Monday, 31 August
- UK records 1,715 Covid cases in the largest weekend figure since May.
- Push back GCSE and A level exams, says Labour.
- India sets world’s highest single-day rise with 78,761 new coronavirus cases.
- Malaysia marks independence day amid Covid-19 pandemic.
- Doctors find a possible case of reinfection in the US.
- Tokyo records second-lowest daily Covid-19 total in August.
UK records 1,715 Covid cases in the largest weekend figure since May
The Guardian says more than 1,700 people in the UK have been reported to have tested positive for coronavirus, the largest weekend number since the middle of May.
The government figures show 1,715 further positive tests, continuing a trend of a growing number of cases since the beginning of July, amid concerns over a second spike in the autumn.
The cases bring the total number to 334,467. There was just one new death, bringing the total to 41,499.
Read the full story on The Guardian
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Push back GCSE and A level exams, says Labour
BBC News says next year’s A-level and GCSE exams in England should be pushed back to mid-summer to help cope with the impact of coronavirus, Labour has said.
Shadow education secretary Kate Green said students starting Year 11 and 13 in September had “a mountain to climb”, having missed months of schooling.
Exams scheduled for May should happen as late as July to allow more catch-up teaching time, she added.
The government said it would “consider” its approach but exams would go ahead.
Read the full story on BBC News
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India sets world’s highest single-day rise with 78,761 new coronavirus cases
France24 says India on Sunday set a new virus record when it reported 78,761 new infections in 24 hours, according to health ministry figures, passing the United States for the world’s highest single-day rise.
India is already the world’s third-most infected nation with more than 3.5 million cases, behind the US and Brazil. It has also reported more than 63,000 deaths.
Read the full story on France24
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Malaysia marks independence day amid Covid-19 pandemic
Aljazeera says Malaysia marked the country’s 63rd independence day celebration on Monday amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the government keeping some movement restrictions including international tourism until the end of 2020.
On the eve of the celebration on Sunday night, thousands gathered in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, but celebrations were muted with the government cancelling the usual major fireworks display.
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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Doctors find a possible case of reinfection in the US
CNN says a 25-year-old Nevada man appears to be the first documented case of Covid-19 reinfection in the United States.
Genetic tests indicate the patient was infected with two different varieties of the virus, a team at the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine and the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory reported.
Read the full story on CNN
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Tokyo records second-lowest daily Covid-19 total in August
Japan Times says the Tokyo government on Sunday confirmed 148 additional cases of the novel coronavirus, the second-lowest daily figure recorded in the capital this month.
The single-day figure brought Tokyo’s cumulative total to over 20,700 cases. The capital hit a record 472 on Aug. 1 and has seen daily cases in triple digits for every day in August bar last Monday, when it recorded 95 new infections, its lowest figure in over a month.
The daily figures from the metropolitan government reflect the most recent totals reported by health authorities and medical institutions.
Read the full story on Japan Times
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A quick look at the other top stories
Trump and Biden clash over Portland street protests
US President Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden have clashed over the violence that has erupted at protests in Portland, Oregon.
Trump blamed the Democratic major of Portland for allowing the “death and destruction of his city.” But Biden says the president was “recklessly encouraging violence.”
Wildfires rage in Spain, forcing more than 3,000 people to evacuate
Euronews says a massive wildfire is raging in Spain’s southern Andalusia region, which has forced more than 3,100 people to evacuate their homes, authorities said on Sunday.
Firefighters and emergency workers are battling the blaze, which broke our on Thursday in the mountains near the town of Almonaster la Real, 120 kilometres northwest of the city of Seville.
Thousands protest spill and government in Mauritius
Africanews says thousands of people marched on Saturday in Port Louis, the capital city of Mauritius, a month after a grounded Japanese ship leaked over 1,000 tons of fuel oil into the island’s fragile marine areas.
They denounced the government’s handling of the oil spill and demanded its resignation.
Sudan rebels agree to key peace deal with government
Sudan’s main rebel alliance has agreed to a peace deal with the government aimed at ending 17 years of conflict, official news agency SUNA said on Sunday
The agreement covers key issues around security, land ownership, transitional justice, power-sharing, and the return of people who fled their homes due to war.
China lifts yuan midpoint to highest since July 2019
CNA says China’s central bank lifted its official yuan midpoint to the highest in 13 months on Monday to reflect persistent weakness in the US dollar in global markets.
The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) set the midpoint rate at 6.8605 per dollar prior to the market open, 286 pips or 0.42 per cent firmer than the previous fix of 6.8891 on Friday, and was the strongest since Jul 2, 2019.
