Author: News Desk

Ukraine bus siege ends with all 13 hostages free and gunman arrested 13 hostages have been freed after being held on a bus by a gunman for more than 12 hours after the bizarre request the country’s president posted a movie recommendation to social media. The armed man has been arrested. The SBU security service said a joint operation had resulted in all the hostages being released unharmed after a police stand-off in the city Lutsk with the man who threatened to detonate an explosive device unless his bizarre requests were met.  The tense hostage situation came to a swift…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 15,099,524 DEATHS: 619,594 RECOVERED: 9,116,242 ……………………………………… Iran hits record 229 deaths from coronavirus in 24 hours Arab News says Iran reported a record 229 deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday as it struggled to contain a virulent second wave of the coronavirus. The virus has hit Iran harder than any country in the Middle East, but authorities were forced to ease lockdown measures in mid-April, as the economy collapsed in the face of US sanctions and the pandemic fallout Read the full story on Arab News  ……………………………………… Trump concedes pandemic to ‘get worse before it gets…

Five ‘freedom fighters’ were killed in an Israeli missile that struck in the south of the Syrian capital of Damascus. In a conflict that Israel has denied being part of but has launched hundreds of attacks, including killing Russian soldiers. The missile attack was executed on Monday night and had targeted a weapons depots and military positions belonging to Syrian regime forces, something Iran alleges is Iranian-backed militia fighters south of Damascus. According to the official SANA news agency, the attacks wounded at least seven Syrian troops and some civilians were injured as well. which said the missiles were launched…

Portland protests: Trump threatens to send more officers to US cities President Trump has threatened to send more federal law enforcement officers to major US cities to control the ongoing protests.  Mr Trump criticised a number of cities run by “liberal democrats” including NYC and Chicago, saying their leaders were afraid to act.  He said officers sent to Oregon had done a “fantastic job” restoring order aid days of protests in Portland. But locals say the federal officers are making matters worse.  State leaders are demanding the President remove the officers from Portland, accusing him of escalating the situation as…

UK debt rises in June amid pandemic The UK government borrowed £35.5bn in June, roughly five times more than the same month last year, as the global pandemic continues to weigh on public finances.  The figure took total government debt to a record £1.98 trillion. But, the monthly borrowing figure was in line with expectations.  The re-opening of non-essential shops and other businesses in June saw a drop in furlough scheme spending and a rise in tax take. Nevertheless, the June borrowing figure was still the third-highest since records began in 1993.   The ONS said the borrowing estimates are currently…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 14,858,918 DEATHS: 613,352 RECOVERED: 8,911,311 ……………………………………… Coronavirus: Above-inflation pay rise for almost 900,000 public sector workers BBC News says almost 900,000 public sector workers, many of whom have fought on the front line against coronavirus, are to get an above-inflation pay rise.  Doctors, teachers and police officers are among those who will receive salary increases of up to 3.1% in 2020/21. The cash will come from existing departmental budgets. Read the full story on BBC News ……………………………………… Make masks compulsory in GP Surgeries to reduce Covid-19 risk, BMA urges The Guardian says face masks should…

Iran executes man convicted of CIA spying  Iran has executed a former translator convicted of spying for the United States and Israel and helping to locate Gen Soleimani who was killed by the US, the judiciary said.  Major General Qasem Soleimani – a top Iranian general – was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport in January and brought the US and Iran to the brink of conflict.  The judiciary’s Mizan Online website said Mahmoud Mousavi Majd’s death “sentence was carried out on Monday morning over the charge of espionage so that the case of his betrayal to…

UK signals it will suspend extradition deal with Hong Kong after tensions rise following controversial law and 5G network ban Dominic Rabb is expected to suspend the UK’s extradition treaty with Hong Kong later amid rising tensions between London and Beijing.  It comes after the controversial national security law imposed in Hong Kong and the UK’s decision to ban Huawei from the UK’s 5G network. The UK has offered residency rights to three million Hong Kongers leading China to accuse the UK of meddling in its internal affairs.  Beijing says it is committed to upholding international law and has accused…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 14,646,707 DEATHS: 608,978 RECOVERED: 8,737,835 ……………………………………… England’s tests and trace scheme ‘breaks data law’ BBC News says privacy campaigners say England’s test and trace programme has broken a key data protection law.  The Department of Health has conceded that the initiative to trace contacts of people infected with Covid-19 was launched without carrying out an assessment of its impact on privacy.  The Open Rights Group (ORG) says the admission means the initiative has been unlawful since it began on 28 May.  Read the full story on  BBC News ……………………………………… Senior doctors warn a second-wave could…

The UAE Mars probe named ‘Hope probe’ or Amal probe in Arabic has transmitted its first signal from space early Monday morning. This came after the spacecraft’s solar panels were deployed to charge its batteries following its separation from the launch vehicle. The UAE Space Agency and Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announced that the Ground Control station located in the Al Khawaneej area of Dubai had successfully received the first transmission from the Hope Probe at 3:10 am, Monday. The UAE Space Agency and MBRSC have announced that the first transmission was received at 3:11am (12:11am GMT). The…