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Hong Kong to launch mass testing; India’s economy shrinks nearly 24%; Spain cases jump 23,000 since Friday. Follow the latest
France’s new Covid-19 infections surged by almost 50% in August, hitting 281,025 cases, versus 187,919 at the end of July.
New cases in August increased on average by a record 3,003 every day, a figure four times higher than July’s average increase of 746 per day.
The World Health Organization has urged governments to engage with people demonstrating against Covid-19 restrictions and listen to their concerns, but stressed protesters needed to understand the virus was dangerous.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus voiced understanding for the growing frustration felt as people continue to have to deal with restrictions eight months into the pandemic.
Continue reading...Prime minister Narendra Modi praises ‘wise counsel’ of Congress party figure who tested positive for coronavirus during surgery for blood clot
Former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee, a senior leader of the Congress party who served in multiple cabinets during five decades in politics, has died. He was 84.
Mukherjee had emergency surgery for a blood clot in his brain on 10 August at Delhi’s Army Hospital Research and Referral after a fall. The hospital said he tested positive for Covid-19 after the surgery and his condition was critical.
Continue reading...Charges involving 12 women and a teenager bring total number of alleged victims to 17 over 16 years
The adult film star Ron Jeremy was charged on Monday with 20 new counts of rape or sexual assault involving 12 women and a teenage girl, the Los Angeles district attorney’s office said.
The charges come two months after the 67-year-old was charged with the rape of three women and the sexual assault of a fourth in incidents dating back to 2014.
Continue reading...Dynamite, the boy band’s first single sung completely in English, has nabbed the No 1 spot from Cardi B’s WAP
The K-pop sensation BTS have become the first all-South Korean act to rule the top US singles chart, the industry tracker Billboard announced Monday, with their English-language Dynamite hitting No 1.
It’s another milestone cementing the seven-member boy band’s global dominance, just hours after BTS beat US heavyweights including Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift to score the best pop award at Sunday’s MTV Video Music awards.
Continue reading...Pieces of bone were turned into ornaments, and may have been placed on display
Bronze age Britons remembered the dead by keeping and curating bits of their bodies, and even turning them into instruments and ornaments, according to new research on the remains.
Archaeologists found that pieces of bone buried with the dead were often from people who had died decades earlier, suggesting their remains had been kept for future generations, as keepsakes or perhaps for home display.
Continue reading...Several Conservative backbenchers argue that focus must be on supporting a continued economic recovery
The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has been urged not to introduce tax hikes in his November budget by Conservative backbenchers who argue they would damage economic recovery.
The intervention followed speculation the Treasury could raise £20bn through extra levies to deal with the fallout from Covid-19.
Continue reading...Mustapha Adib, the ambassador to Germany, is backed by four former prime ministers as French president flies in to press for new political pact
Lebanon’s ambassador to Germany could become the crisis-stricken country’s next prime minister after getting the support of senior Sunni politicians.
Mustapha Adib was named by four former prime ministers on the eve of binding consultations between the president and parliamentary blocs on their choice for the post.
Continue reading...The mayor of Portland, Ted Wheeler, launched a searing attack against Donald Trump on Sunday, saying the US president is inciting violence in his city. 'It's you [Trump] who have created the hate and division,' Wheeler said. Trump responded to the comments with a series of counterattacks on Twitter
• Fatal shooting in Portland as Trump supporters confront BLM protesters
New data shows the richest 1% are worth 68 times more than a typical New Zealander
The extent of wealth inequality in supposedly egalitarian New Zealand has been laid bare by figures showing the wealthiest individuals have over NZ$140bn (US$93bn) stashed away in trusts – and overall have nearly 70 times more assets than the typical Kiwi.
The new data, drawn from the 2017-18 Household Economic Survey, are likely to underestimate true inequality, as the ultra-wealthy are generally reluctant to take part in such surveys.
Continue reading...California lawmakers are setting up a task force to study and make recommendations for reparations to African Americans, particularly the descendants of slaves, as the nation struggles again with civil rights and unrest following the latest shooting of a Black man by police. The state Senate supported creating the nine-member commission on a bipartisan 33-3 vote Saturday. “Let's be clear: Chattel slavery, both in California and across our nation, birthed a legacy of racial harm and inequity that continues to impact the conditions of Black life in California,” said Democratic Sen. Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles.
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Demonstrations in Germany and UK against coronavirus restrictions; Australian opposition calls for wider care home inquiry; Turkey sees two-month high in cases. Follow all the developments live
We mentioned India in our earlier blog coverage, but the issue of its easing restrictions - despite surging Covid-19 infection numbers - compels revisiting.
India is a prime example of the tension being felt by governments across the world: the competing imperatives protecting citizens’ health against the economic damage of widespread shutdowns.
AFP is reporting from Rome:
Three Nigerian migrants attacked staff in a military hospital in Rome after testing positive for Covid-19, the defence ministry said Saturday.
Continue reading...Residents in suburbs without power or drinking water from the storm on Thursday are exempt from coronavirus travel restrictions
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting more damaging winds to sweep Victoria, while some Melbourne residents are still dealing with the impacts of Thursday’s storm.
The Bom has forecast that strong north to northwesterly winds will develop early Sunday ahead of a front that will move across the state during the day.
Continue reading...Police will allege in court that the child was assaulted with a wooden stick
A five-year-old boy is in a critical condition after allegedly being beaten with a wooden stick in a domestic violence assault at a home in Sydney’s south-west.
When officers from Fairfield city police area command arrived at the Cabramatta home on Friday night, they found the boy with serious injuries.
Continue reading...France racks up post-lockdown high in new infections; Australian state sees 18 deaths and 94 cases; India sets new daily record with more than 77,000 cases. Follow all the updates live
In the US, the University of Alabama has reported that an additional 481 students have tested positive for Covid-19, according to AP.
That brings the college to a total of more than 1,000 infections since its students returned to campus.
Queenslanders are waking up today to the reality of extended restrictions after two new cases were diagnosed yesterday in Pimpama.
As of 8am today, restrictions in the Australian state will be extended to the Gold Coast.
Continue reading...The White House South Lawn is the stage for many things, from Easter egg rolls to state dinners to the presidential helicopter’s comings and goings. President Donald Trump is accepting the Republican presidential nomination during a scaled-back, coronavirus-influenced convention unfolding on the sprawling lawn. Face masks are not required for the event, where Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump are set to speak, and many guests will not be tested for the coronavirus.
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RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 27 (IPS) - After centuries of poverty, marginalisation from national development policies and a lack of support for positive local practices and projects, the semiarid regions of Latin America are preparing to forge their own agricultural paths by sharing knowledge, in a new and unprecedented initiative.
Alexander Stubb – who played golf with Trump this weekend – suggested deadline and US sanctions package Donald Trump is losing patience wit...