Briefly

UNITED STATES

Biden tests negative in 'rebound' case

US President Joe Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Saturday in the process of his recovery from a "rebound" case, wrote White House physician Kevin O'Connor in an update. Biden feels "very well", but will continue to isolate pending a second negative test result, O'Connor said. Fully vaccinated and twice boosted, Biden first tested positive for COVID-19 on July 21, leading to days of isolation and treatment at the White House before receiving negative test results. He tested positive again on July 30 in a "rebound" case and had a mild cough, but did not resume treatment.

AFGHANISTAN

Blast kills 2, injures over 20 in capital

Two people were confirmed dead and 22 others injured in a blast that rocked the western edge of the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said on social media. The blast took place in the Pul-e-Sokhta area of Police District 6, Zadran said. According to the officer, the explosive device was placed in a vase. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the blast. On Friday, another blast killed eight people and injured 18 others in the same district in Kabul.

IRAN

Safeguards under discussion in Vienna

Iran's negotiating team is discussing the safeguards issues in the Vienna talks, the official news agency IRNA reported. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, made the remarks on the sidelines of a meeting between the Iranian negotiating team and the European Union's deputy foreign policy chief Enrique Mora. With regard to the progress of the new round of Vienna talks on the revival of a 2015 agreement, Kamalvandi said "not bad".

Agencies - Xinhua