Beirut recovery effort gathers pace amid growing anger at Lebanon's leaders Search and rescue teams, firefighters and medics continued to comb through what remains of Beirut port on Friday, competing for space with men who were not wearing uniforms or displaying official status, and who several observers said were directing clean-up efforts. As international rescue teams arrived in the Lebanese capital to help with the recovery, the scene of the explosion appeared increasingly frantic, with ambulances and unmarked vans repeatedly entering the site. A Dutch team that had just arrived in Lebanon was initially kept away by Lebanese officials who insisted the sniffer dogs they brought with them were not allowed. “Then they sent them to parts that didn’t really matter,” said one senior official.
What's hot for tech holiday? 'Practical' gifts like routers and computer monitors Are you feeling practical? We're just a few weeks away from Black Friday and intense holiday shopping time during an era of COVID-19. Do you know what you'll be purchasing? Stephen Baker, a longtime analyst with the NPD Group, which tracks sales of consumer products, says to expect a holiday filled with non-sexy products like computer monitors, external mice and keyboards and routers.
California prosecutors say that people - prisoners and others - fraudulently applied for stimulus checks, potentially costing the state a billion dollars Murderers, rapists, child molesters and serial killers are among thousands of prisoners implicated in a scam in which inmates -- or people using their identities -- filed for unemployment insurance and the $600 per week federal Covid-19 relief that accompanied it, according to Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, who outlined the issue at a news conference Tuesday. Schubert described the scam as an all-encompassing effort that included every facility in California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, including local, state and federal institutions. "That money was stolen from the coffers of the California government," said Schubert, who was joined by district attorneys from Kern and El Dorado counties and a US attorney Tuesday.
Coronavirus live news: Auckland back in lockdown; Paris marathon cancelled as cases rise 1.29pm BST13:29 Britain’s NatWest is cutting at least 500 jobs across its retail business and closing one of its remaining offices in London as banks press on with cost-cutting in the face of a wave of expected loan losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The state-backed bank is finalising a voluntary redundancy round targeting cutting 550 full-time equivalent roles across its branches and ‘premier banking’ premium service, union Unite told Reuters. A NatWest spokesman confirmed the redundancy process. “We have taken the decision to invite applications for voluntary redundancy and will support those colleagues who apply with a comprehensive support package. There will be no compulsory redundancy as a result of this announcement,” the spokesman said.
Alex Trebek dead at 80: Why pancreatic cancer is so deadly Alex Trebek, the longtime "Jeopardy!" host, died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. USA TODAY About 47,050 people will die this year from pancreatic cancer, according to the American Society of Cancer, and among them will be Alex Trebek, the beloved "Jeopardy!" host. Trump campaign files appeal after Pennsylvania judge shoots down lawsuit President Trump’s legal team on Sunday filed an appeal to a federal judge’s ruling that struck down his campaign’s effort to block the certification of votes in Pennsylvania. The appeal, which was filed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, comes just a day after U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew Brann in Williamsport, Pa., rejected a request by the Trump 2020 Campaign for an injunction that would stop the certification of the election, as the campaign seeks to overturn results in swing states across the country. “Plaintiffs ask this Court to disenfranchise almost seven million voters,” Brann said Saturday.
France sees spike in coronavirus cases, country going ‘wrong way,' PM warns A surge of coronavirus cases in France has Prime Minister Jean Castex warning that the country has been going the “wrong way” for two weeks as he urged citizens to step up their efforts to curb the spread. France recorded 1,397 new COVID-19 infections over 24 hours on Tuesday, almost double the number of cases from Monday, with 15 additional deaths, Reuters reported. "The epidemiological situation, which we are following very closely, is deteriorating: 2,000 new cases per day compared to 1,000 three weeks ago," Castex said at a press conference at a hospital in Montpellier, according to the BBC. France emerged from its strict lockdown in May with a seven-day average of 272 new infections. On Monday, the seven-day measure rose to 1,640 from 1,056 a week earlier, France24 reported.
Top college basketball recruiting battles as the early signing period starts 31 Photos NBA mock draft: Projecting the 2020 first round 1 of 31 Autoplay Show Thumbnails Show Captions Trump held unannounced meeting with Indonesian minister in Oval Office - CNNPolitics A readout provided by the Indonesian government said that Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan also met with Trump's advisers, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, along with the CEO of the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Adam Boehler. "In the meeting, (the minister) conveyed his greetings, gratitude and appreciation from President Joko Widodo for President Donald Trump's continued support and co-operation between Republic of Indonesia and the United States," according to a translation of the Indonesian readout. Trump has largely avoided appearing in public since he lost the election to Joe Biden, remaining in the White House as his legal team attempts to challenge the result in several states. Since November 12, according to his official schedule, he has had no public events other than updates on the coronavirus and meetings with Vice President Mike Pence.
Chinese state media dismisses attacks on Wuhan's huge pool party as 'sour grapes' Chinese state media has defended Wuhan residents after photos and video of a huge pool party went viral this week, saying complaints by foreigners were “sour grapes” . Thousands of people celebrated at a water park music festival in Wuhan this week, crowded in front of the stage, shoulder to shoulder. An AFP photo of the dance party drew some negative responses at Wuhan’s apparent return to normal life. Google Photos to drop free unlimited storage on images and videos. Here are your other options. After five years of enticing consumers with offers of free photo and video storage, albeit it with a hitch (lower resolution), Google turned its back on consumers Wednesday and says we'll all have to start paying as of June 1st. So what other options are out there for us? Sadly, there are few that are free. In an era when we are taking more high-resolution photos and videos than ever before, we either have to invest in multiple hard drives – which sadly, do not last – or spend monthly on expensive online storage. When factoring in how much storage you need, remember that it's not just photos and videos on your phone, but all those data-hungry apps. On my phone now, I'm looking at at least a half a gigabytes each for apps like Facebook and Gmail.
Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller tells young girls 'the path to success is a lot of ups and downs' After making college football history Saturday, when she became the first woman to play in the Power Five Conference and the first woman to officially take the field during a football game in a Southeastern Conference (SEC), Fuller told CNN she was inundated with calls of support from friends, family and even professional athletes like US Women's National Team player Carli Lloyd and NFL quarterback Russell Wilson. "I never thought my names would be on their Instagrams or social media at all," the Vanderbilt University senior said. Fuller is a goalkeeper for the Vanderbilt women's soccer team. Her opportunity came because many of Vanderbilt's specialists are in quarantine due to Covid-19, according to the school and ESPN. "I just had a few days to learn how to do this," Fuller said.
California wildfires torch area bigger than Rhode Island as resources stretched thin Wildfires in California have killed at least six people and forced tens of thousands from their homes, with few signs of reprieve in sight, as firefighting resources strain under the vastness of dozens of infernos raging across the state. More than 771,000 acres have burned so far, an area greater than the state of Rhode Island, California’s governor Gavin Newsom said at a press conference Friday. He said the scope and ferocity of the fires has stretched thin the state’s capacity to respond in an “unprecedented moment” in California’s history, adding that he anticipated mutual aid support coming from Arizona, Oregon, Washington state, Texas, Nevada and elsewhere. “We are struggling,” said Newsom. Three major complexes encompassing dozens of fires chewed through forests, canyons and rural areas north, east and south of San Francisco Bay. Fires have scorched iconic redwoods within Big Basin, California’s oldest state park.