WORLD
'Peace and security' in Iran-Afghan border after Taliban takes over crossings
"There is no insecurity on our border with Afghanistan," Xinhua news agency quoted Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as saying on Friday. On Thursday, Taliban militants claimed to have captured the customs offices of Islam Qala and Abu Nasr Farahi in the Afghanistan-Iran border.
Branson-Bezos space tourism rivalry gets nastier before flight
While billionaire Branson is set to fly to space aboard his Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity spaceplane on July 11, Amazon Founder Bezos is expected to take off in his own space tourism rocket on July 20. Blue Origin tweeted a chart on Friday, two days before Branson's flight, comparing Virgin Galactic's spaceplane to Blue Origin's New Shepard on window size, vehicle type, escape system, and other factors.
Pfizer vaccine booster plan sparks controversy in US
Pfizer and its partner German firm BioNTech announced on Thursday that they were planning to seek approval for the booster shot within weeks, predicting that people would require a vaccine boost six to 12 months after being fully immunised, reports Xinhua news agency. The two companies said they have seen encouraging data in the ongoing trial of the third dose of its current Covid-19 vaccine.
Russian, US envoys see Syria deal as 'important moment' for ties
The Security Council on Friday unanimously adopted a Resolution on the re-authorisation of the cross-border aid mechanism for Syrians after Russia and the US reached a compromise in last-minute talks, reports Xinhua news agency. By Thursday, the Security Council was set to vote on two competing draft resolutions: one tabled by Ireland and Norway, the co-penholders of the issue, and the other tabled by Russia.
Global Covid-19 caseload tops 185.9 mn
In its latest update on Saturday morning, the University's CSSE revealed that the current global caseload, death toll and the total number of vaccine doses administered stood at 185,972,770, 4,017,196 and 3,387,882,504, respectively. The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 33,813,430 and 606,815, respectively, according to the CSSE.
Joe Biden nominates close ally Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as envoy to India
The White House also announced on Friday that Biden was nominating a career diplomat, Peter Haas, as the ambassador to Bangladesh. Garcetti tweeted, "Should I be confirmed, I'll bring this same energy, commitment, and love for this city to my new role and will forge partnerships and connections that will help strengthen Los Angeles' place on the world stage."
Joe Biden urges Russia to act against ransomware attacks
Biden in the call noted "the ongoing ransomware attacks by criminals based in Russia that have impacted the US and other countries around the world," the White House said in a statement. President Biden underscored the need for Russia to take action to disrupt ransomware groups operating in Russia and emphasized that he is committed to continued engagement on the broader threat posed by ransomware,"
52 killed, over 100 missing in massive Bangladesh food factory blaze
The blaze broke out at the Shezan Juice Factory in Rupganj, an industrial town 25 km east of the capital, on Thursday afternoon 5 p.m (local time) and was still burning nearly 25 hours later, Fire Service's Director Operation, Lt Col Siddique Mohammed Zulfiqar Rahman told IANS on Friday afternoon. President Abdul Hamid and Prime minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock and sorrow over the tragedy.
Taliban militants surround major Afghan cities
Afghan commando units were back on patrol Thursday in the capital of Badghis Province in western Afghanistan, just a day after they beat back Taliban militants who tried to storm the city. Unverified videos posted on social media appeared to show Taliban fighters speeding towards the centre of the Qala-i-Naw city on motorcycles. Amid the chaos, there was a jailbreak at the local prison.
IMF backs new SDR allocation for pandemic recovery
"I will now present the new SDR allocation proposal to the IMF's Board of Governors for their consideration and approval. If approved, we expect the SDR allocation to be completed by the end of August," The allocation would be implemented and become effective 21 days after the Board of Governors' approval, sometime in late August, according to the IMF.
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