Thursday, 27 August
BRIEF – ME! – DAILY NEWS BRIEFING
Thursday, 27 August 2020 News Briefing – Today’s headlines are dominated by the global Coronavirus Pandemic. As of 6:30 am (GMT), these are the global active numbers.
Global COVID-19 UPDATE
Coronavirus Cases: 24,337,005
Deaths: 829,686
Recovered: 16,876,159
- Low-paid people who self-isolate to get £13 a day.
- Up to 30 UK teenagers may have Covid-19 after Greek holiday.
- France records 5,500 new coronavirus cases, the highest since mid-April.
- Brazil reports more than 47,000 new coronavirus cases.
- When it comes to Covid-19 vaccines, rich nations are first in line.
- Gaza man dies of coronavirus as enclave clamps down on outbreak.
Low-paid people who self-isolate to get £13 a day
BBC News says people on low incomes in parts of England where there are high rates of coronavirus will be able to claim up to £182 if they have to self-isolate.
From Tuesday, those who claim Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit and cannot work from home will be able to get the money – equal to £13 a day.
The benefit will be trialled in parts of north-west England first.
Greater Manchester Mayor said the payment “goes nowhere near far enough”, adding people need “full pay”.
Read the full story on BBC News
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Up to 30 UK teenagers may have Covid-19 after Greek holiday
The Guardian says as many as 30 teenagers who took a holiday to the Greek island of Zante may have contracted coronavirus, health officials have said.
At least 11 of a group of 18- and 19-year-olds in Plymouth have tested positive for Covid-19 and some had been for a night out in the Devon city since their return from their holiday.
“We know that some of these young people had no symptoms, and so carried on as normal, including a night out in Plymouth’s bars and restaurants, until they became aware of the risk,” the council’s public health director, Ruth Harrell said. “That means more people could be infected.
Read the full story on The Guardian
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France records 5,500 new coronavirus cases, the highest since mid-April
France24 says the French Health Ministry said it had registered 5,429 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, a new post-lockdown high and a level of new infections not seen since the height of the epidemic in early April.
The total number of people infected with the virus in France now stands at 253,587.
Figures for the death toll and Covid-19 hospitalisations for Wednesday were not available yet due to a technical glitch.
Read the full story on France24
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Brazil reports more than 47,000 new coronavirus cases
CNN says Brazil’s Health Ministry reported 47,161 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours on Wednesday, bringing the country’s total to 3,717,156.
The ministry also reported 1,086 new coronavirus fatalities, raising Brazil’s death toll to 117,666.
Only the United States has recorded more coronavirus cases and deaths than Brazil.
Read the full story on CNN
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When it comes to Covid-19 vaccines, rich nations are first in line
Japan Times says wealthy countries have already locked up more than a billion doses of coronavirus vaccines, raising worries that the rest of the world will be at the back of the queue in the global effort to defeat the pathogen.
Moves by the U.S. and U.K. to secure supplies from Sanofi and partner GlaxoSmithKline Plc, and another pact between Japan and Pfizer Inc., are the latest in a string of agreements. The European Union has also been aggressive in obtaining shots, well before anyone knows whether they will work.
Read the full story on Japan Times
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Gaza man dies of coronavirus as enclave clamps down on outbreak
Arab News says a 61-year-old man has died in the Gaza Strip after contracting the coronavirus, Palestinian authorities said on Wednesday as they clamped down on an outbreak of the pandemic in the enclave.
The man had suffered previous illnesses and had been on a respirator, the Health Ministry said. It was the first death among the general population since an infected woman died at a quarantine centre in March.
Read the full story on Arab News
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A quick look at the other top headlines
Teenager arrested over killing of two protesters
Aljazeera says a teenager identified as Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested and charged with homicide on Wednesday after gunfire killed two people and wounded a third during protests over the police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, court officials said.
Officials warn of unsurvivable flooding as Hurricane Laura nears Gulf coast
BBC News says Hurricane Laura roared toward the Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a massive Category 4 storm and was expected to cause catastrophic damage and “unsurvivable storm surge” along the Texas and Louisiana border, the National Hurricane Center said.
EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan quits over Golfgate scandal
EuroNews says EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan has stepped down from his role over the Golfgate scandal.
Reports emerged over the weekend that Hogan had travelled across Ireland without respecting COVID-19 restrictions.
The move sparked public outrage and the Irish government lost confidence in him.
WHO declares Africa Polio-free
Africanews says polio is officially declared eradicated from the African continent by the World Health Organization.
This comes after four consecutive years without a reported case and massive efforts to immunize children.
Bahrain rejects US push to normalise relations with Israel
Aljazeera says Bahrain’s king has told visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the Gulf state is committed to the creation of a Palestinian state, according to state media, in an implicit rejection of Washington’s push for Arab countries to swiftly normalise ties with Israel.
Death toll rises to 122 in Afghan flash floods, many still missing
CNA says families and rescue workers in Afghanistan searched on Wednesday for survivors of flash floods that killed more than 122 people and destroyed more than 1,500 houses north of the capital, Kabul, officials said.
At least 250 people were injured when torrential rain earlier in the week triggered flash floods that ravaged large-parts of Parwan province, officials in the disaster management ministry said.
Christchurch shooter sentenced to life without parole
The white supremacist who killed 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was handed the maximum available sentence making the 29-year-old Australian gunman Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the first to receive the sentence in New Zealand.
