Europe will miss a key climate target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by more than 20 years unless it picks up the pace on energy transition measures and improves governance, a study involving Europe’s biggest utility Enel said. At the current pace, Europe will only reach its 2030 target for …
Read More »Protesters block roads to stop enthronement of Montenegro’s top cleric
Several thousand protesters used tyres, rocks, and vehicles to block roads leading to the city of Cetinje in southwest Montenegro on Saturday in a bid to stop the Serbian Orthodox Church from holding an enthronement ceremony for its new top cleric. The protests reflect tensions in the Balkan country, which …
Read More »13 injured, including 4-year-old, in at least 9 Chicago shootings overnight
At least 13 people were injured in nine shootings overnight in Chicago, according to police. A 4-year-old boy was taken to the hospital in critical condition after he was shot twice in the head Friday night while inside a home on South Ellis Avenue, the Chicago Police Department said on …
Read More »El Salvador top court rules presidents can serve two consecutive terms
El Salvador’s top court has ruled that the country’s president can serve two consecutive terms, opening the door for incumbent Nayib Bukele to stand for re-election in 2024. Issued late on Friday, the ruling was handed down by judges appointed by lawmakers from Bukele’s ruling party in May after they …
Read More »New migrant caravan sets off for US from southern Mexico (Videos)
A migrant caravan of around 400 people, including many children, set off from the southern Mexican city of Tapachula for the United States on Saturday, just a couple of days after security and migration officials dispersed another large group. Mostly comprising Central Americans and Haitians, the caravan left at around …
Read More »US Navy says five missing sailors dead after helicopter crash in the Pacific Ocean
The US Navy declared five missing sailors dead nearly a week after a helicopter crashed in the Pacific Ocean, shifting the search for them to a recovery operation on Saturday. The move followed more than 72 hours of coordinated rescue efforts and nearly three dozen search and rescue flights to …
Read More »Philippines to lift COVID travel ban on 10 countries including India
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is lifting a coronavirus ban on travelers from 10 countries including India, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia, the presidential spokesperson said on Saturday. The ban, introduced in April then expanded to more countries in July to prevent the spread of the more contagious Delta variant, …
Read More »Brazil suspends China beef exports after confirming two mad cow disease cases
Brazil, the world’s largest beef exporter, has suspended beef exports to its No. 1 customer China after confirming two cases of “atypical” mad cow disease in two separate domestic meat plants, the agriculture ministry said on Saturday. The suspension, which is part of an animal health pact agreed between China …
Read More »Man who stabbed seven people at New Zealand supermarket is named
The man who stabbed seven people at a New Zealand supermarket has been named as Ahamed Samsudeen. The 32-year-old had been assessed by authorities as such a high risk that he was being monitored by up to 30 police officers in the weeks leading up to the attack. Samsudeen, who …
Read More »Amman is keen to build the best relations with Iraq, Jordan’s Parliament Speaker says
The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi urged Iraqi and Jordanian parliamentarians to facilitate bilateral and regional integration between the two countries on Saturday. Al-Kadhimi’s office said in a statement that the Prime Minister received the Speaker of the Jordanian Parliament, Abdel Moneim Al-Awdat, and the accompanying delegation. According to the …
Read More »Rocket built by US startup explodes off California coast
A rocket built by Texas-based startup Firefly exploded mid-air after launching from California on Thursday evening, online news media CNN reported on Friday. The 100-foot-tall rocket was launched from Los Angeles’ Vandenberg Space Force Base on Thursday where it first appeared to lift off smoothly. Shortly after, the rocket began …
Read More »Thai protestors take to the streets as PM remains in power
Pro-democracy protesters vented their anger in Bangkok’s heavy rain Saturday after Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha survived a no-confidence vote in parliament. More than 300 demonstrators marched in central Bangkok’s main shopping mall district carrying red flags and wearing ponchos in the downpour. “The government should be gone. If things …
Read More »Japan to extend COVID state of emergency in Tokyo area until last week of September
The Japanese government plans to extend a state of emergency in and around Tokyo until the last week of September in a further bid to contain the coronavirus epidemic, the Mainichi newspaper reported on Saturday. Japan last month expanded emergency curbs to cover about 80 percent of its population until …
Read More »Taliban special forces bring abrupt end to women’s protest
Taliban special forces in camouflage fired their weapons into the air Saturday, bringing an abrupt and frightening end to the latest protest march in the capital by Afghan women demanding equal rights from the new rulers. Also on Saturday, the chief of Pakistan’s powerful intelligence agency, which has an outsized …
Read More »New Zealand COVID outbreak claims first death in six months, toll at 27 so far
New Zealand recorded its first COVID-related death in six months Saturday, but health authorities said there were signs the outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant was coming under control. A woman in her 90s, who had underlying health conditions and could not receive a ventilator or intensive care support, …
Read More »Ethiopia says more than 150 aid trucks enter war-hit Tigray over past two days
Ethiopia said on Saturday that more than 150 aid trucks had entered war-torn Tigray over the past two days after the United Nations warned of a “looming catastrophe” in the northern region. A senior UN official said this week that a “de facto aid blockade” was exacerbating the humanitarian crisis …
Read More »Iran-Saudi cooperation will benefit region, Muslim world, says official
The assistant to Iran’s foreign minister and director-general for the Persian Gulf affairs of the Foreign Ministry has expressed the country’s intention to cooperate at a maximum level with all its neighbors, saying Tehran-Riyadh ties will be in the interests of the entire region and the Muslim world. “We think …
Read More »Russia: Syria destroyed 21 of 24 Israeli missiles fired at Damascus
The Russian military says Syrian air defense units intercepted most of the missiles fired during a recent Israeli raid on the capital Damascus, shooting down 21 projectiles during the attack launched from the Lebanese airspace. “At about 1:30 September 3, four Israeli Air Force F-15 tactical fighters fired 24 guided …
Read More »UK faces delays in influenza vaccine deliveries due to Brexit-related driver shortage
Britain’s biggest supplier of influenza vaccines said on Saturday it was postponing deliveries due to a Brexit-related shortage of lorry drivers, delaying the government’s winter inoculation campaign. Medics say the campaign offering free flu vaccines to more than 35 million people is even more important this year after lockdowns for …
Read More »Taliban, opposition vie to control Panjshir; Pakistan spy chief flies to Kabul
Taliban and opposition forces were fighting on Saturday for control of the Panjshir valley north of Kabul, the last province in Afghanistan holding out against the extremist group, according to reports. Taliban sources had said on Friday the group had seized control of the valley, although the resistance denied it …
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