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Tropical Storm Eta, Masters tees off, Diwali: 5 things to know Thursday

Editors  |  Paste BN

Tropical Storm Eta makes landfall in Florida

Tropical Storm Eta dumped torrents of blustery rain on Florida’s west coast as it moved over Florida after making landfall north of the heavily populated Tampa Bay area Thursday morning. The storm slogged ashore near Cedar Key, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. The National Hurricane Center in Miami predicted Eta would then move northeast across Florida as it loses strength. Eta became a Category 1 hurricane early Wednesday but was downgraded to a tropical storm by the afternoon. There were no immediate reports of any injuries, serious damage or flooding in the Tampa Bay area as the storm skirted past that region Wednesday afternoon. Several tornado warnings were issued, but there were no reports of one touching down. Eta is the record-breaking 12th named tropical system to strike the continental U.S. this season. 

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TikTok asks court to intervene as Trump deadline looms

TikTok wants a federal court to intervene as its Chinese owner, ByteDance, has until Thursday to sell off its U.S. operations under an executive order President Donald Trump signed in August. In September, Trump gave tentative blessing to a ByteDance proposal meant to resolve national security concerns by placing TikTok under the oversight of American companies Oracle and Walmart. But TikTok said it has since received "no clarity" from the governmental review agency, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, about the arrangement. TikTok is now looking to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review Trump’s divestment order and the government’s national-security review. 

Virus-delayed Masters tees off, minus the crowds

The 84th edition of the Masters begins Thursday from Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, and, like most everything else in 2020, it will be a departure from years past. Typically played in April, the event was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Spectators will not be allowed on the grounds, but there are myriad ways to watch the event, including a customizable option that allows fans to follow every shot from specific players.

Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, begins

More than a billion people begin the annual celebration of Diwali on Thursday, the Hindu festival of lights that many consider to be the start of the new year. Typically, the festival is marked by celebrations both at home and in large community gatherings by people of many faiths in both India and the diaspora. However, Diwali festivities will likely revert to more intimate family gatherings coupled with online observances this year as the world grapples with coronavirus. "We don't have to have a large celebration," said Shereen Bhalla, the director of education at the Hindu American Foundation. "It is really what's in your heart." 

Game changer? Sony's PlayStation 5 goes on sale

For video game players, it's not just another Thursday: It's the day they get to purchase Sony's new PlayStation 5 console. Coming hot on the heels of Microsoft's Xbox Series X and S, the PS5 includes the DualSense wireless controller, which uses haptic feedback – a vibration effect that enhances the action in games. This concept isn't new, but the DualSense is so advanced it "has the potential to add a layer of immersion we have yet to experience in console games," writes Paste BN's Brett Molina. PlayStation sells for $499.99, or $399.99 for the digital version (no disc drive).  

Contributing: The Associated Press

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