Hospitals in Haiti Struggling After Quake
Hospitals, many of them resembling makeshift camps, are struggling with the number of those injured in Saturday’s earthquake in Haiti. The death toll has risen to 1,941, with some 10,000 others injured. Hospital staff say they’re doing their best, but are unable to cope with all the patients. The U.N. children's agency UNICEF estimates that over half a million children have been affected. The situation has been made worse by Tropical Storm Grace which barreled across Haiti on Monday night. The 7.2 magnitude quake struck on Saturday morning local time, flattening tens of thousands of buildings across the southern part of the country. Haiti hasn’t yet rebuilt after its last major quake in 2011 that killed over 200,000 people.
Fire Raging Outside Jerusalem
In Jerusalem, firefighters are battling a wildfire for a third day, struggling to keep it away from a hospital. The blaze is raging just 10 kms west of Jerusalem and is sending clouds of smoke billowing east, but there appears to be little danger that the fire will reach the historic city. No serious injuries have been reported. Israel's Fire and Rescue Authority says 45 crews and eight planes are battling the blaze, which has forced hundreds of people to evacuate. An investigation has been launched into its cause.
Vaccine Passport Protests Start in Canada
And, we’ve seen anti-vaccine passport protests already in France and Italy and they’ve now come to Canada. Protesters on Tuesday gathered in front of an “Econofitness” gym in the town of Laval in Quebec to protest its introduction of a vaccine passport for those wanting to use its facilities. Canada is working to create a digital vaccine passport that would allow citizens to travel abroad. It should be available in the next few months, but businesses have started taking it upon themselves to demand proof of vaccination for entry. The European Union already has a vaccine passport system in place that allows people to travel freely within the region. A number of other countries are working on similar documents.
