WORLD
AstraZeneca vaccine recommended for Australians above 60 yrs
Adults aged 59 and under will now be offered Pfizer's vaccine based on the updated advice, reports Xinhua news agency. "The experts at ATAGI have today updated their advice to recommend the Pfizer vaccine be preferred for adults aged 59 and under," Hunt said in a statement. "The ATAGI advice remains clear that the AstraZeneca vaccine is highly effective in preventing severe disease caused by Covid.
US House votes to make Juneteenth federal holiday
It now goes to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law. "What I see here today is racial divide crumbling, being crushed this day under a momentous vote that brings together people who understand the value of freedom," Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, the Texas Democrat who sponsored the bill, said at a press conference prior to the vote.
China launches 1st crewed mission for space station construction
It is the seventh crewed mission to space and the first during the construction of China's space station, reports Xinhua news agency. It is also the first in nearly five years after the country's last manned mission. The spacecraft, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert at 9.22 a.m. (Beijing Time),
23 Afghan commandos killed in clashes with Taliban
The clash took place in Dawlat Abad district after the commandos and local troops launched a clearing operation, TOLO News quoted the official as saying, adding that six policemen were also injured in the violence. The security forces have retreated from the centre of the district following the heavy clashes are now stationed in Qaramqol district, the official said.
Incidence of absolute poverty in Italy hits record high
Over 2 million families, or 5.6 million individuals, were estimated to live below the economic standards defining extreme deprivation in the country, Xinhua news agency quoted ISTAT as saying on Wednesday. The 2020 figure made 7.7 per cent of Italy's 59.2-million-population compared to 6.4 per cent in 2019 (or 9.4 per cent against 7.7 per cent in terms of individuals).
Texas provides initial $250mn for border wall with Mexico
During a press conference on Wednesday in the state capital of Austin, Abbott said: "Texas will build a border wall in our state to help secure our border," Xinhua news agency. Also on Wednesday, Abbott directed the Texas Facilities Commission to hire a program manager for the construction, but he did not give details about how long the wall would be or where it would be built.
Arizona wildfire scorches 148,299 acres of land
The wildfire, dubbed Telegraph Fire, started on June 10 in Pinal County and located less than 1 mile from the 250-person community, Top-of-the-World, reports Xinhua news agency. It has become the sixth largest wildfire in Arizona history. Over 1,000 crews were fighting the blaze, Inciweb said on Wednesday. Crews had little help from the hot, dry weather, Pinal County Emergency Management Director Chuck Kmet said in a briefingt.
13 dead in China iron mine accident
The bodies of the victims were lifted out of the well, and the DNA confirmation was completed, according to the local rescue headquarters. The miners were trapped on June 10 as a well was flooded at the Dahongcai iron mine in Daixian county, reports Xinhua news agency. The police have detained 13 suspects. An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.
'EU-Russia ties at lowest possible level'
Addressing a news conference on Wednesday, he said that while Russia remains the EU's largest neighbour and an important global actor, the "deliberate policy choices and aggressive actions of the Russian government over the last years have created a negative spiral" in relations, Xinhua news agency. A further downturn of the relations, which are already "at the lowest level," is "the most likely outlook for the time being", he added.
Global Covid-19 caseload tops 176.9mn
In its latest update on Thursday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 176,960,993 and 3,830,127, respectively. The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 33,498,145 and 600,648, respectively, according to the CSSE.
Don't Miss
Advertisement