Nigeria Protests, Coronavirus, Pope Francis: Your Thursday Briefing

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Good Morning.

We cover the killing of Protesters in Nigeria of security forces, Support from Pope Francis for same-sex civil unions and Azerbaijan’s enthusiasm for war.

The survivors remembered sitting peacefully and then suddenly fleeing in a panic. Some said military and police units surrounded protesters in the affluent suburb of Lekki and prevented them from leaving the country.

“These shootings are clearly extrajudicial executions,” said Osai Ojigho, Amnesty International director for Nigeria. “There needs to be an immediate investigation and alleged perpetrators must be held accountable through fair trials.”

Analysis: Protests that began with anger at police brutality have now spread, fueled by longstanding complaints of corruption and a lack of accountability. Here’s what you need to know.

Opinion: “The Nigerian state has turned on its people,” writes author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. “It is a colossal and unforgivable crime.”

Argentina, Brazil, the UK, France, India, Russia and the United States each reported at least 100,000 new cases of the coronavirus in the past week, bringing the global number to over 40.7 million. In many cases, these countries’ numbers are much higher than they were at the height of the spring pandemic.

In France, where 174,273 cases were added last week, a curfew has been introduced in Paris and eight other regions. More than 11,000 virus patients are hospitalized and 2,000 in the intensive care unit.

The number of infections registered daily in the UK has almost tripled since early October. In the past seven days, the UK has reported 127,622 new cases, pushing intensive care units to their limits in some parts of the country.

While England has put in place a tiered warning system, Northern Ireland is tightening restrictions on pubs and restaurants and closing schools. Scotland has put in place a two-week tightening of restrictions, and Wales will launch a two-week national lockdown on Friday.

Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.

In other developments:

In his strongest statement to date on the issue – and an apparent break with church policy – Pope Francis expressed support for same-sex civil unions. “We have to create a civil union law. That way they are legally protected, ”Francis said in a documentary that premiered on Wednesday, reiterating his view that gay people are children of God. “I stood up for it.”

The remarks made by the leader of the Roman Catholic Church could postpone debates over the legal status of same-sex couples in countries around the world and worry bishops that unions are threatening what the Church sees as traditional marriage – between a man and a woman . His comments received mixed reactions.

Francis supported same-sex civil unions before becoming Pope when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Gay Catholics and their allies say his opposition to gay marriage within the Church remains absolute.

As Azerbaijani soldiers gain ground in the conflict with Armenia, tens of thousands of refugees are hoping to return to their former homes. The two sides are involved in the worst fighting since the early 1990s over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan. Above the funeral of Eldar Aliyev (27), who died fighting for the Azerbaijani armed forces.

All around Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, there are signs of war fever and support for the fight is strong, our correspondent noted. Bright flags hang on every public building, while huge screens along the main streets play video footage of precise drone attacks on Armenian soldiers.

Samuel Paty: An investigation into the murder of a French teacher who was beheaded outside of the suburban school where he worked found that two teenagers were given about $ 350 to identify him. The murder of Mr Paty has sparked a wave of national grief, tributes to the teacher, and broad government crackdown on Muslim individuals and groups.

Rudy Giuliani: President Trump’s personal lawyer became embroiled in Sacha Baron Cohen’s new “Borat” satire. In an edited scene, Mr. Giuliani is shown following an actress who poses as a reporter in a bedroom, at some point lies down on the bed and puts his hands in his pants. He later said it was an attempt to adjust his clothes.

US election interference: Iran and Russia have both received American voter registration data, and Tehran has used it to send threatening, fake emails to voters intended to influence the presidential election, senior national security officials said Wednesday.

Family separation: The parents of 545 migrant children separated from them at the US border have not yet been found, despite a widespread campaign across Central America. That emerges from court documents filed this week in a case that challenged the Trump administration’s policies.

Snapshot: Above, workers at Cuarentena Baking or Quarantine Baking in Mexico City in September. The bakery was started by two artists with just a $ 42 toaster and an Instagram account. Her booming success is testament to the power of cooking as a survival strategy in Mexico’s food-obsessed capital.

Lived life: Costume designer Robert DeMora, whose fantastic, mischievous creations embellished Bette Midler on stage and screen and who worked on Risky Business, Marathon Man and other films, died last month at the age of 85.

What we read: This foreign policy article about a Finnish reporter covering the Trump administration. It’s a good look at how overseas correspondents explain a unique moment in the US to their readers back home.

Cook: For truly dramatic, dense puddles of chocolate gum, these perfect chocolate chip cookies require some attention to detail. Don’t skip cooling the dough overnight.

See: David Letterman’s Netflix show “My Next Guest Doesn’t Need An Introduction” is back, with more interviews and a perspective changed by the pandemic.

To do: Running pummel’s knees more than walking, but a new study shows it can strengthen and puff up cartilage to help fight off knee arthritis.

For more ideas on how to read, cook, watch and do while you are safe at home, check out our At Home collection.

In over 150 years of publication, The Times has provided many different tips on how to raise children. Our parenting editor found a mixed bag of incredibly bad attitudes and surprisingly sensible advice while searching our archives.

In 1902, The Times gave a positive review of a book entitled “How Can I Cure My Indigestion?” by Dr. AK Bond, who was very much against bananas:

The best mothers may be stupid, and affection cannot replace common sense. “A mother’s prime health, a well-developed physique that loves babies and soothes the nerves, is the best defense against indigestion in an infant.” You are not allowed to feed a baby bananas, and Dr. Bond writes that he has encountered such inhumanity (and stupidity).

One of the silliest examples was given by Dr. Lambert Ott, who saw wine as a remedy for children:

“I have used red wine as a tonic for weak children with amazing results. However, I have instructed the parents not to let the children know that I am giving them wine, but rather to label it a red tonic, ”said Dr. Ott.

In 1952, a voice of reason appeared in an article about Clark E. Vincent, a graduate student at the University of California, who railed against trends in medicine and suggested that the bottle-breast controversy had existed since Hippocrates:

He believes that, rather than producing a series of scientific data that is subject to scrutiny, writers in the childcare and parenting field have often reflected changing patterns of thought in civil society and changing theories of education and personal education.

His ultimate takeout? Less dogmatism and more flexibility “as long as the baby’s needs are met”.

Thank you for coming to me Until next time.

– Natasha

Thank you very much
To Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the break from the news. You can reach the team at [email protected].

PS
• We listen to “The Daily”. Our latest episode is about misinformation on social media.
• Here is our mini crossword puzzle and a clue: “Brownstone Hangout” (five letters). You can find all of our puzzles here.
• According to the Twitter bot @NYT_first_said, the word “punkify” first appeared in The Times on Wednesday.
• The Times won five Online Journalism Awards and had six digital work finalists from across the Newsroom and Opinion.

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