| Man abducted as child in China reunited with parents after 32 years Posted: 19 May 2020 06:33 AM PDT  A Chinese man kidnapped as a toddler 32 years ago has been reunited with his biological parents, after police used facial recognition technology to help track him down. Mao Yin was just two when he was snatched outside a hotel in Xi'an in central Shaanxi province in 1988 and sold to a childless couple in neighbouring Sichuan province who raised him as their own son, Xi'an's public security bureau said in a statement. Police "aged" one of Mao's childhood photos, according to state broadcaster CCTV, and used the model to scan the national database and find close matches.
|
| Opinion: In (sort of) debunking 'Obamagate,' Barr actually boosts Trump's conspiracy theory Posted: 19 May 2020 11:56 AM PDT  Atty. Gen. William Barr says President Obama and Joe Biden are unlikely to be prosecuted. That's not much of a concession.
|
| Cyclone Amphan: India's east coast braces for severe storm Posted: 18 May 2020 04:30 AM PDT  The cyclone comes amid huge levels of migration from cities to villages in the coronavirus lockdown.
|
| Grounded in Arizona: Flights arrive but don't leave as ailing airlines park fleets Posted: 18 May 2020 09:29 AM PDT  As the airline industry contracts during the COVID-19 crisis, carriers are grounding thousands of jetliners in the Southwest.
|
| ‘They Came to Kill the Mothers.’ After a Devastating Attack on a Kabul Maternity Ward, Afghan Women Face Increased Dangers Posted: 19 May 2020 09:03 AM PDT  A deadly maternity ward attack and the outbreak of the coronavirus have hindered internationally-backed efforts to support women's health in Afghanistan.
|
| China says U.S. trying to shift blame and smear Beijing over WHO Posted: 19 May 2020 07:09 AM PDT  China said the United States was trying to shift the blame for Washington's own mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis, responding to President Trump's letter threatening to halt funding to the World Health Organization.
|
| Evangelist who built global ministry dies in Atlanta at 74 Posted: 19 May 2020 07:26 AM PDT |
| Fossil of one of the last megaraptors on the planet found in Argentina Posted: 18 May 2020 03:10 PM PDT |
| The sister of Ahmaud Arbery's accused killer posted pictures of his dead body to Snapchat, and said it's because she's a 'true crime fan' Posted: 19 May 2020 02:58 AM PDT  In an interview with The Sun, Lindsay McMichael admitted to sharing a photo of Arbery's body at the scene, but said she didn't do so maliciously.
|
| Syria rebel, regime forces face off in Libya Posted: 19 May 2020 12:42 PM PDT  While a ceasefire in Syria has reduced combat between rebels and government forces, mercenaries from the two sides are still fighting in Libya on behalf of their Russian and Turkish backers. Turkey supports some Syrian rebels and Libya's UN-recognised Government of National Accord, while Russia supports Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and Libya's eastern-based strongman Khalifa Haftar.
|
| China abductions: Parents find son snatched in hotel 32 years ago Posted: 19 May 2020 05:42 AM PDT  Li Jingzhi quit her job to search China for her son, Mao Yin, who went missing in 1988.
|
| 'Hygiene is the new luxury': How cruise ship design could evolve to ward against outbreaks Posted: 19 May 2020 10:06 AM PDT |
| Texas' coronavirus confinement enforcement was reportedly more strict in border cities than elsewhere Posted: 18 May 2020 07:22 AM PDT  While Texas GOP leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, openly railed against local officials for fining or even jailing (which is now forbidden) residents for breaching the state's stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus pandemic, The Dallas Morning News reports that their criticism seems to have been disproportionately directed at the state's largest counties, while the order was more strictly enforced in border cities.The Morning News analyzed data from eight counties and nine cities across the state, finding that the most populous areas mostly relied on voluntary compliance with the order, while local authorities in just three border counties issued at least 2,600 citations and made 200 arrests for violations such as not wearing a face mask, having too many people in the same car, or breaking curfew.The city of Laredo, situated on the border, issued almost six times as many citations as Texas' five most populous cities — Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth — combined.But, the Morning News notes, it appears those incidents mostly flew under the radar. "The elephant in the room is it wasn't until a blonde-haired Caucasian woman got involved that the interests of our political leaders were piqued," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said, referring to the criticism of the jailing of Shelley Luther, who opened her Dallas salon in defiance of the order.Two Laredo women, Ana Isabel Castro-Garcia and Brenda Stephanie Mata, were arrested before Luther for offering cosmetic services, but it was Luther's arrest that sparked a change.Republicans pushed back against the idea that their criticism, or lack thereof, was racially motivated; Lt. Government Dan Patrick said government overreach was "egregious" wherever it occurred, while Matt Mackowiak, a Republican consultant, said the geography-based backlash was natural, since Dallas gets "a lot more attention than Laredo." Read more at The Dallas Morning News.More stories from theweek.com Florida COVID-19 data chief says she was removed from post after refusing to censor data New York's Democratic primary is back on, with both Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang on the ballot Trump's coronavirus National Guard order expires the day before many members would be eligible for key benefits
|
| China protests at support of U.S. and others for Taiwan at WHO Posted: 19 May 2020 06:41 AM PDT  The Chinese envoy to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday denounced the support shown by the United States and others to Taiwan during its annual ministerial assembly and said that was undermining the global response to the pandemic. Taiwan lobbied hard to be included as an observer at the two-day virtual meeting and received strong support from the United States, Japan and others, but says it was not invited due to opposition from China. "There are still a few countries determined to plead for Taiwan authorities, seriously violating relevant U.N. and WHO resolutions and undermining global anti-epidemic efforts," Chen Xu, the Chinese ambassador, told the virtual assembly.
|
| A Hong Kong ice cream shop now offers 'tear gas' flavored ice cream to remind people of pro-democracy demonstrations, which broke out nearly a year ago Posted: 18 May 2020 06:26 PM PDT  "It tastes like tear gas. It feels difficult to breathe at first, and it's really pungent and irritating," Anita Wong told the AP
|
| Trump claims he doesn't 'know anything' about the State Department inspector general he fired at Mike Pompeo's request Posted: 18 May 2020 02:12 PM PDT  "I don't know anything about him, other than the State Department, and Mike in particular — I guess they weren't happy with the job he was doing," he said.
|
| 4 Modern Places of Worship That Elevate Architecture Posted: 19 May 2020 12:17 PM PDT |
| After 32 Years, a Missing Son Is Reunited With His Parents in China Posted: 19 May 2020 08:13 AM PDT  A missing son who was abducted from his parents at a hotel in northwest China has been reunited with his family 32 years later.
|
| Venezuelan bank files legal claim with Bank of England over gold Posted: 19 May 2020 05:29 PM PDT  The Central Bank of Venezuela says the gold's value could be used to tackle coronavirus.
|
| A couple vanished the same night of a car wreck. Police took 2 weeks to find their bodies, car. Posted: 19 May 2020 12:02 PM PDT  Police said the crash site was not visible, but loved ones are questioning why they didn't search longer or come back in daylight.
|
| Mexico City virus deaths triple official toll, group says Posted: 19 May 2020 12:34 PM PDT  A registry of death certificates in Mexico City suggests there were 4,577 cases where doctors mentioned coronavirus or COVID-19 as a possible or probable cause of death, more than three times the official death toll in the city. The federal government acknowledges only 1,332 confirmed deaths in Mexico City since the pandemic began, less than a third as many as the investigation revealed. The additional 3,245 deaths in Mexico City, if they are confirmed or added to official counts, would push the national death toll from the 5,666 reported by federal officials Monday to 8,911.
|
| Pandemic will change Communion for many Posted: 19 May 2020 09:21 AM PDT  Holy Communion will have a different look when in-person worship services resume at the end of May in the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville, Tenn.: The wafers signifying the body of Christ will be placed in the hands of parishioners by priests and deacons wearing face masks and safety glasses.
|
| Abu Dhabi's Etihad makes first known flight to Israel, carrying Palestinian aid Posted: 19 May 2020 11:12 AM PDT  An Etihad Airways plane flew from the United Arab Emirates to Israel on Tuesday to deliver coronavirus supplies to the Palestinians, a spokeswoman for the Abu Dhabi airline said, marking the first known flight by a UAE carrier to Israel. Israel does not have diplomatic relations with any of the six Gulf Arab countries, and there are no commercial flights between them.
|
| The US Postal Service now has 5,000 employees in quarantine and only enough cash to last through September Posted: 18 May 2020 01:38 PM PDT  Estimates for how long the USPS can last have fluctuated, but communicate the same thing: that without extra funding, the USPS doesn't have much time.
|
| Scientists discover 'immune scars' on patients with lung infections Posted: 18 May 2020 10:29 AM PDT  Patients recovering from severe lung infections develop "immunological scars" that stifle their body's immune response and heighten their risk of contracting pneumonia, a common killer of COVID-19 sufferers, researchers said Monday. Studies in both humans and mice showed that the body's immune response is temporarily switched off after some severe infections, rendering patients more vulnerable to new bacterial or viral diseases. A team of researchers from the University of Melbourne's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and the University Hospital of Nantes found that the cells that form the immune system's first line of defence -- macrophages -- were "paralysed" after severe infection.
|
| Navy Cruiser Commanding Officer Fired After 4,000-Gallon Fuel Spill Posted: 18 May 2020 05:10 PM PDT  Capt. Erica Hoffmann, commanding officer of the guided-missile cruiser Philippine Sea was relieved of her duties.
|
| Australian man fined for rescuing whale from sea nets Posted: 19 May 2020 12:40 AM PDT  After rescuers failed to arrive, the man launched his own rescue, driving his boat out to the whale.
|
| Asia virus latest: Beijing hits back at Trump; China seeks to stop wildlife trade Posted: 19 May 2020 04:53 AM PDT  Beijing accused Donald Trump of smearing China and shirking American responsibilities to the World Health Organization, after the US president threatened to pull out of the UN health body. The American leader has been locked in a bitter war of words with Beijing, alleging it covered up the initial outbreak late last year before the disease spread globally.
|
| Ex-WWE star Shad Gaspard goes missing, told rescuers 'save my son' Posted: 19 May 2020 01:35 PM PDT  "When last seen by the lifeguard, a wave had crashed over Mr. Shad Gaspard and he was swept out to sea," police said.
|
| Sheriff: Man gouges out neighbor's eyes over loud rooster Posted: 19 May 2020 09:27 AM PDT |
| Sweden has Europe's highest number of coronavirus deaths per capita over last 7 days Posted: 19 May 2020 09:28 AM PDT  Data compiled by Our World in Data shows Sweden had the highest number of coronavirus deaths per capita in Europe over the last seven days, Reuters reports, calling the country's more relaxed pandemic strategy into question.Sweden, where COVID-19 deaths are declining overall, opted to rely mostly on voluntary social distancing and hygiene measures during the global health crisis, keeping most restaurants, schools, and businesses open. It's unclear how much that choice contributed to Sweden's deaths per capita, which averaged 6.25 per million inhabitants between May 12 and May 19, but it's possible the policy has played a significant role.That said, Sweden has fewer deaths per capita during the full length of the pandemic than its fellow European countries like the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and France, which instituted stricter lockdowns, though there's an argument that Sweden is better suited for a more relaxed lockdown because of its demographics. Meanwhile, Sweden's neighbors Denmark, Norway, and Finland, all of whom implemented more intense measures, have had far fewer deaths per capita. Read more at Reuters.More stories from theweek.com Trump spent hours retweeting, slamming Fox News, including profane attacks on host Neil Cavuto The snake oil salesman cometh Belmont Stakes to be held June 20
|
| Newsom says first responders 'first ones' laid off under budget cuts Posted: 18 May 2020 09:16 PM PDT  "I hope they'll consider this, the next time they want to salute and celebrate our heroes and first responders, our police officers and firefighters, consider the fact that they are the first ones that will be laid off by cities and counties."
|
| Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ends security agreement with Israel and US Posted: 19 May 2020 04:52 PM PDT  Declaration follows the creation of a new Israeli government which is officially contemplating annexation of some areas of the West BankThe Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has declared an end to security cooperation with the Israel and the United States, citing the imminent threat of Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank."The Palestine Liberation Organization [PLO] and the state of Palestine are absolved, as of today, of all the agreements and understandings with the American and Israeli governments and of all the commitments based on these understandings and agreements, including the security ones," Abbas said in his speech.The PLO voted to end cooperation with Israel and the US in 2018 and left it up to Abbas when to implement such a move. The Palestinian Authority (PA) president has threatened to stop such cooperation several times before, and it was unclear on Tuesday what his declaration would mean in practice, especially in terms of the future of the Palestinian security apparatus."To pass the bar of credibility as a threat, to show this is not the same as the umpteen threats that they've previously issued of a similar nature and that they never acted on, the bar is very high," said Daniel Levy, the president of the US/Middle East Project "We will actually have to see Palestinian action."Some reports from Israel suggested that Palestinian security officials had been ordered to stop talking to their Israeli counterparts. But Palestinian officials have to coordinate with Israeli officers even to move between areas within the West Bank.Abbas's declaration follows the creation of a new Israeli government which is officially contemplating annexation of some areas of the West Bank, apparently with the support of the Trump administration."I do think this moment is qualitatively different than any other moment in the past, and that's because Israel does look like it is prepared to annex some part of the West Bank," Zaha Hassan, a human rights lawyer and visiting fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said."Not only is there nobody to stop Israel from moving forward, but also the US is a partner to this plan."According to Israeli Channel 13 television, the Israeli ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, had been urging annexation before the US elections in November."We must advance annexation now because we don't know what will happen in the US presidential elections. [Democratic candidate Joe] Biden could win," Dermer is reported to have said in confidential briefings in Washington."There is a window of opportunity now, so it must be done now."Jordan's King Abdullah warned on Saturday that Israeli annexation could lead to "a massive conflict" between his country and Israel and did not exclude a suspension of the 1994 peace treaty between them.Abbas's declaration could lead to the end of intelligence sharing between Palestinian, Israeli and US security services. But it gave no hint of what Palestinian forces would do, when Israeli soldiers carry out incursions into Palestinian areas, or what it would mean for Palestinian movement around the West Bank between parts entirely administered by the PA (Area A), jointly run areas (B) and Israeli settlement zones (Area C)."What does it mean on the ground for PA security who – even to travel from area B to area B, through Area C – have to get permission from the Israeli army. Does that mean that if everything is frozen, that PA security can't access certain parts of Area B," asked Khaled Elgindy, a fellow in the centre for Middle East policy at the Brookings Institutions."These are the kinds of questions that I think Palestinians will be asking, and then the Israelis, but I'm not sure there are clear answers."
|
| Italy's daily coronavirus death toll and new cases climb Posted: 19 May 2020 09:05 AM PDT  Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 162 on Tuesday, against 99 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new cases rose sharply to 813 from 451 on Monday. The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now stands at 32,169 the agency said, the third highest in the world after those of the United States and Britain.
|
| Anonymous donors pay off $8 million of college loans Posted: 19 May 2020 05:59 PM PDT  The money will pay off college loans of up to 400 students who overcame personal hardship – from homelessness and extreme poverty – to become first-generation college students.
|
| Coronavirus: Anger grows for stranded crew on forgotten cruises Posted: 19 May 2020 03:28 PM PDT  Months into the pandemic, thousands of cruise crew remain stuck at sea, desperate to get home.
|
| US borders with Canada, Mexico closed another month Posted: 19 May 2020 04:39 PM PDT  The US government on Tuesday extended for another month restrictions on non-essential travel across the borders with Canada and Mexico to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. "Non-essential travel will not be permitted until this administration is convinced that doing so is safe and secure," said interim DHS chief Chad Wolf.
|
| The top health official in a Russian region that claims to have only 29 coronavirus deaths says the real figure is more than 20 times higher Posted: 18 May 2020 08:33 AM PDT  Russia says Dagestan has 3,371 coronavirus infections and 29 deaths. The region's health minister says the figures are actually 13,000 and 657.
|
| Family of missing Wisconsin brothers settles lawsuit Posted: 18 May 2020 03:00 PM PDT  The family of two Wisconsin brothers who were killed in Missouri last year has reached a $2 million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the man charged with killing them and his mother. The family of Nicholas and Justin Diemel of Shawano County, Wisconsin, filed the lawsuit in December against Garland Nelson of Braymer, his mother, Tomme Feil, and the family's cattle business, J4S Enterprises. A Callaway County judge approved the settlement Friday, The Kansas City Star reported.
|
| Researchers are learning to predict your chances of surviving COVID-19 Posted: 18 May 2020 03:59 AM PDT  Not everybody who gets COVID-19 has symptoms, and not all symptomatic patients get equally sick. Hospitalization rates have stabilized in hard-hit areas like northern Italy and New York City, but if the next wave is even bigger and more destructive — one of three scenarios envisioned by University of Minnesota epidemiologist Michael Osterholm and his colleagues — that "would absolutely take the health system down," Osterholm told Stat News. Two studies released last week offer tools that might help hospitals better triage patients.Researchers in China reported in the journal Nature Machine Learning that an analysis of blood samples taken from 485 coronavirus patients in Wuhan discovered there biomarkers that can predict whether a coronavirus patient will die within 10 days, with more than 90 percent accuracy, Business Insider reports. A computer model the researchers developed looks for high levels of the enzyme lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), linked to lung damage; lymphopenia, or low levels of infection-fighting white blood cells; and a rise in inflammation-signaling high-sensitivity C-reactive proteins (hs-CRP)."In crowded hospitals, and with shortages of medical resources, this simple model can help to quickly prioritize patients, especially during a pandemic when limited healthcare resources have to be allocated," the researchers report.A second paper published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association found 10 biomarkers they said could predict a COVID-19 patient's risk levels. They turned risk predictors — high LDH levels and low levels of lymphocytes plus history of cancer, age, shortness of breath, and other factors — into a coronavirus risk "calculator."More stories from theweek.com Florida COVID-19 data chief says she was removed from post after refusing to censor data Jimmy Kimmel pays emotional tribute to the late Fred Willard, with Willard's co-stars and collaborators Obama reportedly 'has no interest' in having his White House portrait unveiled while Trump is president
|
| FBI cracks iPhone encryption, finds al Qaeda links to 2019 Florida naval base shooter Posted: 18 May 2020 07:20 AM PDT  The FBI has found links between al Qaeda and the Saudi terrorist who killed three US sailors in Florida after cracking the military trainee's iPhones, according to reports.Quoting a person familiar with the investigation, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported on Monday that US investigators broke through the security protocols of two iPhones and found "links" between Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, 21, and a suspected al-Qaeda operative.
|
| Trump administration declassifies full Susan Rice email sent on Inauguration Day Posted: 19 May 2020 12:04 PM PDT |
| Exclusive: In veiled warning to Iran, U.S. tells Gulf mariners to stay clear of its warships Posted: 19 May 2020 01:06 PM PDT  In an alert that appeared aimed squarely at Iran, the U.S. Navy issued a warning on Tuesday to mariners in the Gulf to stay 100 meters (yards) away from U.S. warships or risk being "interpreted as a threat and subject to lawful defensive measures." The notice to mariners, which was first reported by Reuters, follows U.S. President Donald Trump's threat last month to fire on any Iranian ships that harass Navy vessels. "Armed vessels approaching within 100 meters of a U.S. naval vessel may be interpreted as a threat," according to the text of the notice, which can be seen here https://msi.nga.mil/api/publications/download?type=view&key=16694640/SFH00000/DailyMemPAC.txt.
|
