World News Roundup: Iranian commander urged escalation against U.S. forces at Iraq meeting, sources say; Tigray rebels say they capture main town, push south and west, and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Iranian commander urged escalation against U.S. forces at Iraq meeting, sources say

A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander urged Iraqi Shi'ite militias to step up attacks on U.S. targets during a meeting in Baghdad last week, three militia sources and two Iraqi security sources familiar with the gathering said. American forces in Iraq and Syria were attacked several times following the visit by an Iranian delegation led by Revolutionary Guards intelligence chief Hossein Taeb, which came after deadly U.S. airstrikes against Iran-backed militias at the Syrian-Iraqi border on June 27.

Tigray rebels say they capture main town, push south and west

Rebels in Ethiopia's Tigray region said on Tuesday they had recaptured a main town from rival forces and were pushing to take back more territory. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the claim because communication links to the region are down.

10 bodies found at looted S.African mall following stampede

The bodies of 10 people were found on Monday evening after a stampede at a Soweto shopping mall as looting continued in Gauteng province, premier David Makhura said on Tuesday.

Iran says it is holding talks on prisoner exchanges with U.S.

Iran said on Tuesday it was holding talks on prisoner exchanges with the United States aimed at securing the release of Iranians held in U.S. jails and other countries over violations of U.S. sanctions. "Negotiations are under way on the exchange of prisoners between Iran and America, and we will issue more information if Iranian prisoners are released and the country's interests are secured and the talks reach a conclusion," government spokesman Ali Rabiei said.

Taliban warn Turkey against 'reprehensible' plan to run Kabul airport

The Taliban warned Turkey on Tuesday against plans to keep some troops in Afghanistan to run and guard Kabul's main airport after the withdrawal of foreign soldiers, calling the strategy "reprehensible" and warning of "consequences". Ankara, which has offered to run and guard the airport in the capital after NATO withdraws, has been in talks with the United States on financial, political and logistical support.

Myanmar's COVID crisis worsens as mistrust of junta infects health system

When Ma Yati felt weak and feverish and lost her sense of smell, she had no doubt she had COVID-19. But even with up to 30 people a day dying of the coronavirus in her hometown of Kale in western Myanmar, she decided it was better to hole up in a room at home than get an official test or enter a quarantine center.

Death toll from Iraq COVID hospital fire rises as anger mounts

The death toll from a fire that tore through a coronavirus hospital in southern Iraq rose to 66, health officials said on Tuesday, as authorities faced accusations of negligence from grieving relatives and a doctor who works there.

More than 100 others were injured in Monday night's fire in Nassiriya, which an investigation showed began when sparks from faulty wiring spread to an oxygen tank that then exploded, police and civil defense authorities said - the second such tragedy in three months.

European efforts to assess Russia's Sputnik V vaccine stymied by data gaps

The developers of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine have repeatedly failed to provide data that regulators deem to be standard requirements of the drug approval process, according to five people with knowledge of European efforts to assess the drug, providing new insight into the country's struggle to win foreign acceptance of its product. Reuters reported last month that the European Medicines Agency (EMA)'s review of the drug's safety and efficacy was delayed because a June 10 deadline to submit data on the vaccine's clinical trials was missed, according to one of those people, who is close to the agency, and another person familiar with the matter. The EMA is the European Union's medicines watchdog.

Worst violence in years spreads in South Africa as grievances boil over

Crowds clashed with police and ransacked or burned shopping malls in South Africa on Tuesday, with dozens reported killed as grievances unleashed by the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma boiled over into the worst violence in years. Protests that followed Zuma's arrest last week have widened into looting and an outpouring of generalized anger over inequality that persists 27 years after the fall of apartheid. Poverty has been exacerbated by severe social and economic restrictions aimed at blocking the spread of COVID-19.

Japan warns of crisis over Taiwan, growing risks from U.S.- China rivalry

Growing military tension around Taiwan, as well as economic and technological rivalry between China and the United States, raises the prospect of crisis in the region as the power balance shifts in China's favor, Japan said in its annual defense white paper. China rejected Japan's conclusions about what it said was normal military activity, calling them irresponsible.

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