Friday 8 May
BRIEF – ME! – DAILY NEWS BRIEFING
Friday 8 May 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.
Fridays leading story: Qatar’s migrant workers ‘beg for food’ amid coronavirus outbreak as the country struggles to cope with one of the world’s highest infection rates.
Global COVID-19 UPDATE
Coronavirus Cases: 3,917,944
Deaths: 270,740
Recovered: 1,344,260
- Coronavirus: Global cases top 3.9 million.
- Osaka governor draws rebuke from Tokyo for hitting at lack of guidance.
- UK: Public urged to follow rules over Bank holiday.
- Confusion grows over huge order of NHS gowns from Turkey.
- Will Barcelona and Madrid stay in lockdown?
- Qatar’s migrant workers ‘beg for food’ amid outbreak.
Coronavirus: Live updates
CNN says more than 3.8 million cases of the coronavirus, including at least 269,000 deaths have been recorded worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. In the US, more than 1.2 million cases and over 75,000 covid-19 related deaths have been recorded.
Australian Prime Minister has unveiled a three-point plan for reopening the country and hopes to have it completed by July.
Read the full story on CNN
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Osaka governor draws rebuke from Tokyo for hitting at lack of guidance
Japan Times says recent remarks by Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura faulting the central government over its pace in drafting specific guidelines for the lifting of business closure requests have sparked criticism from the administration of the prime minister.
Osaka became the first prefecture to issue such guidance on Tuesday when it announced its own detailed plan for determining whether to relax or lift closure requests on local businesses.
Read the full story on Japan Times
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Public urged to obey lockdown rules over the bank holiday
BBC News says people should continue obeying the coronavirus lockdown this bank holiday weekend, ministers have said, despite sunny weather forecast in some areas.
Dominic Rabb said it was “important” the public follows the current “stay at home” guidance. The message comes after the Welsh and Scottish governments accused No 10 of sending “mixed messages” about the lockdown.
Read the full story on BBC News
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Confusion grows over huge order of NHS gowns from Turkey
The Guardian says Turkish officials and the company at the centre of the decision by the NHS to impound hundreds of thousands of protective gowns have claimed they are yet to receive a demand for a refund from the health service at the end of a day of confusion about an ill-fated order of 400,000 gowns.
Their statements contradicted assurances made by Downing Street on Thursday that the UK was in negotiations to obtain refunds or replacements – and it gradually emerged that a majority of the gowns were still in process of being tested after some failed UK safety standards.
Read the full story on The Guardian
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Barcelona and Madrid may be left in lockdown as Spain lifts curbs
Aljazeera news says Madrid and Barcelona, Spain’s two largest cities, could stay in virtual lockdown as the rest of the country eases its way towards some semblance of normal life.
Both cities were the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Spain, which in itself has been one of the world’s hardest-hit countries.
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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Qatar’s migrant workers ‘beg for food’ amid coronavirus outbreak
Arab News says Qatar’s migrant workers are having to beg for food as the country struggles to cope with one of the world’s highest rates of coronavirus infections.
Despite Qatar’s vast wealth, desperate low-wage workers have been abandoned by employers and are unable to leave the country, according to an investigation by The Guardian. Some of the workers have had to plead with their employees and charities for food.
Read the full story on Arab News
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to push other stories to the sidelines, here are the top stories away from Covid-19.
White man and his son charged with the murder of an unarmed black jogger
France24 says a white former police officer and his son were arrested on Thursday in Georgia and charged with murder in the shooting death of an unarmed black man.
Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, were taken into custody by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and charged with aggravated assault as well as murder in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in the town of Brunswick.
10- year-old carjacker FLEES Russian cops with 4-year-old ‘accomplice’
RT News says a 10-year-old boy and his younger sister sparked a bizarre GTA-style car chase in the Siberian city of Tomsk after the pair grabbed hold of a family vehicle and went on a joy ride.
The unsuspecting parents of the duo were busy shopping at a local store – that is, until the siblings-in-crime snatched the keys to the family’s SUV and went for a joyride – sending the whole city into a frenzy.
Flooding kills 260 across East Africa
BBC News says flooding as a result of recent heavy rains has killed more than 260 people across East Africa.
Kenya has been the hardest hit with the government recording 194 deaths.
In Rwanda, 55 people have died and floods have killed 16 in Somalia. In Uganda, high water levels have trapped an estimated 200 patients inside a hospital.
Iraq’s new PM takes the helm as country battles multiple crises
The Independent says Isis is making a comeback, even as Iran and the United States continue to face off against each other on Iraqi territory.
A simmering protest movement demanding radical change has departed from the streets only because the deadly coronavirus pandemic has prompted a lockdown. Record-low oil prices threaten the lifeblood of the economy, potentially making paying public salaries a challenge in the future.
Asia stocks poised to rise as upbeat earnings trump job gloom
CNA says Asian stocks were set to track Wall Street gains on Friday after upbeat corporate earnings took the focus off upcoming data that is expected show the worst U.S. unemployment rate in more than 70 years.
Stock futures were up ahead of the Asia market open while Thursday trading saw oil and the dollar give up earlier gains. U.S. Treasuries prices rose despite massive deficit financing and interest rate futures toying with the negative rates.
NZ speaker wants a better appreciation of Pacific
RNZ says the Speaker of New Zealand’s parliament wants his fellow officials to better appreciate their place in the Pacific.
According to Trevor Mallard, the Pacific parliaments programme, Tai a Kiwa, is a good vehicle for this.
Historically, Wellington has not had a good relationship with Pacific parliaments, said Mr Mallard, and had looked to the UK, the US, Australia and more recently to Asia.
