KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

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

               World    4,60,678              /             42,39,563            /             7,115     /             1,51,36,719        /             543.9

1             USA        21,102   /             6,29,380              /             64           /             54,64,456            /             1,889

2             UK          24,470   /             1,29,719              /             65           /             12,30,749            /             1,900

3             Brazil     20,503   /             5,56,834              /             397        /             7,35,531              /             2,600

4             Spain                    /             81,486   /                            /             6,54,358              /             1,742

5             Indonesia            30,738   /             95,723   /             1,604     /             5,35,135              /             346

6             Russia    22,804   /             1,59,352              /             789        /             5,03,435              /             1,091

7             Iran        32,511   /             90,996   /             366        /             4,27,328              /             1,069

8             India      40,784   /             4,24,808              /             424        /             4,20,879              /             305

9             Mexico  18,809   /             2,40,906              /             450        /             3,91,462              /             1,848

10           France   19,600   /             1,11,885              /             18           /             3,32,702              /             1,710

11           Argentina            6,083     /             1,05,772              /             51           /             2,48,943              /             2,317

12           Turkey   20,890   /             51,428   /             96           /             2,36,608              /             603

13           Thailand               18,027   /             4,990     /             133        /             2,05,002              /             71

14           Malaysia              17,150   /             9,184     /             160        /             1,95,273              /             280

15           Honduras                            /             7,834     /                            /             1,88,580              /             778

16           Netherlands        2,304     /             17,829   /             2             /             1,81,047              /             1,038

17           Poland   91           /             75,261   /                            /             1,53,961              /             1,991

18           South Africa       8,730     /             72,191   /             178        /             1,53,122              /             1,201

19           Bangladesh         14,844   /             20,916   /             231        /             1,50,146              /             126

20           Iraq        9,394     /             18,734   /             77           /             1,45,166              /             455

28           Pakistan               5,026     /             23,422   /             62           /             69,756   /             104

29           Philippines           8,735     /             28,016   /             127        /             63,646   /             252

TALIBAN ROCKETS HIT KANDAHAR AIRPORT IN AFGHANISTAN, FLIGHTS SUSPENDED

Taliban fighters struck Kandahar airport in southern Afghanistan with at least three rockets overnight, the insurgent group's spokesman said on Sunday, adding that the aim was to thwart air strikes conducted by Afghan government forces.

"Kandahar airport was targeted by us because the enemy were using it as a centre to conduct air strikes against us," Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesperson, told Reuters.

Afghan government officials said the rocket attacks forced authorities to suspend all flights and that the runway was partially damaged. There were no immediate reports of casualties, they said.

Officials said the Taliban see Kandahar as a major strategic point, which they seem to be using as a control centre for gaining complete dominance over five other provinces.

Clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters have intensified in the cities of Kandahar and neighbouring Helmand province.

In the west, Afghan officials said Taliban commanders were swiftly gaining control of strategic buildings around Heraat city, forcing civilians to remain in their homes.

The Taliban have been advancing in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of American and NATO troops from the country and in recent weeks the fundamentalist Islamist group said they have captured over half of all Afghanistan's territory, including border crossings with Iran and Pakistan.

U.S., U.K. JOIN ISRAEL IN ACCUSING IRAN FOR TANKER ATTACK OFF OMAN

The United States and the United Kingdom joined Israel on August 2 in alleging Iran carried out a fatal drone strike on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, putting further pressure on Tehran as it denied being involved in the assault.

Calling it a “unlawful and callous attack,” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said his country and its allies planned a coordinated response over the strike on Thursday night on the oil tanker Mercer Street. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken soon followed, saying there was “no justification for this attack, which follows a pattern of attacks and other belligerent behaviour”. The strike on the Mercer Street marked the first-known fatal attack after years of assaults on commercial shipping in the region linked to tensions with Iran over its tattered nuclear deal.

While no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, Iran and its militia allies have used so-called “suicide” drones in attacks previously, which crash into targets and detonate their explosive payloads. However, Israel, the U.K. and the responding U.S. Navy have yet to show physical evidence from the strike or offer intelligence information on why they blame Tehran.

MYANMAR MILITARY LEADER EXTENDS RULE, PLEDGES TO HOLD NEW MULTIPARTY ELECTIONS IN 2023

Nearly six months after the Myanmar military snatched power from the country’s civilian government, the chief of the armed forces said on Sunday that the new elections would be held in the country and the prevailing state of emergency would be revoked by August 2023, thus extending the rule of the military by nearly 18 months.

The state of emergency was imposed initially for a period of one year, according to the military’s announcement days after it ousted the elected leader of the country Aung San Suu Kyi in February this year.

The state administration council, as the junta calls itself, also appointed Min Aung Hlaing as the prime minister of the “caretaker government,” it announced in a separate statement.

In a televised address, Min Aung Hlaing announced the junta’s decision to extend the military’s rule. “We will accomplish the provisions of the state of emergency by August 2023,” he said. “I pledge to hold multi-party elections without fail,” he added.

Further, the military chief also said that the junta is ready to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (Asean) special envoy to the country.

US WASTING VACCINE DOSES EVEN AS CASES RISE: REPORT

A survey of data from 10 states shows that more than one million doses have gone to waste since the nation began administering Covid-19 vaccines in December. Much of the loss has come as demand for inoculations plummeted, with the daily rate of vaccinations now at less than one-fifth of its peak average of 3.4 million shots, reached in mid-April. More than 110,000 doses have been destroyed in Georgia, officials there said. Of the more than 53,000 doses wasted in New Jersey, nearly 20,000 were discarded in June, up from around 4,000 in April. In Ohio, more than 3,70,000 doses have been reported as unusable by state providers, while around 50,000 doses in Maryland were not used, officials said.

Reasons for vaccine wastage include breakage, storage and transportation problems, expiration, and shots that were prepared but not used after people did not show up for appointments, officials said. In many states, data shows that wasted or unusable doses are no more than 2% of those received from the federal government and successfully administered. In Georgia, more than 8.5 million doses have been administered; the state’s unused doses total just 1.4% of that number, officials said. Idaho has wasted about 2% of delivered doses, and New Jersey less than half of 1%. Other states are likely to face some of the same issues as the 10 states whose data was reviewed by New York Times.

PAKISTAN: ISLAMABAD IMPOSES SMART LOCKDOWN IN VARIOUS SECTORS AMID COVID SURGE

Pakistan on Sunday imposed a smart lockdown in various sectors of the capital due to a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases.

According to a notification issued by the Islamabad district magistrate, the movement of residents will be restricted in 27 streets in different sectors with a high Covid-19 positivity ratio, reported Dawn.

Exemptions to the order include essential services and supplies like pharmacy and medicine shops, grocery store and bakeries, patients for medical aid/medical consultation, rationing, drinking water supplies, utilities and emergencies.

"The citizens are requested to make prior arrangements for their convenience including ration, medicines and reschedule their engagements/office work before the onset of lockdown/sealing date and time," read the notification.

This comes after Sindh province imposed a partial lockdown from Saturday till August 8 as the Covid-19 cases are surging.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday slammed the partial Covid-19 lockdown imposed by the provincial government in Sindh as it went against the wishes of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government.

KIM’S SISTER WARNS AGAINST S.KOREA-U.S. MILITARY DRILL

The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said on Sunday that a planned military exercise between Seoul and Washington would “becloud” relations, state-run media reported.

The warning comes amid a surprise thaw on the Korean peninsula, prompted by a series of personal letters between Mr. Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

The two sides on Tuesday restored communications that were severed more than a year ago, announcing their leaders had agreed to work on improving ties.

But Kim Yo-jong — a key adviser to her brother the North Korean leader — warned the mood could shift if the South holds joint military drills with the United States later this month.

“I view this as an undesirable prelude which seriously undermines the will of the top leaders,” Kim Yo Jong said, adding the drill “further beclouds the way ahead of the north-south relations”.