Friday, July 17th, 2020

Moderna is expected to start a late stage clinical trial at 87 study locations in the United States for its COVID-19 vaccine on July 27. (Reuters)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that New York is expected to move into phase four of its reopening plan. However, indoor public spaces will remain closed. (MarketWatch)

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announces that masks will be made mandatory in public spaces. The order is expected to go into effect on July 20. (The Hill)

Miami-Dade County is expected to give people who violate COVID-19 guidelines a $100 fine. (NBC Miami)

The Centers for Disease Control extends the United States ban on cruise ships to September 30, citing ongoing COVID-19 cruise ship outbreaks. (ABC News)

Spain reports their highest COVID-19 infection count since May 10, with 580 cases. These cases have increased in the regions of Aragon and Catalonia. (The New York Times)

Reuters reports that the occupation of geisha in Tokyo is threatened by the pandemic, with awkward working conditions and the absence of new apprentices. (Reuters)

Brazil surpasses two million cases. The death toll reaches 76,000. (AP)

Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi says his country is “looking seriously at banning Facebook in the country” after “many people complained how it is used to hurt people”, being himself a target of “defamation”. (RNZ)

U.S., U.K., and Canada accuse Russia of attempting to steal coronavirus research Government officials from the U.S., U.K., and Canada accused Russia on Thursday of attempting to steal coronavirus vaccine research. Russian hackers associated with Russia’s intelligence services have allegedly used malware to target health organizations, seeking information on COVID-19 vaccine development. The perpetrators are part of a hacking group known as Cozy Bear, officials said, noting the group has also been accused of attacks on other government organizations in recent years. “It is completely unacceptable that the Russian intelligence services are targeting those working to combat the coronavirus pandemic,” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement. Russia denied it is behind the attacks. Source: NBC News

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sues Atlanta mayor over mask requirements Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Thursday sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the Atlanta City Council in an attempt to block a face mask recommendation. On Wednesday, Kemp banned cities and counties from enforcing mask mandates. Last week, with the number of coronavirus cases rising, Bottoms reverted the city back to its Phase 1 reopening guidelines — residents are being encouraged to stay home, and told they should wear face masks if out in public. Restaurants are also being asked to close their dining rooms, and it’s recommended non-essential city facilities shutter. In a statement Thursday, Kemp said the lawsuit “is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times.” Bottoms tweeted in response, “A better use of taxpayer money would be to expand testing and contact tracing.” Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Florida reports record-breaking 156 coronavirus deaths in a single day Florida reported its highest-ever single-day death toll on Thursday, with 156 people reported dead from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. The numbers have Miami, recently called the “new epicenter of the pandemic,” considering mandatory lockdowns, but Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has been hesitant to push statewide restrictions like mask mandates. Thursday marked the second broken record in Florida this week, with 132 people reported dead on Tuesday. The state’s death toll is 4,677. A total of 13,965 people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past day, putting Florida’s total case numbers at 315,775. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said he was planning to meet with business leaders to weigh “the possibility of a future lockdown” if these numbers don’t improve soon, raising concerns about hospitals and ICU beds filling up. Source: Miami Herald

 

 

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Thursday,  July 16th, 2020

Mongolia puts five districts under a six-day quarantine after a 15-year-old boy dies of bubonic plague in the remote Gobi-Altai province amid fears of an epidemic. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

Saudi-led coalition airstrikes kill at least seven civilians when they hit houses in the Al Jawf Governorate of Yemen. The Houthis report nine killed, two of them children. The coalition did not immediately comment on the airstrike. (Reuters)

A statue of Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid is briefly erected without permission on the plinth of the toppled statue of Edward Colston before being removed the next day. (CBS News)

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Groupe PSA announce that when their planned merger is completed, expected in 2021, the merged company will be known as Stellantis. (Detroit Free Press)

The Twitter accounts of notable people and businesses, including Elon Musk, Joe Biden, Bill Gates and Apple Inc., are hijacked to promote a Bitcoin scam. (CNBC)

 

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Wednesday,  July 15th, 2020

Miami becomes ‘epicenter of the pandemic’ with 2,090 new cases Florida reported 9,194 new coronavirus cases in the past day on Tuesday afternoon, bring its total case count to 291,629. A total of 132 new deaths were reported, bring that count to 4,409. Miami-Dade County led the new case count at 2,090, leading one infectious disease expert to deem Miami the new “epicenter of the pandemic.” “What we were seeing in Wuhan six months ago, five months ago — now we are there,” said Lilian Abbo, of the Jackson Health System, during a Monday news conference held by the Miami-Dade County mayor. The county has seen coronavirus hospitalizations grow by 68 percent and and the number of ICU beds used go up by 69 percent in the past two weeks, while the use of ventilators has more than doubled.  Source: CNN

The University of Mississippi removes a monument of Confederate soldiers from the campus. The monument is expected to be relocated to a cemetery. (NBC News)

France is expected to make masks compulsory in indoor public spaces. (Reuters)

U.S. President Donald Trump signs legislation and an executive order that will “hold China accountable” for recent “oppressive actions” in Hong Kong by ending its preferential economic status with the United States. (AP) (Reuters)

Following a social media campaign that generated 7.5 million posts with the hashtag #do_not_execute, the Iranian authorities halt the impending executions of three anti-government protestors who were arrested during street protests in November 2019 in which hundreds of demonstrators were killed. A retrial is ordered. (BBC)

Nearly 100 people protesting the police killing of Breonna Taylor are arrested outside the home of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. (NBC News)

Best Buy is expected to mandate face coverings in their stores nationwide. (CBS News)

President Donald Trump signs legislation and an executive order that will “hold China accountable” for recent “oppressive actions” in Hong Kong. (AP)

Exit polls results show a strong support for young pro-democracy candidates, including independent activist Joshua Wong and League of Social Democrats candidate Jimmy Sham. A spokesperson for the Liaison Office of China in Hong Kong says that the election could be in violation of the new security law and could be nullified. (NHK-World)

The Trump administration reverses its student visa policy, announced on July 6, to deport international students whose courses move fully online. The plan met stiff opposition. At least 59 universities and the attorney generals of 18 states sued to block this directive. Federal district judge Allison Burroughs dismisses the first case brought to court as moot because the federal government has agreed to rescind the policy. (BBC)

UK Digital Media minister Oliver Dowden announces to the House of Commons that the country’s mobile providers will be barred from buying 5G equipment from Huawei starting December 31, and will be required to remove it from their networks by 2027. Lord John Browne resigned from his position as chairman of Huawei’s UK branch shortly before the announcement. (BBC)

Biden unveils $2 trillion climate plan Former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled a climate plan that includes eliminating carbon pollution from power plants by 2035, a push that is far more aggressive than Biden’s previous climate positions. The plan also outlines $2 trillion in spending over the next four years intended to simultaneously address the coronavirus economic crisis and transition the country to renewable energy, according to the Biden campaign. The policies closely reflect the recommendations last week from task forces created by the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and former primary-season rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as part of an effort to win over voters from the party’s progressive wing. Source: Axios

Michigan begins tighter restrictions on public face mask usage, including $500 fines for refusal to wear one and the potential loss of business licenses for failure to enforce their usage. (MLive.com)

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