The World This Week: France Teacher Attack, Trump-Biden Debate, Thailand & Nigeria Protests, EU 'Veggie' Burger Row

Samuel Paty was beheaded by an 18-year old who had to pay pupils to identify his victim, this after a row over a civics class on free speech that included cartoons of the prophet spiraled into a social media campaign against the teacher. How does Emmanuel Macron plan to protect other "faces of the Republic"? To the US next, where the last presidential looked like the calm before the storm... We take a look at youth-driven protests in Nigeria and Thailand. Also, the European Parliament has sided with vegetarians and environmentalists against the beef industry.

Ivanka Trump Could Be Facing Major Investigations If Daddy Loses the Election

Ethics watchdogs are warning that Ivanka Trump could be facing some very serious investigations if her dad loses the upcoming election. Ivanka has had multiple different complaints filed against her over the years while she's been in the White House, but without the protection of her father, she won't be able to continue to dodge all of the complaints and questions headed her way. Ring of Fire's Farron Cousins explains what's happening.

Coronavirus: How My Mum Became a Conspiracy Theory Influencer

Read the article here »

Democrats Hold Senate Floor Overnight to Protest Amy Coney Barrett Confirmation

The US Senate on Saturday and Sunday will debate Donald Trump's supreme court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett. Democrats are expressing outrage at the vacancy being filled so close to the election, but with a 53-47 majority, Republicans have the votes they need to approve her

A Joe Biden White House Will Have Little Time and Less Love for ‘Britain’s Trump’

THE GUARDIAN: If he becomes the next US president, who will be Mr Biden’s ‘special friend’ in Europe? Certainly not Boris Johnson

When the long race for the White House ends, another begins: the sprint to be the first European leader to be granted an audience by the new US president. In 2016, Theresa May was distraught to have got a wooden spoon in the competition to put in an early congratulatory telephone call to Trump Tower. That made her even more neuralgic about beating a path to Washington ahead of her European rivals. Mrs May had to throw in the promise of a Trump state visit to the UK – I rather rudely called it “pimping out the Queen” – to ensure that she got to the White House first.

This desperation can make British prime ministers look pathetically needy, but there is a reason why they set so much store by displays of proximity with the Oval Office. How important a prime minister is to the United States, the planet’s largest economy and most potent military force, sends a message about how much influence the UK wields in the world. So it is telling that Number 10 is resigned to the prospect that Boris Johnson will not be the first name on Joe Biden’s call sheet if he becomes the 46th president. Nor is there any expectation that Mr Johnson will be first in line when they hand out invitations to the White House. He has already quit a race UK prime ministers are usually pretty good at winning. » | Andrew Rawnsley | Sunday, October 25, 2020

France Urges Arab Nations to Prevent Boycotts over Macron's Cartoons Defence

BBC: France has urged Middle Eastern countries to prevent any boycott of its goods in protest at President Emmanuel Macron's defence of the right to show cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

The French foreign ministry said the "baseless" calls for a boycott were being "pushed by a radical minority".

French products have been removed from some shops in Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar.

Meanwhile, protests have been seen in Libya, Syria and the Gaza Strip.

The backlash stems from comments made by Mr Macron after the gruesome murder of a French teacher who showed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in class.

The president said the teacher, Samuel Paty, "was killed because Islamists want our future", but France would "not give up our cartoons". » | Sunday, October 25, 2020

Trump's America | DW Documentary

The US in the 2020 election year is a country deep in crisis. It’s been torn apart by the debate on racism, and millions have been infected with the coronavirus. On top of that, its president is pouring oil on the flames with his Twitter tirades.

At the beginning of the year, things were looking good for Donald Trump: the economy was doing well, unemployment figures were at a 50-year low, his job approval rating was rising, and the Democrats were preoccupied with themselves. But then came the coronavirus, a hazard that the president initially made light of, saying it would miraculously disappear. Instead of a miracle, the crisis hit the United States harder than any other country. The economy is in the doldrums. And COVID-19 is making the shortcomings of the health care system glaringly obvious.

Black Americans have been hit harder by the coronavirus than most. A higher proportion of them work in low-wage jobs that offer little protection against the virus, and they are less likely to have health insurance. The rage expressed in demonstrations against racism is being fuelled by the corona crisis and the mass unemployment it has triggered across the US.

It is hard to imagine that the economy will recover quickly - despite the trillions of dollars Trump is giving to companies. It is also hard to imagine that the millions of unemployed will have jobs again by the time the election is held.

Filmmakers Claudia Buckenmaier and Marion Schmickler traveled through the swing states of Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan and asked people how the economic and health crisis is affecting them. What hopes do voters have going into November’s election? The bitter dispute between Republicans and Democrats and Donald Trump’s divisive style of government has brought democracy in the US to brink of the abyss. The distrust is so great that the Democrats even expect that Trump will reject the election result if he loses. Unimaginable? The Democrats seem to be preparing for exactly this scenario.

When Five Cambridge University Students Became Soviet Spies | Secrets Of War | Timeline

They were five disillusioned young men studying at Cambridge University in the 1930's when they were secretly recruited by Soviet agents. They went on to become the most successful spies of the 20th century, penetrating both American and British governments at the highest levels.

We French Love Our History Teachers – Samuel Paty Made Us Remember Why

THE GUARDIAN: Religion struck another blow against freedom of thought with the vicious murder of a man whose mission was to civilise

Since that fateful morning of 7 January 2015, and the Charlie Hebdo massacre, it sometimes feels as if we French are living our lives between terrorist assaults, each as vile as the previous but each more poignant in its viciousness and symbolism. When we think this can’t get any worse, a new attack proves us wrong.

In the past five years, Islamists in France have targeted and murdered journalists, cartoonists, policemen and women, soldiers, Jews, young people at a concert, football fans, families at a Bastille Day fireworks show, an 86-year-old priest celebrating mass in his little Normandy church, tourists at a Christmas market... the list goes on.

Last week, a history teacher was beheaded while walking back home from his school, in the quiet town of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, halfway between Paris and Giverny. The speed with which we learned the facts sharpened the blow, deepened our emotions and focused our minds. » | Agnès Poirier * | Sunday, October 25, 2020

• Agnès Poirier is a Paris-based political commentator, writer and critic

France Recalls Ambassador from Turkey after 'Unacceptable' Erdogan Comments

France on Saturday said it was recalling its envoy to Turkey for consultations after comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggesting French counterpart Emmanuel Macron needed a mental health check-up that Paris condemned as unacceptable.

France recalls ambassador to Turkey after Erdoğan questions Macron's mental state »

Spanish Flu: A Warning from History (November 2018)

100 years ago, celebrations marking the end of the First World War were cut short by the onslaught of a devastating disease - the 1918-19 influenza pandemic. Its early origins and initial geographical starting point still remain a mystery, but in the summer of 1918, there was a second wave of a far more virulent form of the influenza virus than anyone could have anticipated. Soon dubbed ‘Spanish Flu’ after its effects were reported in the country’s newspapers, the virus rapidly spread across much of the globe to become one of the worst natural disasters in human history. To mark the centenary and to highlight vital scientific research, the University of Cambridge has made a new film exploring what we have learnt about Spanish Flu, the urgent threat posed by influenza today, and how scientists are preparing for future pandemics.

Cooper: Trump's Accountability Had Lifespan of Fruit Fly

CNN's Anderson Cooper discusses how President Trump's coronavirus response has failed as the country is looking towards hundreds of thousands of more deaths in the coming months if nothing changes.

Coronavirus: European Leaders Tighten Measures as WHO Warns of Pandemic Juncture

The World Health Organization has warned of a 'critical juncture' of the pandemic, particularly in the northern hemisphere and urged heads of state to take action to reduce the spread of Covid-19. European leaders have increased restrictions as cases have continued rising. Wales has started a two-week 'firebreak' lockdown and Portugal's parliament has passed a law making it mandatory to wear face masks in many outdoor situations Coronavirus live news: Wales 'firebreak' lockdown begins; Spanish PM says cases closer to 3m

"A Barrett Confirmation Is a Catastrophe": What Democrats Can Do to Block Trump's Supreme Court Pick

Fordham law professor Zephyr Teachout says Senate Democrats can still block the confirmation of President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, if they use every possible procedural method available to them to slow and frustrate the process. "A Barrett confirmation is a catastrophe," Teachout says. "A 6-3 majority on the court is basically a bomb coming at what is left of our protections against corruption in politics, against corporate money, against what is left of the Voting Rights Act."

Trump and Biden Face-off in Final Presidential Debate in Nashville – in Full

US President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden have faced-off in the final presidential debate ahead of the Presidential election on November 3.

Ronald Reagan's Son: We Have Grifters in the White House

Ron Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan and former first lady Nancy Reagan, tells CNN's Ana Cabrera that his father would "be horrified" by the Republican Party of today. He added that the Trump children are profiting off of their father's presidency as "grifters."

Poland Rules Abortion Due to Foetal Defects Unconstitutional

THE GUARDIAN: Constitutional court’s ruling could pave way for governing PiS party to move ahead with legislative ban

Poland’s constitutional tribunal has ruled that abortion due to foetal defects is unconstitutional, rejecting the most common of the few legal grounds for pregnancy termination in the predominantly Catholic country.

The chief justice, Julia Przyłębska, said in a ruling that existing legislation – one of Europe’s most restrictive – that allows for the abortion of malformed foetuses was “incompatible” with the constitution.

After the ruling goes into effect, abortion will only be permissible in Poland in the case of rape, incest or a threat to the mother’s health and life, which make up only about 2% of legal terminations conducted in recent years.

The verdict drew immediate condemnation from the Council of Europe, whose commissioner for human rights, Dunja Mijatović, called it “a sad day for women’s rights”.

“Removing the basis for almost all legal abortions in Poland amounts to a ban and violates human rights,” Mijatović tweeted.

“Today’s ruling ... means underground/abroad abortions for those who can afford and even greater ordeal for all others.” » | Staff and agencies in Warsaw | Thursday, October 22, 2020

US signs anti-abortion declaration with group of largely authoritarian governments »

The Christian fundamentalists are plunging the West into darkness! Does Poland really belong in the European Union? Further, should we be looking to America for leadership anymore? – Mark

Deadbeat

Barack Obama Likens Donald Trump to 'Crazy Uncle' in Joe Biden Rally Speech

”Trump isn't going to protect us”: Obama returns to campaign trail for Biden »

Coronavirus: How Well Do Patients Recover from It? | COVID-19 Special

Two-to-six weeks: That's the typical recovery time for a Covid-19 patient, according to the World Health Organization. But not for all. Researchers are trying to figure out why some patients experience the disease more seriously and suffer more long-term consequences. Here's the story of one such case.