KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

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

               World    4,18,907              /             39,06,608            /             8,281     /             1,13,68,233        /             501.2

1             USA        12,140   /             6,18,278              /             310        /             49,84,184            /             1,857

2             Brazil     1,14,139              /             5,07,240              /             2,343     /             11,79,903            /             2,370

3             India      54,319   /             3,92,014              /             978        /             6,33,546              /             281

4             Russia    17,594   /             1,30,895              /             548        /             3,35,508              /             897

5             Argentina            27,319   /             90,986   /             705        /             2,90,792              /             1,995

6             Mexico  4,233     /             2,31,505              /             261        /             2,74,208              /             1,777

7             Iran        11,059   /             83,329   /             112        /             2,61,052              /             980

8             UK          16,135   /             1,28,027              /             19           /             2,31,339              /             1,876

9             Colombia             29,995   /             1,01,947              /             645        /             1,83,610              /             1,983

10           Indonesia            15,308   /             55,594   /             303        /             1,60,524              /             201

11           Honduras             923        /             6,818     /             46           /             1,56,356              /             678

12           Poland   165        /             74,893   /             35           /             1,53,460              /             1,981

13           South Africa       17,493   /             59,258   /             166        /             1,30,416              /             987

14           Spain     4,341     /             80,748   /             29           /             1,24,442              /             1,726

15           Turkey   5,809     /             49,358   /             65           /             89,325   /             579

16           Iraq        6,297     /             16,968   /             33           /             74,080   /             413

17           Costa Rica                          /             4,546     /                            /             70,032   /             885

18           Italy       951        /             1,27,352              /             30           /             68,619   /             2,109

19           France   2,320     /             1,10,862              /             33           /             68,213   /             1,695

20           Bolivia   1,667     /             16,243   /             69           /             63,626   /             1,373

21           Bangladesh         5,727     /             13,787   /             85           /             61,537   /             83

28           Philippines           4,353     /             23,928   /             119        /             49,862   /             216

39           Pakistan               930        /             22,073   /             39           /             33,005   /             98

US HAS AGREED TO LIFT OIL SANCTIONS: IRAN

Iran said on Wednesday the United States had agreed to remove all sanctions on Iran's oil and shipping, although Germany cautioned that major issues remained at talks between Tehran and world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal.

The Iranian remarks, by outgoing President Hassan Rouhani’s chief of staff, echoed previous assertions by officials in Rouhani’s pragmatist camp that Washington is prepared to make major concessions at the talks, under way since April in Vienna.

The talks adjourned on Sunday for a break, two days after Iran held a presidential election won by hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian judiciary chief who is on a US blacklist. Raisi is due to replace Rouhani in August. “An agreement has been reached to remove all insurance, oil and shipping sanctions that were imposed by (former US President Donald Trump),” Rouhani’s chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.

CAR BOMB GOES OFF OUTSIDE JUD CHIEF HAFIZ SAEED'S HOUSE IN LAHORE, KILLS 3

A powerful car bomb went off outside the house of Mumbai terror attack mastermind and banned Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed here on Wednesday, killing at least three people and injuring over 20 others, police said.

The blast took place at a police picket outside Saeed's residence at the BOR Society in Jauhar Town.

Inspector General of Police (Punjab) Inam Ghani said there could have been a "major loss" had there been no police picket outside the house of the high-profile personality, referring to Saeed.

He said three persons were killed in the car bomb blast while more than 20 others were injured.

"Explosive material was installed in the car. There was a police picket outside the high-value target's house. The car could not cross the police picket," Mr. Ghani said, describing it as "a terror" act.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) has taken over the blast site and investigating from all aspects, he said.

"The CTD will determine whether the blast was a suicide blast, if a device was used," he said.

Mr. Ghani also claimed that "hostile" intelligence agencies could be involved in this blast.

ASTRAZENECA, PFIZER VACCINES EFFECTIVE AGAINST DELTA COVID-19 VARIANTS-STUDY

Covid-19 vaccines made by AstraZeneca and the Pfizer-BioNTech alliance remain broadly effective against Delta and Kappa variants, which were first identified in India, according to a scientific study, underpinning a continued push to deliver the shots.

The study by Oxford University researchers, published in the journal Cell, investigated the ability of antibodies in the blood from people, who were vaccinated with the two-shot regimens, to neutralise the highly contagious Delta and Kappa variants, a statement said.

The Oxford researchers also analysed the likelihood of reinfection in people who had previously had Covid. Looking at the ability of antibodies in their blood samples to neutralize the variants, the risk of reinfection with the Delta variant appeared particularly high in individuals previously infected by the Beta and Gamma lineages that emerged in South Africa and Brazil, respectively. By contrast, previous infection with the Alpha, or B117, variant first detected in UK, conferred “reasonable” cross-protection against all variants of concern, lending itself as a template that next-generation vaccines could be molded on, the researchers said. “B117 might be a candidate for new variant vaccines”.

ISRAEL'S NEW GOVERNMENT OKAYS FIRST SETTLEMENT CONSTRUCTION

An Israeli defense ministry body advanced plans for 31 West Bank settlement construction projects Wednesday, the first such move under the country's new government.

The plans approved by the civil administration include a shopping center, a special needs school, and a number of infrastructure projects and zoning changes in existing West Bank settlements, Israeli media reported.

Ayman Odeh, head of the Joint List of Arab parties in Israel's parliament, said following the approval of settlement construction that “the left has surrendered to the right and has put aside the diplomatic issue, but the right continues to harm the chances of peace and deepen the occupation, oppression, and dispossession of millions of Palestinians."

Bennett has said that all parties will have to put ideological differences aside for the new government to function.

A minister from the dovish Meretz party said the new government has agreed “at least at this stage, not to deal with” the Palestinian issue.

LANKA’S EX-PM RETURNS TO PARL FOR RECORD 9TH TIME

Sri Lanka's former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday was sworn in as an MP for a record ninth consecutive time, creating history as the only politician in the country to have entered every Parliament since 1977.

The 72-year-old four-times prime minister has now created history as the only parliamentarian to represent all parliaments since 1977.

For 10 months Wickremesinghe resisted the move to return to Parliament.

He said he was forced by the party rank and file to return as a parliamentarian.

Speaking after taking the oath, Wickremesinghe blamed the government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa for the current economic problems and advocated a return to an International Monetary Fund bailout programme.

TAIWAN CONDEMNS POLITICAL OPPRESSION AFTER CLOSURE OF HONG KONG DAILY

Taiwan's government on Thursday, June 24, 2021, expressed its condemnation of the "political oppression" of Hong Kong media after the Chinese-run city's most vocal pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, printed its last edition.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said this "unfortunate incident" has sounded the death knell for freedom of press and speech in Hong Kong and that history will always record the "ugly face" of those in power suppressing freedom.

Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily announced Wednesday it will print its final edition after authorities froze its assets using a sweeping new national security law, silencing the city's most China critical media outlet.

The decision is the latest blow to Hong Kong's freedoms and will deepen unease over whether the international finance centre can remain a media hub as China seeks to stamp out dissent.

CANADA UNVEILS PLANS TO MAKE ONLINE HATE SPEECH A CRIME

Canada’s Liberal government on Wednesday unveiled plans to make online hate speech a crime, although the proposed legislation excludes social media platforms for now.

The proposed amendments to Canada’s criminal codes and human rights act, which have been in the works for many months, come just weeks after an attack that killed four members of a Muslim family.

A 20-year-old man faces murder and terrorism charges after he rammed the family with his truck in the southwestern Ontario town of London on June 6, a crime that police said was inspired by hate. read more

“The actions we are taking today will help protect the vulnerable, empower those who are victimized and hold individuals to account for the hatred they spread online,” Justice Minister David Lametti said in a statement.

A person could be fined up to C$20,000 ($16,250) if found guilty of hate speech that personally identified a victim.