Monday 28 September
- New Covid fines of up to £10,000 come into force.
- India coronavirus cases pass 6 million.
- US sanctions are harming Iran’s Covid-19 response and amount to ‘medical terrorism’, FM says.
- Top Lebanese political infected with coronavirus.
- Greece reports first Covid-19 refugee death since pandemic began.
- Covid-19 cases growing “at an alarming rate” in these parts of Brooklyn and Queens, NYC says.
New Covid fines of up to £10,000 come into force
The Guardian says a new, stricter chapter in English coronavirus regulations begins on Monday, with fines of up to £10,000 for people who refuse to self-isolate when asked, and enforcement including tip-offs from people who believe that others are breaching the rules.
The changes come with the duty to self-isolate moving into law. It becomes a legal obligation if someone is told to do so by test-and-trace staff, but not for those simply using the Covid-19 app, which is anonymous.
Read the full story on The Guardian
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India coronavirus cases pass 6 million
France24 says India on Monday reported the number of Covid-19 cases had passed six million, as the pandemic rages across the South Asian nation.
With 6.1 million infections according to the health ministry, India is on course to pass the United States in the coming weeks as the country with the most cases.
It has also recorded close to 100,000 deaths.
Read the full story on France24
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US sanctions are harming Iran’s Covid-19 response and amount to ‘medical terrorism’, FM says
RT News says Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has accused the United States of impeding his country’s ability to fight coronavirus, explaining that US sanctions have prevented the purchase of critical medical supplies.
“Whatever the Americans are saying about their sanctions not affecting humanitarian items, it’s just a lie… It’s basically medical terrorism.”
Watch the video on RT News
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Top Lebanese political infected with coronavirus
Arab News says Gebran Bassil, the former Lebanese Foreign Minister, has been infected with the coronavirus, he confirmed on Sunday, as cases surge throughout the country.
Bassil, the son-in-law of Lebanese President Michel Aoun and leader of the largest Christian political bloc in the country, said he tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday.
Read the full story on Arab News
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Greece reports first Covid-19 refugee death since pandemic began
Aljazeera says a 61-year-old man from Afghanistan died of coronavirus on Sunday, the first reported death of a refugee from the disease in Greece since the pandemic began there in late February, a government official told Reuters.
The man lived at the Malakasa migrant camp, and died in hospital in Athens where he had been receiving treatment, the official said.
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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Covid-19 cases growing “at an alarming rate” in these parts of Brooklyn and Queens, NYC says
CNN reports New York City officials said on Sunday that Covid-19 cases “continue to grow at an alarming rate” in certain neighbourhoods of Brooklyn and Queens, according to a press release from the city’s Department of Health.
The overall city Covid-19 positivity rate is approximately 1%. The neighbourhoods account for over 23% of the new cases citywide over the past two weeks, but only comprise just under 7% of the city’s overall population, outpacing the citywide average by 3.3 times over the past 14 days.
Read the full story on CNN
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A look at the other top headlines
Donald Trump ‘paid $750 in fedral income taxes in 2016 and 2017’ -NY Times
BBC News says Trump paid just $750 in federal income tax both in 2016, the year he ran for the US presidency, and in his first year in the White House, The New York Times says.
The newspaper – which says it obtained tax records for Trump and his companies over two decades – also says that he paid no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years.
German town offers to take in 75 migrants
EuroNews says the German town of Neuruppin has said that it wants to welcome refugees into its community, despite the popularity of the far-right Alternative for Germany in the surrounding region.
The town has said that it has space for as many as 75 refugees.
Mauritius still evaluating oil spill damage
Africanews says two months after a cargo loaded with fuel ran aground off Mauritius, the shores are still taking stock of the damage.
The rich fishing grounds and sensitive marine habitats have been severely damaged by the oil.
Macron accuses Lebanon’s leaders of ‘betrayal’ for failures
Aljazeera says French President Macron has accused Lebanon’s leaders of “collective betrayal” for their failure to form a government in the wake of the huge explosion at the Beirut port in August.
Beijing unveils new protections for health emergency whistleblowers
CNA says China’s capital Beijing will protect whistleblowers who disclose information about public health emergencies, it said on Sunday part of the country’s efforts to fix some of the systemic faults that hindered its initial response to the Covid-19 outbreak.
