GLOBAL COVID-19 TODAY
CORONAVIRUS CASES: 18,447,723
DEATHS: 697,244
RECOVERED: 11,680,369
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GCSE students allowed to drop topics in 2021 exams
BBC News says GCSE students in England will be able to drop subject areas in history and English literature 2021 exams.
It follows concern that schools may not be able to cover all the topics after teaching was disrupted by the pandemic.
But headteachers said the proposal only amounted to “tinkering at the edges” when students could face “widespread ongoing disruption”.
Read the full story on BBC News
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Pubs likely to be spared new Covid-19 restrictions, No 10 says
The Guardian says English pubs are likely to be spared any new restrictions on social contact to stem coronavirus outbreaks, with the focus instead falling on limiting gatherings in homes, Downing Street has indicated.
Amid speculation about potential further curbs on freedoms, if Covid-19 cases rise following the full return of pupils to English schools in September, officials have stressed that they hope to keep any lockdowns local and avoid further significant harm to the economy.
Read the full story on The Guardian
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Norway restricts cruise ship arrivals after Covid-19 outbreak on vessel
France24 says Norway stopped all cruise ships with more than 100 people on board from disembarking at its ports from Monday, after an outbreak of Covid-19 was reported last week on a ship that had already disembarked at the port of Tromsoe.
At least 41 passengers and crew who were onboard the cruise ship MS Roald Amundsen have so far tested positive for the coronavirus, while hundreds more on board were told to self-isolate for 10 days, local public health officials said on Sunday.
Read the full story on France24
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Sharjah reopens public beaches as country reports 3 days free of Covid-19 deaths
Arab News says UAE’s Sharjah has reopened its public beaches as the country gradually eases its coronavirus restrictions, state news agency WAM reported.
The emirate’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Team urged people to follow all precautionary measures and maintain social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus.
Read the full story on Arab News
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US parents struggle as schools reopen amid coronavirus surge
Aljazeera says on top of the normal worries of sending your child off on their first day of school, US parents have Covid-19, and rising cases in the United States to also worry about.
Rachel Adamus was feeling those emotions at sunrise Monday as she got seven-year-old Paul ready for his first day of second grade and five-year-old Neva ready for the start of kindergarten in Georgia.
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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Trump uses campaign email to ask supporters to wear face masks
CNN says Donald Trump on Monday sent a campaign email, typically used for soliciting donations, to make a different request of his supporters: consider wearing a mask.
“We are all in this together, and while I know there has been some confusion surrounding the usage of face masks, I think it’s something we should all try to do when we are not able to be socially distanced from others,” the email, sent by the Trump campaign and signed by the President, read.
Read the full story on CNN
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ARTS & ENT
Caitlyn Jenner brands Kanye West ‘most kind, loving human being’
Sky News says Kanye West is the “most kind, loving human being”, according to reality star Caitlyn Jenner.
Jenner’s comments come after West’s wife, Kim Kardashian West, opened up about his bipolar diagnosis during an apparent campaign to become US president.
Read the full story on Sky News
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SPORT
Red cards can now be shown for deliberate coughing in football
BBC Sport says players who deliberately cough at other players or match officials can be red-carded, say football’s rule-makers and the Football Association.
The International Football Association Board (Ifab) said such an offence fell within “using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures”.
It added: “As with all offences, the referee has to make a judgement about the true nature of the offence.”
Read the full story on BBC Sport
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