Country singer dead
Cady Groves, a Nashville-based pop and country artist, has died at age 30. Groves died in her Nashville-area home on Saturday. According to her brother, the singer died of “natural causes.”
China will be looking to tweak its economic policies to get consumers to spend more, policy advisers in Beijing said after retail sales emerged as a weak spot in better-than-expected GDP data, underlining the need for reform. They said that while supporting employment was key in the short run, reforms to help fatten ordinary people's wallets were needed to boost domestic spending - a priority for President Xi Jinping's "dual circulation" strategy to cut China's reliance on overseas markets. "We need to discuss ways to boost incomes," said Yao Jingyuan, an adviser to the Chinese cabinet.
New Delhi [India], January 20 (ANI): With the peak electricity demand in the country crossing 1,85,820 Megawatt, the highest-ever recorded, Union Power Minister RK Singh on Wednesday said that the surging demand for power is a certain indicator of India's economy getting back on track.
Sarah Thomas will become the first woman to officiate in a Super Bowl, the NFL has announced. Thomas has been named as the down judge for the match on February 7 in a historic first for the sport four years after she became the league’s first full-time female official. Carl Cheffers, in what is his 21st season as an NFL official, has been given the role of refereeing his second Super Bowl having also performed the role back in 2017.
“I would further operationalise India’s major ‘Major Defence Partner’ status,” the US Defense Secy nominee said.
Jeff and Lauren Lowe must hand over all tiger cubs and their mothers to the US government.
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The 45th president granted clemency to allies including Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn during his reign
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 20 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday criticised the privatisation of Thiruvananthapuram airport and said the move comes at a time when an appeal in the matter is pending before the Supreme Court.
Croatia meet England in the opening Group D game.
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Since March 1, about four Americans have died every five minutes from COVID-19. San Francisco and New York City running low on vaccine. Virus updates.
The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. There are 719,751 confirmed cases in Canada. _ Canada: 719,751 confirmed cases (71,055 active, 630,430 resolved, 18,266 deaths).*The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers. There were 4,679 new cases Tuesday from 67,775 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 6.9 per cent. The rate of active cases is 189.03 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 45,281 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 6,469. There were 146 new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 989 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 141. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.38 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 48.59 per 100,000 people. There have been 16,710,272 tests completed. _ Newfoundland and Labrador: 396 confirmed cases (eight active, 384 resolved, four deaths). There were zero new cases Tuesday from 271 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 0.0 per cent. The rate of active cases is 1.53 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of three new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 0.77 per 100,000 people. There have been 76,762 tests completed. _ Prince Edward Island: 110 confirmed cases (seven active, 103 resolved, zero deaths). There were two new cases Tuesday from 606 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 0.33 per cent. The rate of active cases is 4.46 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of seven new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is one. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people. There have been 87,077 tests completed. _ Nova Scotia: 1,561 confirmed cases (22 active, 1,474 resolved, 65 deaths). There were four new cases Tuesday from 1,199 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 0.33 per cent. The rate of active cases is 2.26 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 27 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is four. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 6.69 per 100,000 people. There have been 197,918 tests completed. _ New Brunswick: 1,004 confirmed cases (317 active, 674 resolved, 13 deaths). There were 31 new cases Tuesday from 712 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 4.4 per cent. The rate of active cases is 40.81 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 187 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 27. There was one new reported death Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of two new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is zero. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.04 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 1.67 per 100,000 people. There have been 129,708 tests completed. _ Quebec: 245,734 confirmed cases (19,017 active, 217,575 resolved, 9,142 deaths). There were 1,386 new cases Tuesday from 6,480 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 21 per cent. The rate of active cases is 224.13 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 13,110 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,873. There were 55 new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 362 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 52. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.61 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 107.74 per 100,000 people. There have been 2,670,614 tests completed. _ Ontario: 242,277 confirmed cases (27,615 active, 209,183 resolved, 5,479 deaths). There were 1,913 new cases Tuesday from 33,402 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 5.7 per cent. The rate of active cases is 189.58 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 20,254 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 2,893. There were 46 new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 380 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 54. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.37 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 37.61 per 100,000 people. There have been 8,705,969 tests completed. _ Manitoba: 27,740 confirmed cases (3,088 active, 23,869 resolved, 783 deaths). There were 111 new cases Tuesday from 1,362 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 8.1 per cent. The rate of active cases is 225.49 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 1,203 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 172. There were 10 new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 35 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is five. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.37 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 57.18 per 100,000 people. There have been 442,786 tests completed. _ Saskatchewan: 20,871 confirmed cases (4,156 active, 16,490 resolved, 225 deaths). There were 309 new cases Tuesday from 1,246 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 25 per cent. The rate of active cases is 353.86 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 2,097 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 300. There were six new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 21 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is three. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.26 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 19.16 per 100,000 people. There have been 323,677 tests completed. _ Alberta: 117,767 confirmed cases (11,096 active, 105,208 resolved, 1,463 deaths). There were 456 new cases Tuesday from 10,114 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 4.5 per cent. The rate of active cases is 253.84 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 5,024 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 718. There were 16 new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 118 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 17. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.39 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 33.47 per 100,000 people. There have been 3,020,119 tests completed. _ British Columbia: 61,912 confirmed cases (5,723 active, 55,099 resolved, 1,090 deaths). There were 465 new cases Tuesday from 11,781 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 3.9 per cent. The rate of active cases is 112.85 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 3,359 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 480. There were 12 new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 71 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 10. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.2 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 21.49 per 100,000 people. There have been 1,033,692 tests completed. _ Yukon: 70 confirmed cases (zero active, 69 resolved, one deaths). There were zero new cases Tuesday from 10 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 0.0 per cent. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of zero new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 2.45 per 100,000 people. There have been 6,185 tests completed. _ Northwest Territories: 30 confirmed cases (six active, 24 resolved, zero deaths). There were two new cases Tuesday from 348 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 0.57 per cent. The rate of active cases is 13.39 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of six new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is one. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people. There have been 8,671 tests completed. _ Nunavut: 266 confirmed cases (zero active, 265 resolved, one deaths). There were zero new cases Tuesday from 244 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 0.0 per cent. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of zero new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 2.58 per 100,000 people. There have been 7,018 tests completed. This report was automatically generated by The Canadian Press Digital Data Desk and was first published Jan. 20, 2021. The Canadian Press
Incumbency is a powerful thing in politics and unseating an incumbent government is no easy feat. But it's a little easier when that incumbent government has a rookie leader at the helm. Especially in Newfoundland and Labrador. While Andrew Furey's Liberal Party has been in power in St. John's since 2015, he was only sworn in as premier last August. That makes this provincial election campaign his first run at a governing mandate of his own. Most of the time, being the incumbent government is better than the alternative. Since Newfoundland and Labrador joined Confederation in 1949, federal and provincial governments across Canada have been re-elected 68 per cent of the time. The winning record of premiers or prime ministers with at least one election campaign as leader already under their belts is even better — they have been re-elected 72 per cent of the time. But rookie leaders have a rougher go of it. That shouldn't come as a surprise, since governing parties rarely switch leaders when they're at the peak of their popularity. Instead, new leaders are often swapped-in after the outgoing leader realizes he or she isn't likely to win the next campaign. That doesn't set their successors up for success. Since 1949, the replacements have succeeded in securing their own mandates only 56 per cent of the time. The power of incumbency, however, has been even starker in Newfoundland and Labrador. Governing parties have been re-elected 80 per cent of the time in the province's history. The government was defeated in only four of of the 20 elections held in Newfoundland and Labrador when there was an incumbent government on the ballot. And in only one of those cases — in 1971, when the Liberals didn't secure the most seats and Joey Smallwood hung on for a few months before resigning in 1972 — was the defeated governing party led by a leader who wasn't taking his or her first kick at the can. In fact, rookie premiers have only won half the time. If the only thing you knew about a campaign in Newfoundland and Labrador was that the outgoing premier was heading into their first campaign as leader, you'd give them 50/50 odds. First time successes and failures There have been a few success stories. Brian Peckford won his first campaign in 1979 after replacing Frank Moores as premier and Progressive Conservative leader. He'd go on to win two more elections in 1982 and 1985. Brian Tobin won the first of his two elections as premier and Liberal leader in 1996 after taking over from Clyde Wells, while Kathy Dunderdale won the only election she waged as PC leader in 2011, after stepping into the premier's shoes vacated by Danny Williams. But there have also been a few failures — examples that Furey will be looking not to replicate when voters head to the polls on Feb. 13. The last one put the Liberals into office in 2015, when Paul Davis was unable to secure re-election for the PCs in his first (and only) election as leader. The same fate awaited Roger Grimes in his only election as Liberal leader in 2003, as well as the PCs' Tom Rideout in 1989. Of course, those were leaders fighting against the odds to keep their parties in power after long stints in office. The PCs had governed for 12 years when Davis was defeated, while the Liberals had been in power for 14 when Grimes went down to defeat. When Rideout's PCs lost in 1989, the party had been in office for 17 years. Furey's Liberals have only governed for little more than five years. Polls alone no reason to take re-election for granted That might give Furey some comfort. Historically, that's a little fast to boot out a government. The most recent public polls also suggest that Furey might have little to worry about. In December, Narrative Research put the Liberals ahead of Ches Crosbie's PCs by 32 percentage points. A poll by MQO Research indicated the gap was an enormous 43 points. Even the smaller margin recorded by Narrative Research would be a landslide victory for the Liberals. If repeated on election day, that popular vote spread would mark the Liberals' biggest win since 1959. Furey is in a much better position than some of the unsuccessful rookies that came before him. The PCs were trailing in the polls long before Davis became party leader in 2014 and his party entered the 2015 provincial election campaign behind Dwight Ball's Liberals by more than 40 points in a series of polls. In 2003, the Liberals under Grimes were behind Williams and the PCs by 18 points, according to a Corporate Research Associates survey taken at the outset of the campaign. The 1989 election ended with a close result — the PCs narrowly won the popular vote though they captured fewer seats — but rookie leader Rideout had good reason to believe he could continue the Tories' time in office. Before he called the election for April that year, a poll by Decima suggested his party was ahead of the Liberals by 21 points. That advantage didn't hold over the course of the campaign, however, and by the time the vote was held, the polls were hinting at the photo-finish it turned out to be. We'll find out soon enough whether Furey's Liberals will be able to hold on to the massive lead they had in public support heading into 2021. That transitions of power have mostly come when there was a rookie leader on the ballot might bode well for Crosbie, except for one thing: he lost the 2019 provincial election. No party leader who has ever lost an election in Newfoundland and Labrador has managed to win the next one.
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — After 2019's white-knuckle, two-vote win in Labrador by NDP candidate Jordan Brown, the provincial New Democrats are vying for another upset in the region in the current provincial election. NDP leader Alison Coffin heads to Labrador today, where an interesting race could play out in the Lake Melville district. Former Liberal cabinet member Perry Trimper is the incumbent, but he left the party to run as an Independent after the Innu Nation called for Liberal Leader Andrew Furey to remove him from caucus. After Trimper commented to the CBC in October that homeless people in Happy Valley-Goose Bay choose their lifestyle, the Innu Nation said he doesn't understand systemic racism. Amy Norman, an Inuk woman who has been active in the fight against the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project, is running against Trimper for the NDP in the Feb. 13 vote. In the 2019 provincial election, Brown, a political rookie, unseated Liberal cabinet minister Graham Letto in Labrador West by two votes after a judicial recount. Furey will be travelling through central Newfoundland today, ending the day in Arnold's Cove, minutes away from the troubled oil refinery in Come by Chance, N.L. The refinery was idled in the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and two bids to purchase the facility have since fallen through. Hours before he called the election on Friday, Furey announced $16.6 million in funding for North Atlantic Refining, the company that operates the facility, to keep it in warm idle mode and therefore more attractive to buyers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2021. The Canadian Press