WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD?

From Worldometer,  COVID-19 new deaths:

           DAY USA   WORLD   Brazil      India   South Africa

June      9     1093    4732        1185      246         82

July       5       251    3572          535       421       173

             7       993    5504        1312       479       192

           12       380    4118          659       500       108

           15     1001    5760        1261       614       107

           19       412    4606          715       675         85

           22     1205    7128        1293     1120        572

           26       450    4307         556       715        114
Aug      1    1462     6429       1191       765        193
            3       467     4430         514       514        213

            5     1362     6292       1394       849        345

          10       534     4813         593     1013        198
          12     1504     6556       1242       835        130
          16       522     4525         582       961        162
          18     1358     6312        1365    1089        280

          24       510     4356          679      854        100

          25     1290     5856        1215    1066        149

          30       369     4182         398       960          47
Sept     3     1094     5886          830     1083       174
            4     1033     5814          855     1066       115
            5       707     4822          646     1044       101
            6       432     4129          456     1008       110

Summary:  If there is no next wave, the World, save for India and neighbors, seems to be on a downward trend.  However, no mistaking that the USA has done something awfully wrong, for the World will reach a million deaths next month, with the U.S. hitting 200,000.  That is 20% of all COVID-19 deaths, with 4% of the global population.

I'm still watching various rock concerts, so come back Thursday for the final compilation.  Today, a quick summary of what's happening world-wide.

Eight weeks to November 3.  In Japan, the people don't vote for their leader.  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last month suddenly resigned because of illness, so next week his Liberal Democratic party, aligned with the Komeito party, will choose the next one.  The people elect these parliament members, so in that way are involved.  Here Abe points to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who is favored to win.

The weather is an unusual mix of disparate extremes.

• California's forest fires have passed 2 million acres burned so far, a record, with the Santa Ana winds still to come.  The number of different fires could reach 1000.  Woodland Hill in Los Angeles got up to 121 F.  Other states like Utah also are having issues.  While dry lightning storms have been a major problem this year, apparently, most of them are inadvertently set by humans.  Here's one caused by a baby gender-reveal party.

• Denver was 101 F yesterday.  Today, 32 F, or freezing, with up to 6 inches of snow.
• Two new ocean storms (when a cyclonic speed of 39 MPH is reached) have formed in the Atlantic, Paulette and Rene.  Did you know that the starting letters Q, U, X, Y and Z are not used?  Why?  So few of those names, they say, which is not true.  They alternate male and female names.  However, the East Pacific only leaves out Q.  The rest of the world seems not to have a pattern.  Incidentally, if three more storms form in the West Pacific, the third one will be called Mulan.

Donald Trump pardons his criminal friends with impunity.  Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, orders the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.  The country is playing out a charade, assisted by Trump, first sentencing low-level operatives.  Second, possible beheadings.  Now, heavy prison sentences.  Tomorrow,  which could take a couple of years, miraculously freed, and supported for life in high comfort.

Somewhat surprisingly, Major League Baseball seems well on its way towards the World Series, the NBA is now in playoffs and college football has begun, or, at least, some universities.  On Thursday, the NFL kicks off with the Houston Texans at the Kansas City Chiefs.

If I'm going to field a few fantasy teams, I've got to draft them today.  My three baseball teams are floundering, with one perhaps having hope for making the playoffs next week.

To close this international posting, eleven things you might not have known about these countries, including the USA at #1.  #11 is Nauru, where Japan built an OTEC facility, which was overwhelmed by a hurricane.  At one time this was one of the world's richest nations because of phosphate for fertilizer, in the form of bird droppings.  Today, no guano.  However, their subsequent lifestyle made them the most unhealthiest in the world, with 95% of adults overweight:

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