Graphic News Planner (news) 29/09/2020 18:44:06

September 30, 2020 -- A cheap test that can diagnose coronavirus in 15 minutes is set to dramatically expand the capacity to detect cases around the world.

HEALTH: New $5 Covid-19 test a game changer (Graphic DUE Sep 30, 17:00GMT)
GN40628 Graphic shows how the Abbott “BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag CARD” test works.
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September 29, 2020 -- When U.S. voters go to the polls in November, they will choose between the two oldest presidential candidates in the country’s history – 74-year-old incumbent Donald Trump, and Democrat Joe Biden, aged 77.

U.S. ELECTION: Oldest and youngest presidents (Graphic DUE Sep 30, 16:00GMT)
GN40629
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September 29, 2020 -- Armenian says one of its fighter jets was shot down by a Turkish jet in a major escalation of the conflict with Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which has seen heavy fighting in recent days.

The Armenian foreign ministry said the pilot of the Soviet-made SU-25 died after being hit by the Turkish F-16 in Armenian air space.

Turkey, which is backing Azerbaijan in the conflict, has denied the claim.

Nearly 100 people, including civilians, have died in three days of fighting over the disputed mountainous region.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but the vast majority of the 150,000 population is ethnic Armenian and rejects Azeri rule. It survives on budget support from Armenia and donations from the worldwide Armenian diaspora.

Azerbaijan is backed by Turkey, which has close ethnic and cultural ties. Azerbaijan supplies Turkey with natural gas and crude oil.

Armenia has a defence alliance with Moscow. Russia has two military bases in Armenia but it is also friendly with Azerbaijan.

The renewed fighting prompted calls to end the hostilities from around the world.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has pushed for “an immediate ceasefire and a return to the negotiating table" in phone calls with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a visit to Greece that “both sides must stop the violence” and work “to return to substantive negotiations as quickly as possible.”

Russia, which along with France and the United States co-chairs the Minsk group set up in 1992 to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, urged every country to help facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

MILITARY: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (1) (Graphic UPDATED Sep 29)
GN40625 Graphic shows details of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
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September 29, 2020 -- The confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court -- President Donald Trump’s third nominee to the nine-member court -- has started in the Senate, with an examination of her record.

Amy Coney Barrett, 48, has been a federal judge for just three years, Barratt would mark a sharp turn from the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. Barratt, the former clerk to conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, would establish a long-term traditional legacy for President Trump.

If confirmed, Judge Barrett will shift the balance of power on the court decidedly to the right with a six to three conservative majority. She has called abortion “immoral” and has expressed openness to overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which affirmed the legality of a woman’s right to have an abortion.

In a law review article, Judge Barrett criticised Chief Justice John Roberts’ role in the blockbuster case that upheld the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2012. If confirmed, Barrett will take part on November 10 in a Supreme Court hearing. The Republican attorneys general argue that ACA -- also known as Obamacare -- is unconstitutional, and must fall.

Senate Democrats, led by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, have argued that repeal of ACA would deny 20 million Americans health insurance amid a global pandemic.

On the question of gun rights, Justice Ginsburg supported gun control regulations. In contrast, Barrett has questioned the constitutionality of a ban on gun ownership by convicted felons.

Barrett allegedly has close ties to People of Praise. This Christian religious group holds men are the “head” of family and faith. The Associated Press reports that former members of People of Praise say it teaches that wives must submit to the will of their husbands.

POLITICS: Appointing U.S. Supreme Court justices (Graphic)
GN40627 Graphic shows steps in the appointment of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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September 29, 2020 -- The developing East Asia and the Pacific region has been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic. While China is forecast to grow by 2.0 percent in 2020, the rest of the EAP is projected to contract by 3.5 percent, according to the World Bank.

BUSINESS: Asia economic growth forecast (Graphic)
GN40626 Graphic shows GDP growth forecasts for selected East Asia and Pacific countries.
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September 28, 2020 -- The global death toll from the new coronavirus, which emerged nine months ago in China and has swept across the world, has passed one million.

HEALTH: Global coronavirus deaths pass one million (Graphic)
GN40613 Graphic shows Covid-19 deaths by world region, and cumulative deaths since the start of the outbreak.
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September 28, 2020 -- An investigation by The New York Times claims to show a detailed history of President Trump’s business dealings, revealing huge losses.

The New York Times says it has reviewed tax returns relating to President Trump and companies owned by the Trump Organization going back to the 1990s.

The newspaper alleges the president paid just $750 in income tax in 2016 and 2017, the year he ran for office, and no income tax at all in 10 of the previous 15 years, largely because he reported losing more money than he made.

Donald Trump calls the report "fake news".

Trump has faced legal issues for refusing to share documents pertaining to his fortune and business, and is the first president since the 1970s not to make his tax returns public, although he is not required to by law.

The NYT says the information analysed in the story was provided by sources with legal access to it.

U.S. ELECTION: Charting the Trump empire's earnings (Graphic)
GN40623 Graphic charts data published by the New York Times, which they claim exposes Donald Trump's finances.
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September 28, 2020 -- Voters in a dozen battleground states will determine the presidential race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden. The winner will need 270 of 538 Electoral College votes.

Of those, 218 electoral votes are in states rated as likely or solidly Democrat and expected to vote for Biden. An additional 125 electoral votes are in states rated as possible or solidly Republican and expected to vote for Trump.

That leaves 195 electoral votes that are up for grabs in states rated as a toss-up, leaning Democrat or leaning Republican.

U.S. ELECTION: Battleground states polls (Graphic)
GN40624 Graphic shows polling data in 12 battleground states.
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December 1, 2020 -- Beijing’s Forbidden City, so-named because commoners were forbidden to enter, was home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for five centuries, and has since served as a public museum. All aspects of the design, in the imperial colours of yellow and crimson, were intended to project the pre-eminence of the emperor. Construction was completed in December 1420.

Laid out by Emperor Yongle between 1406 and 1420 with the help of more than a million labourers, the Forbidden City is the world’s largest palace complex, consisting of 980 surviving buildings covering 720,000 square metres. It is separated from the rest of Beijing by a 52-metre moat and 10-metre wall, with gate towers guarding its entrances.

The palace is not just a collection of buildings. It is actually a huge museum housing China’s largest collection of imperial treasures, including the emperor’s superb Dragon Throne and Buddhas bedecked with almost every precious metal and gemstone imaginable.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the biggest and most important structure of the palace, was the centre of the imperial court. Inside, the throne is guarded by two luduan (mythical beasts who can detect if a person is lying).

The emperor resided in the Palace of Heavenly Purity until the mid-Qing dynasty when it became an audience hall in which ambassadors and other luminaries were received.

The Imperial Garden was designed as a place of relaxation for the emperor, with a fanciful arrangement of trees, fish ponds, flower beds, and sculpture.

After six centuries, during which the vast complex endured fire and conflict, natural disaster and periodic neglect, the Forbidden City has now been adopted by China’s leaders as a proud symbol of the nation’s history and culture, with money lavished on its restoration and preservation.

It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987 in recognition of its importance as the centre of Chinese power for 500 years, as well as for its unparalleled architecture and its current role as the Palace Museum of dynastic art and history.

A range of cultural activities, including seminars, forums and exhibitions, have been organised to mark the 600th anniversary.

CHINA: Forbidden City marks 600th anniversary (Graphic)
GN40617 Graphic shows layout of Beijing’s Forbidden City and elevation detail of The Hall of Supreme Harmony.
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September 28 - November 3, 2020 -- U.S. voters go to the polls to decide who will become the next President of the United States on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

With just five weeks to Election Day, the poll average updates the election candidates’ poll of polls with a week's worth of new data to September 27, 2020.

Beleaguered Republican incumbent President Donald Trump is fighting Democratic hopeful Joe Biden in a battle for the White House.

Biden’s advantage remains significant, although the race has tightened slightly from earlier in the summer.

U.S. ELECTION: Biden vs Trump poll average (6) (Graphic)
GN40460 Graphic shows the latest average polling data for 2020, as compiled by RealClearPolitics.
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October 11-17, 2020 -- Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. This week features the Explorer Christopher Columbus, marathon running Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, U.S. gymnast Simone Biles, Skydiver Felix Baumgartner, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and scientist Henry Bessemer

October 11, 1492: Explorer Christopher Columbus set eyes on the New World for the first time. He gave the name San Salvador to the island, located in what is now the Bahamas

October 12, 2019: Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to run a marathon in less than two hours, completing the challenge in 1:59:40.2 in Vienna, Austria

October 13, 2019: U.S. gymnast Simone Biles, 22, became the most decorated artistic gymnast of all time, with a total of 25 World Championship medals, 19 of them gold

October 14, 2012: Skydiver Felix Baumgartner made the highest ever freefall from a balloon 39km over New Mexico, becoming the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound

October 15, 1815: Napoleon Bonaparte arrived on the island of St Helena, ordered into exile after his defeat at Waterloo. He remained on the island until his death in 1821

October 16,2002: A new library in Egypt, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, was opened on the site of the fabled original destroyed by fire in the fourth century AD

October 17, 1855: Henry Bessemer patented a process using oxygen in air blown through molten pig iron to burn off the impurities and create steel inexpensively

HISTORY: On this day October 11-17, 2020 (week 42) (Graphic)
GN40571 Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.
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October 4-10, 2020 -- Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. This week features the rock singer Janis Joplin, the 1918 flu virus, the 2008 banking crisis, the old Wembley stadium, Russia’s Kalibr-NK long-range cruise missile, Turkey’s invasion of north-eastern Syria and Germany’s Angela Merkel.

October 4, 1970: Janis Joplin, one of the premier blues-influenced rock singers of the late 1960s, died from an overdose of heroin and alcohol at age 27

October 5, 2005: Scientists announced that the 1918 flu virus that killed 50 million people worldwide was a strain of H1N1 avian flu that jumped to humans

October 6, 2008: A major banking and financial crisis erupted in Iceland. It was particularly exposed to the global credit crisis with banking debts much larger than its economy

October 7, 2000: England lost to Germany in the last match played at London’s old Wembley stadium, the “home of football” since it opened in 1923, before it was demolished

October 8, 2015: Russia’s Kalibr-NK long-range cruise missile made its combat debut, reaching targets in Syria from Russian warships in the Caspian Sea

October 9, 2019: Turkey launched a military invasion of north-eastern Syria following an abrupt decision by President Donald Trump to pull U.S. troops out of the region

October 10, 2005: Angela Merkel, leader of the conservative Christian Democrats, became Germany’s first ever woman Chancellor, and the first from the former East Germany

HISTORY: On this day October 04-10, 2020 (week 41) (Graphic)
GN40570 Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.
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September 25, 2020 -- The world is on the cusp of officially recording 1 million deaths from Covid-19, but the real tally might be closer to double that figure.

As the world teeters on the brink of recognising a million coronavirus deaths, the actual figure could be closer to 1.8 million, rising to 3 million by the end of the year, according to Melbourne University.

Mortality is difficult to accurately gauge, however, even in countries with sophisticated health systems. For example, tens of thousands of probable Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. weren’t accounted for between March and May, hampering efforts to track the pandemic’s progression.

A lack of accurate data interferes with a government's ability to create strategies and policies to protect public health and mitigate economic hardship.

If the mortality rate from Covid-19 does indeed reach 3 million as predicted, it would rank the disease among the world’s worst killers – placing it above dementia, lung cancer, diabetes and road deaths.

HEALTH: Covid-19 ranks among biggest global killers (Graphic)
GN40621 Graphic charts Covid-19 fatalities against other global caused of death.
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September 25, 2020 -- Beijing is using artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea to extend the range of its strategic bomber force. Anti-ship cruise missiles can now threaten U.S. Asia-Pacific region bases.

Beijing claims a vast area of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Beijing has backed its claims with island-building and patrols.

It has built significant military infrastructure on two island chains in the area -- the Paracels and the Spratlys -- and has deployed H-6 long-range strategic bombers to the atolls.

Washington has responded to heightened tensions with Beijing by sending ships from the U.S. Navy’s Third Fleet to beef up the Japan-based Seventh Fleet.

The Third Fleet, based in San Diego, California, traditionally has confined its operations to the eastern side of the Pacific.

The former commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral Scott Swift, has said that the U.S. should widen its presence in East Asia. He argues that the U.S. should use the “total combined power” of the Pacific Fleet to counter China’s behaviour.

The Pacific Fleet is based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is comprised of 140,000 personnel, over 200 ships and 1,200 aircraft.

The Seventh Fleet consists of an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Ronald Reagan, 80 other vessels and 140 aircraft. The Third Fleet has more than 100 ships, including four aircraft carriers strike groups.

MILITARY: U.S. military in Asia-Pacific 14:15GMT
GN40620 Graphic shows military balance in Asia-Pacific region.
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September 24, 2020 -- When U.S. President Donald Trump faces Democrat Joe Biden in November’s presidential election, voters in most of America’s 50 states will have already had the chance to cast their ballot early.

U.S. ELECTION: Early voting options (Graphic)
GN40612 Graphic shows timetable of early voting options by U.S. state.
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September 24, 2020 -- Microsoft has added another jewel in the crown to its growing roster of tech companies – this time ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion.

TECH: The most expensive video game deal ever (Graphic)
GN40616 Graphic compares Microsoft's latest corporate purchase to other sizeable acquisitions it has made over the years.
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September 24, 2020 -- As nearly 400 pilot whales died in Australia’s largest mass stranding on record, scientists point to a number of potential reasons which could explain the phenomenon, including navigational errors.

While scientists don’t know the exact reason, they do know that whales - and dolphins, which are also prone to mass beaching - are very sociable animals.

They travel in large, close-knit communities which rely on constant communication.

Many of the recorded mass strandings include long-finned or short-finned pilot whales – a species of oceanic dolphin that grows up to 7 metres and can weigh up to 3 tonnes.

Pilot whales use sophisticated sonar to find prey and for orientation, so some theories link strandings to changes in electromagnetic fields.

These changes can be caused by solar storms or earthquakes but there is also a strong connection between active sonar, such as naval sonar, and strandings.

Pilot whales often follow a leader, and are known to gather around injured or distressed whales. one theory is that one leading individual, maybe in poor health, could mistakenly lead the whole group to shore.

Failure of whales’ sonar pulses to detect shoreline in shallow waters could also be a factor.

The largest mass stranding in modern recorded history was 1,000 whales on the shores of the Chatham Islands, a New Zealand territory in the Pacific Ocean in 1918.

ENVIRONMENT: Why do whales strand themselves? (Graphic)
GN40614 Graphic shows how echolocation works and possible theories linked to whales’ strandings.
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September 24, 2020 -- Sir Harold Evans, a British-American editor whose 70-year career set the gold standard for investigative journalism, has died at the age of 92.

“I cannot think of another editor whose influence on journalists and journalism matched that of Harry Evans,” said longtime friend Norman Pearlstine, executive editor of the Los Angeles Times. He knew Evans since he arrived in the U.S. in 1984.

Over the last four decades, Evans held several executive posts in New York, serving as editor of the Atlantic, U.S. News & World Report and the New York Daily News. He was the founding editor of Conde Nast Traveler in the late 1980s and a successful book publisher in the 1990s when he was appointed president at Random House.

Following his graduation from Durham University, Evans worked at the Manchester Evening News, before being appointed as the editor, at age 31, of the Northern Echo, a daily newspaper in the northeast England town of Darlington. Under his editorship, the paper campaigned over air pollution and successfully achieved a national screening programme for the detection of cervical cancer in women.

Eight years later, Evans took over as editor of The Sunday Times, a position he held from 1967 to 1982. In 1967, his Insight Team scored a massive worldwide scoop when it revealed that British intelligence agent Kim Philby was a double agent working for the Soviet Union.

Within a year, The Sunday Times campaign over congenital disabilities caused by the medication thalidomide resulted in Distillers -- the company that marketed the drug in Britain -- having to compensate families who suffered from the drug’s effects.

While at The Sunday Times, Evans pioneered its design with stunning photography, illustration and the use of infographics. Evans hired Edwin Taylor as design director and Peter Sullivan as head of graphics.

Evans received a knighthood in 2004 for his services to British journalism.

His wife, Tina Brown, said her husband died of congestive heart failure, according to Reuters, where Evans was an editor-at-large. He was 92.

EDITOR‘S NOTE: Duncan Mil had the honour of working with Sir Harry Evans at The Sunday Times from 1969 to 1974. At that time Mil was studying as a post-grad student at Birmingham College of Art, where Peter Sullivan was head of post-graduate design.

Each week Sullivan spent Thursday to Saturday in London, producing infographics for Harry at The Sunday Times. Mil’s first commission came on a Friday afternoon. Sullivan asked Mil to create an eight-column infographic explaining the Civil List -- showing how the Royal Family spent tax-payers’ money -- “by tomorrow morning.”

Mil was told to borrow the train fare from fellow students, and take the next train to London. He was met at Euston by Harry’s chauffeur-driven car.

After working through the night, with journalists and the picture desk, the graphic was approved and went to print -- Mil had caught the news bug.

That first night’s work earned £120 -- equivalent to US$2,500 at today’s value, and Mil was at that time living on a student grant of £360 a year.

Harry encouraged Sullivan and Mil to work on-site with photographers and journalists whenever possible. Subsequent stories Mil and Sullivan covered included the near-disaster of Apollo 13 in 1970; Munich massacre, 1972; and in 1973, the Yom Kippur War, deadly Isle of Man Summerland leisure centre fire, and Lofthouse Colliery disaster.

OBIT: Sir Harold Evans (Graphic)
GN40615 Graphic shows factbox on carreer of Sir Harold Evans.
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September 23, 2020 -- The United States has passed the grim milestone of 200,000 deaths from coronavirus, making America the worst affected country in the world by far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The number of dead is based on figures supplied by state health authorities. But the real toll is thought to be much higher, in part because many Covid-19 deaths were probably ascribed to other causes, especially early on, before widespread testing.

For five months, America has led the world by far in sheer numbers of confirmed infections – nearly 6.9 million as of Tuesday – and deaths. The U.S. has less than 5 percent of the globe’s population but more than 20 percent of the reported deaths.

Brazil is No. 2 with about 137,000 deaths, followed by India with approximately 89,000 and Mexico with around 74,000.

HEALTH: U.S. coronavirus death toll passes 200,000 (Graphic)
GN40604 Graphic shows Covid-19 deaths by U.S. state, and numbers of daily cases and deaths.
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September 23, 2020 -- Around half of Americans say they would not get a vaccine to prevent Covid-19, if it were available today – up from 27% four months ago.

A survey of over 10,000 U.S. adults has found intent to get a Covid-19 vaccine has dropped sharply across the majority of political and demographic groups.

Around half of those polled (51%) said they would definitely or probably get a vaccine to prevent Covid-19 if it were available today. Whereas 49% said they definitely or probably would not get vaccinated at this time.

Intent to get vaccinated has fallen from 72% in May, a 21 percentage point drop.

Of those who said they would take the vaccine, only 21% said so definitively – half what it was four months ago.

The decline in favour of a vaccine stems from widespread public concerns about its safety and effectiveness. In fact, 77% of Americans think a vaccine will be rushed to market before it has been fully tested.

HEALTH: Declining U.S. approval for Covid-19 vaccine (Graphic)
GN40603 Graphic charts falling U.S. approval ratings for a potential Covid-19 vaccine.
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