UK records another 816 positive coronavirus cases August 10, 2020 Health authorities today recorded 816 confirmed cases of coronavirus, falling back from the previous day’s total which had been the highest daily rise in infections since late June. A total of 311,641 people have now tested positive for coronavirus, official data on cases showed. The daily rate is unusually high for a starting week figure, [...]
Lebanon’s government expected to step down after Beirut explosion August 10, 2020 Lebanon’s government is expected to step down today, less than a week after a huge explosion destroyed large parts of Beirut and killed more than 220 people and wounded more than 7,000. Sources have told CNN that Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s government will quit by tonight and will be reduced to caretaker status. Diab is [...]
Boris Johnson ‘deeply concerned’ by Jimmy Lai arrest August 10, 2020 The government has accused China of using its new security law to “silence opposition” in Hong Kong after media tycoon Jimmy Lai was arrested today. Lai, 71, is one of the most prominent democracy activists in the Chinese-ruled city and an ardent critic of Beijing. He has become the most high-profile victim of a Beijing-backed [...]
Jeremy Corbyn trying to ‘wreck’ Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour, says David Miliband August 10, 2020 Former Labour foreign secretary David Miliband has accused Jeremy Corbyn of trying to “wreck” Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership as the party descends into a factional civil war. Members of the far-left faction have been vocal over the past week in blaming party moderates for Labour’s 2017 election defeat, with Corbyn accusing officials of sabotaging the [...]
Sadiq Khan: Saving London’s shops and cafes is ‘urgent priority’ August 10, 2020 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said keeping London’s hospitality businesses and venues open should be an “urgent priority” during the pandemic, or the city risks a downturn it may not recover from. Speaking to City A.M., Khan responded to calls from hospitality businesses to lobby for more support as London gets back on its [...]
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under new security law August 10, 2020 Hong Kong media owner Jimmy Lai was arrested by police today under the territory’s draconian new security law. Lai was accused of collusion with foreign forces and the offices of his Apple Daily newspaper were raided by more than 200 police officers. Lai is the most high-profile victim of a Beijing-backed crackdown following the passing [...]
Government says reopening schools is a ‘national priority’ August 10, 2020 Getting children back to school in September after months away is a “national priority”, the government has said. Schools were closed in March for all pupils except the children of key workers when the government announced a UK coronavirus lockdown. Classrooms were reopened in June for a small number of children. However the government has [...]
Government mulls scrapping of daily coronavirus death toll August 10, 2020 The government is considering scrapping the UK’s daily coronavirus death toll after an investigation into how the figure is tallied by Public Health England (PHE). The Telegraph reported that the findings of the investigation were expected to be reported this week, with future options including shifting to a weekly death toll. The probe was launched [...]
Beirut police fire tear gas as protesters regroup and two ministers quit August 10, 2020 Lebanese police fired tear gas to try to disperse rock-throwing protesters blocking a road near parliament in Beirut on Sunday in a second day of anti-government demonstrations triggered by last week’s devastating explosion. Fire broke out at an entrance to Parliament Square as demonstrators tried to break into a cordoned-off area, TV footage showed. Protesters [...]
Lebanon’s greatest tragedy is its political class August 10, 2020 Following this past terrible Tuesday, it is easy to think about what happened in Beirut as a horrible act of God, of impersonal fate intervening to devastate this already crumbling country. But instead it is rage at Lebanon’s corrupt and incompetent political class that ought to be the dominant emotion. Following Tuesday’s gargantuan explosion — [...]