KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

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

               World    4,03,818              /             37,76,000            /             13,429   /             1,24,27,142               /             484.4

1             USA        12,574   /             6,13,465              /             424        /             53,97,796            /               1,843

2             India      93,896   /             3,59,695              /             6,138     /             11,83,475            /               258

3             Brazil     87,097   /             4,79,791              /             2,484     /             10,48,750            /               2,242

4             Argentina            29,757   /             83,272   /             605        /             3,46,361              /               1,827

5             Iran        10,598   /             81,519   /             157        /             3,18,513              /             959

6             Russia    10,407   /             1,24,895              /             399        /             2,69,456              /               855

7             Mexico  3,449     /             2,29,100              /             262        /             2,64,644              /               1,760

8             Italy       2,199     /             1,26,767              /             77           /             1,74,935              /               2,100

9             France   5,557     /             1,10,202              /             65           /             1,56,876              /               1,685

10           Colombia             24,233   /             93,473   /             550        /             1,56,776              /               1,819

11           Poland   428        /             74,363   /             108        /             1,55,279              /               1,967

12           Honduras             419        /             6,532     /             39           /             1,49,846              /               650

13           Spain     4,427     /             80,332   /             23           /             1,34,039              /               1,718

14           UK          7,540     /             1,27,860              /             6             /             1,26,267              /               1,874

15           Netherlands        1,714     /             17,700   /             5             /             1,01,675              /               1,031

16           Indonesia            7,725     /             52,162   /             170        /             1,01,635              /               189

17           Malaysia              6,239     /             3,611     /             75           /             81,575   /             110

18           Nepal    3,449     /             8,179     /             81           /             80,336   /             276

19           Turkey   6,454     /             48,428   /             87           /             78,429   /             568

31           Philippines           5,462     /             22,190   /             126        /             54,000   /             200

35           Bangladesh         2,537     /             12,949   /             36           /             47,301   /             78

38           Pakistan               1,118     /             21,453   /             77           /             44,987   /             95

CITING RAPID SPREAD OF DELTA VARIANT, BIDEN AND FAUCI URGE AMERICAN YOUTHS TO GET THE JAB

US President Joe Biden and his Chief Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci have warned that the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus is highly infectious, which is now the dominant strain in the United Kingdom, spreading rapidly among young people between 12 and 20 years old.

The Delta variant of Covid-19, or the B1.617.2 was first detected in India in October and has spread to 62 countries, the World Health Organisation said recently.

"Folks, the Delta variant - a highly infectious Covid-19 strain - is spreading rapidly among young people between 12 and 20 years old in the UK. If you’re young and haven’t gotten your shot yet, it really is time. It’s the best way to protect yourself and those you love," Biden tweeted on Tuesday.

Dr Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said the Delta variant accounts for more than 6 per cent of the cases being sequenced in the US. The actual number is likely higher, as the US is running the genetic sequence on a fraction of cases.

The variant has become the dominant strain in the UK, accounting for an estimated 60 per cent of new cases. It’s now more prevalent than the Alpha strain, formerly called the B.1.1.7 strain, which was first identified in the UK, and transmission is peaking in people between the ages of 12 and 20, Dr. Fauci said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

"In the UK, the Delta variant is rapidly emerging as the dominant variant ... It is replacing the B.1.1.7," Fauci said. "We cannot let that happen in the United States," he told CNBC.

BANNED PAKISTAN JOURNALIST HAMID MIR APOLOGISES FOR MAKING REMARKS AGAINST ARMY

A prominent Pakistani journalist, who was taken off air indefinitely for making hard-hitting remarks against the country’s powerful military establishment in the wake of an attack on a fellow scribe, has apologised and said he had no intention to defame the Army.

Hamid Mir, the popular host of political talk show ‘Capital Talk’ of Geo News channel, on May 28 delivered a fiery speech at a protest staged by scribes against an attack by three “unknown” persons on journalist and YouTuber Asad Ali Toor in Islamabad.

Mr. Mir demanded accountability for the attack, which was a series of such assaults on media persons who are critical of the country’s military. Following his speech, he was taken off air on May 30.

A joint statement issued by a committee formed by the Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), the National Press Club and Mr. Mir on June 8 said he had no intention to defame the Army and respect it “as an institution from the core of his heart”.

“The purpose of my speech was not at all to hurt the feelings and sentiments of others but still I sincerely apologise if my words lacerated the sentiments of someone,” Mr. Mir said.

BIDEN ARRIVES IN U.K. FOR G7 SUMMIT, PART OF 8-DAY EUROPE TRIP

U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Britain on Wednesday on his first trip abroad since taking office, an eight-day mission to rebuild trans-Atlantic ties strained during the Trump era and to reframe relations with Russia.

“Will the democratic alliances and institutions that shaped so much of the last century prove their capacity against modern-day threats and adversaries? I believe the answer is yes. And this week in Europe, we have the chance to prove it,” Biden said in an article published in the Washington Post.

Biden told reporters as he left for Europe that his goals were “strengthening the alliance, making it clear to Putin and to China that Europe and the United States are tight.”

His summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 16 in Geneva is the capstone of the trip, an opportunity to raise U.S. concerns directly with Putin about ransomware attacks emanating from Russia, Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine and a host of other issues.

Speaking to U.S. troops based at Royal Air Force Mildenhall base, a huge American flag behind him, Biden set a tough tone for his meeting with Putin, saying he would “let him know what I want him to know.”

“We’re not seeking conflict with Russia,” said Biden. He said the United States wants a stable, predictable relationship with Russia but that “the United States will respond in a robust and meaningful way if the Russian government engages in harmful activities.”

He also comes to Europe with a goodwill gesture, the planned announcement that the United States will buy and donate 500 million Pfizer coronavirus vaccine doses to about 100 countries over the next two years, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

EU OKAYS COVID-19 VACCINE

EU lawmakers have endorsed a travel certificate that will allow people to move between European countries without having to quarantine or undergo extra Covid-19 tests, paving the way for the pass to start in time for summer.

The widely awaited certificate - also referred to as “vaccine passport” - is aimed at saving Europe’s travel industry and prime tourist sites from another disastrous vacation season.

The new regulations were adopted on Wednesday in two votes at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. The vote has to be rubber-stamped by EU nations, but that’s a formality. Starting July 1 for a year, all EU countries must recognise the vaccine certificate. They will be issued free and certify that a person has either been fully vaccinated against the virus, has recently tested negative or has recovered from the disease.

US, CHINA TRADE OFFICIALS HOLD FIRST PHONE CALL, AGREE TO PROMOTE 'HEALTHY' TIES

The United States of America (USA) and China have agreed to push forward mutual links in trade and investment, news agency Bloomberg reported, citing a phone call between Chinese commerce minister Wang Wentao and his US counterpart Gina Raimondo on Thursday morning. In what comes as their first such call since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the ministers “agreed to promote the healthy development of pragmatic cooperation in trade and investment” and “exchanged views frankly and pragmatically on relevant issues and mutual concerns,” according to a statement by the Xi Jinping-led Chinese government.

US-China relations have remained strained for years owing to pinched economic ties, hegemonic rivalry in the Pacific, mutual suspicion over each other's political intentions, and global influence. The phone call today between the commerce ministers of two countries is part of an attempt to bridge these fraught ties under the Biden administration — and is the third such call this week, after Chinese vice-premier Liu He spoke with US trade representative Katherine Tai and treasury secretary Janet Yellen earlier.

PAKISTAN ADMINISTERS 10 MILLION ANTI-CORONAVIRUS VACCINATIONS; SAYS THIRD WAVE CONTAINED

Pakistan has completed administering 10 million (one crore) anti-coronavirus vaccinations on Wednesday and claimed to have successfully contained the third wave of the pandemic.

Pakistan has been witnessing the third wave of coronavirus which saw a tremendous surge in the number of coronavirus infections across the country, leading to deaths in all age groups.

Minister for Planning Asad Umar, who is also head of the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) which has been tackling the pandemic in the country, announced the achievement of 10 million doses of anti-coronavirus vaccine at a special ceremony and said the target was to further vaccinate 70 million citizens.

“Our target is to vaccinate 70 million people by the end of this year,” he said.