52 dead in Iraq hospital fire
Al Hawza quotes health officials in southern Iraq saying at least 52 people have been killed and 22 others injured in a fire in a hospital treating coronavirus patients. Angry relatives of patients had protested outside the hospital. A spokesman said the victims died of burns at the hospital in Nassiriya. The hosiptal director has been detained for questioning.
UNESCO, UNICEF against school closures
The United Nations agencies, UNESCO and UNICEF have sounded the alarm over the closure of schools linked to COVID-19, which still affects “more than 156 million students in 19 countries”. The New York Times says they warned of a “generational catastrophe” if the education of millions of children continues to be interrupted “schools should be the last to close and the first to reopen”.
COVID exacerbates number of hungry people
Meanwhile, another United Nations report published today points out that the COVID pandemic has caused an estimated 18% increase in the number of hungry people in the world – the largest in decades. The report said this was causing a massive setback in efforts to ensure access to food for all.
35,000 new COVID cases in the UK
Metro says there have been 34,471 new COVID cases in the UK – the third highest peak since mid-January, now fed in 99% of the island by the Delta variant imported from India. This was confirmedon the sidelines of a briefing by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the end of the residual restrictions imposed by law in the country starting from 19 July. However, there was a renewed appeal to “caution” and individual responsibility in the face of a threat, that of the pandemic, “is not yet behind us”.
24 killed when bus falls 150m into a revine
Bolivia’s Los Tiempos reports at least 24 people were killed and a dozen injured when a bus fell some 150 metres into a ravine. The bus was transporting passengers to Sucre from Patolo, 50 km away. Bus accidents are frequent in Bolivia, the main means of transport for long distances. On 3 March another bus crashed into a ravine causing 21 deaths on a road between Santa Cruz and Cochabamba.
Cuban protests planned on social media platforms
Cuba’s government has said the mass street protests that took the country by surprise on Sunday had been planned for months on social media platforms. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez told Grandma,opposition groups had received funding from the United States. The Miami Herald cites the Inventariowebsite, which monitors the situation in the country, the protests affected at least 25 cities. People on the street asked for freedom, medicines, COVID vaccines and “an end to hunger”. The BBC says dozens of people had been arrested. US Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned Cuba against any use of violence to crack down on protesters. Moscow has issued a warning against any “external interference” and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has also urged to reject “any interventionist temptation”, also offering to send aid to Havana.
Jack Grealish ‘threw Gareth Southgate under the bus’
Euro 2020: The Daily Express says England star Jack Grealish has angrily tweeted his thoughts on the penalty controversy, which has led some to say he has ‘thrown Southgate under the bus’. Grealish claims he wanted to take the penalty that eventually fell on 19-year-old Bukayo Saka’s shoulders. Saka missed from the spot kick, which led many to question why so much pressure was put on the youngster’s shoulders. And Roy Keane said: “If you’re Sterling or Grealish, you cannot sit there and have a young kid go up for a penalty ahead of you.” This seemingly didn’t sit well with Grealish, who tweeted out in anger: “I said I wanted to take one!!!! The gaffer has made so many right decisions through this tournament and he did tonight! But I won’t have people say that I didn’t want to take a peno when I said I will…”
