Tag: uncreative writing

Spain has suffered at least 200 coronavirus outbreaks

Chief Editor

Spain has suffered at least 200 coronavirus outbreaks since it lifted the lockdown while France today revealed it has up to 500 active ‘clusters’ of the disease.    Fears of a second wave are growing in Spain after it identified 5,695 new cases last week, a sharp increase from 2,944 a week earlier, while some areas have been forced to re-impose lockdown measures just as British tourists start to arrive again. Colombia’s government has estimated it will reach its peak of cases in August. Several cities, including the capital Bogota, are close to full occupation of beds in intensive care units. … Continue reading Spain has suffered at least 200 coronavirus outbreaks

Japan is racing to build up its armed forces

Chief Editor

Japan is racing to build up its armed forces in the face of increased political and military assertiveness by China, even as it struggles to reconcile the nationalist ambitions of its prime minister with the demands of its pacifist constitution. In a defence white paper Shinzo Abe’s government spelt out its growing anxiety about China and the urgency of upgrading the Self-Defence Forces, as its army, navy and air force are called. It condemns Beijing’s almost daily dispatch of ships into areas around disputed islands that are controlled by Japan but claimed by the Chinese. Monica Gomez, the councillor responsible … Continue reading Japan is racing to build up its armed forces

The European Union has decided

Chief Editor

The European Union has decided to drop Serbia and Montenegro from its safe list of countries from which non-essential travel is allowed, and did not even discuss including the United States given its sharp rise in coronavirus cases, EU officials told Reuters. EU diplomats today approved a proposal from Germany, now holding the rotating EU presidency, to exclude non-EU Serbia and Montenegro because of spreading infections, officials said. There have been anti-government protests in Serbia, initially sparked by the announcement of a new coronavirus lockdown amid a surge in new cases. With the US currently on 3.43m cases of Covid-19 … Continue reading The European Union has decided

Turkey’s President Erdogan

Chief Editor

Turkey’s President Erdogan has formally converted the world-famous Hagia Sophia back into a mosque and reopened it for worship as he drums up support for his Islamic-rooted party – sparking fury from Christian groups and the US.  The move came hours after Turkey’s highest administrative court issued a landmark ruling that unanimously annulled the 1934 cabinet decision to renovate the site into a museum.   There is growing evidence from Europe, the US and China that dirty air makes the impact of Covid-19 worse. But the study of the outbreak in the Netherlands is unique because the worst air pollution there … Continue reading Turkey’s President Erdogan

A British air hostess locked up in a Dubai jail

Chief Editor

A British air hostess locked up in a Dubai jail has been living off bread and water after being forced into a fake confession, her family claim. Derrin Crawford was arrested last Thursday after police raided her date’s apartment and found two cannabis joints. Beijing has threatened to jail anyone who dissents, expresses pro-independence sentiments or undermines the Chinese state in the former British colony or elsewhere. In response Britain extended an offer of residency and a pathway to citizenship to up to three million Hong Kong residents and their dependants with British National (Overseas) status. Scott Morrison, the Australian … Continue reading A British air hostess locked up in a Dubai jail

Bolivia‘s interim president says she has tested positive

Chief Editor

Bolivia‘s interim president says she has tested positive for coronavirus.  Jeanine Anez Chavez tweeted the news on Thursday evening. A steep drop in reproduction rates have seen the number of European hamsters – which are different to the hamsters kept as domestic pets – plummet. On average through the 20th century, mums would give birth to 20 pups at a time, but this has now fallen to just five or six. He added that Australia was suspending its extradition treaty to prevent dissenters from being recalled to Hong Kong and charged and sentenced within China’s opaque justice system. Canada scrapped … Continue reading Bolivia‘s interim president says she has tested positive

A major research effort

Chief Editor

A major research effort is under way to understand whether Covid-19 can spread through tiny airborne particles that are released by infected people and remain suspended in the air for hours. Scientists are working alongside sanitary engineers at the World Health Organization to investigate how tiny aerosols bearing the virus may be released into the environment; whether they are spread around rooms by air-conditioning units; and how infectious the particles may be. Key impeachment witness Alexander Vindman announced his retirement from the army by citing “intimidation” led by Mr Trump. ”The president of the United States attempted to force Lieutenant … Continue reading A major research effort

Dozens of Spanish beaches were forced to close

Chief Editor

Dozens of Spanish beaches were forced to close yesterday after crowds of people flocked to the beach – as British tourists prepare to descend on the country again.    Nearly 30 Costa del Sol beaches had to turn visitors away at the busiest times of the day on Sunday in resorts including Benalmadena. Even before Covid-19, 2 million people died from zoonotic diseases every year, mostly in poorer countries. The coronavirus outbreak was highly predictable, the experts said. “[Covid-19] may be the worst, but it is not the first,” said the UN environment chief, Inger Andersen. The biggest economic costs fall … Continue reading Dozens of Spanish beaches were forced to close

They had planned lives, families and careers in Hong Kong

Chief Editor

They had planned lives, families and careers in Hong Kong. Now at a gathering of young professionals, one topic dominated conversation — to stay or to flee. All but one was considering quitting the territory as China imposed sweeping new national security legislation on their homeland. The clampdown, proclaimed without consultation on Tuesday night, was even more draconian than feared. Secret courts, unaccountable police units, worldwide reach and penalties of up to life in prison were among the provisions. ‘We can confirm that The Little Mermaid has been vandalised some time before 9:00 am this morning,’ Copenhagen police said in … Continue reading They had planned lives, families and careers in Hong Kong

China has tried to blame Spain

Chief Editor

China has tried to blame Spain for the new strain of coronavirus while suggesting the deadly disease originated in Europe and not Wuhan. The first cases were detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 – with many involving workers at a wet market – before the virus rapidly spread around the world, killing more than 525,000 people. Protest leaders are struggling to come up with new tactics for opposing the authority of Beijing without risking long prison sentences, and one of Hong Kong’s leading young democrats has joined a growing number of activists leaving the territory. Nathan … Continue reading China has tried to blame Spain