WORLD
WHO to decide whether monkeypox represents public health emergency
"It is for that reason that I have decided to convene the (WHO) Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations next week to assess whether this outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern." The meeting is scheduled for June 23. PHEIC is currently the highest level public health alarm the WHO can sound. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which has so far infected more than 532 million people and killed 6.3 million globally, was declared as a PHEIC by the WHO.
WHO may declare monkeypox a global health emergency
The highest level of warning by the global health body currently applies only to the Covid-19 pandemic, polio and Ebola. The UN health agency will convene an emergency committee meeting next week to assess whether the recent monkeypox outbreak warrants a public health emergency. As of June 8, WHO reported 1,285 monkeypox cases in 28 'non-endemic' countries, particularly in Europe, North America, and Australia.
China using Covid app to restrict residents after rural banks run out of cash
Multiple people say they are being forced to quarantine, blocked from public transport or entering buildings. Most appear to be customers of four rural banks which had run into issues providing cash withdrawals, report Chinese media outlets. The banks froze deposits, prompting angry demonstrations last month, BBC reported. China's banking and insurance regulator has since ordered an investigation into the banks.
US to launch 'West Asia Quad' with India, Israel, and UAE
It will be called I2U2 -- for India and Israel whose names begin with the letter "I" and the US and the UAE that begin with the letter "U" -- and will be focussed on West Asia. It will be launched during Biden's visit to Israel, his first leg of his maiden trip as President to West Asia from July 13 to 16. He will also visit West Bank, home to the Palestinian Authority, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he will meet around a dozen regional leaders.
India inks vision document with Vietnam, to give $500mn defence Line of Credit
Wide-ranging discussions on effective and practical initiatives to further expand bilateral defence engagements and regional and global issues were held between the two sides. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Mutual Logistics Support was also inked. In these times of increasing cooperative engagements between the defence forces of the two countries, this is a major step towards simplifying procedures for mutually beneficial logistic support and is the first such major agreement which Vietnam has signed with any country.
US Health Secretary again tests Covid positive in less than a month
Becerra took an antigen test on Monday morning and the result was positive, Xinhua news agency quoted HHS spokesperson Sarah Lovenheim as saying in a statement. "He is fully vaccinated and boosted against Covid-19, and is experiencing mild symptoms. He will continue to perform his duties as HHS Secretary, working in isolation," she added. Becerra, 64, had previously tested positive for Covid-19 in mid-May during a trip to Berlin.
Guterres calls for end to racism, discrimination
"Over the next 100 days and beyond, let us work to safeguard the human rights of all people and build peaceful and inclusive societies," the UN chief said in his message for the 100-day countdown to the International Day of Peace, which falls on September 21 annually. "Together, we can realise the vision of a world free of racism and racial discrimination."
Spanish FM to visit India on Tuesday
In a statement, the Ministry said: "India and Spain enjoy close and friendly relations. The bilateral ties got a fresh impetus after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Spain in 2017. "Albares's visit will be an opportunity to review the entire gamut of our bilateral relations and further deepen the partnership across various areas including trade, defence, science and technology, innovation, climate, and culture sectors."
New mass grave discovered in Kiev region
Following the discovery of the grave on Monday, Andrii Niebytov, Chief of the National Police of Kiev region, said the "seven civilians were tortured and then brutally shot in the head by the Russians", reports Ukrayinska Pravda. "Many victims had their hands tied and had been shot in the knees. We are currently working to identify the people killed," he added.
US NSA, top Chinese diplomat hold 'candid, substantive' talks
Sullivan and Yang had "productive discussion of a number of regional and global security issues, as well as key issues in US-China relations", said the White House. It added that the US NSA also "underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to manage competition between our two countries".
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