World
Trump backpedals over failure to denounce white supremacist groups; Biden calls him 'embarrassment'
U.S. President Donald Trump scrambled Wednesday to quell an uproar over his failure to explicitly denounce white supremacist groups during his debate debacle with Joe Biden, who branded his election rival a "national embarrassment." The bitter adversaries returned to the campaign trail one day after their off-the-rails showdown in Cleveland… Read
Australia's hotspot virus state Victoria reports 800th death; other states ease restrictions
Australia's coronavirus hotspot state Victoria reported its 800th death from the virus on Thursday, but low case numbers raised the prospect of a "COVID-normal" 2021 without lockdowns or social restrictions, said the state premier. "We're confident we'll be able to build a COVID-normal Christmas, a COVID-normal summer and a virus… Read
Debate commission says it will make changes to format
The presidential debate commission says it will soon adopt changes to its format to avoid a repeat of the disjointed first meeting between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden. The commission said Wednesday the debate “made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to… Read
UK lawmakers grumble but renew sweeping govt COVID-19 powers
British lawmakers voted Wednesday to renew the government’s sweeping powers to impose emergency restrictions to curb the coronavirus pandemic, though many slammed the way Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative administration has used them. Legislators are increasingly unhappy about the government’s handling of the pandemic, which has seen Britain go from… Read
Trump Proud Boys remark echoes Charlottesville
President Donald Trump on Wednesday tried to walk back his refusal to outright condemn a far right facist group during his debate with Democrat Joe Biden, but the inflammatory moment was far from the first time the president has failed to denounce white supremacists or has advanced racist ideas. Trump's… Read
Voting lawsuits pile up across U.S. as election approaches
They've been fighting in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania over the cutoff date for counting mailed ballots, and in North Carolina over witness requirements. Ohio is grappling with drop boxes for ballots as Texas faces a court challenge over extra days of early voting. Measuring the anxiety over the November election is… Read
Spain to put entire capital under partial lockdown
With coronavirus cases spreading like wildfire, the entire city of Madrid is to be put under partial lockdown, Spain's government said Wednesday as it stepped up measures to fight the epidemic. But Madrid's regional government reacted furiously to the new restrictions that affect mobility and gatherings, setting the scene for… Read
6 missiles intercepted targeting airport in northern Iraq
At least six missiles targeting Irbil international airport in northern Iraq were intercepted Wednesday evening, a statement from the Kurdish Interior Ministry said, as diplomatic tensions between Washington and Baghdad mounted over a spate of rocket attacks targeting the U.S. presence. The U.S.-led coalition maintains a troop presence on a… Read
Foreign observers note chaos, rancor in U.S. presidential debate
Head-scratching perplexity about U.S. democracy in Australia and Denmark. Disdain for "chaos" and "insults" between America's presidential contenders in a Chinese Communist Party tabloid. A European market watcher's warning of a "credibility deficit" in U.S. politics amid fears that a long tradition of peaceful, amicable transfer of power could be… Read
Senate approves bill to avoid shutdown, sending it to Trump
By a sweeping bipartisan vote Wednesday, the Senate sent President Trump a bill to fund the government through Dec 11, averting the possibility of a government shutdown when the new fiscal year starts Thursday. Trump is expected to sign the measure before Wednesday's midnight deadline. The temporary extension will set… Read
