Author: WTX News

Summer 2021 back ON! Cyprus to welcome vaccinated Brits from May Cyprus will open its borders to vaccinated Brits from the start of May – but UK travel restrictions will still be in force.  They have said those who had both Covid jabs could travel there without restrictions from 1 May.  But this is more than two weeks before the earliest date those in England will be able to go abroad for vacation.  Cyprus has not yet said how British tourists will be required to prove they have had both vaccine jabs.  Cyprus’s deputy tourism minister said the country will…

3 New Zealand earthquakes: Tsunami warnings, evacuations Three earthquakes have struck off the coast of New Zealand Friday morning, triggering tsunami warnings. One of the earthquakes was one of the strongest to ever hit the region.  Thousands were evacuated from some coastal areas of the North Island after the third, 8.1-magnitude quake struck. As people tried to get to high ground, there were reports of traffic gridlocks.  The national tsunami warning was lifted at 15:43 (02:43 GMT), some 13 hours after the first quake. https://twitter.com/NZcivildefence/status/1367656615634071558 Some wave surges hit parts of the coast but, by Friday afternoon, authorities said…

Friday’s Briefing VIDEO: Love Island RETURNS for summer 2021 – but location still undecided https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9zu5ndv_qA Covid-19: Starmer calls for bigger pay rise for NHS ‘heroes’ Amazon could be a big winner of Rishi Sunak’s investment tax break Italy blocks AstraZeneca shipment to Australia amid vaccine shortage row Egypt begins vaccine rollout to wider population ‘Patriots’ only: China moves to overhaul Hong Kong elections Myanmar braces for new protests as junta’s UN pick quits Republicans move to control voting after record 2020 turnout Decline in fashion sales slows as online shoppers prepare for lockdown lifting Love Island confirmed for summer…

Daily News Briefing Brief. Me – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9zu5ndv_qA The top stories Covid-19: Starmer calls for bigger pay rise for NHS ‘heroes’BBC News says Sir Keir Starmer has called on the government to give the NHS’s “Covid heroes” a bigger pay rise.It comes as it emerged the government is recommending a 1% increase for NHS staff in England next year.Health unions have called the suggested rise a “kick in the teeth” for staff who had given “absolutely everything” during the pandemic.But ministers have defended the proposal at a time when the economy is under “huge pressure”.Read on………………..Amazon could be a big winner…

WHERE DID IT GO WRONG? Can William and Harry repair their relationship? Prince William and Prince Harry have been through a lot together. They were once so close, but over the past few years, the relationship between the brothers has soured. Where did it all go wrong? Will it ever be fixed? Why Prince Harry and Prince William’s Fractured Relationship Still Won’t Heal Vanity Fair says Prince William and Prince Harry didn’t speak to each other for two months after Harry and Meghan’s bombshell announcement that they were quitting the royal family, and the relationship is still strained, according to…

Countries with high obesity saw 88% of all Covid deaths  Obesity increases risk of Covid-19 complications The World Obesity Federation reports that obesity is linked to a higher risk of severe Covid-19 and death from the disease. The report says roughly nine in 10 Covid-19 deaths have occurred in countries with high obesity rates. “Of the 2.5 million Covid-19 deaths reported by the end of February 2021, 2.2 million were in countries where more than half the population is classified as overweight,” the report said.  The International Monetary Fund has calculated that Covid-19 will cause a total of at least…

Louis Vuitton brings rare diamonds to Dubai Luxury brand Louis Vuitton is bringing two rare diamonds to showcase at the Dubai Mall in the UAE.  The LV display will run until March 8 and will display the ‘Sewelo’, the 1,758-carat rough diamond considered the second-largest ever discovered. Discovered in April 2019 at the Karowe mine in Botswana, the baseball-sized gem got its name after a competition among Botswana citizens, with “Sewelo” which means “rare find” in Setswana, the winning entry. The second stone is the “Sethunya,” which is estimated to be over a billion years old. The 549-carat gemstone is…

Thursday’s Briefing VIDEO: ROYAL CRISIS – £400bn COVID bill – Friends reunion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64vZpE_jw8A Royal crisis: Meghan accuses royals of ‘perpetuating falsehoods’ Spend now, pay later: Sunak flags major tax rises as Covid bill tops £400bn Germany extends Covid-19 lockdown, with restrictions gradually lifting Preparations in full swing for pope’s meeting with Ali Al-Sistani UN: 38 killed in ‘bloodiest day’ since coup hit Myanmar US House approves ‘George Floyd’ police reform bill US House Cancels Thursday Session After Police Warn of Possible Plot on Capitol Amazon opens till-free grocery store in London – the online retailer’s first physical store outside the…

Daily News Briefing Brief. Me – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64vZpE_jw8A The top stories Meghan accuses royals of ‘perpetuating falsehoods’BBC News says Meghan Markle has said she is not afraid of the consequences of speaking out in her and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.In a second teaser clip released by CBS for the upcoming interview, Meghan said “a lot… has been lost already”.She said she could not be expected to be silent if the royals had a part in “perpetuating falsehoods about us”.It comes as Buckingham Palace said it had launched an investigation into claims the duchess bullied royal staff.Read on………………..Spend now, pay…

10 dead in Sudan plane crash Ten people, including the two pilots, died when a plane crashed at an airstrip in South Sudan’s Jonglei state, the region’s governor said. “It was with great shock and horror to receive the news of the plane crash (HK-4274) of South Sudan Supreme Airline that happened today the 2nd day of March 2021 at around 5.05 PM at Pieri Airstrip,” Governor Denay Jock Chagor said in a statement sent to AFP Wednesday. “Ten people including the two pilots lost their lives.” More to follow Aid from Dubai to help Sudan deal with Covid crisis…

UAE confirms 2,692 new Covid-19 cases, 16 deaths in last 24 hours The UAE confirmed 2,692 new Covid-19 cases and 16 deaths on Wednesday as the Emirates continues to expand its testing of citizens and residents for the early detection of the highly contagious disease. The country’s Covid-19 caseload is now at 399,463, with a total of 1,269 fatalities related to coronavirus. Health officials have conducted 218,351 additional Covid-19 tests overnight, state news agency WAM said, with the total number of tests now over 31 million. The UAE is leading the world in terms of conducting coronavirus tests relative to…

Roadmap guide: What’s the roadmap for the end of lockdown 3? When will we be free?  After the first stage in March, further lifting of the rules will happen if certain conditions are met – such as the vaccine rollout going to plan. The aim is for all restrictions to be lifted by 21 June at the earliest. Stage one  Two parts: 8 March All schools and colleges will reopen University students can return for practical courses. There will be a review by the end of the Easter holidays for all other students Face coverings are recommended in class for…

Wednesday’s Briefing VIDEO: Texas REOPENS – Tom Cruise DEEP FAKE – FREE trip to SPACE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY1z7ALlxNM Budget 2021: Furlough scheme to be extended until September Japanese billionaire looking for people who ‘push the envelope’ for moon flight Protesters shut down roads as Lebanon pound hits all-time low Poland’s judicial independence will be destroyed unless EU moves faster, says MEP Dubai expands coverage of COVID-19 vaccination program ‘Catastrophe’ as Brazil hits record-high daily COVID deaths Texas becomes biggest US state to lift mask and business restrictions Microsoft accuses China over email cyber-attacks France v Scotland in Six Nations: Premiership may relax…

Daily News Briefing Brief. Me – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY1z7ALlxNM The top stories Budget 2021: Furlough scheme to be extended until SeptemberBBC News says Chancellor Rishi Sunak will extend the furlough scheme until the end of September when he makes his Budget speech later.Rishi Sunak said the scheme – which pays 80% of employees’ wages for the hours they cannot work in the pandemic – would help millions through “the challenging months ahead”.Some 600,000 more self-employed people will also be eligible for government help as access to grants is widened.Read on………………..Japanese billionaire looking for people who ‘push the envelope’ for moon flightThe Guardian…

AWARENESS TO ACTION We Are Not Living in a ‘Post-Me Too’ Era VICE writes the first day of February dawned with some high-profile domestic abuse allegations. Beyond the Armie Hammer saga, updates on FKA Twigs’ court case against Shia LaBeouf, were reports that Marilyn Manson had been accused of abuse by his ex-partner, actress Evan Rachel Wood. The speed of these stories breaking, along with their content, feels reminiscent of Me Too three years ago, which sought to expose the abuse perpetrated by high-profile celebrities. The movement exploded across social media in late 2017, following a series of sexual abuse…

Greenland’s green power attracting outsiders  Greenland’s rocks are attracting outsiders – superpowers riding a green revolution. Greenland has huge resources of metals known as ‘rare earths,’ used to create compact, super-strong magnets which help power equipment such as wind turbines, electric vehicles, combat aircraft and weapons systems. The metals are abundant globally, but processing them is difficult and dirty. The US used to dominate production but handed over that position to China about 20 years ago.  As Greenland’s ice sheet and glaciers recede, two Australia-based mining companies are racing for approval to dig into the world’s biggest undeveloped deposits of…

Cyprus gives Saudi Arabia ‘most favourable’ COVID-19 travel status Cyprus has given Saudi Arabia the ‘most favourable’ Covid-19 travel status. People travelling from Saudi Arabia to Cyprus will not have to quarantine after the Kingdom was ranked among the least-risky countries for spreading Covid- 19.  The island nation as from Monday welcoming back tourists using a colour-category system. Saudi Arabia is in the “most favourable” green category along with countries such as Singapore, Australia, Iceland and New Zealand.  44 countries have been put into green, orange or red groups. The rest fall into the grey category, whose citizens would require…

Tuesday’s Briefing VIDEO: Taylor Swift SLAMS Netflix show -COVID to stick around beyond 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gao3wPkb7UQ Budget 2021: Chancellor set to announce £400m for arts sector Brazil Covid variant in at least 15 countries not on UK’s travel red list Spain begins to ease Covid lockdown, but says border with Portugal will be sealed for at least 2 more weeks Gunmen release schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria’s Zamfara state, says governor Yemen minister says Iranian media shows Tehran ‘behind Houthi escalation in Marib’ WHO: World won’t vanquish virus this year Biden Begins Fence-Mending with Mexico Boohoo facing possible US import ban after…

Daily News Briefing Brief. Me – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gao3wPkb7UQ The top stories Budget 2021: Chancellor set to announce £400m for arts sector BBC News says Rishi Sunak is set to announce more than £400m of additional support for the badly-hit culture sector in Wednesday’s Budget. Mr Sunak is preparing to hand out £408m to help museums, theatres and galleries in England reopen once Covid restrictions start to ease. He will also announce a £150m fund to help communities take over local pubs. Read on ……………….. Brazil Covid variant in at least 15 countries not on UK’s travel red list The Guardian says…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reported 2,526 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday, signalling the much feared ‘UAE Covid surge’ after conducting further 175,033 tests. These cases raised the total number of infections recorded in the country since the outbreak of the pandemic to 394,050. Monday’s figures showed that 1,107 patients were cleared of the virus – bringing the total number of recoveries to 382,332. UAE covid surge Monday’s cases were detected after another 175,033 DPI and PCR tests were carried out. The UAE has conducted more than 30.8 million screenings since the outbreak. A nationwide vaccination drive is…

3 YEARS! Nicolas Sarkozy found guilty in historic corruption trial of former French president A french court has found former President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of influence peddling in a landmark corruption case.  He has been sentenced to three years in prison, which two of those suspended.  His trial is the first time a former French president has stood trial on corruption charges, after being accused of attempting to use his political influence to bribe a judge.  Sarkozy’s trial is the first time a former French president has stood trial on corruption charges, after being accused of attempting to use his…

Prince Philip transferred to second hospital for heart condition tests Prince Philip has been transferred to St Bartholomew’s Hospital to treat an infection – after 13 nights at another London hospital, Buckingham Palace has said.  Doctors treating the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, will also test and observe a pre-existing heart condition, the palace said.  He is responding to treatment and “remains comfortable,” the palace said.  He is expected to remain in hospital until at least the end of the week.  Philip, was taken to King Edward VII’s hospital in London on 16 February as a precaution after feeling unwell.  On…

What comes in a luxury award show bag? Inside the £19K goodie bags Award shows often hand out goodie bags, stuffed with luxury items for the rich and famous. We’re looking at the 2019 goodie bag for GQ’s Man of The Year event.  No one goes home empty-handed at the GQ Awards, and 2019 was packed with everything from Beats’ Powerbeats Pro earphones to a one-year membership at Orangetheory Fitness.  The most expensive item included was a Velocity Black membership, while winners were also treated to a Hugo Boss cashmere scarf and a one-year membership to The Ivy Club.  Guest…

Verdict due in landmark corruption trial of former French President The verdict of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s trial for alleged corruption and influence-peddling is expected on Monday.  The landmark trial has put Sarkozy at the risk of a prison sentence if he’s convicted.  He is accused of offering to boost a high magistrate’s chance of obtaining a promotion in Monaco back in 2014 in return for leaked information about a judicial enquiry against him.  The former president (from 2007 – 2012) has denied all the allegations against him during the 10-day trial that took place last year.  His lawyer…

FREE visa extension for Dubai tourists until March 31 Tourists visiting Dubai have had their visa extended until the end of March for free, according to various local reports.  Tourists reported their visas have been automatically extended after they checked their e-visa status online.  Travel agents confirmed that the validity of Dubai visas they applied for on behalf of their clients have been automatically extended to March 31.  A source from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs told the local paper that visas had been extended to those with expired one-month and three-month visit and tourist visas.  UAE…