UK’s Johnson threatens to force Manchester into Covid-19 lockdown
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned he will have no choice but to impose the toughest available pandemic restrictions on Manchester, northwest England, unless the city’s mayor backs down and agrees to new curbs.
Johnson’s government has been in an escalating stand-off with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who is refusing to allow his city to be put into lockdown despite figures showing the pandemic is spreading out of control.
Burnham has accused the government of failing to provide enough financial help for business that will be hit by virus restrictions, but Johnson urged him to reconsider and engage constructively with the government in London.
“The situation in Manchester is grave and worsens with each passing day,” Johnson told a televised press conference from his Downing Street offices. “If agreement cannot be reached, I will need to intervene in order to protect Manchester’s hospitals and save the lives of its residents.”
The government’s own scientific advisers have said the government’s three-tier system of virus restrictions won’t be enough to control the virus and some of them have called publicly for a short “circuit breaker” national lockdown. Johnson disagreed. “If at all possible I want to avoid another national lockdown,” he said.
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Tom Cruise's 'Top Gun: Maverick' jet rides (on F/A-18) paid US Navy this much
Tom Cruise and his 'Top Gun: Maverick' co-stars cost Paramount Pictures a tidy sum of money in filming for the new movie, Bloomberg said Thursday, explaining the US Navy was paid $11,374 per hour for the actors to 'train' in advanced F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets. Cruise, 59, had also flown in a jet for the original 'Top Gun', a smash hit in 1986.
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This poem by a Ukrainian soldier for his daughters is all the rage
A poem written by a Ukrainian soldier, who is fighting the Russian invasion, has been translated into about 10 languages in just one week, Ukraine's Ministry of foreign affairs said on Thursday. The poem was written by the soldier as an answer to his daughters' letters, it added. The English translation of the poem was shared by the Ministry on its Twitter handle.
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China’s foreign minister starts Pacific tour in the Solomons
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Thursday arrived in the Solomon Islands at the start of an eight-nation tour amid concerns about Beijing's rapidly expanding military and economic ambitions in the in the South Pacific region. Wang, who is also state councillor,will also visit Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, as well as Timor-Leste.
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Hwasong-17 ICBM, hypersonic missiles in North Korea's arsenal: Details here
In its firing, North Korea on Wednesday launched three missiles, including its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Hwasong-17, prompting the United States to call for a vote on Thursday on a UN resolution that would impose tougher sanctions against it. The launch of multiple types of missiles came amid the country's first confirmed Covid-19 outbreak, which UN agencies said might bring a devastating crisis for its 25 million people.
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War in Ukraine may trigger global recession, says World Bank chief: Report
Russia's war on Ukraine could trigger a global recession because of the impact on food, energy and fertiliser prices, with developing nations among the worst affected World Bank president David Malpass said Wednesday. He said that while Ukraine and Russia were expected to see significant contractions, Europe, and the United States were seeing slower growth. On China he said the relatively sharp slowdown was due to the pandemic, inflation and a pre-existing real estate crisis.
