World News in Brief: June 6

APEC trade ministers have committed to speeding up the cross-border flow of vaccines and related goods to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The pledge came following the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting chaired by New Zealand Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O'Connor on Saturday.

Photo taken on June 5, 2021 shows compressed plastic bottles collected from the Nile River for recycling at a solid waste management base on Qursaya island in Giza, Egypt, June 5, 2021. Saturday marks this year's World Environment Day with the theme of "Ecosystem Restoration".  (Photo: Xinhua)
Photo taken on June 5, 2021 shows compressed plastic bottles collected from the Nile River for recycling at a solid waste management base on Qursaya island in Giza, Egypt, June 5, 2021. Saturday marks this year's World Environment Day with the theme of "Ecosystem Restoration". (Photo: Xinhua)

* The Myanmar side is willing to work together with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to safeguard the domestic stability of Myanmar and implement the relevant consensus, the leader of Myanmar Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has said. Min Aung Hlaing made the remarks on Saturday during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai in Nay Pyi Taw.

* Tropical storm Choi-wan blew away from the Philippines on Saturday after leaving at least nine dead and one missing.

* Over 763 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across China as of Saturday, the National Health Commission said Sunday.

* India reported 114,460 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, the lowest in two months, while the death toll increased by 2,677, as parts of the country prepared to ease movement restrictions.

* Russia reported 9,163 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, including 2,936 in Moscow, which brought the national case tally to 5,126,437. The Russian coronavirus task force said it had confirmed 351 deaths of coronavirus patients in the past 24 hours, taking the overall official case tally to 123,787.

* British health minister Matt Hancock said on Sunday it was too early to say whether the government would stick to its plan to fully lift COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in England on June 21.

* Australia's second most populous state Victoria on Sunday reported two new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, with the low number raising hopes that a hard lockdown in the state's capital Melbourne will be eased on June 10.

* The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Sunday 7,228 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,269,478. The death toll climbed to 21,898 after 166 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

* The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 2,440 to 3,700,367, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday. The reported death toll rose by 74 to 89,222, the tally showed.

* Mexico reported 2,649 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 186 additional fatalities on Saturday, bringing total cases to 2,432,280 and the death toll to 228,754, the Health Ministry said.

* Italy reported 57 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday against 73 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections decreased to 2,436 from 2,557.

* Canada reported 1,672 new cases of COVID-19 in the past day, bringing the cumulative total to 1,391,174, including 25,712 deaths, as of Saturday evening, according to CTV.

* Britain on Saturday reported another 5,765 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours as the government continues to consider whether or not to go ahead with the final step of easing restrictions on June 21. The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 4,511,669.

* The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 4,901,043 as of Saturday afternoon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union, said the death toll from the pandemic stands at 131,971 while 4,429,209 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease.

* Argentina reported 23,627 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 3,939,024, the Ministry of Health said Saturday. Meanwhile, 456 more deaths were logged, raising the national death toll to 80,867, the ministry said.

* Peruvians will pick a president on Sunday in an election that has bitterly divided them by class and geography, with urban and higher-income citizens preferring right-wing Keiko Fujimori while the rural poor support leftist political novice Pedro Castillo.

* Iraqi military said on Sunday that air defences at Iraq's Ain al-Asad air base that hosts US Forces, intercepted and shot down two drones. The military said in a statement the drones were intercepted and shot down at a round 12:30 a.m. local time.

* The head of Israel's domestic security service issued a rare warning on Saturday of possible violence during one of the most politically charged periods in decades, with the country on the verge of unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, its longest serving leader.

* Egyptian and French naval forces carried out joint military drills in the Mediterranean Sea with the participation of two frigates, one from each country, said the Egyptian army in a statement on Saturday. The training included the implementation of an air defense exercise, tactical exercises and electronic warfare exercises, it added.

* Morocco and the United States will hold a joint military drill with the participation of other foreign troops on June 7-18 in several regions in Morocco.

* El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said on Saturday that he will send a bill to Congress next week to make bitcoin legal tender in the Central American nation, touting its potential to help Salvadorans living abroad send remittances home.

* The African Union (AU) has already deployed its long-term observers for Ethiopia's general elections scheduled to take place on June 21.

* Yemen's Houthi rebels said an official delegation from Oman arrived in capital Sanaa on Saturday to discuss a UN proposal of cease-fire and humanitarian arrangements.

* The death toll from the worst militant attack in Burkina Faso in recent years has risen to 132, the government said on Saturday, after armed assailants laid siege overnight to a village in the jihadist-plagued northeast.

* At least 11 civilians, including children, were killed when their vehicle set off a landmine in northern Afghanistan, local government officials said on Sunday, accusing Taliban insurgents for planting the landmine bombs.

Xinhua,Reuters