World News Roundup: Iran orders week-long shutdown in Tehran amid fifth COVID wave; South African court grants delay in Zuma's arms deal corruption trial and more

The plan, fermenting for years but rapidly gaining momentum, is designed to help support China's economy in the coming decades and includes pilot projects for state-supervised data trading markets, policy documents show. Hong Kong, Singapore to review travel bubble date in late-August Hong Kong's government said on Tuesday authorities will review a planned air travel bubble with Singapore in late August, given the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Singapore.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Iran orders week-long shutdown in Tehran amid fifth COVID wave

Iran imposed a one-week lockdown in the capital and a nearby province on Tuesday as daily COVID-19 caseloads hit a record high amid a fifth wave of the pandemic, state television reported. The lockdown affects Tehran and Alborz provinces, with only essential businesses allowed to stay open. Most offices, theatres, and sports facilities must shut down in an effort to prevent the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, the TV said.

South African court grants delay in Zuma's arms deal corruption trial

A South African court granted former President Jacob Zuma's request for a delay in his arms deal corruption trial on Tuesday, and adjourned proceedings for three weeks. Zuma is accused of receiving kickbacks over a $2 billion arms deal from the 1990s. He pleaded not guilty in May to charges including corruption, fraud, and money laundering.

'We lost': Some U.S. veterans say blood spilled in Afghanistan was wasted

Jason Lilley was a special operation forces Marine Raider who fought in multiple battles in Iraq and Afghanistan during America's longest war. As Lilley, 41, reflects on President Joe Biden's decision to end America's military mission in Afghanistan on Aug. 31, he expresses love for his country, but disgust at its politicians and dismay at the blood and money squandered. Comrades were killed and maimed in wars he says were unwinnable, making him rethink his country and his life.

Merkel heads to flood zone facing questions over preparedness

German authorities came under increasing fire on Tuesday over the deadly floods that engulfed large parts of the country last week leaving Europe's richest economy caught flat-footed by a disaster that had been predicted days earlier. As Chancellor Angela Merkel travelled to the disaster zone for the second time, there were growing questions about how well prepared local and national authorities were for the floods that swept through defenseless towns and villages last week.

Global quest underway to speed COVID-19 vaccine trials

Scientists are working on a benchmark for COVID-19 vaccine efficacy that would allow drugmakers to conduct smaller, speedier human trials to get them to market and address a huge global vaccine shortage. Researchers are trying to determine just what level of COVID-19 antibodies a vaccine must produce to provide protection against the illness. Regulators already use such benchmarks - known as correlates of protection - to evaluate flu vaccines without requiring large, lengthy clinical trials.

Analysis: Beyond security crackdown, Beijing charts state-controlled data market

China's sweeping regulatory action against internet giants such as ride-hailing firm Didi Global Inc, which has sent chills through the industry, is part of a broader national project to create a domestic marketplace for the country's vast troves of big data. The plan, fermenting for years but rapidly gaining momentum, is designed to help support China's economy in the coming decades and includes pilot projects for state-supervised data trading markets, policy documents show.

Hong Kong, Singapore to review travel bubble date in late-August

Hong Kong's government said on Tuesday authorities will review a planned air travel bubble with Singapore in late August, given the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Singapore. Both governments would review the target date "taking into account the effectiveness of the enhanced infection control measures implemented by Singapore and the global situation at that time," Hong Kong's government said in a statement.

China to allow tax deductions for care of small children to help boost births

China will allow tax deductions for expenses on children under three as part of a major relaxation in child-bearing policy to stem a dramatic decline in births in the world's most populous country, an official document showed on Tuesday. Beijing announced on May 31 that it would permit married couples to have up to three children, rather than just two.

Jeff Bezos, world's richest man, boards spacecraft in Texas

Jeff Bezos, the world's richest person, and three crewmates boarded his company Blue Origin's New Shepard https://graphics.reuters.com/SPACE-EXPLORATION/BLUEORIGIN/jbyprzzympe/blue-origin.jpg launch vehicle on Tuesday in the West Texas desert ahead of its planned suborbital journey, a milestone flight set to help usher in a new era of private space travel. The American billionaire is due to fly on an 11-minute voyage to the edge of space, nine days after Briton Richard Branson was aboard his competing space tourism company Virgin Galactic's successful inaugural suborbital flight https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/virgin-galactics-branson-ready-space-launch-aboard-rocket-plane-2021-07-11 from New Mexico.

Mali presidency says President Goita targeted by stabbing attack

Mali's interim President Assimi Goita was the target of an attempted stabbing attack during Eid al-Adha prayers at Bamako's Grand Mosque, the West African nation's presidency said in a statement on Twitter on Tuesday. "The attacker was immediately overpowered by security. Investigations are ongoing," the presidency said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)