A look at today’s top stories from select sources around the world.
Coronavirus pandemic: Updates from around the world
By Ben Westcott, Brad Lendon, Zamira Rahim and Ed Upright, CNN Updated 11:58 a.m. ET, July 20, 2020 Brazil’s Minister of Citizenship Onyx Lorenzoni said he tested positive for Covid-19, in a Twitter post on Monday. In a series of tweets, Lorenzoni wrote that he was tested after his symptoms started last Friday.
Trump says the US has ‘the best mortality rate’ in the world. That’s not true
During a meandering and occasionally hostile interview with Fox News on Sunday, President Donald Trump made a very bold claim: that the United States has the lowest mortality rate from Covid-19 anywhere in the world.
China’s ambassador to the US: Is America willing to live with China?
China’s Ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, said America must make a “fundamental choice” about whether it can live peacefully with a “modernized, strong, prosperous” China.
Denmark is a liberal paradise for many people, but the reality is very different for immigrants
Muhammad Aslam loves his home — an apartment in a low-rise public housing estate at the heart of the diverse and gentrifying Copenhagen neighborhood of Norrebro.
Gap shares fall after Kanye West threatens to walk away from Yeezy deal
Kanye West’s threat to walk away from his fashion company’s fledgling partnership with the Gap has sent shares sharply lower.
Police in Italy find shipment of coffee beans stuffed with cocaine
Police in Italy discovered cocaine stuffed inside individually hollowed-out coffee beans, after opening a parcel addressed to a fictional Mafia boss from a Hollywood movie.
Nicki Minaj announces pregnancy
First came love, then came marriage and soon will come Nicki Minaj with a baby carriage.
Amber Heard says Johnny Depp ‘threatened to kill me many times’
US actress Amber Heard has alleged in court that her ex-husband Johnny Depp threatened to kill her “many times,” especially later in their relationship, UK’s PA Media reported on Monday.
Oxford coronavirus vaccine triggers immune response
A coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford appears safe and triggers an immune response. Trials involving 1,077 people showed the injection led to them making antibodies and T-cells that can fight coronavirus. The findings are hugely promising, but it is still too soon to know if this is enough to offer protection and larger trials are under way.
Why some Kenyans still deny coronavirus exists
In our series of Letters from African journalists, Waihiga Mwaura asks why so many Kenyans are not taking the global coronavirus seriously. Despite global scientific data showing that Covid-19 is a deadly new strain of coronavirus, which has killed almost 600,000 people, if you publicly declare in Kenya that you have the virus then you are in danger of being castigated as a liar desperate for attention or a government stooge.
Coronavirus updates: Positive signs in Oxford coronavirus vaccine trial – BBC News
One of those who volunteered to take part in the Oxford University vaccine trial is Lydia Guthrie. She was injected on April 30th with either the experimental Covid-19 vaccine or a placebo vaccine that protects against meningitis. Lydia says she developed flu-like symptoms after having her vaccine, but was warned by the research team that this might happen.
Kenyans mourn the man who made acting cool
Popular Kenyan comedian Charles Bukeko, known to many as Papa Shirandula, has been buried after dying from breathing complications on Saturday. His self-deprecating humour made Papa Shirandula one of the country’s best known TV characters. The 58-year-old actor played the role of a stereotypical security guard living the daily hassle and bustle familiar to a majority of Kenyans.
TikTok: We are not ‘under the thumb’ of China
Video-sharing app TikTok has denied accusations that it is controlled by the Chinese government. Theo Bertram, TikTok’s head of public policy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said it would refuse any request from China to hand over data.
John Oliver explores the murky world of coronavirus conspiracy theories
From Wayfair to 5G, conspiracy theories seem to have been more popular than ever in 2020. And as the coronavirus continues to spread in America, they show no sign of slowing down.
Don’t shame people who don’t wear masks. It won’t work.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Americans were already an angry lot. The past four years unleashed a nightmare in the United States: a tyrant president determined to set the country’s clock back to a time when inequality was common and accepted, and willing to do just about anything to realize his vision.
KFC moves to add 3D-printed chicken nuggets with lab-grown meat to its menu
If you’re craving chicken nuggets, perhaps I can interest you in some 3D-printed ones from KFC. The fast-food restaurant chain has officially announced it’s partnering with a Russian research laboratory, 3D Printing Solutions, to develop technology for what it calls “meat of the future.” Or, in other words, laboratory-produced chicken nuggets.
Disney has reportedly joined the Facebook ad boycott
If you thought #StopHateForProfit was over, think again. The Walt Disney Company has reportedly joined the long list of companies that are pushing Facebook to get its platform under control. A Saturday report in the Wall Street Journal reveals that Disney has “dramatically slashed” its ad spending on Facebook Inc.
Uh-oh: Twitter says hackers swiped personal data during the big verified user hack
More and more new information has been coming out about the massive Twitter hack that went down on Wednesday. However, the latest update from Twitter itself is cause for concern. In an update posted on Friday night, Twitter ran down what its internal investigation has discovered so far.
