Daily News Briefing
Brief. Me - March 4, 2021 5:38 am
Boris Johnson to visit Scotland despite Nicola Sturgeon warning
BBC News says Boris Johnson is due to visit Scotland on Thursday despite the country’s first minister questioning whether the trip is necessary.
The PM is expected to emphasise the strength of the UK working together in the fight against Covid-19.
He is also likely to thank the staff involved in responding to the pandemic.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has questioned whether his trip is “essential”. Asked at her daily coronavirus briefing on Wednesday how she felt about the expected visit while strict travel restrictions were in place, Ms Sturgeon replied she was “not ecstatic” about it.
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Covid cases in England ‘must fall faster to ease NHS pressure’
The Guardian says cases of coronavirus have started to decline in England but must fall faster to relieve pressure on the NHS, scientists behind a Covid infection survey have warned.
Researchers at Imperial College London analysed more than 160,000 swabs taken between 6 and 22 January and found that while cases fell nationally in the past week the rate was not dropping swiftly enough to reduce strain on the health service
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EU seeks access to AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccines produced at UK plants
France24 says the EU is pushing AstraZeneca to supply the bloc with more doses of its vaccine from plants in Europe and Britain after the company announced delivery delays, adding to frustrations over the EU’s inoculation programme.
The EU is making more comprehensive checks on vaccines before approval, which means a slower rollout of shots compared with some other regions, especially former EU member Britain.
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‘Military grenades’ injure 9 soldiers during clashes with anti-lockdown protesters in Lebanon’s Tripoli
RT News says at least nine Lebanese soldiers have been injured in Tripoli, one critically, by a grenade attack, in a third consecutive night of clashes during protests against ongoing Covid restrictions and the country’s economic crisis.
Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces said in a statement that “the grenades that were fired at the officers were military grenades” and were not Molotov cocktails. The incident occurred as protesters attempted to force their way into the building housing the Governorate of North Lebanon.
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Dubai updates entry requirements as UAE COVID-19 cases surge
Arab News says Dubai has said pre-flight PCR tests will be required from all inbound visitors regardless of country of departure as of Jan. 31, state news agency WAM reported.
The committee has also decreased the test’s validity period to 72 hours from the 96 hours, the report added.
Some visitors will also be required to do another PCR test upon arrival, dependent on their country of departure.
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Indian farmers call off parliament march after deadly violence
Aljazeera says Indian farmers have called off a march to parliament on February 1, following violent clashes with police a day earlier that left one person dead and hundreds injured.
Tens of thousands of farmers have been camped on the outskirts of New Delhi for two months to demand the withdrawal of three farm laws passed last year, which they say benefit big private buyers at the expense of growers.
On Tuesday, a protest parade of tractors around the fringes of the capital to coincide with Republic Day celebrations turned into chaos when some farmers diverged from agreed routes and broke through barricades.
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US issues heightened terrorism threat alert from domestic extremists
TRT World says the US has faced a heightened threat of domestic terrorism from people disgruntled with the outcome of the November presidential election, the Department of Homeland Security has said.
The advisory on Wednesday follows the storming of the US Capitol on January 6 by supporters of Donald Trump in which five people were killed, and the inauguration of Joe Biden as president last week amid heightened security in locked-down Washington.
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US Indicts Oath Keeper Members Over Plot to Storm Capitol
VOA says the US has secured an indictment against three members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia, accusing them of conspiring to storm the U.S. Capitol in a bid to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
The indictment alleges that Jessica Marie Watkins, 38, Donovan Ray Crowl, 50, both of Campaign County, Ohio, and Thomas Caldwell, 65, of Clarke County, Virginia, conspired as far back as November to obstruct Congress, a charge that can carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
UK WEATHER FORECAST
SUNRISE 07:47
SUNSET 16:45
TODAY
Tomorrow, N Ireland and the southern half of Britain will be dry albeit cloudy. Further heavy rain will push-in in the evening. Rain, sleet and hill snow will linger in the north for much of the day.
TONIGHT
This evening in the north, rain, sleet and hill snow will ease before further rain pushes in from the south-west. Further south, the heavy rain will clear by midnight to showers and patchy cloud.
TWEETS
some of you will remember that for january i signed up to do the challenge of doing 21 runs and/or walks across the entire month and i would just like to announce that i will not be completing this challenge because i do not want to ❤️ thanks for your understanding at this time
Petition to have @rickygervais host the Oscars 2021.
pic.twitter.com/oPRett3FVv
FROM WTX NEWS
No home for the Rohingya refugees as Bangladesh moves them out
RENAISSANCE
‘The more music you have in the world, the fuller it is.’
Easyjet revenue collapses 90 per cent amid newest restrictions
Easyjet today saw total revenue shrink nearly 90 per cent for the first quarter as the coronavirus pandemic showed no signs of abating.
The budget carrier started the new financial year as it finished the last one, with revenue slumping to a mere £165m for the three month period. – CityAM
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Legal aid win means domestic abuse victims will no longer be asked to sell their homes to access justice
Domestic abuse victims blocked from getting legal aid will no longer be pushed into selling their homes in a bid to obtain justice and secure safety from their violent partners.
The legal aid victory, which comes into force on Thursday, eradicates the cap on mortgage allowance previously used when determining the eligibility of an individual seeking legal aid. – The Independent
German prosecutors charge woman with planning far-right attack on Muslims and politicians
German prosecutors in Munich have charged a woman for planning a far-right attack and other crimes targeting Muslims and local politicians in Bavaria.
Susanne G., whose last name wasn’t given under privacy laws, has been in custody since her arrest in September.
She is accused of building a bomb to target Muslims, as well as making threats and violations of weapons laws, among other charges. – Euronews
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France faces class action lawsuit over racial profiling by police
In a first for France, six non-governmental organisations launched a class-action lawsuit on Wednesday to press the French government into tackling systemic discrimination by police officers carrying out identity checks.
The organisations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, contend that French police use racial profiling in ID checks, targeting Black people and people of Arab descent. – France24
Biden Targets Climate Change With New Executive Orders
President Joe Biden signed a series of actions Wednesday to combat climate change, saying they will restore “scientific integrity and evidence-based policymaking” across the U.S. government.
A week into his presidency, the new U.S. leader called climate change an “existential threat.”
“It’s time to act,” he said at the White House. “We can’t wait any longer. We know what to do. We’ve just got to do it.” – VOA
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Top US diplomat Blinken sees long road to Iran deal
The United States will only return to the Iran nuclear deal once Tehran meets its commitments, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, warning of a long road ahead until the process is verified.
On his first full day as the top US diplomat, Blinken confirmed President Joe Biden’s willingness to return to the 2015 deal from which his predecessor withdrew but rejected Iranian pressure for the US to act first. – Aljazeera
Oman delays second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus jab
Oman’s Ministry of Health said the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine will be postponed, the daily Times of Oman reported.
“The delay has been caused by the manufacturer in supplying the agreed doses to Oman. This delay would include all countries of the world contracted by the company in order to expand the production lines resulting from the increased demand,” the report quoted the ministry. – Arab News
Tunisian press syndicate raps police over night arrest
Tunisian police slapped and arrested a photojournalist working at night despite his having an authorization to be out after curfew, the national press syndicate said on Wednesday amid criticism of the security forces’ handling of protests.
Islem Hkiri, a freelance photographer, was charged with breaking curfew and assaulting a public servant. – Arab News
Singaporean teen who planned mosque attacks will get lawyer, attend hearing under ISA: Shanmugam
The Singaporean teenager detained under the Internal Security Act for planning to commit terrorist acts at two local mosques will get a lawyer and attend a hearing to set out his position.
“He will get a hearing within the rubric of the Internal Security Act and he would have a lawyer, and his position will be put across. His parents are fully involved,” Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam told reporters on Thursday (Jan 28).
Mr Shanmugam said a judge will “look at it”. “And I, as a minister, will have to look at it too,” he added. – CNA
WHO experts leave China quarantine to start coronavirus probe
Dutch expert who is part of team in Wuhan cautions that investigation just the beginning, and it could take years to work out the origins of the virus. – Aljazeera
Business news

Staycations: Bookings ‘coming in thick and fast’ – BBC Business
UK carmakers braced for more job losses after worst year since 1984 – FT News
Record iPhone sales for Apple as quarterly revenues rise to $111bn – Sky Business
U.S. economy likely logged its weakest performance in 74 years in 2020 – Reuters
Sports News
Cultura

Hollywood suffers 80 percent revenue drop due to pandemic – Read on
Naomi Campbell’s Kenya tourism role causes row – Read on
Bruce Willis breaks silence after being asked to leave shop for not wearing face mask – Read on
Kim Kardashian smiles for the camera after posing without her wedding ring – Read on
YOUR QUESTIONS answered
what happened at the capitol?
On January 6, 2021, a mob of rioters supporting United States President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election stormed the U.S. Capitol, breaching security and occupying parts of the building for several hours.
After attending a rally organized by Trump, thousands of his supporters marched down Pennsylvania Avenue before many stormed the United States Capitol in an effort to disrupt the electoral college vote count during a joint session of Congress and prevent the formalization of President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory.
After breaching police perimeters, they occupied, vandalized, and ransacked parts of the building for several hours. The insurrection led to the evacuation and lockdown of the Capitol building and five deaths. – Read on
what does brexit mean?
Brexit was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) at the end of 31 January 2020 CET.
To date, the UK is the first and only country formally to leave the EU, after 47 years of membership within the bloc, after having first joined its predecessor, the European Communities (EC), on 1 January 1973.
It continued to participate in the European Union Customs Union and European Single Market during a transition period that ended on 31 December 2020 at 23:00 GMT. – Read on
covid-19 meaning
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
It was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in January 2020 and a pandemic in March 2020.
As of 11 January 2021, more than 90.3 million cases have been confirmed, with more than 1.93 million deaths attributed to COVID-19.
coronavirus definition
Meaning of “coronavirus” and related terminology “coronavirus” means severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
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Get the latest NHS information and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19)