Top News: (10/24-10/30)
Here are the top stories for this week all summarized so you can stay informed and save time!
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All sources are at the end of the post.
Democrats and Republicans clash in election lawsuits ahead of US midterms:
Voting booths are pictured inside the Dona Ana County Government Center during early voting for the upcoming midterm elections in Las Cruces, New Mexico, U.S., October 24, 2022. REUTERS/Paul Ratje/File Photo
In the leadup to US Midterm elections, lawyers for Democrats and Republicans are already squaring off in a wave of lawsuits challenging state rules on how to vote and the counting of ballots. The Republican National Committee has sued to have several states release partisan affiliation of poll watchers and to roll back new restrictions on partisan poll watchers. Meanwhile, voting rights groups have sued over dropbox watchers intimidating voters in a pending Arizona case. Also this month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed to take up an RNC lawsuit seeking to throw out undated mail-in ballots on a fast-tracked schedule. The Biden Administration has also gotten involved by challenging new Republican-backed state laws it sees as limiting voter registration and outreach.
Russia halts deal over Ukraine Black Sea grain exports after drone attacks:
A U.N. chartered vessel with more than 23,000 metric tons of grain in Yuzhne, Ukraine, in August. | AFP-JIJI
On Saturday, Russia suspended participation in an UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal. The deal allowed shipments of grain from Ukraine, one of the world’s largest exporters. This is due to Russia telling the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in a letter that it was suspending the deal for an “indefinite term” because it could not “guarantee the safety of civilian ships” traveling under the pact. Russia’s defense ministry said Ukraine attacked the Black Sea Fleet near Sevastopol on the annexed Crimean peninsula with 16 drones early on Saturday, and that British navy “specialists” had helped coordinate the “terrorist” attack. Though, Russia says, it had repelled the attack but that the ships targeted were involved in ensuring the grain corridor out of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. Britain on Saturday said Russia’s claims, including that British navy personnel blew up the Nord Stream pipelines last month, were false and aimed at distracting attention from Russian military failures. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said what he called Russia’s nonsensical move required a strong international response from the UN and the Group of 20 major economies. Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said Russia was ready to supply up to 500,000 metric tons of grain to poor countries in the next four months for free, with assistance from Turkey, and supplant supplies of Ukrainian grains.
Dad Makes Epic Halloween Yard With Giant Spider and Horror Movie to Raise Thousands For Local Hospice
A crafty dad has transformed his family’s home in England with epic Halloween decorations, all handmade, including a lifelike giant spider, all to raise cash for charity. Kieron King has packed the outside of the house with massive spiders, demons, and webs, to create the ultimate spooky and memorable experience. The Halloween cogs start turning each summer when the engineer and carpenter get started on the display with his partner and their two kids. Kieron says “Every year I build on the last and it just gets bigger and bigger. This year we have different skeletons which I made, some rotting flesh. The giant spider is new, and we’ve added an 8-foot demon.” The idea to raise money for charity came last Halloween when people started offering money after visiting the display in Gillingham, Kent. Last year the family raised around $3,100 in three days for the local children’s hospice called Demelza. This year they are determined to do even better and they have set up a Just Giving page hoping to beat last year’s total.
Short Brisk Walks Instead of Long Strolls May Cut Risk of Heart Disease, Says Key Study of 88,000:
Photo by Maurice T (CC license)
When it comes to exercise, intensity is everything, and while a brisk daily 15-minute walk is enough to cut the risk of heart disease, a leisurely 30-minute stroll is not. Scientists from the NIH Care Research Center at Cambridge studied data from heart-rate wearables of more than 88,000 middle-aged adults and followed up on their heart health for an average of around 7 years. Through their study, they found that intensity rather than time is the primary factor in decreasing the chances of heart disease. When the low-level exercise of participants doubled there was no significant boost to heart health while the amount of moderate to vigorous activity someone did remained at 10%. However, when that vigorous proportion rose by 20% disease risk fell by 23%. When it rose by 40%. disease risk fell by 40%. To put this in perspective, this change is the same as turning a daily 30-minute stroll into a brisk 15-minute walk. The researchers also add that easy activities such as washing the car or doing laundry, which has counted as exercise in earlier research, are not enough to stave off heart problems.
Sources:
Factbox: Democrats and Republicans clash in election lawsuits ahead of U.S. midterms | Reuters
Russia halts deal over Ukraine Black Sea grain exports after drone attacks | The Japan Times