China reports 22 new coronavirus cases, including 16 in Xinjiang

SHANGHAI (REUTERS) – China reported 22 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for July 17, up from 10 cases a day earlier, the health authority said on Saturday (July 18).

Of the new infections, 16 were in far western region of Xinjiang, according to a statement by the National Health Commission. The other six were imported cases.

China reported 14 new asymptomatic patients, up from five a day earlier.

As of Friday, mainland China had 83,644 confirmed coronavirus cases, the health authority said.

The Covid-19 death toll remained at 4,634.

John Lewis, Civil Rights Icon and Longtime Congressman, Dies at 80

Most recently, the congressman spoke out about his views on activism, racial injustice and police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

"You say to yourself, 'How many more? How long? How long?' " Lewis told New York Magazine.

He continued, "We must never ever give up, or give in, or throw in the towel. We must continue to press on! And be prepared to do what we can to help educate people, to motivate people, to inspire people to stay engaged, to stay involved, and to not lose their sense of hope."

"We must continue to say we’re one people," Lewis said. "We’re one family. We all live in the same house."

Lewis is survived by his only son, John Miles.

Lebanon Economy Minister Confident of International Bailout: Sky

Lebanon’s economy minister said the country’s economic crisis has turned it into a “failed state” but is confident an international bailout would be agreed upon soon, Sky News reported.

The government is doing “everything that is needed to get out of this crisis,” Raoul Nehme was cited as saying in an interview with Sky News. The country is a failed state in the context that “everything has collapsed basically,” he said.

Lebanon’s economic unraveling is beginning to slip out of control as its currency declined, threatening to drag the nation into a hyperinflation spiral. Food prices are rising so fast the army recently took meat off its menu, and blackouts are spreading as fuel runs out.

Nehme said the chances of an International Monetary Fund bailout were certain, and that no one would invest in the country without a framework in place through the IMF. Lebanon has been in talks with the IMF for months without an agreement, and there is a lack of consensus within the government on the bailout mechanism or size of the deficit, according to Sky.

John Lewis, Civil Rights Icon And Georgia Congressman, Dies

John Lewis, the civil rights icon and longtime Georgia congressman, died on Friday. He was 80.

“@RepJohnLewis was a titan of the civil rights movement whose goodness, faith and bravery transformed our nation. Every day of his life was dedicated to bringing freedom and justice to all,” wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

He was one of the original Freedom Riders, who trekked across the South in a bus ride to desegregate public transportation and accommodation and, along with a dozen others, were met by angry mobs. He was assaulted a number of times, including a beating in a Greyhound bus station in Montgomery where he was hit in the head and knocked unconscious.

Lewis announced in late December that he was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.

Nantes Cathedral fire: Firefighters rush to devastating blaze engulfing French church

More to follow…

Fire breaks out at Nantes cathedral in western France

PARIS (Reuters) – Firemen were battling a fire that broke out early on Saturday morning inside the cathedral in the western French city of Nantes, the local fire service said on Twitter.

TV images showed smoke coming out of the 15th century structure. The blaze comes a just over a year after a major fire at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, which destroyed its main spire.

Firefighters Battle Blaze in Cathedral in Nantes

Nantes, France (AP) — A fire broke out Saturday in the Gothic cathedral of the western French city of Nantes, shattering stained glass windows and sending black smoke spewing from between its towers as firefighters fight the blaze.

Residents and tourists watched aghast, and emergency workers cordoned off the area around the St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral, in the historical center of this city on the Loire River. The local firefighter service warned people to avoid the area while efforts to extinguish the blaze are under way.

A City Hall official says the fire broke out Saturday morning inside the cathedral, and the cause is unclear. The official is not authorized to be publicly named.

The fire broke the main stained glass windows between the two towers of the 15th century cathedral, which also suffered a serious fire in 1972.

The fire is bringing back memories of the devastating blaze in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris last year that destroyed its roof and collapsed its spire and threatened to topple the medieval monument.