Pakistan: Seven Punjab cities to undergo 15-day lockdown from today 

Lahore: With increased COVID-19 cases in Pakistan, seven cities in Punjab will be under a 15-day smart  lockdown  which will start from Friday, media reports said.

Canadians' rising concerns of COVID-19 owing to uncontrollable outbreak south of border

Ottawa/IBNS: Though Canada's reported daily new cases of COVID-19 is declining over time, there is a still a greater concern among the Canadians about the spread of the disease due to the uncontrolled outbreak south of the border, said a survey conducted by Léger for the Association for Canadian Studies, media reports said. 

Identify and address ‘real needs’ to recover from COVID-19, UN rights expert urges

New York: There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in “a serious setback” for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, an independent UN human rights expert said on Wednesday, urging a high-level meeting to “take a hard look” at implementation efforts to live up to the promise to leave no one behind.

Illegal trade in fake or faulty COVID-19 products booming, new UN research reveals

New York: A surge in demand for medical products to combat COVID-19 has led to a jump in the trafficking of substandard and faulty merchandise, according to new UN research published on Wednesday.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan's COVID-19 handing has been indecisive: NSA member Tilak Devasher

National Security Advisory Board Member Tilak Devasher has said Pakistan PM Imran Khan's dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak has been 'indecisive and tentative'.

China agrees to send WHO's team of experts to Beijing to trace COVID19 origin

Beijing: The Chinese government on Wednesday agreed to send the World Health Organization's (WHO) team of experts to Beijing to trace the origin of the highly infectious coronavirus which has now hit nearly all the countries across the globe.

Panic-buying grips Melbourne ahead of second coronavirus lockdown

Ottawa/Sputnik: Stores in Australia's second-largest city of Melbourne are struggling to manage a spike in demand for essential goods ahead of a six-week lockdown that takes effect on Wednesday night, media said on Wednesday.

Bangladesh records 46 COVID-19 deaths 3,489 test positive in past 24 hrs

Dhaka/UNI: The death toll from Coronavirus in Bangladesh has reached 2,197 with 46 more people succumbing to the contagion in the last 24 hours.

US notifies UN chief of withdrawal from WHO effective July 6, 2021: Spokesman

United Nations/Sputnik: Washington has officially notified UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) effective July 6, 2021, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement on Tuesday.

'New dynamic' needed to overcome negative impacts of COVID-19 worldwide

New York: The dramatic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, have laid bare “weaknesses in our systems and societies”, a top official told the UN’s key international forum on sustainable development which began on Tuesday, warning that “a new dynamic” is needed to overcome the negative shocks.

Pakistan: Lack of PPEs force doctors to tender resignation in Punjab amid COVID-19 pandemic

Islamabad: The frontline health workers seem to be receiving blows in Pakistan where 50 doctors tendered their resignations due to lack of  personal protective equipment (PPEs), an essential for them combating COVID-19.

Terrorist groups must not be allowed to exploit 'fragilities' caused by global health pandemic

New York: As COVID-19 continues to disrupt the world’s health systems, economies and local communities, the UN Secretary-General on Monday highlighted how the pandemic has laid bare vulnerabilities to “new and emerging forms of terrorism”, such as cyberattacks, bioterrorism and the misuse of digital technology.

Support measures helped prevent poverty increase in Russia amid COVID-19 - World Bank

Moscow/Sputnik: The government's support measures helped Russia avoid a sudden increase in poverty amid the coronavirus pandemic, the World Bank's Country Director for Russia Renaud Seligmann told Sputnik.

Pakistani officials negotiating to receive $2Bln debt relief from G20 Countries – Reports

Moscow/Sputnik: Pakistani officials have reached tentative agreements with the majority of its G20 creditors as the country looks to receive just over $2 billion in debt relief, the country’s The News portal reports, citing a Finance Division official.

Pakistani PM Imran Khan's special assistant on health tests positive for COVID-19

Islamabad/Xinhua: Special Assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza confirmed on Monday that he had quarantined himself at home after being tested positive for COVID-19.