Tory MPs demand ‘clarity’ on school reopenings
BBC News says Tory MPs are asking the government to set out a “routemap” for the reopening of schools in England, amid growing concerns about the impact of closures on children’s education.
The chairman of the education select committee has asked for a plan to be laid out in the Commons. The government has said it is “too soon” to say when schools will reopen to all pupils.
But it is expected that it will not be until after the February half-term.
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Boohoo ‘set to buy’ Debenhams’ online business for £50m
The Guardian says Boohoo has reportedly agreed to buy the online business of Debenhams, it will see Debenhams close its remaining high street shops, according to sources close to the deal.
The transaction may be announced this week, according to the Financial Times. The newspaper said it understands the purchase price is likely to be around £50m.
The department store chain, which traces its roots back 243 years, entered administration in April 2019.
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Spanish officials under fire for jumping queue for Covid-19 vaccine
France24 says a steady drip-feed of public officials admitting to having been vaccinated ahead of priority groups has sparked uproar on social media in Spain at a time when several regions are tightening restrictions in an effort to curb a spike in infections.
Several local mayors admitted to getting vaccinated before their turn, while the regional health chief of the exclave of Ceuta was heavily criticised both for getting vaccinated early and for saying he had done this under pressure from his staff.
“I didn’t want to. I don’t even get the flu vaccine. I don’t like vaccinations,” said Javier Guerrero of the opposition conservative People’s Party.
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Clashes, arson & mass arrests as riot police struggle to contain anti-lockdown rage in the Netherlands (VIDEOS)
RT News says some 240 people have been arrested as unrest spread across the Netherlands, with riot police using water cannons, batons, dogs and horses to break up unauthorized anti-lockdown gatherings and riots.
Police faced off with curfew-defying crowds in The Hague, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Enschede, Venlo, Stein, Roermond, Oosterhout, Breda and elsewhere across the nation for the second day in a row on Sunday.
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Fears of Iraq execution spree after Daesh attack
Arab News says rights defenders fear Iraq may give the green light to a spree of executions of convicted militants in a show of strength, days after a deadly twin suicide attack in Baghdad which killed at least 32 people.
On Sunday, an official from Iraq’s presidency told AFP more than 340 execution orders “for terrorism or criminal acts” were ready to be carried out.
“We are continuing to sign off on more,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The orders were disclosed to AFP after twin suicide attacks by the Daesh group on Thursday.
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Israel ‘closes skies’ to air travel as COVID variants found
Aljazeera news says Israel has announced a week-long ban on most incoming and outgoing flights in a bid to slow the spread of new variants of coronavirus.
The measure will begin at midnight (22:00 GMT) from Monday into Tuesday and remain in effect until the following Sunday, a statement from the prime minister’s office said.
Exceptions will be made for cargo and firefighting flights, as well as trips for medical treatments, funerals and legal procedures.
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Two key Republicans at odds over Trump Impeachment trial
VOA says Marco Rubio and Mitt Romney disagreed sharply Sunday about the merits of the upcoming Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump, who is accused of inciting insurrection in the storming of the U.S. Capitol by hundreds of his supporters on January 6.
At a rally near the White House that day, Trump urged supporters to march to the Capitol to fight for him in confronting lawmakers as they debated whether to certify the Electoral College vote showing he had lost reelection to President Joe Biden.
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