Poland grants Tsimanouskaya a visa
Belarusian Sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, in Japan for the Olympic Games, took refuge in the Polish embassy in Tokyo on Monday, and has been issued with a humanitarian visa. This follows her refusal on Sunday to board a flight home, telling Reuters: “I will not return to Belarus.” Belarus says she was removed from the team because of her emotional state. Tsimanouskaya is now planning to leave for Poland in the coming days. Her husband has fled to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and he is set to join her in Poland.
UK prepares plans for the third anti-COVID dose
The UK government is preparing a plan for the administration of a third dose of the anti-COVID vaccines that would be reserved, for now, for the “most vulnerable people” – the elderly, the chronically ill, and subjects at risk of respiratory infection. The deputy minister responsible for the vaccination campaign, Nadhim Zahawi, updated a group of deputies on the matter, indicating the goal of guaranteeing a potential availability in the UK of almost 2.5 million additional doses per week to strengthen immunity to those in need, in particular against the threat of current or future variants of the coronavirus. There were 22,000 new cases reported yesterday.
Millions of Chinese under virus lockdown
Millions of people were confined to their homes in China as the country tried to contain its largest coronavirus outbreak in months with mass testing and travel curbs. China on Monday reported 98 new locally transmitted coronavirus cases, as an outbreak of the fast-spreading Delta variant reached over 20 cities and more than a dozen provinces. Local governments in major cities including Beijing have now tested millions of residents, while cordoning off residential compounds and placing close contacts under quarantine.
New UN envoy to Bosnia faces opposition from Serbs
A German diplomat on Monday took office as the top international envoy to Bosnia, facing opposition from the country’s Serbs, who have rejected both his appointment and a ban on genocide denial brought by his predecessor. Christian Schmidt took over from Valentin Inzko, an Austrian diplomat, at a ceremony in the capital, Sarajevo. The Office of High Representative that Schmidt will run was established after Bosnia’s 1992-95 war to oversee peace implementation and promote reconciliation and development.
Italy assures Libya of its support
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio has assured Libya of his country’s support as he met Libyan Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibah, in Tripoli. He told him that “Italy is at your side and we will continue to support you.” Di Maio also met the President of the Presidential Council Mohamed Yunis Al-Menfi, the President of the High Council of State Khaled Al-Meshriì and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Najla Mohammed El-Mangush. Italy has made available 240,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to Libya.
Shock result for USA in Olympic Women’s Football
Canada have pulled off a shock result, winning by an odd goal the Olympic Women’s semi-final thanks to a second-half penalty, after a VAR review 15 minutes from time. They can now look forward to their first-ever Olympics final next Friday, against Australia while the United States will contest the Bronze Medal match for the second successive time against Sweden. Today also sees the Olympic Men’s semi-finals: 10 am Mexico v. Brazil and at 1 pm Japan v. Spain.
Panda loaned to France, gives birth to twins
Huan Huan, a giant panda on loan to France, gave birth to twin cubs very early on Monday, according to the Beauval Zoo. The twins born are Huan Huan and her partner Yuan Zi’s third cubs after the first panda ever born in France, Yuan Meng, in 2017. The zoo said they are perfectly healthy. Panda reproduction, in captivity or in the wild, is notoriously difficult.
