KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

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

               World    6,95,544              /             33,30,324            /             12,889   /             1,79,53,944        /             427.2

1             USA        34,594   /             5,96,946              /             743        /             63,96,743            /             1,794

2             India      3,48,529              /             2,54,225              /             4,200     /             37,09,557            /             183

3             Brazil     71,018   /             4,25,711              /             2,275     /             10,12,146            /             1,991

4             France   19,791   /             1,06,935              /             240        /             7,41,250              /             1,635

5             Iran        18,133   /             75,568   /             307        /             4,71,587              /             890

6             Italy       6,946     /             1,23,282              /             251        /             3,63,859              /             2,042

7             Ukraine 2,208     /             46,631   /             119        /             3,00,534              /             1,072

8             Russia    8,115     /             1,13,976              /             329        /             2,72,951              /             781

9             Argentina            25,976   /             68,311   /             490        /             2,68,422              /             1,500

10           Germany              8,961     /             85,757   /             276        /             2,61,658              /             1,021

11           Mexico  704        /             2,19,089              /             104        /             2,58,769              /             1,684

12           Turkey   14,497   /             43,589   /             278        /             2,49,720              /             512

13           Spain     4,941     /             79,100   /             205        /             2,23,318              /             1,691

14           Netherlands        5,518     /             17,383   /             44           /             2,20,689              /             1,013

15           Poland   3,098     /             70,336   /             319        /             1,87,599              /             1,860

16           Hungary               493        /             28,792   /             99           /             1,80,285              /             2,987

17           Sweden                /             14,217   /             36           /             1,48,572              /             1,400

18           Honduras             803        /             5,701     /             36           /             1,33,648              /             568

19           Colombia             16,425   /             78,771   /             429        /             1,04,802              /             1,534

20           Belgium               1,267     /             24,583   /             32           /             1,04,747              /             2,113

24           Pakistan               3,084     /             19,106   /             113        /             78,959   /             85

30           Philippines           4,734     /             18,620   /             59           /             56,752   /             168

32           Bangladesh         1,230     /             12,005   /             33           /             48,931   /             72

CHINA WARNS OF 'SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE' TO TIES IF BANGLADESH JOINS US-LED QUAD ALLIANCE

China has warned Bangladesh against joining the US-led Quad alliance, saying that Dhaka’s participation in the anti-Beijing “club” would result in “substantial damage” to bilateral relations.

The unusual warning from Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming came weeks after visiting Chinese Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe emphasied to Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid that Beijing and Dhaka should make joint efforts against powers from outside the region establishing a “military alliance” in South Asia and practising “hegemonism”.

“Obviously, it will not be a good idea for Bangladesh to participate in this small club of four (Quad) because it will substantially damage our bilateral relationship,” Ambassador Li said at a virtual meeting organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh on Monday.

Reacting to the Chinese envoy’s controversial remarks, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Dhaka maintained a non-aligned and balanced foreign policy and it would decide what to do according to those principles.

ISRAEL’S BEN GURION AIRPORT HALTS FLIGHTS OVER GAZA ROCKETS

Some 130 rockets were fired from Gaza at Tel Aviv on Tuesday night in the biggest militant attack ever on Israel’s largest urban centre. There were no immediate reports of serious casualties, but a woman was killed in a rocket attack on the central city of Rishon L’Tzion.

Israel’s main international Ben Gurion airport was closed to incoming and outgoing flights shortly after the barrage on central Israel in what will be seen as a major achievement for the militant groups.

Residents in Tel Aviv ran to bomb shelters as militant groups in Gaza warned of more attacks to come.

The action was in response to Israel’s decision to bomb a 13-storey building in Gaza city causing it to collapse. Israel claimed the high-rise was home to a number of leading militants, and residents were warned in advance to leave the structure before the attack.

The unprecedented barrage on the greater Tel Aviv area marked a significant escalation and ended any hope that a ceasefire can be achieved in the coming days.

There was no letup in the violence despite international calls for calm and restraint.

“We are in the midst of a campaign,” prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday evening. “We’ve carried out hundreds of strikes against Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza. We’ve hit commanders and many high-quality targets.” He said a decision had been made “to further intensify the severity and pace of the attacks.”

SUEZ CANAL AUTHORITY REDUCES DAMAGES CLAIM AGAINST EVER GIVEN OWNER

The Suez Canal Authority has slashed its Ever Given compensation claims by nearly a third. The Egyptian body is now seeking $600m rather than $916m as negotiations stretch into another week to get the 400 m long vessel freed and able to get to its European destinations, seven weeks after it grounded, blocking the key waterway for six days.

After the ship was freed, it was towed to the Great Bitter Lakes and subsequently arrested. General average has been declared by the ship’s owner, Shoei Kisen, with shippers braced for a big bill to get the 18,300 containers onboard moved to their European destinations.

Shoei Kisen has applied the International Convention on Limitation of Liability on the Ever Given, whereby it will aim to cap claims to a maximum of $115m.

INDIAN COVID-19 VARIANT FOUND IN 44 COUNTRIES — WHO

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that a variant of COVID-19 behind the acceleration of India's explosive outbreak has been found in dozens of countries all over the world.

The UN health agency said the B.1.617 variant of COVID-19, first found in India in October, had been detected in more than 4,500 samples uploaded to an open-access database "from 44 countries in all six WHO regions".

"And WHO has received reports of detections from five additional countries," it said in its weekly epidemiological update on the pandemic.

Outside of India, it said that Britain had reported the largest number of COVID-19 cases caused by the variant.

Earlier this week, the WHO declared B.1.617 -- which counts three so-called sub-lineages with slightly different mutations and characteristics -- as a "variant of concern".

It was therefore added to the list containing three other variants of COVID-19 -- those first detected in Britain, Brazil and South Africa.

The variants are seen as more dangerous than the original version of the virus because they are either being more transmissible, deadly or able to get past some vaccine protections.

DOUBTS EMERGE OVER XI JINPING'S CHANCES OF SECURING 3RD TERM AS CHINESE PRESIDENT

As Chinese President Xi Jinping's hard-line policies beyond Chinese shores are squandering Beijing's soft power, doubts are emerging over Xi securing an unprecedented third term.

The G7 last week called on Xi on everything from actions on Taiwan, incursions in cyberspace, human-rights abuses, fallout from its Belt and Road Initiative. The same week, Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong received another 10-months in jail for his role in 2019 anti-government protests, writes William Pesek for Nikkei Asia.

At the same time, he suspended a ministerial economic dialogue with Canberra, with his government hitting Prime Minister Scott Morrison's for a "Cold War mindset" and "ideological discrimination".

Pesek wrote that China's inner circle is miffed about Morrison's questions, which everyone should be asking - on Covid-19 and its demands for a seat on the G7 table despite being irresponsible for the pandemic.

Much of South Asia avoids getting at Xi's bad side. After South Korea welcomed a US-designed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile-defense system, Chinese tourism flows to Seoul disappeared.

Xi had a once-in-lifetime opportunity to grow Beijing's soft power at America's expense amid trade wars between then US President Donald Trump. However, he blew it and China's international image in international polls has lost ground since 2018.

As the Covid-19 ravaged the world, Xi's belligerence deserves considerable blame - with Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Galwan border clash with India, Canada and more.

Meanwhile, current US President Joe Biden is pivoting the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue against China, much to Xi's chagrin, with additional resistance from China.

Pesek for Nikkei Asia wrote that despite the common view that the Chinese President does not care what the world thinks, press freedom in China is racing in the wrong direction and Xi himself seems to fear Google and Facebook.

These actions signal insecurity and a dearth of savvy that a leading power needs to exploit at the moment and thus not a great report card a year out from Xi's plan to secure yet another term.

PAKISTAN WOULD NOT HOLD TALKS WITH INDIA UNTIL NEW DELHI REVERSES ITS DECISION ON KASHMIR: IMRAN KHAN

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday that Pakistan would not hold talks with India until New Delhi reverses its decision of scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

India abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 on August 5, 2019 and bifurcated it into two Union territories.

"Unless India retreats from the steps taken on August 5…, the Pakistani government will not talk to India at all," Khan said while responding to questions from the public during a live broadcast session.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that no talks presently were taking place with India but parleys could be held if New Delhi revisited its policy regarding Kashmir and provided relief to the people of Kashmir.

"Jammu and Kashmir cannot be an internal issue of India as it is on the agenda of the UN and there are several Security Council resolutions on it,” he said while addressing a news conference in Islamabad.

NEPAL PRESIDENT INITIATES GOVT FORMATION, GIVES 3 DAYS TIME TO PARTIES TO STAKE CLAIM

Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari has called on parties to form a new majority government by Thursday after the one headed by the embattled Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli lost a trust vote.

The Office of the President, in a statement on Monday, said President Bhandari has decided to invite parties to form a majority government pursuant to Article 76 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal.

She has allotted the parties three days' time, asking them to stake their claim to the government by 9:00 pm on Thursday, The Himalayan Times reported.

As per the constitutional provision, a candidate requires to submit signatures of lawmakers belonging to two or more political parties in parliament to the Office of President within the stipulated time.

After Mr. Oli lost the trust vote, the Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) and a faction of the Janata Samajbadi Party led by Upendra Yadav urged President Bhandari to invoke Article 76 (2) of the Constitution to pave the way for the formation of a new government.

Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, Maoist Center chair Prachanda, and Yadav, one of the chairs of the Janata Samajbai Party, issued a joint statement.

SAUDI ANNOUNCES OVER 100 PROJECTS FOR CASH-STRAPPED PAK DURING IMRAN’S VISIT

Saudi Arabia has announced 118 humanitarian projects worth over $123 million for cash-strapped Pakistan in food security, health, education and water during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s two-day visit, according to a report.

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief)’s Supervisor General Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah said that the assistance was announced in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

KSrelief announced 118 humanitarian projects for Pakistan at a cost of over $123 million in food security, health, education, water and environmental sanitation.

He said that the kingdom has provided medical and preventive aid worth over $1.5 million to combat the pandemic.

Mr. Khan’s Special Representative for Middle East Affairs Sheikh Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi told the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) that the visit will push the march of the joint cooperation in the right direction in order to achieve the desired interests and goals, and contribute to developing the political, military, diplomatic, economic, commercial, developmental and cultural coordination and cooperation fields.

Mr. Khan met Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Dr Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen and discussed developments in the Islamic world, the situation of Muslims in non-OIC countries and the issues on the OIC's agenda, in particular combating Islamophobia.

During the summit meeting between Mr. Khan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, enhancing economic and trade relations and the challenge posed by extremism came under discussion.

100 DAYS IN POWER, MYANMAR JUNTA HOLDS PRETENCE OF CONTROL

One hundred days since their takeover, Myanmar’s ruling generals maintain just the pretense of control over the country. It’s an illusion sustained mainly by their partial success at silencing independent media and keeping streets clear of large demonstrations by using lethal force. Health workers have stopped staffing government medical facilities. Many civil servants and bank employees are no-shows at work. Universities have become hotbeds of resistance. And education at the primary and secondary levels has begun to collapse as teachers, students and parents boycott state schools. There are fears the military takeover is turning Myanmar into a failed state.

EU SUING ASTRAZENECA TO GET 90 MILLION VACCINE DOSES BEFORE JULY

The EU executive is suing British-Swedish pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca to force it to deliver 90 million more doses of its Covid-19 vaccine before July, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

"We want the court to order the company to deliver 90 million additional doses, in addition to the 30 million already delivered in the first quarter," European Commission spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker told a media conference.

The demand stems from a row between Brussels and AstraZeneca over a shortfall of tens of millions of vaccine doses the company was meant to have delivered to the EU since the beginning of the year.

The commission has launched two emergency legal actions against the company in a Belgian court, first to have the urgency of the issue recognised, and then to have a judge rule on whether the EU's case is well-founded.

The European Commission, backed by the 27 EU member states, argues that AstraZeneca has breached a contract stipulating it would deliver 300 million vaccine doses to the EU in the first half of this year.

AstraZeneca has responded that it is bound only by a "best reasonable efforts" to meet that target.

WHO REVIEWS SEYCHELLES COVID-19 DATA AFTER FULLY VACCINATED PEOPLE TEST POSITIVE

The World Health Organisation said on Tuesday that it was reviewing coronavirus data from Seychelles after the health ministry said more than a third of people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week had been fully vaccinated.

Both the ministry and the WHO stressed that the majority of those who tested positive had not been vaccinated or had only received one dose, that no one who had died had been fully vaccinated and that nearly all of those needing treatment for severe or critical cases were unvaccinated.

But the WHO said it was closely following the situation in the Indian Ocean nation, which has a population of less than 1,00,000 and daily cases numbers in the low hundreds.

"Our teams continue to review the data, assess progress and understand the trends," a spokeswoman said by email.

The seven day rolling average of positive cases increased from 120 on April 30 to 314 on May 8, the ministry said in a statement late on Monday, with almost two thirds of the positive cases being close contacts of another person testing positive.

Some 37% of those testing positive had received both doses of a vaccine, it said.

To date, 57% of those who have been fully vaccinated have received the vaccine from China's state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm, while 43% have received AstraZeneca shots, it said. Nearly 60% of the population have had two doses, the WHO said.