Daily News Brief for Tuesday, August 4:

*) WHO: There may never be a 'silver bullet' to defeat coronavirus

The World Health Organization is warning there is no "silver bullet" for the coronavirus crisis despite the rush to find a vaccine.

There are more than 18.4 million confirmed infections around the world and close to 700,000 people have died.

Renewed case surges and fresh clusters are being reported just as countries are starting to lift restrictions and rebuild their economies.

*) Israel strikes Syrian military bases in Quneitra

Israel's military says it has struck several military outposts of the Syrian regime forces near the capital Damascus.

This comes a day after Israel said it killed four men for planting explosives near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Tensions have been high between Damascus and Tel Aviv after an apparent Israeli strike killed a Hezbollah fighter in Syria two weeks ago.

*) UN: North Korea 'probably' has miniature nuclear warheads

A confidential UN report says North Korea has “probably” developed nuclear devices to fit ballistic missiles.

The interim report was submitted to the UN Security Council North Korea sanctions committee by independent experts monitoring UN sanctions.

It said several countries believe North Korea's recent nuclear tests have likely helped it develop tiny miniaturised nuclear devices.

*) Pompeo aides subpoenaed over probe into Saudi arms deal

Four former aides to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have been subpoenaed for obstructing the probe into an $8 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

The aides are accused of resisting interviews with a US State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, who was investigating arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2019.

Democratic lawmakers say Pompeo wanted Linick out of the State Department.

And finally,

*) Google unveils cheaper Pixel smartphone as virus curbs spending

Google has unveiled a new, more affordable Pixel 4a smartphone

At a starting price of $349, the Pixel 4a is about half that of the flagship model and a $50 discount from a cheaper version released last year.

Google also said it would launch models tailored for super-fast 5G networks later this year.

At least 20 dead in Daesh-claimed assault on Afghan prison and NASA astronauts return home in first splashdown in 45 years

*) Deadly jailbreak in Afghanistan as Daesh militants battle Afghan forces

An attack on a prison in Afghanistan holding hundreds of Daesh members raged on Monday after at least 21 people died in fighting overnight.

More than 75 prisoners escaped as Afghan security forces battled Daesh militants in Jalalabad, officials said.

The attack began late on Sunday when a suspected Daesh suicide bomber slammed his explosive-laden vehicle into the prison entrance.

*) Global virus cases top 18 million as curfews come back

New Covid-19 cases continue to surge as officials across the world consider stricter measures to stymie the spread of the virus.

Covid-19 has claimed more than 687,000 lives and infected more than 18 million people since it first emerged in China late last year.

As some countries struggle to rein in their first outbreak, others where the disease abated are now trying to avert a second wave.

*) New arms shipments arrive for Haftar forces: Libyan army

Russian-made cargo planes have delivered new military shipments to warlord Khalifa Haftar’s militia, according to the Libyan Army.

The cargo planes made seven flights between Sirte, Jufra airbase and Benghazi, a military spokesman for Libya’s UN-backed government said.

The general said Russian aircraft flew in ammunition and mercenaries to support Haftar's militia.

*) Microsoft says it will keep exploring TikTok purchase

Microsoft has decided to continue talks with TikTok to purchase the Chinese video app's US operations.

Microsoft said it took the decision after discussions with US President Donald Trump.

Trump has threatened to ban TikTok in the United States over security concerns.

And finally,

*) NASA astronauts return home in 1st splashdown in 45 years

America's first crewed spaceship to fly to the International Space Station in nearly a decade has returned safely to Earth.

It was the first splashdown by US astronauts in 45 years, with the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to carry people to and from orbit.

The mission, carried out jointly by SpaceX and NASA, clears the way for another SpaceX crew launch as early as next month and possible tourist flights next year.

TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Friday, July 31st:

*) US President Trump floats delayed elections

President Trump has drawn a rare GOP rebuke for floating a delay in US presidential elections over Covid-19 and unsubstantiated voter fraud claims.

Trump’s Republican party abruptly dismissed the idea, saying polls “should go forward” as planned.

The date of the US election is enshrined in federal law and would require an act of Congress to change.

*) At least 18 killed in Afghanistan bombing

At least 18 people, including Afghan security forces personnel, have been killed in a suspected car-bombing in eastern Afghanistan.

The attack happened on Thursday, hours before a three-day ceasefire was to begin in the country for the Muslim festival of Eid al Adha.

Violence has continued to plague Afghanistan even after US-brokered peace talks between the Taliban and a government-mandated committee.

*) Protests continue in Israel

Demonstrations outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence are continuing, calling for him to step down.

The protests have been going on for the past few weeks, sparked by what critics see as the government's failure to handle the coronavirus crisis.

Netanyahu has also come under growing criticism for staying in office while on trial for corruption.

*) Belarus accuses Russians, president’s critics of plotting unrest

Belarus authorities say they've arrested 33 Russian nationals who they accuse of being mercenaries to disrupt next month’s presidential election.

But Russia says the group of men who were detained outside of the capital Minsk are wrongly accused and are demanding an explanation.

President Lukashenko is seeking a sixth term and has accused Russia of trying to force Belarus to abandon its post-Soviet independence.

And finally,

*) Mars rover runs into technical trouble after blast off

NASA's latest rover Perseverance has launched for Mars, blasting off from Florida on schedule.

Its mission is to look for evidence of ancient life on the Red Planet.

The spaceship appeared to run into technical difficulties after the launch, NASA confirmed, adding it was running on safe mode for the time being.

*) Tech titans under fire in Congress over monopoly allegations

Tech giants have “too much power” and need to be regulated.

That was the conclusion of Washington lawmakers after they grilled the CEOs of Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple virtually at a congressional hearing.

Despite the committee’s concerns over privacy, competition and the content allowed online, there were few new revelations or major confrontations.

*) China's Sinopharm to test potential Covid-19 vaccine in Brazil

Chinese drug company Sinopharm and Brazil’s Parana state have agreed to launch the fourth major Covid-19 vaccine trial in the country.

They will seek regulatory approval in the next two weeks, the Brazilian partners said.

Sinopharm's candidate vaccine is already being tested in the United Arab Emirates with 15,000 volunteers.

*) US to withdraw around 12,000 troops from Germany

The US will be withdrawing nearly 12,000 troops from Germany, with plans to reposition almost half of them in Europe.

US President Trump accused Germany of taking advantage of the US and being “delinquent” in paying the two percent NATO fee.

Pentagon officials say the plan is costly and will take years to execute while US lawmakers fear it will weaken the military against Russia.

*) US federal forces to start conditional pullout from Portland

Staying with US troop pullouts, the Trump administration has agreed to withdraw federal forces from the US city of Portland.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown said the forces would begin their phased pullout on Thursday.

But a Homeland Security official indicated that officers will withdraw only if local police can ensure the federal courthouse will be secured.

Trump's administration earlier this month sent the federal tactical teams to intervene after weeks of protests against racism and police brutality.

And finally,

*) Scientists solve mystery of the origin of Stonehenge megaliths

Scientists have solved a mystery about Stonehenge, determining the place of origin of many of the megaliths that make up the monument in Wiltshire, England.

Geochemical testing indicates the sandstone megaliths share a common origin about 25 km away at a site called West Wood.

This is thanks to a core sample that had been kept in the United States for decades.

*) US sees biggest daily rise in Covid-19 deaths since May

We start in the US, where the coronavirus has claimed more than 1,300 lives in the past 24 hours, the country’s biggest rise in Covid-19 deaths since May.

Six US states, including Arkansas, California, Florida, Montana, Oregon and Texas, each reported an increase in the number of fatalities.

Texas passed the 400,000 mark, while California health officials said the Latin American community accounted for more than half of its cases.

*) Select group of Muslims begins Hajj pilgrimage

A select group of Muslim pilgrims has begun the annual Hajj after Saudi authorities limited the number of worshippers attending the annual event in an attempt to prevent a Covid-19 outbreak.

The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings.

But this year, only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will take part, a tiny fraction of the 2.5 million pilgrims that attended last year.

*) Barr defends Trump's crackdown on Portland protesters

US Attorney General Bill Barr has strongly defended sending federal law enforcement officers to quell protests in Portland.

He rejected allegations that he was trying to boost President Donald Trump's re-election prospects.

At a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, Barr rejected Democrats' claims that the Trump administration was stifling peaceful protests against racism.

*) Turkey ready to address F-35 issue with US

Turkey says it is ready to address US F-35 concerns after Washington suspended Ankara from the joint fighter jet programme.

Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said that the US should review its suspension decision, which was made after Turkey’s procurement of Russia's S-400s.

Turkey bought Russian missile defence systems after talks with the US on the patriot defence system broke down after the Obama administration refused to sell them to Turkey.

And finally

*) The Emmy nominations are out

HBO's dystopian superhero drama 'Watchmen' and the 1960s comedy 'The Marvelous Mrs Maisel' lead the Emmy nominations list.

'Watchmen' scored 26 nods, including best limited series, while Amazon Studio's 'The Marvelous Mrs Maisel' got 20.

Netflix led all platforms with a record 160 nominations for shows. Winners will be announced on September 20 during a ceremony.

*) Former Malaysian PM Najib covicted of all 7 charges over 1MDB

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak has been found guilty in his first corruption trial over the multibillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB investment fund.

The court’s ruling came five months after a new government took power with Najib's Malay party, the biggest bloc in the alliance.

His party's shocking election ouster in 2018 was driven by public anger over the 1MDB scandal.

* ) Hezbollah: Israel's claims of border clashes 'completely false'

Lebanon's Hezbollah group has denied involvement in combat at the Lebanon-Israel border.

The denial follows Israel’s claim that it had repelled an attempt by the group to penetrate its territory.

Hezbollah said Israeli claims "are not true at all, and an attempt to invent illusive victories."

*) New Zealand suspends extradition treaty with Hong Kong

New Zealand has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong over China's passing of a sweeping new national security law for the semi-autonomous territory.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the new law went against commitments China had made to the international community.

New Zealand is the final member of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance to take such action after the US, Australia, Canada and the UK.

*) Pfizer, BioNTech begin late-stage study of vaccine candidate

German biotech BioNTech and US drugmaker Pfizer have said they would begin a pivotal global study to evaluate their lead Covid-19 vaccine candidate.

If the study is successful, the companies could submit the vaccine for regulatory approval as early as October.

This would put the companies on track to supply up to 100 million doses by the end of 2020 and 1.3 billion by the end of 2021.

And finally

*) Action-thriller 'Tenet' to debut internationally from August 26

Hollywood director Christopher Nolan's thriller 'Tenet' will debut in cinemas in over 70 countries starting August 26.

The movie was earlier delayed several times by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Warner Bros. the film will open in select US cities on Labour Day on September 7.

Daily News Brief for Monday, July 27th:

*) US closes consulate in Chengdu

We begin with the ongoing political spat between the US and China.

Washington has closed its consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu.

The retaliatory move follows the US-ordered closure of China’s consulate in Houston, Texas.

The two world powers have been sparring over a range of issues, including trade, technology, security and human rights.

* ) Australian regulators sue Google

Australia's consumer watchdog is suing Google, alleging that it broke consumer laws.

Australia's competition regulator says Google did not explicitly get consent or properly inform consumers about personal information in Google accounts being used for targeted advertising.

The move comes as US and European lawmakers step up their focus on how tech companies treat user data due to privacy concerns.

*) Bomb blast in Syria’s northeast

A deadly bombing in northeastern Syria has left five civilians dead and at least 20 others wounded.

Turkey’s defence ministry said the YPG terror group was responsible for detonating the explosive in a busy marketplace in Ras al Ayn.

The city was largely cleared of the group last year during the Turkish-led Operation Peace Spring.

*) Hurricane Hanna batters Texas coast

Hurricane Hanna has left a trail of destruction along the Texas coast and continues to threaten the area with torrential rains.

It downed power lines, overturned tractor-trailers and even toppled part of the US-Mexico border wall.

The storm had come ashore on Saturday afternoon as a Category 1 hurricane.

And finally

*) Juventus win ninth Serie A title

Juventus has claimed its ninth Serie A title in a row, following a 2-0 win over Sampdoria.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring deep into the first half stoppage time with his 31st league goal of the season

Federico Bernardeschi added the second as Juve moved seven points clear of Inter Milan.

*) China orders closure of US consulate

We begin with the political rift between the US and China.

Beijing has ordered the closure of the US consulate in Chengdu in a growing spat.

It comes a day after the US ordered the closure of China’s consulate in Houston, Texas.

Tensions between the two nuclear powers have been soaring amid an array of conflicts ranging from trade to accusations of spying.

* ) Trump cancels Florida rally

US President Donald Trump has announced the cancellation of the Republican party’s national convention in Florida.

It comes after the number of Covid-19 cases in the US crossed four million.

The convention was relocated after North Carolina enforced strict social distancing restrictions.

*) Thousands of Israelis protest against Netanyahu

At least 50 people have been arrested in Israel’s West Jerusalem.

Thousands of people gathered to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his corruption cases and handling of the pandemic.

Police used water cannons to try and break up the demonstrations.

*) Hagia Sophia opens for Friday prayers

In Turkey, President Recip Tayyip Erdogan has formally opened the Hagia Sophia ahead of Friday prayers in Istanbul.

He unveiled a nameplate on Thursday that reads “Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque”.

Prayers will be held inside the building for the first time in 86 years since it was converted into a museum.

And finally

*) Costa Rica reopens borders

Costa Rica is reopening its borders and welcoming tourists from the EU, the UK and Canada starting next week.

It will be operating five flights a week after four months of denying any international visitors.

Americans are still banned from entering the country.

*) Washington orders Chinese consulate closure

We begin in the US, where Washington has ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Texas within 72 hours.

The State Department said it was to protect US intellectual property but China has condemned the move, calling it political provocation, and is threatening retaliation.

The US and China are sparring over issues ranging from trade to the pandemic to China's policies in Hong Kong and the treatment of Uighurs.

* ) Trump announces surge of federal agents to combat crime

US President Donald Trump has allowed federal law enforcement agents to be dispatched to cities facing challenges with violent crime.

Originally launched in Kansas City, Operation Legend will expand to include Chicago and Albuquerque.

The Trump administration is already facing major criticism and multiple lawsuits over the recent show of federal force in Portland, Oregon.

*) Several killed in Afghanistan air strikes

Air strikes by security forces in eastern Afghanistan have killed at least 45 people, including civilians and Taliban members.

The governor of Adraskan district said at least eight civilians were among the dead.

The botched air strikes have prompted Afghanistan's defence ministry to launch an investigation into the reports of civilian casualties.

*) Turkey, Russia agree to push for Libya truce

Turkish and Russian delegations have met in Ankara, where they agreed to consider creating a joint working group to develop a lasting ceasefire in Libya.

Both sides agreed that a Libyan-led and UN-facilitated political process will help resolve the conflict instead of military action.

Ankara and Moscow also called on stakeholders to take measures ensuring safe humanitarian access and delivery of urgent assistance to those in need.

And finally

*) Liverpool lift EPL cup

Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy for the first time in 30 years after last month’s thrilling 5-3 win over Chelsea.

Crowds lit flares and cheered as fireworks were set off at the stadium despite a police dispersal order over fears of the spread of coronavirus.

Liverpool have dominated the league this season, bagging 96 points in 37 league matches.

*) Global Covid-19 cases surpass 15 million

Global coronavirus cases have passed the 15 million mark and killed over 616,000, according to tracking websites.

Over 9 million people have recovered from the virus as global efforts pick up pace to develop a vaccine to treat Covid-19 patients.

The five countries with the highest number of infections are the US, Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa.

* ) UK government failed to probe Russian 'meddling'

The British government largely turned a blind eye to possible Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum, a parliamentary report says.

The report set out that the government did not know if Russia intervened in the votes out of a lack of curiosity.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab rejected the claims, saying Russia is a top national security priority.

*) US accuses Chinese hackers in targeting of Covid-19 research

The US Justice Department has charged two Chinese nationals who allegedly hacked firms working on a Covid-19 vaccine.

Hackers are accused of targeting firms in California, Maryland and Washington and stealing millions of dollars worth of trade secrets.

The charges are the latest in a series of aggressive Trump administration actions targeting China.

*) Sudan’s Bashir has his day in court

Sudan's former president Omar al Bashir’s trial over a military coup that brought him to power more than three decades ago has begun.

Bashir and 27 other men face the death penalty if convicted of plotting the 1989 coup that ousted a democratically elected government.

Bashir was ousted amid a popular pro-democracy uprising last year after several months of unprecedented, youth-led street demonstrations.

And finally

*) Indian cricket board seeks IPL in UAE

Organisers of India's Premier League are looking to hold the cricket tournament in the UAE.

Seized upon the postponement of the Twenty20 World Cup, the organisers are seeking government permission to stage the event from September.

The IPL is the Indian cricket board's main revenue earner and stands to lose more than $500 million if this year's tournament does not go ahead.