oann--2020-10-10--North Korea displays ballistic missiles, Kim apologises for economic woes

SEOUL ( Reuters ) – An apparently emotional Kim Jong Un apologised for failing to improve North Koreans ’ lives in an address to an unprecedented predawn military parade on Saturday that showcased the country ’ s long-range ballistic missiles for the first time in two years .
The country marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of its ruling Workers ’ Party with a raft of concerts and festivals , and the ceremony was seen around the region as an event where Kim could deliver messages to domestic and foreign audiences .
The parade featured North Korea ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kim began meeting with international leaders , including U.S. President Donald Trump , in 2018 .
“ We will continue to build our national defence power and self-defensive war deterrence , ” Kim said , but vowed that the country ’ s military power would not be used preemptively .
He made no direct mention of the United States or the now-stalled denuclearisation talks .
Kim blamed international sanctions , typhoons , and the coronavirus for preventing him from delivering on promises of economic progress .
“ I am ashamed that I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for your enormous trust , ” he said .
“ My efforts and devotion were not sufficient to bring our people out of difficult livelihoods.
” Sometimes appearing emotional , Kim thanked the military for working hard to respond to a series of damaging summer typhoons , and for preventing a coronavirus outbreak .
Kim said he was grateful that not a single North Korean had tested positive for the disease , an assertion that South Korea and the United States have previously questioned .
Officials in Seoul and Washington had said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Initial footage of the parade showed conventional troops marching in formation and what appeared to be ballistic missiles on vehicles .
The video showed Kim make an appearance as a clock struck midnight .
Dressed in a grey suit and tie , he waved to the crowd and accepted flowers from children while surrounded by military officials in Pyongyang ’ s recently renovated Kim Il Sung Square .
Kim said he hopes that North and South Korea will join hands again after the coronavirus crisis is over .
While attendees at other holiday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one at the parade appeared to be wearing any masks .
The event comes as the isolated country carries out strict measures against the coronavirus .
State media said the curbs have caused delays in some of Kim ’ s key economic and construction projects , already dogged by international sanctions .
“ It is an impressively large gathering during a global pandemic , suggesting North Korean authorities are concerned more with political history and national morale than with preventing a COVID-19 superspreader event , ” said Leif-Eric Easley , who teaches at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the day , South Korea ’ s Joint Chiefs of Staff said South Korea and U.S. intelligence authorities were closely monitoring developments .
It was the first time that the parade has been held before dawn .
South Korean officials said this week that Kim could use the event as a “ low intensity ” show of power ahead of the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3 , as denuclearisation talks with Washington have stalled .
For weeks commercial satellite imagery has shown thousands of North Korean soldiers practicing marching , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could use the parade to unveil a new intercontinental ballistic missile ( ICBM ) , or a new submarine-launched ballistic missile .
Foreign diplomats in Pyongyang have often been invited to observe past celebrations .
But the Russian Embassy said on social media that all diplomatic missions have been advised this year to “ refrain as much as possible ” from travelling in the city , approaching the event venue and taking photos and videos .
In a congratulatory message to Kim for the anniversary , Chinese President Xi Jinping said he intended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” ties with North Korea , its state media said on Saturday .


oann--2020-10-10--Armenia and Azerbaijan accuse each other of violating Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire

BAKU/YEREVAN ( Reuters ) – Azerbaijan and Armenia accused each other of swiftly violating the terms of a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh on Saturday , raising questions about how meaningful the truce , brokered by Russia , would turn out to be .
The ceasefire , clinched after marathon talks in Moscow advocated by President Vladimir Putin , was meant to halt fighting to allow ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeri forces to swap prisoners and war dead .
But within minutes of the truce taking effect from midday , both sides accused each other of breaking it .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a settlement inside Armenia , while ethnic Armenian forces in Karabakh alleged that Azeri forces had launched a new offensive five minutes after the truce took hold .
Azerbaijan said enemy forces in Karabakh were shelling Azeri territory .
Both sides have consistently denied each others ’ assertions about military activity .
In a statement which suggested the ceasefire was not completely dead however , Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said the warring parties were now engaged in trying to find a political settlement .
The Moscow ceasefire talks were the first diplomatic contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mountainous enclave erupted on Sept. 27 , killing hundreds of people .
The enclave is internationally-recognised as part of Azerbaijan but is populated and governed by ethnic Armenians .
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov , who helped mediate , said in a statement in the early hours of Saturday after more than 10 hours of negotiations that the ceasefire had been agreed on humanitarian grounds .
The International Committee of the Red Cross would help make the truce work , he said .
“ The specific terms of the ceasefire still need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who said Armenia and Azerbaijan had also agreed to enter into what he called substantive peace talks .
Those talks would be held under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ’ s ( OSCE ) Minsk Group , he said .
Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and his Azeri counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov did not speak to reporters in Moscow after striking the ceasefire deal .
But Mnatsakanyan later paid tribute on Armenian state TV to President Putin , whom he said had played a key role in making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intervened to help get an agreement .
Turkey , which has strongly backed Baku , welcomed the deal but said much more was needed .
“ The humanitarian ceasefire is a significant first step but will not stand for a lasting solution , ” the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement .
“ Turkey emphasized that it will support any solution approved by Azerbaijan .
Turkey will continue to stand by Azerbaijan in the field and at the table ” .
The Azeri and Turkish foreign ministers also spoke by phone on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but said it now had to be fully implemented .
“ It must now be implemented and strictly observed in order to create the conditions for a permanent cessation of hostilities between the two countries , ” French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said in a statement .
“ Substantial discussions , to which the parties have engaged under the aegis of the co-chairs of the Minsk group , must resume without preconditions.
” Renewed fighting in the decades-old conflict has raised fears of a wider war drawing in Turkey , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia , which has a defence pact with Armenia .
The clashes have also increased concern about the security of pipelines that carry Azeri oil and gas to Europe .
The fighting is the worst since a 1991-94 war that killed about 30,000 people and ended with a ceasefire that has been violated repeatedly .

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oann--2020-10-10--‘Feeling great,’ Trump appears in public for first time since return from hospital

WASHINGTON ( Reuters ) – Boasting about his achievements and hurling unsubstantiated allegations against his opponents , U.S. President Donald Trump appeared back to his old self as he addressed supporters at the White House in his first public event since being diagnosed with COVID-19 .
Standing alone and not wearing a mask , the Republican president spoke from a White House balcony at an event called “ a peaceful protest for law & order , ” urging a crowd of hundreds of largely Black and Latino supporters to help get out the vote in the Nov. 3 presidential election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over whether he is still contagious – is seen as a first step toward resuming full campaigning next week .
He is due to go to Florida , Pennsylvania , and Iowa , on Monday , Tuesday , and Wednesday , respectively .
Speaking firmly and without hesitation , Trump delivered a shorter-than-usual campaign speech , hailing his record in fighting crime and boosting the U.S. economy , while slamming Democrats as supporters cheered .
A flesh-colored bandage was visible on his right hand .
Those gathered were wearing masks , although most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was the first time Trump had appeared in public since he was released from a three-night stay in hospital on Monday , when some observers watching his return to the White House said he appeared at times to be short of breath .
The White House has released videos and Trump has called into television shows since then , but this was supporters ’ first chance to see the president live .
The White House has not released the results of Trump ’ s latest COVID-19 test and has declined to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first revealed that he had had a positive test on Oct. 2 and on Thursday said he was no longer contagious , which some experts say is unlikely .
The White House last gave a public assessment of Trump ’ s health status on Thursday when the president ’ s doctor , Dr Sean Conley , said in a memo that Trump had completed his course of therapy for the coronavirus , had responded “ extremely well ” to treatment , and cleared him for public engagements .
On Friday , a White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for COVID-19 and would not go out in public if it was determined he could still spread the virus .
Trump delivered a wide-ranging speech that touched on scrapping former President Barack Obama ’ s ‘ Obamacare ’ healthcare reform law , criminal justice reform , and the state of the economy .
But opinion polls increasingly show that as Election Day approaches , voters see Nov. 3 as a chance to cast a vote on Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 210,000 Americans .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its handling of the pandemic , as well as for a lax approach to mask-wearing and social distancing in the White House and – in recent days – confusing messages about how ill the president has been .
Trump repeated past calls for states to reopen their economies even as new cases of COVID-19 hit a two-month high on Friday .
A Reuters analysis showed that there were over 58,000 infections reported and hospitalizations in the Midwest hit record levels for a fifth day in a row .
Democrats and some commentators criticized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potentially exposing a new batch of supporters to the virus and for using a federal building as an election prop .
Asked about it in New Castle , Delaware , Biden said he hoped that Trump and his supporters were taking precautions .
“ They should be socially distant and wearing masks , ” he said .
“ It ’ s the only responsible thing to do.
” Republican Tom McCullagh , who is running for a state senate seat in Illinois and flew to Washington for Trump ’ s event , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus .
“ If the president felt it was safe enough for him to hold a rally , I trust his judgment , ” McCullagh told Reuters .
McCullagh wore a mask and kept his distance from other participants but said he and a friend did not have their temperature taken before entering the White House grounds .
Sources familiar with planning for the event had said that all participants would be screened for possible COVID-19 symptoms and have their temperature taken .


oann--2020-10-10--North Korea unveils ‘monster’ new intercontinental ballistic missile at parade

SEOUL ( Reuters ) – North Korea unveiled previously unseen intercontinental ballistic missiles at an unprecedented predawn military parade on Saturday that showcased the country ’ s long-range weapons for the first time in two years .
Analysts said the missile , which was shown on a transporter vehicle with 11 axles , would be one of the largest road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles ( ICBMs ) in the world if it becomes operational .
“ This missile is a monster , ” said Melissa Hanham , deputy director of the Open Nuclear Network .
Also displayed were the Hwasong-15 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by North Korea , and what appeared to be a new submarine-launched ballistic missile ( SLBM ) .
Ahead of the parade , which was held to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its ruling Workers ’ Party , officials in South Korea and the United States said Kim Jong Un could use the event to unveil a new “ strategic weapon ” as promised earlier this year .
A senior U.S. administration official called the display of the ICBM “ disappointing ” and called on the government to negotiate to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ featured North Korea ’ s ballistic missiles for the first time since Kim began meeting with international leaders , including U.S. President Donald Trump , in 2018 .
The U.S. official said Washington was holding fast to four commitments made by Trump and Kim at their historic meeting in June of that year , including a pledge by Pyongyang to “ work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
” Kim made no direct mention of the United States or the now-stalled denuclearization talks .
“ We will continue to build our national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Kim said , but vowed that the country ’ s military power would not be used preemptively .
Kim blamed international sanctions , typhoons , and the coronavirus for preventing him from delivering on promises of economic progress .
“ I am ashamed that I have never been able to repay you properly for your enormous trust , ” he said .
“ My efforts and devotion were not sufficient to bring our people out of difficult livelihoods.
” The video showed Kim make an appearance as a clock struck midnight .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he waved to the crowd and accepted flowers from children while surrounded by military officials in Pyongyang ’ s recently renovated Kim Il Sung Square .
Kim spoke for nearly half an hour , often visibly sweating despite the cool morning air , shedding tears when thanking the troops , and smiling and laughing as he watched the missiles .
The parade was highly choreographed , with thousands of troops marching in formation , displays of new conventional military equipment including tanks , and fighter jets launching flares and fireworks .
Experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is likely designed to carry multiple independent reentry vehicles ( MIRVs ) , allowing it to attack more targets and making interception more difficult .
Michael Elleman , director for Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies , estimated on Twitter that the new large missile could potentially deliver 2,000-3,500 kg “ to any point on CONUS , ” making it more capable than Soviet R-16 or R-26 ICBMs that were never deployed .
The new ICBM is likely intended to dispel doubts about North Korea ’ s ability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and an implicit threat that they are preparing to test the larger missile , said Markus Garlauskas , a former U.S. intelligence officer for North Korea .
“ If the Hwasong-15 could carry a ‘ super-large ’ nuclear warhead to anywhere in the U.S. , then the natural question is what can this larger missile carry ?
, ” he said .
Pyonyang is widely expected to test the larger missile in coming months , said Riki Ellison , founder of the non-profit Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance , sending a message to both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Jenny Town , a fellow at the Stimson Center , said it was unclear if the missile shown was a conceptual or engineering mock-up or a workable prototype .
“ It seems highly unlikely they would try to deploy this system without testing it at least once , ” she said .
Kim became visibly emotional as he thanked the troops for their sacrifice in responding to natural disasters and preventing a coronavirus outbreak .
He said he was grateful that not a single North Korean had tested positive for the disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States have previously questioned .
While attendees at other celebratory events were shown wearing masks , no one at the parade appeared to be wearing them .
Kim said he hoped that North and South Korea would join hands again when the global coronavirus crisis is over .
South Korean officials said this week that Kim could use the event as a “ low intensity ” show of power ahead of the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3 , as denuclearisation talks with Washington have stalled .
In a congratulatory message @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Xi Jinping said he intended to “ defend , consolidate and develop ” ties with North Korea , its state media said on Saturday .


oann--2020-10-12--Yuan drops on PBOC policy change, set for biggest daily fall since March

LONDON ( Reuters ) – China ’ s yuan fell on Monday after the People ’ s Bank of China ( PBOC ) changed its reserve requirements policy , a move seen as a bid to curb recent yuan appreciation , while the dollar index rose off three-week lows on hopes for fiscal stimulus .
The onshore and offshore yuan both fell 0.8 % against the dollar after China ’ s central bank said on Saturday that it would lower the reserve requirement ratio for financial institutions when conducting some foreign exchange forwards trading .
The yuan had reached a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and offshore trade .
It has gained around 6 % against the dollar since late May , driven by a favorable yield differential between China and other major economies .
But on Monday the offshore yuan was on track for its biggest daily decline against the dollar since March , changing hands at 6.7429 at 1158 GMT < CNH=EBS > .
“ It ’ s probably people covering long China positions , ” said Neil Jones , head of FX sales at Mizuho .
“ There ’ s an element of liquidating long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been quite upbeat on China.
” The PBOC ’ s move to end the requirement for banks to set aside cash to cover yuan forward transactions would make it easier to short the yuan , said RBC ’ s head of Asia FX , Alvin Tan .
“ This is being interpreted as a subtle signal from the PBOC to restrain the speed of the yuan ’ s rise , but how much of a restraint will become clearer with the upcoming daily fixings , ” Tan said .
HSBC strategists wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy change was unlikely to reverse the downward trend in dollar-yuan .
Goldman Sachs strategists also wrote that they continue to expect a stronger yuan , citing solid Chinese growth and favorable interest rate differentials with the United States .
The move was also cited by analysts as a reason for weakness in the China-sensitive Australian dollar , which was down 0.4 % on the day at 0.7212 at 1200 GMT .
The New Zealand dollar was down 0.4 % at 0.6647 < NZD=D3 > .
The U.S. dollar index was up 0.1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in six weeks on Friday , when investors upped their bets that a fiscal stimulus package would be agreed to mitigate the economic fallout from COVID-19 .
The Trump administration called on Congress to pass a stripped-down version of the relief bill on Sunday , while negotiations on a broader package continue .
The dollar has been buffeted by the on-again , off-again stimulus negotiations .
Now , with Nov. 3 election only weeks away , investors are betting that Democrat Joe Biden is more likely to win the U.S. presidency and offer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negative fallout from a failure to reach a fiscal deal before the election will be dampened by expectations for even bigger stimulus after the election , ” MUFG currency analyst Lee Hardman wrote in a note to clients .
“ Market participants remain optimistic over a Blue Wave , ” he added , citing polling data which shows a Biden lead .
The dollar index was at 93.187 at 1201 GMT , up 0.1 % on the day and having almost completely reversed its recovery at the end of September < =USD > @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the day at $ 1.17955 < EUR=EBS > .
In Europe , the World Health Organization has urged governments to restrict activity to combat a rapid rise in COVID-19 infections .
Speculators cut their euro long positions to a two-month low in the week to Oct. 6 , weekly CFTC data showed < 1099741NNET > .
The yen was up 0.2 % against the dollar at 105.435 < JPY=EBS > .
The safe-haven Swiss franc was up 0.2 % against the euro at 1.07395 < EURCHF=EBS > .
The pound held above @ @ @ @ @ @ @ < GBP=D3 > .


oann--2020-10-12--Nigeria’s police disbands controversial anti-robbery Squad after protests

LAGOS ( Reuters ) – The head of Nigeria ’ s police dissolved its Special Anti-Robbery Squad with immediate effect on Sunday , a police statement said , prompted by days of protests across the country against alleged brutality by the controversial unit .
The protests broke out after a video circulated last week allegedly showing members of the unit – known as SARS – shooting dead a man in Delta state .
It also prompted a globally-trending social media campaign to abolish the squad .
Demonstrators also alleged that police shot dead another man while marching in the southwestern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations .
“ The dissolution of SARS is in response to the yearnings of the Nigerian people , ” the police statement said .
It added that the police was redeploying unit members and would announce a new strategy to tackle SARS ’ remit of fighting armed robbery , kidnapping and other violent crime .
Protesters and rights groups met the announcement with scepticism and calls for justice .
Police officials and politicians have said they were disbanding or reforming SARS multiple times in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , critics say .
“ They all need to be punished or disciplined , ” said Charles Avackaa , a Lagos media executive who alleged SARS officers have extorted 100,000 naira ( $ 262.7 ) from him .
“ But they mess up and ( their bosses ) carry them and put them somewhere else , there is nothing on how they operate , ” he said .
For years , Nigerians have accused SARS of heavy-handed methods , particularly the young , who say officers regularly target , beat and extort them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documented 82 alleged cases of SARS mistreating , torturing and extra-judicially executing detainees .
On Sunday , Nigerian police used teargas to disperse hundreds of protesters in the capital Abuja , a repeat of what witnesses said were similar events on Friday .


oann--2020-10-17--Trump tries to shore up Florida, Biden targets Michigan as early voting surges

MACON , Ga./DETROIT ( Reuters ) – U.S. President Donald Trump sought to boost his standing in the battleground state of Florida on Friday by reaching out to seniors , while rival Joe Biden blasted Trump ’ s response to the coronavirus pandemic on a tour of the swing state of Michigan .
The two men are focusing their campaigns on the closely-fought states that are expected to determine the winner of the Nov. 3 election .
After spending the day in Florida , Trump held a rally in Georgia , traditionally a Republican stronghold .
Trump , a Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ //polling.reuters.com and the latest figures from his campaign show he is also behind in fundraising as the race intensifies with 18 days to go before Election Day .
Early voting is shattering records , with more than 23 million Americans having already cast ballots .
Trump and the Republican National Committee raised some $ 247.8 million in September , his campaign manager said on Twitter , well behind the $ 383 million haul of Biden and the Democratic Party .
At an indoor event with a crowd of seniors in Fort Myers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for those who have lost family members to COVID-19 .
“ My heart breaks for every grieving family that has lost a precious loved one .
I feel their anguish .
I mourn their loss .
I feel their pain , ” said Trump , who recently recovered from his own bout with the disease .
Biden , a Democrat , has shown strength with senior voters , many of whom have faulted Trump for his response to the health crisis .
Biden has lambasted Trump for often playing down the seriousness of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration for seeking to dismantle the Affordable Care Act , also known as Obamacare .
“ If I have the honor of becoming your president , we ’ ll build on the Affordable Care Act , no matter what they do , ” Biden said at an event in Michigan .
Trump again asserted that the country was “ rounding the turn ” on the outbreak , now in its eighth month , even as the number of U.S. cases crossed 8 million on Thursday , rising by 1 million in less than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do anything to distract us from focusing on his failures to deal with this virus to protect the nation , ” Biden said .
“ It ’ s not disappearing , in fact it ’ s on the rise again .
It ’ s getting worse , as predicted.
” DEAD HEAT IN FLORIDA , OBAMA TO HIT THE TRAIL A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Trump and Biden in a statistical dead heat in Florida , which is coveted for its 29 electoral votes .
U.S. presidential elections are determined by electoral votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based largely on their populations , rather than a tally of the popular vote nationwide .
Michigan and Georgia each have 16 electoral votes .
Biden ’ s campaign said former President Barack Obama would travel to Philadelphia next week to campaign on his former vice president ’ s behalf .
At a rally in Ocala , Florida , Trump played down Obama ’ s potential impact .
“ Oh , I got an emergency call today .
They say , ‘ Sir , I ’ m sorry to tell you , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Sleepy Joe.
’ I said , ‘ so what ’ s the problem with that ’ … I said , ‘ you know , he campaigned harder than Hillary last time , so why do we care ?
’ ” Trump said .
Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election .
At a rally in Macon , Georgia , Trump relished the crowd ’ s chant that Biden ’ s family should be sent to jail .
“ Lock up the Bidens .
Lock up Hillary !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ from his rallies four years ago .
The president quipped that he might have to leave the country if he loses .
Biden completed his campaign day with an evening get-out-the-vote rally in Detroit , where he criticized Trump for his actions while sick with COVID-19 .
“ The longer Donald Trump is president , the more reckless he gets , ” Biden said .
Biden tested negative for the coronavirus on Friday , his campaign said .
His running mate Kamala Harris is not traveling for a few days after one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters he was not worried about catching the disease .
Biden regularly wears a mask , in line with public health guidelines to prevent the virus ’ s spread .
Trump does not .
A record 23 million Americans have already voted , according to the U.S .
Elections Project at the University of Florida , including 2.2 million in Florida .
About 136.6 million people in total voted in the 2016 election .
Early voting began in Louisiana on Friday , following record turnout this week in the competitive states of Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates returned to the trail after dueling town hall events replaced a presidential debate that was canceled after Trump contracted the virus .
Biden won the TV ratings battle between the two events , according to Nielsen ratings data .


oann--2020-10-17--Oil dips on COVID-19 resurgence, fears of more supply

NEW YORK ( Reuters ) – Oil prices edged lower on Friday , dragged down by concerns that a spike in COVID-19 cases in the United States and Europe will continue to drag on demand in two of the world ’ s biggest fuel-consuming regions .
OPEC+ , a grouping of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied producers including Russia , fear a prolonged second wave of the pandemic and a jump in Libyan output could push the oil market into surplus next year , according to a confidential document seen by Reuters , a much gloomier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brent crude futures < LCOc1 > fell 23 cents to settle at $ 42.93 a barrel , and U.S. West Texas Intermediate ( WTI ) crude futures dropped 8 cents to settle at $ 40.88 a barrel .
Brent rose 0.2 % for the week , while WTI was on track to gain 0.7 % .
“ The reality is that we ’ re now seeing a pretty active spread of the pandemic across Europe and it ’ s spreading again in North America , and that potentially will weigh on oil demand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head of commodity research at the National Bank of Australia .
Some European countries were reviving curfews and lockdowns to fight a surge in new coronavirus cases , with Britain imposing tougher COVID-19 restrictions in London on Friday .
A panel of officials from OPEC+ , called the Joint Technical Committee , discussed their worst-case scenario during a virtual monthly meeting on Thursday .
That involved commercial inventories from major world consumers remaining higher than the five-year average in 2021 , rather than falling below that mark .
The group ’ s Joint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will consider the outlook when it meets on Monday .
The JMMC can make a policy recommendation .
“ We expect on Monday ’ s meeting some strong words on compensating for ( members ’ ) undercompliance , ” said Paola Rodriguez-Masiu , Rystad Energy ’ s senior oil markets analyst .
“ What everybody is wondering is if there will be any action against the laggards this time or if the bashing will stay at a verbal level.
” OPEC+ is set to ease its current supply cuts of 7.7 million barrels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million bpd in January .
In the United States , drillers have begun adding oil rigs since cutting them to a 15-year low in August .
This week , they added the most oil rigs in a week since January , increasing the count by 12 to 205 , energy services firm Baker Hughes Co < BKR.N > said .
< RIG-USA-BHI > , < RIG-OL-USA-BHI > , < RIG-GS-USA-BHI > Money managers cut their net long U.S. crude futures and options positions by 9,442 contracts to 288,454 in the week to Oct. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commission ( CFTC ) said on Friday .


oann--2020-10-17--New Zealand’s Ardern wins ‘historic’ re-election for crushing COVID-19

WELLINGTON ( Reuters ) – Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delivered the biggest election victory for her centre-left Labour Party in half a century on Saturday as voters rewarded her for a decisive response to COVID-19 .
The mandate means Ardern , 40 , could form the first single-party government in decades and will face the challenge of delivering on the progressive transformation she promised but failed to deliver in her first term , where Labour shared power with a nationalist party .
“ This is a historic shift , ” said political commentator Bryce Edwards of Victoria University in Wellington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the biggest swings in New Zealand ’ s electoral history in 80 years .
Labour was on track to win 64 of the 120 seats in the country ’ s unicameral parliament , the highest by any party since New Zealand adopted a proportional voting system in 1996 .
Ardern , 40 , promised supporters she would build an economy that works for everyone , create jobs , train people , protect the environment and address climate challenges and social inequalities .
“ We are living in an increasingly polarised world , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more and more have lost the ability to see one another ’ s point of view .
I hope that with this election , New Zealand has shown that this is not who we are.
” Opposition National Party leader Judith Collins said she congratulated the prime minister for an “ outstanding result ” .
Labour had 49.0 % of the votes , far ahead of National at 27 % , the Electoral Commission said , with 95 % of ballots counted .
Ardern said she would wait until the final result to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups like the Green Party , a former coalition partner that secured a bigger 8 % mandate .
National leaders were decimated in their strongholds by young Labour candidates who appealed to voters with progressive , democratic messages , and highlighted the party ’ s success in beating coronavirus .
“ The last seven months of this government , all of the issues around their past promises have been put aside because of COVID-19 .
It ’ s that simple , ” said Deputy National leader Gerry Brownlee who lost his long-held seat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the left , Ardern “ is likely to continue to chart a centrist course , largely aiming to implement incremental change that she hopes will outlast a future change in government , ” because she owes her victory to centre-right voters who previously supported National , said Geoffrey Miller , analyst at political website Democracy Project .
The prime minister won global acclaim for her handling of a mass shooting last year by a white supremacist in Christchurch , with her inclusive “ be strong , be kind ” mantra and swift @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that reputation this year with a “ go hard , go early ” approach to the new coronavirus , which has eliminated locally spread COVID-19 in the nation .
The election was delayed by a month after new COVID-19 infections in Auckland that led to a second lockdown in the country ’ s largest city .
While known internationally for promoting progressive causes such as woman ’ s rights and social justice , at home Ardern faced criticism that her government failed on a promise to be transformational .
Life is back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ borders are still shut , its tourism sector is bleeding and economists predict a lasting recession after the harsh lockdowns .
The economy shrank at an 12.2 % annual clip in the second quarter , its steepest drop since the Great Depression .
Debt is forecast to rise to 56 % of gross domestic product from less than 20 % before the pandemic .
New Zealanders also voted on Saturday in referendums to legalise euthanasia and recreational marijuana , with results to be announced on Oct. 30 .
The latter vote could make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world to allow the adult use and sale of cannabis nationwide , after Uruguay and Canada .


oann--2020-10-18--‘Door is ajar’ on Brexit trade talks if EU is serious: UK’s Gove

LONDON ( Reuters ) – The door is still ajar for Britain and the European Union to strike a post-Brexit trade deal but the bloc needs to change its approach and show it is serious before talks can resume this week , senior British minister Michael Gove said .
The bloc had squandered some of the progress made in negotiations because it had not been willing to intensify talks or produce detailed legal texts , Gove said .
“ We hope that the EU will change their position ; we ’ re certainly not saying if they do change their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to them , ” he told the BBC ’ s Andrew Marr on Sunday .
The latest talks broke down on Thursday when the European Union said Britain needed to give ground .
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hit back on Friday , telling Brussels there was no point in continuing the negotiations unless the EU fundamentally changed course , and telling businesses to prepare for no deal .
European leaders , however , have tasked negotiator Michel Barnier to continue talks .
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday there were no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are ready for a deal , but not at any price , ” he said .
Issues still to be resolved include fair competition rules , dispute resolution and fisheries .
Asked by Sky News if Barnier should come to London this week , as previously planned , Gove said the “ ball was in his court ” .
“ We made clear we needed to see a change in approach from the European Union , ” he said , adding that Barnier would be speaking to his UK counterpart David Frost in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s see if the European Union appreciate the importance of reaching a deal and the importance of moving ground.
” A “ no deal ” finale to the United Kingdom ’ s five-year Brexit crisis would disrupt the supply chains that stretch across Britain , the EU and beyond – just as the economic hit from the coronavirus pandemic worsens .
“ It is not my preferred destination , ” Gove said in an opinion piece in the Sunday Times .
“ But if the choice is between arrangements that tie our hands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our own future , then that ’ s no choice at all .
And leaving on Australian terms is an outcome for which we are increasingly well-prepared.
” Johnson said on Friday that Britain should get ready for a deal with the European Union similar to the one Australia has , “ based on simple principles of global free trade ” .
Johnson ’ s critics say that an Australian deal is simply code for no deal at all with Britain ’ s largest export market .
More than 70 British business groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urged politicians to get back to the negotiating table next week and strike a Brexit deal .
The groups ranged from the Confederation of British Industry , TheCityUK and techUK to the National Farmers ’ Union , British Retail Consortium and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders .
“ With compromise and tenacity , a deal can be done .
Businesses call on leaders on both sides to find a route through ” , they said .


oann--2020-10-19--Oil falls on demand concerns and new European lockdowns

LONDON ( Reuters ) – Oil steadied on Monday , pressured by concerns over surging coronavirus cases globally and by Libya ’ s plan to boost output , however , prices found some support by hopes of a U.S. fiscal package and expectations of a vaccine by the end of the year .
Brent < LCOc1 > was up 1 cent at $ 42.94 a barrel at 1203 GMT .
U.S. crude < CLc1 > was also up 1 cent at $ 40.89 .
Worldwide coronavirus cases crossed 40 million on Monday , according to a Reuters tally .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 worldwide have not yet caused demand forecasts to be revised further downwards , there is no sign as yet of the hoped-for recovery , ” said Commerzbank analyst Eugen Weinberg .
Many European governments are tightening lockdowns to curb the spread of virus .
“ This latest swathe of stringent restrictions will inevitably impede economic growth and undermine the fuel demand recovery , ” said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM .
For a graphic on World population under curfew : Investors are focusing on the OPEC+ oil producer group ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) meeting later on Monday .
OPEC+ consists of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and producer allies such as Russia .
The committee is expected to discuss the weakening demand outlook as well as increased output from Libya , but is unlikely to recommend immediate action , sources told Reuters .
The Kremlin signalled on Monday a new round of oil talks with Saudi Arabia ahead of the meeting .
Libya has significantly boosted its production after the easing of a blockade by eastern forces in September .
The 70,000-barrels-per-day Abu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restart on Oct. 24 after being shut down for months , two engineers said .
But hopes for a new U.S. stimulus lent some support to prices as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday she was optimistic that legislation on a wide-ranging relief package could be pushed through before the election .
Drugmaker Pfizer Inc < PFE.N > said on Friday it could file in late November for U.S. authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine it is developing , suggesting that a vaccine could potentially be available in the United States by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America projected Brent and WTI would average $ 44 and $ 40 per barrel in 2020 , respectively , and $ 50 and $ 47 per barrel in 2021 .
Meanwhile , China ’ s oil-buying frenzy earlier this year is expected to slow in the fourth quarter .
Chinese refiners slowed their processing rates in September .


oann--2020-10-21--Oil prices slip as U.S. inventory build stokes fears of supply glut

LONDON ( Reuters ) – Oil prices eased on Wednesday after a surprise build-up in U.S. crude stockpiles stoked concerns about a global supply glut and a spike in global COVID-19 cases fuelled fears of a stalled oil demand recovery .
Brent crude futures < LCOc1 > for December delivery were at $ 42.44 a barrel , down 72 cents , or 1.67 % , as of 1209 GMT , while December U.S. West Texas Intermediate ( WTI ) crude < CLc1 > futures slipped 73 cents , or 1.75 % , to $ 40.97 .
Both benchmarks rose in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equity markets and a surprise crude build are in my view the factors weighing on oil prices today .
The market is probably also wanting to see if the EIA confirms the API report later today and any news on a fiscal package in the U.S. , ” Giovanni Staunovo , analyst at UBS Bank , said .
Crude inventories rose by 584,000 barrels in the week to Oct. 16 to 490.6 million barrels , data from industry group the American Petroleum Institute ( API ) showed , compared with analysts ’ expectations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 1 million barrels .
[ API/S ] Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration ( EIA ) is due out later on Wednesday .
Adding to pressure , worldwide COVID-19 cases crossed 40 million on Tuesday , with some parts of Europe imposing renewed lockdown measures .
On the supply side , Russia ’ s energy minister said on Tuesday it was too early to discuss the future of global oil production curbs beyond December , less than a week after saying plans to scale back existing output restrictions should proceed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC ) and allies including Russia – together known as OPEC+ – agreed to trim production cuts in January from a current 7.7 million barrels per day ( bpd ) to roughly 5.7 million bpd .
At the same time , OPEC member Libya , which is exempt from the cuts , is also ramping up production after armed conflict shut almost all of the country ’ s output in January , pumping more oil into an oversupplied market .
The battle over a hefty , new U.S. coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday as the White House and Democrats try to strike a deal before the Nov. 3 presidential and congressional elections , now with the encouragement of President Donald Trump .


oann--2020-10-25--Cenovus Energy to buy Husky Energy for $24 billion

( Reuters ) – Canadian oil and gas producer Cenovus Energy Inc will buy peer Husky Energy Inc in an @ @ @ @ @ $ 23.6 billion ( $ 17.97 billion ) , inclusive of debt , the companies @ @ @ @ @ on Sunday .
Husky shareholders will receive 0.7845 of a Cenovus share plus 0.0651 of @ @ @ @ @ in exchange for each Husky common share , according to the statement .
The combined @ @ @ @ @ annual synergies of C $ 1.2 billion and will operate as Cenovus Energy Inc with @ @ @ @ @ , the statement said .
Cenovus CEO Alex Pourbaix will serve as chief executive of @ @ @ @ @ Hart , currently Husky ’ s finance chief , becoming chief financial officer .
Cenovus @ @ @ @ @ be the third largest Canadian oil and natural gas producer with production of 750,000 barrels @ @ @ @ @ of low-cost oil and natural gas .


oann--2020-10-26--Pence staff hit by COVID-19 outbreak as Biden says Trump has surrendered to pandemic

BANGOR , Maine/WILMINGTON , Del .
( Reuters ) – Vice President Mike Pence campaigned on Sunday despite a COVID-19 outbreak among his aides and President Donald Trump claimed progress as the United States set records for daily infections , prompting Democratic challenger Joe Biden to accuse Trump of surrendering to the pandemic .
With nine days to go before the Nov. 3 election , the White House cited Pence ’ s status as an “ essential worker ” as justification for his campaign travel despite exposure to his chief of staff , Marc Short , who tested positive on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also tested positive for COVID-19 , the White House chief of staff said .
A spokesman for the vice president said late on Saturday that Pence and his wife had tested negative .
Pence addressed a rally in Kinston , North Carolina , on Sunday and will be in Hibbing , Minnesota , on Monday .
The United States in the past two days has registered its highest number of new COVID-19 cases – about 84,000 on Friday and about 79,900 on Saturday .
The pandemic , which has caused about 225,000 U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , remains front and center in the presidential race .
As of Sunday evening , 59,132,524 voters had already cast ballots , according to the U.S .
Elections Project at the University of Florida .
Even as the novel coronavirus surged in many parts of the United States , Trump told an airport rally in New Hampshire : “ There ’ s no nation in the world that ’ s recovered like we ’ ve recovered.
” “ We are coming around , we ’ re rounding the turn , we have the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without the vaccines , we ’ re rounding the turn , ” Trump told cheering supporters , many not wearing protective masks or observing social-distancing recommendations .
While numerous COVID-19 vaccines are being developed , none has been approved for use in the United States .
“ We ’ re not going to control the pandemic .
We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines , therapeutics and other mitigation areas , ” White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told CNN ’ s “ State of the Union ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his campaign , Biden seized on those comments , saying Meadows “ stunningly admitted this morning that the administration has given up on even trying to control this pandemic , that they ’ ve given up on their basic duty to protect the American people.
” “ This wasn ’ t a slip by Meadows , it was a candid acknowledgement of what President Trump ’ s strategy has clearly been from the beginning of this crisis : to wave the white flag of defeat and hope that by ignoring it , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hasn ’ t , and it won ’ t , ” Biden added .
The outbreak among Pence ’ s aides marked the latest White House COVID-19 cases , which have included Trump , first lady Melania Trump , their son , Barron , and numerous aides and associates .
The president was hospitalized for three nights this month after contracting COVID-19 .
The new infections offered a reminder of the way Trump and his allies have downplayed the advice of public health experts to wear masks and observe social-distancing guidelines to combat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made a surprise visit to an apple orchard near Bangor , Maine , where he was greeted by hundreds of supporters alerted to the event by a local newspaper .
Maine and Nebraska are the only states that split their electoral votes .
Trump lost Maine in 2016 and is lagging Biden by about 10 percentage points this time , according to opinion polls .
But he picked up one Electoral College vote there in 2016 by winning one of its two congressional districts .
“ Last time , we got one section @ @ @ @ @ @ @ section , ” Trump told the crowd .
Biden had no campaign events scheduled for Sunday .
The former vice president leads in national opinion polls , but contests in battleground states that could decide the outcome appear closer .
Meadows told reporters that White House doctors cleared Pence to travel after Short tested positive .
Asked why Pence was not following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to quarantine for 14 days after such exposure , Meadows on Sunday cited the vice president ’ s status as “ essential personnel.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ensure continuity of operations of essential functions , CDC advises that critical infrastructure workers may be permitted to continue work following potential exposure to COVID-19 , provided they remain asymptomatic and additional precautions are implemented to protect them and the community.
” The CDC guidance does not mention political campaigning .
Explaining why the Trump campaign is not requiring people attending rallies to wear masks , Meadows said the campaign offered masks to attendees , but “ we live in a free society.
” Biden ’ s running mate , Senator Kamala Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trail this month after an aide tested positive for COVID-19 .
Speaking in Detroit , Harris criticized Pence for continuing to travel , saying : “ He should be following the guidelines.
” Infectious diseases expert Dr. Sandra Nelson of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital said it appeared that Pence would be at high risk for becoming infected and transmitting infection .
“ With multiple members of his office testing positive , this would be considered a work-based cluster .
Anytime there is a cluster like this , I would advise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work for 14 days , ” Nelson said .


oann--2020-10-31--Trump derides doctors as COVID surges, Biden says Trump ‘giving up’ on virus

MILWAUKEE/ROCHESTER , Minn. ( Reuters ) – President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden on Friday sought support in Midwestern states where the coronavirus has roared back , with Trump falsely accusing doctors of profiting from COVID-19 deaths while Biden said Trump had surrendered to the pandemic .
Trump criticized Democratic governors who have imposed restrictions that aim to slow the virus ’ s spread , and said Biden would prohibit Americans from gathering for holidays or other special occasions if elected .
Many of those who came to see him did not wear masks .
“ You ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and you ’ ve got to do it fast !
” Trump said at a rally in Green Bay , Wisconsin , with just four days to go before the election .
At a later event in Rochester , Minnesota , he greeted hundreds of supporters who were locked out of a rally that was limited to 250 participants by state authorities .
Trump also trained his ire on the U.S. medical system , falsely saying that doctors are somehow incentivized to drive up the death count .
“ Our doctors get more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said in Waterford Township , Michigan .
Biden accused Trump of “ giving up ” in the fight against the virus and said he should not attack medical personnel who are treating its victims .
“ Unlike Donald Trump , we will not surrender to this virus , ” he said at a rally in St. Paul , Minnesota .
Supporters , socially distanced in their cars at the state fairground , and honked their horns in agreement .
 The coronavirus pandemic , which has killed nearly 230,000 people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their jobs , has dominated the final days of the campaign .
A record surge of cases is pushing hospitals to the brink of capacity .
The news pushed Wall Street to its worst week since March , undercutting one of Trump ’ s main arguments for re-election .
Trump , who recovered from COVID-19 weeks ago , has played down the health crisis for months , telling supporters in recent weeks that the country is “ turning the corner ” even as cases surge .
Biden has warned of a “ dark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort to contain the virus .
Biden leads Trump 52 % to 42 % in Reuters/IPSOS national opinion polling , partly because of widespread disapproval of his handling of the pandemic .
Opinion polls show a closer contest in the most competitive states that will decide the election .
The focus on the upper Midwest underlined the region ’ s importance in the race .
Michigan and Wisconsin were two of the three historically Democratic industrial states , along with Pennsylvania , that narrowly voted for the Republican Trump in 2016 , delivering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump by 9 percentage points in Michigan and Wisconsin and 5 points in Pennsylvania , according to Reuters/IPSOS polling .
( https : //polling.reuters.com/ ) ‘ DON ’ T TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED ’ Minnesota , which has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1972 , is one of the few Democratic states that Trump is trying to flip this year .
Biden said his visit was not a sign he was worried about the state , where he has held a steady lead .
Trump was due to visit later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an extraordinary level of enthusiasm have prompted Americans to vote early in unprecedented numbers .
More than 86 million votes have been cast either by mail or in person , roughly 63 % of the total number of votes in the entire 2016 election , according to the U.S .
Elections Project at the University of Florida .
In Texas , a traditionally Republican state where polls show Biden and Trump close , more than 9 million people have cast ballots , eclipsing total turnout from 2016 , the Texas secretary of state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second state , along with Hawaii , to already surpass its 2016 total .
Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that mail-in ballots are susceptible to fraud , and has more recently argued that only the results available on election night should count .
Early voting data show that far more Democrats have voted by mail , while Republicans are expected to turn out in greater numbers on Tuesday .
This means preliminary results from states like Pennsylvania that do not begin counting mail-in ballots until Election Day could show Trump in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots are added .
Last-minute legal battles have added to the uncertainty .
On Thursday , a federal appeals court said Minnesota ’ s plan to count ballots that arrive after Election Day was illegal .
That ruling came after the Supreme Court allowed North Carolina and Pennsylvania to keep similar deadlines in place .
Separately , a federal judge in Washington ordered the U.S .
Postal Service to take extra steps to ensure speedy delivery of mail ballots in areas where service has been slow .


oann--2020-10-31--‘Stay at home’: Johnson locks down England as UK COVID-19 cases pass 1 million

LONDON ( Reuters ) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered England back into a national lockdown after the United Kingdom passed the milestone of one million COVID-19 cases and a second wave of infections threatened to overwhelm the health service .
The United Kingdom , which has the biggest official death toll in Europe from COVID-19 , is grappling with more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases a day and scientists have warned the “ worst case ” scenario of 80,000 dead could be exceeded .
Johnson , at a hastily convened news conference in Downing Street after news of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the one-month lockdown across England would kick in after midnight on Thursday morning and last until Dec. 2 .
In some of the most onerous restrictions in Britain ’ s peacetime history , people will only be allowed to leave home for specific reasons such as education , work , exercise , shopping for essentials and medicines or caring for the vulnerable .
“ We must act now , ” Johnson said , flanked by his chief medical officer , Chris Whitty , and his chief scientific adviser , Patrick Vallance .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ see deaths in this country running at several thousand a day.
” The government will revive its emergency coronavirus wage subsidy scheme to ensure workers who are temporarily laid off during a new England-wide lockdown receive 80 % of their pay , he said .
Essential shops , schools , and universities will remain open , Johnson said , and while elite sports will continue , amateur sports for adults and children will be asked to stop .
Pubs and restaurants will be shut apart from for takeaways , and outbound international travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All non-essential retail will close .
Places of worship will remain open for private prayer , though funerals will be limited to close family members only .
Johnson ’ s imposition of stricter curbs came after scientists warned the outbreak was going in the wrong direction and that action was needed to halt the spread of the virus if families were to have any hope of gathering at Christmas .
The measures bring England into alignment with France and Germany by imposing nationwide restrictions almost as severe as the ones that drove the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recession in generations .
Johnson was criticised by political opponents for moving too slowly into the first national lockdown , which stretched from March 23 to July 4 .
He fell ill with COVID in late March and was hospitalised in early April .
A national lockdown represents a dramatic change of policy for the prime minister , who has been saying for months that it will not be necessary .
Two weeks ago he defended his strategy of a patchwork of local restrictions by saying he wanted to avoid the “ misery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , areas of England are subject to one of three tiers of coronavirus restrictions .
“ I am optimistic that this will feel very different and better by the spring , ” Johnson said , adding that there was realistic hope of a vaccine in the first quarter of next year .
Asked by reporters what took him so long to impose a national lockdown , Johnson said it was a constant struggle to balance the risk to life and the risk to livelihoods .
“ We have to mindful the whole time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact of the measures , ” Johnson said .
His medical adviser Whitty said that without the tougher measures then the National Health Service could be overwhelmed .
Keir Starmer , the opposition Labour leader , who called for a lockdown two weeks ago , said the delay introducing the restrictions will come “ at an economic cost and a human cost ” .
Lawmakers are expected to vote on the proposals on Wednesday .
The new lockdown will heap more pressure on finance minister Rishi Sunak and the Bank of England to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK economy , the world ’ s sixth-biggest .
The economy slumped a record 20 % in the spring .
So far , the United Kingdom has reported 46,555 COVID-19 deaths – defined as those dying within 28 days of a positive test .
A broader measure of those with COVID-19 on their death certificates puts the toll at 58,925 .
The United Kingdom has the world ’ s fifth largest official death toll , after the United States , Brazil , India and Mexico , according to a Johns Hopkins University tally @


oann--2020-11-01--Trump signs U.S. reform bill into law after Nassar abuse scandal

( Reuters ) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday signed into law a bill designed to give Olympic athletes greater protection and more input into decision making in the wake of the Larry Nassar gymnastics sexual abuse scandal .
The Empowering Olympic , Paralympic and Amateur Athletes Act increases funding for the U.S. Center for SafeSport and creates more athlete representation on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee ( USOPC ) board and sport National Governing Bodies ( NGB ) .
If both fail to follow up on reforms , new mechanisms will be in place to allow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decertify NGBs .
USA Gymnastics is still reeling from the scandal that involved former team doctor Nassar , who was sentenced to up to 300 years in prison in 2018 after more than 350 women testified about abuse at his hands .
The bill followed an 18-month bipartisan investigation that found Nassar was able to assault hundreds of girls and women because of a lack of transparency and accountability among U.S. Olympic officials , coaches and trainers .
The bill ’ s authors Republican senator Jerry Moran and Democrat senator Richard Blumenthal said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sweeping reform legislation ” signed into law and praised the athletes who had testified before Congress .
“ This law would not be possible were it not for the athletes and courageous survivors who traveled to Washington , shared their stories and demanded change so that future generations of athletes can train , compete and succeed without fear or abuse , ” the senators said in a joint statement .
“ We are grateful to our colleagues , athlete advocates and the many survivors who helped create and advocate for this law to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and allowed us to keep our promise to the survivors to get this bill across the finish line .
“ We will make certain this law is being implemented to the fullest extent and continue to hold accountable the institutions that have the responsibility to keep our athletes safe.
” The Nassar scandal triggered lawsuits and mass resignations at USOPC and USA Gymnastics over the organizational failures to adequately respond to the abuse .
It has led to the Congressional oversight , with regular reports and audits to be made available .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study broader issues within the Olympic and Paralympic movements .
Following recommendations from an independent report , the USOPC began last year to introduce the first wave of reforms including increased athlete representation .


oann--2020-11-02--Trump campaigns in Midwest, Biden stumps in Pennsylvania two days before election

HICKORY , N.C./PHILADELPHIA ( Reuters ) – Two days before Election Day , President Donald Trump sprinted across U.S. battleground states on Sunday as he sought to rally past Democratic challenger Joe Biden , who implored supporters in the pivotal state of Pennsylvania to turn out to vote .
Trump , aiming to avoid becoming the first incumbent president to lose a re-election bid since fellow Republican George H.W .
Bush in 1992 , kept up a frantic pace with rallies in Michigan , Iowa and North Carolina , and had later stops planned in Georgia and Florida .
Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the race is seen as close in enough battleground states that Trump could achieve the 270 votes needed to win in the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the victor .
The former vice president made two appearances in closely contested Pennsylvania , the state where he was born and that is crucial to his quest for the White House .
“ We ’ re at an inflection point .
So we have to vote like we never did before , ” Biden told a drive-in rally in a parking lot outside a Philadelphia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ horns in approval .
Buffeted by snow flurries in Washington , Michigan , a town north of Detroit , Trump wore his trademark red cap emblazoned with the words “ Make America Great Again ” and was bundled up in an overcoat as he addressed a boisterous crowd on a blustery morning .
After the crowd loudly chanted : “ We love you , ” Trump responded : “ I love you , too .
If I didn ’ t , I wouldn ’ t be standing here because it ’ s freezing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out there and vote , ” Trump told the crowd .
Trump predicted he would repeat his 2016 victory in Michigan and touted his efforts to create auto jobs , a key issue for the auto manufacturing state .
“ We brought back your car industry .
Your car industry was finished .
You would have had nothing left , ” Trump said .
Motor vehicle manufacturing employment in Michigan has fallen by about 5,000 jobs since Trump took office in early 2017 , and there are about 13,000 fewer jobs making vehicle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in windy Dubuque , where he made his pitch to Iowa farmers in the important corn-growing state and predicted he would win there as he did four years ago .
Between campaign stops in Philadelphia , Biden criticized Trump for encouraging his supporters after they harassed a Biden campaign bus in Texas .
A caravan of vehicles bearing Trump campaign flags surrounded the bus carrying campaign staff on a highway on Friday , forcing the campaign to cancel two events .
Trump on Saturday retweeted a video of the incident and wrote : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ ve never had anything like this .
At least we ’ ve never had a president who thinks it ’ s a good thing , ” Biden told reporters .
The FBI said on Sunday it had opened an inquiry into the Texas incident .
Commenting on an Axios report that Trump has told confidants he will declare victory on Tuesday night if it looks like he is ahead even if the Electoral College outcome is unclear , Biden said : “ The president ’ s not going to steal this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was false but said it was a “ terrible thing ” that ballots would be counted after Tuesday ’ s election .
Biden is ahead 51 % to 43 % nationally in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll , taken from Oct 27 to 29 .
A coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 230,000 Americans and battered the economy has weighed on Trump ’ s campaign .
But the race remains a toss-up in Florida , North Carolina and Arizona , Reuters/Ipsos polls showed , as Trump trails by 7 percentage points in Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In his 2016 victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton , the real estate developer and reality TV personality-turned-politician was propelled into the White House by victories in Pennsylvania , Wisconsin and Michigan , states that for decades had gone into the Democratic column .
Biden is scheduled to appear again on Monday in Pennsylvania and added a stop in Ohio , indicating his campaign views that Midwestern state as winnable .
A record-setting 93.2 million early votes have been cast either in-person or by mail , according to the U.S .
Elections Project @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters .
The early surge has led Michael McDonald of the University of Florida , who administers the project , to predict a record turnout rate of about 65 % of eligible voters , the highest rate since 1908 .
Trump was due to stage 10 rallies – five a day – on Sunday and Monday , the campaign ’ s busiest stretch , with Monday appearances planned in North Carolina , Pennsylvania , Wisconsin and back in Michigan .
Hitting on familiar themes , Trump portrayed himself as running against “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a half ” in Biden as well as a “ left-wing mob ” and Democratic “ maniacs.
” The contest has proven unexpectedly close in Texas , typically a reliable Republican state .
In Democratic-leaning Houston , a Republican state legislator and a conservative activist are seeking a court ruling that drive-through voting is illegal and that about 120,000 votes already cast should be thrown out .
The Texas Supreme Court declined on Sunday to hear their claims .
A federal judge is due to hold an emergency hearing on Monday on @ @ @


oann--2020-11-06--Vote counts push Biden closer to victory as Trump falsely claims election being ‘stolen’

WASHINGTON/WILMINGTON , Del .
( Reuters ) – With his re-election chances fading as more votes are counted in a handful of battleground states , U.S. President Donald Trump launched an extraordinary assault on the country ’ s democratic process from the White House on Thursday , falsely claiming the election was being “ stolen ” from him .
Offering no evidence , Trump lambasted election workers and alleged fraud in the states where results from a dwindling set of uncounted votes are pushing Democrat Joe Biden nearer to victory .
“ This is a case where they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump said , who spoke for about 15 minutes in the White House briefing room before leaving without taking questions .
Biden , the former vice president , was steadily eating away the Republican incumbent ’ s leads in Pennsylvania and Georgia even as he maintained narrow advantages in Nevada and Arizona , moving closer to securing the 270 votes in the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the winner .
In Pennsylvania , Trump ’ s lead had shrunk from 319,000 on Wednesday afternoon to around 50,000 by Thursday night , while his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2,500 .
Those numbers were expected to continue to move in Biden ’ s favor , with many of the outstanding ballots from areas that typically vote Democratic , including the cities of Philadelphia and Atlanta .
Biden , meanwhile , saw his lead in Arizona contract from 93,000 to around 48,000 ; he was ahead in Nevada by only 11,000 votes .
Biden would become the next president by winning Pennsylvania , or by winning two out of the trio of Georgia , Nevada and Arizona .
Trump ’ s likeliest path @ @ @ @ @ @ @ onto Pennsylvania and Georgia while overtaking Biden in either Nevada or Arizona .
Most major television networks gave Biden a 253 to 214 lead in Electoral College votes , which are largely determined by state population , after he captured the crucial states of Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday .
As demonstrators marched in several U.S. cities for a second straight day , the election lay in the hands of civil employees who were methodically counting hundreds of thousands of ballots , many of which were sent by mail amid the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take days .
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said on Thursday afternoon the state still had about 350,000 ballots yet to count but expected the vast majority to be tallied by Friday .
In Georgia , Gabriel Sterling , an election official , said it would “ take time ” to process tens of thousands of remaining ballots .
Arizona , where there were at least 400,000 ballots remaining , and Nevada , which had 190,000 uncounted votes , were also expected to take days to complete their tallies .
Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posts from Trump earlier in the day that called for vote counting to stop , even though he currently trails Biden in enough states to hand the Democrat the presidency .
Trump ’ s campaign , meanwhile , pursued a flurry of lawsuits in Georgia , Michigan , Nevada and Pennsylvania , though judges in Georgia and Michigan quickly rejected the challenges .
Legal experts said the cases had little chance of affecting the electoral outcome .
Biden wrote on Twitter shortly after Trump ’ s White House appearance , “ No one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from us.
” In earlier remarks from his hometown of Wilmington , Delaware , Biden expressed confidence he would win and urged calm as votes were tallied .
“ Democracy ’ s sometimes messy , ” Biden said .
“ It sometimes requires a little patience as well .
But that patience has been rewarded now for more than 240 years in a system of governance that has been the envy of the world.
” A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed a bipartisan majority of Americans rejecting Trump ’ s premature victory declaration in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close election underscored the nation ’ s deep political divides , while the slow count of millions of mail-in ballots served as a reminder of the deadly pandemic that continues to upend American life .
Biden , if he prevails , will nevertheless have failed to deliver the sweeping repudiation to Trump that Democrats had hoped for , reflecting the deep support the president enjoys despite his tumultuous four years in office .
Trump ’ s influence on the Republican Party will remain strong , even if he ultimately loses a tight election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has killed more than 234,000 Americans and left millions more out of work , even as the country still grapples with the aftermath of months of unrest over race relations and police brutality .
Biden ’ s lead in the national popular vote broke 4 million on Thursday night , though that plays no role in deciding the winner .
Trump lost the popular vote by about 3 million to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 , when he secured an upset victory by winning key states in the Electoral College .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incumbent U.S. president to lose a re-election bid since fellow Republican George H.W .
Bush in 1992 .
Trump , who often relished legal battles during his turbulent business career , was at the White House working the phones and monitoring developments on television , two Trump advisers said .
He has been talking to state governors as well as close friends and aides and dispatched some of his closest advisers out in the field to fight for him .
“ He ’ s very engaged , he ’ s monitoring , talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump confidant said .
“ It doesn ’ t look good but this guy wants to keep fighting .
He ’ s in a fighting mood right now .
He ’ s not melancholy or dejected .
But the path is getting harder and harder.
” Twitter and Facebook have flagged numerous posts from Trump since Election Day as misleading .
Trump ’ s rhetoric had gained traction with some supporters , however .
A Facebook group called “ Stop the Steal ” pushing false claims of voter fraud gained hundreds of thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media giant took down the page , citing calls for violence .
Supporters of both candidates also held small protests outside voting centers on Thursday , though the demonstrations were largely peaceful .


oann--2020-11-07--Biden lead widens in U.S. election as votes trickle in

WILMINGTON , Del./WASHINGTON ( Reuters ) – Democrat Joe Biden edged closer to winning the White House on Friday , expanding his narrow leads over President Donald Trump in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Georgia even as Republicans sought to raise $ 60 million to fund lawsuits challenging the results .
Trump remained defiant , vowing to press unfounded claims of fraud as a weary , anxious nation waited for clarity in an election that only intensified the country ’ s deep polarization .
On the fourth day of vote counting , former Vice President Biden had a 253 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ College vote that determines the winner , according to Edison Research .
Securing Pennsylvania ’ s 20 electoral votes would put Biden over the 270 he needs to win the presidency after a political career stretching back nearly five decades .
Biden would also win if he prevails in two of the three other key states where he was narrowly ahead on Friday : Georgia , Arizona and Nevada .
Like Pennsylvania , all three were still processing ballots on Friday .
Nationwide , Biden led Trump by 4.1 million votes out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , his lead was much smaller in those four contested states : just 83,038 votes out of more than 16 million cast .
In Georgia , he led by a mere 3,962 votes .
As Biden ’ s lead grew in Pennsylvania , hundreds of Democrats gathered outside Philadelphia ’ s downtown vote-counting site , wearing yellow shirts reading “ Count Every Vote.
” Two men were charged with gun offenses after being arrested near the center , which has become a focal point for protests .
Local media showed stickers on their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theory .
In Detroit , a crowd of Trump supporters , some armed , protested outside a counting location , waving flags and chanting , “ Fight !
” Under the banner of “ Stop the Steal , ” Trump supporters planned 62 separate rallies for Friday and Saturday .
Biden planned to deliver a prime-time address on Friday , according to two people familiar with his schedule , even if television networks have not called the race for him .
As the votes trickled in , Democrats grew increasingly frustrated that Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ These outlets have been bullied by Trump , ” Democratic strategist Brad Woodhouse wrote on Twitter .
Meanwhile , Trump showed no sign he was ready to concede , as his campaign pursued a series of lawsuits that legal experts said were unlikely to alter the election outcome .
“ Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the President .
I could make that claim also .
Legal proceedings are just now beginning !
” he wrote on Twitter .
Trump earlier leveled an extraordinary attack on the democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Thursday evening to falsely claim the election was being “ stolen ” from him .
Election officials across the nation have said they are unaware of any significant irregularities .
Some of Trump ’ s fellow Republicans in Congress said he should tone down his rhetoric .
The Republican National Committee is looking to collect at least $ 60 million from donors to fund Trump ’ s legal challenges , two sources familiar with the matter said .
In both Pennsylvania and Georgia , Biden overtook Trump as officials processed thousands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic strongholds including Philadelphia and Atlanta .
The number of Americans voting early and by mail this year surged due to the coronavirus as people tried to avoid large groups of voters on Election Day .
The methodical counting process has left Americans waiting longer than they have since the 2000 election to learn the winner of a presidential contest .
A sense of grim resignation settled in at the White House on Friday , where the president was monitoring TV and talking to advisers on the phone .
One adviser said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , but that Trump was not ready to admit defeat .
The campaign ’ s general counsel , Matt Morgan , asserted in a statement on Friday that the elections in Georgia , Nevada and Pennsylvania all suffered from improprieties and that Trump would eventually prevail in Arizona .
He also said the campaign expected to pursue a recount in Georgia , as it has said it will do in Wisconsin , where Biden won by more than 20,000 votes .
A margin that wide has never been overturned by a recount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials said on Friday they expect a recount , which can be requested by a candidate if the final margin is less than 0.5 % , as it currently is .
Biden led by 0.1 % as of Friday evening .
In response to the idea that Trump might not concede , Biden spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement on Friday , “ The United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.
” The messy aftermath capped a vitriolic campaign that underscored the country ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , amid a pandemic that has killed more than 235,000 Americans .
If he wins Biden might face a difficult task governing in a divided Washington .
Republicans could keep control of the U.S. Senate , which would enable them to block much of his agenda , including expanding healthcare and fighting climate change .
In Pennsylvania , Biden had a lead of 19,584 votes with 96 % of the vote tallied .
In Georgia , he was 3,962 votes ahead with 99 % of the vote in .
Biden , 77 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Georgia since fellow Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992 .
In Arizona , Biden ’ s lead narrowed to 36,835 votes with 94 % of the vote counted .
His margin in Nevada jumped to 22,657 with 93 % of the tally completed .
States have historically taken time after Election Day to tally all votes , although in most presidential elections the gap between candidates is big enough that television networks project the winner and the losing candidate concedes before counting formally ends .
GRAPHIC : Where Biden and Trump stand on the @ @ @ @ @


oann--2020-11-07--French PM vows to fight radical Islam in tribute to attack victims

NICE ( Reuters ) – French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Saturday the government would keep “ fighting relentlessly ” against radical Islam as he paid tribute to the three victims of a knife attack in the southern city of Nice last month .
A Tunisian man shouting “ Allahu akbar ” ( God is Greatest ) beheaded a woman and killed two other people in a church in the coastal city on Oct. 29 before being shot and taken away by police .
“ We know the enemy .
Not only has it been identified , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Islam , a political ideology that disfigures the Muslim religion , ” Castex said in a speech during the ceremony .
“ ( It is ) an enemy that the government is fighting relentlessly by providing the necessary resources and mobilising all of its forces everyday , ” he added .
The Nice attack followed the beheading of a schoolteacher in a suburb of Paris on Oct. 16 by a Chechen-born man who was apparently incensed by the teacher showing a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad in class .
The attack in Nice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ France ’ s defence of the right to publish cartoons depicting the prophet .
A 21-year-old man recently arrived from Tunisia , suspected of being the Nice attacker , is still in a critical condition after being shot by municipal police and was transferred to a Paris hospital on Friday .


oann--2020-11-07--Trump administration advances $10 billion defense sale to UAE, source says

FILE PHOTO : Israel 's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , U.S. President Donald Trump and United Arab Emirates ( UAE ) Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed display their copies of signed agreements as they participate in the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords , normalizing relations between Israel and some of its Middle East neighbors , in a strategic realignment of Middle Eastern countries against Iran , on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington , U.S. , September 15 , 2020 .
REUTERS/Tom Brenner/ FILE PHOTO : Israel 's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , U.S. President Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed display their copies of signed agreements as they participate in the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords , normalizing relations between Israel and some of its Middle East neighbors , in a strategic realignment of Middle Eastern countries against Iran , on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington , U.S. , September 15 , 2020 .
REUTERS/Tom Brenner/ WASHINGTON ( Reuters ) – The U.S. State Department sent Congress an informal notification of plans to sell $ 10 billion of defense equipment , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the United Arab Emirates , a U.S. congressional aide said on Friday .
The informal notification about the ordnance , which was sent to lawmakers late on Thursday , came just after President Donald Trump ’ s administration informed Congress it planned to sell sophisticated armed aerial drones to the UAE , news first reported by Reuters .
The ordnance sale was first reported by CNN .
A State Department spokesman declined comment , saying its policy was not to confirm or comment on proposed defense sales until Congress is formally notified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came on the heels of last week ’ s notification of a potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to the Middle East country .
Trump brokered a deal in September in which the UAE forged official ties with Israel .
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and House of Representatives Foreign Affairs committees – whose members have criticized UAE ’ s role in civilian deaths in Yemen ’ s civil war – review major weapons sales under an informal process before State sends its formal notification to the legislative branch .
Any deal the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Middle East must satisfy decades of agreement with Israel that the U.S.-made equipment must not impair Israel ’ s “ qualitative military edge , ” guaranteeing U.S. weapons furnished to Israel are “ superior in capability ” to those sold to its neighbors .


oann--2020-11-07--Guatemalan mudslides push storm Eta’s death toll near 150

GUATEMALA CITY/TEGUCIGALPA ( Reuters ) – The death toll from torrential downpours unleashed by storm Eta leapt on Friday as Guatemalan soldiers reached a mountain village where around 100 people were killed by a landslide , adding to dozens of other dead in Central America and Mexico .
Many of those who lost their lives in the village of Queja in the central Guatemalan region of Alta Verapaz were buried in their homes after mudslides swallowed around 150 houses , army spokesman Ruben Tellez said .
The devastating weather front brought destruction from Panama to Honduras and Mexico , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flood-related deaths .
Tellez said it was not the first time disaster had struck the remote corner of Alta Verapaz .
The area around Queja appeared to be the site of a huge landslide on a road pass a decade ago , which killed dozens , he said .
“ Now with all this phenomenon it collapsed again , ” he added .
Photos of the Queja landslide showed a lengthy strip of brown mud peeled from the lush green hillside .
A video shared by the army showed soldiers trying to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a morass of mud with the aid of a guide rope .
The army said about 100 people are believed to have died in Queja alone , though searches for survivors continue .
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei hinted the death toll could be higher , with the number of dead and missing in Queja estimated at about 150 .
Footage from another part of Guatemala showed boats ferrying villagers in flooded regions and rescue workers carrying children on their backs , wading through water up to their hips .
One of the fiercest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Eta on Friday dumped more torrential rain across swaths of Central America .
The U.S. National Hurricane Center ( NHC ) warned “ catastrophic flooding ” in the region would continue .
Rescue operations across Honduras and Guatemala have been slowed by destroyed roads and bridges , forcing authorities to bring in the military and use helicopters and speedboats to rescue people stranded on top of their houses .
“ This is the worst storm Honduras has seen in decades .
The damage will undoubtedly be significant , ” said Mark Connolly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ estimated about 1.5 million children there will be affected .
Across the border from Guatemala in the Mexican state of Chiapas , flooding has killed 19 people , many swept up by rivers whose banks burst , state authorities said .
North of Chiapas in Tabasco state , the deluges killed two more people , the federal government said .
In Honduras , flooding has killed 23 people and two are missing , the government said .
Many remained trapped on their roofs , the National Risk Management System said .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … waiting to be evacuated , ” William Santos , sheltering on top of a banana packing plant with about 300 people in northern Honduras , told Reuters .
Eta hit Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane on Tuesday blowing furious winds of 150 miles per hour ( 241 kph ) .
It weakened to a tropical depression inland but the rain continued .
“ We have a lot of people trapped we have not been able to reach , ” said Guatemalan President Giammattei .
The devastation harked back to Hurricane Mitch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Central America in 1998 .
The high winds and heavy rain have damaged thousands of homes in Honduras , Guatemala , Costa Rica and Nicaragua , whose government has not yet detailed the human cost of the storm .
Two miners were reported killed in Nicaragua , while in southern Costa Rica a landslide killed a Costa Rican woman and an American man in a house .
Eight others , including at least three children , died in flooding near the Costa Rican border in Panama ’ s Chiriqui province , authorities said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been rescued in the northern Valle Sula region , authorities said .
Over 5,000 people were evacuated in Guatemala , officials said .
On Friday evening , Eta was off Belize ’ s coast in the Caribbean , churning towards Cuba and Florida , the NHC said .
But remnants of the weather system will continue to hammer parts of Central America with flooding , it added .
Flash flooding was also possible across Jamaica , southeast Mexico , the Cayman Islands and Cuba .


oann--2020-11-08--Biden wins U.S. presidency, vows to unify a deeply divided nation

WILMINGTON , Del./WASHINGTON ( Reuters ) – President-elect Joe Biden declared it was “ time to heal ” America in his first speech after prevailing on Saturday in a bitter election , even as President Donald Trump refused to concede .
Biden ’ s victory in the battleground state of Pennsylvania put him over the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes he needed to clinch the presidency , ending four days of nail-biting suspense and sending his supporters into the streets of major cities in celebration .
“ The people of this nation have spoken .
They have delivered us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Biden told cheering supporters in a parking lot during his victory speech in his home town of Wilmington , Delaware .
“ I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide , but to unify , ” he said , then addressed Trump ’ s supporters directly .
“ Now , let ’ s give each other a chance .
It ’ s time to put away the harsh rhetoric , lower the temperature , see each other again , listen to each other again , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heal in America.
” He was introduced by his running mate , U.S .
Senator Kamala Harris , who will be the first woman , the first Black American and the first American of Asian descent to serve as vice president , the country ’ s No .
2 office .
“ What a testament it is to Joe ’ s character that he had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exists in our country , and select a woman as his vice president , ” Harris said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including from conservative British Prime Minister Boris Johnson , Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Angela Merkel , making it hard for Trump to push his repeated claims , without evidence , that the election was rigged against him .
Trump , who was golfing when the major television networks projected his rival had won , immediately accused Biden of “ rushing to falsely pose as the winner.
” “ This election is far from over , ” he said in a statement .
Trump has filed a raft of lawsuits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in states across the country say there has been no evidence of significant fraud , and legal experts say Trump ’ s efforts are unlikely to succeed .
As the news of his win broke , loud cheers erupted in the halls of the hotel where aides to the former vice president were staying .
Cheers and applause were also heard around Washington , with people emerging onto balconies , honking car horns and banging pots .
The wave of noise in the nation ’ s capital built as more people learned of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began to play , “ We are the Champions ” blared .
In the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant , some people erupted in screams of joy as word spread .
Several residents danced on the fire escape of one building , cheering while others screamed “ yes !
” as they passed by .
Trump supporters reacted with a mix of disappointment , suspicion and resignation , highlighting the difficult task that Biden faces winning over many Americans in more rural areas who believe Trump was the first president to govern with their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s sickening and sad , ” said Kayla Doyle , a 35-year-old Trump supporter and manager of the GridIron Pub on Main Street in the small town of Mifflintown , Pennsylvania .
“ I think it ’ s rigged.
” Angry pro-Trump “ Stop the Steal ” demonstrators gathered at state capitol buildings in Michigan , Pennsylvania , and Arizona .
Protesters in Phoenix chanted “ We want audits !
” One speaker told the crowd : “ We will win in court !
” There were no signs of the violence or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-Trump protests mostly faded as the results sunk in .
Prior to the election , Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost , and he falsely declared victory long before counting was complete .
Former and present political leaders also weighed in , including congratulations from former Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican U.S .
Senator Mitt Romney .
Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham called on the Justice Department to investigate claims of voting irregularities .
The networks ’ declaration for Biden came amid concerns within Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward and pressure on him to pick a professional legal team to outline where they believe voter fraud took place and provide evidence .
Trump ’ s allies made it clear the president does not plan to concede anytime soon .
One Trump loyalist said Trump simply was not ready to admit defeat even though there would not be enough ballots thrown out in a recount to change the outcome .
“ There ’ s a mathematical certainty that he ’ s going to lose , ” the loyalist said .
Biden ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four-year presidency in which he played down a deadly pandemic , imposed harsh immigration policies , launched a trade war with China , tore up international agreements and deeply divided many American families with his inflammatory rhetoric , lies and willingness to abandon democratic norms .
On Saturday , Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien urged supporters to be ready to attend protests or rallies that the campaign is “ propping up around the country , ” according to a person familiar with the situation .
For Biden ’ s supporters , it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He was born in the industrial city of Scranton in the state ’ s northeast and , touting his middle-class credentials , secured the Democratic nomination with a promise to win back working-class voters who had supported Trump in 2016 .
He launched his campaign in Pittsburgh last year and wrapped it up with a rally there on Tuesday .
It was a tight race in industrial states such as Pennsylvania , Michigan , Wisconsin and Minnesota , but Biden did enough to prevail .
He faced unprecedented challenges .
These included Republican-led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time when a record number of people were due to vote by mail because of the pandemic , which has killed more than 236,000 people in the United States .
When Biden enters the White House on Jan. 20 , the oldest person to assume the office at age 78 , he likely will face a difficult task governing in a deeply polarized Washington , underscored by a record nationwide voter turnout .
Both sides characterized the 2020 election as one of the most crucial in U.S. history , as important as votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1930s Great Depression .
Biden ’ s victory was driven by strong support from groups including women , African Americans , white voters with college degrees and city-dwellers .
He beat Trump by more than four million votes in the nationwide popular vote count .
Biden , who has spent half a century in public life as a U.S. senator and then vice president under Trump ’ s predecessor Obama , will inherit a nation in turmoil over the coronavirus pandemic and the related economic slowdown as well as protests against racism and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first priority will be developing a plan to contain and recover from the pandemic , promising to improve access to testing and , unlike Trump , to heed the advice of leading public health officials and scientists .
In addition to taming the health crisis , Biden faces a huge challenge remedying the economic hardship caused by the pandemic .
Some 10 million Americans thrown out of work during coronavirus lockdowns remain idled , and federal relief programs have expired .
The U.S. economy remains technically in recession , and prospects are bleak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , especially in service industries such as hospitality and entertainment where job losses hit women and minorities particularly hard .
Biden also has pledged to restore a sense of normalcy to the White House after a presidency in which Trump praised authoritarian foreign leaders , disdained longstanding global alliances , refused to disavow white supremacists and cast doubt on the legitimacy of the U.S. election system .
Despite his victory , Biden will have failed to deliver the sweeping repudiation to Trump that Democrats had hoped for , reflecting the deep support the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden ’ s campaign promises to reverse key parts of Trump ’ s legacy .
These include deep Trump tax cuts that especially benefited corporations and the wealthy , hardline immigration policies , efforts to dismantle the 2010 Obamacare healthcare law and Trump ’ s abandonment of such international agreements as the Paris climate accord and Iran nuclear deal .
Should Republicans keep control of the U.S. Senate , they would likely block large parts of his legislative agenda , including expanding healthcare and fighting climate change .
That prospect could depend on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including two in Georgia that will not be resolved until runoffs in January .
For Trump , 74 , it was an unsettling end after an astonishing political rise .
The real estate developer who established a nationwide brand as a reality TV personality upset Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the presidency in 2016 in his first run for elected office .
Four years later , he becomes the first U.S. president to lose a re-election bid since Republican George H.W .
Bush in 1992 .
Despite his draconian immigration curbs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He also won battleground states such as Florida , where his pledge to prioritize the economy even if it increased the threat of the coronavirus appeared to have resonated .
In the end , though , Trump failed to significantly widen his appeal beyond a committed core of rural and working-class white voters who embraced his right-wing populism and “ America First ” nationalism .
Duane Fitzhugh , a 52-year-old teacher celebrating Biden ’ s victory outside the Trump Hotel in Washington , said it was as if an evil enchantment was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like a pall fell over the country four years ago and we ’ ve been waiting years for it to end , ” he said .