World News in Brief: June 22

Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan to allow quarantine-free travel to the country's resort destination Phuket from July 1, government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said.

People take part in a memorial ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 22, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua)
People take part in a memorial ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 22, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua)

* Nearly 1,600 illegal migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast and returned to Libya, the International Organization for Migration said Monday.

* The Chinese mainland on Monday reported two new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in Guangdong Province, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Tuesday. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 91,629 by Monday, including 512 patients still receiving treatment, 17 of whom were in severe condition.

* The Kremlin said people who were not vaccinated or did not have immunity would be unable to work in all workplaces in Russia, which reported the most confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in a single day since February.

* Indian railways Tuesday said it successfully conducted the trial run of the first double-stack container from Gujarat to Rajasthan. Officials in railways describe it as a new "milestone" in seamless connectivity between the two destinations.

* The European Union (EU) on Monday announced new sanctions against 78 individuals and eight entities in Belarus, partially in response to the diversion of a commercial flight to Minsk last month.

* The economy ministers of the four Visegrad group countries, namely Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, signed an agreement with France on Monday on the joint development of their pharmaceutical industries in the post-pandemic era.

* Taliban insurgents have conducted a wave of offensives in Afghanistan's north in recent days, moving beyond their southern strongholds as international forces withdraw.

* The South African government and the World Health Organization (WHO) are making progress to set up a technology transfer hub in South Africa, notably for the technology of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, according to the WHO on Monday.

* The final of the Euro 2020 football tournament should not be played in London, the EU's top lawmaker on health issues said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on UEFA to act responsibly due to safety concerns over the spread of the coronavirus in England.

* A Thai medical committee has agreed to narrow the gap between AstraZeneca doses in places where there has been outbreaks of the Delta variant, an official said.

* Moscow's mayor said on Tuesday residents would only be allowed to visit cafes and restaurants in the city if they could show they had been vaccinated against COVID-19, recently tested negative or had the coronavirus in the last half year.

* Sweden will offer vaccine to all people aged 16 and upwards, the Health Agency said.

* Ireland remains on track to further ease restrictions in early July, the deputy prime minister said.

* Britain is working on easing travel restrictions for the fully vaccinated, the health secretary said. The data looks encouraging and currently suggests England's lockdown can fully end on July 19, he added.

* Australia's most populous state reported its biggest daily increase in cases in nearly a week, while New Zealand paused quarantine-free travel with the state.

* US scientists are expanding a government-funded study that aims to directly answer the question of whether Moderna's vaccine curbs the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

* The European Union has decided to take up an option under a supply contract with drugmaker Moderna that allows the bloc to order 150 million additional COVID-19 vaccines produced by the US biotech firm, the EU Commission said on Tuesday.

* Thousands of Russian tourists began arriving in Turkey, boosting hopes for its tourism sector.

* Hollywood is finally revving up the summer blockbuster engines for the first time since COVID-19 idled the movie business.* The European Commission approved Latvia's and Germany's plans to recover from the pandemic and transform the economy in coming years.

* Sweden will offer COVID vaccine to all people aged 16 and upwards, the Health Agency said on Tuesday, expanding the vaccine roll out which previously was limited to those aged 18 and older.

* The Canadian government announced on Monday that "fully vaccinated" Canadians and permanent residents can enter Canada without undergoing quarantine starting from July 5.

* From June 21, Finland allows travel by sea, land and air from the EU and Schengen area, if the traveler has proof of a completed COVID-19 vaccination at least two weeks earlier, or proof of having recovered from the COVID-19 infection within the last six months.

* Kazakhstan said the Delta variant had reached its capital.

* Pakistan has made an agreement to procure 13 million doses of vaccine from Pfizer, the country's health minister said.

* Abu Dhabi is offering tourists free COVID-19 vaccinations, previously restricted to United Arab Emirates citizens and residency visa holders.

Xinhua,Reuters