As Texas struggles to contain the spread of COVID-19, the state reported a record high in deaths related to the virus and hospitalizations continued to rise Thursday.

The state reported 9,782 new cases and 105 deaths, setting a new single-day record, according to Texas Department of State Health Services data. The most cases the state has had in…[Read more]

The British government unveiled a raft of measures Wednesday it hopes will limit an anticipated spike in unemployment as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Most noteworthy were a new bonus plan aimed at getting firms to retain workers that have been idle for months, as well as tax cuts for hard-pressed firms in the tourism and hospitality…[Read more]

Global coronavirus cases exceeded 12 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as evidence mounts of the airborne spread of the disease that has killed more than half a million people in seven months.

The number of cases is triple that of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organization.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issued an executive order Wednesday requiring people to wear face masks outdoors when they can’t socially distance, in addition to the existing rules for indoor masks.

Certain exceptions apply: Kids under 2 don’t have to wear them. Face coverings aren’t required for people eating or drinking at an outdoor dining…[Read more]

July 7, 1981 – In History
First female Supreme Court justice nominee announced
President Ronald Reagan fulfills a campaign promise and announces the nomination of Arizona judge Sandra Day O’Connor for a position on the US Supreme Court. O’Connor will be confirmed by the Senate, becoming the first woman on the Court, and will serve for 25 years.

July 7, 1928 – In History
Best thing ever, as sliced bread is sold for first time
Missouri’s Chillicothe Baking Company offers up packages of ‘Kleen Maid Sliced Bread,’ thanks to Otto Rohwedder’s invention, a machine that cuts loaves of bread into uniform slices. Hailed as a great advance, sliced bread will be banned for a time in 1943 as a…[Read more]

Brad Pitt and David Leitch are old pals. Before carving out a name for himself on John Wick, Leitch took bumps as Pitt’s stunt double on films like Ocean’s 11 and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and eventually convinced Pitt to pay him back for all those bruises with a cameo in Deadpool 2. Now, the pair are teaming up in earnest for an action-thriller cal…[Read more]

William Bradley Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He has received multiple awards, including two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award for his acting, in addition to another Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award as producer under his production company, Plan B Entertainment.

It’s an end of an era for Days of Our Lives. Kristian Alfonso, one of the daytime drama’s most recognizable and longest-tenured stars, is leaving the NBC series, which she first joined in 1983.

“I feel blessed and honored to have been invited into people’s homes for over three decades. However, it is now time for me to write my next chapter…[Read more]

Sebastián Athié, star of Disney Channel Latin America’s “O11CE,” has died at the age of 24.

His cause of death is not clear at this time.

The news of Athié’s passing was confirmed by Disney Channel Latin America on Instagram on Saturday.

Nick Cordero, a Tony Award-nominated actor who starred in such Broadway hits as “Rock of Ages,” “Waitress” and “A Bronx Tale: A Musical,” has died due to complications from coronavirus. He was 41.

Japan’s professional baseball and soccer leagues will begin allowing fans this week, the heads of both leagues said on Monday.

Soccer and baseball officials said the first day with fans will be Friday. The maximum number will be 5,000 or 50% of the stadium capacity — whichever is smaller.

Officials said they plan to allow stadiums to be filled…[Read more]

The border between Australia’s two most populous states will close from Tuesday for an indefinite period as authorities scramble to contain an outbreak of the coronavirus in the city of Melbourne.

The decision announced on Monday marks the first time the border between Victoria and New South Wales has been shut in 100 years. Officials last…[Read more]

Chinese officials have reported eight new confirmed COVID-19 cases as a recent outbreak in Beijing appears to have largely run its course.

China’s capital had two new cases, the seventh straight day of single-digit increase. Authorities have confirmed 334 infections during the city’s outbreak, which was detected about three weeks ago and is the…[Read more]

South Korea has recorded 60-plus COVID-19 cases for a third consecutive day, a continuation of a virus spread beyond the greater Seoul area.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday it has confirmed 61 additional cases, bringing the national total to 13,091. It says the death toll remained at 283.

The agency says 43 of…[Read more]

The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the southern bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare complex, which includes…[Read more]

The 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Ireland on 29 February 2020. This was announced by Tony Holohan the Chief Medical Officer for the Irish Department of Health. Response to the pandemic has included cancellation of St Patrick’s Day parades and all festivals. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also announced the closure of all…[Read more]

July 5, 1946 – In History

A two-piece swimsuit makes an explosive debut in Paris
Louis Réard’s abbreviated two-piece swimwear design debuts in a fashion show held at Paris’ Molitor Pool. Réard names his creation, cut from 30 square inches of fabric, after the recent nuclear bomb tests on Bikini Atoll, explaining, “like the bomb, the bikini is s…[Read more]

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned, with Earth between the other two. A lunar eclipse can occur only on the night of a full moon. The type and length of a lunar eclipse depend on the Moon’s proximity to either node of its orbit.

G4 EA H1N1 is an influenza virus discovered in China, with evidence of initial infection having been found in people who work in abattoirs and the swine industry. A reassortment of an avian virus and two strains of H1N1, it is related to A/H1N1pdm09, the virus responsible for the 2009 swine flu pandemic. It mainly affects pigs, but two cases have…[Read more]