US evacuation of Afghan translators and their relatives could reach 50,000 people, and Oscars to honour Samuel L. Jackson, Elaine May, Danny Glover

*) US to evacuate Afghan interpreters before military withdrawal complete

The United States is planning to evacuate vulnerable Afghan interpreters before the US military completes its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The evacuation will include their family members for a total of as many as 50,000 people, said a senior Republican congressman.

The decision by Biden's administration risks creating a sense of crisis in Afghanistan, just a day before Biden meets Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

*) UN urges Israel to halt building of settlements immediately

The United Nations has said Israel is flagrantly violating international law by expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

UN chief Antonio Guterres and Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland reported on implementation of a 2016 Security Council resolution that declared settlements have “no legal validity.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s new government advanced plans for 31 West Bank settlement construction projects days after coming into power.

*) More than 750 unmarked graves found at Indigenous school in Canada

A First Nation in Canada's Saskatchewan province has found the unmarked graves of 751 people at a now-defunct residential school, just weeks after a similar discovery in British Columbia rocked the country.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Canada needed to acknowledge its history of racism against Indigenous peoples in order to "build a better future.”

From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 First Nations children were forced to convert to Christianity and not allowed to speak their native languages.

*) Many feared dead in Miami residential building collapse

Many people are feared dead after a wing of a 12-storey beachfront condo building collapsed in a town outside the US city of Miami, Florida.

At least one person was confirmed dead while dozens of residents got trapped under debris.

About half of the building's 130 units collapsed, Miami-Dade county mayor Daniella Levine Cava told a news conference.

And finally ...

*) Samuel L. Jackson, Danny Glover to receive honorary Oscars

The Academy Awards will present Elaine May, Samuel L. Jackson and Liv Ullmann with honorary Oscars and Danny Glover with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

The honorary Oscars will be doled out in an untelevised ceremony on January 15 in Los Angeles.

They are awarded to honour extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences.

Calls grow to evacuate Afghans to Guam as US troops leave, and New Zealand beat India in World Test final

*) US urged to evacuate Afghan allies to Guam as troops leave

With US and NATO forces facing a September 11 deadline to leave Afghanistan, pressure is mounting to evacuate thousands of Afghans who have helped US forces.

Despite unusual bipartisan support in Congress, the Biden administration hasn't agreed to such a move.

Some have suggested Guam, the US Pacific island territory that served a similar purpose after the Vietnam War.

*) Air strike in Ethiopia’s Tigray kills dozens of people

An airstrike hit a busy market in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray village of Togoga, killing at least 51 people, health workers have reported.

Health workers added that soldiers blocked medical teams from travelling to the scene.

The alleged airstrike comes amid some of the fiercest fighting in the Tigray region since the conflict began in November.

*) Libya elections, removal of foreign forces agreed in Berlin talks

The second Libya conference has ended in Berlin with a final declaration stressing the need for holding elections on December 24 and withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries.

The participants reaffirmed their commitments first made at the Berlin conference in January 2020.

Helped by the United Nations, Libya has over the past year made swift progress in addressing a decade of chaos and violence

*) Apple Daily goes to final print after arrests, asset freeze

Hong Kong's most vocally critical newspaper Apple Daily has said it is printing its last edition after a stormy year.

This comes after it was raided by police who froze their assets and its tycoon owner and other staff were arrested under a new national security law.

Its founder Jimmy Lai is facing charges under the new law for foreign collusion and is currently serving a prison sentence for his involvement in 2019 protests.

And finally ...

*) New Zealand trounce India to win inaugural World Test Championship

New Zealand have defeated India by eight wickets to win the inaugural World Test Championship final at Southampton.

Set a modest target of 139 in 53 overs, New Zealand finished on 140-2 with time to spare in a match extended into a reserve sixth day.

"It's a very special feeling," said New Zealand captain Kane Williamson at the presentation ceremony.

Afghanistan urges international community to push Taliban for talks and Croatia boots Scotland out to reach Euro 2020’s last 16.

*) Afghanistan accuses Taliban of worst violence in 2 decades

Afghanistan’s foreign minister has accused the Taliban of carrying out its worst violence in the past two decades as insurgents carry out a wave of offensives.

Mohammad Haneef Atmar urged the international community to pressure the group to honour a February 2020 agreement with the US to reduce violence and enter peace negotiations.

Atmar told the UN Security Council the community should set up a “mechanism” to monitor enforcement of the deal after the US troop withdrawal.

*) Khashoggi's assassins received paramilitary training in US

Four Saudis who participated in the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi received paramilitary training in the US under a contract approved by the State Department.

That’s according to a New York Times report which says training was provided by Tier 1 Group, which is owned by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management.

Khashoggi, a Saudi-born US resident who wrote for the Washington Post, was an outspoken critic of the Saudi leadership, with which he had once been close.

*) US seizes Iran-linked news sites

The US Justice Department has seized 33 Iranian government-controlled media websites.

Visitors to leading Iranian media sites were met with statements declaring the website "has been seized by the United States Government".

The websites were held by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union, itself controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force.

Both IRTVU and IRGC have been placed on the US sanctions blacklist. them.

*) Catalan separatists eye freedom after Spain's Cabinet pardon

Nine Catalan separatist leaders jailed for sedition are eyeing freedom, after Spain’s Cabinet pardoned them.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hopes the move would cease past confrontations with Catalonia's separatist-led regional government and open room for talks.

The separatists were convicted over a banned referendum in October 2017 that was marred by police violence.

And finally ...

*) Croatia advances at Euro 2020

Croatia has qualified for the last 16 of the Euro 2020 after defeating Scotland 3-1.

The Croatian side broke the deadlock when Nikola Vlasic scored in the 17th minute at Glasgow's Hampden Park.

Scotland exited the tournament in last place in the group with only one point.

*) Ethiopia votes in test for PM Abiy amid reports of abuses

Vote-counting is under way in Ethiopia's twice-delayed parliamentary elections as famine blights its war-torn Tigray region.

The vote is a test for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, whose rise to power three years ago seemed to signal a break with decades of authoritarian rule.

But he has waged war in the Tigray region and his party has been accused of election abuses, while critics say violence is still prevalent
and that freedoms are limited.

*) Iran president-elect refuses to meet Biden

Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi says he will only allow nuclear talks if national interests are guaranteed in his first presser since winning last week’s elections.

Raisi ruled out meeting US President Joe Biden but said there were "no obstacles" to resuming diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.

The hard-liner cleric won Friday's election in which more than half of voters stayed away after many political heavyweights were barred from running.

*) Belarus opposition head hails 'powerful' joint sanctions

The EU, US, UK and Canada have imposed coordinated sanctions on Belarus in response to “human rights violations” and “the violent repression of democracy”.

It follows the forced landing of a passenger jet in Minsk last month to arrest opposition journalist Roman Protasevich.

Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said the sanctions sent a "powerful" signal to the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko.

*) Taliban takes control of key Afghan district

Taliban fighters have taken control of Imam Sahib, a key district in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province and encircled the provincial capital.

The Taliban's gains came as the Pentagon reaffirmed the US troop withdrawal was still on pace to conclude by early September.

Dozens of districts have fallen to the Taliban since May 1, when US and NATO troops began their final departure from Afghanistan.

And finally ...

*) Argentina, Chile through to Copa America quarter-final

Argentina and Chile have booked their places in the Copa America quarter-finals.

Argentina logged its second win in three group matches played, beating Paraguay 1-0.

In the other match, Chile drew 1-1 with Uruguay to end the day with five log points.

*) EU: Iran nuclear deal talks closer to saving 2015 deal

The European Union has said that negotiators are closer to saving the Iran nuclear deal but sticking points remain.

The announcement from Enrique Mora of the European External Action Service comes a day after Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline judge, won Iran’s presidential election.

Sunday’s meeting was part of regular discussions aimed at bringing the US back to the 2015 pact and Iran back into compliance with curbs on its nuclear programme.

*) Ethiopia votes in greatest electoral test yet for Abiy

Ethiopia has begun voting in general elections, the greatest electoral test yet for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Tigray's war and logistical issues mean ballots wouldn't be cast in more than 100 constituencies of the 547 across the country.

Abiy’s ruling Prosperity Party is widely expected to retain power as opposition groups accused it of harassment, manipulation and threats of violence that echo abuses of the past.

*) Libya reopens highway linking east and west

Libya’s unity government has reopened the coastal highway linking the country’s east and west, which remained closed for years due to fighting.

Interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said the announcement was another key step in a UN-led peace process.

The highway connects the war-torn North African country’s border with Tunisia to its frontier with Egypt.

*) Armenian PM’s party wins snap parliamentary vote

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's party has won snap parliamentary elections with 53.9 percent of the vote.

His rival ex-president Robert Kocharyan's alliance received 21 percent of the vote, the election commission said.

Early elections were called by Pashinyan in a bid to ease public anger over a peace deal he signed with Azerbaijan in November.

And finally ...

*) Italy beat Wales, both advance to round of 16 at Euro 2020

Matteo # scored the only goal as Italy made its three wins out of three games at Euro 2020 by beating Wales 1-0, with both teams advancing to the last 16.

The win means Italy will play the runner-up from Group C in the next round, with Wales facing the team that comes second in Group B.

Italy extended their unbeaten run to 30 games with 25 wins and five draws, a feat last achieved under two-time World Cup winner coach Vittorio Pozzo between 1935 and 1939.

*) 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 without two of the sport's biggest stars.

Nadal announced on social media that he would also miss the Tokyo Olympics to rest and recover after listening to his body.

Osaka’s agent said the four-time Grand Slam champion does plan to head to the Summer Games after skipping Wimbledon for "some personal time".

*) Russia and US to launch nuclear arms control talks

US President Joe Biden says he and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed in detail the steps to adopt arms control measures to reduce the risk of war.

Biden said diplomats and military experts from both countries will discuss the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures.

Putin said that he and Biden agreed in a “constructive” summit to return ambassadors to their posts, lowering tensions.

*) Several arrested as Hong Kong police raid Apple Daily newspaper

Hong Kong police have arrested the chief editor and four other senior executives of the Apple Daily newspaper under the national security law.

Police said five executives were arrested "for collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security".

It is the second time that Hong Kong's police force have conducted an operation on Apple Daily, with police arresting founder Jimmy Lai and other executives last year.

*) Myanmar village burned after fighting; residents blame security forces

Security forces set ablaze a village in central Myanmar after clashing there with people opposing the ruling junta.

At least two elderly people burned to death, several village residents said after the incident.

State television said the blaze at Kin Ma, a village of about 800 people in the Magway region, was caused by “terrorists”.

*) Iran presidential race narrows as more candidates drop out last minute

Iran’s presidential contest is heading toward a showdown between the country’s hard-line judiciary chief and moderate former Central Bank chief.

Ultraconservative lawmaker Alireza Zakani withdrew in the morning hours after reformist Mohsen Mehralizadeh had also thrown in the towel ahead of Friday's vote.

In the afternoon another ultraconservative, Saeed Jalili, also pulled out.

And finally ...

*) China dispatches first crew to new Tiangong space station

The first astronauts for China's new space station have blasted off for the country's longest crewed mission to date.

The trio launched on a Long March-2F rocket for the Tiangong station, where they will spend three months.

It is China's first crewed mission in nearly five years.