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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
#LFC will lift the premier league trophy next week at the #Kop end of Anfield.
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…
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…
GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 13,240,994 DEATHS: 575,627 RECOVERED: 7,707,396 ……………………………………… Face coverings in England’s shops to be compulsory from 24 July BBC News says wearing a face-covering in shops and supermarkets in England is to become mandatory from 24 July. Those who fail to follow the new rules will face a fine of up to £100, the government is to announce. The new rule brings England into line with Scotland and other major…
Man City ban in European competitions has been overturned. Manchester City have successfully overturned their two-year ban from European club competitions on appeal to the European Court of Arbitration of Sport (Cas) Cas also announced the club was cleared of “disguising equity funds as sponsorship contributions”. Uefa issued the ban in February after ruling City had committed “serious breaches” of Financial Fair Play regulations between 2012 and 2016. City’s fine has been cut from 30m…
Iran report details the errors behind the decision to down Ukrainian passenger flight. A report released late Saturday by Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation details the errors made that led to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shooting down a Ukrainian jetliner in January, killing all 176 onboard. The report claims a misaligned missile battery, miscommunication between troops and their commanders and a decision to fire without authorisation led to the downing on the jet. Authorities had initially tried…
Britain and France agree to join together to fight migrant traffickers. The interior ministers of Britain and France have signed an agreement creating a new joint police intelligence unit to fight migrant traffickers and reduce the “unsustainable” numbers crossing the Channel illegally. Priti Patel met with France’s new Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Sunday in Calais – a region where migrants usually gather to find a way to Britain. “We signed a new agreement to…
GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 13,041,698 DEATHS: 571,660 RECOVERED: 7,588,094 ……………………………………… ……………………………………… WHO reports record increase in global cases rising by 230,370 in 24 hours The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a record increase in global Covid-19 cases on Sunday, with the total rising by 230,370 in 24 hours. The biggest increases were from the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa, according to a daily report. The previous WHO record for new cases…
Brenton Tarrant, a Facebook-live terrorist, is accused of killing 51 Muslim worshippers in the New Zealand mosque terrorist shooting incident, has decided to represent himself at the sentencing of the case. Tarrant pleaded guilty earlier this year to 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act. His guilty plea made a six-week trial due to begin in June redundant. His decision to represent himself would not…
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