CORONATION Street bosses have revealed some massive spring spoilers for the show.

Weatherfield will be left reeling in the coming weeks as Simon’s drugs storyline escalates, tragedy strikes and a familiar face returns to the cobbles to cause trouble.

• Visit our Coronation Street page for the latest gossip
• Find all Coronation Street spoilers here

Drug lord Harvey terrorises Simon and Leanne

Drug lord Harvey will arrive on the scene and tangle Leanne Battersby’s son, Simon, in his terrifying drug ring.

Leanne will find herself trapped in Harvey’s world of drugs and despair as she fails to free Simon from the drug lord’s clutches.

The harrowing storyline will come shortly after the passing of Leanne’s youngest son Oliver, who passed away from an incurable form of mitochondrial disease .

Cobbles boss Iain MacLeod has teased the upcoming storyline, revealing that what “starts quite small” turns into a “colossal, thriller-ish, high-octane piece, which “forces Leanne to put her war paint on and go out in defence of her remaining son.”

When things don’t go quite as Harvey planned, the drugs lord enlists the help of a family face who has a history of causing trouble for the residents of the cobbles.

Who will it be?

Tyrone embarks on an affair with Alina

Fans have been convinced there’s an affair on the cards for Tyrone and Alina ever since he kicked her out of the flat after she burst in on him wearing nothing but a towel .

And it seems fans were right as Tyrone will gravitate towards Alina in the coming weeks as he suffers a midlife crisis.

Meanwhile, an oblivious Fiz will try and reignite the passion in their relationship.

In 2018, Tyrone sent shockwaves through Weatherfield when he had a shock romp with Gemma Winter behind Fiz’s back, but the pair managed to overcome Tyrone’s infidelity.

Could another affair be the end of Tyrone and Fiz?

Ronnie Bailey’s secret is revealed

Aggie has been wary of her brother in law Ronnie ever since he burst onto the cobbles, and admitted that she didn’t like the way he always manages to lead Ed astray.

But Corrie bosses have confirmed there’ll be more to Aggie’s dislike of Ronnie than meets the eye , as the newcomer’s huge secret comes exploding out in the coming weeks.

What will it be and could it threaten to destroy Aggie’s family?

Hinting at what’s to come for Ronnie, Corrie boss Iain MacLeod recently teased: “In comes Ronnie with a hand grenade with the pin already out and we are all wondering when he is going to drop it and as you can predict on a show like ours he will drop it when it will do maximum damage.

“It’s an exciting time in the Bailey household.”

Carla and Peter race against the clock

Carla and Peter will be forced to race against time to tie the knot in the coming weeks as Peter’s health worsens.

The alcoholic was recently told his liver is failing after years of battling his addiction.

But Peter refused any treatment and announced he wanted to die on his own terms.

Coronation Street has unveiled teasers for its spring storylines this year, including the arrival of drug lord Harvey, played by Will Mellor.

Harvey will drag Leanne Battersby into his drugs ring as she attempts to free her son Simon from his clutches and repay him, in harrowing scenes as the grieving mum is taken advantage of.

Soap boss Iain MacLeod said the storyline “starts quite small” but turns into a |colossal, thriller-ish, high-octane piece, which “forces Leanne to put her war paint on and go out in defence of her remaining son.”

Tyrone Dobbs is also set to have a steamy affair with Alina Pop, who moved in with him and girlfriend Fiz Stape, before he realised he had feelings for her.

The younger and beautiful Alina burst in on Tyrone wearing just a towel, and Tyrone appears to be suffering from a midlife crisis as he is consumed with thoughts of Alina when a health scare forces him to spend more time at home, with her.

But Fiz is totally unaware and will try to rekindle the flame in their relationship – will she find out the truth, and how will she react?

Spoilers tell fans to expect “catastrophic consequences” of the illicit storyline.

Newcomer Ronnie Bailey has a big secret that is set to be revealed in shocking upcoming scenes, after sister-in-law Aggie is less than impressed he is back.

Ed’s brother has been impressing him and his son Michael, but Aggie has been far from welcoming – but for a “more personal reason” that will become clear in months to come.

What is Ronnie’s big secret, and will it tear the family apart?

Corrie spoilers reveal Ronnie is hiding “the daddy of all secrets” – could this be a teaser for a paternity revelation?

Elsewhere, Carla Connoe and Peter Barlow commit to getting married, but it’s a race against the clock as Peter’s health is rapidly declining.

Will they make it down the aisle to become husband and wife at last?

Coronation Street airs Mondays and Wednesdays 7.30pm and 8.30pm with an hour-long episode at 7.30pm on Fridays on ITV

SINGAPORE: The proportion of Foreign Domestic Workers (FDW) who have been found with infectious diseases or pregnancies have not been high, Deputy Prime Minister and Manpower Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said.

In his written reply to parliament, Mr Tharman said it only averaged about 0.28 per cent of the FDW population each year, over the last 2 years.

MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC Dr Chia Shi-Lu had asked what the percentage of FDWs who have been found to have a notifiable infectious disease or critical health issues in respect to the 6-Monthly Medical Examination (6ME) was.

Mr Tharman explained that the 6ME remains relevant as the repercussions to affected households can be significant.

The government will continue to monitor these figures to safeguard the health and well-being of FDWs, the members of the households they work in, and the public.

FDWs first have to undergo and pass a medical examination within fourteen days after arriving in Singapore, before they are issued with their work permits.

After they begin working in Singapore, they are also required to go for 6-Monthly Medical Examinations (6MEs).

A pregnancy test is also required to curtail problems which may arise if female foreign workers become pregnant and give birth in Singapore.

China’s leaders on Friday set a growth target “above six percent” for 2021, putting it back above pre-pandemic levels, after the virus was largely brought under control at home thanks to strict lockdowns and mass testing.

The goal comes after the world’s number two economy suffered its slowest rate of expansion in four decades because of the strict containment measures and as the disease wiped out global trade.

“In setting this target, we have taken into account the recovery of economic activity,” said Premier Li Keqiang at the opening of the country’s annual legislative session, adding that this dovetails with future goals such as “high-quality development”, innovation and reform.

The freezing of the economy last year raised some doubts about the Communist Party’s ability to deliver on its pledge of continued prosperity in return for unquestioned political power.

But with coronavirus brought under control domestically, analysts say it is set for a strong comeback, with forecasts putting growth at 8-9 percent at least this year, according to Tommy Xie, OCBC Bank’s head of Greater China research.

Beijing usually sets annual economic growth targets that it regularly exceeds, though it did not set a target last year owing to the outbreak.

Leaders did not specify a growth target for its new five-year plan, as is its usual custom, only saying it would be “maintained within a reasonable range”.

The draft of the five-year roadmap was also published Friday.

ALSO READ: WHO scraps plan for interim report on Wuhan virus mission

Authorities are also looking to create more than 11 million new urban jobs — an increase from last year — and keep urban unemployment around 5.5 percent.

Li added authorities will “maintain necessary policy support” and “avoid sharp turns in policy”.

But experts have warned that unemployment is likely to be higher than official figures, given the number of people involved in the informal workforce.

China also set its fiscal deficit target at “around 3.2 percent” of gross domestic product — below last year’s figure but in line with expectations.

Many analysts had predicted global uncertainty would lead China to hold off on a GDP target for a second year, and said the target was deliberately cautious.

“The bar is set too low… (it’s) as if there is no target,” ING chief economist for Greater China Iris Pang told AFP.

This could be because Beijing does not want to slash its growth target next year, when distortions from the pandemic subside, added Nomura chief China economist Lu Ting.

Meanwhile, “as the economy has already made a strong recovery, it will not be necessary to have another major fiscal boost this year”, said UOB economist Ho Woei Chen.

She noted that lowering the fiscal deficit target points to a “normalisation”, bringing it closer to pre-pandemic numbers.

[AFP]

Vanguard News Nigeria

A Black Lives Matter (BLM) supporter who hurled sections of metal fence at fleeing police officers in London has been allowed to walk out of court with a suspended sentence.

Shayden Spencer, 20, admitted violent disorder in the British capital and showed up for his sentencing late, but still escaped with a suspended sentence, small fine, and requirement to perform some upaid work and attend a 15-day rehabilitation course after the judge and even the prosecutor appeared to join the defence in attempting to offer mitigation for him in court.

“The defendant is seen clearly to walk towards the waist-height barrier and throw a piece of barrier that had been broken up. He then returns 55 seconds later and does exactly the same thing,” said Tyrone Silcott for the prosecution, describing footage of his attack — but then went on to say Spencer had “expressed his regret [for] what he described as being in the heat of the moment. He said his actions did not ‘reflect the person I am’.”

“He stated he went to the Black Lives Matters protest as part to raise a voice for racial rights in a peaceful manner. He said he never thought the protest would become violent,” the prosecutor went on, according to a MailOnline court report , adding that “It was the first protest he had ever attended” and that he “expressed serious regrets for his actions”.

Judge Gregory Perrins, too, appeared more than willing to offer excuses for the convict, conceding that Spencer had committed “an extremely serious offence of public disorder” but adding that he had been “swept away with events as they unfolded” and “shown true regret”.

The judge went on to praise Spencer — a teaching assistant — as being “plainly someone who has the potential for a bright future”.

Nelson Statue Vandal Walks Free After Judge Lets Him Off With Conditional Discharge https://t.co/kDBnS77t1X

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 18, 2020

This light-touch approach to justice when it comes to Black Lives Matter supporters is nothing new in Britain, with the authorities having previously let off a demonstrator who clambered on the Cenotaph war memorial and tried to set fire to one of the British flags adorning it with a conditional discharge and small fine, let off someone who v andalised a statue of Admiral Nelson with a similar non-punishment, and let off someone arrested in connection with the destruction of a statue in Bristol with a caution in exchange for attending a meeting “to discuss the future of all statues in the city” — arguably more of a reward than a punishment.

This contrasts sharply with the authorities’ treatment of a pro-statues counter-protester who was pictured urinating beside a small memorial to a fallen police officer, apparently without realising it was there, last year.

This statue defender was arrested, charged, convicted, and imprisoned within a matter of days despite handing himself in at the earliest opportunity.

Delingpole: Priti Patel’s Selective Outrage Is Pandering to the Leftist Mob https://t.co/Dur8kD8Ocx

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 14, 2020

Follow Jack Montgomery on Twitter: @JackBM ontgomery

Follow Breitbart London on Facebook: Breitbart London