BRIEF – ME! – DAILY NEWS BRIEFING
In today’s briefing update, The headlines are – another 97 coronavirus deaths confirmed in a 24 hour period. The death toll in mainland China is currently 908 with over 40,000 confirmed cases.
In Switzerland, voters have strongly backed a new law against homophobia in a referendum. The law aims to protect gay, lesbian and bisexual people from discrimination.
Tech, a 3D printer that aims to cover burns with artificial skin is currently undergoing trials. The handheld printer has already passed a major milestone and results are looking promising.
Two US soldiers have been killed and six wounded in an attack in Afghanistan. Early reports say an individual in an Afghan uniform armed with a machine gun opened fire on US and Afghan troops.
The Bahamas, five months on from Hurricane Dorian and many parts of the island are still struggling to recover. The slow recovery process is a worry as thoughts turn to the 2020 hurricane season.
Entertainment, Happy OSCARS! Shock Best Picture win and a surprise performance from Eminem.
All this and more in today’s news briefing – A daily roundup of all the news headlines that you need to know, summarised as part of WTX News Briefing.
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China reports 97 new coronavirus deaths on the mainland, toll rises to 908
Arab News says more coronavirus deaths have been reported in mainland China, after a sharp decline the previous day. Another 97 deaths were reported on Sunday bringing the current death toll to 908. And at least two more deaths are outside the country.
On Monday, China said another 3062 cases had been reported over the previous 24 hours. The number of people infected in mainland China has now risen to 40,171.
France has now closed two schools after five British visitors contracted the virus at a ski resort. Malaysia, South Korea and Vietnam reported one new case each.
Read the full story on Arab News
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Switzerland votes for a law against homophobia
Aljazeera reports voters in Switzerland have strongly backed a new law against homophobia in a referendum.
Switzerland, unlike many other western European countries, does not yet have laws that protect the LGBT communities from discrimination.
Early figures on Sunday showed 60.5 per cent voted in favour of widening existing laws against discrimination of incitement to hatred on ethnic or religious grounds to include sexual orientation.
“This is a historic day,” Mathias Reynard, a politician from the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland said.
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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3D printer that could cover burns with artificial skin undergoing trials
RT News says a new device capable of ‘printing’ sheets of artificial skin onto burns has performed strongly in recent trials. If it continues, it may end up being used in burns clinics. 
The handheld 3D skin printer was developed by engineers at the University of Toronto in 2018. The new tech passed a major milestone this month after the team reported promising results following its latest trial.
One team researcher described the tool as a “duct tape dispenser” that uses artificial tissue “tape.” A video posted by the University of Toronto shows the skin printer in action – check below!
Read the full story on RT News
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Two US soldiers killed, six wounded in Afghanistan attack
France24 says two US troops were killed and six others wounded by an Afghan soldier armed with a machine gun, the US military confirmed on Sunday.
The deaths come at a time when President Trump wants to bring US troops home and end the 18-year-old war.
The attack happened late on Saturday at a base in Sherzad district, in Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan.
“Current reports indicate an individual in an Afghan uniform opened fire on the combined US and Afghan force with a machine gun,” US Forces-Afghanistan spokesman Sonny Leggett said in a statement.
Read the full story on France24
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The Bahamas struggle to recover before the next hurricane season is upon them
CNN says five months on from Hurricane Dorian, there are signs of recovery in the Abaco Islands – Dorian brought this part of the Bahamas to her knees. 
In parts work crews and volunteers are gutting homes, repairing roofs and cleaning streets. But in other areas of town, stray dogs are the only sign of life. Some of the areas devastated by Dorian appear untouched since the hurricane made landfall.
“We expect power in Abaco to be fully restored by early summer,” reports Katherine Smith from the Bahamas Disaster Reconstruction Authority.
But with so many homes destroyed, much of the population evacuated or were displaced. So there are not enough people living on the island to rebuild it quickly.
And thoughts are turning quickly to the 2020 hurricane season, adding to the urgency to rebuild.
Read the full story on CNN
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South Korean film Parasite makes Oscars history
BBC News says South Korean film Parasite has been named best picture at this year’s Oscars – becoming the first non-English language film to take the top prize.
Joaquin Phoenix obviously won best actor for Joker and Renee Zellweger took home best actress for playing Judy Garland in Judy.
Brad Pitt and Laura Dern both won the supporting acting awards for their roles in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and Marriage Story respectively.
Parasite won four awards in total.
Sam Mendes’s 1917 took home 3, it had been the favourite to win best picture after scooping up top prize over awards season, but all its Oscars came in the technical categories.
Read the full story on BBC News
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