A doctor runs 22 miles in a face mask to prove that they are safe
CNN
A doctor in England wanted to prove that face masks won't impair your oxygen levels. So he ran for 22 miles while wearing one.
Afghanistan to release 400 ‘hard-core’ Taliban prisoners in bid to end ‘bloodshed’
SCMP | Reuters
The Afghan government agreed on Sunday to release 400 “hard-core” Taliban prisoners, paving the way for peace talks aimed at ending almost two decades of war.The insurgent group welcomed the move and said it was ready to begin talks within 10 days of the release.Under election-year pressure from US President Donald Trump for a deal allowing him to bring home American troops, the country’s grand assembly, or Loya Jirga, on Sunday approved the release.The Taliban militant had demanded the release
Global donors pledge $300M to rebuild Beirut — if Lebanon's leaders commit to reforms
Pittsburg Post Gazette | By Sarah El Deeb and Sylvie Corbet / The Associated Press
BEIRUT — World leaders and international organizations pledged nearly $300 million in emergency humanitarian aid to Beirut in the wake of the devastating explosion, but they warned on Sunday that no money for rebuilding the Lebanese capital will be made available until the country’s authorities commit themselves to the political and economic reforms demanded by the people.
Coronavirus: Brazil passes 100,000 deaths as outbreak shows no sign of easing
BBC
The Covid-19 outbreak shows no sign of easing but cities have already reopened shops and restaurants.
World leaders pledge almost US$300 million in aid for Lebanon in wake of catastrophic port blast
SCMP | Agence France-Presse
World leaders on Sunday pledged almost US$300 million for disaster-struck Lebanon, conference host France said, with the emergency aid to be delivered “directly” to a population reeling from the deadly port blast in Beirut.Fifteen government leaders including US President Donald Trump took part in the virtual conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and the UN, pledging solidarity with the Lebanese people and promising to muster “major resources” in the coming days and weeks.A…
Belarus holds tense vote, leader vows to quash any protests
St. Louis Dispatch
MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Tensions were high in Belarus as the country held a presidential election Sunday, with police setting up checkpoints outside the capital to quash potential protests and detaining at least eight opposition campaign workers. One leading opposition…
'We failed': one scientist's despair as Brazil Covid-19 deaths hit 100,000
The Guardian | Tom Phillips Latin America correspondent
Belarus says longtime leader Lukashenko is re-elected in vote critics call rigged
Pittsburg Post Gazette | By Ivan Nechepurenko and Andrew Higgins / The New York Times
MINSK, Belarus — He bungled the coronavirus pandemic, alienated his long-standing foreign ally and last week faced the biggest anti-government protests in decades, but on Sunday, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko was on course to win his sixth term in office after an election his critics dismissed as rigged.
Global report: US nears 5m Covid cases; New Zealand goes 100 days without local transmission
The Guardian | Guardian staff and agencies
Protesters clash with police in Belarus capital after ‘rigged’ vote
SCMP | Agence France-Presse
Belarusian police and protesters clashed Sunday in the capital Minsk and other cities, with law enforcement officers using stun grenades after a presidential vote that the opposition says was rigged, witnesses and media reports said.Witnesses described chaotic scenes across the capital, with protesters shouting, cars honking and sirens wailing.A live video feed provided by US-funded Radio Liberty showed hundreds of riot police facing off with protesters in central Minsk and firing stun grenades
Six French aid workers and two locals killed in ambush in Niger wildlife park
The Guardian | Reuters
How the Beirut blast compared with similar explosions in Texas, China and France
Washington Post | By Miriam Berger and Laris Karklis
The explosion in Beirut was both bigger and closer to densely populated areas.
BBC apologizes after initially defending use of racist term in reporting
Fox News | Peter Aitken
A DJ quit the news organization over the defense of the racist term.
Chinese hackers have pillaged Taiwan’s semiconductor industry
ArsTechnica | WIRED
Operation Skeleton Key has stolen source code, SDKs, chip designs, and more.
Top US security official claims China is targeting US election infrastructure with cyberattacks
SCMP | Reuters
Chinese government-linked hackers have been targeting US election infrastructure ahead of the 2020 presidential election, White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said on Sunday, indicating a more active level of alleged Chinese interference.O’Brien’s comments appeared to go beyond a statement released on Friday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that said China “has been expanding its influence efforts,” and that Russia was already trying to undercut Democratic…
Belarus election panel claims Lukashenko far ahead in vote
St. Louis Dispatch
MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Even before polling stations in Belarus had fully closed, the head of the country's election commission declared Sunday that fragmentary results showed authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko far ahead in his bid for a sixth consecutive term.
Beirut Blast Hit 3 Disparate Neighborhoods. Now They’re United in Rage.
NY Times | Ben Hubbard
The demands for a change in Lebanon’s leadership are growing louder.
Belarus Votes After Waves of Arrests
WSJ
The leading opposition candidate in Belarus’s presidential election went into hiding ahead of Sunday’s vote, as long-term leader President Alexander Lukashenko prepared to extend his 26-year-long hold on power.
Main opposition candidate goes into hiding on eve of crucial presidential vote in Belarus
CNN
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the main opposition candidate in Belarus' Sunday presidential election, has gone into hiding -- the night before challenging longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko, who is seeking his sixth term.
Aftermath of Beirut's deadly blast
CBS
Hundreds of tons of highly explosive material were stored in a waterfront hangar, and the blast sent a shock wave that killed at least 160 people, wounded nearly 6,000.
Awareness of Our Biases Is Essential to Good Science
Scientific American | Angela Potochnik
Ideological, social and political values have always influenced research
Meet 'Mad Hatterpillar,' the caterpillar that uses its old heads for defense
CNN
Some caterpillars fend off attackers by emitting toxic chemicals or smells. One species stacks its molted heads atop each other to act as false targets for predators.
Yemen’s rebels say floods, heavy rains left over 130 dead
Washington Post | By Ahmed Al-Haj | AP
Yemen’s Houthi rebels say floods have swept through rebel-held parts of the country since mid-July amid heavy seasonal rains, leaving more than 130 dead and damaging over 260 homes
