President Trump on Thursday said he will reduce the U.S. presence in Afghanistan to 8,600 troops even after a deal with the Taliban. In an interview on Fox News radio,

US to keep 8,600 troops in Afghanistan after Taliban deal

President Trump on Thursday said he will reduce the U.S. presence in Afghanistan to 8,600 troops even after a deal with the Taliban. In an interview on Fox News radio, Trump stressed on the need for a residual presence of troops to prevent an attack on the United States. Right now, the official count of US troops in Afghanistan is 14,000. Under the new deal, US will withdraw troops in exchange for assurances from the Taliban that Afghanistan will not be used as a launch pad for terrorist attacks against the United States.

President Trump on Thursday said he will reduce the U.S. presence in Afghanistan to 8,600 troops even after a deal with the Taliban. In an interview on Fox News radio, Trump stressed on the need for a residual presence of troops to prevent an attack on the United States. Right now, the official count of US troops in Afghanistan is 14,000. Under the new deal, US will withdraw troops in exchange for assurances from the Taliban that Afghanistan will not be used as a launch pad for terrorist attacks against the United States.

Vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca Plc protect against Delta variant of Covid-19 that was first detected in India, researchers said on Monday. They found the shot mad

Vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca Plc protect against Delta variant of Covid-19 that was first detected in India, researchers said on Monday. They found the shot made by Pfizer offered better protection in a large study from Scotland.
Researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde, as well as Public Health Scotland, found that the Pfizer vaccine offered 92% protection against the alpha variant, found in UK last year, and 79% against the delta one 14 days after the second dose. That compared with 73% and 60% protection for the Astra vaccine.
Researchers said a more complete analysis from these results would be made once it was combined with similar studies from the U.K. and elsewhere.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced a four-week delay in the final stage of easing lockdown restrictions in England until July 19. He said the link betw

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced a four-week delay in the final stage of easing lockdown restrictions in England until July 19. He said the link between coronavirus infections and hospitalisations remains at concerning levels due to the more transmissible Delta variant.
Scientists advising the government had warned there could be a "significant resurgence" in people needing hospital treatment for Covid-19 if stage four of easing the lockdown went ahead on June 21.
The last and fourth stage of the lockdown roadmap, dubbed &ldquo;Freedom Day&rdquo;, will now move to July 19 instead. There is a worrying spike in cases of the Delta variant, first identified in India, which experts fear will result in greater hospitalisations in coming weeks.
On Sunday, the UK recorded 7,490 new cases of Covid-19 and eight deaths, with the seven-day average for cases up 49 per cent compared with the seven days before.

US company Novavax says its Covid-19 vaccine demonstrated a final efficacy of 90.4% against mild, moderate, and severe disease caused by original strain in a phase 3 tr

US company Novavax says its Covid-19 vaccine demonstrated a final efficacy of 90.4% against mild, moderate, and severe disease caused by original strain in a phase 3 trial in UK.&nbsp; The vaccine maker also said&nbsp;ts shot was highly effective and also protected against variants in a large&nbsp;during&nbsp;late-stage study in the US and Mexico. 
The vaccine was about 90 per cent effective overall and preliminary data showed it was safe, the company said.
While demand for Covid-19 shots in the US has dropped off dramatically, the need for more vaccines around the world remains critical. The Novavax vaccine, which is easy to store and transport, is expected to play an important role in boosting vaccine supplies in the developing world.

US President Joe Biden met Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday afternoon at her royal residence. The Queen hosted the president and first lady Jill Biden at Windsor Castle. Bi

US President Joe Biden met Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday afternoon at her royal residence. The Queen hosted the president and first lady Jill Biden at Windsor Castle. Biden flew to London after wrapping up his participation in a three-day summit of leaders of the world's wealthy democracies in Cornwall.
At Heathrow Airport, Biden talked about the Queen with his travelling press corps, saying she was &ldquo;very gracious,&rdquo; that she asked him about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinse President Xi Jinping and that he had invited her to visit the White House.
&ldquo;I don't think she'll be insulted, but she reminded me of my mother,&rdquo; Biden said of the 95-year-old monarch before leaving for Brussels.

Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations staked their claim on Sunday to leading the world out of the coronavirus pandemic and crisis. The leaders pledged more tha

Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations staked their claim on Sunday to leading the world out of the coronavirus pandemic and crisis. The leaders pledged more than 1 billion coronavirus vaccine doses to poorer nations, vowed to help developing countries grow while fighting climate change and backed a minimum tax on multinational firms.
At the group's first face-to-face meeting in two years, the leaders dangled promises of support for global health, green energy, infrastructure and education. They demonstrated that international cooperation is back after the upheavals caused by the pandemic and the unpredictability of former US President Donald Trump.
&ldquo;This isn't about imposing our values on the rest of the world,&rdquo; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters at the end of the summit in Cornwall. &ldquo;What we as the G-7 need to do is demonstrate the benefits of democracy and freedom and human rights to the rest of the world,&rdquo; he said.
US President Joe Biden said it was an &ldquo;extraordinary, collaborative and productive meeting" that showed "America's back in the business of leading the world alongside nations who share our most deeply held values.&rdquo;

Naftali Bennett was on Sunday sworn in as Israel's new Prime Minister, ending Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year hold on power and the political uncertainty that gripped the

Naftali Bennett was on Sunday sworn in as Israel's new Prime Minister, ending Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year hold on power and the political uncertainty that gripped the Jewish nation for months after inconclusive elections.
Bennett, the 49-year-old leader of the right-wing Yamina party, took oath of office after the Knesset elected him as the 13th Prime Minister of Israel.
The new government - an unprecedented coalition of ideologically divergent political parties drawn from the Right, the Left and the Centre, along with an Arab party - has a razor-thin majority of 60 to 59 in a 120-member house.
Amid incessant heckling from rival bloc&rsquo;s lawmakers, Bennett said that he is proud "of the ability to sit with people of different opinions".
In his address to parliament, Netanyahu vowed to bring down this "dangerous government".
&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India is a natural ally for the G7 countries in defending the shared values from a host of threats stemming from authoritari

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India is a natural ally for the G7 countries in defending the shared values from a host of threats stemming from authoritarianism, terrorism and violent extremism, disinformation and economic coercion.
In a virtual address at a session on &lsquo;open societies and open economies&rsquo; at the G7 summit, the prime minister highlighted India&rsquo;s civilisational commitment to democracy, freedom of thought and liberty, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
Modi also highlighted the revolutionary impact of digital technologies on social inclusion and empowerment in India through application such as&nbsp;Aadhaar, Direct Benefit Transfer&nbsp;and Jan Dhan-Aadhaar.

Electronic devices may soon be used to identify the presence of infection in a crowded space using body odour profiles after scientists in the UK have tested a so-calle

Electronic devices may soon be used to identify the presence of infection in a crowded space using body odour profiles after scientists in the UK have tested a so-called "Covid alarm".
Early studies by scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Durham University show that Covid-19 infection has a distinct smell, resulting from changes in the volatile organic compounds which make up the body odour &ndash; generating an odour "fingerprint" that the sensors can detect.
The study tested devices with organic semi-conducting sensors, which could potentially be used as a Covid-19 screening tool.
The pre-print study, which is not yet peer-reviewed, used body odour samples from socks worn and donated to the team by 54 individuals &ndash; of which were 27 Covid-19 positive individuals who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, and 27 uninfected individuals.

Environment activists staged a protest in the harbour of the coastal city of Falmouth in England to highlight the lack of climate change action from world lea

Environment activists staged a protest in the harbour of the coastal city of Falmouth&nbsp;in&nbsp;England to highlight the lack of climate change action from world leaders attending the Group of Seven summit in Cornwall.
Campaigners accused the G-7 governments of spending money on conferences and summits, but not doing enough to protect the environment, and in particular the oceans.
The activists projected their slogans on the bow of the "Silja Europa" ship, a cruise ferry currently docked in Falmouth port and hosting about 1,000 police officers tasked with the summit security.
The boat sailed from Estonia to Cornwall for that purpose.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has said in its affidavit filed in Dominica’s high court of justice that Mehul Choksi is a fugitive from justice, the chi

The Central Bureau of Investigation has said in its affidavit filed in Dominica&rsquo;s high court of justice that&nbsp;Mehul Choksi is a fugitive from justice, the chief conspirator and main beneficiary of the Punjab National Bank scam, and is yet to join investigations despite repeated summons. The central probe agency called Choksi&rsquo;s&nbsp;'gratuitous offer' of being interviewed at the place of his choice outside India meaningless, citing large evidence with which he needs to be confronted. The Hindustan Times reported that affidavit accuses Choksi of misleading courts in Dominica by claiming there are no proceedings against him in India. He is fully aware of proceedings in India and has even appointed lawyers there, says the affidavit.

At least 11 people were killed and 37 others seriously injured in a huge gas explosion in central China’s Hubei Province on Sunday, official media reported. Acco

At least 11 people were killed and 37 others seriously injured in a huge gas explosion in central China&rsquo;s Hubei Province on Sunday, official media reported.
According to Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post the explosion took place at the Yanhu market in Shiyan city when many residents were having breakfast or buying vegetables in the market. The city&rsquo;s municipal office initially said &ldquo;many&rdquo; people were trapped after the incident.
Images and videos circulating on social media platform Weibo showed rescue workers working through the wreckage of flattened houses. The cause of the accident is being investigated.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday expressed "serious concern" about rising infections of the Delta variant of coronavirus. He looks set to delay li

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday expressed "serious concern" about rising infections of the Delta variant of coronavirus. &nbsp;He looks set to delay lifting England's last remaining lockdown curbs. Johnson is due to announce on Monday whether the planned lifting of restrictions can go ahead on June 21 as set out under a planned 'roadmap'.
The government had hoped that the success of one of the world's fastest rollouts of the vaccines would end the restrictions, but the rapid spread of the Delta COVID-19 variant, first detected in India, has jeopardized those plans.
A four-week delay would push back the easing of restrictions to July 19.

While there is a huge outcry about investigating the relation between origin of the Covid-19 and China, the Chinese researchers have said that they have found a batch o

Amid a huge outcry demanding probe&nbsp;into the origin of Covid-19, the Chinese researchers have said that they have found batch of new&nbsp;coronaviruses&nbsp;in bats. These&nbsp;coronavirus&nbsp;that has been discovered in southwestern&nbsp;China, is the genetically 2nd closest to the Covid-19 that has caused the ongoing pandemic, researchers said. As per the report by the Chinese researchers published in the Journal Cell,&nbsp;SARS-CoV-2 like viruses, continue to circulate in bat population and in some regions might occur at a relatively higher frequency.&nbsp; The samples from the bats were collected from May 2019 to Nov 2020 and in total the researchers gathered 24 novel Coronavirus genomes from different bat species, including the SARS&nbsp;Cov-2 like virus.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

United Nations chief joined campaigners to criticise the G7 for their vaccine plan. Antonio Guterres warned that if people in developing countries were not inoculated

United Nations chief joined campaigners to criticise the G7 for their vaccine plan.
Antonio Guterres warned that if people in developing countries were not inoculated quickly, the virus could mutate further and become resistant to the new vaccines. He said more is needed to be done.
The G7 countries&rsquo; plan to donate 1 billion vaccine doses to poorer countries is far too slow and shows Western leaders are not yet on top of tackling the worst public health crisis in a century, campaigners said on Friday
Guterres &nbsp;stressed on the need for a &lsquo;global vaccination plan&rsquo; and to &lsquo;act with a logic, with a sense of urgency, and with the priorities of a war economy&rsquo;

At least 2 people were killed and 34 injured in 4 different incidents that occurred in the United States between Friday and Saturday. While no arrests have been made so

Two people were killed and over 30 were wounded in mass shootings overnight in three US states, authorities said on Saturday, stoking concerns that a spike in gun violence could continue into summer as Covid-19 restrictions ease and more people are free to socialize.
In Chicago, a woman was killed and nine other people were wounded when two men opened fire on a group standing on a sidewalk. In the Georgia city of Savannah, police said one man was killed and seven other people were wounded. Among the 14 injured in Austin, two are critically ill.
No arrests have been made so far.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for following a "one earth, one health" approach to effectively deal with the Covid pandemic globally. He also called fo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for following a "one earth, one health" approach to effectively deal with the Covid pandemic globally. He also called for global unity, leadership and solidarity, while emphasising on the special responsibility of democratic and transparent societies to prevent future pandemics.
A statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) mentioned that while addressing the first outreach session of the G7 summit through virtual mode, PM Modi expressed appreciation for the support extended by the G7 members and other countries during the second wave of Covid-19 in India.
&nbsp;He sought the support of the G7 grouping to lift patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines, during a virtual address at an outreach session of a summit of the bloc.

Hundreds of environmental protesters took to the seaside in Cornwall on Saturday morning in a bid to draw the attention of world leaders and the international med

Hundreds of environmental protesters took to the seaside in Cornwall on&nbsp; Saturday morning in a bid to draw the attention of world leaders and the international media outlets that have descended on southwest England for the G7 summit.
Some protesters paddled out to sea, while others sunbathed on the beach wearing masks of leaders' faces.
Leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the United States are meeting near the town of St. Ives for talks focusing on the pandemic and climate change.

Saudi Arabia has restricted the annual Haj pilgrimage to its own citizens and residents for the second year running in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the state S

Saudi Arabia has restricted the annual Haj pilgrimage to its own citizens and residents for the second year running in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the state Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. This year&rsquo;s Haj pilgrimage will be limited to no more than 60,000 vaccinated&nbsp;residents of the kingdom.&nbsp;Only people aged between 18 and 65 who have been vaccinated and are free of chronic diseases will be able to take part, the ministry that manages the pilgrimage to Mecca said in a statement.&nbsp; Last year, Saudi Arabia&nbsp;ran an incredibly pared-down pilgrimage last year over the virus.&nbsp;

Without naming The Economist, which claimed that "the government's numbers represent a disturbingly small fraction of the real figure", the union health ministry o

Without naming&nbsp;The Economist, which claimed that "the government's numbers represent a disturbingly small fraction of the real figure", the union health ministry on Saturday said the analysis is not sound. The ministry said India's mechanism to monitor Covid-19 death is robust and there is no question of "five to seven times excess deaths" than the official number of Covid-19 fatalities, as claimed by an international magazine. The ministry said the article has taken data from studies that were not done by validated tools. The overall Covid-19 toll in India shot up after the Bihar government revised its toll saying the government got to know from various sources that the number of Covid-19 deaths is more than what has been reported as many deaths in private hospitals, homes went unaccounted.

Russia's national coronavirus taskforce on Saturday reported that the country's tally of daily new infections has risen by nearly 50 per cent over the past week and mor

Russia's national coronavirus taskforce on Saturday reported that the country's tally of daily new infections has risen by nearly 50 per cent over the past week and more than doubled in Moscow.
It said there were 13,510 infections recorded on Friday, sharply higher than the 9,163 reported on June 6. Nearly half the new cases were in Moscow &mdash; 6,701 compared with 2,936 a week ago.
Faced with the spiking figures, Moscow authorities said enforcement of mask- and glove-wearing on mass transit, in stores and in other public places would be strengthened and that violators could face fines of up to USD 70.
For the entire pandemic period, the task force has reported nearly 5.2 million infections in the country of about 146 million people, and 126,000 deaths.
&nbsp;

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Google is giving its employees more flexibility to work from different locations or entirely from home as it revealed it's post pandemic work location policy. Sear

Google unveils post pandemic policy, allows more flexibility to work from home

Google is giving its employees more flexibility to work from different locations or entirely from home as it revealed it's post pandemic work location policy.&nbsp; Search giant Google expects that 60% of its employees will be on site for a few days a week, with 20% working in new office locations and 20% working from home Sundar&nbsp;Pichai&nbsp;wrote to employees on Wednesday stating, "Before the pandemic, we had thousands of people working in locations separate from their core teams. I fully expect those numbers to increase in the coming months as we develop more remote roles, including fully all-remote sub teams,&rdquo; In June Google will tell employees more about how they can request to permanently work from home or work from different offices, Pichai wrote.&nbsp;

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International

Pfizer, AstraZeneca vaccines protect against Delta variant: study

UK delays easing of curbs amid worries over Delta variant

'Easy to store and transport' Novavax Covid-19 vaccine 90% effective

'Queen reminded me of my mother': Joe Biden after royal meet

G-7 leaders agree on vaccines, China and taxing corporations

Netanyahu ousted, Naftali Bennett is Israel's new PM

India is a natural ally for the G7 countries: PM Modi

UK scientists develop gadget that sniffs out Covid-19

G-7 activists project environment slogans on ship

Choksi a fugitive from justice: CBI in affidavit to Dominican court

11 killed, 37 injured in a huge gas explosion in China

UK PM Johnson concerned over Delta variant, may delay lifting curbs

Chinese researchers find batch of new coronaviruses in bats

UN joins criticism of G7 global Covid vaccine pledge

Mass shootings in US states leave 2 dead, 34 injured

PM Modi at G7: calls for 'One Earth One Health' approach for pandemic

Protests against climate change near venue of G7 summit

Saudi Arabia restricts Haj to its own citizens due to Covid-19

'No, India not hiding Covid-19 toll,' Centre on The Economist report

Russian Covid-19 cases spike 47% in a week, Moscow tightens Covid SOP

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