Pakistan itself, meanwhile, is engulfed in civil unrest aimed at toppling Western-friendly autocrat Pervez Musharraf, which may be an even more frightening prospect than what is happening in Iran. Since Musharraf summarily ousted his nation’s chief justice in mid-May, prompting violent street demonstrations, rumors of a possible coup have begun to circulate in Islamabad. That prospect poses a fearful question: what would happen to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal of “Islamic bombs” if the country were to fall apart?...

A method of war that deliberately begins in the way that most wars end, with a street-fighting defense of the capital city, is certainly original. It is also undoubtedly appropriate for Saddam, whose everyday security system in Baghdad already includes an urban-defense force in the Special Republican Guard, which has 13,000 men. It is not clear how many additional street fighters Saddam could draw from his five separate and competing security forces, whose 25,000 to 30,000 men are distributed throughout Iraq....

Much remains to be known about the effect of having COVID-19 and HIV simultaneously, but these findings emphasize how important it is for immunocompromised individuals to take all available safety precautions during this pandemic. Earlier in the pandemic, smaller studies also suggested that an HIV infection has no impact on hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Jaimie Meyer, MD, Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist and associate professor at the Yale School of Medicine and Yale School of Public Health, tells Verywell Health that most of these studies do not clearly explain why people living with HIV have significantly a higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease....

An Iraqi Christian named Qusay (declining to give the rest of his name), he said he is a guard at a private company and got the idea on Christmas day to borrow a friend’s Santa outfit. Christmas is a big deal in Baghdad, where there are thousands of Christians and even some Muslims who mark the day. Santa here is called “Baba Noel.” But Qusay was spreading more than good cheer, passing out the bibles and an Arabic DVD about Jesus he says he got from a church–proselytizing that could trigger a violent response on streets outside the protected Green Zone....

On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau started off his daily COVID-19 press conference marking the anniversary. “From coast-to-coast-to-coast, we remember the 16 lives that ended much too soon and the many more that were changed forever,” he said, adding, “You, the community of Humboldt, along with all Canadians who stand with you have shown incredible strength and resilience and just like the people putting out hockey sticks or wearing the jersey you remind us that together, we can get through even the darkest of times....

In other Septembers, that might have been just a throwaway line. But now it looks as if not everyone is obeying the rules. According to a report last week by the environmental group Ozone Action, there is a thriving black market in CFCs, in which importers bring tons of the chemicals from Europe into ports ranging from Newark to Miami. Most of the illegal CFCs wind up with auto air-conditioner rechargers, says the EPA’s Tom Land....

CARRIER: FedEx OVERNIGHT: $64.06, By 10:30 a.m. TWO-DAY SERVICE: $29.27, End of second day GROUND: $6.37, End of second day THE LOWDOWN: Beware of hidden Saturday (+$10) and residential-delivery fees CARRIER: UPS OVERNIGHT: $68.51, by 10:30 a.m. TWO-DAY SERVICE: $17.05, end of second day GROUND: $7.31, end of second day THE LOWDOWN: Like FedEx, charges extra for Saturday delivery ($12.50) CARRIER: USPS OVERNIGHT: $30.40, one to two days TWO-DAY SERVICE: $9....

The late Playboy founder lived in the storied Playboy Mansion, located in the Holmby Hills area from 1974 until his death aged 91 in 1997. The imposing abode was the venue of countless parties and celebrity gatherings over the decades. Madison, who lived in Hefner’s home for several years until she parted ways with the publishing mogul in 2008, spoke about attending the annual Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl and recounted the traffic they often had to battle through....

The Fighting Irish, who were a top-10 team at the start of the season, are now reeling after losing their third game of the season to what is now a 2-2 ACC team. MORE: Top 25 live updates Duke freshman quarterback Daniel Jones completed 24 of 32 passes for 290 yards and three scores, while running back Jela Duncan rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown off 21 carries. Senior receiver Anthony Nash also caught six passes for 123 yards and two scores....

Give it away at Freecycle.org, a loose national alliance dedicated to the maxim that one person’s junk is another’s treasure. If you’re in a big city, you’ll get replies fast. A recently listed weight bench in Washington, D.C., had five takers in two hours. Get someone else to sell it for you. EBay has spawned drop shops that photograph, post, sell and ship your items for a cut of the purchase price (usually 30 percent)....

What Is a Stroke? A stroke is an injury that is caused when an area of your brain fails to get adequate blood supply. This may happen for various reasons. The two most common types of stroke include: Ischemic stroke: This type of stroke occurs when a blood vessel in your brain becomes blocked by a clot. The clot prevents blood from getting to a certain area of your brain and causes a stroke....

During the past two decades, however, as the number of people enjoying such lavish lives of leisure has declined, couture has struggled to survive. In the 1950s, according to the Federation Française de la Couture, there were 20,000 clients; in the 1980s, 2,000, and in the past 10 years, the number has dwindled to a few hundred worldwide-mostly wealthy socialites and businesswomen-who still regularly visit top designers for made-to-measure clothes....

The White House initiated the review reluctantly–and only after complaints that Ridge lacked any clout and was rapidly losing influence inside the Beltway. Sources say Ridge himself did not disagree. In recent months Ridge has suffered a series of embarrassments. When he floated a plan in January to combine federal agencies responsible for border security, cabinet secretaries brushed it aside and told Ridge he was moving too quickly. The final plan, forwarded to Bush in March, was much smaller in scope than Ridge wanted....

The test will last six months and will be worn by 55 Homeland Security Investigations agents across Houston, Newark, and New York. The agency typically investigates federal crimes such as drug trafficking, human trafficking and fraud. During the program, participants are expected to wear the camera during arrests and questioning. Over the course of the trial run, the agency hopes to expand the test program over to immigration enforcement officials....

Emotions only start to get detrimental if you let yourself be sad for too long. Take the time to be sad, but don’t let your sadness take over your life. You could also carry on some family traditions. If you always had a family dinner on Friday nights, host a dinner with your friends on Fridays instead. This is especially true if you’re in college. A lot of people around your age are leaving home for the first time, so you’ll probably be able to relate to each other....

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) Thursday, the masks were purchased by the Government Logistics Department (GLD) in March. The fake masks were labeled under Medicom, a supplier of medical equipment across the globe, but the SCMP reported that customs officers said the fake labeling was used to mislead the public. Nearly half of the 6.7 million masks have already been distributed to 11 government departments in Hong Kong, according to the SCMP....

Rebecca Sy, who had worked for Cathay Dragon—a subsidiary of Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific—for 17 years, said Friday she was suspended from her duties on Tuesday without warning or explanation as she was about to travel to China (via Reuters). Sy told a press conference she was summarily fired on Wednesday at a meeting with airline management, in which officials presented screenshots of three Facebook posts—the visibility of which was restricted to Sy’s Facebook friends—voicing support for the ongoing anti-Beijing demonstrations in Hong Kong....

Carrie Lam, the Hong Kong Administrative Region’s chief executive, was included on the list by Reporters Without Borders, known by its French initials RSF. The report said Lam has “proved to be the puppet of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and now openly supports his predatory policies towards the media,” noting the recent closure of the Apple Daily newspapers and the jailing of its founder, Jimmy Lai. The chief of RSF urged governments to disavow the methods used by these leaders, who he deemed “predators,” and to embrace the work of the independent press....

“Reports claiming that Ms. Hicks was involved in conversations about ‘hush money’ payments on October 8, 2016, or knew that payments were being discussed, are simply wrong,” attorney Robert Trout said in a statement on Friday. Trout added that Hicks “stands by her truthful testimony” to the House Judiciary Committee last month and will be complying with any further inquiries from lawmakers on the issue. On Thursday, committee chairman Jerrold Nadler demanded Hicks return to Capitol Hill for a second round of questioning on the campaign finance saga....