Category Archives: US News

UK refuses to restart Brexit talks despite EU accepting its demands

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No 10 unmoved even after Barnier’s offer prompts Gove to make U-turn at dispatch box

Downing Street has refused to restart Brexit deal negotiations despite Michael Gove performing a U-turn at the dispatch box in which he praised a “constructive move” by the EU minutes after declaring the talks “effectively ended”.

The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, seemingly agreed to all the government’s demands for the resumption of Brexit talks in pursuit of a deal – sending a tweet just as Gove was making a statement in the Commons castigating the bloc.

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Anti-lockdown advocate appears on radio show that has featured Holocaust deniers

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Dr Martin Kulldorff discussed ‘Great Barrington declaration’ letter on Richie Allen Show

One of the three co-authors of a letter that calls for lockdowns to be abandoned in favour of herd immunity has appeared on a radio broadcast that previously featured multiple Holocaust deniers and antisemites.

Dr Martin Kulldorff of Harvard medical school appeared on the Richie Allen Show on 6 October to discuss the letter, described as the Great Barrington declaration, after the Massachusetts town where it was drawn up.

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Global shares rise on US stimulus and vaccine hopes, China data – business live

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Shoppers numbers across the UK fell 3.1% last week from the week before, as the new Covid-19 restrictions took their toll. The latest numbers from retail consultants Springboard show larger cities continue to be hit hardest, with footfall in regional cities down 5.7% compared with declines of 2.1% in market towns and 1.2% in coastal towns.

The 10pm curfew meant that high street footfall post 6pm fell 4.5% – nearly double the drop seen during the day, between 9am and 6pm, of 2.4%.

The additional Covid tiered restrictions had an immediate impact on footfall in retail destinations last week with an across the board week on week decline; the fourth consecutive drop and also greater than that in previous weeks.

US stock futures are pointing to a higher open on Wall Street later, with the Dow Jones seen opening 0.8% higher, the Nasdaq up 1.2% and the S&P 500 0.9% ahead.

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Coronavirus live news: global cases pass 40m; US cases rise in 48 states

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Johns Hopkins figures show new landmark tally; Italy introduces new restrictions; Dr Fauci not surprised that Trump caught coronavirus

Malaysian health authorities reported 865 new coronavirus cases on Monday, raising the country’s total to 21,363. The Southeast Asian country, which imposed targeted lockdowns this month as infections surged, also recorded three new deaths, bringing its total number of fatalities to 190

In the UK, the government is still facing resistance over its attempt to move Greater Manchester into a tier 3 lockdown.

The mayor, Andy Burnham, has said he is willing to resolve the impasse but won’t “just roll over” at the sight of a cheque.

Related: UK coronavirus live: Burnham says Greater Manchester resisting tier 3 as he won't 'roll over' for money

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Donald Trump heads to Arizona as coronavirus surge grips US – US politics live

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President Donald Trump is appearing today in both Prescott and Tucson in Arizona. Reid Wilson last night for the Hill previewed the trip, saying that undecided voters in the state are wary of Trump and craving stablility. Wilson writes:

The few Arizona voters still struggling to make up their minds between Trump and Biden are weighing a conservative agenda they generally favor led by a candidate they do not like against a more liberal agenda they do not entirely support led by a candidate who comes across as far more empathetic.

In interviews with undecided and late-deciding voters here, many said they had supported Trump four years ago, but that his behavior had either disqualified him in their minds or raised serious questions about whether he is fit for another term in office.

A lawsuit seeking to prevent Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond is scheduled to go to trial Monday.

The plaintiffs, a group of Richmond residents who live near the monument, filed suit after Northam ordered the removal of the statue in June amid the outcry caused by the police killing of George Floyd.

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‘It is serious and intense’: white supremacist domestic terror threat looms large in US

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From the frequency of attacks to the scope of ambition, racist terror groups – encouraged by the president, are showing unparalleled activity in the modern era

On 6 October Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of homeland security, released his department’s annual assessment of violent threats to the nation. Analysts didn’t have to dig deep into the assessment to discover its alarming content.

In a foreword, Wolf wrote that he was “particularly concerned about white supremacist violent extremists who have been exceptionally lethal in their abhorrent, targeted attacks in recent years. [They] seek to force ideological change in the United States through violence, death, and destruction.”

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Biden says Trump ‘gone round the bend if he thinks we’ve turned corner’ on Covid as cases surge – as it happened

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Here’s a summary of today’s events:

The Washington Post is already looking ahead to the contest to become the Republican party’s presidential nominee in 2024, regardless of whether Donald Trump sinks or swims on 3 November.

In an opinion piece Sunday penned by the respected political analyst and talk show host Hugh Hewitt, the newspaper lists 20 names of prominent and not-so-prominent Republican governors, senators, congressmen and women and two Trumps – Don Jr and Ivanka – he thinks are likely to throw hats into what promises to be a crowded ring.

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Trump attempts to save himself in battleground states as Covid cases surge

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With little more than two weeks to reverse his dismal standing in the polls, and amid a coronavirus resurgence that could sink his pursuit of a second term, Donald Trump has embarked on a tour of battleground states.

Related: Trump's hopes fade in Wisconsin as 'greatest economy' boast unravels

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US coronavirus cases surge in most states

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  • Connecticut and Florida lead the nation, with increases of 50%
  • Only Vermont and Missouri report falls in average numbers
  • US politics – live coverage

Only two US states, Vermont and Missouri, have reported falls in the average number of reported coronavirus cases over the past week. The outbreak is surging nearly everywhere else.

Related: Trump sets out to save himself in battleground states as Covid cases surge

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Trump: If I lose, it will be to the worst candidate in history – video

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Donald Trump has described his Democratic presidential rival, Joe Biden, as the 'worst candidate in history' at a rally in Wisconsin. 'If I lose … what do I do? I'd rather run against somebody who is extraordinarily talented, at least this way I can go and lead my life.' Trump again insisted that he was immune from Covid-19, saying he 'got better fast' and that he 'can now jump into the audience and give you all a big kiss, the women and the men'

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Iran hails lifting of 13-year UN arms embargo as ‘momentous day’

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Immediate shopping spree is unlikely after end to military sanctions despite US protests

Iranian officials have hailed the lifting of a 13-year UN arms embargo on their military as a momentous day, claiming they were once again free to buy and sell conventional weapons in an effort to strengthen their country’s security.

The embargo was lifted on Sunday morning despite US protests and was in line with the five-year timetable set out in the Iran nuclear deal, which was signed in 2015.

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Coronavirus live news: Italy brings in new restrictions amid record cases

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Mayors will be able to impose 9pm curfews; Senior PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat in hospital; Switzerland to introduce more measures on Monday – follow live

Here’s a snapshot of the countries with the highest coronavirus cumulative cases on the African continent, via the WHO African Region dashboard.

Over 1.6 million confirmed #COVID19 cases on the African continent - with more than 1.3 million recoveries & 39,000 deaths cumulatively.

View country figures & more with the WHO African Region COVID-19 Dashboard: https://t.co/V0fkK8dYTg pic.twitter.com/MzKYRI4gyY

The Australian state of Victoria has reported four new coronavirus cases and one further death, taking the state’s toll 817 and the national figure to 905.

It comes as the state eases its Covid restrictions, including expanding Melbourne’s 5km travel radius to 25km.

Yesterday there were 4 new cases & sadly the loss of 1 life reported. Condolences to all those affected. Cases with unknown source & average in Regional are stable, Metro average decreased slightly. More info available later today. https://t.co/eTputEZdhs #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/hJpnTBpQ76

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Biden accuses Trump of trying to wish away Covid ahead of Wisconsin rally – as it happened

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Here’s a summary of the latest events:

Mitch McConnell announced Saturday that the Senate will vote Tuesday on a Paycheck Protection Plan funding bill and Wednesday on the same $500bn Covid-19 aid package that Democrats blocked last month on the grounds that it didn’t go far enough.

“It is long past time for the two parties to agree where we can and get more money out the door,” the Senate majority leader said in a statement.

I just announced the Senate will vote next week on hundreds of billions more dollars for relief programs that Democrats do not even oppose. Working families have already waited too long for Speaker Pelosi’s Marie Antoinette act to stop. Let's make law. pic.twitter.com/iR7OYKuCKw

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US records highest daily coronavirus case total since July

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More than 68,000 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the US on Friday, the highest number in a single day since July, further confirmation the country is in the midst of a coronavirus resurgence.

Related: American Crisis review: Andrew Cuomo on Covid, Trump … and a job with Joe Biden?

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Lisa Montgomery to be first female federal inmate executed in 67 years

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  • Brandon Bernard also faces execution for separate killing
  • Attorney general Bill Barr cites ‘heinous murders’

The US is set to execute a female federal inmate for the first time in 67 years, Donald Trump’s justice department has said.

Related: Alfre Woodard: 'We want all those with a stake in the death row business to see this film'

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Trump blasts Sasse for predicting Senate Republican bloodbath

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The president issued a familiar stream of insults on Twitter after the Nebraska senator heavily criticised him to constituents

Down in the polls to Joe Biden and campaigning through a surging pandemic, Donald Trump chose to devote time on Saturday morning to a Twitter rant against a member of his own party in the Senate, a chamber Republicans face losing on 3 November.

Related: Trump trails Biden with two weeks to go – but there could yet be surprises

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Digital ‘health passport’ trials under way to aid reopening of borders

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CommonPass aims to create common standard proving a traveller is Covid-free or vaccinated

A new digital “health passport” is to be piloted by a small number of passengers flying from the UK to the US for the first time next week under plans for a global framework for Covid-safe air travel.

The CommonPass system, backed by the World Economic Forum (WEF), is designed to create a common international standard for passengers to demonstrate they do not have coronavirus.

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Statue of former California governor Pete Wilson removed in San Diego

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  • Protests highlighted legacy on immigration and gay rights
  • Republican, 87, does not immediately comment

A statue of the former California governor Pete Wilson was removed from a San Diego park after critics said the governor supported laws and policies that hurt immigrants and the LGBTQ community.

The 13-year-old statue near Horton Plaza Park was removed by Horton Walk, the non-profit that owns it, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Horton Walk’s president, Steve Williams, wrote in an email that no decision had been made on whether it will be returned.

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‘Things have changed’: can Biden overcome the racist legacy of the crime bill he backed?

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The 1994 crime bill paved the way to mass incarceration of Black Americans. Biden says his support was a ‘mistake’

In 1994, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware stood proudly behind Bill Clinton as he signed into law a reform bill that touched nearly every aspect of the US criminal justice system.

Related: Trump trails Biden with two weeks to go – but there could yet be surprises

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Black Lives Matter’s Alicia Garza: ‘Leadership today doesn’t look like Martin Luther King’

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In seven years, BLM has gone from hashtag to global rallying cry. So why has the co-founder stepped away from the movement she helped create?

Alicia Garza is not synonymous with Black Lives Matter, the movement she helped create, and that’s very deliberate. The 39-year-old organiser is not interested in being the face of things; she’s interested in change. “We are often taught that, like a stork, some leader swoops from the sky to save us,” she tells me over Zoom from her home in Oakland, California. That sort of mythologising, she says, “obscures the average person’s role in creating change”.

Garza is also scornful of fame for fame’s sake and of celebrity activists. The number of people who want to be online influencers rather than do the work of offline organising – knocking on doors, finding common ground, building alliances – depresses her. “Our aspiration should not be to have a million followers on Twitter,” she says. “We shouldn’t be focused on building a brand but building a base, and building the kind of movement that can succeed.”

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