“This,” began Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), “is not normal right now.” She was the 10th senator to speak on the second day of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett—but the first to state the obvious. The signs were everywhere: the masked members of Barrett’s family sitting behind her and the senators sitting in front of her, flanked by bottles of hand sanitizer, ensured that reminders of the COVID-19 pandemic were in every frame. The frequent tributes to the previous occupant of the seat Barrett hopes to fill, who died less than a month ago, and the shadow of […]
warn
The UK government has warned that it may need to introduce tougher anti-Covid measures than those already announced, but critics say the current restrictions will cause more harm than good. Robert Jenrick, the UK housing secretary, told Sky News on Tuesday that the government’s decision to introduce new Covid-related restrictions was unavoidable but further action may be needed. “The message that we did deliver to those leaders in Merseyside was that we need to take these steps, we probably even need to go further but that we want to design those steps jointly between ourselves and local government,” Jenrick said. The […]
Scientists are sounding the alarm that, once Covid-19-related social distancing ends, the world’s children may face a new pandemic from a mutated old enemy which was once a leading cause of death for kids in the Western world. Scarlet fever, caused by the bacteria streptococcus pyogenes and considered as deadly as Covid-19, has made a recent resurgence in the UK, China, South Korea and Vietnam, with cases recorded in Australia and even New Zealand. UK case numbers have also quadrupled in recent years. Scarlet fever symptoms include chills, fever, sore throat, abdominal pain, a swollen tongue, red rash, and peeling skin. […]
The global business community has warned that G20 countries need urgent reforms to alleviate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the global economy, which is suffering from the worst crisis in a century. The Business Twenty (B20), which represents businesses across all G20 countries and various economic sectors, issued its 25-point list of policy recommendations for the coming G20 summit on Monday. The virtual summit, hosted by Saudi Arabia this year, will take place on November 21-22. Also on rt.com Global economy won’t return to pre-pandemic levels ‘for a long time’ – Deutsche Bank “The global economy is in its worst state […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for a safe Halloween amid the COVID-19 pandemic include new methods of doing classic spooky activities. ArtMarie/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption ArtMarie/Getty Images The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for a safe Halloween amid the COVID-19 pandemic include new methods of doing classic spooky activities. ArtMarie/Getty Images In a year that’s been plenty scary, this much is clear: Pandemic Halloween will be different than regular Halloween. Many traditional ways of celebrating are now considerably more frightful than usual, because now they bring the risk of spreading the coronavirus. Accordingly, the […]
Whitehall is reportedly getting ready for a fresh round of healthcare restrictions, as British authorities grapple with a new spike in the rate of infections. The UK is at a “critical point” in the coronavirus pandemic, the chief medical officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, is expected to warn in an address to the nation on Monday morning as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is prepared to lay out a new roadmap to prevent a second wave of the coronavirus, according to a Daily Mail report. The medical officer will tell a televised briefing that the country faces a “very challenging winter”, with […]
France, Germany and UK say Washington does not have the authority, setting up clash European leaders have warned the US that its claim to have the authority to reimpose sweeping UN-mandated sanctions on Iran has no effect in law, setting up a major legal clash that could lead to Washington imposing sanctions on its European allies. In a joint statement on Sunday, France, Germany and the UK (E3) said any attempt by the US to impose its own sanctions on countries not complying with the reimposed UN ones was also legally void. On Saturday, the US moved to reinstate a range […]
As hundreds of thousands of residents fled their homes along the Gulf Coast in anticipation of Hurricane Laura, officials warned the “catastrophic” Category 4 storm could bring with it an “unsurvivable” storm surge. Hurricane Laura, which has strengthened to a Category 3 storm with winds upwards of 125 mph, is set to intensify further before making landfall Wednesday evening or early Thursday along the Texas and Louisiana coast. The National Hurricane Center said Wednesday the storm is expected to make landfall as an “extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane” with “catastrophic storm surge.” The storm will bring with it heavy rain across […]
Embattled Minneapolis police are advising residents on survival skills amid a wave of violent crime, offering such tips as “be prepared to give up your cell phone and purse/wallet” to robbers and “do not walk alone.” “Do not argue or fight with the criminal,” police said in a July 28 letter to Third Precinct residents. “Do what they say. Your safety is most important.” The Third Precinct, southeast of downtown, was one of the areas hardest hit by the protests-turned-riots that broke out following the May 25 killing of black man George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Ensuing demonstrations and riots […]
Federal officers are surrounded by smoke as they push back demonstrators during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on Wednesday in Portland, Ore. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP hide caption toggle caption Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Federal officers are surrounded by smoke as they push back demonstrators during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on Wednesday in Portland, Ore. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP At a congressional hearing this month, extremism researcher J.J. MacNab delivered a warning: “There is a potential street war brewing.” MacNab cited the dangerous mix of armed factions […]
Letter carrier Henrietta Dixon, a 30-year veteran, sorts mail to be delivered before she sets out on her route in Philadelphia. Changes within the Postal Service could make some deliveries late. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption toggle caption Matt Rourke/AP Letter carrier Henrietta Dixon, a 30-year veteran, sorts mail to be delivered before she sets out on her route in Philadelphia. Changes within the Postal Service could make some deliveries late. Matt Rourke/AP On his first day on the job last month, new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy addressed the nearly half million U.S. Postal Service career employees in a video message. He […]
At least five years, “ideally seven,” will be needed to replace Huawei’s 5G equipment, Vodafone and BT have told British MPs. The introduction of the ultra-fast networks across the country would be delayed, they warned. Executives from rival companies British Telecom and Vodafone UK have given their takes on phasing out the 5G equipment manufactured by the Chinese IT giant. Speculation that the UK government could ban Huawei’s gear from British networks has circulated in the press in recent days. Andrea Dona, head of networks at Vodafone UK, told Parliament’s Science and Technology Committee that replacing the Huawei systems with alternative […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107637/00/1076370062_30:0:1230:675_1200x675_80_0_0_fdfcbfb012229d234b5d9581f58da96e.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/us/202007061079803556-florida-health-officials-warn-residents-after-confirming-one-rare-brain-eating-amoeba-infection/ The species is said to cause a rare brain illness known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis, that destroys brain tissue, causing brain swelling and death. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has registered 34 PAM infections in the country between 2009-2018. Florida has seen 37 cases since 1962. The Florida Department of Health (DoH) announced on Friday that it had registered a case of infection by Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic single-celled amoeba that causes a brain infection known as ‘primary amebic meningoencephalitis’ (PAM), in Hillsborough County. “One person contracted Naegleria fowleri in […]
Boris Johnson’s government has backtracked on its decision to allow Huawei into the UK’s 5G networks in light of new US sanctions against the company. The potential ban threatens to have major implications for operators which have already invested in Huawei’s equipment. BT and Vodafone, two of Britain’s biggest mobile operators, have warned the government that parts of the country would face mobile blackouts if they were to pull Huawei gear out of their networks, The Times reports. It is understood that the two companies, which rely heavily on Huawei equipment in their 4G infrastructure, would need to strip out about […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107956/03/1079560307_0:0:3072:1728_1200x675_80_0_0_0959e2d9b6aee4886f2999d8a96c8d7c.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/europe/202006081079560295-belgian-police-warn-of-strikes-after-clashes-during-anti-racism-protests-in-brussels/ BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – Belgium’s two biggest police trade unions on Monday warned of a strike following riots in central Brussels, which started as a peaceful rally against racism. “The two largest police unions have filed a strike warning due to negligence of employees”, a police spokesperson said in a video address. The warning comes after violent clashes in two central areas of Brussels over the weekend. Police reported 37 injured officers. The law enforcement officers are also outraged by the fact that over 10,000 protesters had gathered without complying with sanitary safety measures amid […]
14 per cent of Small and Medium-Sized businesses won’t have enough cash ‘to last four weeks of lockdown’, according to the latest business survey conducted by two country-wide accountancy networks with tens of thousands of members. 99 per cent of all UK employment is within Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), businesses employing 250 people or less. The Association of Certified Charters Accountants (ACCA) UK and the Corporate Finance Network (CFN) produce weekly reports tracking the financial health of SMEs in the UK amid the COVID-19 lockdown. ACCA UK explains to Sputnik that while there has been much effort from the government […]
The United Kingdom’s new track and tracing programme has officially been launched, with those who tested positive for COVID-19 now receiving messages asking for details about people they have recently been in contact with, to help identify new cases of the virus. Fears have been voiced by health officials that thousands of care home and NHS staff might be forced to stay at home and self-isolate as a result of the Government’s test-and-trace programme, reported the Daily Mail. Under the newly-launched scheme, anyone who has had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 will receive a text message or […]
US 19:01 GMT 17.05.2020Get short URL The cybercriminals earlier threatened to publish allegedly incriminating documents on the POTUS in a bid to pressure the law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks to pay a ransom of $42 million for stolen data on their clients, mostly prominent celebrities. A group of hackers known as REvil has published the first portion of so-called “dirty laundry” on US President Donald Trump, which they called the “most harmless” part of it, Forbes reported, citing information obtained from cybersecurity analyst Brett Callow. REvil stole several gigabytes of files from the computer network of the law firm […]
Many counties in Georgia may not have enough hospital beds to treat a new wave of COVID-19 patients. Photo from a barbershop in Atlanta, Georgia, Monday, April 27, 2020. Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images Many counties in Georgia may not have enough hospital beds to treat a new wave of COVID-19 patients. Photo from a barbershop in Atlanta, Georgia, Monday, April 27, 2020. Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images Georgia — one of the first states to reopen its economy — may not have enough hospital beds to treat a new wave of […]
Dr. Fauci reportedly to testify reopening too early risks ‘needless suffering and death’ from coronavirus by Christina Wilkie/CNBC WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist and a key member of President Donald Trump’s White House coronavirus task force, reportedly plans to publicly warn states Tuesday that prematurely reopening their economies will cause “needless suffering and death.” On Monday night, The New York Times’ Sheryl Gay Stolberg reported that Fauci had sent her an email ahead of his public testimony the following day at a hearing of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “The major message that I […]
A member of the Secret Service wears a surgical mask as President Trump arrives for a news conference Monday. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images A member of the Secret Service wears a surgical mask as President Trump arrives for a news conference Monday. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Updated at 7:47 a.m. ET A key hearing on the coronavirus will take place on Capitol Hill on Tuesday beginning at 10 a.m. ET, and Dr. Anthony Fauci says his main message to lawmakers will be “the danger of trying to open the country […]