World news in brief
Hong Kong newspaper ‘fights on’ after founder arrested
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper has vowed to “fight on” after the arrest of owner Jimmy Lai under the new national security law. Copies of yesterday’s edition of the newspaper flew off the shelves as Hong Kong citizens queued from the early hours to read about the most high-profile arrest yet made since the introduction of the controversial legislation.
The tabloid printed more than five times the number of papers as usual, putting out 550,000 copies in anticipation of public interest in the arrest, which was deemed a breach of press freedom in an editorial statement published in the edition decrying the previous day’s events. Around 200 police officers descended on the Apple Daily newsroom early on Monday, arresting Lai and several other executives.
Greece imposes bar and restaurant curfew
Bars and restaurants in Greece’s tourist hotspots are being ordered to shut early after a recent spike in coronvirus cases. The curfew will force establishments to close from midnight to 7am in popular
destinations including Corfu, Rhodes and Crete, government spokesperson Aristotelia Peloni announced on Monday.
From 17 August, passengers flying to Greece from Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden will all need to provide a negative Covid test result, obtained up to 72 hours prior, to authorities upon arrival. The same goes for all passengers entering across land from bordering countries.
Global Covid-19 cases hit 20 million
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide has risen to more than 20 million, with more than half of them coming from just three countries – the US, India and Brazil.bAlthough countries in Europe and Asia have had success with containing Covid-19 in recent months, the pandemic is accelerating in other parts of the world where governments have been less willing to impose strict social distancing restrictions.
It took six months to reach 10 million cases after the virus first appeared in central China late last year, but just over six weeks for that number to double. Health officials have suggested the actual number of people infected with the virus is much higher than the confirmed tally, due to testing limitations and asymptomatic cases – which could be as many as 40 per cent of all infections.
BP worker fired after sharing Hitler meme wins payout
A BP worker in Australia who was fired after sharing a version of a popular Hitler meme parodying the company as it sought to negotiate a new wage deal for staff has won a A$200,000 (£110,000) payout following an unfair dismissal case. Scott Tracey shared the meme – from the 2004 film Downfall – in which Hitler rants at generals, but with the English subtitles changed to portray BP’s pay negotiations. Mr Tracey posted the video on a closed Facebook group among colleagues, prompting BP to sack him.
During a two-year legal battle, BP argued the meme was “highly offensive and inappropriate”, and Mr Tracey lost an initial unfair dismissal case in September, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Mr Tracey appealed the decision, saying posting the video of the popular meme format which his wife had edited was clearly meant as a joke, that it didn’t identify BP directly or any specific person. On Monday the court ordered BP to pay Mr Tracey compensation including A$177,324.93 in lost earnings and $24,069.99 in pensions payments.