The World Health Organization (WHO) said it has identified counterfeit versions of India’s primary Covid vaccine, Covishield. The doses were seized by authorities in India and Africa between July and August, a WHO statement said. It also said the vaccine’s maker, Serum Institute of India, confirmed that the doses were fake.

The WHO warned that fake vaccines “pose a serious risk to global public health”. It called for their removal from circulation. There has been no official statement by the Indian government, but local reports said the country’s health ministry was investigating the matter. “Although we have a strong system to prevent such cases, with this development, the only thing we want to ensure is that no Indian received a fake vaccine,” an unidentified health official told the Mint news website. Covishield is the Indian-made version of AstraZeneca’s jab and is the most widely used vaccine in India with more than 486 million doses administered so far.  Serum had supplied millions of Covishield vaccines to countries in Asia, Africa and South America – as part of deals that were inked with various governments and the global Covax scheme for poorer countries. India also sent Covishield doses to some of its neighbours as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “vaccine diplomacy”. (BBC)…[+]

Lithuania has accused 12 Belarusian officers in riot gear of illegally entering its territory to push a group of migrants over the border. Lithuania’s border service said the Belarusians were repeatedly told they had violated the border during the tense incident on Tuesday. But Belarus disputed this and accused Lithuanian guards of violence towards migrants. EU ministers will meet later to discuss a recent migrant influx from Belarus.

More than 4,100 mostly Iraqi migrants have entered EU member Lithuania illegally from neighbouring Belarus so far this year. The rise in illegal crossings started in June after the EU imposed sanctions on long-time Belarusian President President Alexander Lukashenko.(BBC)…[+]

The Biden administration has increased the amount of government-provided food assistance distributed to approximately one in eight Americans each month. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Monday announced an increase of over 25% for funds used to buy food. The increased budget will be available starting in October to the 42 million people who receive food stamps – known formally as Snap benefits.

The average benefit will increase by about $36 (£26) per person, per month. Americans enrolled in the programme will see their monthly pre-pandemic allowance rise from $121 to about $157. In 2018, Congress ordered the USDA to review the Thrifty Food Plan, a diet plan created in 1962 which outlines nutritional needs for Americans and what budget is necessary to achieve them. The update is the largest permanent funding boost in the programme’s history.(BBC)…[+]

It’s one of the most striking images from the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban. Hundreds of Afghans packed into a US military cargo plane as they flee Kabul. The faces, many male but with some women and children, look up towards the camera, their expressions a mixture of anxiety and possibly some relief.

New Zealand has announced a snap lockdown after a man tested positive for Covid, the first case in six months. The case was detected in Auckland, which will be in lockdown for a week, while the rest of the country will be in lockdown for three days. Authorities say they are working on the assumption that the new case was the Delta variant. Just around 20% of its population has been fully vaccinated. Coromandel, a coastal town where the infected person had visited, will be in lockdown for seven days too. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the toughest “level 4” rules were required – closing schools, offices and all businesses with only essential services remaining operational. “I want to assure New Zealand that we have planned for this eventuality. Going hard and early has worked for us before,” she said. The patient is a 58-year-old man, who is believed to have been infectious since last Thursday.(BBC)…[+]

Venezuelan opposition politician Freddy Guevara has been released from jail two days after the government of President Nicolás Maduro and opposition representatives met in Mexico. Mr Guevara had been arrested in July and charged with treason and terrorism.  The release of political prisoners was one of the demands made by the opposition at the start of talks aimed at ending Venezuela’s political crisis. Mr Guevara is expected to form part of the opposition’s negotiating team. The 35-year-old broadcast a live video of his arrest on 12 July on social media. He was stopped while driving on a highway in the capital, Caracas, and ordered out of his car by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin). Officials alleged that he had links to a gang behind a deadly shoot-out in the capital which left dozens dead days before his arrest. Mr Guevara is a former student leader and close ally of opposition leader Juan Guaidó.(BBC)…[+]

There have been scenes of panic at Kabul airport as desperate residents try to flee following the seizure of the Afghan capital by the Taliban. Eyewitnesses told the BBC that at least three civilians died on Monday in the chaos at the airport, which is being secured by US troops. Commercial flights have mostly been suspended, stranding hundreds of Afghans and other foreign nationals. The US and other countries are rushing to evacuate staff and allies. On Sunday the Taliban declared victory after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad and his government collapsed. The militants’ return to rule brings an end to almost 20 years of a US-led coalition’s presence in the country. (BBC)…[+]

Protesters attacked the home of Lebanon’s prime minister-designate after a petrol tank explosion killed 27 people and injured 79 others on Sunday. Dozens of demonstrators demanded Najib Mikati’s resignation, threw stones at his house and clashed with police. Mr Mikati said he understood “the cries of people” but condemned what he called the “unacceptable vandalism”. The army said the explosion occurred as soldiers handed out petrol seized from black marketeers in the Akkar region. The cause of the blast was not clear, but a large crowd was gathered around the tank at the time, it added.(BBC)…[+]

Production of the new Lord of the Rings television series will move to the UK from New Zealand, Amazon Studios has confirmed. The as-yet-untitled fantasy epic is set thousands of years before the events in JRR Tolkien’s books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It is a major blow for New Zealand’s entertainment industry where the award-winning movies were also filmed. UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden welcomed the decision. He said: “Thousands of high quality jobs all across the UK will be created and supported by The Lord of the Rings television series so this is very exciting news.” The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Treasury have been approached for comment on whether Amazon Studios has been offered financial subsidies to move production to the UK.(BBC)…[+]

A huge search and rescue operation is under way in northern Turkey after flash floods along the Black Sea coast killed at least 27 people. Kastamonu province is the worst-hit area, accounting for 25 of the deaths. Two others died in Sinop on the coast. The floods caused some buildings to collapse, smashed several bridges, clogged some streets with wrecked cars and cut power supplies. This month Turkey has also had to battle huge wildfires in the south. Those fires – which are now under control – forced thousands of locals and tourists to flee Marmaris and surrounding areas. Eight people died and more than 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) of vegetation was devastated. In the flooded area near the Black Sea, helicopters plucked some people from rooftops; others were rescued by boat.(BBC)…[+]