Friday 23 October
BRIEF – ME! – DAILY NEWS BRIEFING
Friday 23 October 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.
Global COVID-19 UPDATE
Coronavirus Cases: 41,994,636
Deaths: 1,142,745
Recovered: 31,187,307
- Covid: Tougher restriction begin for millions in England and Wales.
- Australia to lift cap on citizens returning as thousands left stranded.
- French PM Castex extends Covid-19 curfew to 38 more departments as cases surge.
- Elderly no longer need to isolate, despite rising Covid infections – Swedish health ministry.
- Businesses in Saudi Arabia face repercussions for ignoring COVID-19 regulations.
- Data shows Covid-19 treatment remdesivir isn’t a “home run,” says former vaccine director.
- Japan weighs easing virus rule for short business trips from abroad.
Dog Groomers Treat Plush Toy to ‘Relaxing Spa Day’ Before Reuniting it With Little Boy
Goodnewsnetwork says when a little boy in Maine was reunited with his lost plush toy, he couldn’t have imagined the adventures his puppy had seen.
All because the groomers at the Lavish Dog Day Spa, after discovering the lost toy, decided to give it some pampering while they searched for the stuffed dog’s owner.
Tougher Covid-19 restriction begin for millions in England and Wales
BBC News says stricter coronavirus rules are coming into force for nearly six million people in Britain on Friday.
Greater Manchester’s 2.8 million residents joined Liverpool City Region and Lancashire in England’s highest tier of restrictions at midnight.
And at 18:00 BST, the 3.1 million people in Wales will go into a 17-day “firebreak” lockdown.
Read the full story on BBC News
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Australia to lift cap on citizens returning as thousands left stranded
The Guardian says Australia will slightly lift the cap on the number of citizens and permanent residents allowed to return each week, PM Scott Morrison said on Friday, as local Covid-19 cases slow to single digits, Reuters reports.
Australia has since July capped the number of locals allowed to return home each week in an attempt to reduce the threat of spreading Covid-19 once they enter a mandatory 14-day quarantine in hotels.
Read the full story on The Guardian
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French PM Castex extends Covid-19 curfew to 38 more departments as cases surge
France24 says six days after curfews came into effect in greater Paris and eight other metropolitan areas, French PM Jean Castex announced new measures to stem the spread of coronavirus as cases rise across the country.
Hours after the new measures were announced, France recorded 41,622 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, a new daily record.
Read the full story on France24
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Elderly no longer need to isolate, despite rising Covid infections – Swedish health ministry
RT News says special recommendations for the over-70s have been removed by Sweden’s government, which suggests the serious psychological and physical consequences of isolation outweigh the risks of the Covid infection.
Despite an increase in coronavirus cases, the Swedish government claimed the risk of infection remained low and announced the recommendation for the elderly to isolate themselves from society would be scrapped.
Read the full story on RT News
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Businesses in Saudi Arabia face repercussions for ignoring COVID-19 regulations
Arab News says the Saudi FDA has referred five establishments under its supervision to the Ministry of Interior due to their failure to adhere to Covid-19 precautionary measures.
The FDA announced that violations were detected during inspection visits to a factory and four warehouses in Jeddah. The violations were reported to the Interior Ministry to take action against violators.
Read the full story on Arab News
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Data shows Covid-19 treatment remdesivir isn’t a “home run,” says former vaccine director
CNN says data on the Covid-19 drug remdesivir show that it has only modest benefits and isn’t a “home run,” former US Health and Human Services official-turned whistleblower Dr Rick Bright said Thursday.
The US Food and Drug Administration approved remdesivir Thursday to treat hospitalized Covid-19 patients — the first drug to be approved for coronavirus.
Bright said it’s not an impressive drug.
Read the full story on CNN
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Japan weighs easing virus rule for short business trips from abroad
Japan Times says Japan is considering exempting businesspeople entering Japan on a 72-hour or less short stay from the country’s quarantine requirement, provided they follow certain Covid-19 precautions, government sources said Thursday.
Japan aims to start accepting such business travellers from countries and regions with which it has deep economic ties, such as China, South Korea and Taiwan, possibly from November. The step is aimed at boosting the pandemic-hit economy by helping international business activities to resume.
Read the full story on Japan Times
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- Critics praise NBC’s Kristen Welker, declare her ‘best 2020 debate moderator’.
- Biden and Trump’s final debate clash.
- Poland’s top court rules a law banning abortions when a foetus has birth defects is unconstitutional.
- #EndSARSNow: NGO Says Justice “Needs to Be Served” in Nigeria.
- Rights group condemns Egypt’s mass executions.
- Hong Kong fines Goldman Sachs record US$350 million over 1MDB failings.
Critics praise NBC’s Kristen Welker, declare her ‘best 2020 debate moderator’
Fox News says NBC News correspondent Kristen Welker has received plenty of praise for her performance as the moderator of the final presidential debate.
“Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace, who moderated the turbulent first debate between President Trump and Joe Biden last month, kicked off a Fox News post-debate panel discussion Thursday night by admitting, “I’m jealous.”
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Biden and Trump’s final debate clash
BBC News says President Trump and Joe Biden tangle over race, Covid and Trump’s taxes in final debate.
The Nashville event has more substance and policy than their ill-tempered first debate.
Poland’s top court rules a law banning abortions when a foetus has birth defects is unconstitutional
Euronews says Poland’s constitutional court has ruled that abortions due to birth defects, which make up a majority of all legal terminations in Poland, are unconstitutional.
The country’s laws on abortion were already some of the strictest in Europe.
Abortion will still be allowed if the mother’s life or health are at risk and if the pregnancy is a result of a prohibited act, like rape.
#EndSARSNow: NGO Says Justice “Needs to Be Served” in Nigeria
Africanews says the anti-police brutality movement #EndSARSNow that has seen Nigerian youth take to the streets over the last two weeks, erupted Tuesday evening when armed security forces opened fire on a group of demonstrators in Lekki, Lagos city.
Rights group condemns Egypt’s mass executions
Aljazeera says Egypt executed 49 prisoners in just 10 days in October, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday, calling on authorities to immediately halt carrying out death sentences.
“Egypt’s mass executions of scores of people in a matter of days is outrageous,” HRW’s Joe Stork said.
Hong Kong fines Goldman Sachs record US$350 million over 1MDB failings
CNA says Hong Kong’s markets watchdog on Thursday fined Goldman Sachs’s Asian business US$350 million for its role in Malaysia’s multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, the largest single fine ever levied by the regulator in the Asian financial hub.
