Taliban bomb attack kills five in Afghanistan and online games trend as venues for concerts

*)At least five people die in Afghanistan bombing

At least five people have been killed in a bomb blast in Afghanistan's Gardez city.

The Taliban-claimed truck bombing comes a day after President Ashraf Ghani ordered the military to “resume operations against the enemy”.

Afghanistan is experiencing a spike in terror attacks, a potential setback to peace plans in the war-ravaged nation.

*)Coronavirus 'may never go away' – WHO

The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 could become endemic like HIV, the World Health Organization warned.

“This disease may settle into a long problem, or it may not," WHO emergencies expert Dr Mike Ryan said at an online briefing.

Though the world has some control over how it copes with the disease it requires a massive effort, he said, if a vaccine is found.

*)Clashes in Kashmir after troops kill civilian in 'cold blood'

Soldiers fatally shot a young man at a checkpoint in India-administered Kashmir, triggering fresh protests against New Delhi.

India's paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force said the man was driving a car and ignored signals to stop at two checkpoints.

The victim's uncle, a police officer who was also travelling with him, said his nephew was killed by troops in "cold-blooded" murder.

*)French parliament adopts controversial online hate speech bill

French lawmakers approved a controversial bill to ban hate speech on social media, a measure dismissed as censorship by detractors.

The law obliges platforms and search engines to remove offensive content within 24 hours or risk a fine of up to $1.35 million.

Critics say the proposal will make Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple the custodians of freedom of expression.

And finally…

*)In pandemic times, the gaming world is becoming a (concert) stage

With concerts on hold amid coronavirus lockdowns, the trend of artists becoming animated performers is gaining momentum.

The ultra-popular video game Fortnite morphed rapper Travis Scott into a massive psychedelic spaceman performing in a celestial dreamscape.

According to the platform, more than 27.7 million unique players participated in the show’s premiere and four encore presentations.