World News in Brief: July 18

Thousands of Cubans on Saturday gathered at the La Piragua esplanade in Havana to express their support of the island's government after the recent unrest. Raul Castro, leader of the Cuban socialist revolution, President Miguel Diaz-Canel, high-ranking officials, and leaders of social organizations attended the event.

Citizens receive COVID-19 vaccines in Bangkok, Thailand, July 16, 2021. Thailand extended a ban on public gatherings nationwide and might further tighten restrictions as the numbers of its daily COVID-19 cases and fatalities surged to new records. (Photo: Xinhua)
Citizens receive COVID-19 vaccines in Bangkok, Thailand, July 16, 2021. Thailand extended a ban on public gatherings nationwide and might further tighten restrictions as the numbers of its daily COVID-19 cases and fatalities surged to new records. (Photo: Xinhua)

* The Lao Ministry of Health on Sunday reported 131 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the highest daily spike, bringing the national tally to 3,425.

* The death toll from COVID-19 in Cambodia has surged to 1,106 after 30 new fatalities were reported on Sunday, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a statement. The Southeast Asian nation also confirmed 845 new infections including 315 imported cases, pushing the national total caseload to 67,181, the ministry said, adding that 975 other patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 58,930.

* Thailand on July 18 reported a record 11,397 new coronavirus cases, the third consecutive day that the South east Asian country has registered record numbers.

* The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Sunday 5,411 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,507,755. The death toll climbed to 26,714 after 117 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

* Brazil registered 868 new COVID-19 deaths on Saturday and 34,339 additional cases, according to data released by the country's Health Ministry. Brazil has now registered a total of 541,266 coronavirus deaths and 19,342,448 total confirmed cases.

* Russia reported 25,018 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, including 4,357 in Moscow, taking the official national tally since the pandemic began to 5,958,133. The government coronavirus task force said 764 people had died of coronavirus-linked causes in the past 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 148,419.

* Tokyo Olympics organisers on Sunday reported the first COVID-19 cases among competitors residing in the athletes' village, as its population swells ahead of the start of the pandemic-hit Games next week.

* Republic of Korea will expand tougher COVID-19 restrictions on private gatherings to outside the Seoul metropolitan area, as the country struggles to contain its worst outbreak, its prime minister said on Sunday.

* Australia's two largest states on Sunday reported slight declines in new COVID-19 infections, prompting authorities to say it could be days before tough lockdown measures showed progress in containing the spread of the Delta variant.

* Mexico's health ministry on Saturday reported 12,631 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country and 225 more fatalities, bringing the total to 2,654,699 infections and 236,240 deaths.

* Authorities have issued a warning for floods in rivers in southwest China's Guizhou, as more rainfall is expected in the province. More than 10 rivers in Guizhou will likely be flooded in the following three days, according to the provincial bureau of hydrology and water resources.

* Flash floods hit southern Germany on Sunday, killing at least one person and adding to the devastation after flooding in the country this week that killed more than 150 people.

* At least 25 people died in three Mumbai suburbs when several houses collapsed after landslides triggered by heavy rain, local officials said on Sunday.

* At least 53 Taliban militants were killed and 38 others wounded in multiple airstrikes and battles in Afghanistan on Saturday, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said on Sunday.

Xinhua,Reuters