Netanyahu's corruption trial resumes amid coronavirus protests

Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's graft trial resumed on Sunday, July 19 after a two-month break amid mounting protests over his alleged corruption and handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Netanyahu, the first serving Israeli prime minister to go on trial, did not attend what a spokesman for the prosecution said would be a technical discussion. His presence was not required at the session in Jerusalem District Court, where he appeared in May at the opening of the trial to deny charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Netanyahu, 70, was indicted in November 2019 in cases involving gifts from millionaire friends and for allegedly seeking regulatory favours for media tycoons in return for favourable coverage. After clinching a coalition deal three months ago with centrist Benny Gantz, his main rival in three inconclusive elections since April 2019, Netanyahu took centre stage in ordering restrictions that flattened Israel's first wave of coronavirus infections.

But after a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, high unemployment and reimposed coronavirus curbs in recent weeks, Israelis have taken to the streets in almost daily demonstrations against him, with public anger compounded by the corruption allegations.

On the night between Saturday (July 18) and Sunday, police used water cannons to disperse demonstrators around Netanyahu's Jerusalem residence. In Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial hub, thousands gathered to demand better state aid to businesses hurt in the health crisis.

Bribery charges carry a sentence of up to 10 years in jail and/or a fine. Fraud and breach of trust carry a prison sentence of up to three years.

China says it will respond resolutely if UK sanctions officials

London, England: China will respond resolutely to any attempt by Britain to sanction Chinese officials following the imposition of a security law in Hong Kong, its ambassador in London said on Sunday, July 19.

Earlier this month Britain introduced a new sanctions regime to target individuals it says are involved in human rights abuses or organised crime. Some lawmakers in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party have said the sanctions should be used to target Chinese officials.

"If UK government goes that far to impose sanctions on any individual in China, China will certainly make a resolute response to it," Liu Xiaoming told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. Britain says the new national security law in Hong Kong breaches agreements made before the handover and that China is crushing the freedoms that have helped make Hong Kong one of the world's biggest financial hubs.

Speaking on the same programme, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said it was clear the Uighur minority in China had suffered abuses of their human rights. But Liu told the BBC that most Uighurs were living happily and that ethnic minorities in China were treated as equals.

Corona Era: Movie magic as Paris turns the Seine into open air cinema

Paris, France: While the cinema drive-in may have gotten a boost as lockdowns gradually come to an end amid the COVID-19 outbreak, in Paris film fans can now munch on their popcorn watching a movie from a boat on the river Seine.

As part of Paris Plages, the yearly transformation of sections of the Seine into man-made beaches, moviegoers on Saturday, JULY 18 were able to board 38 electric boats for a free showing of the 2018 French comedy "Le Grand Bain". "I really enjoy open-air cinema. It marks the beginning of the summer, and even if we already are in mid-July, for me it marks the beginning of the Parisian summer adventures," said 25-year-old Eloise Blomme.

"I really enjoy the idea of the boats - associating the Seine with a movie on water, I didn't want to miss this." Each boat can seat up to six people who know each other. Organisers hope to hold similar showings during the six-week Paris Plages festivities. Others watch from deck chairs as the screen floats over the Seine.

Cinemas have reopened in France, but occupancy levels remain very low. While the virus has been under control with fatalities and the number of people in intensive care falling, daily cases have increased ahead of the summer holiday season. The disease has killed more than 30,000 people in France.

The artificial beaches on the banks of the Seine in central Paris and the Bassin de la Villette, a man-made lake in the northeast of the city, have been a roaring success since they were launched by Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe in 2002.

As well as sand and views of central Paris’ architecture, Paris Plage offers sporting opportunities such as fencing, giant table-football, and open-air gyms looking out over the Seine, although this year the tighter health restrictions have limited some of the activities.

People need to accept COVID-19 is not going away: Lancet editor-in-chief

UK: A vaccine for COVID-19 will not be available this year and it is very important for people to know how to live with the virus because many things that are taken for granted are changing now, said the editor-in-chief of the UK-based medical journal The Lancet, the world's most influential medical journal.

Richard Horton made the remarks on Friday during a virtual exclusive interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) in response to the world's performance against the pandemic.When he was asked whether there is going to be a second wave of deeper research into why the antibodies peter out after a period of time, Horton said what is known about the virus is limited, but he is confident that the coronavirus vaccine will model those used for influenza.

"The honest truth is to remember we didn't know this virus existed six months ago. So there's a lot that we are learning today about the virus, including how the body responds to it and develops an immune response to it. But think about influenza, we have got quite used to taking a vaccine every year for influenza because there's a different strain that comes through every year. It might mean it's possible that if the immunity doesn't last very long, but we might have to have an annual vaccine for this coronavirus. But at the moment we really don't know, the most important thing is to understand the immune response to get these vaccine candidates into clinical trials. And although it's a gamble because there's a lot we don't know, I remain confident that over the next 12 months there will be candidates that will emerge, that will be able to be produced for clinical use," he said.

He acknowledged it might be impossible to see vaccines within the year and co-existing with the virus is a must. He stressed that some normal actions in people's daily lives will have to change accordingly.

"We're not going to have a vaccine this year. Let's be clear. We will not have a vaccine for clinical use this year. And that means that the virus will be in our communities. We have to live with the virus for the time being. That means that we have to manage our own risk; governments can't do it all. We can't live in lockdown permanently; otherwise, our economies and livelihoods will just disappear. So that means that we have to take responsibility for protecting ourselves. And I think that's the biggest challenge actually that societies are facing, to accept we have to live with the virus and we have to change our behaviors. All the things that we took for granted, whether it was going to the office, taking public transport, going out to a restaurant or going to a bar or going for a coffee, these things that we took for granted are changing right now. And that is a radical challenge for us," Horton said.

When it comes to joint efforts across the globe to research and develop a vaccine, he said it is high time for the whole world to join hands and make a plan for vaccine distribution.

"I mean one of my disappointments during the past six months is that no time have countries been brought together to discuss the global response to the pandemic and how we're going to move forward with treatments or with a vaccine. So I think it's a matter of urgency that the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, brings countries together at an emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly to have all 195 member states of the United Nations come together to talk about the global response and to address exactly the issue that you're raising, which is how we can have a fair distribution of the vaccine," he said.

Horton also stressed that the first batch of vaccines need to be given to those most at risk, such as medical workers and people working in public transportation and shops.

"The vaccine, when it first becomes available, needs to be distributed to those people most at risk, and that means people on the frontline of the pandemic. That's not people like me, it means people who are actually on the frontlines, people who are health workers, people who are working in shops with the public, people who are working on public transport, all those who are right on the frontline of our society. But that needs to be an agreement between countries, a convention between countries. And the only way that can happen is through countries coming together to agree," he added.

Trump discusses confederate flag, rejects national mask mandate

Washington DC: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday (July 17) he does not believe in implementing a mandate requiring Americans to wear masks - on the heels of a week during which state and local officials imposed conflicting orders and coronavirus cases rose by more than 70,000 across the nation for the second day in a row.

"I want people to have a certain freedom, and I don't believe in that, no, and I don't agree with the statement that if everybody wear a mask everything disappears. Hey, Dr. Fauci said don't wear a mask. Our Surgeon General - terrific guy - said don't wear a mask. Everybody who is saying - don't wear a mask - all of sudden everybody's got to wear a mask, and as you know masks cause problems too. With that being said, I'm a believer in masks. I think masks are good. But I leave it up to the governors. Many of the governors are changing. They're more mask into - they like the concept of masks." Trump said during an interview with on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.

The United States recorded a total of at least 70,674 new COVID-19 infections on Friday after climbing by a record 77,499 a day earlier, the largest increase posted by any country since the pandemic started, according to a Reuters tally. U.S. deaths on Friday rose by at least 912, the fourth day in a row that fatalities have exceeded 900 a day.

In the state of Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp sued Atlanta's mayor to prevent her from mandating masks. Americans have become divided along political lines over mask orders, with conservatives more likely than liberals to call the rules a violation of their Constitutional rights.

Trump has urged a return to normal, stressing the importance of reigniting the economy. The Trump administration and some health experts argue children are better off in classrooms for their development, and also to allow parents to return to work. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist, has consistently urged people to wear masks whenever they are in public.

During the interview, the president was also asked about police violence against Black Americans and calls to ban Confederate flags and tear down monuments to Confederate military leaders.

Trump declined to say the Confederate flag was an offensive symbol, saying it is a source of pride for some Americans.

"They like the south. People right now, like the south. I'd say it's freedom of many things, but it's freedom of speech," he said. "I'm not offended either by Black Lives Matter. That's freedom of speech."

Trump has in the past appeared sympathetic to the flag and symbols of the Confederacy of 1861-65 American Civil War. In 2017, he decried the removal of monuments to the Confederacy, laying blame on "both sides" in Charlottesville, Virginia, after protests against the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general. Earlier this month, he criticized NASCAR's ban of the Confederate flag from its events.

Trump has promised a veto, breaking with several of his fellow Republicans in Congress, of the annual National Defense Authorization Act over an amendment to remove the names of Confederate generals from military bases within a year. "We won World Wars out of these, out of these military bases, no I'm not gonna go changing them," Trump said.

G20 officials pledge to keep cooperating to bolster global economy

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Finance officials from the Group of 20 major economies on Saturday vowed to continue using "all available policy tools" to fight the coronavirus pandemic and bolster the global economy, warning that the outlook remains highly uncertain.

G20 finance ministers and central bankers, in a communique issued after a virtual meeting on Saturday, said the global economy would recover as economies gradually reopen, but said further actions were needed to ensure growth. Sweeping shutdowns aimed at halting the spread of the disease have caused massive disruption to the global economy, and are hitting the world's poorest countries hardest.

G20 finance officials said 42 of the world's 73 poorest countries had requested a freeze in official bilateral debt payments through the end of the year, amounting to about $5.3 billion in deferre payments. Reflecting concerns raised by the World Bank that China, a G20 member and the largest creditor to developing countries, was not participating fully, the officials urged all official bilateral creditors to implement the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) fully and transparently.

They also "strongly encouraged" private creditors to participate on comparable terms, and said they would consider extending the debt standstill in the second half of 2020. Private creditors had not received any formal requests from countries for debt service suspension under the G20 initiative, the Institute for International Finance (IIF) said on Wednesday, ahead of Saturday's meeting.

"We encourage the private sector investors to participate in this, but we need to be very careful not to interfere on private agreements," Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said in a press conference at the end of the meeting.

Nature's havoc: Relief work underway in China's flood-hit provinces

China: Local authorities in China's provinces hit by severe floods have been taking measures to conduct relief work as the water levels of various rivers in southern China keep rising due to continuous torrential rains.

The Huaihe River Commission under China's Ministry of Water Resources on Saturday raised the flood-control response from Level IV to Level III, as the river saw its first flood this year. Following torrential rains in recent days, the water level at the Wangjiaba hydrological station in Funan County, east China's Anhui Province, reached the alert level of 27.5 meters at 22:48 Friday, marking the first flood of the Huaihe River this year.

According to the commission, the water level of the key hydrological station on the main course of the Huaihe River keeps rising for the moment, and may reach 29 meters in the coming two days if it continues to pour in the upstream of the river.

"We will reduce the peak flow at the upstream reservoirs, continue to increase the downstream drainage to Hongze Lake, and make all-round preparations for the use of flood storage and detention basins in the middle reach," said Wang Bin, deputy director of the Huaihe Water Conservancy Commission under the Ministry of Water Resources.

Anhui raised its emergency response for disaster relief to the highest level on Saturday afternoon, as the water in the main course of the Yangtze River exceeded the warning level by almost two meters in some places and a total of 35 rivers and lakes in the province saw the water exceed warning level, according to the provincial water resources department.

The water level in Taihu Lake, one of the country's largest freshwater lakes, was still above the guaranteed water level on Saturday since it rose to 4.65 meters Friday morning. To cope with the situation, the major water conservancy projects in the basin discharged the floods at full capacity.

The water resources department of east China's Jiangsu Province also raised its flood alert level to the highest of red for the Nanjing section of the Yangtze River at 09:00 Saturday after a record-high water level was seen in the section. The water level at the Nanjing hydrological station in the provincial capital city rose to 10.26 meters at 07:50 Saturday, exceeding the previous record high of 10.22 meters in 1954.

Local public security department set up patrol teams to inspect the embankments along the Yangtze River round the clock. In east China's Jiangxi Province, a dike with a 188-meter breach caused by floods was successfully sealed on Saturday. The Zhongzhou dike, situated around China's largest freshwater lake, Poyang Lake, in Changzhou Township of Poyang County, extends 33.72 km. It protects 34,000 local residents and more than 1,400 hectares of farmland along the waterway. Heavy rains continued to batter central China's Hubei Province on Saturday.

In Yangxin County of Huangshi City, a 50-meter-long breach on a dike caused by floods triggered by days of torrential rains was successfully closed as of Saturday afternoon, thanks to the incessant repair work involving hundreds of armed police officers together with helicopters and 27 heavy-duty vehicles. In the Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, one of the worst-hit areas in the province, rescuers evacuated tens of thousands from their inundated houses to safety. Floodwater also submerged some shops along street with emergency rescue operation in progress.

"We are clearing silt to facilitate residents and help businessmen sort out products. For the next step , we will conduct disinfection work to well integrate epidemic response with flood control and disaster relief," said Mou Jun, a disaster relief worker from the Shengli Street. The local government has dispatched more than 12,000 for relief work, and over 39,000 residents have been evacuated to safety.

In southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, rescuers evacuated residents and carried out relief work after continuous downpour triggered landslides. In Xinglong Township of Youyang County in Chongqing, the incessant heavy rain caused a landslide Friday morning. With debris blocking the river way, flood water damaged river embankments and houses in a nearby village. The rescuers managed to evacuate 20 villagers before the water level rose higher.

The rain-triggered landslides also caused damages to roads in Hongchiba Township of Wuxi County. Local authorities raced against time to repair the roads and as of Friday afternoon, traffic was basically restored on major roads, with power supply and communication services in the township restored.

Corona era: EU heads end second day of COVID bailout haggling with no deal

Brussels, Belgium: European Union leaders wrapped the second day of negotiations late on Saturday, July 18 on a plan to pump hundreds of billions of euros into their economies ravaged by coronavirus and would resume on Sunday, July 19, a spokesman for the bloc said, with a deal proving elusive.

A stand-off between EU leaders at a summit in Brussels threatened to derail plans for a massive stimulus fund to breathe life into their coronavirus-hammered economies. The budget commissioner of the bloc's executive reminded the leaders - who wore masks and kept their distance from each other - that COVID-19 was still among them and they needed to act.

With the pandemic dealing Europe its worst economic shock since World War Two, leaders gathered on Friday, July 17 to haggle over a proposed 750 billion euro ($856 billion) recovery fund and a 2021-27 EU budget of more than 1 trillion euros.

But a group of wealthy and fiscally "frugal" northern states led by the Netherlands have blocked progress in the first face-to-face EU summit since spring lockdowns across the continent. They favour repayable loans rather than free grants for the hard-hit indebted economies mostly on the Mediterranean rim, and they want control over how the funds are spent.

Curfew imposed in Florida's South Beach amid US COVID-19 spike

Miami Beach, Florida, US: Miami Beach Police blocked streets surrounding the South Beach Entertainment District on Saturday, July 18 as it enforced a newly established 8 pm-6 am (0000-1000GMT) curfew in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Restaurants on famed Ocean Drive were closed to all but delivery business. The street will remain closed to vehicular traffic during daylight hours. Miami Beach, Florida, imposed the curfew in its entertainment district after social media posts showed maskless revelers crammed into restaurant patios. The restrictions are set to run through July 24. 

"Well, what we're hoping in this specific section of Miami Beach, where we have a lot of visitors, we have a lot of folks who aren't necessarily complying with the mandates and the orders to wear a face cover and to have that social distancing. So, we're hoping that by closing earlier, it actually tones down the party and or allows these folks to go home, go back to their hotels wherever they're staying, and possibly keep everyone else around them. Everyone else in our city safe." said Ernesto Rodriguez, spokesperson, Miami beach police department.

Florida's Department of Health on Saturday reported 10,327 new cases of COVID-19. Down from a record 15,300 on July 12.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 3,630,587 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 74,710 cases, and said the number of deaths had risen by 918 to 138,782.

Thousands of protesters demanding new elections, constitution in Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand: Thousands of protesters demanding sweeping political reforms gathered around Bangkok's Democracy Monument on Saturday in the largest demonstration since a state of emergency was declared in March to hinder the spread of COVID-19.

Even though epidemic prevention measures are in place, rally leaders say they are not going to back down and organize more gatherings if their demands are not met. University students and young professionals were the people who voted for change in elections last year, only to see the pro-democracy party dissolved in early February.

They are becoming more and more dissatisfied as laws continue to be limit what the people can say and do, and throughout the day, designated speakers made the crowd's demands clear: the dissolution of parliament, changes in leadership and constitutional reform. Scuffles did break out as police attempted to fence protesters in and get them away from the monument, but demonstrators were able to use their greater numbers to push back. Other reported instances were allegedly between protesters and suspected plain-clothes police thought to be attempting to sabotage the rallies.

Protesters also held up posters showing dissidents who've disappeared in recent years to shine a light upon voices being silenced. "I want the government to be dissolved. Also, there are a lot of people criticizing the government and they are not safe, but it should be their right as a Thai citizen," said a protester.

"We want to have a full democracy here. The one that we can criticize our leader, and we can like examine them, we can like evaluate them, and we can talk about like 'ah, this is correct or not correct', or something. So I think that's our goal," said another protester. The protests were streamed live on social media, so that anyone who could not make it could still participate.

Corona Crisis: COVID-19 tests offered to Paris 'beach' goers

Paris, France: Parisians heading to the opening of Paris Plages, the yearly transformation of sections of the Seine river into a man-made beach, were met with a new attraction on Saturday July 18: COVID-19 test centres.

A series of indicators across the country, including the French capital, have suggested the virus could once again be gaining momentum. Authorities are pushing an aggressive testing policy to avoid a return to the peaks seen between March to May. The artificial beaches on the banks of the Seine in central Paris and the Bassin de la Villette, a man-made lake in the north-east of the city, have been a big success since they were launched by Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe in 2002.

As well as sand and views of central Paris' architecture, Paris Plage offers sporting opportunities such as fencing, giant table-football, and open-air gyms looking out over the Seine, although this year the tighter health restrictions have limited some of the activities. Medical teams are now in place at two locations until the end of August offering serological and standard PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests with a capacity to do carry out between 150 to 200 a day.

The disease has killed more than 30,000 people in France.

While it has been under control with fatalities and number of people in intensive care falling, daily cases have increased ahead of the summer holiday season, where people are gathering in larger groups and travellers to and from France have been allowed back into the country without specific quarantine periods.

Kais Arbi, 25, who lives in a northwestern Parisian suburb, took the test knowing that he was travelling to see his family in Tunisia in the coming weeks. "I was already going to get tested no matter what, and I passed by here, and I was planning to get tested in the next two weeks since I'm planning to travel. I want get tested more as a security measure for my family in the country where I'm travelling, although it's not mandatory for the moment. I still prefer to protect them and myself and reduce the risk of spreading the virus to another country." said Kais Arbi.

Israeli Police used water canons to disperse demonstrators around to PM Netanyahu's residence

Tel Aviv, Jerusalem: Israeli Police used water canons to disperse demonstrators around to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence on Saturday July 18, as protests mounted against him over alleged corruption and his handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Hit by high unemployment, a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases and reimposed coronavirus curbs, Israelis have taken to the streets in almost daily demonstrations against the government. Public anger has been compounded by corruption alleged against Netanyahu, who went on trial in May for bribery, fraud and breach of trust - charges which he denies.

In Jerusalem, hundreds gathered outside the prime minister's residence and then marched through the streets, calling for Netanyahu's resignation as police used water cannons to disperse the crowds. At least two people were arrested, police said. In Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial hub, thousands gathered at a rally by the beach, demanding better state aid to businesses hurt by covid-19 restrictions and to people who have lost their jobs or have been put on unpaid leave. Unemployment presently stands at 21%. A poll by the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute on Tuesday found only 29.5% of the public trust Netanyahu's handling of the crisis.

Netanyahu has announced numerous economic aid packages, some of which have been slow to come through and others that have drawn criticism for being ineffective. Israel, with a population of 9 million, has reported almost 50,000 coronavirus cases and 400 deaths.

Behbahan: Iran security forces fire tear gas to large number of disperse protesters

Behbahan, Iran: Large number of people gathered on the streets of the southwestern city of Behbahan on Thursday chanting, cheering and clapping in protest against economic hardship. The location of the protests has been verified as being held outside a bank in central Behbahan, after being compared to photographs taken from that location at an earlier date.

Many of the protesters were seen wearing face masks, dating it to after the outbreak of COVID-19. No night protests of this scale are known to have happened at that location since the coronavirus outbreak began. Iran promised on Friday to deal "decisively" with further protests over economic hardship, a day after security forces fired teargas to disperse demonstrators Behbahan.

Iran's clerical rulers have tried to prevent a revival of last November's anti-government protests, when over 1,000 people are believed to have been killed in the deadliest street violence since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Tehran says 225 people were killed, including members of the security forces. On Tuesday, the judiciary said the death sentences of three men involved in that unrest had been upheld, sparking a surge of online protests.

In a statement on Friday, the police urged people to "vigilantly refrain from any gathering that could provide a pretext for the counter-revolutionary movement", accusing "enemies" of whipping up discontent. Last year's unrest began with protests over economic hardship but turned political, with demonstrators demanding top officials step down.

The economy, already hard hit by U.S. sanctions that have choked off its oil exports, has deteriorated further in recent months as a result of the coronavirus crisis.There were calls on social media for demonstrations across the country on Friday to protest against the three death sentences. Iran has consistently blamed the United States and Israel for domestic unrest.