Obligatory Green Pass in Italy – as of today
In Italy, as of today, the Green Pass is required in restaurants and bars for indoor drinks. Also for shows open to the public, sporting events and competitions; museums and other institutes and places of culture; indoor swimming pools, gyms, wellness centres – including those located inside accommodation facilities; festivals, fairs, conferences and congresses; spas, theme and amusement parks; cultural, social and recreational centres limited to indoor activities and with the exclusion of educational centres for children, including summer centres and related catering activities; gaming, betting, bingo and casino rooms; public competitions. Passes would also be compulsory from September for all school and University staff. Churches and oratories are exempt.
IOC expels Belarus coaches over Timanovskaya’s case
Two Belarusian coaches have lost their Olympic accreditations after allegedly attempting to force Krystina Timanovskaya to leave the games in Tokyo. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that Artur Shimak and Yury Maisevich had left the Olympic Village. An investigation is underway. Meanwhile, Timanovskaya, who refused her team’s orders to fly home early from the Olympics has revealed she decided to flee after her grandmother warned her it was not safe to return. She is now in Poland, where she has been given a humanitarian visa.
US urges Iran’s new President to resume nuclear talks
The US has called on Iran’s newly sworn-in President Ebrahim Raisi to return to talks on reviving a 2015 historic nuclear deal between Iran and the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany. The state Department warned that the window for diplomacy would not remain open forever. Tensions between the US and Iran have soared since 2018, when former President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal and restored sanctions. Raisi was sworn in on Thursday, saying he would support “any diplomatic plans” to end sanctions on Iran. “All illegal US sanctions against the Iranian nation must be lifted,” he said.
Thailand: full morgues, bodies in containers
Overwhelmed by the Delta variant, Thailand is in full COVID emergency: morgues are no longer able to contain the number of dead and have started to rent refrigerated containers where bodies of victims are stored. Medical teams are unable to handle all requests and often corpses remain in the homes for several days.
Rihanna now officially a billionaire
Singer Rihanna’s career blossomed in 2005 with the hit “Umbrella” and by 2017 she had expanded her resume to include the roles of entrepreneur, philanthropist, actress and humanitarian. She has managed to top the charts and turn herself into a household name with her music outright, but has impressively added to her empire through beauty products. Now, she can officially call herself a billionaire, as Forbes reported that her business and music ventures have made her the second most wealthy female in entertainment with a net worth of $1.7 billion (€1.4 billion) and second only to Oprah.
Messi and Barcelona to divorce
Barcelona say Argentina forward Lionel Messi will not stay at the club “because of financial and structural obstacles”. Messi, 34, has been a free agent since 1 July when his contract expired. He agreed a new deal on reduced wages with the club two weeks later, but it was dependent on Barca selling players to afford his salary. Messi has scored 672 goals in the Blaugrana jersey, won four Champions League Cups and 10 La Liga titles – 35 trophies in all. Two Possible options are now Manchester City or Paris Saint Germain.
Olympic Football
The women’s Gold final between Sweden and Canada will be played today at 2 pm. Yesterday, the US claimed the Bronze after beating Australia 3-4. Today also sees the match for Bronze in the Men’s tournament between Mexico and Japan at 11 am. The Gold medal match between Brazil and Spain is scheduled for tomorrow at 1.30 pm, local time.
