KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

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

               World    6,34,528              /             34,43,965            /             12,577   /             1,58,65,742               /             441.8

1             USA        29,068   /             6,02,610              /             653        /             58,75,241            /               1,811

2             India      2,59,269              /             2,91,365              /             4,209     /             30,33,408               /             209

3             Brazil     83,367   /             4,44,391              /             2,527     /             10,68,205            /               2,078

4             Iran        12,428   /             77,994   /             229        /             4,36,025              /             918

5             Argentina            35,884   /             72,699   /             434        /             3,39,211              /               1,596

6             Italy       5,741     /             1,24,810              /             164        /             2,99,486              /               2,067

7             France   15,415   /             1,08,314              /             133        /             2,97,480              /               1,656

8             Russia    9,232     /             1,17,361              /             396        /             2,65,777              /               804

9             Mexico  2,000     /             2,20,850              /             104        /             2,59,124              /               1,697

10           Ukraine 5,165     /             48,899   /             203        /             2,05,305              /               1,124

11           Netherlands        4,632     /             17,506   /             18           /             1,97,710              /               1,020

12           Spain     5,733     /             79,601   /             33           /             1,95,788              /               1,702

13           Germany              10,727   /             87,639   /             234        /             1,92,865              /               1,043

14           Poland   2,086     /             72,500   /             250        /             1,74,831              /               1,917

15           Honduras             924        /             6,051     /             32           /             1,40,037              /               603

16           Sweden                /             14,351   /             39           /             1,31,857              /               1,413

17           Turkey   9,385     /             45,626   /             207        /             1,25,010              /             536

18           Peru                      /             67,034   /                            /             1,15,916              /               2,008

19           Nepal    8,227     /             5,847     /             190        /             1,15,852              /             198

20           Hungary               780        /             29,380   /             51           /             1,15,029              /               3,048

26           Pakistan               4,207     /             19,987   /             131        /             66,282   /             89

29           Philippines           6,100     /             19,641   /             135        /             51,912   /             177

36           Bangladesh         1,457     /             12,284   /             36           /             45,400   /             74

ISRAEL, GAZA MILITANTS ANNOUNCE CEASEFIRE

Israel and the two main armed groups in Gaza agreed to a ceasefire on Thursday aimed at ending end 11 days of deadly violence.

A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the security cabinet had "unanimously accepted the recommendations to accept an Egyptian initiative for an unconditional . . . ceasefire."

Hamas and Islamic Jihad then confirmed the ceasefire in a statement, saying it would come into force at 2 a.m. Friday (2300 GMT).

The Israeli statement did not mention when the truce would come into force.

Meanwhile, two Egyptian security delegations will be sent to monitor a ceasefire deal aimed at bringing an end to 11 days of deadly violence, diplomatic sources told AFP.

The delegations will be sent to Tel Aviv and the Palestinian territories to "monitor (the ceasefire's) implementation and procedures to maintain stable conditions permanently".

The Egyptian-mediated "simultaneous and mutual ceasefire" is to come into force at 2300 GMT Thursday, the sources said, confirming announcements by Israel and Palestinian armed groups.

WUHAN LAB COVID ESCAPE 'CAN'T BE RULED OUT'

In an elaborate article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Nicholas Wade, a noted science writer, editor and author said that much of the work of Chinese virologists on gain-of-function in coronaviruses was performed at the BSL2 safety level lab, which requires taking fairly minimal safety precautions. The pandemic broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.

"For the lab escape scenario, a Wuhan origin for the virus is a no-brainer. Wuhan is home to China's leading center of coronavirus research where researchers were genetically engineering bat coronaviruses to attack human cells. They were doing so under the minimal safety conditions of a BSL2 lab. If a virus with the unexpected infectiousness of SARS2 had been generated there, its escape would be no surprise," he said.

Wade, who has worked on the staff of Nature, Science, and, for many years, the New York Times, talked about lack of access to evidence from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, or related labs in Wuhan

"The evidence adds up to a serious case that the SARS2 virus could have been created in a lab, from which it then escaped. But the case, however substantial, falls short of proof. Proof would consist of evidence from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, or related labs in Wuhan, that SARS2 or a predecessor virus was under development there. For lack of access to such records, another approach is to take certain salient facts about the SARS2 virus and ask how well each is explained by the two rival scenarios of origin," he said.

Wade said in the article in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists that researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, led by China's leading expert on bat viruses, Shi Zheng-li or "Bat Lady," mounted frequent expeditions to the bat-infested caves of Yunnan in southern China and collected around a hundred different bat coronaviruses.

He said first and foremost, Chinese virologists are to blame for performing gain-of-function experiments in mostly BSL2-level safety conditions which were far too lax to contain a virus of unexpected infectiousness like SARS2.

"If the virus did indeed escape from their lab, they deserve the world's censure for a foreseeable accident that has already caused the deaths of three million people.

He said it is documented that researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were doing gain-of-function experiments designed to make coronaviruses infect human cells and humanized mice.

"This is exactly the kind of experiment from which a SARS2-like virus could have emerged. The researchers were not vaccinated against the viruses under study, and they were working in the minimal safety conditions of a BSL2 laboratory. So escape of a virus would not be at all surprising.

ANTARCTICA GIVES BIRTH TO WORLD'S LARGEST ICEBERG

A giant slab of ice bigger than the Spanish island of Majorca has sheared off from the frozen edge of Antarctica into the Weddell Sea, becoming the largest iceberg currently afloat in the world, the European Space Agency said on Wednesday.

The newly calved berg, designated A-76 by scientists, was spotted in recent satellite images captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission, the space agency said in a statement posted on its website with a photo of the enormous, oblong ice sheet.

Its surface area spans 4,320 square km (1,668 square miles) and measures 175 km (106 miles) long by 25 km (15 miles) wide.

By comparison, Spain's popular tourist island of Majorca in the Mediterranean occupies 3,640 square km (1,405 square miles).

The U.S. state of Rhode Island is smaller still, with a landmass of just 2,678 square km (1,034 square miles).

The enormity of A-76, which broke away from Antarctica's Ronne Ice Shelf, ranks as the largest existing iceberg on the planet, surpassing the now second-place A-23A, about 3,380 square km (1,305 square miles) in size and also floating in the Weddell Sea.

BIDEN SIGNS BILL TO COUNTER SPIKE IN ANTI-ASIAN HATE CRIME

President Joe Biden on Thursday, May 20, 2021, signed legislation to curtail a dramatic rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and expressed pride that lawmakers who seem to agree on little else came together against hate and racism.

Mr. Biden lavished praise on Democrats and Republicans for approving the bill by lopsided margins and sending it to the White House for his signature.

Several dozen lawmakers attended the bill signing ceremony, one of the largest groups to visit Mr. Biden at the White House during the pandemic.

The House approved the bill 364-62 this week, following the Senate's 94-1 vote in April.

Mr. Biden, who stressed his wish to help unite the country as he campaigned for office, said during the East Room event that fighting hate and racism should bring people together.

“I'm proud today of the United States,” he said.

The new law will expedite Justice Department reviews of hate crimes by putting an official in charge of the effort. Federal grants will be available to help local law enforcement agencies improve their investigation, identification and reporting of bias-driven incidents, which often go underreported.

PUTIN TO WOULD-BE AGGRESSORS: 'WILL KNOCK THEIR TEETH OUT'

Russian President Vladimir Putin alleged Thursday that some of the country's foreign foes dream about biting off pieces of the country's vast territory, warning that Moscow would “knock their teeth out” if they ever try.

In strong remarks during a conference call with officials, the Russian president noted that foreign efforts to contain Russia date from centuries ago.

“In all times, the same thing happened: once Russia grew stronger, they found pretexts to hamper its development," Putin said, alleging that some critics of Russia who he didn't name have argued that it's unfair for it to keep its vast natural riches all to itself.

“Everyone wants to bite us or bite something off us, but those who would like to do so should know that we would knock their teeth out so that they couldn't bite,” the Russian leader said. “The development of our military is the guarantee of that.”

Putin said that Western sanctions against Russia are continuing a longtime historic trend of containing a powerful rival, citing Russian Czar Alexander III who charged that “everyone is afraid of our vastness.”

“Even after we lost one-third of our potential” when former Soviet republics became independent after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, “Russia is still too big for some,” Putin said.

“No matter what we do, no matter how we try to satisfy the appetites of those who are trying to contain us, the containment will continue because many of our opponents just don't want such a country as Russia,” Putin said. “But we, citizens of the Russian Federation need it, and we will do everything to not just preserve but strengthen it.”

He noted that Russia this year is set to spend an equivalent of $42 billion on defense, compared to the Pentagon's budget topping $700 billion.

“We have managed to support our armed forces without militarizing the state budget, and we will continue doing so,” Putin said.

BBC REPORTER MARTIN BASHIR USED DECEIT TO GET 1995 DIANA INTERVIEW

A BBC journalist used “deceitful behavior” to secure an explosive interview with Princess Diana in 1995, in a “serious breach” of the broadcaster’s guidelines, according to investigation findings published Thursday.

The BBC appointed a retired senior judge in November to lead the investigation after Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, made renewed complaints that journalist Martin Bashir used false documents and other dishonest tactics to persuade Diana to agree to the interview.

Mr Spencer alleged Mr Bashir showed him forged bank documents relating to his sister’s former private secretary and another former royal household member that falsely suggested the individuals were being paid for keeping the princess under surveillance.

He accused Mr Bashir of using the documents to gain his trust so he would introduce Diana to the journalist. He also alleged that Mr Bashir made up stories about the royal family to strengthen Diana's belief there was a conspiracy against her.

The investigation criticized the BBC for falling short during its own probe into the matter two decades ago of the “high standards of integrity and transparency which are its hallmark.”

The BBC’s chairman, Richard Sharp, said the corporation accepts the investigation’s findings, adding “there were unacceptable failures.”

Mr Bashir, who was the BBC News religion editor, left the corporation last week on health grounds. He has been seriously unwell with COVID-19-related complications.

In a statement, he said he deeply regretted faking the bank statements, calling it “a stupid thing to do." But he added that he felt it had “no bearing whatsoever on the personal choice by Princess Diana to take part in the interview."

Diana famously said in the interview that “there were three of us in this marriage” — referring to Prince Charles’ relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles. Her candid account of her failing marriage with Charles was watched by millions of people and sent shockwaves through the monarchy.

Prince William and his brother Prince Harry on Thursday issued strongly worded statements criticizing the BBC and British media for unethical practices.

In his statement, William, 38, said the BBC's failures contributed to the deterioration of his parents' marriage and worsened Diana's feelings of paranoia.

Harry, meanwhile, said the issue was bigger than just the BBC - and that “the ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life.”

SINGAPORE ASKS SOCIAL MEDIA GIANTS TO ISSUE CORRECTION NOTICE ON VIRUS STRAIN

The Ministry of Health of Singapore on Thursday cautioned social media networks against a “false statement” circulating online which described Singapore as the place of origin of a highly infectious COVID-19 variant that is threatening children. The statement came hours after the High Commissioner of Singapore in New Delhi said that his country “reserves” the right to invoke the law regarding fake news for comments from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had said that a COVID-19 variant was “found in Singapore”.

“The Minister for Health has instructed the POFMA [Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act] Office to issue General Correction Directions to Facebook, Twitter and SPH Magazines Pte Ltd (HardwareZone Forum). Facebook, Twitter and SPH Magazines are required to carry the Correction Notice to all end-users in Singapore who use Facebook, Twitter, and HardwareZone.com,” said the official notification from the Ministry of Health.

On Wednesday, Singapore’s High Commissioner, Simon Wong, said his country has the POFMA law to deal with information similar to the ones shared by Mr. Kejriwal, who had taken to social media and announced that a variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 “found in Singapore” was “very dangerous for children”. He then went on to seek suspension of air connectivity between India and Singapore.

”There is no new ‘Singapore’ variant of COVID-19. Neither is there evidence of any COVID-19 variant that is ‘extremely dangerous for kids’. The strain that is prevalent in many of the COVID-19 cases detected in Singapore in recent weeks is the B.1.617.2 variant, which originated from India,” said the official notification.

SRI LANKAN PARLIAMENT PASSES CONTROVERSIAL BILL ON CHINA-BACKED PORT CITY

The Sri Lankan Parliament on Thursday passed a controversial Bill on laws governing the China-backed Colombo Port city, with a majority of 149 legislators – in the 225-member House – voting in its favour.

The development comes after the Supreme Court suggested certain amendments, following over a dozen petitions challenging the Bill that political opposition and civil society groups said “directly affected” Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.

The government accepted the amendments, pre-empting the requirement for a two-thirds majority or a referendum for passage of certain clauses, as per the Supreme Court’s determination.