Australia to reimpose six-week coronavirus lockdown in second largest city as country battles potential second wave
Updated 1106 GMT (1906 HKT) July 7, 2020
Strict lockdown measures are to be reimposed in Australia's second largest city, as authorities scramble to prevent a second wave of coronavirus infections spreading across the country.
Starting from 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, residents in metropolitan Melbourne will no longer be allowed to leave their homes unless it's for grocery shopping, caregiving, exercise or work, Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews announced Tuesday.
The measures, which are expected to remain in place for six weeks, come as the state of Victoria saw another record rise in daily coronavirus cases, with 191 new infections recorded for Tuesday. The state reported its previous high of 127 new cases on Monday.
Hong Kong police given sweeping powers under new security law
Officers able to conduct raids without warrants and secretly monitor suspects
Hong Kong police have been granted sweeping new powers, including the ability to conduct raids without a warrant and secretly monitor suspects, after controversial security laws were imposed on the city by the Chinese central government.
The powers allow for the confiscation of property related to national security offences, and allow senior police to order the takedown of online material they believe breaches the law. The city’s chief executive can grant police permission to intercept communications and conduct covert surveillance. Penalties include HKD$100,000 (£10,300) fines and up to two years in prison.
They also allow police to enter and search premises for evidence without a warrant “under exceptional circumstances”, to restrict people under investigation from leaving Hong Kong, and to demand information from foreign and Taiwanese political organisations and agents on their Hong Kong-related activities.
Herd immunity ‘unachievable’ after only 5% of population exposed to coronavirus, Spanish study finds
Director of health institute says Spaniards ‘can’t relax’ and must protect each otherRory Sullivan
A nationwide antibody study in Spain has found that only 5.2 per cent of the country’s population has been exposed to coronavirus, suggesting that herd immunity could be unachievable.
The findings marked the conclusion of a three-month study into the prevalence of the virus, which involved testing almost 70,000 people across Spain three times in as many months.
The results confirmed initial reports in May that a low percentage of people in Spain had developed antibodies after being infected with Covid-19.
TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp wedged between superpowers
By Eryk Bagshaw and Zoe Samios
The world's largest social media companies have found themselves in the middle of a tit-for-tat escalation over the future of Hong Kong, as Facebook, WhatsApp and Google refuse to disclose information to the Chinese government and the United States threatens to ban Beijing-based TikTok.
TikTok announced it would stop operations in Hong Kong on Tuesday less than an hour after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was looking at banning the Chinese social media app over data and national security concerns.
TikTok, which has 1.6 million Australian users, maintains the decision was due to Hong Kong's new national security laws, which would have compelled it to hand the information of pro-democracy protesters to the Chinese government.
What the police really believe
Inside the distinctive, largely unknown ideology of American policing — and how it justifies racist violence.By
Arthur Rizer is a former police officer and 21-year veteran of the US Army, where he served as a military policeman. Today, he heads the criminal justice program at the R Street Institute, a center-right think tank in DC. And he wants you to know that American policing is even more broken than you think.
“That whole thing about the bad apple? I hate when people say that,” Rizer tells me. “The bad apple rots the barrel. And until we do something about the rotten barrel, it doesn’t matter how many good fucking apples you put in.”
To illustrate the problem, Rizer tells a story about a time he observed a patrol by some officers in Montgomery, Alabama. They were called in to deal with a woman they knew had mental illness; she was flailing around and had cut someone with a broken plant pick. To subdue her, one of the officers body-slammed her against a door. Hard.
Anger over US decision on foreign students' visas
Politicians and academics have criticised a decision to withdraw US visas from foreign students whose courses move fully online.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said people could face deportation unless they changed to an institution with in-person tuition.
A number of US universities are considering online teaching in the new academic year due to coronavirus.
It is not clear how many people will be affected.
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