washingtontimes--2020-11-14--AP FACT CHECK: Trump relies on falsehoods to deny Biden win

WASHINGTON ( AP ) - President Donald Trump rebelled this past week against Democrat Joe Biden ’ s victory in the presidential election with denial , delay and outright misrepresentation .
Trump raged about widespread cases of fake ballots that aren ’ t so and undertook legal challenges that even state GOP election officials say can ’ t overcome Biden ’ s lead .
As the coronavirus surged nationwide , Trump said little about public safety measures .
Instead he tried to take full credit for drugmaker Pfizer Inc. ’ s news that its COVID-19 vaccine may be 90 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done .
His assertions on both matters are untrue .
TRUMP : “ Georgia will be a big presidential win , as it was the night of the Election !
” - tweet Monday .
THE FACTS : Georgia wasn ’ t a win for Trump on election night .
It still isn ’ t .
He ’ s falsely suggesting that any ballot counted after Nov. 3 in Georgia and other states must be illegitimate and illegal .
In fact , such counting is explicitly allowed in about 20 states , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way of it .
Trump refused to concede and said he will press his legal challenges , despite seeing several lawsuits dismissed by courts .
Studies have repeatedly shown that voter fraud is exceptionally rare .
Currently Biden leads Trump in Georgia by 14,000 votes .
The state ’ s top election official , Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , a Republican , has repeatedly assured the public there were no widespread problems .
“ Was there illegal voting ?
I ’ m sure there was , and my office is investigating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Does it rise to the numbers or margin necessary to change the outcome to where President Trump is given Georgia ’ s electoral votes ?
That is unlikely.
” Raffensperger has rejected the demands of Republican Sens .
David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler - who face January runoffs that will decide control of the Senate - that he resign over what they say are “ too many failures in Georgia elections this year.
” He announced an audit of presidential election results that will trigger a full hand tally in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run election were broadly affirmed Thursday by a coalition of federal and state officials , who described the voting nationwide as the “ most secure in U.S. history.
” “ While we know there are many unfounded claims and opportunities for misinformation about the process of our elections , we can assure you we have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections , and you should too , ” said the Homeland Security Department ’ s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency , which spearheaded federal election protection efforts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to elections officials as trusted voices as they administer elections.
” TRUMP : “ Pennsylvania … wouldn ’ t let our Poll Watchers & Observers into counting rooms .
Illegal !
” - tweet Thursday .
TRUMP : “ Pennsylvania prevented us from watching much of the Ballot count .
Unthinkable and illegal in this country.
” - tweet Monday .
THE FACTS : His assertion is false .
Trump is wholly misrepresenting a court case in the state and what happened at voting places .
No one tried to ban poll watchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats did not try to stop Republican representatives from being able to observe the process .
The main issue in the case was how close observers representing the parties could get to election workers who were processing mail-in ballots in Philadelphia .
Trump ’ s representatives sued to allow the observers to get closer than the guidelines had allowed .
A court ruled in favor of that request .
The counting in Philadelphia was being livestreamed and Trump ’ s lawyers admitted in court that their campaign had observers in the room - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as they put it .
It was well-known that huge numbers of mailed-in ballots as well as in-person ballots were to be counted after Election Day and that many would be from Democratic-leaning areas .
Poll watchers have no role in counting votes .
TRUMP , tweeting a video widely shared on social media pointing to alleged voter fraud in California : “ You are looking at BALLOTS !
Is this what our Country has come to ?
” - tweet Wednesday .
THE FACTS : Trump ’ s suggestion of voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The video , which shows two men collecting ballots from collection boxes the day after the election , does not show evidence of anything nefarious .
Mike Sanchez , speaking for the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder County Clerk ’ s office , which oversees elections for the county , told The Associated Press that the two men were staff from his office carrying out a scheduled pickup .
“ All vote by mail ballot drop boxes were closed and locked at 8 p.m. on Election Day.
” Sanchez said .
“ Ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picked up the following day.
” He said : “ The ballots are valid ballots and will be processed and counted.
” The video was shared on various social media sites , including on TikTok with the caption , “ The cheating is unreal !
!
!
” A post on Instagram with over 500,000 views shared the video with the caption , “ The lies , the cheating , the hypocrisy must be exposed.
” Under California law , voters can submit vote-by-mail ballots as late as Election Day .
Election officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have a Nov. 3 postmark and arrive within 17 days of the election .
THE FACTS : He ’ s making unsubstantiated claims .
There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election .
In fact , election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well and international observers confirmed there were no serious irregularities .
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency , which led federal election protection efforts , said Thursday it had no evidence that any voting system had deleted or lost votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in any way compromised .
The officials said all of the states with close results have paper records , which allows for the recounting of each ballot , if necessary , and for “ the identification and correction of any mistakes or errors.
” “ America , we have confidence in the security of your vote , you should , too , ” tweeted Chris Krebs , the agency ’ s director .
The issues Trump ’ s campaign and its allies have pointed to are typical in every election : problems with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on mail-in ballots , as well as the potential for a small number of ballots miscast or lost .
With Biden leading Trump by wide margins in battleground states , none of those issues would have any impact on the outcome of the election .
Trump ’ s campaign has also launched legal challenges complaining that its poll watchers were unable to scrutinize the voting process .
Many of those challenges have been tossed out by judges , some within hours of their filing , and none of the complaints shows any evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affected .
TRUMP , on Pfizer ’ s announcement : “ As soon as April , the vaccine will be available to the entire general population with the exception of places like New York state where for political reasons the governor decided to say - and I don ’ t think it ’ s good politically , I think it ’ s very bad from a health standpoint - but he wants to take his time with a vaccine .
… We can ’ t be delivering it to a state that won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people immediately.
” - remarks Friday .
Trump is referring to a state panel of experts that Gov .
Andrew Cuomo , D-N.Y. , announced in September to review any coronavirus vaccine authorized by the Food and Drug Administration before it is to be distributed in the state .
That additional review doesn ’ t necessarily mean weeks of delay before New York residents can get a federally approved vaccine .
As a practical matter , the FDA will have a public meeting where its independent advisers debate the data .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get an early look .
Cuomo , speaking Friday on CNN , said that as soon as the FDA acts , the state review group would , too .
“ There will be no delay , ” he said .
There is some uncertainty around how the state-level reviews will ultimately work .
Cuomo said the only issue could be if the review group in New York or one of the other states doing reviews finds a problem .
But he notes that : “ I don ’ t think the FDA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this point.
” A handful of other states , including California , have said they would conduct separate safety reviews .
California ’ s plan is to review data quickly so there is no delay in distribution , said Dr. Arthur Reingold , the group ’ s chair .
He said the state ’ s review group - which has been joined by Nevada , Oregon and Washington - has confidence in the federal review process , but that its work is intended to provide additional reassurance to people .
“ Any assertion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receiving a safe and effective COVID vaccine is simply not borne out by the plans we have in place , ” said Reingold , a professor of epidemiology at the University of California , Berkeley .
TRUMP : ” ’ President Trump told us for some time we would be getting a Vaccine by the end of the year and people laughed at him , and here we are with Pfizer getting FDA approval by the end of this month .
He was right.
’ @ MariaBartiromo.
” - tweet Tuesday .
THE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quoting Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo - that he stood alone in saying a COVID-19 vaccine was possible by year ’ s end is incorrect .
Top health experts said they considered that possible , though far from certain , and were more skeptical of Trump ’ s claim that a coronavirus vaccine would become available before the Nov. 3 election .
The vaccine isn ’ t expected to become widely available to the public before 2021 .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the government ’ s top infectious diseases expert , had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ optimistic ” that a vaccine will be ready by late 2020 or early 2021 .
On Monday , he called Pfizer ’ s news “ extraordinary ” but reiterated that it did not mean the U.S. had its immediate cure-all for the coronavirus .
The first step for Pfizer would be to apply for “ emergency use authorization ” by the FDA , probably later this month , which would allow for limited distribution before it seeks full FDA approval for wider use .
Neither step is guaranteed to happen .
“ There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know , the durability of the effect about whether how effective it is in the elderly versus younger people , ” Fauci told CNN .
“ We know this is light at the end of the tunnel , but that doesn ’ t mean that we ’ re going to give up the important public health measures that we continually still have to do every single day.
” Pfizer ’ s interim analysis , from an independent data monitoring board , looked at 94 infections recorded so far in a study that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. and five other countries .
Some participants got the vaccine , while others got dummy shots .
Pfizer says only the data and safety monitoring board knows the breakdowns , not Pfizer researchers or executives .
For the vaccine to be 90 % effective , nearly all the infections must have occurred in placebo recipients .
The study is continuing , and Pfizer cautioned that the protection rate might change as more COVID-19 cases are added to the calculations .
During the presidential campaign , Trump frequently suggested a vaccine might arrive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What I said is by the end of the year , but I think it could even be sooner than that , ” Trump said in September about a vaccine .
“ It could be during the month of October , actually could be before November.
” TRUMP : “ As I have long said , @ Pfizer and the others would only announce a Vaccine after the Election , because they didn ’ t have the courage to do it before .
Likewise , the @ US_FDA should have announced it earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for saving lives !
” - tweet Monday .
TRUMP : “ The @ US_FDA and the Democrats didn ’ t want to have me get a Vaccine WIN , prior to the election , so instead it came out five days later – As I ’ ve said all along !
” - tweet Monday .
THE FACTS : His claim that Pfizer and the FDA withheld vaccine information until after the election is false .
The company itself learned of the interim results a week ago , and the FDA was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to announce its early results .
Every vaccine study such as the one done on Pfizer ’ s is overseen by an independent data and safety monitoring board .
These boards include scientists and statisticians who have no ties to the vaccine makers .
Before a study is complete , only the board has the power to unlock the code of who got a real vaccine and who got a placebo , and to recommend if the shots are working well enough to stop testing early .
Those boards take sneak peeks at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the FDA .
It provided the first interim analysis for Pfizer on Nov. 8 .
John Burkhardt , senior vice president of drug safety research and development at Pfizer , said Monday that the timing of the company ’ s vaccine announcement was not related in any way to the presidential election and was made as soon as the efficacy data was ready .
Pfizer and the maker of the other leading U.S. vaccine candidate , Moderna Inc. , have been cautioning for weeks that the earliest they could seek regulatory approval @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be late November .
TRUMP : “ As a result of Operation Warp Speed , Pfizer announced on Monday that its ‘ China virus ’ vaccine was more than 90 % effective.
” - remarks Friday .
TRUMP , quoting his former White House physician : “ ’ Only because of President Trump , we are going to have a Vaccine by the end of the year.
’ Ronny Jackson , Texas Congressman-Elect.
” - tweet Tuesday .
VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE : “ HUGE NEWS : Thanks to the public-private partnership forged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced its Coronavirus Vaccine trial is EFFECTIVE , preventing infection in 90 % of its volunteers.
” - tweet Monday .
THE FACTS : Pfizer notably did not accept government money to develop , test or expand manufacturing capacity under Trump ’ s Operation Warp Speed initiative to quickly find a vaccine and treatments for the disease sweeping the country .
In fact , Pfizer partnered with the vaccine ’ s original developer , Germany ’ s BioNTech , in March and the following month announced the first human study in Germany .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in May .
Pfizer opted not to join Operation Warp Speed initially but is following the same general requirements for the vaccine ’ s development as competitors who received government research money .
The company says it has risked $ 2 billion of its own money on vaccine development and won ’ t get anything from Washington unless the effort is successful .
“ Pfizer ’ s COVID-19 vaccine development and manufacturing costs have been entirely self-funded , ” Pfizer spokeswoman Jerica Pitts said this week .
“ We decided to self-fund our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as possible.
” Pfizer did sign an agreement with the U.S. government in July worth $ 1.95 billion - if the vaccine pans out and is cleared by the FDA - to supply 100 million doses .
That guarantees Pfizer a U.S. market , an important incentive .
The supply side of Operation Warp Speed also allows Pfizer logistical help , although the company will directly ship its own vaccine , while the government will control shipping of other COVID-19 vaccines .
Associated Press writers Candice Choi , Michelle R. Smith , Linda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joffe-Block and Marcos Martinez Chacon contributed to this report .
EDITOR ’ S NOTE - A look at the veracity of claims by political figures .

HOPE YEN, COLLEEN LONG and LAURAN NEERGAARD

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump rebelled this past week against Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election with denial, delay and outright misrepresentation. Trump raged about widespread cases of fake ballots that aren’t so and undertook legal challenges that even state GOP election officials say can’t overcome Biden’s lead.
As the coronavirus surged nationwide, Trump said little about public safety measures. Instead he tried to take full credit for drugmaker Pfizer Inc.’s news that its COVID-19 vaccine may be 90% effective and suggested the mission was basically done.
His assertions on both matters are untrue.
A review:
VACCINE DISTRIBUTION
TRUMP, on Pfizer’s announcement: “As soon as April, the vaccine will be available to the entire general population with the exception of places like New York state where for political reasons the governor decided to say - and I don’t think it’s good politically, I think it’s very bad from a health standpoint - but he wants to take his time with a vaccine. … We can’t be delivering it to a state that won’t be giving it to its people immediately.” - remarks Friday.
TRUMP: “I LOVE NEW YORK! … The problem is, @NYGovCuomo said that he will delay using it, and other states WANT IT NOW… We cannot waste time and can only give to those states that will use the Vaccine immediately. Therefore the New York delay.” - tweet Saturday.
THE FACTS: That’s a misrepresentation. New York’s separate review doesn’t guarantee a protracted delay.
Trump is referring to a state panel of experts that Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., announced in September to review any coronavirus vaccine authorized by the Food and Drug Administration before it is to be distributed in the state.
That additional review doesn’t necessarily mean weeks of delay before New York residents can get a federally approved vaccine. As a practical matter, the FDA will have a public meeting where its independent advisers debate the data. That’s an opportunity for any interested group to get an early look.
Cuomo said Saturday that as soon as the FDA acts, the state review group would, too.
“It’s not that these panels are going to do tests; they are just going to review what FDA did, so it’s just a review on the FDA process,” Cuomo told reporters Saturday. “We are ready now to receive the vaccine and then, simultaneous with the FDA approval, our panel will be looking at it. So, there’s no delay.”
“Send me a vaccine today; I will distribute it this afternoon,” he said.
There is some uncertainty around how the state-level reviews will ultimately work. Cuomo explained one purpose of the panel is to “develop confidence in people” to take the vaccine, also telling CNN on Friday the only issue could be if the review group in New York finds a problem. But he notes that: “I don’t think the FDA is going to play any games at this point.”
A handful of other states, including California, have also said they would conduct separate safety reviews.
California’s plan is to review data quickly so there is no delay in distribution, said Dr. Arthur Reingold, the group’s chair. He said the state’s review group - which has been joined by Nevada, Oregon and Washington - has trust in the federal review process, but that its work is intended to provide additional reassurance to people.
“Any assertion that our citizens will be delayed in receiving a safe and effective COVID vaccine is simply not borne out by the plans we have in place,” said Reingold, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Berkeley.
___
ELECTION
GEORGIA
TRUMP: “Georgia will be a big presidential win, as it was the night of the Election!” - tweet Monday.
THE FACTS: Georgia wasn’t a win for Trump on election night. It still isn’t. He’s falsely suggesting that any ballot counted after Nov. 3 in Georgia and other states must be illegitimate and illegal. In fact, such counting is explicitly allowed in about 20 states, and the Supreme Court did not stand in the way of it.
Trump refused to concede and said he will press his legal challenges, despite seeing several lawsuits dismissed by courts.
Studies have repeatedly shown that voter fraud is exceptionally rare. Currently Biden leads Trump in Georgia by 14,000 votes.
The state’s top election official, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, has repeatedly assured the public there were no widespread problems.
“Was there illegal voting? I’m sure there was, and my office is investigating all of it,” Raffensperger said. “Does it rise to the numbers or margin necessary to change the outcome to where President Trump is given Georgia’s electoral votes? That is unlikely.”
Raffensperger has rejected the demands of Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler - who face January runoffs that will decide control of the Senate - that he resign over what they say are “too many failures in Georgia elections this year.” He announced an audit of presidential election results that will trigger a full hand tally in the state.
His assurances of a smoothly run election were broadly affirmed Thursday by a coalition of federal and state officials, who described the voting nationwide as the “most secure in U.S. history.”
“While we know there are many unfounded claims and opportunities for misinformation about the process of our elections, we can assure you we have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections, and you should too,” said the Homeland Security Department’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which spearheaded federal election protection efforts. “When you have questions, turn to elections officials as trusted voices as they administer elections.”
___
PENNSYLVANIA
TRUMP: “Pennsylvania … wouldn’t let our Poll Watchers & Observers into counting rooms. Illegal!” - tweet Thursday.
TRUMP: “Pennsylvania prevented us from watching much of the Ballot count. Unthinkable and illegal in this country.” - tweet Monday.
THE FACTS: His assertion is false.
Trump is wholly misrepresenting a court case in the state and what happened at voting places. No one tried to ban poll watchers representing each side in the election. Democrats did not try to stop Republican representatives from being able to observe the process.
The main issue in the case was how close observers representing the parties could get to election workers who were processing mail-in ballots in Philadelphia. Trump’s representatives sued to allow the observers to get closer than the guidelines had allowed. A court ruled in favor of that request.
The counting in Philadelphia was being livestreamed and Trump’s lawyers admitted in court that their campaign had observers in the room - “a nonzero” number of them, as they put it.
It was well-known that huge numbers of mailed-in ballots as well as in-person ballots were to be counted after Election Day and that many would be from Democratic-leaning areas. Poll watchers have no role in counting votes.
___
CALIFORNIA
TRUMP, tweeting a video widely shared on social media pointing to alleged voter fraud in California: “You are looking at BALLOTS! Is this what our Country has come to?” - tweet Wednesday.
THE FACTS: Trump’s suggestion of voting fraud or impropriety is a gross distortion. The video, which shows two men collecting ballots from collection boxes the day after the election, does not show evidence of anything nefarious.
Mike Sanchez, speaking for the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder County Clerk’s office, which oversees elections for the county, told The Associated Press that the two men were staff from his office carrying out a scheduled pickup.
“All vote by mail ballot drop boxes were closed and locked at 8 p.m. on Election Day.” Sanchez said. “Ballots from all boxes throughout the county were picked up the following day.” He said: “The ballots are valid ballots and will be processed and counted.”
The video was shared on various social media sites, including on TikTok with the caption, “The cheating is unreal!!!” A post on Instagram with over 500,000 views shared the video with the caption, “The lies, the cheating, the hypocrisy must be exposed.”
Under California law, voters can submit vote-by-mail ballots as late as Election Day. Election officials must count those ballots as long as they have a Nov. 3 postmark and arrive within 17 days of the election.
___
TRUMP: “WATCH FOR MASSIVE BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE.” - tweet Tuesday.
TRUMP: “WE WILL WIN!” - tweet Tuesday.
THE FACTS: He’s making unsubstantiated claims. There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. In fact, election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well and international observers confirmed there were no serious irregularities.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which led federal election protection efforts, said Thursday it had no evidence that any voting system had deleted or lost votes, had changed votes, or was in any way compromised. The officials said all of the states with close results have paper records, which allows for the recounting of each ballot, if necessary, and for “the identification and correction of any mistakes or errors.”
“America, we have confidence in the security of your vote, you should, too,” tweeted Chris Krebs, the agency’s director.
The issues Trump’s campaign and its allies have pointed to are typical in every election: problems with signatures, secrecy envelopes and postal marks on mail-in ballots, as well as the potential for a small number of ballots miscast or lost. With Biden leading Trump by wide margins in battleground states, none of those issues would have any impact on the outcome of the election.
Trump’s campaign has also launched legal challenges complaining that its poll watchers were unable to scrutinize the voting process. Many of those challenges have been tossed out by judges, some within hours of their filing, and none of the complaints shows any evidence that the outcome of the election was affected.
___
MORE ON VACCINE
TRUMP: “As a result of Operation Warp Speed, Pfizer announced on Monday that its ‘China virus’ vaccine was more than 90% effective.” - remarks Friday.
TRUMP, quoting his former White House physician: “’Only because of President Trump, we are going to have a Vaccine by the end of the year.’ Ronny Jackson, Texas Congressman-Elect.” - tweet Tuesday.
VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: “HUGE NEWS: Thanks to the public-private partnership forged by President @realDonaldTrump, @pfizer announced its Coronavirus Vaccine trial is EFFECTIVE, preventing infection in 90% of its volunteers.” - tweet Monday.
THE FACTS: Pfizer notably did not accept government money to develop, test or expand manufacturing capacity under Trump’s Operation Warp Speed initiative to quickly find a vaccine and treatments for the disease sweeping the country.
In fact, Pfizer partnered with the vaccine’s original developer, Germany’s BioNTech, in March and the following month announced the first human study in Germany. The White House announced Operation Warp Speed in May.
Pfizer opted not to join Operation Warp Speed initially but is following the same general requirements for the vaccine’s development as competitors who received government research money. The company says it has risked $2 billion of its own money on vaccine development and won’t get anything from Washington unless the effort is successful.
“Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine development and manufacturing costs have been entirely self-funded,” Pfizer spokeswoman Jerica Pitts said this week. “We decided to self-fund our efforts so we could move as fast as possible.”
Pfizer did sign an agreement with the U.S. government in July worth $1.95 billion - if the vaccine pans out and is cleared by the FDA - to supply 100 million doses. That guarantees Pfizer a U.S. market, an important incentive.
The supply side of Operation Warp Speed also allows Pfizer logistical help, although the company will directly ship its own vaccine, while the government will control shipping of other COVID-19 vaccines.
___
TRUMP: ”’President Trump told us for some time we would be getting a Vaccine by the end of the year and people laughed at him, and here we are with Pfizer getting FDA approval by the end of this month. He was right.’ @MariaBartiromo.” - tweet Tuesday.
THE FACTS: Trump’s suggestion - quoting Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo - that he stood alone in saying a COVID-19 vaccine was possible by year’s end is incorrect. Top health experts said they considered that possible, though far from certain, and were more skeptical of Trump’s claim that a coronavirus vaccine would become available before the Nov. 3 election. The vaccine isn’t expected to become widely available to the public before 2021.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious diseases expert, had previously said that he was “cautiously optimistic” that a vaccine will be ready by late 2020 or early 2021. On Monday, he called Pfizer’s news “extraordinary” but reiterated that it did not mean the U.S. had its immediate cure-all for the coronavirus.
The first step for Pfizer would be to apply for “emergency use authorization” by the FDA, probably later this month, which would allow for limited distribution before it seeks full FDA approval for wider use. Neither step is guaranteed to happen.
“There’s still some questions about, you know, the durability of the effect about whether how effective it is in the elderly versus younger people,” Fauci told CNN. “We know this is light at the end of the tunnel, but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to give up the important public health measures that we continually still have to do every single day.”
Pfizer’s interim analysis, from an independent data monitoring board, looked at 94 infections recorded so far in a study that has enrolled nearly 44,000 people in the U.S. and five other countries.
Some participants got the vaccine, while others got dummy shots. Pfizer says only the data and safety monitoring board knows the breakdowns, not Pfizer researchers or executives. For the vaccine to be 90% effective, nearly all the infections must have occurred in placebo recipients. The study is continuing, and Pfizer cautioned that the protection rate might change as more COVID-19 cases are added to the calculations.
During the presidential campaign, Trump frequently suggested a vaccine might arrive before the Nov. 3 election.
“What I said is by the end of the year, but I think it could even be sooner than that,” Trump said in September about a vaccine. “It could be during the month of October, actually could be before November.”
___
TRUMP: “As I have long said, @Pfizer and the others would only announce a Vaccine after the Election, because they didn’t have the courage to do it before. Likewise, the @US_FDA should have announced it earlier, not for political purposes, but for saving lives!” - tweet Monday.
TRUMP: “The @US_FDA and the Democrats didn’t want to have me get a Vaccine WIN, prior to the election, so instead it came out five days later – As I’ve said all along!” - tweet Monday.
THE FACTS: His claim that Pfizer and the FDA withheld vaccine information until after the election is false. The company itself learned of the interim results a week ago, and the FDA was not involved in Pfizer’s decision to announce its early results.
Every vaccine study such as the one done on Pfizer’s is overseen by an independent data and safety monitoring board.
These boards include scientists and statisticians who have no ties to the vaccine makers.
Before a study is complete, only the board has the power to unlock the code of who got a real vaccine and who got a placebo, and to recommend if the shots are working well enough to stop testing early.
Those boards take sneak peeks at predetermined times agreed to by the manufacturer and the FDA. It provided the first interim analysis for Pfizer on Nov. 8.
John Burkhardt, senior vice president of drug safety research and development at Pfizer, said Monday that the timing of the company’s vaccine announcement was not related in any way to the presidential election and was made as soon as the efficacy data was ready.
Pfizer and the maker of the other leading U.S. vaccine candidate, Moderna Inc., have been cautioning for weeks that the earliest they could seek regulatory approval for wider use of their shots would be late November.
___
Associated Press writers Candice Choi, Michelle R. Smith, Jennifer Peltz, Linda A. Johnson, Calvin Woodward, Jude Joffe-Block and Marcos Martinez Chacon contributed to this report.
___
EDITOR’S NOTE - A look at the veracity of claims by political figures.
___
Find AP Fact Checks at http://apnews.com/APFactCheck
Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck


washingtontimes--2020-11-14--Civil War vets honored in Montana after more than 150 years

BILLINGS , Mont .
( AP ) - Pvt .
Reuben B. Cavender , a native of Tennessee , enlisted to serve in the Union during the Civil War in March 1865 .
He would die in September of that year , far from any battlefield .
His death occurred somewhere in what is now Custer County , Montana , and was chronicled only in military service records for more than 150 years .
Today , his name joins 14 others carved into marble headstones standing in the wide open country outside of Broadus .
“ Cavender volunteered to fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Missouri , a slave state…He wrote to his family hoping that he ’ d be coming home soon , before learning that he ’ d be heading West , ” Jaeger Held , a 19-year-old who grew up on the ranch where the 15 headstones are located , told The Billings Gazette .
Held , with the help of historians , members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and residents of Broadus , spent over two years poring through thousands of documents to discover the names at the Powder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face east , looking toward two buttes jutting from the earth like rocky , medieval battlements .
The “ Turret Buttes ” got their name from the diarists who passed them in 1865 .
In the late summer of that year , several thousand U.S. soldiers passed the buttes along the Powder River .
The Powder River expedition was a punitive one .
Following the November 1864 Sand Creek Massacre in the southeastern Colorado territory , where members of the 1st Colorado Cavalry Regiment killed hundreds of Cheyenne and Arapaho , retribution came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and wagon trains encroaching on the Great Plains .
In the summer of 1865 , a force of what one eyewitness said to be 2,000 Cheyenne , Lakota and Arapaho , attacked Platte Bridge Station near what is now Casper , Wyoming .
The offensive marked the peak of reprisals for the many left dead at Sand Creek , mostly women and children .
Even prior to the attack , those in charge of what was then the “ District of the Plains ” had aims to lead troops into the Dakota and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tribes had concentrated their forces .
They went north where the buffalo were heavy , to Powder River Country .
In July 1865 , a force of about 2,500 soldiers , civilians and Indigenous scouts comprised of three columns marched through the area of what would later become Northern Wyoming and Southeastern Montana .
They were under the command of Brig .
Gen. Patrick Connor .
Connor made his orders clear : “ You will not receive overtures of peace or submission from Indians , but will attack and kill every male Indian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ walking in the three columns met an unforgiving landscape .
The two eastern columns , consisting of soldiers from the 2nd Missouri Volunteer Light Artillery , 12th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry , and 16th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry regiments , suffered from a lack of supplies that compounded their misfortunes as they trudged along the Powder River .
Unlike the battles of the Civil War , where so many of them had experienced combat , fighting came in the form of brief skirmishes and surprise attacks .
Not unlike the Civil War , however , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men came from exposure to the elements and disease .
Between Sept. 1 and Sept. 10 , 15 men died fighting , or from diseases like scurvy or dysentery , in the Southeastern Montana Territory .
Although their bodies were never recovered , or their graves marked , their names remained on record .
It was through these records , digitized and available online , that Held began the process of building their memorial .
“ If this project had been undertaken 20 years ago , we would have had to visit repositories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D.C. , in order to get this amount of information .
And I did it all from here , ” said Held , who is currently a sophomore doing his coursework remotely at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania .
The Department of Veterans Affairs will provide a headstone or burial marker at no cost to anyone who served and was honorably discharged , or died in service .
Those who can apply for headstones for those with no marked grave include relatives and veteran organizations like Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the expedition since he was a child , decided to start researching and applying for headstones in March 2017 after visiting a memorial to the fighting at Platte Bridge Station .
In between his classwork at Billings Senior High School , he checked in on applications submitted to the VA ’ s Memorial Products Service in Quantico , Virginia , and worked to revise those that were rejected .
It was at that same time that Held joined the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War , founded in 1881 and comprised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mission of the SUVCW includes preserving the graves and memorials to Union soldiers , sailors and Marines , along with making sure that all those who did serve are properly remembered .
“ It ’ s imperative that we show our appreciation , ” said Fred Morganthaler Sr. , a member for over 25 years who currently serves as the secretary and treasurer for the SUVCW , Camp Chapman-Compliment No .
2 .
“ We can ’ t just let those who served become a page in a history book…And that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so important .
Those veterans , for whatever reason , their life , their memory , their honor was gone .
Nobody remembered them , ” Morganthaler said .
Combining military service records with information available on Ancestry.com , Held sent well over 100 letters to relatives of all 15 men asking that they approve of a headstone .
Their responses forwarded to the VA secured 12 .
They began arriving in Broadus , solid marble and weighing nearly 230 pounds each .
Three headstones donated by Billings Monument Co. , ensured that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Held planned to pore over written records and firsthand accounts to place the markers as near to where the men fell as he could .
That would have involved spreading them out across several miles , with many on private property .
Instead , he and his family opted to give a bit of their own land to the memorial .
Neighboring ranchers offered the machinery and manpower to plant each stone slab in its concrete foundation , and a commemoration including some of the family members contacted by Held was conducted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year .
Although the memorial is now open to visitors , work still remains .
Not commemorated yet in stone , but still acknowledged by Held are the roughly 100 Lakota , Cheyenne and Arapaho killed during the campaign .
While the VA will furnish headstones for U.S. service members killed , those for the Indigenous casualties of the Powder River Expedition will have to come from private donations .
“ That ’ s something that even some relatives who I reached out to expressed , where they did not agree that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they did agree that they should get headstones , ” Held said .
Held , currently the historian for the local chapter of the SUVCW , said the organization is also planning to add both a plaque detailing the expedition and a road marker for those who make the trip on to the property to view the memorial .
“ It just seems so important to have this here … It ’ s an opportunity for visitors to sit and reflect on the true cost of war , and what giving up one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Union Veterans of the Civil War : Those interested in donating to the Chapman-Compliment Camp # 2 of the SUVCW may send contributions to P.O .
Box 50185 Billings , Montana , 59105 .
For more information , contact montana.civilwar @ gmail.com or SUVCW.montana @ gmail.com .

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Pvt. Reuben B. Cavender, a native of Tennessee, enlisted to serve in the Union during the Civil War in March 1865. He would die in September of that year, far from any battlefield.
His death occurred somewhere in what is now Custer County, Montana, and was chronicled only in military service records for more than 150 years. Today, his name joins 14 others carved into marble headstones standing in the wide open country outside of Broadus.
“Cavender volunteered to fight for the Union, and out of Missouri, a slave state…He wrote to his family hoping that he’d be coming home soon, before learning that he’d be heading West,” Jaeger Held, a 19-year-old who grew up on the ranch where the 15 headstones are located, told The Billings Gazette.
Held, with the help of historians, members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and residents of Broadus, spent over two years poring through thousands of documents to discover the names at the Powder River Memorial Cemetery.
Those 15 names face east, looking toward two buttes jutting from the earth like rocky, medieval battlements. The “Turret Buttes” got their name from the diarists who passed them in 1865. In the late summer of that year, several thousand U.S. soldiers passed the buttes along the Powder River.
The Powder River expedition was a punitive one. Following the November 1864 Sand Creek Massacre in the southeastern Colorado territory, where members of the 1st Colorado Cavalry Regiment killed hundreds of Cheyenne and Arapaho, retribution came in the form of raids on ranches and wagon trains encroaching on the Great Plains.
In the summer of 1865, a force of what one eyewitness said to be 2,000 Cheyenne, Lakota and Arapaho, attacked Platte Bridge Station near what is now Casper, Wyoming. The offensive marked the peak of reprisals for the many left dead at Sand Creek, mostly women and children.
Even prior to the attack, those in charge of what was then the “District of the Plains” had aims to lead troops into the Dakota and Montana territories, where all three Plains Tribes had concentrated their forces. They went north where the buffalo were heavy, to Powder River Country.
In July 1865, a force of about 2,500 soldiers, civilians and Indigenous scouts comprised of three columns marched through the area of what would later become Northern Wyoming and Southeastern Montana. They were under the command of Brig. Gen. Patrick Connor. Connor made his orders clear: “You will not receive overtures of peace or submission from Indians, but will attack and kill every male Indian over twelve years of age.”
Those walking in the three columns met an unforgiving landscape. The two eastern columns, consisting of soldiers from the 2nd Missouri Volunteer Light Artillery, 12th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry, and 16th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry regiments, suffered from a lack of supplies that compounded their misfortunes as they trudged along the Powder River.
Unlike the battles of the Civil War, where so many of them had experienced combat, fighting came in the form of brief skirmishes and surprise attacks. Not unlike the Civil War, however, many of the deaths inflicted on the men came from exposure to the elements and disease.
Between Sept. 1 and Sept. 10, 15 men died fighting, or from diseases like scurvy or dysentery, in the Southeastern Montana Territory. Although their bodies were never recovered, or their graves marked, their names remained on record.
It was through these records, digitized and available online, that Held began the process of building their memorial.
“If this project had been undertaken 20 years ago, we would have had to visit repositories in Missouri, Kansas and Washington, D.C., in order to get this amount of information. And I did it all from here,” said Held, who is currently a sophomore doing his coursework remotely at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will provide a headstone or burial marker at no cost to anyone who served and was honorably discharged, or died in service. Those who can apply for headstones for those with no marked grave include relatives and veteran organizations like Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
Held, who had known of the expedition since he was a child, decided to start researching and applying for headstones in March 2017 after visiting a memorial to the fighting at Platte Bridge Station. In between his classwork at Billings Senior High School, he checked in on applications submitted to the VA’s Memorial Products Service in Quantico, Virginia, and worked to revise those that were rejected.
It was at that same time that Held joined the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, founded in 1881 and comprised of over 6,000 members. Part of the mission of the SUVCW includes preserving the graves and memorials to Union soldiers, sailors and Marines, along with making sure that all those who did serve are properly remembered.
“It’s imperative that we show our appreciation,” said Fred Morganthaler Sr., a member for over 25 years who currently serves as the secretary and treasurer for the SUVCW, Camp Chapman-Compliment No. 2.
“We can’t just let those who served become a page in a history book…And that’s why what Jaeger has done is so important. Those veterans, for whatever reason, their life, their memory, their honor was gone. Nobody remembered them,” Morganthaler said.
Combining military service records with information available on Ancestry.com, Held sent well over 100 letters to relatives of all 15 men asking that they approve of a headstone. Their responses forwarded to the VA secured 12. They began arriving in Broadus, solid marble and weighing nearly 230 pounds each. Three headstones donated by Billings Monument Co., ensured that every man had a marker.
Initially, Held planned to pore over written records and firsthand accounts to place the markers as near to where the men fell as he could. That would have involved spreading them out across several miles, with many on private property. Instead, he and his family opted to give a bit of their own land to the memorial.
Neighboring ranchers offered the machinery and manpower to plant each stone slab in its concrete foundation, and a commemoration including some of the family members contacted by Held was conducted by the SUVCW in August of this year.
Although the memorial is now open to visitors, work still remains.
Not commemorated yet in stone, but still acknowledged by Held are the roughly 100 Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho killed during the campaign. While the VA will furnish headstones for U.S. service members killed, those for the Indigenous casualties of the Powder River Expedition will have to come from private donations.
“That’s something that even some relatives who I reached out to expressed, where they did not agree that the soldiers should have been here, but they did agree that they should get headstones,” Held said.
Held, currently the historian for the local chapter of the SUVCW, said the organization is also planning to add both a plaque detailing the expedition and a road marker for those who make the trip on to the property to view the memorial.
“It just seems so important to have this here … It’s an opportunity for visitors to sit and reflect on the true cost of war, and what giving up one’s life truly means.”
___
Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War: Those interested in donating to the Chapman-Compliment Camp #2 of the SUVCW may send contributions to P.O. Box 50185 Billings, Montana, 59105. For more information, contact montana.civilwar@gmail.com or SUVCW.montana@gmail.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-14--Lebanon begins two-week lockdown to limit spread of virus

BEIRUT ( AP ) - Lebanese police on Saturday patrolled the streets of the capital Beirut , ordering shops to close as the country began a two-week lockdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus that has killed dozens of people over the past days in the small Mediterranean country .
The number of cases increased sharply in recent weeks around Lebanon straining the country ’ s medical sector where intensive care units are almost full .
The lockdown comes as Lebanon is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades , leading to criticism of the closure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the loss of revenue .
Over the past year , the local currency shed 80 % of its value and tens of thousands lost their jobs in a population of some 5 million that has one of the highest debt ratios in the world .
A nighttime curfew has been extended during the lockdown lasting from sunset to sunrise while driving will be completely banned around the country on Sundays .
Vehicles with odd and even number plates will be allowed to drive three days a week each to limit traffic .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most shops were closed except for those allowed to remain open such as groceries , pharmacies and bakeries .
Other businesses that violated the closure were ordered to close down by police patrols .
Also on the streets were police checkpoints that fined vehicles that violated the odd or even number plates car bans .
“ Despite all its disadvantages , a short lockdown can help slow the spread of the virus , ” tweeted Firass Abiad , director general of Rafik Hariri University Hospital , the public hospital leading the coronavirus fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ save much sorrow later , ” Abiad said .
The latest lockdown is the second in Lebanon after it imposed closures and limits on public gatherings during the early days of the virus .
Lebanon has registered 102,607 cases and 796 deaths since the first case was reported in late February .
On Friday , Lebanon recorded 21 deaths over 24 hours , making it one of the highest daily death tolls for the country .
The virus case numbers began rising quickly following a massive Aug. 4 blast at Beirut ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caused damage worth billions of dollars across the city .
The situation worsened over the next weeks as many people did not abide by social distancing or wear masks .
The World Health Organization says 1,560 Lebanese health workers have tested positive since February .

BEIRUT (AP) - Lebanese police on Saturday patrolled the streets of the capital Beirut, ordering shops to close as the country began a two-week lockdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus that has killed dozens of people over the past days in the small Mediterranean country.
The number of cases increased sharply in recent weeks around Lebanon straining the country’s medical sector where intensive care units are almost full.
The lockdown comes as Lebanon is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades, leading to criticism of the closure by business owners who cannot afford the loss of revenue. Over the past year, the local currency shed 80% of its value and tens of thousands lost their jobs in a population of some 5 million that has one of the highest debt ratios in the world.
A nighttime curfew has been extended during the lockdown lasting from sunset to sunrise while driving will be completely banned around the country on Sundays. Vehicles with odd and even number plates will be allowed to drive three days a week each to limit traffic.
In Beirut’s commercial Hamra street, most shops were closed except for those allowed to remain open such as groceries, pharmacies and bakeries. Other businesses that violated the closure were ordered to close down by police patrols.
Also on the streets were police checkpoints that fined vehicles that violated the odd or even number plates car bans.
“Despite all its disadvantages, a short lockdown can help slow the spread of the virus,” tweeted Firass Abiad, director general of Rafik Hariri University Hospital, the public hospital leading the coronavirus fight.
“A little discomfort now can save much sorrow later,” Abiad said.
The latest lockdown is the second in Lebanon after it imposed closures and limits on public gatherings during the early days of the virus.
Lebanon has registered 102,607 cases and 796 deaths since the first case was reported in late February. On Friday, Lebanon recorded 21 deaths over 24 hours, making it one of the highest daily death tolls for the country.
The virus case numbers began rising quickly following a massive Aug. 4 blast at Beirut’s port that killed and wounded many and caused damage worth billions of dollars across the city. The situation worsened over the next weeks as many people did not abide by social distancing or wear masks.
The World Health Organization says 1,560 Lebanese health workers have tested positive since February.


washingtontimes--2020-11-14--Thai protesters rally again, promoting a diversity of causes

BANGKOK ( AP ) - Pro-democracy protesters in Thailand rallied again on Saturday , promoting a diversity of causes and taking an opportunity to display their rejection of the country ’ s power structure directly to the monarch .
Some 20 groups called the rally at Bangkok ’ s Democracy Monument under the name “ Mob Fest ” as the latest in a series of protests calling for significant reforms in government .
Secondary school students , women ’ s right advocates and LGBTQ activists were among them .
The core demands of the student-led protest movement are that Prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitution be amended to make it more democratic , and the monarchy be reformed to be made more accountable .
The movement has put pressure on Prayuth ’ s government , which after failing to stop it through the use of police force has now scheduled a session of Parliament for Tuesday and Wednesday to debate changes to the constitution .
The protest movement , anticipating that the lawmakers will not take substantive action , has already called what it expects will be its biggest march so far for Nov. 21 .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controversial one because the royal institution is traditionally regarded as the heart and soul of the nation , and to be treated with the utmost respect .
It is protected by a law that makes defaming the monarch punishable by up to 15 years in prison .
The army , a major influence in Thai politics , has declared defense of the monarchy to be one of its main duties , and many ordinary citizens also regards it with devotion .
The protest movement , however , has prioritized the issue of reforming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institution holds too much power and that change is the key to establishing true democracy .
So they are undertaking their unprecedented challenge even at the risk of violent blowback from hardcore royalists .
A crowd of several thousand protesters at Democracy Monument on Saturday showed their sentiment when a royal motorcade with King Maha Vajiralongkorn passed by .
They turned their backs , put their hands in the air to display their three-finger protest gesture and sang the national anthem .
A small contingent of royalists across the street shouted “ Long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Queen Suthida were headed to preside over the opening of a new mass transit station elsewhere in the capital .
The royal couple in recent weeks have maintained a busy schedule of public events , buoying their followers .
As has been the case at several recent events , after taking part in the formal ceremony , they stepped out to mingle with reverent members of the general public who cheered them loudly and waved Thai flags , many wearing the yellow shirts identified with loyalty to the crown .
The pro-democracy protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a large white cloth around Democracy Monument on which they wrote messages to the government with their demands and their wishes for the future .
The effect of the covering was especially dramatic when lights shone on the monument after dark .
Police initially tried to stop their action , triggering a small clash that left one police officer with a leg injury that caused him to be taken to a hospital .
However , the general atmosphere at the rally was festive as a variety of groups promoted their causes with petitions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” group , as they mockingly call themselves , gathered earlier at the Education Ministry to air their complaints about an education system they consider antiquated and authoritarian , with unreasonable regulations .
They have already won some concessions on dress codes and hairstyles , but seek reforms in the curriculum as well .
The students displayed a white coffin with a photo of Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan , and declared they support the broader movement ’ s demand for constitutional change .
The group Women for Freedom and Democracy did lobbying work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , prostitution and other issues .

BANGKOK (AP) - Pro-democracy protesters in Thailand rallied again on Saturday, promoting a diversity of causes and taking an opportunity to display their rejection of the country’s power structure directly to the monarch.
Some 20 groups called the rally at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument under the name “Mob Fest” as the latest in a series of protests calling for significant reforms in government. Secondary school students, women’s right advocates and LGBTQ activists were among them.
The core demands of the student-led protest movement are that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha step down, the constitution be amended to make it more democratic, and the monarchy be reformed to be made more accountable.
The movement has put pressure on Prayuth’s government, which after failing to stop it through the use of police force has now scheduled a session of Parliament for Tuesday and Wednesday to debate changes to the constitution.
The protest movement, anticipating that the lawmakers will not take substantive action, has already called what it expects will be its biggest march so far for Nov. 21.
The demand over the monarchy is the most controversial one because the royal institution is traditionally regarded as the heart and soul of the nation, and to be treated with the utmost respect. It is protected by a law that makes defaming the monarch punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The army, a major influence in Thai politics, has declared defense of the monarchy to be one of its main duties, and many ordinary citizens also regards it with devotion.
The protest movement, however, has prioritized the issue of reforming the monarchy because it believes that the institution holds too much power and that change is the key to establishing true democracy. So they are undertaking their unprecedented challenge even at the risk of violent blowback from hardcore royalists.
A crowd of several thousand protesters at Democracy Monument on Saturday showed their sentiment when a royal motorcade with King Maha Vajiralongkorn passed by. They turned their backs, put their hands in the air to display their three-finger protest gesture and sang the national anthem. A small contingent of royalists across the street shouted “Long live the king.”
The king and Queen Suthida were headed to preside over the opening of a new mass transit station elsewhere in the capital. The royal couple in recent weeks have maintained a busy schedule of public events, buoying their followers.
As has been the case at several recent events, after taking part in the formal ceremony, they stepped out to mingle with reverent members of the general public who cheered them loudly and waved Thai flags, many wearing the yellow shirts identified with loyalty to the crown.
The pro-democracy protesters back across town, meanwhile, wrapped a large white cloth around Democracy Monument on which they wrote messages to the government with their demands and their wishes for the future. The effect of the covering was especially dramatic when lights shone on the monument after dark.
Police initially tried to stop their action, triggering a small clash that left one police officer with a leg injury that caused him to be taken to a hospital.
However, the general atmosphere at the rally was festive as a variety of groups promoted their causes with petitions and speeches, and music entertained the crowd.
The “Bad Students” group, as they mockingly call themselves, gathered earlier at the Education Ministry to air their complaints about an education system they consider antiquated and authoritarian, with unreasonable regulations. They have already won some concessions on dress codes and hairstyles, but seek reforms in the curriculum as well.
The students displayed a white coffin with a photo of Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan, and declared they support the broader movement’s demand for constitutional change.
The group Women for Freedom and Democracy did lobbying work concerning laws on abortion, domestic violence, prostitution and other issues. One booth supported prisoners’ rights.
Other speakers included a Buddhist monk and an advocate for stateless people, who in Thailand usually belong to hilltribe minorities.


washingtontimes--2020-11-14--Armenians torch their homes on land ceded to Azerbaijan

KALBAJAR , Azerbaijan ( AP ) - In a bitter farewell to his home of 21 years , Garo Dadevusyan wrenched off its metal roof and prepared to set the stone house on fire .
Thick smoke poured from houses that his neighbors had already torched before fleeing this ethnic Armenian village about to come under Azerbaijani control .
The village is to be turned over to Azerbaijan on Sunday as part of territorial concessions in an agreement to end six weeks of intense fighting with Armenian forces .
The move gripped its 600 people with fear and anger so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once loved .
The settlement - called Karvachar in Armenian - is legally part of Azerbaijan , but it has been under the control of ethnic Armenians since the 1994 end of a war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region .
That war left not only Nagorno-Karabakh itself but substantial surrounding territory in Armenian hands .
After years in which sporadic clashes broke out between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces , full-scale fighting began in late September this year .
Azerbaijan made relentless military advances , culminating in the seizure of the city of Shusha , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strong emotional significance as a longtime center of Azeri culture .
Two days after Azerbaijan announced it had taken Shusha , Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a Russia-brokered cease-fire under which territory that Armenia occupies outside the formal borders of Nagorno-Karabakh will be gradually ceded .
Muslim Azeris and Christian Armenians once lived together in these regions , however uneasily .
Although the cease-fire ends the fighting , it aggravates ethnic animosity .
“ In the end , we will blow it up or set it on fire , in order not to leave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his house .
He spoke while taking a rest from salvaging what he could from the home , including metal roof panels , and piling it onto an aged flatbed truck .
“ We are homeless now , do not know where to go and where to live .
Do not know where to live .
It is very hard , ” said his wife Lusine , choked by tears , as they gave the interior of the house a last look .
Dadevusyan ’ s dismay extended to Russian President Vladimir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relations and Russia has a sizeable military base in Armenia , so many Armenians had hoped for support from Moscow .
Instead , Russia facilitated the cease-fire and territorial concessions and is sending in nearly 2,000 peacekeepers to enforce it .
Hundreds of thousands of Azeris were displaced by the war that ended in 1994 .
It is unclear when any civilians might try to settle in Karvachar - which will now be known by its Azeri name Kalbajar - or elsewhere .
Any returns could be wrenching .
Settlers will confront the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or worse .
Agdam , which is to be turned over next week , once was a city of about 40,000 , but now is an empty sprawl of buildings that were destroyed in the first war or later ruined by pillagers grabbing building materials .
For the Dadevusyans , their sudden relocation is overwhelming beyond words .
“ When you spent 21 years here and now need to leave it… , ” Garo Dadevusyan said , trailing off , as smoke from nearby burning houses choked the air .
Soon , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them .
Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this story .

KALBAJAR, Azerbaijan (AP) - In a bitter farewell to his home of 21 years, Garo Dadevusyan wrenched off its metal roof and prepared to set the stone house on fire. Thick smoke poured from houses that his neighbors had already torched before fleeing this ethnic Armenian village about to come under Azerbaijani control.
The village is to be turned over to Azerbaijan on Sunday as part of territorial concessions in an agreement to end six weeks of intense fighting with Armenian forces. The move gripped its 600 people with fear and anger so deep that they destroyed the homes they once loved.
The settlement - called Karvachar in Armenian - is legally part of Azerbaijan, but it has been under the control of ethnic Armenians since the 1994 end of a war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. That war left not only Nagorno-Karabakh itself but substantial surrounding territory in Armenian hands.
After years in which sporadic clashes broke out between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces, full-scale fighting began in late September this year. Azerbaijan made relentless military advances, culminating in the seizure of the city of Shusha, a strategically key city and one of strong emotional significance as a longtime center of Azeri culture.
Two days after Azerbaijan announced it had taken Shusha, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a Russia-brokered cease-fire under which territory that Armenia occupies outside the formal borders of Nagorno-Karabakh will be gradually ceded.
Muslim Azeris and Christian Armenians once lived together in these regions, however uneasily. Although the cease-fire ends the fighting, it aggravates ethnic animosity.
“In the end, we will blow it up or set it on fire, in order not to leave anything to Muslims,” Dadevusyan said of his house.
He spoke while taking a rest from salvaging what he could from the home, including metal roof panels, and piling it onto an old flatbed truck.
The truck’s final destination was unclear.
“We are homeless now, do not know where to go and where to live. Do not know where to live. It is very hard,” Dadevusyan’s wife, Lusine, said, choked by tears the couple gave the interior of the house a last look.
Dadevusyan’s dismay extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Armenia and Russia keep close relations and Russia has a sizeable military base in Armenia, so many Armenians had hoped for support from Moscow. Instead, Russia facilitated the cease-fire and territorial concessions and is sending in nearly 2,000 peacekeepers to enforce it.
“Why has Putin abandoned us?” Dadevusyan said.
On Saturday, kilometers-long (miles-long) columns of cars and trucks carrying fleeing residents jammed the road to Armenia.
Scores of local people flocked to Dadivank, an Armenian Apostolic Church monastery dating to the 9th century, as priests removed sacred items to be taken away. Many of the visitors took photos of themselves at the site nestled in the mountains near Karvachar, suggesting they did not expect to see it again.
A small group of Russian peacekeepers watched from across the road, some sitting on their armored vehicles.
The monastery’s abbot, the Rev. Hovhannes Ter-Hovhannisyan, walked over to greet them.
“It’s very important to us that the Russian peacekeepers came today in order to preserve peace, because not all the questions of our future have been resolved,” he said. “But I am sure that justice will triumph.”
Hundreds of thousands of Azeris were displaced by the war that ended in 1994. It is unclear when any civilians might try to settle in Karvachar - which will now be known by its Azeri name Kalbajar - or elsewhere.
Any returns could be wrenching. Settlers will confront the burned, empty shells of houses - or worse. Agdam, which is to be turned over next week, once was a city of about 40,000, but now is an empty sprawl of buildings that were destroyed in the first war or later ruined by pillagers grabbing building materials.
Returning also is potentially dangerous because of the remnants of war. The Azerbaijani general prosecutor’s office said one man was killed and another injured Saturday when they triggered a mine left over from the fighting in Fizuli, an area now under Azerbaijani control.
For the Dadevusyans, their sudden relocation is overwhelming beyond words.
“When you spent 21 years here and now need to leave it…,” Garo Dadevusyan said, trailing off, as smoke from nearby burning houses choked the air. Soon, he knew, his house would be one of them.
___
Jim Heintz in Moscow and Aida Sultanova in London contributed to this story.


washingtontimes--2020-11-14--Low-key arrival for St. Nicholas amid Dutch restrictions

THE HAGUE , Netherlands ( AP ) - Saint Nicholas , the gift-bearing patron saint of children , arrived in the Netherlands on Saturday amid a partial coronavirus lockdown that forced the cancellation of celebrations in many towns and cities .
The Dutch celebrate what they call Sinterklaas on Dec. 5 by giving gifts to children , but the saint arrives - legend has it - in the country weeks earlier in what is usually a nationwide party .
The celebrations have in recent years seen protests by activists against Sinterklaas ’ helper , Black Pete , who is often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Opponents call the character a racist caricature , while supporters argue he is a harmless children ’ s figure and part of Dutch tradition .
A nationally televised arrival celebration went ahead Saturday without the usual crowds of thousands of children and their parents amid a partial lockdown in the Netherlands aimed at reining in coronavirus infections .
Other towns and cities were holding online events and at least one town organized a drive-through celebration where children could see Sinterklaas from the socially distanced safety of cars .
In neighboring Belgium , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the port city of Antwerp was also banned , though the government said in a tongue-in-cheek letter that he wouldn ’ t have to quarantine after arriving in Belgium from Spain , where he lives , and would be able to walk rooftops to drop gifts into chimneys even during curfew hours .
Belgian government ministers , however , cautioned St. Nicholas to “ always respect distancing , wash hands regularly and wear a face mask , ” despite his long white beard .
Anti-Black Pete activists in the Netherlands were planning a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dutch cities that have replaced Black Pete with a Gray Pete .
Breda was not holding an official arrival ceremony for the saint .
For members of the “ Kick Out Black Pete ” group , the change doesn ’ t go far enough .
“ Gray Pete is just blackface-light , ” one of the activists , Elvin Rigters , said in a telephone interview .
The Petes accompanying St. Nicholas at the televised arrival had their faces daubed with “ soot ” as a result of clambering down chimneys to deliver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makeup , golden earrings or red lipstick , the NTR broadcaster said in a statement earlier this year .
The broadcaster said it makes its Sinterklaas-themed shows “ for all children in the Netherlands .
We do that with respect for tradition and with an eye on developments in society.
” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has repeatedly said he does not believe Black Pete is racist , but he said in June that his views on the character have changed .
“ When I meet people - small children - with dark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unbelievably discriminated against because Pete is black , ’ that ’ s the last thing you want , ” Rutte said in a debate in Parliament .
“ I expect that in the coming years almost no Petes will be black , ” the prime minister added .
“ It ’ s a popular culture that changes over time and under pressure from debate in society .
”

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - Saint Nicholas, the gift-bearing patron saint of children, arrived in the Netherlands on Saturday amid a partial coronavirus lockdown that forced the cancellation of celebrations in many towns and cities.
The Dutch celebrate what they call Sinterklaas on Dec. 5 by giving gifts to children, but the saint arrives - legend has it - in the country weeks earlier in what is usually a nationwide party.
The celebrations have in recent years seen protests by activists against Sinterklaas’ helper, Black Pete, who is often portrayed by white people in blackface makeup. Opponents call Black Pete a racist caricature, while supporters argue he is a harmless children’s figure and part of Dutch tradition.
A nationally televised arrival celebration went ahead Saturday without the usual crowds of thousands of children and their parents amid a partial lockdown in the Netherlands aimed at reining in coronavirus infections.
Other towns and cities held online events and at least one town organized a drive-through celebration where children could see Sinterklaas from the socially distanced safety of cars.
In neighboring Belgium, the saint’s official welcome in the port city of Antwerp was also banned, though the government said in a tongue-in-cheek letter that Nicholas wouldn’t have to quarantine after arriving in Belgium from Spain, where he lives, and would be able to walk rooftops to drop gifts into chimneys even during curfew hours.
Belgian government ministers, however, cautioned St. Nicholas to “always respect distancing, wash hands regularly and wear a face mask,” despite his long white beard.
Anti-Black Pete activists in the Netherlands planned a demonstration in Breda, one of several Dutch cities that have replaced Black Pete with a Gray Pete. Breda was not holding an official arrival ceremony for the saint.
For members of the “Kick Out Black Pete” group, the change doesn’t go far enough.
“Gray Pete is just blackface-light,” one of the activists, Elvin Rigters, said in a telephone interview.
The Petes accompanying St. Nicholas at the televised arrival had their faces daubed with “soot” as a result of clambering down chimneys to deliver gifts to children but not full blackface makeup, golden earrings or red lipstick, the NTR broadcaster said in a statement earlier this year.
The broadcaster said it makes its Sinterklaas-themed shows “for all children in the Netherlands. We do that with respect for tradition and with an eye on developments in society.”
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has repeatedly said he does not believe Black Pete is racist, but he said in June that his views on the character have changed.
“When I meet people - small children - with dark skin who say, ‘I feel unbelievably discriminated against because Pete is black,’ that’s the last thing you want,” Rutte said in a debate in Parliament.
“I expect that in the coming years almost no Petes will be black,” the prime minister added. “It’s a popular culture that changes over time and under pressure from debate in society.”


washingtontimes--2020-11-14--Egypt unveils ancient coffins, statues found in Saqqara

CAIRO ( AP ) - Egyptian antiquities officials on Saturday announced the discovery of at least 100 ancient coffins , some with mummies inside , and around 40 gilded statues in a vast Pharaonic necropolis south of Cairo .
Colorful , sealed sarcophagi and statues that were buried more than 2,500 years ago were displayed in a makeshift exhibit at the feet of the famed Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara .
Archaeologists opened a coffin with a well-preserved mummy wrapped in cloth inside .
They also carried out X‐raying visualizing the structures of the ancient mummy , showing how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anany told a news conference that the discovered items date back to the Ptolemaic dynasty that ruled Egypt for some 300 years - from around 320 B.C .
to about 30 B.C.
, and the Late Period ( 664-332 B.C. )
.
He said they would move the artifacts to at least three Cairo museums including the Grand Egyptian Museum that Egypt is building near the famed Giza Pyramids .
He said they would announce another discovery at the Saqqara necropolis later this year .
The discovery at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ series of archaeological finds in Egypt .
Since September , antiquities authorities revealed at least 140 sealed sarcophagi , with mummies inside most of them , in the same area of Saqqara .
Egyptian archaeologists found other “ shafts full of coffins , well-gilded , well-painted , well-decorated , ” Mostafa Waziri , secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities , told reporters on Saturday .
The Saqqara site is part of the necropolis at Egypt ’ s ancient capital of Memphis that includes the famed Giza Pyramids , as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Abu Ruwaysh .
The ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1970s .
Egypt frequently touts its archaeological discoveries in hopes of spurring a vital tourism industry that has been reeling from the political turmoil following the 2011 popular uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak .
The sector was also dealt a further blow this year by the coronavirus pandemic .

CAIRO (AP) - Egyptian antiquities officials on Saturday announced the discovery of at least 100 ancient coffins, some with mummies inside, and around 40 gilded statues in a vast Pharaonic necropolis south of Cairo.
Colorful, sealed sarcophagi and statues that were buried more than 2,500 years ago were displayed in a makeshift exhibit at the feet of the famed Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara.
Archaeologists opened a coffin with a well-preserved mummy wrapped in cloth inside. They also carried out X‐raying visualizing the structures of the ancient mummy, showing how the body had been preserved.
Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anany told a news conference that the discovered items date back to the Ptolemaic dynasty that ruled Egypt for some 300 years - from around 320 B.C. to about 30 B.C., and the Late Period (664-332 B.C.).
He said they would move the artifacts to at least three Cairo museums including the Grand Egyptian Museum that Egypt is building near the famed Giza Pyramids. He said they would announce another discovery at the Saqqara necropolis later this year.
The discovery at the famed necropolis is the latest in a series of archaeological finds in Egypt. Since September, antiquities authorities revealed at least 140 sealed sarcophagi, with mummies inside most of them, in the same area of Saqqara.
Egyptian archaeologists found other “shafts full of coffins, well-gilded, well-painted, well-decorated,” Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters on Saturday.
The Saqqara site is part of the necropolis at Egypt’s ancient capital of Memphis that includes the famed Giza Pyramids, as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh. The ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1970s.
Egypt frequently touts its archaeological discoveries in hopes of spurring a vital tourism industry that has been reeling from the political turmoil following the 2011 popular uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The sector was also dealt a further blow this year by the coronavirus pandemic.


washingtontimes--2020-11-14--Pakistan says it has evidence of India sponsoring attacks

ISLAMABAD ( AP ) - Pakistan on Saturday said India was sponsoring “ terrorism ” aimed at destabilizing the country and targeting its economic partnership with China , accusations that top Pakistani officials delivered at a dramatic press conference .
Pakistan and India routinely accuse each other of targeting the other , but this was a rare time that Pakistani officials said they had prepared a mountain of evidence to back up the charges against their South Asian rival .
In a joint press conference in the capital of Islamabad , Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi , along with military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Indian intelligence agents were operating out of neighboring Afghanistan to plan attacks within Pakistani borders .
“ India was allowing its land to be used against Pakistan for terrorism , ” said Qureshi , adding that New Delhi was also planning attacks from “ neighboring countries ” .
Qureshi said Pakistan is sending its evidence to the United Nations demanding India be censured , warning that “ without international intervention it is difficult to guarantee peace in nuclear South Asia , ” a region where both India and Pakistan possess nuclear weapons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we will present before the nation and international community through this dossier , ” the minister claimed .
There was no immediate comment from Indian officials to the claims by Pakistan ’ s government .
New Delhi has likewise accused Pakistan of sponsoring militant groups that have carried out attacks inside its borders in recent years .
The presser comes a day after Pakistan ’ s military said five civilians and an army soldier were killed by shelling from Indian troops across the highly militarized border that separates the Pakistani and Indian sides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Himalayan region is a source of longstanding conflict between the two powers .
Iftikhar , who heads the media and public relations office for Pakistan ’ s armed forces , presented some of the dossier ’ s evidence purporting to show India ’ s involvement in attacks within Pakistan , including bank receipts showing funding and photos showing alleged perpetrators of attacks inside the Indian consulate in Jalalabad , Afghanistan .
He also played an audio clip purporting to record a conversation between an Indian intelligence official and Allah Nazar , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insurgents in southwest Pakistan .
Iftikhar added that Indian intelligence agents were especially targeting Chinese development projects that have come with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor .
He alleged that the attackers who led a deadly assault on a luxury hotel in the southwestern city of Gwadar in May 2019 , were in telephone contact with Indian intelligence handlers before and during the assault .
Chinese companies operate the Pakistani city ’ s key port facilities and it is considered a keystone of major Pakistani-Chinese trade projects .
The military spokesman also accused India @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan , Jamaat-ul-Ahrar , and Allah Nazar ’ s Baluch Liberation Army .
Meanwhile , a spokesman for Afghanistan ’ s foreign ministry , Gran Hewad , said Saturday that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is planning to visit Afghanistan next week .
The foreign ministry said that this will be Khan ’ s first visit to Kabul as Pakistan ’ s prime minister .
It wasn ’ t mentioned whether he would raise Pakistan ’ s allegations of Indian interference .
Associated Press writer Asim Tanveer in Islamabad and Tameem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to this report .

ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistan on Saturday said India was sponsoring “terrorism” aimed at destabilizing the country and targeting its economic partnership with China, accusations that top Pakistani officials delivered at a dramatic press conference.
Pakistan and India routinely accuse each other of targeting the other, but this was a rare time that Pakistani officials said they had prepared a mountain of evidence to back up the charges against their South Asian rival.
In a joint press conference in the capital of Islamabad, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, along with military spokesman Maj Gen. Babar Iftikhar, said that Indian intelligence agents were operating out of neighboring Afghanistan to plan attacks within Pakistani borders.
“India was allowing its land to be used against Pakistan for terrorism,” said Qureshi, adding that New Delhi was also planning attacks from “neighboring countries”.
Qureshi said Pakistan is sending its evidence to the United Nations demanding India be censured, warning that “without international intervention it is difficult to guarantee peace in nuclear South Asia,” a region where both India and Pakistan possess nuclear weapons.
“We have irrefutable facts that we will present before the nation and international community through this dossier,” the minister claimed.
There was no immediate comment from Indian officials to the claims by Pakistan’s government. New Delhi has likewise accused Pakistan of sponsoring militant groups that have carried out attacks inside its borders in recent years.
The presser comes a day after Pakistan’s military said five civilians and an army soldier were killed by shelling from Indian troops across the highly militarized border that separates the Pakistani and Indian sides of Kashmir. The disputed border in the Himalayan region is a source of longstanding conflict between the two powers.
Iftikhar, who heads the media and public relations office for Pakistan’s armed forces, presented some of the dossier’s evidence purporting to show India’s involvement in attacks within Pakistan, including bank receipts showing funding and photos showing alleged perpetrators of attacks inside the Indian consulate in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
He also played an audio clip purporting to record a conversation between an Indian intelligence official and Allah Nazar, who is the top leader of Baluch separatist insurgents in southwest Pakistan.
Iftikhar added that Indian intelligence agents were especially targeting Chinese development projects that have come with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
He alleged that the attackers who led a deadly assault on a luxury hotel in the southwestern city of Gwadar in May 2019, were in telephone contact with Indian intelligence handlers before and during the assault. Chinese companies operate the Pakistani city’s key port facilities and it is considered a keystone of major Pakistani-Chinese trade projects.
The military spokesman also accused India of sponsoring banned organizations including U.N.-designated terrorist groups Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, and Allah Nazar’s Baluch Liberation Army.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s foreign ministry, Gran Hewad, said Saturday that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is planning to visit Afghanistan next week.
The foreign ministry said that this will be Khan’s first visit to Kabul as Pakistan’s prime minister. It wasn’t mentioned whether he would raise Pakistan’s allegations of Indian interference.
___
Associated Press writer Asim Tanveer in Islamabad and Tameem Akhgar in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-11-14--Central Vietnam prepares for evacuations ahead of typhoon

HANOI , Vietnam ( AP ) - Vietnamese authorities on Saturday ordered some 460,000 people in the country ’ s central region to be ready for evacuation ahead of Typhoon Vamco , after the storm killed at least 42 people and left 20 others missing in the Philippines , state television reported .
The typhoon , which is forecast to hit Vietnam on Sunday morning , could pack winds of up to 150 kilometers ( 93 miles ) per hour as it approaches the country ’ s already flood-battered central coast , according to the national weather agency .
Video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high waves slamming into Ly Son island , located about 25 kilometers ( 15 miles ) from shore , on Saturday afternoon .
About 1,000 people on the island who live by the sea were moved to shelters farther inland .
Local authorities in other central provinces have been reinforcing sea dikes and evacuating elderly people and children to safe buildings to avoid casualties from the typhoon , VTV said .
The country has also shut down five airports and suspended train operations throughout the region , the broadcaster reported .
In just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ central region has seen seven tropical storms and typhoons , causing floods and landslides that killed 235 people and caused an estimated $ 740,000 in damage in several provinces .
The rain from the storms has caused the worst flooding in the region in more than 30 years .

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Vietnamese authorities on Saturday ordered some 460,000 people in the country’s central region to be ready for evacuation ahead of Typhoon Vamco, after the storm killed at least 42 people and left 20 others missing in the Philippines, state television reported.
The typhoon, which is forecast to hit Vietnam on Sunday morning, could pack winds of up to 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour as it approaches the country’s already flood-battered central coast, according to the national weather agency.
Video aired by national television broadcaster VTV showed high waves slamming into Ly Son island, located about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from shore, on Saturday afternoon. About 1,000 people on the island who live by the sea were moved to shelters farther inland.
Local authorities in other central provinces have been reinforcing sea dikes and evacuating elderly people and children to safe buildings to avoid casualties from the typhoon, VTV said.
The country has also shut down five airports and suspended train operations throughout the region, the broadcaster reported.
In just over a month, Vietnam’s central region has seen seven tropical storms and typhoons, causing floods and landslides that killed 235 people and caused an estimated $740,000 in damage in several provinces. The rain from the storms has caused the worst flooding in the region in more than 30 years.


washingtontimes--2020-11-14--Ethiopia's Tigray region bombs airports as conflict spreads

NAIROBI , Kenya ( AP ) - Ethiopia ’ s defiant Tigray regional government has fired rockets at two airports in the neighboring Amhara region as a deadly conflict threatens to spread into other parts of Africa ’ s second most populous country .
The Tigray regional government in a statement on Tigray TV said such strikes will continue “ unless the attacks against us stop.
” The federal government said the airports in Gondar and Bahir Dar were damaged in the strikes late Friday , asserting that Tigray regional forces are “ repairing and utilizing the last of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighting that erupted in the northern Tigray region on Nov. 4 has reportedly killed hundreds on both the federal government and regional government sides , sent well over 17,000 refugees fleeing into neighboring Sudan and raised international alarm about a possible civil war at the heart of the Horn of Africa .
Each side regards the other as illegal , the result of a monthslong falling out amid dramatic shifts in power after Ethiopia ’ s Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office two years ago .
The Tigray regional government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s ruling coalition , broke away last year and the federal government now says its ruling “ clique ” must be arrested and their well-stocked arsenal destroyed .
Fears of ethnic targeting are rising .
The Tigray regional government , the Tigray People ’ s Liberation Front , in a statement denied allegations that scores or even hundreds of civilians were “ hacked to death ” Monday in the regional town of Mai-Kadra .
The massacre was confirmed by Amnesty International , which cited a man helping to clear away bodies as saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The statement by Tigray regional president Debretsion Gebremichael asserted that the allegations against the TPLF forces , repeated by Abiy , are “ being proliferated with the intent to incite hatred toward ( ethnic ) Tigrayans in Ethiopia.
” “ A justified risk/threat of fear of ethnic profiling and discrimination has arisen , ” the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said in a statement Saturday .
It has visited 43 people in police custody in the capital , Addis Ababa , and said “ some of the detained have reported that they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The international community is warning against deadly ethnic tensions .
The U.N. office on genocide prevention has condemned reports of ” targeted attacks against civilians based on their ethnicity or religion ” in Ethiopia , warning that the rhetoric sets a “ dangerous trajectory that heightens the risk of genocide , war crimes , ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
” Communications and transport links with the northern Tigray region remain severed , making it difficult to verify claims on both sides of the fighting .
Desperate families can not reach relatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ humanitarian organizations warn of disaster as food , fuel and other supplies run short for millions of people .
A top TPLF official appeared to confirm the federal government ’ s claim that TPLF forces sparked the conflict by attacking a military base .
Sekoutoure Getachew in a video discussion said pre-emptive strikes were carried out in self-defense against the Ethiopian army ’ s Northern Command , calling it an “ internationally known practice.
” There is no sign of any easing in the fighting .
Abiy has rejected growing calls by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ de-escalation .

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Rockets were fired at Eritrea’s capital on Saturday, diplomats said, as the deadly fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region appeared to spill across an international border and bring some of observers’ worst fears to life.
At least three rockets appeared to be aimed at the airport in Eritrea’s capital, Asmara, hours after the Tigray regional government warned it might attack. It has accused Eritrea of attacking it at the invitation of Ethiopia’s federal government since the conflict in northern Ethiopia erupted on Nov. 4.
Eritrea is one of the world’s most reclusive countries, and no one on the ground, including the information ministry, could immediately be reached. Details on any deaths or damage were not known. Tigray regional officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Experts have warned that Eritrea, long at bitter odds with the Tigray regional government, or Tigray People’s Liberation Front, could be pulled into Ethiopia’s growing conflict that has killed untold hundreds of people on each side and sent some 25,000 refugees fleeing into Sudan.
Earlier Saturday, the TPLF said it fired rockets at two airports in the neighboring Amhara region of Ethiopia, as the conflict spreads into other parts of Africa’s second-most populous country and threatens civil war at the heart of the Horn of Africa.
The TPLF said in a statement on Tigray TV that such strikes would continue “unless the attacks against us stop.”
Ethiopia’s federal government said the airports in Gondar and Bahir Dar were damaged in the strikes late Friday, asserting that Tigray regional forces were “repairing and utilizing the last of the weaponry within its arsenals.”
Each side in the fighting regards the other as illegal, the result of a monthslong falling out amid dramatic shifts in power after Nobel Peace Prize-winning Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office two years ago.
The Tigray regional government, which once dominated the country’s ruling coalition, broke away last year, and the federal government says members of the region’s ruling “clique” now must be arrested and their well-stocked arsenal destroyed.
Fears of ethnic targeting are rising. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which governs the region, in a statement denied allegations that scores or even hundreds of civilians were “hacked to death” Monday in the town of Mai-Kadra. The massacre was confirmed by Amnesty International, which cited a man helping to clear away bodies as saying many of the dead were ethnic Amharas.
The statement by Tigray regional president Debretsion Gebremichael asserted that the allegations against the TPLF forces, repeated by Abiy, are “being proliferated with the intent to incite hatred toward (ethnic) Tigrayans in Ethiopia.”
“A justified risk/threat of fear of ethnic profiling and discrimination has arisen,” the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said in a statement Saturday. It has visited 43 people in police custody in the capital, Addis Ababa, and said “some of the detained have reported that they have been arrested only because of their ethnicity.”
The international community is warning against deadly ethnic tensions. The U.N. office on genocide prevention has said the rhetoric sets a “dangerous trajectory that heightens the risk of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.”
Communications and transport links with the Tigray region remain severed, making it difficult to verify claims on both sides. Desperate families cannot reach relatives, and the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations warn of disaster as food, fuel and other supplies run short for millions of people.
“The military escalation in Ethiopia is risking the stability of the whole country and wider region,” the European Union’s commissioner for crisis management, Janez Lenarcic, tweeted. “Should this endure, a full-blown humanitarian crisis is imminent. I am calling for unimpeded humanitarian access to Tigray.”
Meanwhile, a top TPLF official appeared to confirm the federal government’s claim that TPLF forces sparked the conflict by attacking a military base. Sekoutoure Getachew in a video discussion said pre-emptive strikes were carried out in self-defense against the Ethiopian army’s Northern Command, calling it an “internationally known practice.”
There is no sign of any easing in the fighting. Abiy has rejected growing calls by the United States and others for an immediate de-escalation.