Hi there. It's Thursday, September 15 and you're reading The Loop.
Here are some of the top stories that you might have missed while thousands of people queued to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state in London.
The Loop is looking a bit different at the moment as people across Australia and around the world mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II. We'll return to our usual programming soon, but for now, we hope these special editions of The Loop help you stay up to date.
End of COVID-19 pandemic 'in sight', WHO says
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) says the world has never been in a better position to end the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are not there yet. But the end is in sight," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, in his most upbeat assessment since declaring an international emergency in January 2020 and describing COVID-19 as a pandemic three months later.
The virus, which emerged in China in late 2019, has killed nearly 6.5 million people, including more than 14,000 in Australia.
Deaths from COVID-19 last week were the lowest since March 2020, the WHO reported.
But Dr Tedros has again urged nations to maintain their vigilance and protect themselves against COVID-19 and future viruses.
"Now is the time to run harder and make sure we cross the line and reap the rewards of all our hard work," he said.
He also urged nations to vaccinate 100 per cent of their high-risk groups and keep testing for the virus.
Prosecutors ask for Serial murder conviction to be vacated
Prosecutors in the US city of Baltimore have asked a court to vacate the murder conviction of a man found guilty of killing his ex-girlfriend in a case which drew international attention through the podcast Serial.
Adnan Syed, now 42, has always maintained his innocence in the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee, who was strangled to death and buried in a Baltimore park.
Syed, who was 17 at the time of the killing and has served more than 20 years in prison, will either get a new trial or go free if the court grants the request to vacate the conviction.
Baltimore's state's attorney filed a motion in circuit court, saying a lengthy investigation conducted with the defence had uncovered new evidence that could undermine Syed's conviction.
"The motion filed today supports a new trial for Syed based on a nearly year-long investigation that revealed undisclosed and newly developed information regarding two alternative suspects, as well as unreliable cell phone tower data," Marilyn Mosby's office said.
Prosecutors said they weren't asserting Syed was innocent, but they lacked confidence "in the integrity of the conviction" and recommended he be released with conditions or on bail.
"We believe that keeping Mr Syed detained as we continue to investigate the case with everything that we know now, when we do not have confidence in results of the first trial, would be unjust," Ms Mosby said.
The state's attorney's office said if the court granted its motion it would effectively put Syed in a new trial status, and his convictions would be vacated, but the case would remain active.
China calls report about Australia's nuclear submarine plans 'lopsided'
China has accused the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), of issuing a "lopsided" report about Australia's plan to build nuclear submarines while ignoring widespread concerns about its ramifications for non-proliferation.
The IAEA had issued a report to member states which said it was "satisfied with the level of engagement" from Australia, the United Kingdom and United States — the three members of the AUKUS security pact — after Australia moved to develop submarines drawing on nuclear technology provided by its AUKUS partners.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning slammed the report, saying China was "gravely concerned about the substance".
"This report lopsidedly cited the account given by the US, the UK and Australia to explain away what they have done, but made no mention of the international community's major concerns over the risk of nuclear proliferation that may arise from the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation," she said.
"The report turns a blind eye to many countries' solemn position that the AUKUS cooperation violates the purpose and object of the non-proliferation treaty."
China has lobbied relentlessly against the AUKUS deal in international forums, accusing the three member countries of fuelling a regional arms race.
US and Australian officials have privately accused Beijing of gross hypocrisy over its public attacks on AUKUS, pointing out that China has been rapidly developing its own fleet of nuclear powered submarines — including submarines capable of launching nuclear weapons.
Ukraine's President visits Izium as forces continue to reclaim territory
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited the north-eastern city of Izium — one of the cities liberated as Russian troops fled the region last weekend.
The Ukrainian flag was raised in front of the burned-out city hall building, and Mr Zelenskyy said it would soon be flying over every town and village in Ukraine, including in Crimea.
Ukraine has carried out a sweeping counteroffensive that has reclaimed vast areas of territory in the country's north-eastern Kharkiv region in a matter of days.
Much of Izium had already been devastated, with apartment buildings blackened by fire and pockmarked by artillery strikes.
"The view is very shocking but it is not shocking for me," Mr Zelenskyy said.
ABC/wires
