Top 10 world news today: Putin dials up Tajikistan president as Taliban makes gains and more

Top 10 world news today: In this newsletter, we present the biggest news stories of July 6 from around the world. After the pullout of US forces from Afghanistan, Taliban insurgents have made rapid advances in the country. Many fear that the country would return to its former conservative days under the Taliban rule. In view of this, Russian President Putin dialled up Tajikistan President and promised aid to him in the fight against Taliban. In Iceland, a four-week working day has proven to be tremendously successful. In grim news coming in from Russia, no survivors were reported from a plane crash.

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Putin dials Tajikistan president amid Taliban's rapid advance in Afghanistan

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AsAfghantroops prepared their counterattack in the north after the Taliban's rapid advance in the area, Russian President VladimirPutinspoke to Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon assuring help to the former Soviet republic

Wreckage of Russian plane located, no survivors found

Russian search teams found the wreckage of theAn-26passenger plane which had disappeared in the country's Kamchatka peninsula, reports said

South Korean army general arrested on sexual harassment charges

Adding to the growing list of sexual assaults in defence sector, a South Korean army general has been arrested for sexually harassing a female colleague

Saudi Arabia to invest over $133 billion in transport sector, minister says

Saudi Arabia will invest over 500 billion riyals ($133.34 billion) in airports, sea ports, rail and other infrastructure by the end of the decade in a bid to make the kingdom a global transportation and logistics hub, its transport minister said on Monday

Restriction of civic space in Venezuela is worrying, says UN human rights chief

Restrictions on civic space in Venezuela remain a cause for concern, UNHigh Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Monday

UStech giants Facebook Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and Twitter Inc have privately warned the Hong Kong government that they could stop offering their services in the city if authorities proceed with planned changes to data-protection laws, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing a letter

Italian prosecutors examine evidence suggesting COVID-19 spread before official confirmation

Italian prosecutors are now examining evidence that suggests coronavirus was spreading in the country weeks before the first case of local transmission was officially detected

Germany relaxes curbs on travellers from India and UK

Germany's health agency on Monday, July 5, said that it would lift a ban on most travellers from India and the UK amid increased cases of the Delta variant of Covid-19

UK Ministers to reveal proposals for offshore centres for asylum seekers

UK ministers will be revealing proposals for a suite of new laws paving the way for offshore centres for asylum seekers and criminal charges for migrants who have 'knowingly' arrived in the UK without permission

Four-day workweek trial an 'overwhelming success' in Iceland

Trials of a four-day work week in Iceland have been hailed as a "overwhelming success," with studies finding that the project increased productivity and improved workers' total well-being