KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

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

               World    6,80,657              /             42,78,712            /             9,663     /             1,59,74,330               /             548.9

1             USA        1,13,455              /             6,31,857              /             554        /             58,50,163               /             1,897

2             UK          30,215   /             1,30,086              /             86           /             12,67,080            /               1,905

3             Spain     21,387   /             81,931   /             87           /             7,10,684              /               1,752

4             Brazil     40,054   /             5,60,706              /             991        /             7,04,997              /               2,618

5             Indonesia            35,764   /             1,02,375              /             1,739     /             5,18,310               /             370

6             Russia    23,120   /             1,62,509              /             794        /             5,17,183              /               1,113

7             Iran        38,674   /             92,628   /             434        /             4,97,365              /               1,088

8             India      45,001   /             4,26,785              /             464        /             4,21,116              /               306

9             France   26,460   /             1,12,098              /             52           /             3,89,575              /               1,713

10           Mexico  20,685   /             2,42,547              /             611        /             3,88,120              /               1,860

11           Turkey   24,297   /             51,875   /             108        /             3,10,088              /             608

12           Argentina            13,786   /             1,07,023              /             276        /             2,51,943               /             2,345

13           Malaysia              20,596   /             10,019   /             164        /             2,17,061              /               305

14           Thailand               20,920   /             5,663     /             160        /             2,13,910              /               81

15           Honduras             1,687     /             8,014     /             52           /             1,92,989              /               795

16           Netherlands        3,358     /             17,850   /             11           /             1,85,369              /               1,039

17           Iraq        11,871   /             19,000   /             62           /             1,63,734              /             461

18           South Africa       13,646   /             73,873   /             458        /             1,55,697              /               1,229

19           Poland   176        /             75,275   /             6             /             1,54,252              /               1,991

20           Bangladesh         12,744   /             21,902   /             264        /             1,43,809              /               132

26           Pakistan               5,661     /             23,635   /             60           /             77,409   /             105

29           Philippines           8,127     /             28,427   /             196        /             66,895   /             256

IRAN SWEARS IN NEW HARD-LINE PRESIDENT AMID REGIONAL TENSION

The protege of Iran's supreme leader, Ebrahim Raisi, was sworn in as the country's new president during a ceremony in parliament on Thursday, an inauguration that completes hard-liners’ dominance of all branches of government in the Islamic Republic. The former judiciary chief known for his distrust of the West takes the reins at a tense time. Iran’s indirect talks with the US to salvage Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal have stalled, as Washington maintains crippling sanctions on the country and regional hostilities simmer. “The sanctions must be lifted,” Raisi said during his inauguration speech. “We will support any diplomatic plan that supports this goal.”

In his address, Raisi stressed his embrace of diplomacy to lift US sanctions and mend rifts with neighbours, a subtle reference to Sunni rival Saudi Arabia. But he also signaled that Iran seeks to expand its power as a counterbalance to foes across the region.

THESE COUNTRIES TO IGNORE WHO'S CALL FOR MORATORIUM ON COVID BOOSTER SHOTS

In a major snub to the World Health Organization (WHO), many countries have decided to go ahead with their booster shot plan for elderly and vulnerable groups. On Wednesday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhnom Ghebreyesus called for a moratorium on third vaccine dose of recommended two-dose regimen until September end in a bid to enable all countries to vaccinate at least 10% of their population.

According to the WHO, low-income countries have been able to administer only 1.5 doses for every 100 people due to a lack of vaccine supplies. Calling for an urgent reversal of global vaccine policy, Tedros told a press briefing that 80% of the vaccine doses administered worldwide have gone to high- and upper-middle-income countries.

"I understand the concern of all governments to protect their people from the Delta variant. But we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it, while the Earth globe Europe-Africa's most vulnerable people remain unprotected," the WHO chief said.

Despite the strong statement by the UN health agency, France, Germany and Israel appear to press ahead with their plan. After WHO’ call, French President Emmanuel Macron said his government was working on rolling out a third Covid-19 vaccine dose for the elderly and vulnerable from September, reported news agency Reuters.

German health ministry stated that it intends to administer boosters to immunocompromised patients, elderly and nursing home residents from September but would also donate at least 30 million doses to poorer countries.

ISRAEL DEFENCE MINISTER GANTZ THREATENS IRAN WITH MILITARY ACTION

Israel’s defence minister warned on Thursday that his country is prepared to strike Iran, issuing the threat against the Islamic Republic after a fatal drone strike on a oil tanker at sea that his nation blamed on Tehran.

The comments by Benny Gantz come as Israel meanwhile lobbies countries for action at the United Nations over last week’s attack on the oil tanker Mercer Street that killed two people. The tanker, struck off Oman in the Arabian Sea, is managed by a firm owned by an Israeli billionaire.

The U.S. and the United Kingdom similarly blamed Iran for the attack, but no country has offered evidence or intelligence to support their claims. Iran, which along with its regional militia allies has launched similar drone attacks, has denied being involved.

Speaking to the news website Ynet, Mr. Gantz responded to whether Israel was prepared to attack Iran with a blunt “yes.” “We are at a point where we need to take military action against Iran,” Mr. Gantz said.

“The world needs to take action against Iran now.” Iran did not immediately respond to Mr. Gantz’s comments. However, in a letter Wednesday to the UN Security Council, its chargé d’affaires in New York described Israel as “the main source of instability and insecurity in the Middle East and beyond for more than seven decades.” “This regime has a long dark record in attacking commercial navigation and civilian ships,” Zahra Ershadi wrote.

BIDEN OFFERS ‘SAFE HAVEN’ TO HONG KONG RESIDENTS IN US

President Joe Biden on Thursday offered temporary “safe haven” to Hong Kong residents in the US, allowing what could be thousands of people to extend their stay in the country in response to Beijing’s crackdown on democracy in the Chinese territory. In a signed memo, Biden directed the department of homeland security to implement a “deferral of removal” for up to 18 months for Hong Kong residents currently in the US, citing “compelling foreign policy reasons”. “Over the last year, the PRC has continued its assault on Hong Kong’s autonomy, undermining its remaining democratic processes and institutions, imposing limits on academic freedom, and cracking down on freedom of the press,” Biden said in the memo, using the acronym for the People's Republic of China. “Offering safe haven for Hong Kong residents who have been deprived of their guaranteed freedoms in Hong Kong furthers US interests in the region,” he said.

US URGES IRAN TO RESUME NEGOTIATIONS 'SOON'

The United States on Thursday urged Iran to return to talks quickly on reviving a nuclear deal after the new ultraconservative president, Ebrahim Raisi, said he would seek a diplomatic way to end sanctions.

"We urge Iran to return to the negotiations soon," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

"If President Raisi is genuine in his determination to see the sanctions lifted, well that is precisely what's on the table in Vienna," he said.

"We hope that Iran seizes the opportunity now to advance diplomatic solutions," Price said.

He was referring to months of fruitless indirect talks in the Austrian capital on reviving the 2015 nuclear accord trashed by former president Donald Trump.

Price reiterated that the Biden administration, despite concerns with Iran, saw the accord as key to securing "permanent and verifiable limits on Iran's nuclear program."

Price said that the proposal to end sweeping sanctions in return for compliance with the deal would not last "indefinitely."

"For us, this is an urgent priority, knowing the issues that are at play," Price said. "We hope that the Iranians treat it with the same degree of urgency."

US TAKING STEPS TO PROVIDE CITIZENSHIP TO IMMIGRANTS’ CHILDREN

The Biden administration is taking steps to provide a legal pathway to citizenship to children of legal immigrants, the White House has said after a group of such youths, mostly Indians, expressed fear of being deported when they turn 21.

These children, known as documented dreamers, are living in the United States as dependents of long-term non-immigrant visa-holders, including H-1B workers.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. According to Improve the Dream, a group representing such children, they number more than 2,00,000, a significant number of whom are Indians.