UK royal Meghan wins battle to keep friends anonymous in lawsuit against paper

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, won a court battle on Wednesday to keep the names of five of her friends private for the time being as part of her legal action against a British tabloid, PA Media reported.

Meghan, wife of Queen Elizabeth's grandson Prince Harry, is suing Associated Newspapers over articles in its Mail on Sunday paper that included parts of a handwritten letter she had sent to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, in August 2018.

As part of its defense, the paper argues that it had published the letter in response to an article in the U.S. magazine People which was based on anonymous interviews with five of Meghan's friends.

Judge Mark Warby ruled at London's High Court that their names could not be published as part of the her lawsuit in which she says the Mail invaded her privacy and breached her copyright. The anonymity issue is a preliminary matter with the full trial not expected until next year. 

New bridge in Genoa opens to traffic two years after deadly collapse

GENOA, ITALY (AFP) – A new bridge in the Italian coastal city of Genoa opened on Tuesday (Aug 4) to traffic two years after the old one collapsed, killing 43 people.

Just after 2000 GMT (4am on Wednesday, Singapore time), the first vehicles, including those with AFP journalists, crossed the San Giorgio bridge that replaces the one that gave way during heavy rains on Aug 14, 2018.

Young golfers help reel in $33k

Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin holding a mock cheque for $33,203 with (from left) SEA Games champion James Leow, junior development squad golfers Passion Hsu and Cody Ng and national golfer Shannon Tan at the Laguna National Golf and Country Club.

The amount was raised from more than 350 donors at the GolfSG #YNWAbyComChest event yesterday. More than 80 junior golfers pledged to run a total of 203km to raise funds for over 80 social service agencies in Singapore.

U.S. Representative Roger Marshall wins Kansas Republican nomination for Senate seat: New York Times

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Representative Roger Marshall won the Kansas Republican nomination to run for a seat in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, defeating the anti-immigration firebrand Kris Kobach, the New York Times said.

Marshall, 59, was supported by establishment Republicans who feared a polarizing figure like Kobach could lose the seat in the autumn to Democrats, who might also get control of the Senate.

Cyprus says ready to send medical teams to Lebanon

NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cyprus said it stood ready to offer medical aid to neighbouring Lebanon after a massive blast ripped through Beirut port, killing at least 78 people and injuring thousands.

“Cyprus is ready to accept injured persons for treatment and send medical teams if required,” Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides told state broadcaster CyBC.

Tuesday’s explosion was heard throughout Cyprus, which lies about 100 miles (160 kms) away.

Christodoulides said the Cypriot embassy in Beirut, which was closed at the time of the blast, was extensively damaged.

U.S. Representative Clay ousted in Democratic primary by progressive Cori Bush: New York Times

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Long-time U.S. Representative William Lacy Clay was ousted on Tuesday by progressive challenger Cori Bush in the Missouri Democratic primary, the New York Times said.

Bush was endorsed by the Justice Democrats, the same left-wing group that helped launch Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez two years ago. Bush became a community activist after Black man Michael Brown was fatally shot by police in 2014. She and the congressman are both Black.

Indonesia total coronavirus cases at 116,871, still highest in South-east Asia

JAKARTA – Indonesia recorded 1,815 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday (Aug 5), bringing the total number of cases in the South-east Asian country to 116,871, data by the country’s health ministry showed.

There were 64 additional deaths, Reuters reported, taking the overall number of fatalities to 5,452, the data showed.

The Philippines’ total recorded cases – the second highest in the region – stood at 115,980 on Wednesday, with 3,462 new infections, according to local media.

There were nine new fatalities in the Philippines to bring the total to 2,123.

ER Doc Taunts Trump By Preparing A Coronavirus ‘Manual’ Just For Him

President Donald Trump claimed there are coronavirus manuals that warn against too much testing.  

So emergency room physician Dr. Stephen Samples of Jasper, Indiana created a mock “How To ’Rona” manual collecting that and other claims by the president, showing it off on MSNBC on Tuesday night.

Trump made his most recent claim of too much testing in an interview with Jonathan Swan of Axios that aired on HBO on Monday. 

“There are those that say, you can test too much,” Trump said. “Just read the manuals, read the books.”

Swan asked what manuals or books say that, but didn’t get an answer. 

That clearly inspired Samples, who created a “manual” based on things said by Trump and those he has promoted, which is is in the clip above.

France Braces for Coronavirus Resurgence From November

France should prepare for a coronavirus resurgence in November as cooler temperatures prompt people to spend more time indoors, according to the head of the country’s scientific council on the disease.

“There will be more contacts, and it will come back from the southern hemisphere,” Jean-Francois Delfraissy said on RTL radio Wednesday.

Delfraissy urged the country’s 20 largest cities, where there are more interactions at work and in public transport, to do “everything” they can to be prepared.

As doctors have learned to better treat the most serious forms of Covid-19, the disease that has killed more than 30,000 people in France and about 700,000 worldwide, the mortality rate will probably be lower in that “second wave,” Delfraissy said. A vaccine won’t be ready before the first quarter of next year at best, he said.