Friday, June 18

*) Israeli warplanes target besieged Gaza Israel has launched air strikes on besieged Gaza for a second time this week. No injuries have been reported so far by Palestine's Health Ministry. The army said it hit sites in both Gaza City and in Khan Yunis in the blockaded Palestinian enclave. The Israeli army said the air strikes were launched after Palestinians in Gaza again launched incendiary balloons into southern Israel. *) US to spend $3.2B on treatments for Covid-19, other viruses The US is devoting $3.2 billion to speed the development of antiviral pills to treat Covid-19 and other viruses that could turn into pandemics. The new programme will invest in “accelerating things that are already in progress” for Covid-19 but also in treatments for other viruses, said US expert Dr Anthony Fauci. Health experts have called for a pill that patients could take themselves when symptoms first appear with some candidate drugs in the pipeline. *) Iran election set to hand presidency to hardline judge Iranians have begun to vote in a presidential election, which the ultraconservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi has been tipped to win. Some analysts say electing a cleric will weaken Iran's international standing as the country tries to resurrect a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. After a lacklustre campaign, turnout is expected to plummet to a new low in a country exhausted by a punishing regime of US economic sanctions. *) N Korea to prepare for ‘both dialogue and confrontation’ with US North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said that the country should prepare for both dialogue and confrontation with the US. This was Kim’s first direct comment on US President Joe Biden’s administration since the Democrat took office. Kim has also emphasised the need to create a "favourable external climate" for the North's own initiatives. And finally ... *) Nadal pulls out of Wimbledon and Tokyo Olympics to prolong career Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka are sitting out Wimbledon, leaving the oldest Grand Slam tournament witho