USA

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Friday condemned "in the strongest terms" the cowardly terrorist attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest Pakistan on July 14, which left nine Chinese nationals and three Pakistanis dead.

In a press statement, the members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the governments of Pakistan and China, and wished a speedy and full recovery of the injured.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday called on the international community to carry forward the Afghan peace process by preventing all-out war, advancing peace and reconciliation, and fighting terrorism.

Afghanistan is at a historic conjuncture of war and peace. With the hasty withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces, Afghanistan has seen increased violence, rising civilian casualties and a deteriorating security situation, said Dai Bing, charge d'affaires of China's permanent mission to the United Nations.

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — After more than six months of work combating the coronavirus, negotiating a bipartisan infrastructure bill and repairing the U.S. image abroad, President Joe Biden should be heading out on vacation and a traditional August break from Washington.

But with legislative work on the infrastructure bill keeping the Senate in session for a second straight weekend, and likely through next week, Biden hasn’t gone far — just home to Wilmington, Delaware, as he has done most weekends since taking office.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — Two Myanmar citizens were arrested on charges alleging that they conspired to oust Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations, who opposes the military junta that seized power earlier this year, by injuring — or even killing — him.

Phyo Hein Htut and Ye Hein Zaw plotted to seriously injure or kill Myanmar’s ambassador in an attack that was to take place on American soil, U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a release Friday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Edging toward a vote, senators are convening for a rare weekend session on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which could wrap up swiftly with passage of the $1 trillion package or drag out for days by opponents trying to slow President Joe Biden’s big priority.

The president nudged senators along from the White House, praising their work so far as a potentially “historic investment” — on par with the building of the transcontinental railroad or interstate highway system — that will bring jobs and modernization to millions of Americans.

(AP) --- The U.S. is now averaging 100,000 new COVID-19 infections a day, returning to a milestone last seen during the winter surge in yet another bleak reminder of how quickly the delta variant has spread through the country.

The U.S. was averaging about 11,000 cases a day in late June. Now the number is 107,143.

NEW YORK, Aug 06 (APP): Pakistan will never relinquish its “principled support” for the Kashmir cause in the face of any pressure, including Indian-sponsored terrorism and threats of use of force, Ambassador Munir Akram said Thursday.

WASHINGTON, Aug 06 (APP): In a memorandum to the Indian Ambassador to the United States, Kashmiri-Americans of diverse backgrounds Thursday called for reversing the changes brought in Jammu and Kashmir since August 5, 2019, the day New Delhi locked down the disputed territory.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain will raise a deadly tanker attack off the coast of Oman during a closed-door United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday (Aug 6), diplomats said, but the 15-member body is not expected to take any action.

Britain told the Security Council on Tuesday it was “highly likely” that Iran used one or more drones to carry out the tanker attack last week, which killed two crew members – a Briton and a Romanian.

NEW YORK, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Across the United States, state governments and businesses are starting to shift from the carrot to the stick to boost coronavirus vaccinations, as daily new cases remain above 100,000 for days and deaths over 400, reported The Washington Post on Friday.

"Cities and states -- many of which have previously focused on incentives for shots ranging from free beer to scholarships and multimillion-dollar lotteries -- are now boosting requirements or threatening consequences," said the report.