World News

                        Social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal in England from Monday - with some exemptions - amid a steep rise in coronavirus cases . A new legal limit will ban larger groups meeting anywhere socially indoors or outdoors, No 10 said.But it will not apply to schools, workplaces or Covid-secure weddings, funerals and organised team sports.It will be enforced through a £100 fine if people fail to comply with police, doubling up to a maximum of £3,200.Several exemptions apply to the new rules - which come into force on 14 September - with households and support bubbles bigger than six people unaffected.A full list of exemptions will be published by the government later.Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to deliver further details at a Downing Street news conference on Wednesday. §   What are the new rules for meeting my friends? §   Laura Kuenssberg: The government's warning system is flashing red §   UK coronavirus cases up by 2,420 -

                                  following the death of a black man who was hooded and restrained during The leadership of a New York police force has stepped down an arrest. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren told a city council meeting that the chief of police and deputy chief had announced their retirement.A grand jury will help determine whether charges should be brought over Daniel Prude's death in March. Seven police officers involved in his arrest  have been suspended . Mr Prude, 41, was said to be suffering from acute mental health problems when police were called. Officers found him running naked in the street in light snowfall and restrained him with a spit hood, which is designed to protect police from detainees' saliva.  

                    Police in Belarus have arrested at least 100 people in the capital Minsk and other towns as protests against President Alexander Lukashenko were held for a fourth weekend in a row .   In Minsk, they charged demonstrators near the presidential palace, firing pepper spray and wielding batons.Tens of thousands of people defied heavy security and rallied in the city.They want the long-time president to resign after his re-election last month amid allegations of ballot-rigging.Mass unrest since then has seen at least four people killed and hundreds injured as the government tries to stamp out dissent.A number of opposition figures have fled the country. On Saturday, activist Olga Kovalkova became the latest to say she had taken refuge in neighbouring Poland amid threats of imprisonment

                       A strict lockdown in the Australian city of Melbourne has been extended by two weeks, with officials saying new Covid-19 cases had not dropped enough .   Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews said the restrictions would be in place until 28 September, with a slight relaxation.A gradual easing of the measures will be implemented from October.The state has been the epicentre of the country's second wave, accounting for 90% of Australia's 753 deaths.Australia has recorded a total of 26,000 cases in a population of 25 million.The greater Melbourne area entered a second lockdown on 9 July after a rise in cases.A 5km (3 mile) travel limit and night time curfew was imposed while shops and businesses were closed.The current stage four lockdown was originally set to end on 13 September.   What are the new changes?   Melbourne's curfew will be expanded from 21:00 to 05:00. Single people will be allowed to form a bubble and visit each other, and the curren

                Tens of thousands of people have rallied in the Belarusian capital Minsk for a new unsanctioned protest against President Alexander Lukashenko .   Riot police charged protesters near the presidential palace, firing pepper spray and wielding batons, and several dozen arrests were made.Protesters are seeking the resignation of the long-time president.They accuse the authorities of rigging his re-election just over a month ago, sparking deadly mass unrest.At least four people have died and hundreds have been injured since then, as the government tried to stamp out dissent.A number of opposition figures have fled the country, On Saturday, activist Olga Kovalkova became the latest to say she had taken refuge in neighboring Poland amid threats of imprisonment.  

                      Jessica Krug, an associate professor whose work focuses on Africa and the African diaspora, admitted in a blog post that she was in fact a white Jewish woman from Kansas City. The post read:I have built my life on a violent anti-black lie. Her colleagues said they were shocked and appalled" by her admission. In a Medium post published on Thursday,   Ms.Krug said she had falsely assumed identities that I had no right to claim: first North African Blackness, then US rooted Blackness, then Caribbean rooted Bronx Blackness. In a statement, George Washington University   said Ms Krug would not teach classes   and acknowledged "many students, faculty, staff and alumni are hurting. It said it was reviewing the case. Her employment status at the university is unknown. Ms. Krug has not commented.

                         Mr Andrews condemned the event - "It is not safe, it is not smart, it is not lawful. In fact, it is absolutely selfish for people to be out there protesting," he told reporters. There were smaller rallies elsewhere, including two in Sydney and one in Byron Bay that turned violent, according to local media. Police made 14 arrests, including three people suspected of assaulting police officers. The protests were largely driven by fringe online groups promoting virus-related and anti-vaccination conspiracy theories. Police had earlier drawn criticism for the arrest of a pregnant woman for promoting the protest online. On Friday officers broke into the home of a former bodybuilder and conspiracy theorist who had also been calling for people to join the event.

                 US President Donald Trump is facing a backlash over reports he mocked American soldiers killed in action as losers and suckers.   The alleged remarks were first reported in the Atlantic magazine , and some details were corroborated by the Associated Press and Fox News.But the president and his allies have denied he made the remarks.Veterans' groups were among those who attacked the president over the reports. Progressive group VoteVets  posted a video of families whose children were killed in action.  "You don't know what it is to sacrifice," says one. Paul Rieckhoff of the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America,  tweeted : Who is really surprised by thisAnalysts say the comments could prove damaging with the president needing support from military voters as he bids for re-election. What is Trump reported to have said? According to The Atlantic, Mr Trump cancelled a visit to a US cemetery outside Paris in 2018 because he said it was &

                A blue whale has been spotted off the coast of Sydney in Australia for possibly only the third time in almost 100 years, wildlife authorities say. The whale was seen last month in waters near the beachside suburb of Maroubra in New South Wales.The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) confirmed the extremely rare sighting on Friday.Blue whales  the largest animals on Earth - are rarely seen so close to the shore, it said.The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet yet despite its size it could have easily slipped by Sydney's coast unnoticed,  Andrew Marshall of the NPWS said in a news release .Mr Marshall said the sea creature may have been more than 25m (82ft) in length and weighed more than 100 tonnes (100,000kg).Yet despite their size, blue whales are largely 'invisible even to the most avid whale watchers, Mr Marshall said.They are not often seen because they tend to live very far out to sea, their populations are widely dispersed and we have