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Showing posts from April, 2020

Kim Jong-un: Who might lead N Korea without Kim?

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The enigmatic sister and a spymaster are contenders, as rumours swirl over Kim Jong-un's health. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2W3j3MR

Living in a war zone: What it teaches about surviving a pandemic

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As the coronavirus disrupts daily life in America, Afghans’ adaptation to constant war holds lessons for persevering amid uncertainty. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/35ju5Sh

Stop pinning your hopes on coronavirus antibodies: 3 major issues mean they're no silver bullet

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Politicians hope to use antibody tests to help reopen countries. But the tests can be inaccurate, and some patients may not develop antibodies at all. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2KE4Y3n

Coronavirus: What African countries are doing to help people to eat amid the lockdowns

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What African countries are doing to help people to eat amid the lockdowns. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2WhJmPN

New Navy carrier inquiry suggests tough scrutiny of admirals

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The Navy is launching a wider investigation of the coronavirus crisis aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, suggesting closer and deeper scrutiny of actions and decisions by senior admirals in the Pacific that led to the controversial firing of the ship's commander nearly a month ago. The move announced Wednesday effectively delays a decision on whether to go ahead with a Navy recommendation that Capt. Brett E. Crozier be restored to command of the Roosevelt, which has been docked in Guam for weeks. Crozier was fired after pleading for urgent Navy action to protect his crew. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2VLbhIH

Company says drug was effective against COVID-19 in U.S. study

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A biotech company says its experimental drug has proven effective against the new coronavirus in a major U.S. government study that put it to a strict test. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3aNCwqq

Miss the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds flyby? Check out the footage people captured of the jets roaring over New York City to honor essential workers.

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The jets flew a 35-minute path across the Northeastern states as a part of "Operation America Strong" to honor essential workers. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2y8w9AB

How Tara Reade's allegations could bring down Joe Biden

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Earlier this month, I wrote a column asking what Democrats should do about sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden, the party's presumptive nominee for president. My answer? Not much. The accusation made by Tara Reade, a former Biden staffer from his days in the Senate during the early 1990s, didn't strike me as especially convincing, so Democrats, I suggested, could move forward without much concern. Though toward the end of the column I included two caveats: If Reade offered further corroboration of her claims or if evidence emerged of a larger pattern of abusive actions toward women on Biden's part, that could well change my views of the matter.Just two weeks later, both of my conditions have been met.Last week we learned that Reade's mother called into the Larry King Show in 1993 to talk about how her daughter had quit working for a "prominent senator" after unspecified "problems" as a staffer. Then earlier this week Business Insider reporte

Inmate who gave birth on ventilator dies of Covid-19

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The 30-year-old appears to be the the first US federal female prisoner to die from coronavirus. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3cTQVma

Israel marks its Independence Day under coronavirus lockdown

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Israelis celebrated their Independence Day at home Wednesday amid a nationwide lockdown aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The national holiday, which honors the creation of Israel after the end of the British Mandate in 1948, is usually a festive occasion, with people heading to the beach, hosting barbecues and watching fireworks. The Israeli air force devoted its annual fly-by to health workers, with four planes crisscrossing the nation and performing aerial acrobatics over hospitals and medical centers. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3aOO8Ju

Pakistan prepares to ease coronavirus curbs with infections below projections

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Pakistan is preparing to loosen coronavirus lockdown restrictions as the number of infections and deaths are well below previous projections, officials said on Wednesday. The South Asian nation, which has registered more than 15,000 cases of COVID-19 including 335 deaths, has already granted exemptions to dozens of sectors to open up over the last few days. “The mortality numbers are nowhere near the same as we see in other countries,” Planning Minister Asad Umar, who oversees the response to the virus, told journalists. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2KJxoJd

Costco to require face coverings for shoppers

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Starting Monday, customers will be required to wear masks covering their nose and mouth at all times while inside the store. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2SlceVZ

FDA reportedly plans to authorize emergency use of largely untested drug to treat coronavirus

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The Food and Drug Administration will authorize the emergency use of the antiviral remdesivir on COVID-19 patients as soon as Wednesday, a senior administration official told The New York Times. Pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences revealed promising study results involving remdesivir on Wednesday, but the FDA's reported move would still sidestep the usual testing required to authorize a drug's usage.Gilead said Wednesday that its own trial, as well one overseen by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, met its goals. Of the study's 397 severe COVID-19 patients, at least 50 percent of patients treated with a 5-day dosage of remdesivir improved and more than half were discharged from the hospital within two weeks. The overall mortality rate of the study was 7 percent, and relatively few patients developed bad side effects. But the study wasn't evaluated against a control group, and it's unclear if those recoveries were natural or if remdesivir a

Coronavirus kills 70 veterans at Massachusetts care home

Officials are investigating if residents received proper medical care at the Massachusetts home. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2ybbegh

Irrfan Khan: The Bollywood star loved by Hollywood

Irrfan Khan's biographer, Aseem Chhabra, writes about the life of one of Bollywood's biggest stars. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3eWGqQS

Coronavirus: Searching for truth behind Spain's care home tragedy

Families want to know why so many of their elderly relatives have died. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2yZZBZt

Coronavirus: Japan's low testing rate raises questions

Japan's relatively low rate of virus testing raises questions about how it has tackled the pandemic. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2KKoxXB

Training AI 'to translate mum's phone messages'

How African researchers are using the continent's languages to help spur innovation in Artificial Intelligence. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2xkftpr

Staging a 'socially distanced' boxing match

Inside the Nicaraguan boxing event that caught the world's attention during the pandemic. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3d3ojqW

Coronavirus: Why the fashion industry faces an 'existential crisis'

"No-one wants to buy clothes to sit at home in," as Next's chief executive Simon Wolfson puts it. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2Wc9YBC

Coronavirus: Why so many US nurses are out of work

At a time when many healthcare workers are risking their lives, some face pay cuts and job loss. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2VMxYMs

How will airlines get flying again?

When passenger planes start flying again, the world of air travel will be very different. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3cXyT2s

Despite Unleashing COVID-19, Expert Predicts China Could Emerge from Pandemic with Even Stronger Hold on Other Nations

Tensions between the US and China are growing, fueled by COVID-19 and accusations of dishonesty. One result is Americans are suing Beijing, seeking to hold it accountable for the worldwide pandemic. Those efforts could backfire, however, such that China not only evades consequences but potentially benefits from the pandemic. from CBNNews.com https://ift.tt/3aVp0Ba

Coronavirus Briefing: What Happened Today

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By BY PATRICK J. LYONS from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2SgQMkW

How Teachers Are Fighting to Make Meaningful Connections With Students

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By Unknown Author from NYT Style https://ift.tt/35ePPih

Transgresora y tradicional: así es la reina del rap en quechua de Perú

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By BY JULIE TURKEWITZ from NYT en Español https://ift.tt/2VKKQTf

‘Governors Don’t Do Global Pandemics’: Cuomo Faults Others Over Virus

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By BY JESSE MCKINLEY from NYT New York https://ift.tt/3eUOBgJ

Trump Administration’s Message on Reopening Continues to Be Contradictory

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By BY PETER BAKER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2WdGKT0

How to Defend a Dissertation Virtually

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By Unknown Author from NYT Style https://ift.tt/3eWyBuy

Cooperstown: Wait Till Next Year?

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By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/2VM5oeg

China Mounts Aggressive Defense to Calls for Coronavirus Compensation

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By BY DAMIEN CAVE AND AMY QIN from NYT World https://ift.tt/3aKNe0H

Tucker Carlson Beats Sean Hannity as Trump Briefings Give Fox News a Boost

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By BY MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM from NYT Business https://ift.tt/2KNH6dn

It’s Not Enough to ‘Get Back to Normal’

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By BY SUSAN E. RICE from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2VMHYFJ

Pence Tours Mayo Clinic and Flouts Its Rule That All Visitors Wear a Mask

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By BY ANNIE KARNI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3eZbUWH

Australia asks China to explain 'economic coercion' threat in coronavirus row

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3aMeYBY

Supreme Court Scraps Gun Case After New York Changes Law

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2xhcxtI

Trump news: President denies responsibility for people drinking bleach to fight coronavirus as tweetstorm branded ‘indecent and obscene’

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As the number of US coronavirus cases climbs above 1 million and the nation's death toll surpasses deaths from the Vietnam War, Donald Trump claims the country is "very close" to testing 5 million people daily, as he continues to pressure states and local governments to begin "reopening" as the economy flounders.The president also suggested during a briefing on Tuesday that states with financial deficits could be forced to give undocumented people in custody over to federal immigration authorities if they want financial relief in the wake of the public health crisis. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3bLRv5g

South Korean official says Kim Jong Un may be avoiding public due to 'coronavirus concerns'

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South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said Kim's absence was not "particularly unusual" in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3bNOiSP

Kim Jong Un 'alive and well,' South Korean official says amid new reports North Korean leader is ill

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Speculation about Kim's health began to swirl after the North Korea leader failed to attend the April 15 celebration of his grandfather's birthday. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2KCpt0d

Coronavirus: What African countries are doing to help people to eat amid the lockdowns

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What African countries are doing to help people to eat amid the lockdowns. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2WhJmPN

Trump ‘can't imagine why’ there are increased reports of people misusing disinfectants

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President Trump on Monday said he "can't imagine why" there have been more reports of people misusing disinfectants after his comments on the subject last week. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3cQN9tQ

COVID-19 and gun violence: Mayors fight double health crisis

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Everytown for Gun Safety offers new guidelines for mayors struggling with a "perfect storm" from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2W0WQyZ

Reversing course, House won't return to D.C. next week because of coronavirus threat

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"We made a judgment that we will not come back next week," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said in a phone call with reporters. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3eZBR8v

Pentagon releases three UFO videos taken by US Navy pilots

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The Pentagon has released three declassified videos taken by US Navy pilots that appear to show unidentified flying objects (UFO).The black and white videos were recorded during training flights – one in November 2004 and two in January 2015 – and later leaked to the public, the Department of Defense said in a statement on Monday. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2KG52Q3

Mitch McConnell wants to prevent a 'blue state bailout' of stimulus money. But Kentucky takes more from the federal government than almost any other state.

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Kentucky has a bigger balance than 47 other states from the 2015 fiscal year through 2018, according to the Rockefeller Institute of Government. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2VMNEiI

Scientists are perplexed by the low rate of coronavirus hospitalizations among smokers. Nicotine may hold the answer.

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No experts are remotely advocating for people to take up smoking to prevent COVID-19, but some researchers have theorized nicotine may be playing some role in keeping the virus at bay, Vice reports. That's because there's a surprisingly low rate of smokers among coronavirus hospitalizations.In France, for example, 25 percent of the population smokes, but only 5.3 percent of coronavirus patients have been recorded as smokers, and studies have found low rates in China and New York City, as well.Greek cardiologist and tobacco harm-reduction specialist Konstantinos Farsalinos thinks nicotine (crucially, not tobacco) might be lessening the intensity of cytokine storms, an overreaction of the body's immune system which seems to be the cause of the most severe coronavirus symptoms. French researchers have a slightly altered theory that nicotine prevents the virus from entering cells (the difference lies in the type of receptors the virus latches onto), and they're hoping to te

World Health Organisation says Covid-19 survivors can expect some level of protection from the virus

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The World Health Organisation has rewritten guidance that suggested coronavirus survivors had no immunity from the disease - now saying survivors can expect some level of protection. The clarification follows concern from scientists about the brief originally issued by the UN agency. It had cautioned against the issuing of so-called "immunity passports", which some countries are considering using as a route out of total lockdown, allowing survivors to resume a normal life and return to work. "There is no evidence yet that people who have had Covid-19 will not get a second infection," WHO said in its original scientific brief. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3cO8XX5

Under-fire Israeli health minister says wants new cabinet post

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Israel's Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, whose handling of the coronavirus crisis within his own religious community has been criticised, said Sunday he wanted a different cabinet post in the next government. Litzman, a member of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community hit disproportionately hard by the virus in Israel, informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he had "decided not to return to the health ministry," Litzman's office said in a statement. Israeli ministerial portfolios are being divided up days after Netanyahu agreed to form a unity government with his election rival, ex-military chief Benny Gantz, ending an unprecedented year-long political stalemate. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3cSgUKX

The White House is reportedly discussing a plan to replace HHS chief Azar

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It may seem unlikely that the White House would implement any major departmental leadership changes during a global health crisis, especially in the Department of Health and Human Services, but don't count it out just yet.Though they're indeed reluctant to complete any major shakeups during the coronavirus pandemic, White House officials are discussing a plan to replace HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Politico and The Wall Street Journal report. Criticism of Azar's role has reportedly mounted in recent weeks, especially after Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority Rick Bright was moved to a National Institutes of Health position, a transfer which Bright described as a form of retaliation, reportedly rattling some administration officials.President Trump had reportedly expressed frustration with Azar even before the pandemic and ultimately replaced him as the coronavirus task force leader with Vice President Mike Pence. Some names that are being cons

Coronavirus: Families foster pets during outbreak

As animal shelters are forced to limit operations, many people have applied to temporarily rehome a pet. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3cS6WZP

Officials Say Limits on Virus Relief Funds for States Are Too Tight

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By BY CARL HULSE from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2xeqKHH

U.S. Governors Move Ahead With Reopening, Despite Health Worries

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By BY JACK HEALY, MANNY FERNANDEZ AND PETER BAKER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3eXCu2o

Coronavirus Briefing: What Happened Today

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By BY PATRICK J. LYONS from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/35hgbQL

Briefings Were ‘Not Worth the Time,’ Trump Said. But He Couldn’t Stay Away.

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By BY PETER BAKER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3eZndxS

The State of the States Is Dire

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By BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2VHLFwf

In Kayleigh McEnany, Trump Taps a Press Fighter for the Coronavirus Era

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By BY ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3eYg8xO

China envoy threatens Australia boycott over virus inquest demand

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China's ambassador in Australia has warned that demands for a probe into the spread of the coronavirus could lead to a consumer boycott of Aussie wine or trips Down Under. Australia has joined the United States in calling for a thorough investigation of how the virus transformed from a localised epidemic in central China into a pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 people, forced billions into isolation and torpedoed the global economy. In a thinly veiled threat, ambassador Cheng Jingye warned the push for an independent inquest into the origins of the outbreak was "dangerous". from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2W2Ce9K

Stacey Abrams: ‘I would be willing to serve’ if asked to be Biden’s VP

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The Georgia Democrat is actively seeking the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ticket. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2xZMZS9

Supreme Court Dismisses NYC Gun Rights Case; Conservative Justices Dissent

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The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a case brought by three New York City handgun owners challenging a city regulation that prohibited gun owners from transporting their firearms outside the city.The court agreed to hear the case in December, but the city then amended the regulation to allow gun owners to bring firearms to other locations. The Supreme Court ruled 5-3 in an unsigned opinion that the case was moot because the city had amended its original regulation.Conservative justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch wrote in their dissent that the case should not have been dismissed."By incorrectly dismissing this case as moot, the Court permits our docket to be manipulated in a way that should not be countenanced," the justices wrote. Lawyers for the plaintiffs had argued that the case should not be dismissed because the city changed its regulation due to fears that the Supreme Court would use the case to restrict broader gun control measures.Gun rights ad

Trump Questions Whether U.S. Should Aid ‘Democrat’ States

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2KDjUhZ

Mexico all but empties official migrant centers in bid to contain coronavirus

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Mexico has almost entirely cleared out government migrant centers over the past five weeks to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, returning most of the occupants to their countries of origin, official data showed on Sunday. In a statement, the National Migration Institute (INM) said that since March 21, in order to comply with health and safety guidelines, it had been removing migrants from its 65 migrant facilities, which held 3,759 people last month. In the intervening weeks, Mexico has returned 3,653 migrants to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador by road and air, with the result that only 106 people remain in the centers, it said. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2W0Do5x

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is 'alive and well'

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The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, is "alive and well", according to a top security adviser to the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in. The adviser downplayed rumours over Mr Kim's health following his absence from a key anniversary. "Our government position is firm," said Mr Moon's special adviser on national security, Moon Chung-in, in an interview with CNN on Sunday. "Kim Jong-un is alive and well." The adviser said Mr Kim had been staying in Wonsan, a resort town in the east of North Korea, since April 13, adding: "No suspicious movements have so far been detected." South Korean officials are calling for caution amid reports that Mr Kim may be ill or is being isolated because of coronavirus concerns. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2SczR2O

U.S. Supreme Court sidesteps major gun rights ruling but more cases loom

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a National Rifle Association-backed challenge to New York City restrictions on handgun owners transporting their firearms outside the home, avoiding for now the battle over the scope of the right to bear arms under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. There are other cases pending that could give the court's conservative majority a chance to widen gun rights including challenges to assault weapon bans in Massachusetts and Cook County, Illinois, and permit requirements to carry firearms outside the home in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maryland. The justices in an unsigned decision threw out the New York dispute because the measure that was challenged by individual gun owners and the state's affiliate of the influential NRA was rolled back by the city last July, rendering the case moot. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2VY9m2i

China Says It Is ‘Victim’ of Coronavirus Disinformation, Accuses U.S. of ‘Hiding Something’

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The Chinese government went on the attack Monday against U.S. criticism of the Beijing's handling of the coronavirus outbreak, claiming it is a "victim" of disinformation surrounding the pandemic and accusing the U.S. of “hiding something.”"China always stands against disinformation campaign. We are victim rather than producer of disinformation," the Chinese foreign ministry wrote on its Twitter account. "Peddling disinformation and recrimination are by no means prescription for international anti-pandemic cooperation and should be rejected by all."Moments later, the foreign ministry added a tweet hammering the U.S. response to the coronavirus and suggesting that the U.S. government has been dishonest about the pandemic with the American public."Growing doubts over the US government’s handling of the COVID19, e.g. When did the first infection occur in the US? Is the US government hiding something? Why they opt to blame others? American people and