IT’S A WEIRD WORLD
SHOTS BAR
Israelis offered drinks on the house with their vaccine
TEL AVIV — An Israeli bar doubled as a Covid-19 vaccination clinic last week, with free drinks given to those who got the shots.
More than 43%% of Israel’s nine million population have received at least one dose of Pfizer Inc’s vaccine, the Health Ministry says. But officials worry that turnout may wane and hold back Israeli plans to begin reopening the economy.
With many bars forced to close because of the pandemic, Tel Aviv’s Jenia gastropub, in partnership with the municipality, opened its doors to an unusual type of patron: new vaccinees, drawn by the offer of drinks on the house.
The drinks were non-alcoholic, as a medical precaution.
“I thought it is a really good opportunity to come and get the vaccine, because I didn’t have either the time or the ability to go to other places,” May Perez said, among dozens of people who turned up for their first shots.
EGYPTIAN RALLY
Five-year-old Egyptian rally driver's son takes the wheel
Egyptian Mansour Tarek hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a professional rally driver when he’s older.
Aged just five, he is already on the track. At an amateur rally in the desert on the outskirts of Cairo last weekend, Tarek clocked a time of just over four minutes as he navigated hollows and hillocks on a desert course on the outskirts of Cairo in a an open-sided buggy. The winner came in at 1 minute 48 seconds.
“I jumped and I turned the wheel like this,” Tarek said, smiling from the driver’s seat after completing the race.
Tarek’s father and co-pilot, Tarek elErian, said his priority was taking care of his son’s safety by ensuring he has the right equipment and a small car that is easily operated.