Author: WTX News

In today’s briefing update, the Sunday Papers lead with the controversial algorithms to set 97% of GCSE results – more than 280,000 A level students had their results downgraded on Thursday, and experts believe GCSE students will be downgraded further.   In our special feature, we look at global coronavirus updates.  ……………………………………… Controversial algorithms to set 97% of GCSE result The Observer says ahead of nearly five million GCSEs being awarded this week using a controversial model, the Observer reports – more than 4.6 million grades – will be assigned in England solely by the algorithm drawn up by the exam…

Dubai sends 24.88 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Beirut A plane with more than 43 tonnes of medical equipment left Dubai on Wednesday to help Bierut’s hospitals following the deadly port explosion last week which left thousands wounded. Syringes, bandages and surgical gowns were among the supplies on-board which was worth more than Dh2 million. At Dubai’s International Humanitarian City, 180 pallets were loaded on trucks for the cargo flight, which took off about 5:45 pm and was flown free of charge on the orders of the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. The aid was supplied by the WHO…

200,000 UAE residents stuck abroad no longer need ICA approval to return All UAE residents trapped approved no longer need to wait for special approval to return home, the government said on Wednesday.  All UAE residents abroad, who have a valid UAE visa, had to apply for approval to return to the country – if they were travelling into any emirate except Dubai.  But this procedure has now been removed and travel is permitted into the country as long as travellers carry out specific procedures.  Such procedures include updating their data, including a valid Emirates ID, passport number and citizenship.…

By Yvonne Ridley. Syrian-based American journalist Bilal Abdul Kareem who took the US Government to court for putting him on a “kill list” in the war-torn region, was arrested yesterday by a Sunni Islamist militant group. The brash New Yorker’s strong brand of journalism made him unpopular with some and turned him into an assassination target with others, including his own government. His ability to navigate his way through the treacherous political landscape of rebel-held Syria also made him the first person to see for visiting journalists including members of Sky News, BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and other major outlets. Yesterday’s arrest…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 21,082,038 DEATHS: 757,633 RECOVERED: 13,933,175 …………………………………… Lockdown to ease further Saturday BBC News says more beauty treatments, small wedding receptions and live indoor performances will be able to resume in England from Saturday, as lockdown rules are eased. Bowling alleys, casinos and soft play centres will also be able to reopen, PM Boris Johnson has announced. It comes as the government introduces bigger fines for failing to wear a mask in places where it is compulsory. Read the full story on BBC News …………………………………… Government quietly drops 1.3 million COVID tests from England’s tally The…

Israel launches new attacks on Hamas targets in Gaza, following ‘explosive balloons’ that started 80 fires Israel attacked Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Thursday in response to what is said were continued launches of “explosive balloons” from the Palestinian territory.  Helium balloons loaded with incendiary material have been deployed in recent days in a bid to pressure Israel to ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip and allow new economic projects. Israel also said it will stop shipments of fuel into Gaza in response.  Israel earlier retaliated by shutting the Strip’s main commercial crossing and striking Hamas military…

Severe storms forecast after scorching temperatures An amber storm warning has been issued for most of Wales, the West Midlands and parts of the North West. Severe thunderstorms are expected across much of the UK after some areas saw the longest stretch of high temperatures since the 1960s. The warning means flooding, damage to buildings, travel disruption and power cuts are expected in those regions.  A yellow storm warning – meaning there is a small chance of flooding and travel disruption – was issued for the rest of Wales and most of England for Wednesday night, and extends to more…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 20,810,640 DEATHS: 747,291 RECOVERED: 13,712,440 …………………………………… England’s Death toll revised down by more than 5,000 The Guardian says the coronavirus death toll in England is to be revised down by more than 5,000 following concerns that over one in 10 fatalities should not have been included in the official figure. The government announced a new UK-wide standard for how it records the official toll on Wednesday after it came to light that thousands of people in England who may have recovered from the virus before they died were still counted in the headline number.…

Biden picks Senator Kamala Harris as US election running mate Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he has chosen Senator Kamala Harris of California to be his vice-presidential running mate. Harris, 55, is the first Black woman on a major presidential ticket in US history. She is also the first Asian-American on a major presidential ticket.  “I have the great honour to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris – a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants – as my running mate,” Biden said on Twitter.  Biden had been under increasing…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 20,525,620 DEATHS: 745,971 RECOVERED: 13,446,405 …………………………………… UK in recession for first time in 11 years  BBC News says the UK has officially fallen into recession for the first time in 11 years due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The economy shrank 20.4% between April and June compared with the first three months of the year. Officials said the economy bounced back in June as government restrictions on movement started to ease. Read the full story on BBC News …………………………………… Campsites and holiday cottage bookings for summer 2021 soar The Guardian says holiday cottages…

Trump says Spanish Flu ‘ended WW2’ – a conflict that started two decades later Twitter is mocking US President Trump after he suggested the Second World War, which ended in 1945, was “probably ended” two decades earlier by the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic – which he thinks took place in 1917.  Shortly after those claims were made on Monday night, Trump was escorted out of a White House briefing room by US Secret Service officers after reports of a shooting on White House grounds.  The president returned to the briefing a few minutes later to continue making unsubstantiated attacks on…

Trump escorted out of White House briefing after shooting on grounds US President Donald Trump was abruptly escorted out of a White House press room in the middle of a briefing on Monday because of a shooting outside the White House.  https://twitter.com/RitaPanahi/status/1292958498074947586 Trump returned to the briefing several minutes later and told reporters a person had been shot by law enforcement and taken to the hospital. He said he understood the suspect had been armed.  https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1292947662963122181 “It was a shooting outside of the White House,” Trump said. “It seems to be very well under control. … But there was an…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 20,257,466 DEATHS: 738,956 RECOVERED: 13,121,562 …………………………………… Universities told to hold places open until September 7 appeal deadline BBC News says universities in England are being told to keep places open for students if they appeal against A-level results. Amid uncertainty about replacement exam grades, Universities Minister Michelle Donelan has urged university heads to be as “flexible as possible”. It means if students miss the required grades but successfully appeal, they could still start next term. “Nobody should have to put their future on hold because of the virus,” said Ms Donelan. Read the full story…

The Israeli government has threatened to destroy a Palestinian family’s home, built inside a cave with a wooden door opening onto cushion-lined rooms, in the foothills overlooking Farasin, in Palestine. Ahmed Amarneh’s home, built in a cave with a wooden door opening into cushion-lined rooms, is not the first Palestinian residence in the occupied West Bank to receive a demolition notice from Israel. But it may be the first built inside a cave which the Jewish state has threatened to destroy. Amarneh, a 30-year-old civil engineer, lives with his family in the northern West Bank village of Farasin, where Israel…

Volunteers desperately trying to keep 4,000-tonne oil spill away from Mauritius  Volunteers are scrambling to create cordons to keep leaking oil from a ship away from the island of Mauritius.  The ship was believed to have been carrying 4,000 tonnes of oil, it ran aground on a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on 25 July.  Locals are making barriers of straws stuffed into fabric sacks in an attempt to absorb the oil.  Mauritius is home to world-renowned coral reefs, and tourism is a crucial part of its economy.  Images online show volunteers collecting straw from fields and filling…

Mass resignation of Lebanese government expected Monday The Lebanese government is heading toward a mass resignation on Monday following the horrific explosion in Beirut.  The explosion killed more than 150 people and left at least 6,000 wounded with hundreds of thousands left homeless.  The explosion has further fueled public anger after it was confirmed authorities knew the huge pile of ammonium nitrate had been stored at the port for six years, with people already enraged by government corruption, incompetence and negligence.  Several ministers have already discussed the possibility of stepping down – with Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad announcing her…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 20,026,161 DEATHS: 734,020 RECOVERED: 12,900,625 …………………………………… Covid-19: only 53% of Britons would definitely have vaccination  The Guardian says only half the population of Britain definitely would accept being vaccinated against Covid-19. That is the shock conclusion of a group of scientists and pollsters who have found that only 53% of a test group of citizens said they would be certain or very likely to allow themselves to be given a vaccine against the disease if one becomes available. Read the full story on The Guardian  …………………………………… Little evidence of school transmission – minister BBC News…

Angry Lebanese vow new protests over deadly blast that killed 158, following a night of clashes Lebanese protesters are enraged by official negligence blamed for the deadly Beirut blast and have vowed to rally again after a night of street clashes in which they stormed several ministries.  “Prepare the gallows because our anger doesn’t end in one day,” warned one message circulating on social media in response to the explosion.  The calls for new protests came as French President Macron was to oversee a UN-backed virtual donors conference to raise aid for Lebanon, a country already mired in a painful…

Afghanistan to release 400 ‘hardcore’ Taliban paving the way to ‘peace-talks’ Afghanistan agreed on Sunday to release 400 “hard-core” Taliban prisoners, paving the way for peace talks aimed at ending a more than 19-year war.  US President Donald Trump has been putting on the pressure for a deal to allow him to bring home US troops leading to the war-torn country’s grand assembly approving the release.  “In order to remove an obstacle, allow the start of the peace process and an end of bloodshed, the Loya Jirga approves the release of 400 Taliban,” the assembly said.  Afghan President Ashraf Ghani…

In today’s briefing update, the Sunday Papers lead with the PM’s plans to open schools in September, warning children will suffer more harm by staying at home. Other front pages lead with a warning of a second lockdown in September and France asking the UK for £30m to police the Channel.   In our special feature, we look at global coronavirus updates.  ……………………………………… PM’s school plans: Children suffer more harm by staying at home The Sunday Times says Boris Johnson is set to warn parents that keeping children home is a far greater threat to their wellbeing than Covid-19. The paper…

Lebanon hit with anti-govt protests after Beirut blast, police use tear gas Lebanese security forces late Thursday fired tear gas to disperse dozens of anti-government protesters angered by the Beirut blast that has killed over 157, injured over 4000 and has leftover 250,000 homeless.  The devastating blast is widely seen as the most shocking expression yet of their government’s incompetence.  The protests in central Beirut took place in a street leading to parliament, the area is still heavily littered with debris and wreckage from Tuesday’s explosion.  Protesters had sparked a blaze, vandalised stores and lobbed stones at security forces, according…

Trump bans US transactions with Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat President Trump has issued executive orders banning any US transactions with ByteDance – the Chinese company that owns the app TikTok, and Tencent, owner of the WeChat app, starting in 45 days.  https://twitter.com/ccjanetang/status/1291546392935235586 The orders issued on Thursday come as the Trump administration said this week it was stepping up efforts to purge “untrusted” Chinese apps from US digital networks and called the Chinese-owned app TikTok and messenger app WeChat “significant threats.”  In one of the orders, Trump said the TIkiTok app may be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 19,261,406 DEATHS: 717,717 RECOVERED: 12,363,249 …………………………………… Safety concerns halt the use of 50 million NHS masks BBC News says fifty million face masks bought by the UK government in April will not be used in the NHS because of safety concerns. The government says the masks, which use ear-loop fastenings rather than head loops, may not fit tightly enough. They were bought for NHS England healthcare workers from supplier Ayanda Capital as part of a £252m contract. Read the full story on BBC News …………………………………… Another shutdown risks thousands of deaths in Covid-19 second-wave The…

Beirut explosion: 250,000 homeless as officials deflect blame for the explosion Hundreds of thousands of people in Beirut are facing another night of uncertainty following the massive explosion that destroyed their homes and prompted a two-week state of emergency.  The massive port explosion in the Lebanese capital has displaced some 250,000 people and caused up to  $5bn in damage, Governor Marwan Abboud told local media.  As of Wednesday, the confirmed death toll had topped 130 people with some 5,000 others wounded.  Lebanon has asked the international community to support the country which is already in a major economic crisis and…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 18,979,672 DEATHS: 711,271 RECOVERED: 12,171,222 …………………………………… Ethnic minorities ‘overexposed’ to Covid-19 BBC News says ethnic minorities in Britain “face greater barriers” when trying to protect themselves from coronavirus, according to a report. The Runnymede Trust, a race equality think-tank, said Bangladeshi and black African people were most vulnerable. Jobs, households and using public transport are all said to be risk factors. The government said it is working to help ethnic minorities, who have been disproportionately harmed by Covid-19. Read the full story on BBC News …………………………………… Facebook, Twitter remove Trump posts after he says children…