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 — [...]
Daily UK coronavirus cases jump to highest since June August 9, 2020 The number of coronavirus cases reported in the UK today rose to its highest since June, surpassing 1,000 daily cases for the first time in almost two months. The UK recorded 1,062 new positive tests for coronavirus, the highest daily case rise since late June, as local lockdowns in some areas rise. The rate was [...]
Trump signs coronavirus relief orders after Congress talks break down August 9, 2020 US President Donald Trump signed executive orders over the weekend that partially restored increased unemployment benefits for those who lost their jobs during the pandemic. The US has now surpassed more than 5m cases and 160,000 deaths from Covid-19. Unemployment figures improved slightly in July, but failed to match the growth rates of May and [...]
PM Boris Johnson says schools must open in September August 9, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said reopening schools in September is imperative, insisting they will be able to teach children safely despite the coronavirus pandemic. Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Johnson said restarting schools was a “national priority” for the government. The move follows a study earlier this month which warned that the UK [...]
Foreign Office cat Palmerston heads into retirement August 7, 2020 Palmerston, the cat who has lived at the Foreign Office for four and a half years, is to step down from his mouse-catching duties for diplomats. He will instead retire to the countryside, where he plans to live out the remainder of his years relaxing in the rolling grass. Handing in his resignation to the [...]
Rishi Sunak: ‘Hardship lies ahead’ for the UK economy August 7, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said that “hardship lies ahead” for the UK economy despite the Bank of England improving its forecast for this year. Yesterday the Bank upgraded its projection for the path of GDP in 2020, saying it would now contract 9.5 per cent rather than the 14 per cent it had previously pencilled [...]
Trump issues executive order against Tiktok and Wechat over China links August 7, 2020 US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order promising a ban on Chinese-owned apps such as Tiktok and Wechat within 45 days. The two apps must be removed from Apple and Google’s app stores and all business ceased with US companies by the deadline. Tiktok owner Bytedance is currently in negotiations over a sale [...]