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A surge of coronavirus cases across Cuba prompted authorities to re-impose some restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus, including closing beaches, restaurants, bars and restricting travel across the island and prohibiting international flights.  Cuba confirmed the majority of the 93 new cases are in the capital, Havana.The jump in COVID-19 cases represents the highest daily total since the pandemic was first detected on the island in March. Cuba’s newest restrictions come after the government had begun relaxing restrictions because the cases of the coronavirus had leveled off. Authorities say the latest restrictions will not impact grocery stores or government services. Cuba has confirmed more than 3,000 cases of COVID-19, and at least 88 deaths. 
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Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley is predicting a victory for his ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) party in Monday’s general election. Rowley hopes to extend his five-year tenure as prime minister.  His party held a slight lead over the opposition United National Congress (UNC) ahead of the vote. Voters will also elect the 41 members of the House of Representatives with the winning party’s leader becoming prime minister. Voters from the twin-republic said corruption and the coronavirus pandemic were major issues of concern. Rowley said, he could close bars and restaurants to curtail the spread of the coronavirus, but he will not re-impose lockdown measures in the ethnically diverse country. Politics in Trinidad and Tobago is largely divided along ethnic lines, with supporters of African descent aligned with the PNM and the UNC is a favorite among people of an Indian background. 
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Lebanon’s government has resigned after last week’s devastating explosion in Beirut — and reports of negligence by the country’s officials — unleashed a wave of public anger that added to months of unrest in the country. The resignation of the country’s prime minister and his Cabinet come as many Lebanese fear that hundreds of millions of dollars in international aid could end up in the  pockets of the same politicians whom they hold responsible for the catastrophe. Anchal Vohra in Beirut has this report.
Camera: Tilo Gummel, Agency, WhatsApp/Twitter 
 
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The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a measure to block U.S. citizens and permanent residents from returning home if they are suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Reuters.The official said a draft regulation, which has not been finalized and could change, would give the government authorization to block individuals who could “reasonably” be believed to have contracted COVID-19 or other diseases.Trump has instituted a series of sweeping immigration restrictions since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, suspending some legal immigration and allowing U.S. border authorities to rapidly deport migrants caught at the border without standard legal processes.Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s immigrants’ rights project, said in a written statement that barring U.S. citizens from entering the country would be unconstitutional and “another grave error in a year that has already seen far too many.”Reuters reported in May that U.S. government officials were concerned that dual U.S.-Mexico citizens might flee to the United States if the coronavirus outbreak in Mexico worsened, putting more stress on U.S. hospitals.The draft regulation, which was first reported by The New York Times on Monday, would be issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has played a lead role in the pandemic response, the senior official told Reuters.A Trump pandemic task force was not expected to act on the proposal this week, although that timeline could change, the official said.The United States leads the world in both confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths, with more than 5 million cases recorded and over 162,000 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.The CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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At least six people were injured and one killed in a natural gas explosion that destroyed three Baltimore houses, firefighters and the local media said Monday.“We are closely monitoring the situation in northwest Baltimore following this morning’s horrific explosion,” said Gov. Larry Hogan. “We have reached out to offer our full support to the ongoing response and recovery efforts and are deeply grateful to the first responders on the scene.”We are closely monitoring the situation in northwest Baltimore following this morning’s horrific explosion. We have reached out to offer our full support to the ongoing response and recovery efforts, and are deeply grateful to the first responders on the scene.
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) August 10, 2020The explosion occurred just before 10 a.m. Six people were taken to hospitals in serious condition, Baltimore Fire Department chief Roman Clark told The Baltimore Sun. One woman was pronounced dead at the scene.Update: Six people have been taken to hospitals in serious condition and one woman has been pronounced dead following the gas explosion in NW Baltimore, per @BaltimoreFire Chief Roman Clark.
— Colin Campbell ☀️ (@cmcampbell6) August 10, 2020At one point, about 200 responders from three fire departments were at the scene of the explosion, tweeted the Baltimore Firefighters IAFF Local 734, which described the explosion and fire as “a major 3-alarm incident.”The Maryland State Fire Marshal said its bomb squad was on the scene. UPDATE – @MarylandOSFM & @ATFBaltimore are continuing to assist @BCFDL734@ChiefNilesRFord with the house explosion in the 6500 bl of Labyrinth. Investigators are staging & beginning their initial investigation. 1 person has died & 5 others are reported injured. pic.twitter.com/G9BTr8x0dl
— Maryland State Fire Marshal (@MarylandOSFM) August 10, 2020The Baltimore Fire Department said it was still investigating the cause of the explosion, but the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) said its crews were working to turn off gas to nearby buildings.“Once the gas is off, we can begin to safely assess the situation, including inspections of BGE equipment,” said the company. Gas explosions are becoming increasingly common in Maryland, The Baltimore Sun reported. One natural gas explosion in August 2019 destroyed part of a shopping center in Columbia, Maryland.Founded in 1816, BGE is the oldest gas provider in the United States. Nearly two dozen gas leaks are discovered every day on average, according to data BGE reports to the federal government.Leslie Bonilla contributed to this story.
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Somali security forces have shot dead four armed inmates after a fierce gun battle in Mogadishu’s central prison, security officials told VOA Somali. Three prison guards were also killed in Monday’s incident, officials confirmed.The inmates, all members of Islamist militant group al-Shabab, had obtained three pistols and six hand grenades smuggled into the prison, a senior security official told VOA. The inmates attacked guards, sparking the confrontation.Two other inmates suspected of involvement were wounded and apprehended, according to officials. One inmate is believed to have escaped the facility.Officials said they believe the escapee killed the driver of a rickshaw and another civilian outside the prison.The gunfire started in the section where inmates serving a life sentence are held, according to the official.The security official said it is believed the weapons were hidden in food and other items smuggled into the prison when inmates receive visits twice a week.An inmate held in a different part of the prison who was interviewed by a local radio said the shooting started during change of shift by the guards.The central prison is located next to Mogadishu’s seaport and is heavily guarded. Dozens of al-Shabab inmates are held at the facility, including some who are on death row. 
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The World Health Organization says leaders who take tough action and persuade their citizens to embrace new and difficult measures to control the spread of the coronavirus will succeed in crushing this deadly disease.  
 
The assessment comes as health officials are bracing for another grim landmark this week as the number of global COVID-19 cases is expected to reach 20 million, including 750,000 deaths. Despite the sobering news, the WHO’s director-general sees what he calls green shoots of hope.
 
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says a number of countries in different regions of the world were able to suppress the virus early on.FILE – WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a session of the WHO Executive Board held virtually by video-conference, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, May 22, 2020, in this image provided by the World Health Organization in Geneva.“New Zealand is seen as a global exemplar.  And, over the weekend, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern celebrated 100 days with no community transmission, while stressing the need to remain cautious. Rwanda’s progress is due to a similar combination of strong leadership, universal health coverage, well supported health workers and clear public health communications,” he said.   
    
Tedros said countries that have invested in rapid case identification, comprehensive contact tracing and adequate clinical care for patients have succeeded in breaking the chains of transmission. He said those that have suppressed the virus effectively can safely open up their societies.
    
“Invest in the basics of public health and we can save both lives and livelihoods. In the countries that have done this successfully, they are using a risk-based approach to reopen segments of societies, including schools.  And, as they do so, they must remain vigilant for potential clusters of the virus,” he said.   
 
Tedros said everyone wants to see children go back to the classroom. However, he warned against re-opening schools hastily, without assurances that children, staff and faculty will be safe.   
 
Until effective treatment and safe, effective vaccines are available, the WHO chief said the best way countries can protect their people from COVID-19 is to implement basic health measures. These include social distancing, wearing masks, and practicing good hygiene.  
 
He added that countries that succeed in suppressing the virus, can gradually and safely get their economies moving again.
 
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Global markets are mostly higher Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at extending coronavirus relief payments for many Americans. In Asia, Sydney’s S&P/ASX index gained 1.6%.  Shanghai’s Composite index finished 0.7% higher. Seoul’s KOSPI index earned 1.4%, and the TSEC index in Taipei rose 0.5%.   In late afternoon trading, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was off 0.6%, while the Sensex in Mumbai was up 0.7%.   The Nikkei in Tokyo was closed for a public holiday. European markets are off to a good start, with the FTSE index in London up 0.8%, the CAC-40 in Paris is 0.6% higher, and the DAX index in Frankfurt gaining 0.2%  In commodities trading, gold continues its record-setting pace, selling at $2,022.80 per ounce, up 0.6%.  U.S. crude oil is trading at $41.82 per barrel, up 1.4%, and Brent crude oil is up one percent, trading at $44.88 per barrel. The Dow Jones and S&P 500 are trending positively in futures trading, while the Nasdaq has dipped slightly into negative territory. 
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Nineteen Afghan civilians were killed in multiple roadside mine blasts in Kabul and Kandahar Sunday.  Two of the blasts occurred in Arghistan district of Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan.  In the first incident, a Toyota pickup carrying civilians hit a roadside mine near Shana Nari village killing nine and wounding two more Sunday afternoon, according to a spokesman for Kandahar provincial police, Jamal Barakzai. The second incident occurred near Tajaw village when a van hit a mine, killing eight Sunday night.  Meanwhile in Kabul, two civilians including a woman were killed while security personnel were trying to depose of a roadside landmine.      The civilian casualties happened on a day when Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced he would release the remaining 400 Taliban prisoners—removing the last remaining hurdle to the start of direct negotiations with the militant group. Reducing civilian casualties and working toward a ceasefire is expected to be the highest priority of the Afghan team—an amalgamation of government representatives, other political factions, and civil society activists—when it meets the Taliban in Doha in the coming days. The two sides are supposed to negotiate a political settlement that ends four decades of conflict in Afghanistan.Afghan municipality workers clean a road in front of the damaged buildings, a day after an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, May 9, 2019.“In the next few days, we expect the completion of prisoner releases, then travel of the Islamic Republic team to Doha, and from there the immediate start of intra-Afghan negotiations,” Tweeted Zalmay Khalilzad, the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, early Monday morning.    Khalilzad, who headed the U.S. negotiations with the Taliban, had been proposing to start the intra-Afghan negotiations urgently. However, parts of the U.S. deal with the Taliban—particularly the promise to release up to 5000 Taliban prisoners as a pre-requisite to start direct negotiations with the Afghan government—irked Ghani, who felt this took leverage away from him.  Ghani’s government had since been dragging its feet on the prisoner release issue, trying to link it to the announcement of a ceasefire by the Taliban. Not only was this demand repeatedly rejected by the group, according to the Ghani administration, it ratcheted up its attacks against the Afghan security forces. In a video address to a regional conference last month, Ghani said Taliban had killed or wounded more than 10,000 members of Afghan security forces in the months since the U.S.-Taliban deal in February.    The mood of the general public in Afghanistan seemed to be overwhelmingly upbeat about the start of talks. Although, there was some criticism in social media posts, particularly from human rights and women’s rights groups, over releasing the 400 hardcore Taliban. There was some concern that the team finalized to represent the Afghan government and other Afghan factions was not representative.  “The Kabul team is not qualified I feel. They are children of political big wigs. It seems like the same old sharing of the pie. Public opinion is not wholly reflected,” said Mushtaq Rahim, a Kabul based independent political analyst. He added however that at the time all everyone wanted was for intra-Afghan negotiations to start.    
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