CORONAVIRUS: TRUMP STICKS BY REVOKED HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday once again endorsed the use of

anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of the coronavirus,

AP reported. Trump also claimed that the drug was rejected as a treatment

only because he had supported it.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month revoked its emergency-use

authorization for hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 after several studies

cast doubt on its effectiveness.

Trump said he and others in his administration deserved plaudits for their

handling of the virus, not just Fauci and another prominent member of the

task force, Deborah Birx.

“He’s working with our administration and for the most part we have done

pretty much what he and others, Dr. Birx and others, who are terrific,

recommended. And heÂ’s got this high approval rating. So why donÂ’t I have a

high approval rating and the administration with respect to the virus? We

should have a very high (approval rating),” Trump said.

“So it sort of is curious, a man works for us, and yet they’re highly

thought of and nobody likes me. It can only be my personality,” he said.

Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr posted videos of the event on Facebook and

Twitter, but the social media giants took them down. Twitter also restricted

Donald Trump JrÂ’s use of his account for 12 hours.

This prompted a backlash from the presidentÂ’s supporters as well as some of

the doctors, who accused Facebook and Twitter of censorship.

Twitter also took down retweets by Trump that attacked top infectious

diseases expert Anthony Fauci, claiming that he had been “misleading the

American public”. Fauci is also a leading member of the White House

Coronavirus Task Force.

Hours later on Tuesday, Trump appeared to attempt reconciliation, saying

that he got along very well with Fauci. “He’s got a very good approval

rating, and I like that,” Trump said.

CHINA SUSPENDS HONG KONG EXTRADITION TREATIES WITH AUSTRALIA, UK, CANADA

China says it has suspended Hong Kong's extradition treaties with Australia,

Canada and the United Kingdom in response to similar decisions made by those

countries.

The three countries had all suspended extradition treaties with Hong Kong

this month after Beijing imposed a broad new security law that criminalises

many forms of political dissent.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press conference in Beijing

that China "firmly opposes" the decision made by the countries.

"Taking China's newly enacted national security law for the Hong Kong

Special Administrative Region as an excuse, Canada, Australia and the UK

unilaterally announced the suspension of their extradition treaties signed

with Hong Kong, which has grossly interfered in China's internal affairs and

seriously violated international law and basic norms governing international

relations," Mr Wang said.

He stressed that under the assistance and authorisation of the Chinese

Government and in accordance with Hong Kong's basic law, the special

administrative region has always provided active assistance to the three

countries under the extradition treaties.

"The wrong actions of Canada, Australia, and the UK in politicising judicial

cooperation with Hong Kong have seriously undermined the basis of judicial

cooperation and deviated from the purpose of judicial cooperation to

maintain justice and the rule of law," Mr Wang said.

"Therefore, China has decided to suspend Hong Kong's extradition treaties as

well as the agreements on mutual assistance for criminal matters with

Canada, Australia, and the UK."

US OFFICIALS: RUSSIA BEHIND SPREAD OF VIRUS DISINFORMATION

Russian intelligence operatives are using a trio of English-language

websites to spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, seeking to

exploit a crisis that America is struggling to contain ahead of the

presidential election in November, US officials said Tuesday. Two Russians

who have held senior roles in Moscow's military intelligence service known

as the GRU have been identified as responsible for a disinformation effort

directed at American and Western audiences, US government officials said.

They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they

were not authorized to speak publicly. The information had previously been

classified, but officials said it had been downgraded so they could more

freely discuss it. Officials said they were doing so now to sound the alarm

about the particular websites and to expose a connection between the sites

and Russian intelligence.

Between late May and early July, one of the officials said, a trio of

websites published about 150 articles about the pandemic response, including

coverage aimed at propping up Russia and denigrating the US. Among the

headlines that caught the attention of US officials are "Russia's Counter

COVID-19 Aid to America Advances Case for Détente," which suggested that

Russia had given urgent and substantial aid to the US to fight the pandemic,

and "Beijing Believes COVID-19 is a Biological Weapon." The disclosure comes

as the spread of disinformation, including by Russia, is an urgent concern

heading into November's presidential election as US officials look to avoid

a repeat of the 2016 contest, when Russia launched a covert social media

campaign to divide American public opinion to favor then-candidate Donald

Trump.

The country's chief counterintelligence official warned in a public

statement Friday about Russia's continued use of internet trolls to advance

their goals. Even apart from politics, the twin crises buffeting the country

and much of the world — the pandemic and race relations and protests — have

offered fertile territory for misinformation or outfight falsehoods.

Officials described the disinformation as part of an ongoing and persistent

Russian effort to cause confusion. They did not say whether the effort was

directly related to the November election, though some of the coverage on

the websites appeared to denigrate Trump's Democratic challenger, Joe Biden.

The stories call to mind Russian efforts from 2016 to exacerbate race

relations in America and drive corruption allegations against US political

figures.

IRAN BLASTS DUMMY US AIRCRAFT CARRIER WITH MISSILES

Iran has launched missiles at a mock-up of a US aircraft carrier in the

strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The drill included fire so heavy that the US military temporarily put two

regional bases on alert.

The US navy condemned the "irresponsible and reckless behaviour by Iran",

labelling it an attempt "to intimidate and coerce".

The exercise comes at a time of increased tension between Tehran and

Washington in the Gulf waters.

The drills - named Prophet Mohammed 14th - were broadcast on state

television.

The mock-up - which resembles a carrier the US routinely sails into the Gulf

- is shown with dummy fighter jets on either side of its landing strip.

Missiles are then launched from a variety of angles, including some aimed at

the carrier.

Another missile fired from a helicopter appears to hit the side of the fake

warship.

"What was shown today in these exercises, at the level of aerospace and

naval forces, was all offensive," Iran's Revolutionary Guards commander

Major General Hossein Salami told state television.

MALAYSIAN EX-PM NAJIB GETS 12-YR JAIL IN CORRUPTION CASE

MalaysiaÂ’s former leader Najib Razak was found guilty of corruption and

sentenced to 12 years in jail on Tuesday in the first trial over a

multi-billion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB that stretched to the Gulf

states and Hollywood.

Najib, 67, also received 10 years in jail on each of three charges of

criminal breach of trust and three charges of money laundering for illegally

receiving nearly $10 million from SRC International, a former unit of the

state fund.

In a case widely seen as a test of the nation's resolve to stamp out

corruption and which could have big political implications, high court judge

Mohamad Nazlan Mohamad Ghazali sentenced Najib to 12 years and a fine of 210

million ringgit ($49 million) on a charge of abuse of power.

“After considering all evidence in this trial, I find that the prosecution

has successfully proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt," Mohamad Nazlan

said. He ordered the jail terms to run concurrently.

Najib had pleaded not guilty, and said he would appeal the verdict in

Malaysia's Federal Court if convicted. The verdict could potentially be

partially or fully overturned by the higher court on appeal, though that

could take years.

FACEBOOKÂ’S ZUCKERBERG TO DEFEND COMPANY BEFORE U.S. CONGRESS BY LISTING

COMPETITORS

Facebook Inc's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, will defend the social

media company before a congressional hearing on Wednesday by saying it faces

intense competition, justifying its acquisitions and pointing to China's

growth as an internet superpower.

Mr. Zuckerberg's written testimony, made public on Tuesday, argues that the

social media company became successful “the American way, by starting out

with nothing and providing products that people find valuable.

“We compete against the companies appearing at this hearing, plus many

others that sell advertising and connect people. We also compete globally,

including against companies that have access to markets that we arent in,”

Mr. Zuckerberg will tell a panel of lawmakers investigating how its business

practices and data gathering have hurt smaller rivals.

Mr. Zuckerberg will also defend Facebook's acquisitions by saying the

social-media platform helped companies like WhatsApp and Instagram grow.

Both are owned by Facebook.

He will also remind lawmakers of the competitive threat U.S. tech companies

face from China, saying the Asian country is building its “own version of

the internet focused on very different ideas, and they are exporting their

vision to other countries.”

Mr. Zuckerberg also renewed Facebooks call for government regulation. He has

previously called for more laws in areas where the company has been

criticized - such as harmful content in social media, election integrity and

privacy.

FRANCE SEEKS U.N.-LED MISSION ON CHINAÂ’S TREATMENT OF UIGHURS

France called on July 28 for a U.N.-led observer mission to evaluate the

treatment of China’s Uighur population and accused Beijing of “indefensible

practices” against the Muslim minority.

The proposal by Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian comes as tensions rise

between France and China after Paris intensified its expression of public

concern over the treatment of Uighurs in the western Xinjiang region.

“Since they say my statements are baseless, we propose an international

mission of independent observers, under the auspices of [U.N.] rights

commissioner Michelle Bachelet, to visit and bear witness,” Mr. Le Drian

told lawmakers in parliament.

Rights groups and experts say more than 1 million ethnic Uighurs and other

Turkic-speaking minorities have been rounded up in internment camps.

Speaking in parliament last week, Mr. Le Drian pointed to allegations

including “imprisonment camps for Uighurs, mass detentions, disappearances,

forced labour, forced sterilisations, the destruction of Uighur heritage”.

ISRAEL SAYS IT THWARTS HEZBOLLAH INFILTRATION ATTEMPT

The Israeli military on Monday said it thwarted an infiltration attempt by

Hezbollah militants - setting off one of the heaviest exchanges of fire

along the volatile Israel-Lebanon frontier since a 2006 war between the

bitter enemies.

Neither side reported casualties during a battle that raged for over an

hour, and Hezbollah denied involvement. But the Israeli military said it was

sure the Iranian-backed militant group had carried out the operation, and

Israeli forces in the area remained on heightened alert.

Israel had been bracing for an attack since an Israeli airstrike in

neighboring Syria killed a Hezbollah fighter last week. Following the

airstrike, the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights was hit by explosives fired

from Syria on Friday. Israel responded by attacking Syrian military

positions and beefing up its forces in the area.

"Hezbollah and the state of Lebanon bear full responsibility for this

incident and any attack that comes from Lebanese territory against the state

of Israel,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised

address. “Hezbollah needs to know that it is playing with fire. Any attack

against us will be answered with great force.”

Israel considers Hezbollah to be its toughest and most immediate threat.

After battling Israel to a stalemate during a monthlong war in 2006,

Hezbollah is believed to be far stronger today.

CANÂ’T RETURN TO PAK, SHARIF TELLS COURT

Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, currently in London for

treatment, on Tuesday informed a court here that he is unable to return to

the country as his doctors have told him not to go out as he may contract

infection due to the Covid pandemic.

The 70-year-old three-time premier is currently in London for treatment

after he was diagnosed with an immune system disorder. He left for the UK in

November last year after the Lahore HC granted him four-week permission to

go abroad for treatment. In his latest medical report, which he submitted to

the Lahore HC, doctors have recommended him to avoid going outside due to

the pandemic. Sharif said he has low platelets counts, diabetes, heart,

kidney and blood pressure related problems.

CRUCIAL MEETING OF NEPALÂ’S RULING COMMUNIST PARTY POSTPONED INDEFINITELY

A crucial meeting of NepalÂ’s ruling Communist Party scheduled for Tuesday to

iron out the differences between Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and the rival

faction led by party executive chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”

has been postponed indefinitely.

The meeting of the 45-member Standing Committee of the Nepal Communist Party

(NCP) was scheduled for 11 am.

The two leaders — Prime Minister Oli and Prachanda — need more time for

informal consultations to sort out their differences, Standing Committee

member Ganesh Shah said, announcing the postponement of the talks.

TALIBAN ANNOUNCES THREE-DAY CEASEFIRE IN AFGHANISTAN FOR ID

The Taliban on Tuesday declared a three-day ceasefire during the Muslim

holiday of Id al-Adha starting Friday, marking the second such truce in just

over two months in Afghanistan.

The offer came after President Ashraf Ghani said peace talks with the

Taliban could begin “in a week”.

“All the mujahedeen (Taliban fighters)... are ordered to refrain from

carrying out any operation against the enemy during the three days and

nights of Eid al-Adha,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. But any

attack “by the enemy” would be met with force, he added.

Meanwhile, the Afghan government has instructed all security forces to

observe a ceasefire following the TalibanÂ’s proposed ceasefire announcement.

“The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan welcomes the

announcement of ceasefire by the Taliban during the three days of Eid-Al

Adha,” Sediq Sediqqi told AFP.

The Afghan government instructs all security and defence forces to observe

the ceasefire, and retaliate if the Taliban attack our forces or our

people.”

CORONAVIRUS: HONG KONG IMPLEMENTS STRICT MEASURES AMID NEW CASES

Hong Kong is introducing some of its toughest measures yet to control the

coronavirus, following a sustained peak in new cases.

From Wednesday, dining in restaurants is banned and only two people from

different households can meet each other.

Face masks must also be worn in all public places.

Hong Kong, which had seen early success against Covid-19, is now regularly

reporting over 100 new daily cases.

Restrictions have been progressively tightened again this month with bars,

gyms and beauty parlours already closed.

Hong Kong confirmed another 106 coronavirus cases on Tuesday and reported

its 23rd overall death. A record 145 cases were recorded on Monday.

"There is no place for complacency at the moment. We still have to observe

the trend," said Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease

branch at the Centre for Health Protection, the South China Morning Post

reported.

"We have not seen an exponential growth [in infections] yet, but the figures

are still worrying."