Alexandria

Contrasting responses to COVID-19 restrictions highlights split among evangelical Christians

In May, journalist Mindy Belz was frustrated by the way she saw white conservative Christians in America responding to the pandemic. Belz, by contrast, told Yahoo News that her tweet in May was driven by disappointment in the response of many American Christians to COVID-19.

A White House lawyer reportedly tried to get The Wall Street Journal to scoop Hunter Biden's emails

The Wall Street Journal published a short article Thursday night on Hunter Biden's business dealings that concluded: "Corporate records reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show no role for Joe Biden." The same night, the Journal published an opinion piece that asserted the Democratic presidential nominee had been aware of and/or involved in his son's business endeavors, about 24 hours after Breitbart News published a statement from a former Hunter Biden business partner, Tony Bobulinksi.That wasn't how President Trump's allies had wanted this to go, Ben Smith reports in The New York Times.In early October, three men allied with Trump — Arthur Schwartz, a public relations man close to Donald Trump Jr.; former deputy White House Counsel Stefan Passantino; and Eric Herschmann, a White House lawyer currently on the public payroll as "senior adviser to the president" — met in a McLean, Virginia, house and pitched the Hunter Biden story to Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender, Smith reports, citing two people familiar with the meeting. Bobulinksi called in and offered to go on the record.The trio gave Bender a cache of Hunter Biden emails and ended the meeting "believing that the Journal would blow the thing open, and their excitement was conveyed to the president," who said on an Oct. 19 conference call that an "important piece" was coming in the Journal, Smith reports. The Journal had assigned a group of reporters to dig in to the allegations, and Trump and his allies expected their article to appear in the Journal that day, former Trump campaign chairman Stephen Bannon told Smith."The editors didn't like Trump's insinuation that we were being teed up to do this hit job," a Journal reporter not directly involved in the story told Smith. But the Journal continued working on the report. But by that point, things had already gotten "messy," Smith reports. Rudy Giuliani, Trump's political operative, had "delivered a cache of documents of questionable provenance — but containing some of the same emails — to the New York Post, a sister publication to the Journal in Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.," casting "a pall over the story."Smith, a media reporter, splits his weekly column between a report on "the McLean group's failed attempt to sway the election" and an analysis of the media's gatekeeper role. Read the entire column at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com Trump loses on the merits Who won the final 2020 debate? Call it a draw. Get ready for Trump TV, America

Afghan security forces kill senior al Qaeda leader al-Masri

Afghan security forces have killed Abu Muhsin al-Masri, a senior al Qaeda leader who was on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted Terrorists list, Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS) said in a tweet late on Saturday. The head of the U.S. National Counter-Terrorism Center, Chris Miller, confirmed al-Masri's death in a statement, saying his "removal .. from the battlefield is a major setback to a terrorist organization that is consistently experiencing strategic losses facilitated by the United States and its partners."

Crews vacuum 'murder hornets' out of Washington nest

Heavily protected crews in Washington state worked Saturday to destroy the first nest of so-called murder hornets discovered in the United States.

A white woman yelled 'f--- Black Lives Matter' at a Starbucks barista after she told her to wear a mask

An unnamed white woman yelled at barista Alex Beckom when she told her she had to put on a mask in Starbucks. A video of the encounter went viral.

'Thailand doesn't need you': ultra-royalists push back against protesters

Pictures of coffins and guns, and threats of death and violence: protests targeting Thailand's government and monarchy have hardened feelings amongst ultra-royalists, who are pushing back with aggressive abuse online.

China Communist Party plenum kicks off in Beijing

The three-day meeting comes amid speculation that President Xi intends to be "president-for-life".

Pelosi Says She Will Run for Speaker Again as Coronavirus Stimulus Talks Remain Stalled

House speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that she plans to run for speaker again as Democrats and Republicans struggle to reach a deal on another coronavirus stimulus package before the election in November."If Democrats keep the House, are you going to run for another term as Speaker?" CNN's Jake Tapper asked Pelosi during an interview on State of the Union."Yes, I am," Pelosi responded, adding that "we have to also win the Senate."Talks on another stimulus bill to offset the economic damage of the pandemic remain sluggish as differences remain among House Democrats, Senate Republicans, and the Trump administration.The White House offered to support a nearly $1.9 trillion stimulus bill, less than the $2.2 trillion bill House Democrats passed earlier this month. Two of the biggest sticking points are how much supplemental unemployment insurance to provide as well as Democrats' request to send more aid to states and localities."I'll never give up hope. I'm optimistic," Pelosi said, adding that she sent the administration a list of concerns that she was informed she would receive feedback about on Monday."To do anything, though, that does not crush the virus is really official malfeasance. And to crush the virus, we just have to follow the science, testing, tracing, treatment, mask-wearing, ventilation, separation, and the rest," Pelosi added.“I don’t think Speaker Pelosi has any intention of doing a deal before the election but hopefully we can do one shortly thereafter,” GOP Senator John Cornyn said Friday.The next coronavirus bill would send another $1,200 direct payment to Americans.“I’d like to see the people get the money,” President Trump said Friday. “I don’t think she wants the people to get the money before the election. I don’t think that’s a good point for her.”During Thursday's presidential debate, Trump said he believes that Republicans will win a majority in the House during the general election in November."You keep thinking that, Mr. President," Pelosi said Sunday of Trump's prediction, calling the president's remark another example of his "delusional" statements.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is heavily favored to win her reelection race. Her challenger has still raised $10 million because Republicans are desperate to beat her.

"I guarantee you 75% of his contributors don't know anything about him," a Republican strategist told The New York Times.

How Kamala Harris and Jill Biden are subverting myths about America's stepmoms

For millions of American women, Harris and Biden represent resilience and tenacity.

Trump planning to axe top security chiefs in White House shake-up if re-elected — report

President reportedly planning clearout of officials seen as disloyal to his administration

QAnon builds on centuries of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that put Jewish people at risk

Is QAnon anti-Semitic? The conspiracy theory movement builds off of anti-Semitic tropes and false claims that have circulated worldwide for centuries.

Roe v. Wade ruling matters, but mostly as a symbol. It has not protected abortion rights.

Abortion rights don't hinge on whether a new Justice Amy Coney Barrett votes to overturn Roe. They're already at death's door by a thousand smaller cuts.

Cameroon: Children killed in attack on school in Kumba

Officials have blamed Anglophone secessionists for the attack on a private school in a restive region.

'An incredibly tragic day for Ocala': Florida police chief Greg Graham killed in plane crash

The death of Greg Graham, who became Ocala's 30th police chief in January 2012, stunned the central Florida city northwest of Orlando.

Ethiopia blasts Trump remark that Egypt will 'blow up' dam

Ethiopia on Saturday denounced “belligerent threats” by President Trump over the huge dam it has nearly completed on the Blue Nile River. This comes a day after Trump said downstream Egypt will “blow up” the project it has called an existential threat.

Nigeria's police order massive mobilization after unrest

Nigeria’s top police official on Saturday ordered the immediate mobilization of all officers to “reclaim the public space from criminal elements masquerading as protesters” after days of unrest and demonstrations over police abuses that left at least 69 people dead. The police order could further heighten tensions in Africa’s most populous country after some of its worst turmoil in years. Nigeria’s inspector general of police, M.A. Adamu, ordered colleagues to “dominate the public space” while announcing that enough is enough, a statement said.

Fox News Is Covering Hunter Biden Claims More Than 2016 WikiLeaks Emails

A month before the 2016 presidential election, WikiLeaks released hacked emails from John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman.Last week, The New York Post published an article featuring emails from a laptop purportedly owned by Hunter Biden, son of the Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden. The emails, about business dealings in Ukraine, have not been independently verified.So how did cable news treat these two caches, which were both aimed at Democratic candidates during the heights of their presidential campaigns?The answer: Fox News is giving more airtime to the unverified Hunter Biden emails than it did to the hacked emails from Podesta in 2016, according to an analysis from the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, which studies disinformation.While Fox News' mentions of the word "WikiLeaks" took up a peak of 198 seconds in one day in mid-October 2016, the news channel's references to "Hunter" reached 273 seconds one day last week, according to the analysis. Fox News did not respond to a request for comment.In contrast, most viewers of CNN and MSNBC would not have heard much about the unconfirmed Hunter Biden emails, according to the analysis. CNN's mentions of "Hunter" peaked at 20 seconds and MSNBC's at 24 seconds one day last week.CNN and MSNBC covered the WikiLeaks disclosures more, according to the study. Mentions of "WikiLeaks" peaked at 121 seconds on CNN in one day in October 2016 and 90 seconds on MSNBC in one day in the same period."In 2016, the WikiLeaks releases were a gigantic story, covered across the political spectrum," said Emerson Brooking, a resident fellow at the Digital Forensic Research Lab, who worked on the report. "In 2020, the Hunter Biden leaks are a WikiLeaks-sized event crammed into one angry, intensely partisan corner" of cable news television.As for online news outlets, 85% of the 1,000 most popular articles about the Hunter Biden emails were by right-leaning sites, according to the analysis. Those articles, which were shared 28 million times, came from The New York Post, Fox Business, Fox News and The Washington Times, among other outlets. The researchers did not have a comparative analysis for the WikiLeaks revelations.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company

Qatar might get F-35s despite Israel's objections, Israeli minister says

An Israeli cabinet minister said on Sunday that a U.S. sale of advanced F-35 warplanes to Qatar could be possible despite Israel's objections to such a deal given the Gulf state's links to Iran and Palestinian Hamas. "I have no doubt that if they (Qatar) want it and are willing to pay, sooner or later they will get it," Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, who sits in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, told Ynet TV. Reuters reported on Oct. 7 that gas-rich Qatar had submitted a formal request to buy the F-35, a Lockheed Martin plane that has so far been supplied only to Israel in the region.

Gottlieb warns of "dangerous tipping point" as virus spread accelerates

"These cases are going to continue to build. There's really no backstop here," Gottlieb said on "Face the Nation."

New York police officer uses patrol car loudspeaker to shout 'Trump 2020'

Officer filmed goading a man in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn and yelling political slogans at him

Ocasio-Cortez Declines to Promise Support for Pelosi as Speaker, Will Back ‘Most Progressive Candidate’

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday hedged on whether she would support Nancy Pelosi as House speaker again, saying she will support the "most progressive" candidate."If Speaker Pelosi runs again, as she just indicated she will if the Democrats keep the House, will you support her?" CNN's Jake Tapper asked the freshman congresswoman during an interview on CNN."Again, I want to make sure that we win the House. I do believe that we will, but it's critically important that we are supporting Democrats in tight swing races, making sure that not only all of them come back but that we grow our majority. I believe that we have to see those races as they come, see what candidates are there," Ocasio-Cortez responded."I am committed to making sure that we have the most progressive candidate there. But, if Speaker Pelosi is that most progressive candidate, then I will be supporting her," she concluded.The New York progressive's remarks came just moments after Pelosi confirmed on CNN that she intends to run for speaker of the House should Democrats retain their majority in the chamber.Last year, Pelosi clashed with Ocasio-Cortez and three other freshmen progressive congresswomen after the four voted against an emergency border-aid bill brought to the floor by leadership, saying they wanted to see more protections for migrants in the measure.“All these people have their public whatever and their Twitter world,” Pelosi said after the bill passed in July last year. “But they didn’t have any following. They’re four people, and that’s how many votes they got.”Ocasio-Cortez then took issue with Pelosi’s minimizing the influence of the four representatives.“It got to a point where it was just outright disrespectful,” she said at the time. “The explicit singling out of newly elected women of color.”However, the two had an amicable meeting and united shortly afterwards on a resolution condemning President Trump's remarks about the congresswomen as racist.

Opposition leader flees Venezuela, heads towards Spain and the United States

Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López escaped from the South American country and was traveling on Saturday to Spain, where he will spend time with his family before eventually heading towards the United States to continue the efforts to outs the Nicolas Maduro regime, sources close to the former political prisoner told el Nuevo Herald.

Police chief: Illinois officer who shot Black couple in car fired

A police officer who shot a Black couple inside a vehicle — killing a 19-year-old man and wounding his girlfriend — has been fired, the police chief announced Friday.

Snow due to hit Colorado wildfire areas

"We don’t anticipate it will be a season-ending event, but we do believe it will help us a great bit," said a fire incident spokesman.

Looters raid Nigeria food warehouse as unrest spreads

Several thousand people ransacked and looted a government food warehouse in central Nigeria on Saturday in the latest in two weeks of unrest sweeping over Africa's most populous country.

Black contractor braves threats in removing Confederate statues in Richmond

Devon Henry paced in nervous anticipation, because this was a project like nothing he’d ever done. An accomplished Black businessman, Henry took on a job the city says others were unwilling to do: lead contractor for the now-completed removal of 14 pieces of Confederate statuary that dotted Virginia’s capital city. “You did it, man,” said Rodney Henry.

Joe Biden is doubling down on raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour despite the economic downturn. It could bump paychecks for over 27 million workers.

Biden is pushing ahead with raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour even as the pandemic causes many small businesses to close their doors.

Spain declares state of emergency over coronavirus as Italy closes cinemas, theatres and gyms

Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, declared a state of emergency and imposed a nationwide curfew on Sunday, as Italy closed down event halls and Bulgaria’s leader tested positive for coronavirus. Under Spain’s state of emergency, which was due to come into force on Sunday, citizens must remain inside their homes between 11pm and 6am unless they have a valid reason, such as work or other essential activities. Regional governments have been allowed to adjust the timing of the start and end of the curfew by one hour, while the Canary Islands have been exempted from the curfew altogether. After Spain recorded 110,000 new cases last week, passing a milestone of one million cases, Mr Sánchez said the situation was “extreme”, and urged citizens to “stay at home wherever possible”. The state of emergency also allows regional governments to apply a “rule-of-six” limit on social gatherings and seal their borders against non-essential entry or exit, as well as place districts or cities under perimeter lockdowns. Mr Sánchez said he wants parliament to approve the state of emergency for six months, until 9 May. “Experts estimate that is the time we need to overcome the most destructive phase of the pandemic. The cost in terms of lives must be as low as possible,” he said. It came as Italy announced it would close cinemas, theatres, gyms and swimming pools, while restaurants and bars were told to shut at 6pm, in a fresh round of tough restrictions. The new rules, which come into force on Monday, were imposed after 20,000 cases of coronavirus were recorded on Saturday. Giuseppe Conte, the Italian prime minister, has stopped short of a full nationwide lockdown as the country’s economy was severely damaged by a ten-week lockdown imposed earlier in the pandemic. "Our aim is to protect health and the economy," Mr Conte said.

Iran reports COVID-19 death every five minutes, hospitals struggle

Hospitals in many Iranian provinces are running out of capacity to handle COVID-19 cases, health authorities say, with novel coronavirus now killing around 300 people a day or one person every five minutes. Authorities have complained of poor social distancing, and Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi said the pandemic could cause 600 daily deaths in coming weeks if Iranians failed to respect health protocols in the Middle East's hardest-affected country. A caption that ran on state television news said an Iranian died of novel coronavirus every five minutes, a rate that corresponds to daily death tallies reported by the authorities of just above or below 300 over the past 20 days.

‘Urban Warfare’ as Europe’s Second Wave Spins Out of Control

ROME—A few hours after the regional governor of the Italian region of Campania where Naples is located announced he would be locking down the entire province to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Neapolitans took to the streets Friday night to defy the order. The situation quickly turned into what one police official likened to urban warfare with protesters lighting dumpsters and ducking teargas being lobbed by police. All the while, the mostly maskless, yelling crowd undoubtedly spread coronavirus even more.Europe is very much out of control when it comes to its second wave, with every single nation in the 27-member zone struggling in a race against time as hospitals fill up and death tolls—which are substantially less than the first wave so far— continue to rise. Millions of people are facing harsh new restrictions as governments play what amounts to whack-a-mole to try to stop the spread of the virus they thought just a few months ago they had defeated. Improved testing in many countries has painted a clearer picture of just how widespread the pandemic is, but because of the number of new infections, systems to contact trace have been overwhelmed, making the spread impossible to control.The U.S. is in Denial Over the Coronavirus Pandemic as Europe Struggles With Second WaveFrance has expanded its Draconian curfew that has stifled Parisian nightlife and put a massive dent in the hospitality sector economy of one of the most vibrant cities in the world. Now 46 million French people will have to be home by 9 p.m. In Wales, a two-week “firebreak” started Friday, meaning everyone but essential workers has to be home by 6 p.m. The Czech Republic has just reached the dubious honor of having the most cases per capita in Europe with 1,148 cases per 100,000 residents, with Belgium and the Netherlands close behind. Ireland is under a six-week lockdown and Slovakia has vowed to test every single citizen to try to mitigate the spread. The Polish president has just tested positive and Germany reached 10,003 COVID-related deaths as the infection rate continues to rise. Filming of Mission Impossible 7 with Tom Cruise has been suspended in Venice as cases there reach record levels. And the Italian government is facing calls by 100 top scientists to mandate strict new measures in the next two or three days, or the outcome could be catastrophic.And it is still only October.Europe’s problems are dire, and citizens are angry that their governments have not been able to come up with any better plan than locking down, which puts already weak economies that were so badly hurt in the first wave of the pandemic at even greater risk of collapse. Ludovic Subran, the chief economist at Allianz warned last week of a high risk serious recession across Europe as new restrictions are put in place. “We see an elevated risk of a double dip recession in countries that are once again resorting to targeted and regional lockdowns,” he said, adding that the European Union’s first bailout $880 billion won’t likely go to growth but be used by many countries like Italy, Spain and Greece to just stay afloat.On Saturday, the group Save Our Rights U.K. is holding a massive demonstration in London to protest not only restrictions being enforced by the British government, but the overall handling of the pandemic, pointing to contact tracing and other means to track the spread of the coronavirus as an affront to privacy. “We believe that the coronavirus regulations that are in place are not proportionate and appropriate, and are causing more harm than good,” Louise Creffield, the group founder told the Guardian. “We are very concerned with protecting people’s human rights: right to privacy, family life, bodily autonomy, medical freedoms, and so on. We are not just concerned with lockdowns per se, we are concerned with the infringements with our privacy by having this track and trace everywhere.”Similar sentiments are now common across Europe, where pandemic fatigue is now evident. And with lack of a feasible containment plan anywhere, the people are angry, desperate and increasingly ambivalent about what is really at stake: thousands of lives.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

Hotels are trying to attract families with gourmet cooking classes, cabana classrooms, and yoga breaks as kids continue with remote schooling across the US

Hotels are beckoning families with "schoolcation" packages that tap into their newfound flexibility to travel during the school year.

'Not just numbers': The women disappearing in Peru

Thousands of women go missing in Peru every year and many are never found.

Philippines: Typhoon leaves 13 missing, displaces thousands

A fast-moving typhoon blew away from the Philippines on Monday after leaving at least 13 people missing, forcing thousands of villagers to flee to safety and flooding rural villages, disaster-response officials said. The 13 people missing from Typhoon Molave included a dozen fishermen who ventured out to sea over the weekend despite a no-sail restriction due to very rough seas. The typhoon was blowing west toward the South China Sea with sustained winds of 125 kilometers (77 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 150 kph (93 mph).

More mass testing in China after 137 virus cases in Xinjiang

Chinese officials were racing Sunday to smother a fresh coronavirus outbreak in the country's far northwest after 137 new infections were discovered.

Supreme Court sides mostly with Republicans in last-minute voting cases

More rulings on election procedures with mail-in ballots in key battleground states are expected before Nov. 3

Biden tweet from exactly one year ago warns US is ‘not prepared’ for a pandemic

‘We need leadership that builds public trust, focuses on real threats, and mobilises the world to stop outbreaks,’ former vice president wrote

Singapore halts use of flu vaccines after 48 die in South Korea

Singapore has temporarily halted the use of two influenza vaccines as a precaution after some people who received them in South Korea died, becoming among the first countries to publicly announce a halt of the vaccines' usage. South Korea reported that 48 have died as of Saturday after getting flu shots, but said it would carry on with the state-run vaccination programme as they found no direct link between the deaths and the shots. No deaths associated with influenza vaccination have been reported in Singapore to date, but the decision to halt the use of SKYCellflu Quadrivalent and VaxigripTetra was precautionary, the health ministry and the Health Sciences Authority (HAS) said in a statement late on Sunday. The HSA is in touch with the South Korean authorities for further information as they investigate to determine if the deaths are related to influenza vaccinations. SKYCellflu Quadrivalent is manufactured by South Korea's SK Bioscience and locally distributed by AJ Biologics, while VaxigripTetra is manufactured by Sanofi and locally distributed by Sanofi Aventis. Two other influenza vaccines that have been brought into Singapore for the Northern Hemisphere 2020/21 influenza season may continue to be used, Singapore health authorities said.

UK 'SBS' special forces storm tanker and detain stowaways in Channel

Troops from the Special Boat Service, a navy special forces unit whose headquarters in just a few miles away from where the vessel began showing signs of distress, boarded the Nave Andromeda near the Isle of Wight off southern England. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel authorised the armed forces to board the ship "to safeguard life and secure a ship that was subject to suspected hijacking", the defence ministry said. The defence ministry declined to confirm or deny the involvement of the SBS - in line with British government policy of not commenting on special forces operations.

The operator of this Boeing 767 private jet says the plane has an air system so advanced it kills pathogens so passengers don't need to wear a mask onboard – see inside

This luxury flying apartment costs an hour what a New York City studio costs for an entire year. The difference being this one kills COVID in the air.

Pfizer has expanded its COVID-19 vaccine trial to include minors. Some say it's risky. Others argue it's necessary.

After months of testing its COVID-19 candidate vaccine in adults, Pfizer recently lowered the age of participation to 16.

Ex-CIA Director Brennan: 'Outrageous' for Trump to talk of inviting Saudi crown prince to D.C.

On the Yahoo News “Skullduggery” podcast, former CIA Director John Brennan said it is “outrageous" for President Trump to talk about inviting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington.

A 58-year-old woman who's a suspect in her elderly mother's stabbing told police 'she deserved it and now she's in a better place'

When Salt Lake City authorities questioned Lori Lee Donlay's motive, she told them "she'll take it to the grave," according to Utah's Deseret News.

More heavy rain is coming to South Florida and the Keys. Why, when and how much?

South Florida woke to bright skies and a comfy 79 degrees.

Texas boy, 3, dies after accidentally shooting himself in the chest at birthday party

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said its "thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of this tragic accident."

Reid says Biden should end Senate filibuster after 3 weeks

Former Senate leader Harry Reid says if Democrats win the presidency and the Senate, Joe Biden should take “no more than three weeks” to test bipartisanship before ending the filibuster so Democrats can overcome what they call Republican obstruction and pass bills. The retired Nevada Democrat told The Associated Press in an interview that he understands Biden wants to work with Republicans, as the former vice president and Delaware senator has in the past.

Trump news – live: US breaks Covid records as president claims ‘we’ve done maybe a great job’

Follow the latest updates

British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert detained in Iran moved out of desert prison

Kylie Moore-Gilbert, the British-Australian academic who has been detained in Iran for the past two years, has been moved from the notorious desert prison of Qarchak to an unknown location. Her move was first reported by the Iranian Association of Human Rights Activists, who said that she was moved, along with all of her belongings, on Saturday. A source close to the case confirmed the move, but did not know any further details. There has been no official word from the Iranian government. Dr Moore-Gilbert, a lecturer in Islamic Studies, was arrested for espionage after attending a conference in Qom in 2018. She was charged in a secret trial and given 10 years imprisonment. Both Dr Moore-Gilbert and the Australian government reject the charges, which they say are politically motivated. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claim that someone she interviewed for a research project flagged her as suspicious so they stopped her from returning to Melbourne. Qarchak prison, in the desert on the eastern outskirts of Tehran, has a reputation for being the most dangerous of the country’s women’s prisons. Dr Moore-Gilbert had been moved from Evin prison in Tehran to Qarchak in August, which activists at the time believed to be a “punishment”. It was not immediately clear where Dr Moore-Gilbert has been taken. Just 11 days prior to her movement she had been transferred to Ward Eight (formerly known as the Mothers’ Ward) of Qarchak, alongside at least 15 other political prisoners. While those campaigning for her release see her move as a sign of hope, not knowing where the mystery location she has been sent to or the reason behind the move, gives little to base it on.