Wednesday 3 June
- India’s confirmed coronavirus cases pass 200,000.
- UK PM Boris Johnson urged to ‘get a grip’ on virus strategy.
- Theatre show – The Great Gatsby – to reopen in October.
- Brazil’s death toll surpasses 30,000.
India’s confirmed cases pass 200,000
CNN says India has identified another 8,909 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours — the most in a single day since the pandemic began — pushing the nationwide total to 207,615, the country’s Ministry of Health and Welfare said.
More than 5,800 people have died in the country after contracting the virus, the ministry said.
India is the seventh country to pass the 200,000 confirmed case threshold, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Read the full story on CNN
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Johnson urged to ‘get a grip’ on virus strategy
BBC News says Boris Johnson’s “mismanagement” of the easing of virus restrictions risks a second wave of infections, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has warned.
In his strongest criticism yet of the PM’s handling of the crisis, he told the Guardian that Mr Johnson must “get a grip” and restore public trust.
He said there was a suspicion the PM was “winging it” over moves to reopen schools and relax shielding advice.
But No 10 said it was proceeding with caution to secure a safe recovery.
Read the full story on BBC News
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The Great Gatsby: Show defies virus with October West End reopening
The Guardian says a vastly reduced capacity and masks that double as PPE are two of the measures put in place by the producers of the immersive theatre piece The Great Gatsby, which is planning to reopen in October, months ahead of predictions for the West End.
The producers told the Guardian they believe installing measures such as cutting capacity by 40%, ensuring physical distancing and deep cleaning the venue means they can be both safe and profitable.
Read the full story on The Guardian
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Death toll from Covid-19 surpasses 30,000 in Brazil, Latin America’s worst-hit country
France24 says Brazil surpassed 30,000 deaths from the coronavirus outbreak on Tuesday as the disease continued to rip through South America’s worst-hit country.
Figures released by the health ministry showed 1,262 deaths in the previous 24 hours, as well as 28,936 new infections.
The figures come as some Brazilian states began to emerge from weeks of economically-stifling quarantine measures despite warnings from the WHO and epidemiologists.
Read the full story on France24
A quick look at the other top stories from around the world
George Floyd: Archbishop attacks Trump as US protests continue
BBC News says Washington’s Catholic archbishop has strongly criticised President Donald Trump’s visit to a shrine as civil unrest continues in the US over the death of a black man in police custody.
Police use tear gas against radical injustice protesters as Floyd outrage goes global
EuroNews says police fired tear gas on protesters in Paris during an unauthorised demonstration against racial injustice and police violence.
The protest began peacefully at a courthouse in Paris as thousands gathered amidst global outrage over the death of George Floyd in the United States.
Ethiopia probing critical human rights report – after reaction
AfricaNews says Ethiopia will probe a critical human rights report by Amnesty International, Attorney General Adanech Abiebie confirmed on Monday. Amnesty’s report said extrajudicial killings had been undertaken by the security forces in 2019 in Oromia and Amhara regions.
Palestinian family mourns autistic son killed by Israel police
Arab News says Iyad Hallak, a 32-year-old Palestinian man with autism, passed Israeli police every day to reach his special needs school in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Last week a police officer who believed Hallak was armed shot him dead, leaving his family searching for answers and igniting widespread grief and anger.
Tensions simmer in Hong Kong as controversial anthem law back up for debate
CNA says Hong Kong lawmakers are set to resume a debate on Wednesday (Jun 3) over a controversial bill that would make disrespecting China’s national anthem a criminal offence, as the city ramps up for fresh protests amid simmering anti-government tensions.
