Wednesday, July 21 2021

*) At least 12 killed in flooding in southwestern China At least 12 people have been killed by floods in central China. Torrential rain caused riverbanks to burst and left streets in dozens of cities submerged. China’s military blasted a dam to release floodwaters threatening Henan, one of its most heavily populated provinces. More than 10-thousand people in Henan province have been evacuated. *) Chancellor Angela Merkel promises government aid within days German officials are under pressure to explain how one of the world's richest nations was so unprepared for last week's catastrophic flooding. Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet will meet on Wednesday to approve a massive relief package to rebuild German regions destroyed in historic flooding and better protect them in future. The disaster has claimed at least 196 lives across Europe, with many people still missing. *) Former Trump aide arrested for acting in US as foreign agent In the United States, a former key aide of Donald Trump has been arrested on charges of secretly acting as a foreign agent. Tom Barrack is accused of illegally lobbying Trump on behalf of the United Arab Emirates. The charges include failing to register as a foreign agent, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. *) Iran imposes six-day lockdown in Tehran as virus surges Iran has rolled out its fifth lockdown in Tehran, reporting more than 27,000 new infections and 250 fatalities in the past 24 hours. The surge is being driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant and a slow vaccine rollout. A code red warning has been issued for Iran's capital, indicating almost all hospital beds are occupied. And finally ... *) Olympic Games kick off with softball in Fukushima The Tokyo 2020 Olympics kicked off with a women's softball match between Japan and Australia. The host nation beat the Aussies 8-1 in five innings. The event took place two days before the official opening ceremony of Tokyo 2020 and was held without spectators due to pandemic related restri