KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

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

               World    2,89,502              /             38,81,445            /             5,788     /             1,15,63,995        /             498

1             USA        4,354     /             6,17,166              /             86           /             50,77,452            /             1,854

2             Brazil     44,178   /             5,01,825              /             957        /             12,05,865            /             2,345

3             India      53,009   /             3,88,164              /             1,113     /             7,09,668              /             279

4             Russia    17,611   /             1,29,361              /             450        /             3,17,493              /             886

5             Argentina            10,395   /             89,043   /             301        /             2,89,533              /             1,953

6             Mexico  3,964     /             2,31,151              /             192        /             2,75,417              /             1,775

7             Iran        8,161     /             82,965   /             111        /             2,63,850              /             976

8             UK          9,284     /             1,27,976              /             6             /             2,00,079              /             1,876

9             Colombia             27,818   /             99,934   /             599        /             1,78,071              /             1,944

10           Honduras             1,162     /             6,759     /             11           /             1,54,719              /             672

11           Poland   133        /             74,828   /             5             /             1,53,463              /             1,979

12           Indonesia            13,737   /             54,662   /             371        /             1,42,719              /             198

13           Spain                    /             80,652   /                            /             1,32,585              /             1,724

14           South Africa       13,155   /             58,702   /             112        /             1,17,114              /             978

15           France   1,815     /             1,10,738              /             14           /             89,973   /             1,693

16           Turkey   5,091     /             49,185   /             63           /             88,476   /             577

17           Italy       881        /             1,27,270              /             17           /             87,710   /             2,108

18           Costa Rica                          /             4,473     /                            /             74,029   /             870

19           Iraq        4,160     /             16,885   /             25           /             70,477   /             411

20           Bolivia   1,648     /             16,088   /             79           /             67,737   /             1,360

23           Philippines           5,803     /             23,621   /             84           /             57,679   /             213

26           Bangladesh         3,641     /             13,548   /             82           /             55,465   /             81

40           Pakistan               1,050     /             21,977   /             37           /             33,972   /             98

CHINA RISKS ISOLATION IN QUEST FOR VIRUS ORIGIN, BIDEN AIDE SAYS

China will risk international isolation if it fails to allow a “real” investigation on its territory into the origins of the virus that caused the Covid-19 pandemic, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.

Sullivan’s comments follow last week’s call by Group of Seven leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden for another probe into how the virus originated. Biden last month ordered the U.S. intelligence community to “redouble” its efforts to determine where the coronavirus came from and to report back in 90 days.

The goal is to present China with “a stark choice: Either they will allow, in a responsible way, investigators in to do the real work of figuring out where this came from, or they will face isolation in the international community,” Sullivan said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”

The U.S. will continue pressing in cooperation with its allies and partners “until we get to the bottom of how this virus came into the world and who has accountability for that.”

China has rejected the theory that the virus originated in a lab in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the first cases were reported.

The World Health Organization, which previously sent a mission to China to report on the virus origins, is expected to lead a second probe separately from the U.S. intelligence effort.

“We are not at this point going to issue threats or ultimatums,” Sullivan said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” If China doesn’t live up to its obligations, “we will have to consider our responses at that point and we will do so in concert with allies and partners,” he said.

“We’re not going to simply accept China saying no,” Sullivan said.

ISRAEL'S BENNETT WARNS AGAINST NUKE TALKS WITH IRAN'S 'HANGMEN REGIME'

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday said the election of Ebrahim Raisi as Iranian president heralded the birth of a "regime of brutal hangmen" who could not be trusted on the nuclear deal.

Raisi, a 60-year-old arch-conservative cleric, takes over at a critical time, as Iran seeks to salvage its tattered nuclear deal with major world powers.

"Raisi's election is, I would say, the last chance for the world powers to wake up before returning to the nuclear agreement, and to understand who they are doing business with," said Bennett, convening his first televised cabinet session since taking office last week. "These guys are murderers, mass murderers."

"Of all the people that Khamenei could have chosen, he chose the 'Hangman of Tehran,'" said Bennett, referring to Raisi's role in executing regime opponents during his time as judiciary chief.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid also said the election should mean the end of the nuclear agreement.

"The new president of Iran is a radical who is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iranians," Lapid tweeted, pointing out that Raisi was known as the "butcher of Tehran."

"His election should awaken a new determination to immediately halt Iran's nuclear program" and put an end to Tehran's destructive regional aspirations, he said.

Meanwhile, talks on the deal continued briefly on Sunday in Vienna, with negotiators hoping to bring the US and Iran back to the agreement.

TALIBAN SAY COMMITTED TO AFGHAN PEACE TALKS, WANT ‘ISLAMIC SYSTEM’

The Taliban said on Sunday they were committed to peace talks, adding they wanted a “genuine Islamic system” in Afghanistan that would make provisions for women’s rights in line with cultural traditions and religious rules.

The statement came amid slow progress in the talks between the Islamic group and Afghan government representatives in Qatar and as violence rises dramatically around the country ahead of the withdrawal of foreign forces by September 11.

Officials have said the Taliban has not yet submitted a written peace proposal that could be used as a starting point for substantive talks.

“We understand that the world and Afghans have queries and questions about the form of the system to be established following withdrawal of foreign troops,” said Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban co-founder and the head of their political office, in the statement.

“A genuine Islamic system is the best means for solution of all issues of the Afghans,” he said. “Our very participation in the negotiations and support on our part indicates that we believe in resolving issues through understanding.”

He added that women and minorities would be protected and diplomats and NGO workers would be able to work securely. “We take it on ourselves as a commitment to accommodate all rights of citizens of our country, whether they are male or female, in the light of the rules of the glorious religion of Islam and the noble traditions of the Afghan society,” he said, adding that ‘facilities would be provided’ for women to work and be educated. It was not clear whether the Taliban would allow women to carry out public roles and whether workplaces and schools would be segregated by gender.

IRAN’S SOLE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT UNDERGOES EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN

Iran’s sole nuclear power plant has undergone an unexplained temporary emergency shutdown, state TV reported on June 20.

An official from the state electric energy company, Gholamali Rakhshanimehr, said on a talk show that the Bushehr plant shutdown began on Saturday and would last “for three to four days.” He said that power outages could result.

He did not elaborate but this is the first time Iran has reported an emergency shutdown of the plant, located in the southern port city of Bushehr.

It went online in 2011 with help from Russia. Iran is required to send spent fuel rods from the reactor back to Russia as a nuclear nonproliferation measure.

In March, nuclear official Mahmoud Jafari said the plant could stop working since Iran cannot procure parts and equipment for it from Russia due to banking sanctions imposed by the U.S. in 2018.

Bushehr is fuelled by uranium produced in Russia, not Iran, and is monitored by the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency.

CHINA VACCINATIONS CROSS 1 BILLION AFTER MASSIVE MONTH-LONG PUSH

China has now administered more than one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, its National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday, with the vaccination campaign stepped up in recent weeks amid a small cluster of cases reported in southern China.

The renewed vaccination push saw 500 million doses administered in the past 28 days - more than 17 million doses across the country every day - according to the NHC’s figures.  It took more than three months for China to administer its first 100 million doses with its vaccination campaign beginning in December. It took 25 days to reach 200 million, a landmark reached on April 21, and 17 days to then reach the 300 million mark.

The initial slow speed was attributed to a combination of vaccine hesitancy and the widespread perception that vaccinations were not needed as COVID-19 had been broadly under control in China since last summer.

Around 40% of the population will be fully vaccinated by the end of June, with 70% expected to be fully covered by the end of the year, authorities have said.

China's Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines have been approved by the World Health Organisation for emergency use. While there have been questions about the efficacy of the vaccines, a May 26 study based on phase 3 trials of two of Sinopharm’s vaccines conducted in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain placed their efficacy at 72.8% and 78.1% respectively in preventing all infections, lower than mRNA vaccines but similar to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine’s reported efficacy.

TAIWANESE STAFF TO LEAVE HONG KONG OFFICE IN 'ONE CHINA' ROW

Taiwanese staff working at theisland's representative office in Hong Kong will begin leavingthe Chinese-run city from Sunday, a senior official said, afterthe government there demanded its officials sign a documentsupporting Beijing's claim to Taiwan.

Chinese-ruled Hong Kong has become another bone ofcontention between Taipei and Beijing, especially after Taiwanlambasted a security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing andbegan welcoming Hong Kongers to settle on the island.

Lin Fei-fan, deputy secretary general of Taiwan's rulingDemocratic Progressive Party, said only local staff would remainat the office.

"This is because the Chinese Communist Party and the HongKong government continue to force our personnel stationed inHong Kong to sign a 'one China commitment letter' to recognise'one China'," he said on his Facebook page.

"As a political prerequisite for the visa renewal, we willof course not accept it!"

China sees democratically-ruled Taiwan as part of "oneChina" and has never renounced the use of force to bring theisland under its control.

Lin said Taiwan would never accept "one China" or "onecountry, two systems", Beijing's way of running Hong Kong underChinese sovereignty it hopes to one day apply to the island.

A senior Taiwan official familiar with the matter toldReuters seven Taiwan officials will return on Sunday afternoon,with the last remaining official to come back after visa expirynext month.

RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR RETURNS 'OPTIMISTIC' TO WASHINGTON

The Russian ambassador in Washington flew back Sunday to the United States saying he hoped to build "equal and pragmatic" ties after a US-Russia summit in Geneva aimed at reducing tensions.

The plane transporting ambassador Anatoly Antonov, who was recalled in March for consultations, took off at 9:20 a.m. (0620 GMT) from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport for New York, where he will travel on to Washington, Russian news agencies reported.

"Given the results of the meeting between the two presidents, I am counting on constructive work with my American colleagues to build equal and pragmatic relations," Antonov told the Ria Novosti agency, adding he was in an "optimistic mood."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow and Washington agreed for their ambassadors to return, after summit talks in Geneva with US counterpart Joe Biden.

"After an important summit, I look forward to returning to Moscow soon," Sullivan was quoted as saying in a tweet by the US embassy's spokesman Jason Rebholz.

US NAVY USES 40,000LB EXPLOSIVE TO TEST WARSHIP IN 'FULL SHIP SHOCK TRIAL'

The United States Navy has been carrying out 'Full Ship Shock Trials' off the country's east coast.

The 40,000lb (18,143kg) explosion was detonated as part of a test to assess the aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford's ability to withstand battle conditions.

The US Geological Survey registered the explosion as a 3.9 magnitude earthquake.

Following the trials, the warship will return to a dry dock to undergo modernisation, maintenance and repairs.

AUSTRALIA ACCUSED OF BECOMING ONE OF WORLD’S MOST SECRETIVE DEMOCRACIES

Australia’s suppression of information seen as pivotal to a free and open media is at the center of accusations that the country has become one of the world’s most secretive democracies.

Last week, a former Australian spy was convicted over his unconfirmed role as a whistleblower who revealed an espionage operation against the government of East Timor.

It’s the latest high-profile case in a national system in which secrecy laws, some dating back to the colonial era, are routinely used to suppress information. Police have also threatened to charge journalists who exposed war crime allegations against Australian special forces in Afghanistan, or bureaucrats’ plan to allow an intelligence agency to spy on Australian citizens.

Australians don’t even know the name of the former spy convicted Friday. The Canberra court registry listed him as “Witness K.” His lawyer referred to him more respectfully as “Mr. K” in court.

K spent the two-day hearing in a box constructed from black screens to hide his identity. The public and media were sent out of the courtroom when classified evidence was discussed, which was about half the time.

The only sign that anyone was actually inside the box was when a voice said “guilty” after K was asked how he pleaded.

The Australian government has refused to comment on allegations that K led an Australian Secret Intelligence Service operation that bugged government offices in the East Timorese capital in 2004, during negotiations on the sharing of oil and gas revenue from the seabed that separates the two countries.

CHINA FUMES AFTER NEPAL'S MEDIA EXPOSES SINOPHARM VACCINE PROCUREMENT PRICE

China, which is reportedly selling Nepal vaccines against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) at a price of $10 per dose, conveyed its displeasure with Kathmandu after some regional media publications disclosed the procurement price, reported news agency ANI on Sunday morning. It was earlier reported that Nepal had had to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the makers of China’s Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine in order to gain access to doses amid questions about the legality of such an undertaking.

Although a non-disclosure agreement was reportedly in place, an article published by The Kathmandu Post revealed the price of the Sinopharm vaccine dose that China was selling to Nepal to help the Himalayan nation tackle the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The report mentioned that Nepal was purchasing four million doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine at an estimated cost of $10 or around ₹741 per dose. Although the report acknowledged that the final price is yet to be confirmed given the nature of the agreement, it could be around $10 per dose.

After the article was published, multiple Chinese officials visibly communicated their displeasure with Nepal, reported ANI. Sinopharm had communicated its displeasure at the publicisation of vaccine procurement by the government of Nepal, officials told The Kathmandu Post. The Chinese embassy in Kathmandu had also reminded Nepal's ministry of foreign affairs of the nature of the deal, according to the officials.

SRI LANKA DEFENDS MOVE TO BUILD ARTIFICIAL REEF

Days after Tamil Nadu fishermen protested Sri Lanka’s efforts to build an artificial reef off Delft island, west of Jaffna peninsula, authorities defended the move “aimed at enhancing fish breeding”.

Last week, Sri Lanka’s Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, with the assistance of Navy, launched a project, dropping around 20 discarded buses into the sea off Delft, as was earlier done in other parts of the island nation, including the eastern Trincomalee district, officials said.

“Many countries, including India, have in the past created artificial reefs to facilitate fish spawning. Old train carriages were used in the US, for instance,” Cabinet Minister for Fisheries Douglas Devananda, who represents Jaffna district in parliament, told The Hindu. The move was backed by research undertaken by Sri Lanka’s National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), he said.

“By objecting to an initiative in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, Tamil Nadu fisher leaders have only exposed themselves as parties interested in fishing illegally in the Palk Strait,” he said, referring to the long-persisting Palk Bay fisheries conflict.