Thursday, July 22 2021

*) US says Taliban has 'strategic momentum' in Afghanistan The Taliban appears to have "strategic momentum" in its Afghanistan offensive but its victory is far from assured, US joint chiefs of staff chairman General Mark Milley has said. Over the past few months, the Taliban has continued to seize more territory, with fighting intensifying since the withdrawal of most foreign troops. But the insurgent group has none of Afghanistan's main cities, Milley told a press conference. *) Cities in China submerged after several rivers burst their banks At least 33 people have been killed by floods in central and western China. The amount of rainfall in some areas has been at levels expected only once every thousand years. Zhengzhou city was the worst hit. Images inside a subway shared online in real-time showed water rise to passengers' necks. At least a dozen people died before rescuers were able to cut survivors free from carriages. *) Two more athletes test positive, 87 total cases recorded In Tokyo, two more athletes in the Olympic Village have tested positive for Covid-19. Organisers say 12 new cases have been recorded overall, bringing the total to 87. Meanwhile, the opening ceremony show director has been fired after comments he previously made on the Holocaust surfaced. *) US, Germany agree on completion of Russian gas pipeline Washington has reached a deal with Berlin to allow the completion of a controversial pipeline that will take gas from Russia directly to Germany. The agreement over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline means there will be no new US sanctions on any countries or companies working on the project. US Congress has warned the pipeline could be used as leverage against European allies. And finally ... *) Weinstein pleads 'not guilty' to sex crimes charges in LA Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to four charges of rape and seven of sexual assault in his second trial, this time in California. The former Hollywood producer is accused of attacking five women between 2004 and 20