#Muslims face racist backlash for rise in COVID-19 cases in the north of England
Author: WTX News
Historic $22Bn new trade deal opens up travel corridor between #UAE and #Indonesia
WTX BOOK REVIEW – UNCLE TOM’S CABIN BY HARRIET BEECHER STOWE WTX Book Review Don’t blame Uncle Tom … he’s already suffered enough By Yvonne Ridley I wonder how many of you have used the term Uncle Tom as an insult – may be aimed at someone who you think is betraying or selling out their political views, class or friends. There are probably many who don’t even realise the origins of the term. But my latest book review is so relevant to today’s amazing movement Black Lives Matter because the focus is on a novel which triggered the beginning of…
Short review of a book written by Andrew F March ‘The Caliphate of Man’ review by the bookworm Yvonne Ridley. So I read the title of this book and thought “Oh no! Not another Islamophobic, pseudo-intellectual squaring up to have yet another go at the Muslims. I was wrong on several counts. Baby-faced author Andrew F March is indeed an intellectual, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts and he does have a proven track record of writings on Islamic matters that are indeed worth reading. He also offers something relatively new and fresh in his…
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…
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Health and Prevention issued caution today for the upcoming Eid al Adha 2020 celebrations. And stressed the need to adhere to preventive measures during the holiday period to help curb the spread of Covid-19. Dr Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, on Monday praised the important role and great sacrifices that the heroes and key workers in the Emirates. He said that the efforts of the medical sector and other teams who are working to protect society and preserving the health of all are continuously contributing…
When is Eid al Adha 2020 following this year’s global coronavirus pandemic? Saudi Arabia announced that Eid al Adha 2020 will fall on 31st July 2020. UAE authorities have called on the public to adhere to safety measures while celebrating Eid Al Adha 2020 in the United Arab Emirates. Hajj is one of the largest religious gatherings on earth and a massive logistical challenge for the Saudi government to oversee each year. The kingdom provides pilgrims with health care and buses for transportation, as well as meals, snacks and water along the routes of Hajj. This year Hajj 2020 will…
A weekend of protests in the US, 1 dead as violence erupts The US saw violence erupt across some US cities over the weekend, in a wave of anger sparked by President Trump’s decision to increase the number of federal officers across the country. Protesters and federal agents squared off outside a courthouse in Portland, Oregon, in Seattle police were forced to retreat into a station house and fires were set in California and Virginia. Protests against racism and police brutality have surged in the US since the death of George Floyd in May. Protesters in Seattle slashed car tires…
2 Baghdad protesters dead after violent clash with police Two protesters died in Baghdad early on Monday after being shot with tear gas canisters in confrontations with security forces, medics said, the first victims of protest-related violence under Iraq’s new premier. The deaths threaten to reignite a country-wide protest movement that erupted in October over government graft and incompetence. The protests had died down in recent months. There were angry rallies staged on Sunday over power outages in the capital and several southern cities, where temperatures soaring above 50 degrees Celsius have overwhelmed electricity generators. In Baghdad – at the…
GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 16,424,841 DEATHS: 652,343 RECOVERED: 10,052,978 …………………………………… UK’s full recovery could take until 2024, says EY report The Guardian says the UK’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis could take 18 months longer than expected with hopes of a V-shaped recovery fading fast, according to a leading economic forecaster. Britain’s economic output is not expected to return to its 2019 level until the end of 2024, the EY Item Club said on Monday in its latest projections on the health of the UK economy. It had previously expected GDP to match fourth-quarter 2019 size in early…
In today’s briefing update, the Sunday Papers report on new travel measures for those entering the UK and a new book detailing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s life in the Royal Family. In our special feature, we look at global coronavirus updates. ……………………………………… Tourists must quarantine on return home from Spain The Sunday Telegraph leads with the return of the 14-day quarantine for travellers entering the UK from Spain – in force from midnight on Saturday. The paper says thousands of British tourists have had their holidays “thrown into disarray” by the restrictions. Read the full story on The Telegraph…
Thousands of worshippers flocked to Turkey’s iconic Hagia Sophia for the first Muslim Friday prayers since the 1930s. to the delight of Turkey and the Muslim world, it was once again declared a mosque instead of a museum by a decree from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The former Byzantine cathedral that became a mosque with the 1453 Muslim conquest of Istanbul and then a museum in 1934 after Turkey became a secular republic a condition of the British and Americans in order to support the power grab by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Additionally, Italy and Greece also suggested unless that if…
UK scraps ‘loophole’ that allowed American woman accused of Harry Dunn’s death to claim immunity, in new deal with US The UK government has removed a critical loophole which allowed American Anne Sacoolas – who is alleged to have caused the death of British teenager Harry Dunn – to claim immunity, in a new deal struck with Washington. In a written statement, Dominic Raab confirmed the UK and US had amended the “anomaly” after receiving fierce criticism from Harry Dunn’s family for failing to get justice for their son. Raab said the new agreement allows for the prosecution of family…
Disney delays 3 major blockbuster films due to pandemic Walt Disney has delayed the release of three major films, dealing a fresh blow to cinema’s struggling amid the pandemic. The new Avatar and Star Wars films have been delayed a year, while Mulan has been removed from schedules completely. Mulan, already delayed because of cinema closures, had been scheduled for release for the end of August. A rise in coronavirus cases in the US and the impact globally on film production forced the change. “It’s become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we…
GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 15,656,884 DEATHS: 636,576 RECOVERED: 9,544,766 ……………………………………… New face-covering rules come into force in England today, fines of £100 for those who do not comply BBC News says face-coverings are now compulsory in shops in England after coronavirus rules came into force within 12 hours of the government issuing guidance on change. Coverings are now mandatory in enclosed public spaces such as supermarkets, indoor shopping centres, transport hubs, banks and takeaways. Fines of up to £100 can be issued by police to those who do not comply. But some retailers have insisted they will not enforce…
GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 15,396,169 DEATHS: 630,720 RECOVERED: 9,372,191 ……………………………………… Boris Johnson says response shows ‘might of UK union’ BBC News says the response to the pandemic has shown the “sheer might” of the UK union, PM Boris Johnson has said. The PM is heading to Scotland this Thursday. The trip, a year on since he became PM, will see Mr Johnson meet members of the armed forces and their families. He said troops had done “vital work” to support the NHS during the pandemic and praised Treasury job retention schemes. But the SNP said the visit showed Mr…