Author: WTX News

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 22,049,457 DEATHS: 777,440 RECOVERED: 14,791,869 …………………………………… Alarm over Covid case rates in 19 European countries The Guardian says 19 European countries have crossed a key threshold of new coronavirus infections, with Spain’s numbers particularly worrying.  According to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the countries have recorded cumulative 14-day infection totals higher than 20 per 100,000 inhabitants, considered an early alarm level by many health experts. Luxembourg and Spain have reported more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people in the past two weeks, the figures show, with Malta recording more…

Greece secretly sent away more than 1,000 migrants – including babies, abandoning them in open seas The New York Times has reported that at least 1,072  migrants were sailed to the edge of Greece’s water territory on inflatable life rafts and abandoned by Greek authorities.  The Times analysed evidence from multiple sources – including academic researchers, the Turkish Coast Guard, and independent watchdogs groups – found there were at least 31 different incidents of these expulsions over the past few months.  Nahma al-Khatib told the Times that on July 26, she and 22 others -including babies- were taken by masked…

Israel and UAE open direct phone service after historic peace deal The Israeli and UAE foreign ministers introduced a direct phone service between the two nations on Sunday, in their first announcement following a peace agreement to the normalisation of diplomatic relations.  The UAE and Israel ministers “inaugurated a phone link between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, and exchanged greetings following the historic Peace Accord signed by the two countries,” tweeted the director of strategic communications at the UAE’s foreign ministry.  Shortly after, Israel’s Gabi Ashkenazi tweeted that the two “decided together on the establishment of a direct communication…

Trump promises ‘snapback’ to force return of UN Iran sanctions President Trump vowed to use a controversial technique to unilaterally reinstate UN sanctions on Tehran, a move with huge repercussions for the Iran nuclear deal.  It comes a day after the UN Security Council overwhelmingly rejected a US resolution to extend an Iranian arms embargo. “We’ll be doing a snapback,” Trump said during a news conference at his New Jersey golf club. “You’ll be watching it next week.” The president was referring to the contested argument that the US remains a “participant” in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal – despite…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 21,826,634 DEATHS: 773,074 RECOVERED: 14,564,184 …………………………………… NHS needs tens of thousands of British Asians to join Covid-19 vaccine trials The Guardian says the NHS is launching a fresh attempt to recruit tens of thousands of volunteers from British Asian communities to its coronavirus vaccine trials following a “disappointing” uptake in the first phase.  The government’s vaccines taskforce announced on Monday that more than 112,000 people had signed up for trials which could begin as soon as next month. Read the full story on The Guardian  …………………………………… A-Level grades ‘drop below three-year average,’ new analysis suggests …

In today’s briefing update, the Sunday Papers lead with the controversial algorithms to set 97% of GCSE results – more than 280,000 A level students had their results downgraded on Thursday, and experts believe GCSE students will be downgraded further.   In our special feature, we look at global coronavirus updates.  ……………………………………… Controversial algorithms to set 97% of GCSE result The Observer says ahead of nearly five million GCSEs being awarded this week using a controversial model, the Observer reports – more than 4.6 million grades – will be assigned in England solely by the algorithm drawn up by the exam…

Dubai sends 24.88 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Beirut A plane with more than 43 tonnes of medical equipment left Dubai on Wednesday to help Bierut’s hospitals following the deadly port explosion last week which left thousands wounded. Syringes, bandages and surgical gowns were among the supplies on-board which was worth more than Dh2 million. At Dubai’s International Humanitarian City, 180 pallets were loaded on trucks for the cargo flight, which took off about 5:45 pm and was flown free of charge on the orders of the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. The aid was supplied by the WHO…

200,000 UAE residents stuck abroad no longer need ICA approval to return All UAE residents trapped approved no longer need to wait for special approval to return home, the government said on Wednesday.  All UAE residents abroad, who have a valid UAE visa, had to apply for approval to return to the country – if they were travelling into any emirate except Dubai.  But this procedure has now been removed and travel is permitted into the country as long as travellers carry out specific procedures.  Such procedures include updating their data, including a valid Emirates ID, passport number and citizenship.…

By Yvonne Ridley. Syrian-based American journalist Bilal Abdul Kareem who took the US Government to court for putting him on a “kill list” in the war-torn region, was arrested yesterday by a Sunni Islamist militant group. The brash New Yorker’s strong brand of journalism made him unpopular with some and turned him into an assassination target with others, including his own government. His ability to navigate his way through the treacherous political landscape of rebel-held Syria also made him the first person to see for visiting journalists including members of Sky News, BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and other major outlets. Yesterday’s arrest…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 21,082,038 DEATHS: 757,633 RECOVERED: 13,933,175 …………………………………… Lockdown to ease further Saturday BBC News says more beauty treatments, small wedding receptions and live indoor performances will be able to resume in England from Saturday, as lockdown rules are eased. Bowling alleys, casinos and soft play centres will also be able to reopen, PM Boris Johnson has announced. It comes as the government introduces bigger fines for failing to wear a mask in places where it is compulsory. Read the full story on BBC News …………………………………… Government quietly drops 1.3 million COVID tests from England’s tally The…

Israel launches new attacks on Hamas targets in Gaza, following ‘explosive balloons’ that started 80 fires Israel attacked Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Thursday in response to what is said were continued launches of “explosive balloons” from the Palestinian territory.  Helium balloons loaded with incendiary material have been deployed in recent days in a bid to pressure Israel to ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip and allow new economic projects. Israel also said it will stop shipments of fuel into Gaza in response.  Israel earlier retaliated by shutting the Strip’s main commercial crossing and striking Hamas military…

Severe storms forecast after scorching temperatures An amber storm warning has been issued for most of Wales, the West Midlands and parts of the North West. Severe thunderstorms are expected across much of the UK after some areas saw the longest stretch of high temperatures since the 1960s. The warning means flooding, damage to buildings, travel disruption and power cuts are expected in those regions.  A yellow storm warning – meaning there is a small chance of flooding and travel disruption – was issued for the rest of Wales and most of England for Wednesday night, and extends to more…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 20,810,640 DEATHS: 747,291 RECOVERED: 13,712,440 …………………………………… England’s Death toll revised down by more than 5,000 The Guardian says the coronavirus death toll in England is to be revised down by more than 5,000 following concerns that over one in 10 fatalities should not have been included in the official figure. The government announced a new UK-wide standard for how it records the official toll on Wednesday after it came to light that thousands of people in England who may have recovered from the virus before they died were still counted in the headline number.…

Biden picks Senator Kamala Harris as US election running mate Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he has chosen Senator Kamala Harris of California to be his vice-presidential running mate. Harris, 55, is the first Black woman on a major presidential ticket in US history. She is also the first Asian-American on a major presidential ticket.  “I have the great honour to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris – a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants – as my running mate,” Biden said on Twitter.  Biden had been under increasing…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 20,525,620 DEATHS: 745,971 RECOVERED: 13,446,405 …………………………………… UK in recession for first time in 11 years  BBC News says the UK has officially fallen into recession for the first time in 11 years due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The economy shrank 20.4% between April and June compared with the first three months of the year. Officials said the economy bounced back in June as government restrictions on movement started to ease. Read the full story on BBC News …………………………………… Campsites and holiday cottage bookings for summer 2021 soar The Guardian says holiday cottages…

Trump says Spanish Flu ‘ended WW2’ – a conflict that started two decades later Twitter is mocking US President Trump after he suggested the Second World War, which ended in 1945, was “probably ended” two decades earlier by the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic – which he thinks took place in 1917.  Shortly after those claims were made on Monday night, Trump was escorted out of a White House briefing room by US Secret Service officers after reports of a shooting on White House grounds.  The president returned to the briefing a few minutes later to continue making unsubstantiated attacks on…

Trump escorted out of White House briefing after shooting on grounds US President Donald Trump was abruptly escorted out of a White House press room in the middle of a briefing on Monday because of a shooting outside the White House.  https://twitter.com/RitaPanahi/status/1292958498074947586 Trump returned to the briefing several minutes later and told reporters a person had been shot by law enforcement and taken to the hospital. He said he understood the suspect had been armed.  https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1292947662963122181 “It was a shooting outside of the White House,” Trump said. “It seems to be very well under control. … But there was an…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 20,257,466 DEATHS: 738,956 RECOVERED: 13,121,562 …………………………………… Universities told to hold places open until September 7 appeal deadline BBC News says universities in England are being told to keep places open for students if they appeal against A-level results. Amid uncertainty about replacement exam grades, Universities Minister Michelle Donelan has urged university heads to be as “flexible as possible”. It means if students miss the required grades but successfully appeal, they could still start next term. “Nobody should have to put their future on hold because of the virus,” said Ms Donelan. Read the full story…

The Israeli government has threatened to destroy a Palestinian family’s home, built inside a cave with a wooden door opening onto cushion-lined rooms, in the foothills overlooking Farasin, in Palestine. Ahmed Amarneh’s home, built in a cave with a wooden door opening into cushion-lined rooms, is not the first Palestinian residence in the occupied West Bank to receive a demolition notice from Israel. But it may be the first built inside a cave which the Jewish state has threatened to destroy. Amarneh, a 30-year-old civil engineer, lives with his family in the northern West Bank village of Farasin, where Israel…

Volunteers desperately trying to keep 4,000-tonne oil spill away from Mauritius  Volunteers are scrambling to create cordons to keep leaking oil from a ship away from the island of Mauritius.  The ship was believed to have been carrying 4,000 tonnes of oil, it ran aground on a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on 25 July.  Locals are making barriers of straws stuffed into fabric sacks in an attempt to absorb the oil.  Mauritius is home to world-renowned coral reefs, and tourism is a crucial part of its economy.  Images online show volunteers collecting straw from fields and filling…

Mass resignation of Lebanese government expected Monday The Lebanese government is heading toward a mass resignation on Monday following the horrific explosion in Beirut.  The explosion killed more than 150 people and left at least 6,000 wounded with hundreds of thousands left homeless.  The explosion has further fueled public anger after it was confirmed authorities knew the huge pile of ammonium nitrate had been stored at the port for six years, with people already enraged by government corruption, incompetence and negligence.  Several ministers have already discussed the possibility of stepping down – with Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad announcing her…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 20,026,161 DEATHS: 734,020 RECOVERED: 12,900,625 …………………………………… Covid-19: only 53% of Britons would definitely have vaccination  The Guardian says only half the population of Britain definitely would accept being vaccinated against Covid-19. That is the shock conclusion of a group of scientists and pollsters who have found that only 53% of a test group of citizens said they would be certain or very likely to allow themselves to be given a vaccine against the disease if one becomes available. Read the full story on The Guardian  …………………………………… Little evidence of school transmission – minister BBC News…

Angry Lebanese vow new protests over deadly blast that killed 158, following a night of clashes Lebanese protesters are enraged by official negligence blamed for the deadly Beirut blast and have vowed to rally again after a night of street clashes in which they stormed several ministries.  “Prepare the gallows because our anger doesn’t end in one day,” warned one message circulating on social media in response to the explosion.  The calls for new protests came as French President Macron was to oversee a UN-backed virtual donors conference to raise aid for Lebanon, a country already mired in a painful…

Afghanistan to release 400 ‘hardcore’ Taliban paving the way to ‘peace-talks’ Afghanistan agreed on Sunday to release 400 “hard-core” Taliban prisoners, paving the way for peace talks aimed at ending a more than 19-year war.  US President Donald Trump has been putting on the pressure for a deal to allow him to bring home US troops leading to the war-torn country’s grand assembly approving the release.  “In order to remove an obstacle, allow the start of the peace process and an end of bloodshed, the Loya Jirga approves the release of 400 Taliban,” the assembly said.  Afghan President Ashraf Ghani…

In today’s briefing update, the Sunday Papers lead with the PM’s plans to open schools in September, warning children will suffer more harm by staying at home. Other front pages lead with a warning of a second lockdown in September and France asking the UK for £30m to police the Channel.   In our special feature, we look at global coronavirus updates.  ……………………………………… PM’s school plans: Children suffer more harm by staying at home The Sunday Times says Boris Johnson is set to warn parents that keeping children home is a far greater threat to their wellbeing than Covid-19. The paper…