Russia has started vaccinating animals against coronavirus, officials say. In March, Russia announced it had registered what it said was the world’s first animal-specific jab. Several regions have now started vaccinations at veterinary clinics, Russia’s veterinary watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, told local media. Interest has been shown in the Carnivak-Cov vaccine by the EU, Argentina South Korea and Japan, the agency said. While scientists say there is currently no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the disease to humans, infections have been confirmed in various species worldwide. These include dogs, cats, apes and mink.(BBC)…[+]

Iran has announced a four-month ban on the energy-consuming mining of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin after cities suffered unplanned blackouts. President Hassan Rouhani told a cabinet meeting the main cause of the blackouts was a drought that had affected hydro-electric power generation.  But he said cryptocurrency mining, 85% of which is unlicensed, was draining more than 2GW from the grid each day. An estimated 4.5% of all Bitcoin mining takes place in Iran. According to analytics firm Elliptic, the activity allows the country to bypass sanctions and earn hundreds of millions of dollars in crypto-assets that can be used to purchase imports.(BBC)…[+]

A gunman has killed eight people at a commuter train yard in California. The shooting took place at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) rail yard in San Jose. Officials say the victims include multiple transit employees. The suspect, an employee, is also dead. The shooting broke out around 06:45 local time (14:45 GMT). Officials say the suspect may have set his home on fire before the attack. Across the US, there have been 230 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. A mass shooting is defined by the group as a crime in which four or more people are fatally shot.(BBC)…[+]

Sixteen people, including at least two children, have been killed in a rebel attack in Peru, the country’s defence minister has confirmed. The far-left Shining Path guerrilla group says it was behind the attack. It left pamphlets at the scene ordering people not to vote in the upcoming presidential election. The Maoist rebel group lost much of its power after the arrest of its leader in 1992 but remnants are still active in Peru’s coca-producing region. The government says the Shining Path has since turned into a criminal group engaged in drug trafficking.(BBC)…[+]

The Turkish government has reacted furiously to corruption allegations made by a fugitive gang boss whose YouTube videos have been watched by millions of Turks. The seventh video, broadcast by Sedat Peker on Sunday, has had more than 12 million page views. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has called for an inquiry into his claims and for him to be charged with slander. Peker, 49, says he is now in Dubai. He served several jail terms in Turkey. He began posting the videos in early May after a police operation targeted him and his gang. He fled Turkey last year to avoid prosecution, and was previously jailed for fraud and running a criminal group.(BBC)…[+]