Sharplift News

2021-06-19 08:45:02 Within days, China will reach a staggering 1 billion doses in its Covid-19 vaccination drive -- a scale and speed unrivaled by any other country in the world. As of Wednesday, China had administered more than 945 million doses -- three times the number delivered in the United States, and almost 40% of the 2.5 billion shots given globally.

The number is all the more remarkable given its rollout had a slow start. China only reached its first million doses on March 27 -- two weeks behind the US. But the pace picked up significantly in May, with more than 500 million shots given over the past month, according to data from China's National Health Commission. On Tuesday alone, it administered more than 20 million doses. At that rate, it is likely to exceed 1 billion doses this weekend.

Story. CNN
19-June-2021

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2021-06-19 07:00:03 The UN has issued a rare call to halt to arms sales to Myanmar in response to this year's violent military coup. The General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning the military junta, which overthrew the country's elected government in February.

The UN also called for the release of political detainees, such as elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and an end to violence against peaceful protesters. While not legally binding, the resolution is politically significant.

"The risk of a large-scale civil war is real," UN special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, told the General Assembly. "Time is of the essence. The opportunity to reverse the military takeover is narrowing." It was supported by 119 countries, with Belarus the only one to vote against it. Another 36 countries abstained, including Russia and China - Myanmar military's two biggest arms suppliers.

Story. BBC
19-June-2021

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2021-06-18 19:45:06 US President Joe Biden’s executive order aimed at safeguarding Americans’ sensitive data would force some Chinese apps to take tougher measures to protect private information if they want to remain in the US market.

The goal is to keep adversaries like China and Russia from gaining access to large amounts of personal and proprietary business information. The US Department of Commerce may issue subpoenas to collect information about certain smartphone, tablet and desktop computer software applications. Then, the agency may either negotiate conditions for their use in the United States or ban the apps.

Story. Aljazeera
18-June-2021

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2021-06-18 17:45:03 El Salvador will not replace the United States dollar with Bitcoin as the legal tender, Finance Minister Alejandro Zelaya said on Wednesday, as the Central American nation sought technical assistance from the World Bank to implement Bitcoin regulation.

This month, El Salvador became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, with President Nayib Bukele touting the cryptocurrency’s potential as a remittance currency for Salvadorans overseas. El Salvador has been using the US dollar as legal tender for the past two decades after abandoning its own currency.

Story. Aljazeera
18-June-2021

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2021-06-18 15:15:07 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said his country needs to prepare for “both dialogue and confrontation” with the United States under President Joe Biden, state media reported on Friday.

The comments mark the first time Kim has made a reference to the country’s policy towards the US since the inauguration of US President Joe Biden. Pyongyang had already accused Biden of pursuing a “hostile policy” and saying it was a “big blunder” for the veteran Democrat to say he would deal with the threat posed by the North’s nuclear programme “through diplomacy as well as stern deterrence”.

Story. Aljazeera
18-June-2021

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2021-06-18 13:30:04 House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy criticized President Joe Biden's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying in a statement on Thursday that Biden "gave Vladimir Putin a pass."

"The American people suffered massive disruptions because of Russia-linked cyber-attacks," McCarthy said in a statement released Thursday. "Two Americans, both Marine veterans, are being held as prisoners in Russia. We know Vladimir Putin silences and imprisons his critics."

McCarthy's comments come after years of silence from him on former President Donald Trump's relationship with Putin, which many critics described as him cozying up to the Russian president especially amid intelligence Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

Story. CNN
18-June-2021

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2021-06-18 11:30:05 Ivory Coast’s former president Laurent Gbagbo returned home to Abidjan on Thursday, nearly a decade after he was ousted from power and sent to The Hague to face war crimes charges of which he was later acquitted. 

Laurent Gbagbo’s homecoming is viewed as a key test of stability in Ivory Coast, the world's biggest cocoa producer and a strategically important country in Francophone West Africa. Gbagbo’s return was enabled by Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, a longtime political rival, who accepted the homecoming plan 'in the spirit of reconciliation'.

Story. France 24
18-June-2021

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2021-06-18 08:30:04 Tennis star Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from this year's Wimbledon but is planning on returning at the Tokyo Olympics, according to her agent Stuart Duguid. In May, Osaka withdrew from the French Open after being fined $15,000 for refusing to speak to the media at Roland Garros.

It comes after Rafael Nadal also announced he is pulling out of Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics. In a statement posted on Nadal's official Twitter page, the 20-time grand slam champion said: "It's never an easy decision to take but after listening to my body and discuss it with my team I understand that it is the right decision.

Story. CNN
18-June-2021

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2021-06-18 06:45:05 The US Supreme Court has rejected a Trump-backed challenge by Republican-led states to former President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul. Despite the court's conservative tilt, its nine justices ruled by 7-2 that the challengers did not have legal standing to sue.

It is the third time since 2010 that the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as Obamacare, has survived a challenge. The law gave millions of low-income Americans access to medical insurance. It bans insurers from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

Story. BBC
18-June-2021

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2021-06-17 19:45:06 Israel’s new leader has received “warm greetings” in a letter from Morocco’s king as Hamas’ political chief Ismail Haniyeh visited the country for discussions on the Palestinian cause.

The message sent by King Mohammed VI congratulated Naftali Bennett on becoming Israel’s first new leader in 12 years after the coalition government he cobbled together ousted long-serving leader Benjamin Netanyahu this week.

Story. Aljazeera
17-June-2021

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