Morning news brief: Zelensky promises 'good news' from Kherson, ISIS claims Iran shrine attack, & more 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his troops are holding out against repeated attacks by Russian forces in two eastern towns. In other news,US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the long-standing status quo on Taiwan has been rejected by China. Finally,Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Shia holy shrine gun attack in southern Iran that killed at least 15 people and injured over 40 on Wednesday.

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He further said that the troops on the southern front are gearing up to battle for the strategic Kherson region, which Russia appears to be reinforcing.

Zelensky also informed that there will be good news from the front.

According to Blinken, the four-decade status quo, in which the US only recognises Beijing while providing the island with arms for self-defence, has "helped to make sure there wouldn't be a conflict between the US and China over Taiwan."

Three IS terrorists opened fire on worshippers at the Shah Cheragh shrine in Shiraz city, "killing at least 20 Shiites and wounded dozens of others", the radical Sunni Muslim jihadist group said in a statement via Telegram channels.

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