Author: News Desk

In today’s briefing update, the Sunday Papers report on Prince Andrew ‘missing’ from Princess Beatrice’s official wedding photos and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the country will not need another national lockdown.  In our special feature, we look at global coronavirus updates.  ……………………………………… Sunday Papers Johnson: we will not need another national lockdown The Sunday Telegraph says Boris Johnson has told the Sunday Telegraph that the nation will not need another national lockdown. The PM is quoted as saying the option of a nationwide lockdown is now akin to a “nuclear deterrent”. The paper notes that the PM’s comments appear…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 13,952,406 DEATHS: 592,757 RECOVERED: 8,284,285 ……………………………………… £3bn to help NHS prepare for possible second-wave BBC News says the NHS in England will get an extra £3bn of funding to prepare for a possible second wave of coronavirus, Boris Johnson is set to announce.  The funding will also help ease winter pressures on the health services, Downing Street said. It follows warnings a second wave this winter could see around 120,000 Covid-19 deaths in UK hospitals.  The PM is also expected to use a press conference on Friday to commit to a new target for testing…

Twitter hack: Obama, Musk, Gates and Kanye accounts hacked by Bitcoin scam in an unprecedented  attack Billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are among many prominent US names targetted by hackers on Twitter in an apparent Bitcoin scam. Their official accounts also requested donations in the cryptocurrency. “Everyone is asking me to give back,” a tweet from Mr Gates’ account said. “You send $1000, I send you back $2000.”  Twitter said it was a “coordinated” attack targeting its employees “with access to internal systems and tools.”  “We know they [the hackers] used this access to take control of…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 13,697,662 DEATHS: 586,896 RECOVERED: 8,155,874 ……………………………………… US, UK Covid-19 vaccines show signs of immunity in patients Arab News says two of the world’s most promising studies to develop a vaccine for Covid-19 have said subjects in their trials have shown early signs of immunity. Two of the world’s most promising studies to develop a vaccine for Covid-19 have said subjects in their trials have shown early signs of immunity.  The trials, run by teams at Oxford University in the UK and pharmaceutical company Moderna in the US, have both received significant government funding in their…

#LFC will lift the premier league trophy next week at the #Kop end of Anfield.

UK’s inflation rate The UK’s inflation rate rose to 0.6% in June as the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown started to ease.  The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) picked up slightly from May’s four year low of 0.5%, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.  Food and alcohol prices fell but clothing and games rose, the ONS said. Despite the slight increase in the rate, inflation remains below the Bank of England’s 2% target.  https://twitter.com/Suren_Thiru/status/1283282091443134464 Jonathan Athow, at the ONS, said: “The inflation rate has increased for the first time this year, but remains low by historical standards.  “Due to the impact of…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 13,462,873 DEATHS: 581,317 RECOVERED: 7,852,445 ……………………………………… UK’s Huawei 5G network ban ‘disappointing and wrong’ BBC News says China’s ambassador to the UK has called Britain’s decision to ban Huawei from its 5G network “disappointing and wrong.” The UK government has ordered companies to strip equipment from Huawei out of the system by 2027. It comes after the US imposed sanctions after claims the Chinese firm poses a national security threat – something Huawei denies. President Trump welcomed the UK’s decision, calling Huawei “unsafe.” Read the full story on BBC News ……………………………………… British airlines to…

Holders of United Arab Emirates UAE visit visa that expired after March 1 must leave the country by August 10 or face fines for overstay. The UAE earlier said it was cancelling the extension of visa validity that was given because of the pandemic that closed most international borders. Due to the lockdown temporary extensions were granted to those who couldn’t leave, but that extension has now expired. The rule covers entry permits, visit visas and tourist visas that expired after March 1 2020. Holders of visas that expired before March 1 were asked to leave anytime between May 18…

Morocco’s tourism receipts soared to a record high in 2019 but will fall to a record low in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Morocco tourism travel receipts soared to a record high of $8.12bn in 2019, up from $7.5bn the previous year. A country that is heavily dependent on the tourist industry to bolster local GDP. But, inevitably in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, even if Morroco opens their borders in July this year, their travel receipts won’t even come close to 2019 this year.  The annual report on Morocco’s balance of payments and international investment position also…

Glee star Naya Rivera’s body found on 7th anniversary of co-star Corey Monteith’s death A body found in a lake in California has been identified as missing Glee star Naya Rivera, police say.  Rivera, 33, went missing on Wednesday after going boating with her four-year-old son at Lake Piru. He was found alone, sleeping on the boat.  https://twitter.com/andrewwshim/status/1282932127093231616 Divers and teams found the body earlier on Monday, her body was discovered on the seventh anniversary of co-star Corey Monteith’s death.  Sheriff Bill Ayub said there was no indication of foul play or that she took her own life.  Rivera’s son…