U.S. CLOCKS UP 63K COVID-19 CASES IN 24 HRS

Washington, July 15: The United States recorded 63,262 new Covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University on Tuesday. The total number of cases recorded in the country since the start of the pandemic now exceeds 3.42 million, according to the Baltimore-based university. Covid-19 also claimed 850 new victims in the United States in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 136,432, according to the institution’s tracker at 8.30 pm Tuesday (0030 GMT Wednesday).

The world’s wealthiest country has in recent weeks seen a surge in infections, mainly in its south and west, which have kept it by far the most affected nation. In Florida, which was one of the first states to lift lockdown restrictions, for example, officials reported 132 deaths Tuesday — a new daily record for the state — while more than 9,000 new cases of the virus were detected there in the past 24 hours.

Cops kill man after mask dispute at store Detroit, July 15: A Michigan sheriff ’s deputy on Tuesday fatally shot a man suspected of stabbing another man who had challenged him about not wearing a mask at a store, police said. The shooting occurred in Eaton County, southwest of Lansing, about 30 minutes after the stabbing at a Quality Dairy store, state police Lt. Brian Oleksyk said.

A sheriff ’s deputy spotted the man’s vehicle in a residential neighbourhood and shot him when he got out of his car and tried to attack her, Oleksyk said. “Drop the weapon! Drop the weapon!” the officer, a 22-year veteran, demanded, according to neighbourhood security video released by police.

The man, Sean Ruis, was holding a screwdriver and knives, Eaton County Sheriff Tom Reich said. “It’s very unfortunate she had to use her weapon, but she had to save her life,” Reich said.