UK drops virus restrictions and other news

Transcript [2 min 21s]:

Good morning. I’ve been reading the newspapers for you. Here are some of the interesting items I’ve found.

1) Social distancing requirements to fight the pandemic have been dropped in one country from today. That country is the United Kingdom. [GIF of people running]

2) In other news, we have a new leader in the race nobody wants to win – the country with the most pandemic cases per capita. And that is…. the United Kingdom. Oh dear. [Graph]

3) Spyware technology developed by Israel’s NSO group targeted journalists and activists around the world, according to many media reports. [Image of news headlines]

Who used it? The Guardian points vague fingers at quote “authoritarian regimes” unquote.

The reports I have seen, except one, leave out an interesting fact. NSO hired a consultant called Beacon to help them choose which clients to select. Beacon’s boss is Jeremy Bash, former chief of staff at the CIA, plus Michael Shapiro from the US State Department, and Michael Allen of the House Intelligence Committee.

Is the Guardian suggesting that the USA is an authoritarian regime? I hope so.

4) China drones have been dropped by the US in favor of homemade ones – which cost more and don’t work as well, the FT reports. Interesting. [Shows FT newspaper front page]

5) A fleet of nine British warships have embarked on a multi-country tour, heading towards East Asia – half of them reportedly are carrying the virus – in the past, British sailors always stopped at the Wan Chai nightclubs in Hong Kong. Er, no thanks, guys.

[Image of Times of London report]

6) In the continuing effort to mislead people about what’s happening in Cuba – we see this picture used to portray anti-government demonstrations. [image]

Then the lady in the picture complained that she was actually a pro-government demonstrator. [image]

Then the lady in the picture puzzlingly disappears from Twitter. [Image]

7) And, let’s end with something funny: this headline in the Washington Post.

[image of headline]

“Civilised nations efforts to deter Russia and china are starting to add up.”

Sometimes, the jokes write themselves.

Goodbye.

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Nury Vittachi reviewed the news, July 19, 2021