GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY
CORONAVIRUS CASES: 11,955,637
DEATHS: 546,721
RECOVERED: 6,902,360
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Rishi Sunak to unveil ‘kickstart job scheme’ for young people
BBC News says Rishi Sunak will announce a £2bn “kickstart scheme” later to create more jobs for young people.
The fund will subsidise six-month work placement for people on Universal Credit aged between 16 and 24, who are at risk of long-term unemployment.
Labour has welcomed the move, but said the government had failed to “rise to the scale of unemployment.”
Read the full story on BBC News
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US officially withdrawing from the WHO
CNN says the Trump administration has notified Congress and the United Nations that the US is formally withdrawing from the WHO, a move that comes amid a rising number of coronavirus cases throughout the Americans over the past week.
The withdrawal, which goes into effect next July, has drawn criticism from lawmakers, medical associations, advocacy organisations and allies abroad. Joe Biden has vowed to reverse the decision “on (his) first day” if elected.
Read the full story on CNN
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Headteachers across England call for exams to be cut back next year
The Guardian says thousands of headteachers across England are demanding that exams be cut back next year amid fears of a mental health crisis among pupils who have lost months of learning in the coronavirus pandemic.
They say the government’s assumption that pupils can catch up on lost sessions when they return to school in September, and sit their GCSEs and A levels as normal in summer 2021 is “neither realistic nor workable.”
Read the full story on The Guardian
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Thousands protest in Belgrade as Serbia reimposes Covid-19 curfew
France24 says Serbian police fired tear gas as thousands of protesters flooded into Belgrade on Tuesday night, angry at the return of a weekend coronavirus curfew.
The crowds protested in the city centre over the government’s handling of the crisis, with infections now spiking after Serbia shed its initial lockdown measures two months ago.
Read the full story on France24
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Iran reports record one-day virus death toll of 200
Arab News says Iran announced on Tuesday 200 more deaths from Covid-19, the most in a single day since the Middle East’s outbreak began in February. The previous record was Sunday’s toll of 163 deaths.
“Unfortunately in the past 24-hours, we have lost 200 of our compatriots, bringing the total number of victims to 11,931,” Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on state television.
Read the full story on Arab News
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‘Life goes on’: Brazil’s Bolsnaro tests positive for coronavirus
Aljazeera says Brazil’s president has tested positive for Covid-19 after months of downplaying the virus’ severity. He confirmed the results to reporters in the capital and said he was taking hydroxychloroquine – an anti-malarial drug unproven to effectively treat Covid-19.
“I’m well, normal. I even want to take a walk around here, but I can’t due to medical recommendations,” he said. “I thought I had it before, given my very dynamic activity. I’m president and on the combat lines. I like to be in the middle of the people.”
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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ARTS & ENT
‘Heartbroken’ Kasabian say Tom Meighan ‘misled’ fans following assault conviction
Sky News says Kasabian say former frontman Tom Meighan misled fans by choosing not to talk about his assault charge.
Meighan admitted one count of assault by beating at Leicester Magistrates’ Court and was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work.
Read the full story on Sky News
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SPORT
‘I was terrified to put on weight’ the culture of fear in British gymnastics
BBC Sport speaks to Nicole Pavier, a former England gymnast, who says an eating disorder still “plagues” her life and that she was weighed every day of her career.
She said she developed bulimia when she was 14 and retired three years later after becoming “a shell of a person.”
Read the full story on BBC Sport
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