Italy is introducing a digital certificate for access to some services and venues in a bid to curb infections. The “green pass” will allow access for people who have had at least one vaccine dose, have recovered from coronavirus or who have tested negative within 48 hours.From Friday, anyone over 12 at venues such as gyms and restaurants must show their pass. Italy joins several other EU countries requiring such proof of status. France has already introduced such a health pass, and from Monday it is expanding the requirement, for access to restaurants, bars, planes and trains. Austria, Cyprus and Denmark are among the other EU countries which have launched similar schemes.(BBC)…[+]

Jennifer Aniston has expanded on why she has cut off some of her friends who have refused to be vaccinated. Earlier this week, the Friends actress said she had “lost a few people from [her] weekly routine” who had decided against having a Covid jab. Some of her Instagram followers have since asked why she was so worried, given that she had been vaccinated. “Because if you have the variant, you are still able to give it to me,” she posted on Thursday. “I may get slightly sick but I will not be admitted to a hospital and or die. “But I can give it to someone else who does not have the vaccine and whose health is compromised (or has a previous existing condition) – and therefore I would put their lives at risk.“(BBC)…[+]

Greece carried out mass evacuations overnight in the northern suburbs of Athens and on the nearby island of Evia as wind whipped up huge wildfires. Thousands left their homes near the Greek capital, which is cloaked in acrid smoke, and 600 fled Evia by boat. On Friday, a man was killed by a falling electricity pylon near Athens, health officials said. Firefighters from France, Switzerland, Sweden, Cyprus and Romania have been deployed to assist Greece. Gale-force winds are forecast to fan the many blazes. Residents of Marathon, north-east of Athens, were told to head to the coast on Friday as wildfires spread along several fronts. Dozens of homes have been destroyed or damaged, and several dozen injured people are in hospital.(BBC)…[+]

A Turkish social media influencer says she’s being prosecuted in her country for posting “joke” photos inside the world-famous Sex Museum in Amsterdam. Merve Taskin, 23, shared pictures of sex toys she bought at the museum during a birthday trip to the Netherlands in January last year. A few months later she says she was arrested in Turkey, where sharing obscene content is considered a crime. Now she says she has been summoned to court to face obscenity charges. Under Turkish law, any person who publishes obscene material can be fined or sentenced to jail for up to three years. “My purpose was to make jokes,” Ms Taskin, a prominent Instagram personality in Turkey with almost 600,000 followers, told the BBC.(BBC)…[+]

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has admitted he made “a huge mistake” in spending time with sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Mr Gates told CNN he had “several dinners” about a philanthropy project that did not emerge, and should not have given him “credibility”. Epstein hanged himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting a sex-trafficking trial. Mr Gates also discussed his divorce with Melinda French Gates, calling it “a source of great personal sadness”. The 65-year-old, who announced in March last year he was stepping down from the Microsoft board, said he and his ex-wife were “going to try and continue” working together on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Mr Gates was also asked whether he had regrets following allegations of workplace misbehaviour – some Microsoft employees have accused him of bullying.(BBC)…[+]

President Biden wants half of cars sold in the US by 2030 to be zero-emission vehicles, the White House says. Achieving this would reduce carbon emissions and help the US compete with China, a statement said.

Transport accounted for 29% of US emissions in 2019. Sales of zero-emission vehicles in the US lag behind those in Europe and China. The three biggest US carmakers have welcomed the target, though it is not legally binding. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began, and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. Under President Trump the US loosened many environmental regulations and climate protections. Mr Biden is now working to convince the world the US is serious about tackling climate change.(BBC)…[+]

A train crash near the Czech Republic-German border has killed at least three people and injured dozens more. According to the Czech transport minister, an express train from Munich heading to Prague went through a stop signal and hit a commuter train bound for the town of Domazlice. Authorities however said it was unclear if this was due to driver error or a technical fault. Local media report both drivers were killed, as well as one woman passenger. The collision took place after 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) near the village of Milavce, 140km (87 miles) south-west of the Czech capital Prague. Footage posted on social media shows crushed carriages and debris strewn across the tracks.(BBC)…[+]

The trial of two leading Belarusian opposition figures has begun behind closed doors at a court in Minsk. Protest organiser Maria Kolesnikova was arrested last year after she tore up her passport to resist attempts by authorities to forcibly expel her to Ukraine. She and opposition lawyer Maxim Znak have been charged with incitement to undermine national security. If found guilty they could each face up to 12 years in prison. Belarus was gripped by mass protests last year, triggered by an election widely believed to have been rigged in favour of Alexander Lukashenko. Street demonstrations continued for weeks after the disputed 9 August vote, which the EU and US rejected as neither free nor fair.(BBC)…[+]

Former US President Barack Obama has scaled back plans for a big birthday party amid a rise in Covid infections nationwide. Mr Obama turned 60 on Wednesday and had planned a major celebration on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts this weekend. But as the highly contagious Delta variant has led to a surge in new infections, Mr Obama has announced plans to scale back the event. Only close friends and family will now attend. His spokesperson said the outdoor event on Saturday was planned months ago “in accordance with all public health guidelines”. But he and his wife Michelle Obama have now decided to limit its size. “President Obama is appreciative of others sending their birthday wishes from afar and looks forward to seeing people soon.“(BBC)…[+]

Qantas says it will stand down 2,500 staff as a lockdown in Sydney impacts air travel across Australia. The furlough – affecting pilots, crew and airport workers – will last for at least two months, the airline said. Qantas said it would pay staff until mid-August, after which they could apply for government support payments. Since June, fresh Covid outbreaks have forced most Australian states to reimpose restrictions. The highly contagious Delta variant has forced lockdowns in several cities and some state border closures. The situation is most severe in Sydney. It is seeing about 200 new infections each day, despite being in lockdown since 26 June.  Nearly all states have banned travellers from Australia’s largest city. Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said the latest Delta outbreaks had led to thousands of cancelled flights.(NU)…[+]