The La Línea highway tunnel is opened in Colombia after 14 years of construction and several delays. It is the longest road tunnel in South America at 8.65 kilometres (5.37 mi). (Reuters)
The MT New Diamond is towed out of sea off the coast of Sri Lanka amid major fears of a massive oil spill after the ship caught fire yesterday, killing one Filipino crewman. The Panamanian-registered ship carries about 270,000 tonnes of crude oil. The government of the Maldives has expressed worry, with a presidential minister saying that the country needs to take all precautions to prevent oil from reaching its shores. (BBC News)
A study shows that the Gam-COVID-Vac, Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, has produced an antibody response with no serious side effects in a small trial. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu announces that Kosovo and Serbia will open their embassies in disputed Jerusalem, recognizing the city as Israel's capital. Netanyahu says Kosovo is the first Muslim-majority country to do so. Until this day, only the United States and Guatemala have moved their embassies to Jerusalem, a move that Palestinians reject. (Reuters)
Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof announces that Uyghur refugees in the country will not be extradited back to China, but permitted to use Malaysia as a safe passage to a third country. (Reuters)
It is revealed that Palau urged the United States to build joint-use military facilities in the country, a move seen as a push back against Chinese influence in the Pacific. Palauan President Tommy Remengesau Jr. made the request in a letter to U.S. Secretary of DefenseMark Esper, who visited the island country last week. (CNA)(RNZ)
Rui Pinto begins his trial at the Central Criminal Procedure Court in Lisbon, Portugal, on charges of attempted qualified extortion, violation of secrecy, and illegally accessing information for leaking financial transactions within European association football. (Al Jazeera)
Protests over a fatal police encounter in Rochester, New York began peacefully but ended with authorities using tear gas and pepper balls following incidents of vandalism and violence. It was the third straight night of protests after video was released earlier in the week showing Rochester Police Department officers holding Daniel Prude on the ground with a spit sock on his head in March. Prude stopped breathing and was declared brain dead at a hospital. (CNN)