Briefly

UNITED STATES

Reopening mulled for vaccinated foreigners

The United States, which closed its borders to much of the world as the pandemic took hold, said on Wednesday that it plans eventually to begin allowing fully vaccinated foreigners back in. Recognizing the importance of international travel, a White House official said in a statement that the US administration wants to reopen to visitors from abroad in a "safe and sustainable manner", though without specifying a timeframe. Reopening is to include the development of "a phased approach that over time will mean, with limited exceptions, that foreign nationals traveling to the US－from all countries－need to be fully vaccinated", the official said.

10 killed, 20 injured in Texas car crash

An overloaded van carrying 29 migrants crashed on Wednesday on a remote South Texas highway, killing 10 people, including the driver, and injuring 20 others, authorities said. The crash happened shortly after 4 pm in Encino, about 80 kilometers north of McAllen. Sergeant Nathan Brandley of the Texas Department of Public Safety said the van, designed to hold 15 passengers, was speeding as the driver tried to veer off the highway onto Business Route 281. He lost control of the top-heavy van, which slammed into a metal utility pole and a stop sign. Martinez said he believed all of the passengers were migrants.

AUSTRALIA

Lockdowns expanded as Delta fight falters

Almost two-thirds of Australia's 25 million people were in lockdown on Thursday, as the country's faltering bid to bring a virulent Delta outbreak to heel prompted a new wave of restrictions. The country's two largest cities received a double blow in their efforts to retain "COVID-19 Zero" status, with authorities reporting a record number of new coronavirus infections in Sydney and imposing a sixth lockdown for virus-weary Melbourne. Until now, Australia has dodged the worst ravages of the pandemic through a strategy of closing borders, lockdowns, mandatory travel quarantine, and aggressive testing and tracing. But only 20 percent of Australian adults had been fully vaccinated by Wednesday, according to government figures.

AFGHANISTAN

Airstrikes pummel Taliban insurgents

The Afghan air force carried out more airstrikes against Taliban positions in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, as the insurgent force made additional gains in the country's north. A Defense Ministry statement said airstrikes were carried out across the country, including in the southern Helmand Province, where the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah is being fiercely contested. The Taliban onslaught seems to have intensified with the start of the final withdrawal of Western troops in late April. As attacks intensify, Afghan security forces and government troops have retaliated with increasing airstrikes, aided by the United States.

Agencies - Xinhua