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Some schools hold back from reopening amid biggest rise in cases in 53 days, with authorities struggling to identify transmission routes Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage South Korea has reported its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases in 53 days, triggering warnings it may have to revert to stricter social distancing measures after appearing to have brought the outbreak under control . The Korean Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 79 new infections on Thursday with 67 of them from the Seoul metropolitan area, home to about half of the country’s population of 51 million. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2X6099Y

Move would pave the way for anti-sedition laws, which human rights advocates say will threaten the city’s freedoms China’s legislature was set to approve plans to force a controversial national security law on Hong Kong, as the US prepared to retaliate against Beijing for stripping the territory of its promised freedoms. On Thursday, China’s National People’s Congress was preparing to vote on a draft decision that would pave the way for anti-sedition laws to be directly enacted in Hong Kong, bypassing the semi-autonomous territory’s legislature. The Legislative Council (LegCo) has been unable to pass similar legislation on its own because of widespread public opposition. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2M7s9DY

Circle Medical (YC S15) is hiring an iOS engineer in Montreal by jboula | on Hacker News .

Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis absent from programme after criticism of PM’s aide, as Britons told to do their ‘duty’ on test-and-trace Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The fallout from Dominic Cummings trip to Durham continues to be splashed across the front pages, including the news that senior ministers are breaking ranks over the beleaguered advisor’s trip. The Guardian says “Tories defy PM to pile pressure on Cummings” , including 61 MPs who are refusing to heed Boris Johnson’s calls to “move on”. It says two of those condemning Cummings are government whips, in addition to Penny Mordaunt, now the paymaster general, who said there were “inconsistencies” in Cummings’ account of the trip. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/36CGhyv

Exclusive: Australian researchers query origin of data used for Lancet study, but stress there is no evidence drug is a safe or effective treatment • Sign up for Guardian Australia’s daily coronavirus email • Download the free Guardian app to get the most important news notifications Questions have been raised by Australian infectious disease researchers about a study published in the Lancet which prompted the World Health Organization to halt global trials of the drug hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19. The study published on Friday found Covid-19 patients who received the malaria drug were dying at higher rates and experiencing more heart-related complications than other virus patients. The large observational study analysed data from nearly 15,000 patients with Covid-19 who received the drug alone or in combination with antibiotics, comparing this data with 81,000 controls who did not receive the drug. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Xb07Oe

Punishment of Sodelpa party for factional infighting leaves parliament with just three opposition members on the eve of a major budget debate The political situation in Fiji, yet to fully recover from the effects of the 2006 coup, is in a tailspin once again following the suspension of the main opposition party this week. The suspension of the Social Democratic Liberal party (Sodelpa) by Fiji’s Registrar of Political Parties on Tuesday leaves parliament with just three opposition members (from the much smaller National Federation party) on the eve of a major national budget debate. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3daj0pR

US will end special trade relations with Hong Kong, which could seriously impact the territory’s economy The US has announced it will no longer treat Hong Kong as autonomous for trade and economic purposes, as China prepares to impose a new security law that would drastically limit civil liberties in the territory. The US decision could have a serious impact on the Hong Kong economy, which has been used by Beijing as a portal for dealings with the outside world – particularly if its financial sector is hit by sanctions as a result of the move. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2B5H7YF