KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

Pos   /   Country   /   New Daily cases   /   Total Deaths   /        Daily Deaths /           Active Cases   /           Deaths/1M Pop

               World    6,49,542              /             34,30,987            /             12,769   /             1,63,15,622               /             440.2

1             USA        27,611   /             6,01,928              /             615        /             58,99,623            /               1,809

2             India      2,76,261              /             2,87,156              /             3,880     /             31,35,566               /             206

3             Brazil     79,706   /             4,41,864              /             2,485     /             10,43,209            /               2,066

4             France   19,050   /             1,08,181              /             141        /             6,20,434              /               1,654

5             Iran        12,789   /             77,765   /             233        /             4,41,720              /             916

6             Argentina            39,652   /             72,265   /             494        /             3,29,745              /               1,586

7             Italy       5,506     /             1,24,646              /             149        /             3,06,730              /               2,064

8             Russia    7,920     /             1,16,965              /             390        /             2,66,924              /               801

9             Mexico  2,767     /             2,20,746              /             257        /             2,59,175              /               1,696

10           Ukraine 5,138     /             48,696   /             227        /             2,17,091              /               1,119

11           Spain     6,080     /             79,568   /             66           /             2,04,336              /               1,701

12           Germany              11,881   /             87,405   /             257        /             1,99,972              /               1,040

13           Netherlands        4,549     /             17,488   /             15           /             1,99,903              /               1,019

14           Poland   2,344     /             72,250   /             329        /             1,76,079              /               1,911

15           Honduras             771        /             6,019     /             49           /             1,39,182              /               599

16           Sweden                /             14,349   /             38           /             1,34,971              /               1,413

17           Turkey   11,553   /             45,419   /             233        /             1,25,103              /             533

18           Hungary               633        /             29,329   /             52           /             1,21,746              /               3,043

19           Colombia             16,579   /             82,743   /             452        /             1,17,070              /               1,611

20           Nepal    8,064     /             5,657     /             246        /             1,14,358              /             191

26           Pakistan               3,256     /             19,856   /             104        /             66,377   /             88

30           Philippines           4,700     /             19,507   /             136        /             49,951   /             176

36           Bangladesh         1,608     /             12,248   /             37           /             45,357   /             74

BIDEN URGES 'DE-ESCALATION', NETANYAHU SAYS WILL PRESS ON WITH GAZA ATTACKS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday to press ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, pushing back against calls from US President Joe Biden to wind down the operation that has left hundreds dead.

Netanyahu’s tough comments marked the first public rift between the two close allies since the fighting began last week and could complicate international efforts to reach a ceasefire.

Israel continued to pound targets in Gaza with airstrikes, while Palestinian militants bombarded Israel with rocket fire throughout the day. In another sign of potential escalation, militants in Lebanon fired a rocket barrage into northern Israel.

After a visit to military headquarters, Netanyahu said he appreciated “the support of the American president”, but he said Israel would push ahead to return “calm and security” to Israeli citizens. He said he was “determined to continue this operation until its aim is met”.

Earlier on Wednesday, Biden told Netanyahu he “expected significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire” in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, setting a deadline amid growing calls for an end to hostilities.

The fourth call in a week between the two leaders came after Netanyahu, fondly referred to as “Bibi”, was quoted by the Israeli media as saying he is not setting a time frame for an end to the hostilities.

COVID VACCINES STILL TRUMP VARIANTS, SAY TOP US SCIENTISTS

In the race between vaccines and coronavirus variants, the shots are still ahead of the curve, top US scientists are saying, notwithstanding reports of the variants causing fatalities in India even among those who have had two doses of vaccines.

Top US pandemic advisers maintained this week that vaccines currently being administered in the US — Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna — are effective against the B.1.617 and the B.1.17 virus variants, amid urgent calls to ramp up Washington’s modest vaccine aid to India. “The modest neutralisation resistance to (B.1.) 617 antibodies suggests that current vaccines that we are all using that we’ve been speaking about would be at least partially and probably quite protective,” Dr Anthony Fauci, director of US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), told reporters during a news conference on Tuesday.

British researchers too have said the AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield in India) is also effective against the variants. On Wednesday, UK PM Boris Johnson said latest data had been encouraging. “We have increasing confidence vaccines are effective against all variants, including the B.1.617 variant,” he told parliament.

The broad consensus in the scientific community appears to be that vaccine, while by no means a foolproof magic bullet, mitigates the suffering of Covid victims in the case of the virus breaking through.

PUTIN, XI HAIL TIES AT LAUNCH OF WORK ON NUCLEAR PLANTS IN CHINA

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday hailed close ties between their countries as they launched via videoconference work on Russian-built nuclear power plants in China.

The heads of state initiated work on pouring concrete into new units of the Tianwan and Xudabao nuclear power plants.

Built jointly with Russia, the Tianwan plant has been operating since 2007, while the Xudabao station is still under construction.

“Russian and Chinese specialists are implementing a truly landmark flagship joint project,” the Kremlin cited Mr. Putin as saying.

Describing the nuclear reactors as “powerful” and “modern”, the Russian leader said that they “meet all safety requirements and the highest environmental standards”.

He said that the new units will be functional by 2026-2028 and that Russia and China are prepared to further develop nuclear power plants through joint construction.

“We can say that Russian-Chinese relations have reached the highest level in history,” Mr. Putin said.

Mr. Xi called nuclear energy a “strategic priority for cooperation” between the two countries, according to a readout published by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Mr. Xi called for a “more equitable, balanced, inclusive, open and shared global energy governance system,” adding that Beijing and Moscow should “play a constructive role in achieving global sustainable development goals.”

BITCOIN FALLS FURTHER AS CHINA CRACKS DOWN ON CRYPTO-CURRENCIES

The price of Bitcoin fell below $34,000 (£24,030) for the first time in three months on Wednesday, after China imposed fresh curbs on crypto-currencies.

Beijing banned banks and payment firms from providing services related to crypto-currency transactions.

It also warned investors against speculative crypto trading on Tuesday.

It follows falls in Bitcoin of more than 10% last week after Tesla said it would no longer accept the currency.

On Wednesday afternoon, Bitcoin recovered some ground, although it was still down -10.4% at $38,131.

EU TAKES BIG STEP TOWARD RELAXING TRAVEL FOR VACCINATED

The European Union on Wednesday took a step toward relaxing tourism travel for visitors from outside the bloc, with EU ambassadors agreeing on measures to allow fully vaccinated visitors in.

They also agreed on easing the criteria for nations to be considered a safe country, from which all tourists can travel. Up to now, that list included only seven nations.

The EU imposed strict measures last year to contain COVID-19 outbreaks but the bloc’s 27 ambassadors now say many of those restrictions on non-essential travel should be eased. Specifically, tourists from outside the bloc who have been fully vaccinated should be allowed in.

The EU “Council will now recommend that member states ease some of the current restrictions” for those who have been vaccinated, said EU Commission spokesman Christian Wigand.

SRI LANKA TO SHUT ITS BORDERS AMID RAGING THIRD WAVE

Sri Lanka’s borders will be closed for all arrivals for ten days beginning May 21, the Civil Aviation Authority said on Wednesday, while officials reported a record single-day high of 3,051 COVID 19 cases.

Home to about 21 million people, Sri Lanka is witnessing a raging third wave of the pandemic, with health authorities reporting over 2,000 cases a day over the last week, prompting the government to impose travel restrictions, including lockdowns.

The country’s death toll – which was among the lowest in the region during the first wave – has rapidly risen in the last few weeks, reaching 1,015 on Tuesday. More than 1,50,000 cases have been reported since the pandemic struck last year, of which nearly 30,000 are currently active, according to data published by the Health Promotion Bureau.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has been carrying out its vaccination drive in phases.

TURKEY BANS POLYETHYLENE PLASTIC IMPORTS

Turkey has imposed an import ban on ethylene polymer plastic waste as environmental groups sound the alarm on the world's plastic consumption and lack of effective recycling.

In an amendment published in Turkey's Official Gazette on Tuesday, the Trade Ministry added ethylene polymer plastics to its list of waste materials that are illegal to import. The ban will take effect in 45 days.

The environmental group Greenpeace Mediterranean welcomed the news, calling it a "very important step towards the goal of zero waste importation" as set out by Turkey's Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. The group said 74% of the plastic waste imported by Turkey last year will now be on the banned list.