Justin Trudeau says pandemic 'really sucks' - As cases rise in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offers a blunt assessment of the global health crisis and predicts a tough winter ahead. https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/idPTvj?now=true

Populists who argue the coronavirus is harmless are dangerous and irresponsible, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday, defending a circuit break lockdown aimed at slowing the spread of the virus. https://reut.rs/3kHOirZ

France is increasing security at religious sites as the interior minister said Tuesday that the country faces a “very high” risk of terrorist threats, amid growing geopolitical tensions following the beheading of a teacher who showed his class caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. https://apnews.com/article/turkey-emmanuel-macron-france-islamism-europe-d23aa758aa7f9eccf73cbb227f705608

It’s time for a change for most of the United States.
The clock is running out once more for daylight saving time. Standard time begins at 2 a.m. local time Sunday.
Until almost next spring, in states red and blue and in between, it’ll be lighter earlier in the morning and darker earlier in the evening. https://apnews.com/article/fall-back-clock-november-1-af0206b95c17458dd01e6a68de66a701

Sir Sean Connery has died at the age of 90, his family has said.
The Scottish actor was best known for his portrayal of James Bond, being the first to bring the role to the big screen and appearing in seven of the spy thrillers. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54761824

How social media is preparing for US election chaos. There aren't many in the US who are sure there'll be an election result on the night.
Due to unprecedented numbers of postal votes, there could be days - possibly weeks - between the end of voting and the declared result.
And in that period of uncertainty there are fears of civil unrest.
Both sides could claim victory, and misinformation about the result could be rife.
The worry is that anger, fake news and hate speech on social media could inflame tensions.
So what is Big Tech planning to do about it? https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54738873

In the heart of the city of Mainz - on a street with the promising name "At the Goldmine” – a vaccine candidate called BNT162b2 is fermenting in a bioreactor located safely behind security checkpoints and sterility barriers. It is a "nucleoside-modified messenger RNA" candidate that "encodes an optimized SARS-CoV-2 full length spike glycoprotein." In other words, it is perhaps the first legitimate coronavirus vaccine in the world. https://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/the-challenges-we-face-once-a-coronavirus-vaccine-is-found-a-3f076abd-6b3b-4a45-a619-f03699397ce6

Canada plans to bring in more than 1.2 million new immigrants over the next three years, the federal immigration minister said on Friday, as the country tries to fill gaps in its labour market and boost the economy, both hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/30/canada-aims-to-bring-in-over-1-2-immigrants-over-next-3-years

The 2020 U.S. presidential election presents risks not seen in recent history. It is conceivable that violence could erupt during voting or protracted ballot counts. Officials should take extra precautions; media and foreign leaders should avoid projecting a winner until the outcome is certain. https://www.crisisgroup.org/united-states/004-us-presidential-election-managing-risks-violence

As the U.S. presidential election approaches, the ingredients for unrest are present. The electorate is polarised, both sides frame the stakes as existential, violent actors could disrupt the process and protracted contestation is possible. President Donald Trump’s often incendiary rhetoric suggests he will more likely stoke than calm tensions. https://youtu.be/UuUa6h98iDw

A train driver in the Netherlands has had a lucky escape thanks to a fortuitously placed art installation.
A metro train in Spijkenisse, near the city of Rotterdam, crashed through a barrier at the end of the tracks shortly before midnight on Sunday.
But rather than plummeting 10m (32ft) into the water below, the train was left suspended dramatically in the air. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54780430

The virus that causes COVID-19 was present in New York City long before the city's first case of the disease was confirmed on March 1, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report. Their study found that more than 1.7 million New Yorkers—about 20 percent of the city's population—have already been infected with the virus, known as SARS-CoV-2, and that the infection fatality rate of the virus is close to 1 percent, ten times deadlier than the flu. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-11-million-yorkers-infected-sars-cov-virus.html

A US presidential election always courts massive global interest, with the eventual winner playing a leading role on the world stage.
In fact, the decision of the American people every four years can transform the country's foreign policy and its approach to its allies and enemies alike.
So it's no wonder that countries around the world have been paying close attention to the neck-and-neck race for the White House. https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54808504

US election 2020: Donald Trump's speech fact-checked https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54837926

People are literally crying of joy in front of the White House - while President Trump is still golfing in Virginia https://twitter.com/inespohl/status/1325148876807020544

European Leaders Are Ignoring Donald Trump and Congratulating Joe Biden
The sense of relief is almost palpable. https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7vbeg/donald-trump-joe-biden-european-reaction

For a lot of people it's a good day - Van Jones reacts to Joe Biden's election as the 46th president of the United States. https://edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/11/07/van-jones-reaction-2020-election-result-elexnight-vpx.cnn

HUD Secretary Ben Carson tested positive for coronavirus Monday morning, his deputy chief of staff Coalter Baker confirmed. Carson attended the election night party where White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and nearly every other attendee was not wearing a mask. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and four others in President Trump's orbit subsequently tested positive last week.
Carson was also spotted maskless at a Trump campaign rally in Waterford Township, Michigan on Oct. 30. https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/election-results-and-news-11-09-20/h_1707a8ce343af09d065bcc37fdb5fa50

Joe Biden has won the presidency. But the current president of the United States, Donald Trump, is attempting a coup in plain sight. “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!” he tweeted on Saturday morning. https://www.vox.com/2020-presidential-election/2020/11/7/21554114/trump-election-2020-voter-fraud-challenge-recount-biden