Thursday, March 18, 2021 - a podcast by TRT World

*) Blinken: US considering pressure, diplomatic options on North Korea

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says both pressure and diplomatic options are on the table for dealing with North Korea on the issue of denuclearisation.

Blinken was speaking after a meeting with his South Korean counterpart in his debut trip to Asia as US secretary of state.

North Korea, on the other hand, says it will ignore a US offer for talks unless it withdraws its hostile policy.

*) Nine dead in Afghan military helicopter crash

Nine Afghan security force members have been killed in a helicopter crash in central Afghanistan.

An air force source and a provincial official said that the helicopter was hit by a rocket while taking off.

In a separate incident, three people were killed and 11 wounded after a roadside bomb targeted a bus carrying Afghan government employees in Kabul.

*) UN says Covid-19 likely to become 'seasonal' disease

Covid-19 appears likely to develop into a seasonal disease, the UN has said, cautioning against relaxing pandemic measures simply based on meteorological factors.

In its first report, an expert team examined potential meteorological and air quality influences on the spread of Covid-19.

Modelling studies anticipate that transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, "may become seasonal over time".

*) Tanzanian president dies of heart failure, aged 61

Tanzania's president John Magufuli (John Magu-fuli) has died, aged 61, following weeks of speculation about his health and whereabouts.

Magufuli (Magu-fuli) hadn't been seen in public for over two weeks.

State media made the announcement, saying he died of heart failure to counter speculations that he might have contracted the coronavirus.

And finally …

*) Covid-19 reinfection rare but more common in older people – study

A new study says that the majority of people who have had Covid-19 are protected from reinfection for at least six months.

But elderly people are more prone to reinfection than younger people. That's according to a new study in The Lancet medical journal.

The study found that people over the age of 65 had only 47 percent protection against repeat infection, compared with 80 percent protection for younger people.

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