USA

WASHINGTON (AP) — Standing in the State Dining Room on May 4, President Joe Biden laid out a lofty goal to vaccinate 70% of American adults by Independence Day, saying the U.S. would need to overcome “doubters” and laziness to do it. “This is your choice,” he told Amercians. “It’s life and death.”

As for the ambition of his 70% goal, Biden added: “I’d like to get it at 100%, but I think realistically we can get to that place between now and July Fourth.”

He won’t.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 23 (APP): Amid the swift withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the top UN official in the Central Asian state told the UN Security Council Tuesday that the Taliban fighters are flexing their muscles to gain greater control of the territory

“The Taliban’s advances are significant,” said Deborah Lyons, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), as she briefed the 15-member body and introduced the latest report of the Secretary-General.

June 23 (Reuters) - Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are set to meet on Wednesday to assess the possibility of a link between rare cases of heart inflammation and the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer (PFE.N) and partner BioNTech and from Moderna (MRNA.O).

The CDC has been investigating cases of heart inflammation mainly in young men for several months. The Israeli health ministry earlier this month said it saw a possible link between such cases and Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.

LOS ANGELES, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Over 20 huge wildfires burning in the state of Arizona on Tuesday have triggered massive evacuations and road closures, the U.S. Forest Service's monitoring system Inciweb reported.

The largest, dubbed the Telegraph Fire and burning in the state's Tonto National Forest, has so far scorched 180,685 acres (731.2 square km) and is 87-percent contained, after growing just 119 acres (0.5 square km) since Sunday, Inciweb updated Tuesday night.

UNITED NATIONS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan warned on Tuesday that the situation on the ground in the country is dire.

"I cannot overstate to the council my concern regarding the present situation in Afghanistan. All of the major trends -- politics, security, the peace process, the economy, the humanitarian emergency, and COVID -- all of these trends are negative or stagnant," Deborah Lyons, the top UN envoy for Afghanistan, told the Security Council in a briefing.

23 June 2021; MEMO: A court in Egypt has brought a new case against outspoken Egyptian political asylee Aly Hussin Mahdy, over false news charges.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is announcing new efforts to stem a rising national tide of violent crime as administration officials brace for what could be a turbulent summer, focusing on attacking gun violence, providing money to cities that need more police and offering community support.

The worry over crime is real: It has created economic hardship, displacement and anxiety. But there are also tricky politics at play. The spike in crime has become a Republican talking point and has been a frequent topic of conversation on conservative media.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kobe Bryant’s widow has agreed to settle a lawsuit against the pilot and owners of the helicopter that crashed last year, killing the NBA star, his daughter, Gianna, and seven others.

Vanessa Bryant, her children and relatives of other victims filed a settlement agreement notice Tuesday with a federal judge in Los Angeles but terms of the confidential deal weren’t disclosed.

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams appeared to take a fragile lead Tuesday in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, but it could be weeks before it becomes clear who is actually on top in the first citywide election to use ranked choice voting.

As ballot counting began Tuesday, a plurality of Democrats ranked Adams as their first choice in the race.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Without speaking a word or scratching a pen across paper, President Joe Biden drove up the pressure on Big Tech companies already smarting under federal and congressional investigations, epic antitrust lawsuits and near-constant condemnation from politicians of both parties.