Author: WTX News Editor

Lebanon’s foreign minister steps down amid economic crisis Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti has resigned, becoming the first cabinet minister to quit his post amid the severe economic and financial crisis crippling the country.  Hitti submitted his resignation to the prime minister and left without making any comments. He was reportedly unhappy with the government’s performance and lack of movement on promised reforms.  Local media reports said Hitti was also angered by PM Diab’s criticism…

Data leak reveals Iran covered up Covid-19 deaths Iran has covered up the true number of deaths from Covid-19 a BBC Persian service investigation has found. The number of actual deaths is nearly triple what the Iranian government is claiming.  The government’s own records appear to show almost 42,000 people died with Covid-19 symptoms up to 20 July, versus 14.405 reported by its health ministry.  The number of those infected is also almost double its…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 18,238,195 DEATHS: 692,872 RECOVERED: 11,449,659 …………………………………… New Covid-19 tests give results in 90 mins BBC News says new 90-minute tests that can detect coronavirus and flu will be rolled out in care homes and laboratories from next week. The “on-the-spot” swab and DNA tests will help distinguish between Covid-19 and other seasonal illnesses, the government said. The health secretary said this would be “hugely beneficial” over the winter. Read the…

In today’s briefing update, the Sunday Papers report on the Tory MP quizzed by police over sexual assault allegations, the government’s blueprint to avoid a second lockdown and leaked emails revealing officers’ fears of a rouge SAS evacuation squad. In our special feature, we look at global coronavirus updates.  ……………………………………… Tory MP quizzed by police over sex attack The Mail on Sunday says a conservative MP has been questioned by police following allegations of rape…

Kylie and Kendall Jenner endorse fake Apple products on Instagram  BBC Click has discovered that dozens of influencers including Kylie and Kendall Jenner have been promoting the sale of fake Apple Airpods on Instagram.  The two sisters have a combined following of 322 million followers on the social media platform.  Apple says cloned earphones may infringe its intellectual property rights, but is now pursuing a case against the Jenner sisters.  But Apple has in the…

iPhone 12 release date delayed  The release of the iPhone 12 will be delayed Apple has confirmed.  Apple usually reveals the new iPhone in September and then release it a couple of weeks later. But the company has now confirmed they won’t be able to follow the usual schedule, with the iPhone 12 release seemingly being pushed into October.  “Last year we started selling new iPhones in late September, this year we expect supply to…

Fiji records its first Covid-19 death but says the virus is not present in Fijian communities On Friday Fiji announced its first coronavirus death, but health officials are telling the people in the Pacific island nation that it was not the precursor to a major outbreak.  Health Minister Ifereimi Waqainabete said the victim was a 66-year-old man who tested positive after returning from India where he had gone to have heart surgery.  “Sadly, despite the…

GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY CORONAVIRUS CASES: 17,481,953 DEATHS: 676,824 RECOVERED: 10,941,906 …………………………………… …………………………………… Visiting people at home banned in Northern England BBC News says separate households have been banned from meeting each other indoors in Greater Manchester, east Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire following a spike in coronavirus cases. The health secretary said the increase in transmission was “largely due” to people not observing social distancing. Labour criticised the government for a lack of clarity…

#Muslims face racist backlash for rise in COVID-19 cases in the north of England

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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. …