With the fall in the number of new cases of coronavirus in the US, nearly half of the 500 million free Covid tests made available to the public recently by the Biden administration remain unclaimed. &nbsp;

As the situation of the virus is easing, it seems people feel less urgency to go for the test. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/57-year-old-woman-gets-hit-in-head-with-hammer-several-times-at-new-york-subway-station-457007" hreflang="en">57-year-old woman gets hit in head with hammer several times at New York subway station</a>

In the pandemic, wild demand swings have been witnessed, many a time. It has happened with vaccines, hand sanitiser and tests. &nbsp;

COVIDtests.Gov had received over 45 million orders on the first day of the White House test giveaway in January. Now, the officials say that less than 100,000 orders a day are being witnessed for the packages of four free rapid tests per household, which are being delivered by the US Postal Service. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/drugs-or-onions-3-million-worth-methamphetamine-seized-in-us-456994" hreflang="en">Drugs or onions? $3 million worth methamphetamine seized in US</a>

The White House views the programme as a step towards a deeper testing infrastructure, which will accommodate the demand surges and remain on standby when cases wane. &nbsp;&nbsp;

"We totally intend to sustain this market. We know the market is volatile and will come up and down with surges in variants," Dr Tom Inglesby, testing adviser to the COVID-19 response team, told The Associated Press. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

With the fall in the number of new cases of coronavirus in the US, nearly half of the 500 million free Covid tests made available to the public recently by the Biden administration remain unclaimed.

With the fall in the number of new cases of coronavirus in the US, nearly half of the 500 million free Covid tests made available to the public recently by the Biden administration remain unclaimed. As the situation of the virus is easing, it seems people feel less urgency to go for the test. Also Read: 57-year-old woman gets hit in head with hammer several times at New York subway station In the pandemic, wild demand swings have been witnessed, many a time. It has happened with vaccines, hand sanitiser and tests. COVIDtests.Gov had received over 45 million orders on the first day of the White House test giveaway in January. Now, the officials say that less than 100,000 orders a day are being witnessed for the packages of four free rapid tests per household, which are being delivered by the US Postal Service. Also Read: Drugs or onions? $3 million worth methamphetamine seized in US The White House views the programme as a step towards a deeper testing infrastructure, which will accommodate the demand surges and remain on standby when cases wane. "We totally intend to sustain this market. We know the market is volatile and will come up and down with surges in variants," Dr Tom Inglesby, testing adviser to the COVID-19 response team, told The Associated Press. (With inputs from agencies)

Nearly half of Biden admin’s 500 million free Covid tests for public remain unclaimed in US

The bodies of five Islamists behind the deadly attack on a Bangladesh cafe have still not been claimed, even a month later, police said Monday, as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest against extremism. 
 
Relatives have spoken of their shock and horror at learning of their kin&#39;s involvement in the siege in Dhaka&#39;s Holey Artisan cafe in the upmarket Gulshan neighbourhood, in which 20 hostages were killed, many of them hacked to death. 
 
&quot;No relatives came to us or officially applied for the bodies of the 14 extremists,&quot; Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Masudur Rahman said. 
 
Sohel Mahmud, a forensic doctor at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said several families had come to identify the bodies. 
&quot;But no one wanted to take them home for burial,&quot; he said. 
 
Police gave no official reason, but officers speaking on condition of anonymity said the parents of the extremists were overwhelmed with guilt.&nbsp;Six of the young men were from well-off Dhaka families, among them 18-year-old Rohan Imtiaz. His father Imtiaz Khan Babul told AFP he was &quot;stunned and speechless&quot; to hear of his only son&#39;s involvement in the carnage, and apologised to the nation. 
 
Abdus Salam said his brother Mohammad Abdullah, one of the nine killed in the shootout with police, had betrayed the family and his country. 
 
&quot;That&#39;s why we don&#39;t want to take his body,&quot; he told reporters last week. 
 
On Monday tens of thousands of university and college students across the country stood in silence and formed human chains in front of their schools. 
 
&quot;No terrorism, we want peace. We want life without fear,&quot; read one banner at a women&#39;s college in Dhaka. 
 
Authorities have launched a nationwide campaign to shame those behind the attacks.&nbsp;Clerics at the mainly Muslim country&#39;s more than 300,000 mosques have been asked to give sermons on why Islam forbids killing. 
 
Police said the bodies of nine other men allegedly from the same group who were shot when police launched a raid on a militant hideout on July 26 are also still being stored at a state hospital. 
 
(AFP)

Police claim parents of the extremists are overwhelmed with guilt

The bodies of five Islamists behind the deadly attack on a Bangladesh cafe have still not been claimed, even a month later, police said Monday, as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest against extremism. Relatives have spoken of their shock and horror at learning of their kin's involvement in the siege in Dhaka's Holey Artisan cafe in the upmarket Gulshan neighbourhood, in which 20 hostages were killed, many of them hacked to death. "No relatives came to us or officially applied for the bodies of the 14 extremists," Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Masudur Rahman said. Sohel Mahmud, a forensic doctor at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said several families had come to identify the bodies. "But no one wanted to take them home for burial," he said. Police gave no official reason, but officers speaking on condition of anonymity said the parents of the extremists were overwhelmed with guilt. Six of the young men were from well-off Dhaka families, among them 18-year-old Rohan Imtiaz. His father Imtiaz Khan Babul told AFP he was "stunned and speechless" to hear of his only son's involvement in the carnage, and apologised to the nation. Abdus Salam said his brother Mohammad Abdullah, one of the nine killed in the shootout with police, had betrayed the family and his country. "That's why we don't want to take his body," he told reporters last week. On Monday tens of thousands of university and college students across the country stood in silence and formed human chains in front of their schools. "No terrorism, we want peace. We want life without fear," read one banner at a women's college in Dhaka. Authorities have launched a nationwide campaign to shame those behind the attacks. Clerics at the mainly Muslim country's more than 300,000 mosques have been asked to give sermons on why Islam forbids killing. Police said the bodies of nine other men allegedly from the same group who were shot when police launched a raid on a militant hideout on July 26 are also still being stored at a state hospital. (AFP)

A month on, bodies of 5 Dhaka cafe attackers remain unclaimed

Two bomb explosions rocked Afghanistan Monday morning. In the first, a&nbsp;suicide bomber killed at least 14 and wounded eight in an attack on a minibus carrying Nepalese security contractors in the Afghan capital, Kabul, officials said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
A Reuters witness saw several apparently dead victims and at least two wounded being carried out of the yellow bus, while police and emergency service vehicles surrounded the scene in the Banae district of the city.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter that 14 people had been killed and eight wounded. Police were working to identify the victims, he said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The casualties appeared to include both Afghans and Nepalese security contractors, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
He said the suicide bomber had waited near the compound housing the security contractors and struck as the vehicle moved through early morning traffic. As well as the bus passengers, several people in an adjacent market were also wounded.&nbsp; 
 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack on the minibus that was carrying Nepalese security guards in Kabul. He said India will provide all assistance to Nepal government in this hour of tragedy.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We strongly condemn the horrible tragedy in Kabul. Our deep condolences to the people and governments of Afghanistan and Nepal on the loss of innocent lives,&quot; he said in a tweet.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We are taking steps to provide all relevant assistance to the Nepal government in this hour of tragedy,&quot; PM Modi said.&nbsp; 
 
Fourteen Nepalese security guards were killed when a Taliban suicide bomber targetted their minibus in the Afghan capital.&nbsp; 
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which occurred during Ramadan, Islam&#39;s holy month.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
It underlined how serious the security threat facing Afghanistan remains since the death of former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike last month.&nbsp; 
 
Also Monday morning, at least eight people were killed and 18 injured in a seprate attack Monday morning, when a motorcycle bomb exploded in a crowded market in Afghanistan&#39;s northeastern Badakhshan province, local authorities said. 
 
&quot;Our initial information is eight people were martyred, and 18 others were wounded, all the victims are civilians,&quot; the Badakhshan provincial governor&#39;s spokesman Naweed Froutan told AFP, adding that the death toll is set to rise. 
 
The district governor of Keshim, where the attack took place, gave a higher toll of at least 10 killed and 30 wounded. 
 
&quot;It was a motorcycle bomb explosion inside a main market in Keshim district of Badakhshan province,&quot; Abdul Salam Paiman told AFP, adding that some of the wounded were in critical condition and all had been taken to hospital. 
 
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast in the remote, mountainous province. 
 
Reuters reports that the attack was the latest in a recent surge of violence that highlights the challenges faced by the Afghan government in Kabul and its Western backers as Washington slowly draws down its remaining troops despite a persistent insurgency. &nbsp; 
 
AFP notes that the attacks come just days after Washington expanded the US military&#39;s authority to carry out airstrikes on the insurgents. 
(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

Suicide attack and so far unclaimed motorcycle bomb devastate country as insurgency persists despite Taliban leader's recent death

Two bomb explosions rocked Afghanistan Monday morning. In the first, a suicide bomber killed at least 14 and wounded eight in an attack on a minibus carrying Nepalese security contractors in the Afghan capital, Kabul, officials said. A Reuters witness saw several apparently dead victims and at least two wounded being carried out of the yellow bus, while police and emergency service vehicles surrounded the scene in the Banae district of the city. Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter that 14 people had been killed and eight wounded. Police were working to identify the victims, he said. The casualties appeared to include both Afghans and Nepalese security contractors, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said. He said the suicide bomber had waited near the compound housing the security contractors and struck as the vehicle moved through early morning traffic. As well as the bus passengers, several people in an adjacent market were also wounded. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack on the minibus that was carrying Nepalese security guards in Kabul. He said India will provide all assistance to Nepal government in this hour of tragedy. "We strongly condemn the horrible tragedy in Kabul. Our deep condolences to the people and governments of Afghanistan and Nepal on the loss of innocent lives," he said in a tweet. "We are taking steps to provide all relevant assistance to the Nepal government in this hour of tragedy," PM Modi said. Fourteen Nepalese security guards were killed when a Taliban suicide bomber targetted their minibus in the Afghan capital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which occurred during Ramadan, Islam's holy month. It underlined how serious the security threat facing Afghanistan remains since the death of former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike last month. Also Monday morning, at least eight people were killed and 18 injured in a seprate attack Monday morning, when a motorcycle bomb exploded in a crowded market in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, local authorities said. "Our initial information is eight people were martyred, and 18 others were wounded, all the victims are civilians," the Badakhshan provincial governor's spokesman Naweed Froutan told AFP, adding that the death toll is set to rise. The district governor of Keshim, where the attack took place, gave a higher toll of at least 10 killed and 30 wounded. "It was a motorcycle bomb explosion inside a main market in Keshim district of Badakhshan province," Abdul Salam Paiman told AFP, adding that some of the wounded were in critical condition and all had been taken to hospital. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast in the remote, mountainous province. Reuters reports that the attack was the latest in a recent surge of violence that highlights the challenges faced by the Afghan government in Kabul and its Western backers as Washington slowly draws down its remaining troops despite a persistent insurgency. AFP notes that the attacks come just days after Washington expanded the US military's authority to carry out airstrikes on the insurgents. (With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

Twin blasts rock Afghanistan Monday morning: At least 22 dead, 26 injured

unclaimed

Unclaimed, News on Unclaimed, stories on Unclaimed, articles on Unclaimed, Unclaimed stories at Wion, Unclaimed news, Unclaimed latest news