Norway’s beach handball protest is about a lot more than bikinis

Norway’s beach handball protest is about a lot more than bikinis

Over the weekend, at the European Beach Handball Championships in Varna, Bulgaria, Norway’s women’s beach handball team staged a protest: They wore shorts while competing in the bronze medal game. According to the rules put in place by the International Handball Federation, this was not allowed. The rulebook states that women must wear bikini bottoms “with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg,” and those bikini bottoms cannot be longer than 4 inches, according to The New York Times. Meanwhile, men can…

Read More

Sweden stuns U.S. women’s football team with 3-0 win in Tokyo opener

Sweden stuns U.S. women’s football team with 3-0 win in Tokyo opener

A pair of goals from Swedish forward Stina Blackstenius spelled catastrophe for the United States on Wednesday, as they suffered a shock 3-0 defeat in their Tokyo 2020 debut. Fifth-ranked Sweden put the pressure on almost immediately with three shots in the first eight minutes, as the four-time Olympic gold medalists showed little sign of the stellar unbeaten run they have enjoyed since 2019. Forward Stina Blackstenius converted in the 25th minute, rocketing a header past U.S. keeper Alyssa Naeher with an assist from Sofia Jakobsson. The goalie had five…

Read More

Emperor of Japan & IOC President inaugurate Olympics 2020 in Tokyo

Emperor of Japan & IOC President inaugurate Olympics 2020 in Tokyo

The Tokyo Games were declared open by IOC president Thomas Bach and the Emperor of Japan. The most troubled Olympics in modern history finally open in Tokyo on Friday, struggling to shake off lingering virus fears after a one-year postponement and a build-up marred by scandal and controversy. IOC president Thomas Bach said at the opening ceremony – “Welcome to Tokyo 2020. Today is a moment of hope, let us cherish this moment, finally we are all here. Athletes from 205 are living under the same roof in the Olympic…

Read More

Sweden reports increase of COVID-19 spread in metro areas: AstraZeneca to be discontinued

Sweden reports increase of COVID-19 spread in metro areas: AstraZeneca to be discontinued

The Swedish Public Health Agency reports the spread of COVID-19 is increasing in the metropolitan regions but is still at a low level nationally. During the week ending July 17 (epi week 28), officials say 1,855 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in Sweden, which is an increase of approximately 24 percent compared with week prior. The incidence calculated over 14 days was 32 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. To date, six new intensive care patients with confirmed covid-19 have been reported for week 28, which is lower than the mean…

Read More

Bells toll in Norway to mark 10 years since neo-Nazi Breivik killed 77

Bells toll in Norway to mark 10 years since neo-Nazi Breivik killed 77

Norway has begun commemorations marking 10 years since far-right attacker Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in the worst act of violence in the country since World War II. On July 22, 2011, Breivik detonated a car bomb outside the prime minister’s office in the capital, Oslo, killing eight people. Later the same day, he headed to Utoya island dressed as a police officer and carried out a shooting spree at a Labour Party youth camp, killing 69 people, most of them teenagers. Church bells rang out across Norway on…

Read More

Iceland reimposes COVID-19 restrictions after cases surge

Iceland reimposes COVID-19 restrictions after cases surge

Iceland, one of the first nations in the world to lift all Covid restrictions for vaccinated tourists, on Friday announced new curbs following a spate of  infections. At the end of June, Iceland lifted rules around social distancing, mask-wearing, limits on public gatherings and the opening hours of bars and restaurants after introducing virus restrictions in March last year. Starting from midnight on Sunday until August 13, public gatherings will be restricted to 200, the one-metre social distancing rule will be reimposed and bars and restaurants will have to close at 11:00…

Read More

Iceland sees success with 4-day work week

Iceland sees success with 4-day work week

A study in Icelandic government offices again shows the benefits of a shorter workweek. Productivity rose enough to ensure that all services were still provided as needed. Because of the study’s success, 86 percent of Icelanders now or soon will have the right to a shorter workweek. Having rolled out a major program that reduced the work hours of more than 2,500 workers to four days per week, Iceland is calling the trials “a major success.” “Workers experienced significant increases in wellbeing and work-life balance — all while existing levels…

Read More

Free entry in Finland from Monday if you are carrying full vaccination certificate

Free entry in Finland from Monday if you are carrying full vaccination certificate

Finland will allow travellers who carry their Coronavirus vaccine certificates with them starting Monday (26 July). The vaccine must be recognised by the Finnish government. As of now, the government has approved seven vaccines but it doesn’t include the Russian-developed Sputnik V. According to the local media, travellers need to show their certificate upon arrival. Passengers must have received their final vaccine dose a minimum of 14 days earlier. Kids less than 18 years of age will be allowed to enter with their parents without any certificate. As per the…

Read More