Author: WTX News

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…

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…

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…

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…