GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY
CORONAVIRUS CASES: 20,257,466
DEATHS: 738,956
RECOVERED: 13,121,562
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Universities told to hold places open until September 7 appeal deadline
BBC News says universities in England are being told to keep places open for students if they appeal against A-level results. Amid uncertainty about replacement exam grades, Universities Minister Michelle Donelan has urged university heads to be as “flexible as possible”.
It means if students miss the required grades but successfully appeal, they could still start next term.
“Nobody should have to put their future on hold because of the virus,” said Ms Donelan.
Read the full story on BBC News
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Rise in UK Covid cases above 1,000 a day breached government target
The Guardian says the rise above 1,000 daily confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the UK breaches the ceiling that the government’s own Joint Biosecurity Centre said was acceptable in May, it has emerged.
After the number of tested and confirmed cases rose to 1,062 in 24 hours at the weekend – the first time the daily total has exceeded 1,000 since late June – a senior public health expert said the escalation was “unacceptable, ineffective and dangerous”.
Read the full story on The Guardian
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Italy threatens Ryanair with flight ban over Covid-19 safety rules
Euronews says Italy’s civil aviation authority ENAC threatened to suspend Ryanair’s permit to fly to the country citing non-compliance with Covid-19 safety rules.
ENAC said in a statement that “Ryanair systematically does not comply” with national regulations to reduce the risk of transmission when flying to and from Italian airports.
“Not only is the obligation of distancing between passengers not observed, but also the conditions that allow derogation from this distancing are not met,” it added.
Read the full story on Euronews
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Global cases pass 20 million as WHO says outbreak can still be turned around
France24 says the coronavirus pandemic on Monday globally surpassed 20 million recorded cases of infection. The number as of 2215 GMT was 20,002,577 cases, with 733,842 deaths recorded, according to an AFP tally of official sources.
“Behind these statistics is a great deal of pain and suffering… But I want to be clear: there are green shoots of hope,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
Read the full story on France24
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UAE reports 179 new Covid cases, no deaths
Arab News says the UAE has confirmed 179 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours after conducting 58,953 additional tests, state news agency WAM reported.
The total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 stands at 62,704, the official spokesman for the UAE Government Omar Al-Hammadi reported.
Read the full story on Arab News
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Trump’s Covid-19 unemployment plan confuses US state governors
Aljazeera says states are questioning how Trump’s initial proposal would work and many of them doubt that they could afford to participate.
Whether President Donald Trump has the constitutional authority to extend federal unemployment benefits by executive order remains unclear. Equally up in the air is whether states, which are necessary partners in Trump’s plan to bypass Congress, will sign on.
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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ARTS & ENT
The Matrix trilogy is a transgender allegory, says co-director
Sky News says the co-director of The Matrix movies, Lilly Wachowski, has confirmed fan speculation that the sci-fi trilogy is a transgender allegory.
The theory has flourished since Lilly and her sister Lana both came out as trans women after the films, starring Keanu Reeves as fictional character Neo, were released between the late 1990s and the early part of this century.
Read the full story on Sky News
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SPORT
Liverpool sign left-back Tsimikas from Olympiakos
BBC News says Kostas Tsimikas believes he has joined “the biggest club in the world” after completing a move to Liverpool from Olympiakos.
The 24-year-old has joined the Premier League champions for about £11.7m on a five-year contract and is expected to provide competition for Andy Robertson.
Read the full story on BBC News
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