnne Arundel County Board of Elections officials are warning voters about a possible ballot-collecting scam. While officials said it's just one report that they can't confirm, it doesn't matter because there's too much at stake, and they are taking it seriously.


Poland's total number of coronavirus cases exceeds 100,000

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 02:07 AM PDT

Poland's total number of coronavirus cases exceeds 100,000Poland's total number of coronavirus cases passed the 100,000 mark on Sunday, according to the health ministry's Twitter account, as infection rates surge in the country which has reported daily records three times in the past week. While Poland's total number of cases remains well below that in many western European virus hotspots, reaching 100,000 illustrates how the spread of COVID-19 has accelerated in a country which avoided the worst of the first wave and where in July the prime minister played down risks ahead of an election. The country of 38 million has now reported a total of 100,074 cases of the coronavirus and 2,630 deaths.


Bollywood megastar admits drug problem in India's film industry amid growing narcotics probe

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 07:30 AM PDT

Bollywood megastar admits drug problem in India's film industry amid growing narcotics probeOne of India's most famous stars has broken the silence about Bollywood's drug issues, as police continue a massive narcotics investigation which has exposed the industry's seedy underbelly. Akshay Kumar, a Bollywood actor and martial artist, made the remarks online following the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, another high-profile figure in Indian showbusiness. Mr Rajput's body was found in June in his apartment in Mumbai and Indian police have said he took his own life. The investigation into the 34-year-old's death expanded into a major drugs probe, with his former girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, arrested earlier this month for allegedly buying cannabis for him, which she denies. Ms Chakraborty was interrogated for several weeks after being arrested, but has been cleared of murder allegations after evidence showed her partner had suffered mental health problems. In an almost four-minute video about the case posted on his Twitter account on Saturday, Mr Kumar called on the industry's fans not to tar everyone in Bollywood with the same brush. "With a hand on my heart, how can I lie and say that this (narcotics and drugs) problem doesn't exist in our industry," Kumar, 53, said in Hindi in a video watched more than 2.5 million times. "It exists in our profession the same way problems exist in every other profession. But to say that everyone in every profession is involved in all its problems would be wrong." Indian media has also joined calls for a wider investigation into the multibillion-dollar film industry's so-called "drugs mafia".


Coronavirus: What's driving India's 100,000 Covid-19 deaths?

Posted: 03 Oct 2020 01:55 AM PDT

Coronavirus: What's driving India's 100,000 Covid-19 deaths?India has the third highest Covid death toll in the world, and numbers are still rising.


Letters to the Editor: Do Republicans actually reject white supremacy, or do they fear losing votes?

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 03:00 AM PDT

Letters to the Editor: Do Republicans actually reject white supremacy, or do they fear losing votes?It is profoundly sad that the biggest concern in the Republican Party is that Trump's remarks on white supremacy will cause it to lose votes.


Read the full transcript from the first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump

Posted: 04 Oct 2020 04:44 PM PDT

Read the full transcript from the first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald TrumpThis is the full transcript from Tuesday night's first presidential debate between Republican President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.


US push for Arab-Israel ties divides Sudanese leaders

Posted: 03 Oct 2020 10:40 PM PDT

US push for Arab-Israel ties divides Sudanese leadersSudan's fragile interim government is sharply divided over normalizing relations with Israel, as it finds itself under intense pressure from the Trump administration to become the third Arab country to do so in short order — after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Sudan seemed like a natural target for the pressure campaign because of U.S. leverage — Khartoum's desperate efforts to be removed from a U.S. list of states sponsoring terrorism. Sudan can only get the international loans and aid that are essential for reviving its battered economy once that stain is removed.


Cambodia confirms US-funded defence facility has been razed

Posted: 03 Oct 2020 11:55 PM PDT

Cambodia confirms US-funded defence facility has been razedCambodia has razed a US-funded defence facility on its southern coast, the deputy prime minister confirmed Sunday, the latest move in the ongoing controversial expansion of a strategically crucial naval base being developed with Chinese aid.


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