WORLD
US average daily Covid-19 vaccination drops by over 50%: CDC
As of June 24, the 7-day average number of administered vaccine doses reported to the CDC per day was 0.37 million, according to the report released on Friday. About 45.8 per cent of the US population was fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and 53.9 per cent of the population received at least one shot as of Saturday, CDC data showed.
3 people dead in Germany knife attack
The incident took place on Barbarossaplatz square in the city centre on Friday evening, reports Xinhua news agency. Following the attack, the square and its surrounding areas were sealed off. The suspect, a 24-year-old Somali man, stabbed several people with a 40-cm-long knife and police used firearms and arrested him, local media outlet Bayerischen Rundfunk said in a report.
Colombian Prez unharmed after attack on helicopter
The incident took place on Friday while the President's helicopter was flying through the Catatumbo region toward the city of Cucuta, capital of Norte de Santander province, reports Xinhua news agency. "The presidential helicopter was the target of an attack," Duque said, adding that he was accompanied by Defense Minister Diego Molano, Interior Minister Daniel Palacios, and governor of Norte de Santander Silvano Serrano.
Key US inflation measure posts biggest increase since 1992
The so-called core personal consumption expenditure (PCE) price index, the Fed's preferred inflation measure, jumped 3.4 per cent in May from a year ago, the largest 12-month increase since April 1992, Xinhua news agency quoted the Department as saying on Friday. Including volatile food and energy prices, the headline PCE price index rose 3.9 per cent from a year earlier, the fastest annual pace since August 2008.
UN envoy regrets lack of progress in Syrian political process
"I think we are all disappointed that we are not making real advances on the political track to implement Resolution 2254, including constitutional reform and elections administered under UN supervision, he told a Security Council briefing on Friday. "Regrettably, the gulf of mistrust between the parties and the complexity of the situation on the ground makes early progress toward a comprehensive settlement unlikely."
EU tourism plummets 61% during pandemic year
Friday's figures confirmed how tourism was among the sectors most affected by the pandemic due to travel restrictions as well as other precautionary measures taken by individual countries in response to the outbreaks, reports Xinhua news agency. Eurostat said this drop was reflected in the number of nights spent in EU tourist accommodation establishments between April 2020 and March 2021.
'US forces pullout from Afghanistan hasty and irresponsible'
"The US forces' hasty pullout is irresponsible. The hasty and irresponsible pullout of troops has encouraged the Taliban group to step up attacks elsewhere in the country and have captured several districts," Hamidullah Arefi, an observer and editor-in-chief of the state-run English newspaper The Kabul Times, told Xinhua news agency on Friday.
Russia regrets EU's decision to cancel summit
"We regret it," TASS News Agency quoted Peskov as saying on Friday when asked to provide a reaction to most of the EU leaders rejecting a proposal by France and Germany to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "As you know, President Putin generally remains interested in establishing working relations between Moscow and Brussels," the spokesman added.
Hezbollah accuses US of inciting divisions in Lebanon
"The US statements about supporting the Lebanese army to face Hezbollah aim at stirring sedition among the Lebanese," Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Friday. The Hezbollah leader added that his party has always been in favour of reinforcing the Lebanese army which guarantees Lebanon's security, integrity and unity against any Israeli aggression.
EU leaders divided on ties with Russia
The idea was floated following US President Joe Biden's meeting with Putin in Geneva, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying a summit with the latter would be "a dialogue to defend our interests", reports Xinhua news agency. The 27 EU leaders need to unanimously agree on restarting talks with Russia for such a meeting to take place.
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