Day: July 7, 2021

Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer was knocked out of Wimbledon after a straight-set loss to Hubert Hurkacz of Poland on Wednesday.

Hurkacz, the world No. 14, defeated the eight-time Wimbledon champ 6-3, 7-6, and 6-0 to reach the semifinals for the first time at London’s Center Court.

The 24-year-old will face the winner of the Matteo Berrettini-Felix Auger-Aliassime game.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Coronavirus cases in the UK on Wednesday crossed 30,000 for first time since January when the country was under a third national lockdown.

As many as 32,548 people tested positive and 33 died as the Delta variant, which was first identified in India, has likely caused cases to spike. It has become the dominant strain in the UK.

The development comes as the government is set to end most of the virus restrictions in England on July 19.

Changes include the allowance of fully vaccinated adults to travel to amber-list countries without having to self-isolate when they return, and making the mandatory wearing of masks voluntary, except in hospitals and other healthcare settings.

There will also be no requirements for fully vaccinated adults to self-isolate if they have come into contact with an infected individual, and customers at restaurants and pubs will no longer be required to check in on an NHS app.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson also announced that all businesses can reopen in two weeks, and workers will not be told to work from home.

The government’s move has attracted criticism and bewilderment from the scientific community, which argues that such moves will allow for more deadlier variants to take hold and spread.

Between July 1 and 7, the UK reported 161 deaths, a 42.5% increase when compared to the previous seven days.

The number of vaccinations, meanwhile, continues to increase as young adults are eligible to get the jab. Over 45 million people have received their first doses, while over 34 million are fully vaccinated.

The R range for the UK is between 1.1 and 1.3, with the current growth rate at +2% to +5% per day. The R number is a mechanism used to rate the virus’s ability to spread, with R being the number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Zambia’s founding President Kenneth Kaunda, who died on June 17 at age 97 after a battle with pneumonia, was laid to rest in the capital Lusaka on Wednesday.

Speaking at a church service before the burial, President Edgar Lungu declared April 28 as an annual national holiday in Kaunda’s honor.

Panji Kaunda, 74, the founding president’s first son who is a retired army colonel and accompanied his father’s body throughout a two-week tour of the country, called for national unity ahead of general elections next month.

Besides Lungu, other candidates contesting for the presidency, including Hakainde Hichilema of the largest opposition United Party for National Development, were also present during the service.

Other notable faces who attended the funeral were Zambia’s fourth and now only surviving former head of state, Rupiah Banda, 84, celebrated soccer legend and 1988 African footballer of the year Kalusha Bwalya, and former Mozambiqan President Joaquim Chissano.

Buried in his trademark Safari tailored suit with a white handkerchief in left hand, Kaunda was accorded a gun salute and military fly-past by the army.

Zambia and Africa will remember him as a liberation hero who looked beyond his country’s independence to liberate other frontline states in the emancipation struggle.

He was the last man standing among the founders of the Organization for African Unity in 1963, a forerunner to the present day African Union.

Kaunda became the president following independence in 1964. After losing multi-party elections in 1991, he stepped down from the office.

He strongly supported efforts to end apartheid in South Africa, and was a staunch backer of liberation movements in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

He is survived by eight children, 30 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren. Kaunda’s wife Betty died at age 84 in 2012.

He also lost two of his sons – Masuzyo from AIDS in 1986, and Wezi from a gunshot in 1999.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A virtual fair to promote Turkish universities will be held on July 27-29, the head of Turkey’s Council of Higher Education (YOK) announced on Wednesday.

The second Study in Turkey YOK Virtual Fair 2021 will open its doors online, Yekta Sarac tweeted. The first edition was also held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“International students who want to study in Turkey will be able to get information on many subjects including admission conditions, quotas, programs, scholarships, accommodation, etc,” Sarac said.

“Our virtual fairs play an important role in ensuring the participation of more international students in our higher education system in our country, where more than 200,000 international students from 182 countries are educated.”

Last year, in an opinion piece, Sarac wrote: “Today a total of 7.5 million students are studying in 207 universities in Turkey, making it the second-largest country of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) after Russia.”

Source: Anadolu Agency