Here's What Happened Today: Tuesday

Phase Four postponed, face masks mandatory in shops from Monday and a devastating explosion in Beirut.

NEED TO CATCH up? TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of today’s news.

IRELAND

cabinet 419 Sam Boal via RollingNews.ie Sam Boal via RollingNews.ie

Phase Four has been delayed, meaning pubs that don’t serve food won’t reopen on 10 August, five countries were taken off Ireland’s Green List, and face coverings will be mandatory in shops from Monday
As part of this, restaurants and pubs serving food will have to close at 11pm from Monday, the Taoiseach said
The family of John Hume have said the politician would have “prioritised public health” ahead of his funeral tomorrow, and asked people to stay at home
A toddler is in critical condition in hospital after being discovered in a water feature in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan yesterday
Detectives in Northern Ireland investigating allegations of historical sexual abuse in Co Fermanagh have arrested 10 people
There were 45 new confirmed Covid-19 cases today, and no deaths.

WORLD

massive-explosion-at-beiruts-port A military helicopter tries to put out a fire at the site of a massive explosion in Beirut's port. DPA / PA Images DPA / PA Images / PA Images

#LEBANON: At least 27 people have been killed, and 2,500 people injured in two explosions in Beirut, resulting in a giant mushroom cloud forming over the Lebanese capital.

#TICK-TOCK: US President Donald Trump has given popular Chinese-owned video app TikTok six weeks to sell its US operations to an American company, saying it would be “out of business” otherwise.

#EU: The European Commission has launched an “in-depth investigation” into whether Google’s planned €1.8 billion purchase of Fitbit would give it an unfair market advantage.

#ATOMIC BOMB: It’s 75 years since the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and survivors are still calling for a ban on nuclear weapons.

PARTING SHOT

Almost all interviews with US President Donald Trump are incredible interviews – but this one with HBO’s Axios might stick out as it highlights his incredulity at being told the people of the country he’s in charge of are suffering because of Covid-19.

How the same figures can be used differently – US Covid-19 cases as a percentage of total cases, vs US confirmed cases as a percentage of the US population – is also important.

.@jonathanvswan: “Oh, you’re doing death as a proportion of cases. I’m talking about death as a proportion of population. That’s where the U.S. is really bad. Much worse than South Korea, Germany, etc.”@realdonaldtrump: “You can’t do that.”

Swan: “Why can’t I do that?” pic.twitter.com/MStySfkV39
— Axios (@axios) August 4, 2020

Axios / Twitter

This meme by TG4 (read: CEATHAIR) is also enjoyable.

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