November 16, 2020 3:48 pm
LONDON (AP) – A new study by researchers at Oxford University suggests that time spent playing video games can be good for mental health. The paper released Monday is based on survey responses from people who played two games, Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In a first, the study used data provided by the game makers, Electronic Arts and Nintendo of America, on how much time the respondents spent playing, unlike previous research that relied on imprecise estimates from the players. The researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute said they found the actual amount of time spent playing was a small but significant positive factor in people’s well-being.
November 16, 2020 3:42 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Close to 90,000 sex abuse claims have been filed against the Boy Scouts of America as the deadline arrived for submitting claims in the organization’s bankruptcy case. The number filed by Monday far exceeds initial projections of lawyers who have been signing up clients since the Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy protection in February in the face of hundreds of lawsuits alleging decades-old sex abuse by Scout leaders. Eventually, the proceedings in federal bankruptcy court will lead to the creation of a compensation fund to pay settlements to abuse survivors whose claims are upheld. The potential size of the compensation fund isn’t yet known and will be negotiated.
November 16, 2020 3:28 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Sinbad is recovering from a stroke. The family of the comedian-actor has shared that news in a statement to The Associated Press. The statement doesn’t say when or where it happened – or what Sinbad’s current condition is. But it says he is “beginning his road to recovery” – and his family is “faithful and optimistic” that he will bring laughter into their hearts again soon. Sinbad, born David Adkins, is 64. He’s known for his work as a stand-up comedian and for appearances in the TV sitcom “A Different World” and in several movies.
November 16, 2020 7:39 am
There’s more promising news on the COVID-19 vaccine front as Moderna says its shot provides strong protection against the coronavirus. Monday’s announcement comes a week after a competitor, Pfizer, revealed its own vaccine to be similarly effective. The announcements come as the virus surges in the U.S. and around the world. Moderna said of 95 infections so far in its 30,000-person study, all but five were in people who got dummy shots. Both Moderna and Pfizer are on track to seek permission for emergency use in the U.S. within weeks. Still, initial supplies will be limited and rationed.
November 16, 2020 6:45 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – President Donald Trump’s campaign is withdrawing a central part of its lawsuit seeking to stop the certification of the election results in Pennsylvania. Democrat Joe Biden captured the state to help win the White House. Ahead of a Tuesday hearing in the case, Trump’s campaign dropped the allegation that hundreds of thousands of mail-in and absentee ballots were illegally processed without its representatives watching. The campaign’s slimmed-down lawsuit was filed in federal court on Sunday. It maintains its claim that Democratic voters were treated more favorably than Republican voters in fixing mail-in ballots that were going to be disqualified for a technicality.
November 16, 2020 4:33 am
(AP) – Michigan has joined Washington and several other states in announcing renewed efforts to combat the coronavirus as more than 11 million cases of COVID-19 have now been reported in the United States. The most recent million came in less than a week, and as many Americans prepare to observe a Thanksgiving holiday marked by the pandemic. The latest actions also follow grim milestones passed by Texas and California last week as the states each marked more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases. Health experts and officials across the nation are now cautioning people to forego or revise gatherings and holiday travel plans as celebrations approach.
November 16, 2020 4:31 am
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – SpaceX’s second crew includes two military officers who played college football, a former space shuttle flight controller and a longtime Scout from Japan. The four astronauts blasted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday night, riding atop a SpaceX Falcon rocket. They should reach the International Space Station late Monday for a five- to six-month stay. The launch follows SpaceX’s shorter test flight with two pilots by just a few months. The flight kicks off regular crew rotations at the space station from the U.S.
November 16, 2020 4:28 am
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) – A fast-strengthening Hurricane Iota is sweeping over the western Caribbean and has become a very dangerous Category 4 storm as it heads for the same part of Central American battered by a similarly powerful Hurricane Eta just over a week ago. Evacuations were being conducted from low-lying areas in Nicaragua and Honduras near their shared border, which appeared to be Iota’s likely landfall. Winds and rain were already being felt on the Nicaraguan coast Sunday night. Iota was just off the coast of Colombia’s Providencia island on Monday morning. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned it would probably reach the Central America mainland late Monday.
November 16, 2020 4:27 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Joe Biden’s scientific advisers will meet with vaccine makers in coming days as the presidential transition remains stalled because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to acknowledge that he lost the election. The government’s top infectious disease expert says that delayed handoff to the next administration is especially problematic during a public health crisis. Dr. Anthony Fauci tells CNN, “Of course it would be better if we could start working with them.” Biden’s outreach to the vaccine manufacturers comes as the coronavirus pandemic in the United States has entered perhaps its most dangerous phase. The seven-day rolling average for new daily cases stood at 145,400 on Saturday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
November 16, 2020 4:25 am
UNDATED (AP) – U.S. officials say the Pentagon is expected to cut the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan almost in half by Jan. 15. The order would stop short of outgoing President Donald Trump’s goal to have all troops withdrawn by the end of the year, which had faced opposition from military and diplomatic advisers. The Pentagon also expects to cut the number of troops in Iraq to 2,500, a reduction of more than 500. The decisions follow Trump’s shakeup of the Pentagon last week in which he installed loyalists who share his frustration with the continued troop presence in the Middle East.
