Monday 2 November
BRIEF – ME! – DAILY NEWS BRIEFING
Monday 2 November 2020 News Briefing – Today’s headlines are dominated by the global Coronavirus Pandemic. As of 6:30 am (GMT), these are the global active numbers.
Global COVID-19 UPDATE
Coronavirus Cases: 46,834,497
Deaths: 1,205,432
Recovered: 33,762,216
- PM Johnson to tell MPs coronavirus deaths could be twice as high in second wave.
- Prince William ‘tested positive in April’.
- Nearly half of Slovakia’s population takes part in first day of nationwide coronavirus testing.
- Trump breaks coronavirus curfew at Florida rally and threatens to sack Dr Fauci.
- WHO chief self-quarantining after contact tests positive for Covid-19.
- Coronavirus disrupts lives of Middle East’s children with special needs.
PM Johnson to tell MPs coronavirus deaths could be twice as high in second wave
CNN says Boris Johnson is expected to make a statement in the House of Commons on Monday warning lawmakers that coronavirus deaths in the winter could be twice as high as during the first wave of the outbreak, according to Britain’s Press Association.
The news agency reports that Johnson will say there is no alternative but to impose a recently announced lockdown in England.
“Models of our scientists suggest that unless we act now, we could see deaths over the winter that are twice as bad or more compared with the first wave,” Johnson is expected to say, according to PA.
Read the full story on CNN
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Prince William ‘tested positive in April’
BBC News says Prince William contracted Covid-19 earlier this year, palace sources have told the BBC.
It is believed he tested positive in April at a similar time to his father, the Prince of Wales.
According to the Sun newspaper, which first reported the story, William, 38, kept his diagnosis private to avoid alarming the nation.
Kensington Palace, the office and home of Prince William, refused to comment officially.
Read the full story on BBC News
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Nearly half of Slovakia’s population takes part in first day of nationwide coronavirus testing
ABC says nearly half of Slovakia’s population were tested for Covid-19 on Saturday — the first of two days of nationwide testing the nation’s Government hopes will help reverse a fast rise in infections without a hard lockdown.
The scheme, a first in a country of comparable size, is being watched by other nations looking for ways to slow the virus’s spread and avoid overwhelming their health systems.
Read the full story on ABC
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Trump breaks coronavirus curfew at Florida rally
The Guardian says Trump is currently speaking past a coronavirus curfew intended to mitigate infections in Florida, as he hosts a rally in Miami-Dade county.
The county has a nightly curfew that comes into effect at midnight. But Trump’s rally is still going on past the witching hour, with thousands of supporters in attendance.
He also told the crowd he may fire the US’s leading expert on his coronavirus task force, Dr Anthony Fauci.
Read the full story on The Guardian
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WHO chief self-quarantining after contact tests positive for Covid-19
France24 says the WHO chief said late Sunday that he was self-quarantining after someone he had been in contact with tested positive for Covid-19, but stressed he had no symptoms.
“I have been identified as a contact of someone who has tested positive for #COVID19,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a tweet.
“I am well and without symptoms but will self-quarantine over the coming days, in line with @WHO protocols, and work from home,” he added.
Read the full story on France24
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Coronavirus disrupts lives of Middle East’s children with special needs
Arab News says after months of navigating the social complexities of the pandemic, even adults are feeling the mental strain of lockdowns and safety measures.
As the “new normal” drags on, many complain that the supply of patience and energy is depleting.
For children with special needs, the effects are far more pronounced. “It has affected them psychologically because they’re not used to so many months of home confinement, sometimes without electricity or water,” Mohammed Dawoud told Arab News from Gaza, where he cares for his brothers Haytham and Hamza. Both have cerebral palsy.
Read the full story on Arab News
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- Philadelphia mayor warns residents it may take days to count mail-in ballots.
- Fire breaks out at refugee camp on Greek island of Samos.
- Ivory Coast: First Results Trickle In.
- Robert Fisk, veteran Middle East correspondent, dies aged 74.
- Thousands continue protests against Indonesia’s new jobs law.
Philadelphia mayor warns residents it may take days to count mail-in ballots
Fox News says Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat, warned residents in his city that counting the mail-in ballots “will easily take several days” after Election Day, which increases the possibility that it could be a while before the election is settled.
Fire breaks out at refugee camp on Greek island of Samos
Euronews says a fire has broken out at a refugee camp on the Greek island of Samos, just three days after the region hit by a devastating earthquake.
Around fifteen tents were destroyed in the blaze, according to a statement by Greece’s Ministry of Migration and Asylum.
Ivory Coast: First Results Trickle In
Africanews says guarded by a heavy police presence, Ivory Coast’s electoral commission has started to announce the preliminary result of the presidential vote.
With 2 of the four candidates boycotting, incumbent President Allassane Ouattara is expected to win, especially in the north of the country.
Robert Fisk, veteran Middle East correspondent, dies aged 74
Aljazeera says veteran journalist Robert Fisk, who for decades covered events in the Middle East and elsewhere as a foreign correspondent for the British newspaper The Independent, has died after suffering a suspected stroke at his Dublin home.