Author: News Desk

Northern cities hit by Government lockdown – no Eid gatherings allowed.

Trump wants to delay the 2020 Presidential election  President Trump has suggested delaying the November 2020 presidential election saying increased postal voting could lead to fraud and inaccurate results.  He suggests the election should be delayed until people could “properly, securely and safely” vote.  There is little evidence to support the President’s claims but he has long rallied against mail-in voting which he has said would be susceptible to fraud.  US states want to make postal voting easier due to public health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Under the US constitution, Trump does not have the authority to postpone the…

16-year-old among students held in first arrests under new Hong Kong security law Hong Kong police have arrest four people including a 16-year-old, for suspected offences under the city’s new controversial national security law. The arrests are the first detentions outside of street protests since the legislation came into effect a month ago.  A police spokesman said three men and a woman, all students, were suspected of being involved in an online group that pledged to fight for an independent Hong Kong.  “We arrested for … subversions and for the organising and also the inciting [of] secession,” said Li Kwai-wah,…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 17,195,721 DEATHS: 670,322 RECOVERED: 10,706,687 …………………………………… Lloyds bank loses £676m as it warns the cost of Covid-19 The Guardian says Lloyds Banking Group plunged to a second-quarter loss after putting aside £2.4bn for bad debts, forcing the bank to acknowledge that supporting customers through the Covid-19 crisis would come at a cost. Britain’s biggest high street lender reported a loss of £676m for the three months to June, down from a £1.3bn profit during the same period last year. Analysts had been expecting a £31m loss. Read the full story on The Guardian …………………………………… Virus…

Heathrow calls for coronavirus tests at UK airports The head of Heathrow has called for airports to be allowed to test for coronavirus to avoid the “cliff-edge” of quarantine.  Speaking to the BBC, John Holland-Kaye said changes to travel guidance over Spain showed the need for an alternative. Adding he wanted the government to work with the airport.  But the Culture Secretary told the BBC that because the virus could develop over time, testing was not a “silver bullet.” Mr Holland-Kaye said the passenger would pay the cost of the test, an estimated £150 if conducted at the airport.  He…

Turkey passes controversial social media law to control content Turkey has passed a law regulating social media that critics say will increase censorship and help authorities silence dissent.  President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party, which has a majority with an allied nationalist party, had backed the bill. The assembly began debating the new legislation on Tuesday, and its passage was announced by parliament on Twitter.  The law requires foreign social media sites to appoint Turkish-based representatives to address authorities’ concerns over content and includes deadlines for removal of material they don’t like. Companies could be fined, the blocking of advertisements…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 16,899,588 DEATHS: 663,540 RECOVERED: 10,462,813 …………………………………… UK sees 30% more food waste as restrictions ease The Guardian says household food waste in the UK has increased by nearly a third as coronavirus lockdown restrictions have been eased and could spiral further, new research has warned.  The government’s waste advisory body, Wrap, said self-reported food waste was up by 30%, reversing progress made at the start of the pandemic as consumers threw away less food while confined to their homes. Read the full story on The Guardian …………………………………… Trump sticks with discredited coronavirus treatment  BBC News…

Germans more optimistic about the post-lockdown world new survey reveals Germans are more confident about life post-lockdown than the French, Spanish and Italians, a Euronews-commissioned poll has found.  Data from the survey has found Germans feel a little less cautious than other Europeans as the continent emerges from months of restrictions due to the pandemic.  The survey recorded the views of 6,000 people in total – 1,500 from each of the participant countries – between July 17-18 to get a better idea of how Covid-19 has continued to affect daily life.  Travel  Borders, for instance, are something that more than…

Netanyahu says Hezbollah ‘is playing with fire’ but group deny involvement in border clash Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah carried out an infiltration attempt on the Lebanese-Israeli border on Monday, disputing the Iranian-backed Shiite group’s denial of being involved in the clash.  Netanyahu said: “We take a grave view of this attempt to infiltrate our territory, Hezbollah and Lebanon bear full responsibility for this incident and any attack from Lebanese territory against Israel. Hezbollah should know that it is playing with fire.”  Netanyahu was sitting alongside Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz during the televised address hour after the…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 16,652,674 DEATHS: 656,686 RECOVERED: 10,243,349 …………………………………… UK’s most ‘comprehensive flu vaccine program in history,’ aims to vaccinate 30m before winter covid spike RT News says the UK government has vastly expanded its free flu vaccination program, as the NHS prepares for a potential second spike in Covid-19 cases in winter. The hope is to vaccinate 30 million people during the upcoming flu season, in an effort to mitigate the effects of a potential resurgence of coronavirus, the government has announced.  The flu shot program will, for the first time, include all people over the age…