Wednesday,  July 8th, 2020

The United States officially declares its intent to withdraw from the World Health Organization in 2021. (The Guardian)

Sinovac Biotech is starting Phase III trials of its potential COVID-19 vaccine following a fast-track approval for the trials by Brazilian regulators last week. The study, done in partnership with Brazilian vaccine producer Instituto Butantan, will recruit nearly 9,000 healthcare professionals working in COVID-19-specialized facilities and start this month. (Al Jazeera)

President Jair Bolsonaro tests positive for COVID-19. (The Guardian)

Chile surpasses 300,000 cases of COVID-19. (Cooperativa)

Connecticut reports zero deaths for the first time in four months. (The Hill)

Texas surpasses 200,000 cases of COVID-19. (USA Today)

The United States has averaged just under 50,000 new cases daily over the last week, twice as high as a month ago. (CNN)

Contact tracing is no longer possible across the Southern United States due to rapid COVID-19 surges in the region. (Fox8)

Iran reports a record high death toll of 200 in the last 24 hours. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

 

The End

 

Tuesday,  July 7th, 2020

U.S. reports 27th straight day of record COVID-19 cases The U.S. reported its 27th straight day of record high coronavirus cases Sunday, based on a seven-day average, though the virus is spreading at different rates in different parts of the country. Florida, Texas, California, and Arizona are recording alarming numbers of new cases every day, but they aren’t alone — 13 states reported new highs, including Montana, Delaware, and Alaska. In Texas, hospitals in Houston and Austin are 10 days to two weeks away from hitting capacity, local officials warned, and Gov. Greg Abbott (R) made face masks mandatory in public spaces, punishable by $250 fines. The average number of COVID-19 deaths continues to fall, to 485 from 562 on June 28, but public health experts warn deaths are a lagging indicator and that they will likely rise. Source: The Washington Post

 

Supreme Court unanimously rules against ‘faithless electors’ The Supreme Court settled a long-running Electoral College controversy Monday when it unanimously ruled that electors must vote as state laws direct in presidential elections. Most states require electors to pledge to vote for the presidential candidate who wins the state’s popular vote, but there’s long been a debate about whether the pledges can actually be enforced when it’s time to vote. In the past, including in 2016, a few “faithless electors” have voted differently, although this has never actually altered the final outcome of a presidential race. Lower courts had issued conflicting decisions in recent years, but the Supreme Court ruling settles the matter for now. That doesn’t mean the Electoral College is immune from change going forward, however. States will have the ability to enforce their requirements, but they can always alter those directives, presumably including an interstate agreement already ratified by more than a dozen states that would assign all of their electors to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote. Source: NBC

 

 

 

India has recorded 24,000 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, surpassing Russia, to become the 3rd highest number of cases in the world at 697,413 cases. (BBC)

Qatar exceeds 100,000 cases, becoming one of the world’s highest per capita infections, having a population of 2.8 million. (Al Jazeera)

Kuwait surpasses 50,000 infections after reporting 538 new cases in the past 24 hours. Its death toll jumps to 373. (Al Jazeera)

A court in Hong Kong denies bail to Tong Ying-kit, a 23-year-old man who was arrested last week for driving a motorbike into police officers and carrying a separatist banner. Also, prominent pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow appear in court. Wong pleads not guilty to inciting others to participate in an unlawful assembly last year while Chow pleads guilty to similar charges. (Reuters)

 

In Beijing, authorities arrest Xu Zhangrun, a law professor who published essays strongly criticizing President Xi Jinping over censored academia on the COVID-19 pandemic and accusing him of ruling “tyrannically”. (Al Jazeera)

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, July 6th, 2020

A bus driver in the French city of Bayonne was left brain dead after reportedly being assaulted by passengers who refused to wear face masks. Bus services in the city have been severely disrupted as drivers refuse to work following the incident. (BBC)

The End

Monday, July 6th, 2020

For the first time scientists at the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope discover neutral hydrogen atoms outside of the Milky Way. (RT)

At least two people are killed and eight injured, four critically, in a mass shooting at a nightclub in Greenville, South Carolina. No suspects have been arrested.  (CNN)

American rapper and entrepreneur Kanye West formally announces his campaign in the U.S. presidential election on Twitter. He is running as an independent. (Billboard)

A female Siberian tiger attacks and kills a 55-year-old zookeeper at Zürich Zoo in Zürich, Switzerland. (Reuters)

Florida’s new daily high in coronavirus cases just shy of New York’s record Florida on Saturday recorded another daily high in coronavirus infections. The state’s 11,458 new cases is just shy of New York state’s one-day record of 11,571 positive tests in April. Texas also set a new state record, tallying 8,258 newly confirmed cases, while it also registered an all-time high in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 for the sixth straight day. Health experts are concerned celebrations during the July 4 weekend will exacerbate the problem in several states that are already dealing with a rising number of cases and positive test rates. While the surge in cases in some states mirror what happened in New York earlier this year, the average daily COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. has continued to decline, perhaps because younger, healthier people are making up a larger percent of those infected, but there are concerns that trend won’t hold.Source:  Reuters

Trump vows to defeat ‘radical left’ in White House Independence Day speech Just one day after his divisive speech at Mount Rushmore, President Trump on Saturday delivered a similar Independence Day address — this time at the White House — in which he said his administration was “in the process of defeating the radical left” amid nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism, which have included efforts to remove numerous statues and monuments. “We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children, or trample on our freedoms,” he said to an audience that included front-line medical workers and others central in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump did touch on the pandemic in his speech, as well, defending his administration’s response and expressing optimism that “we’ve learned to put out the flame” despite a record-setting rise in daily infections in states like Florida and Texas. Source: The Associated Press

Biden urges Americans to ‘rip the roots of systemic racism out of’ U.S. in July 4 message Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, on Saturday delivered an Independence Day message calling on Americans to “commit to finally” fulfilling the goals of the Declaration of Independence. Biden said the U.S. was founded on the idea “that all men are created equal” but “we’ve never lived up to it.” From there, Biden’s short video then took an optimistic turn as he claimed “we have a chance to rip the roots of systemic racism out of this country” and “live up to the words that founded this nation.” The former vice president did not mention his likely future opponent, President Trump, by name. Source: Slate

The Indian government extends the lockdown in the city of Agra and delays the reopening of the Taj Mahal for tourists and visitors after a spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. (Reuters)

Michigan reports no new deaths from COVID-19 for the first time since March 17. (MLive.com)

Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education reports the highest daily death toll to date from COVID-19, recording 163 deaths. Iran’s cases reach 240,438 while the deaths jump to 11,571. (Reuters)

The death toll amid civil unrest in Oromia Region, Ethiopia, rises to 166 people, including 11 security personnel. More than 1,000 people have been arrested. (BBC)