Friday 6 November
- Covid: Liverpool’s city-wide coronavirus testing begins.
- UK reports 24,141 new COVID-19 cases, 378 deaths.
- China bars arrivals from France over virus fears.
- WHO urged to invite Taiwan to key meeting.
- Greece to re-enter virus lockdown from Saturday.
- The US just set a staggering new Covid-19 daily case record with more than 120,000 infections.
- Slovenia anti-virus shutdown protest turns violent.
- Mexico’s health ministry confirms 544 new deaths.
- COVID-19 surge creates new headache for beleaguered PM Muhyiddin.
Covid: Liverpool’s city-wide coronavirus testing begins
BBC News says Liverpool has “absolutely nothing to lose” by taking part in the first trial of whole city coronavirus testing in England, the city’s mayor has said.
Everyone living or working in Liverpool will be offered repeat tests, whether or not they have symptoms.
Mayor Joe Anderson said the testing pilot could save lives, stop hospitals being overwhelmed and “get the city out of tier three restrictions”.
Read the full story on BBC News
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UK reports 24,141 new COVID-19 cases, 378 deaths
Reuters says Britain reported 24,141 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday and 378 deaths from the virus, slightly down on figures from the day before, government data showed.
The cumulative toll for those who died within 28 days of a first positive Covid-19 test in the UK now stands at 48,120 while the number of people who have tested positive is 1,123,197 according to the data.
Read the full story on Reuters
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China bars arrivals from France over virus fears
The Guardian says Beijing on Thursday banned foreign arrivals from France and a host of other countries, the latest in a growing number of entry bans as China closes itself off from a world still battling the coronavirus pandemic.
AFP: Covid-19 first emerged in central China late last year, but Beijing has largely brought its outbreak under control through tight travel restrictions and stringent health measures for anyone entering the country.
Read the full story on The Guardian
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WHO urged to invite Taiwan to key meeting
France24 says the WHO is facing renewed pleas to allow Taiwan to participate in a key international meeting amid fears its exclusion could jeopardise efforts to rein in the coronavirus pandemic.
As many parts of the world are reeling from surging numbers of Covid-19 infections and deaths, the WHO is due Monday to resume its main annual meeting, which was cut short in May.
Read the full story on France24
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Greece to re-enter virus lockdown from Saturday
Medical Press says Greece will re-enter a lockdown from Saturday for three weeks to battle a second wave of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced.
“It was a difficult decision” but “measures must be taken for three weeks to overcome this second wave”, he told a videoconference on Thursday.
Under the measures, Greeks can only leave their homes if they make an official request via SMS or mobile phone and then receive authorisation.
Read the full story on Medical Press
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The US just set a staggering new Covid-19 daily case record with more than 120,000 infections
CNN says the US set a grim new Covid-19 record Thursday — following a week marked by high case numbers — surpassing 120,000 infections in a single day. And it was the second day in a row the country reported more than 100,000 infections.
Health experts had warned weeks ago that the nation’s daily cases would reach six digits, but those alarming figures hit sooner than expected. And Covid-19’s death toll could reach 266,000 by the end of November, according to an ensemble forecast published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read the full story on CNN
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Slovenia anti-virus shutdown protest turns violent
MNA International says a protest against Slovenia’s coronavirus shutdown sparked some of the most violent scenes the country has seen in years, as police moved in with teargas and water cannons to disperse the crowd.
The rally in the capital Ljubljana, organised by activists calling themselves the Slovenian branch of cyber group Anonymous, started late in the afternoon and led to several injuries and arrests as the protesters clashed with police.
Read the full story on MNA
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Mexico’s health ministry confirms 544 new deaths
TRT says Mexico’s health ministry reported on Thursday 5,567 additional coronavirus cases and 544 more deaths, bringing the official number of cases to 949,197 and the death toll to 93,772.
Health officials have said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.
Read the full story on TRT
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COVID-19 surge creates new headache for beleaguered PM Muhyiddin
Aljazeera says as Malaysia celebrated its national day at the end of August, it appeared to have brought Covid-19 to heel.
But two months later, the Southeast Asian nation of 30 million people finds itself confronted with a brutal resurgence of the virus centred mostly on Sabah on the Malaysian part of Borneo.
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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A quick look at the other top stories
US to sanction leader of Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement: WSJ
Arab News says the United States is planning to sanction Gebran Bassil, the leader of Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement party, which was founded by President Michel Aoun and is allied with Hezbollah, the Wall Street Journal reported late on Thursday.
Macron calls for Europe to fight terrorism with stronger border security
Euronews says French President Emmanuel Macron says he is going to double the number of his country’s border forces, following the recent terror attacks in Nice and Vienna.
Speaking at a news conference at the Spanish border, he also called on European countries to make reforms to the rules that govern the EU’s free movement Schengen Area. He called for the introduction of an effective border police on Europe’s shared external frontier.
Mixed Feelings at Re-elected Tanzanian President’s Inauguration
Africanews says Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli was sworn in on Thursday in Dodoma the Tanzanian capital for a second five-year term after a landslide election victory dismissed by the political opposition as a sham amid their calls for a fresh election, as well as the disbandment of the electoral commission over the Oct. 28 vote which they claim was riddled with irregularities: Nevertheless, others still find joy in this moment and are celebrating.
Israel rebuked for ‘biggest demolition of Palestinian homes in years’
BBC News says The United Nations has rebuked Israel for carrying out what it said was the biggest demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank for a decade.
Some 73 people, including 41 children, were made homeless when their dwellings were knocked down in the Bedouin settlement of Khirbet Humsa, in the Jordan Valley, the UN said.
Top Chinese official praises Lam for stabilising Hong Kong
CNA says Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam received credit from a top Chinese official on Friday for restoring order and reviving the economy in the semi-autonomous territory.
