Author: News Desk

Northern California wildfires force mass evacuation as 300,000 acres burn Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes as fire crews work tirelessly to beat back wildfires across northern Califonia. The smoky air is so thick it briefly halted traffic on an interstate and killed a pilot on a firefighting mission. The hundreds of fast-moving wildfires are spreading across northern California, burning houses.  In Vacaville – a city of about 100,000 people – residents were urged to evacuate during the night as the wind-whipped flames swallowed dozens of homes.  Many were awakened by neighbours or firefighters banging on…

Premier League 2020-21 fixtures have been announced by the FA. Although the exact dates and kick-off times will be confirmed when the television selections are made. The Premier League fixtures were announced in full this morning with Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Man City all discovering their fate, as well as newly-promoted Leeds, getting a date for their long-awaited return. And they will be greeted by the Champions in their first game at Anfield. Teams including new champions Liverpool have already started their pre-season training camps ahead of the new campaign. Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Wolverhampton…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 22,588,815 DEATHS: 791,090 RECOVERED: 15,309,032 …………………………………… Heathrow’s rapid test centre could replace 14-day quarantine  The Guardian says a new Covid test centre is ready to start rapid testing of inbound passengers arriving at Heathrow airport’s Terminal 2, as soon as the government gives it the go-ahead. Arrivals would find out results within 24 hours of being tested, replacing the need for a 14-day quarantine. More than 13,000 passenger tests a day can be carried out in the facility, launched by aviation services firm Swissport and the Collinson Group, which runs airport lounges. A second test…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 22,309,785 DEATHS: 784,380 RECOVERED: 15,053,449 …………………………………… 19% of UK adults suffered depression during pandemic RT News says the number of people across the UK suffering from depression has almost doubled during the coronavirus pandemic, according to new data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).  The ONS said 19 per cent of adults reported some form of depression during June, compared with 10 per cent in the nine months leading up to March 2020. The most common types of depression listed by people were stress and anxiety.  Read the full story on RT News ………………………………………

Israeli warplanes strike Gaza, relentlessly pounded Gaza, targetting Hamas officials, but sources on the ground have confirmed innocent casualties. Early on Tuesday morning, the warplanes bombarded Gaza in response to Palestinian fire balloons launched across the border, the Israeli army said. The strikes came as visiting Egyptian security officials strove to defuse the latest attack on Gaza. “Israeli Fighter jets and (other) aircraft struck underground infrastructures belonging to the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip,” an Israeli military statement said. The impact of a landmark deal between Israel and the UAE is reverberating throughout the region. But the deal…

Bahrain: Woman,54, wearing burqa goes viral for smashing Hindu gods, now charged A video showing a woman wearing a burqa breaking idols of Lord Ganesha in a shop has gone viral on social media and been met with celebrations and praise.  The video circulating, shows two women standing near an aisle where idols of Hindu gods are kept on a shelf. One of the women picks up the religious idols and starts throwing them on the ground, breaking them. It appears she is speaking to a shopkeeper, angrily asking “This is a Muslim country, right? Why is this here? ……

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…