Worldwide

The governors of New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency late on Wednesday as record-breaking rains from tropical storm Ida led to flooding and hazardous conditions on the roads, with media reporting at least six deaths. “I am declaring a state of emergency to help New Yorkers …

Thousands of UK students hoping to spend the year abroad are caught in limbo after facing challenges to complete their language courses or take up internships in the European Union (EU). While some of the students have deferred their study projects or even have switched continents because of visa delays, …

Armed men kidnapped 73 children from a school in the northwestern Nigerian state of Zamfara in the latest mass abduction in the region, police said in a statement on Wednesday. Police said a large number of armed bandits invaded the Government Day Secondary School in the village of Kaya in …

One student was injured in a shooting at a high school in the North Carolina city of Winston-Salem on Wednesday, and authorities are “actively seeking the suspect,” a county spokesperson said. The shooting happened at Mount Tabor High School on the city’s northwest side, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said …

Around 80 people are feared missing in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after armed rebels ambushed a convoy on Wednesday and set fire to 16 vehicles, a local parliamentarian said. Jean-Paul Ngahangondi, a member of the Ituri province’s parliament, blamed the assault on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an …

Some 10,000 health workers in Greece faced being suspended as a deadline to get vaccinated against COVID-19 ran out on Wednesday, a union said. From September 1, inoculations become mandatory for health workers, and those who don’t comply will not be allowed to work. Protests broke out on Wednesday morning …

Pope Francis has denounced the United States over its two-decade-long war in Afghanistan as an outsider’s attempt to impose democracy on the country ignoring the traditions of the local people. Asked during a recent interview about the new political map forming in Afghanistan in the wake of the US withdrawal, …

The Palestinian refugee camp of Jenin has now become a center of resistance in the wake of intensified Israeli settler violence and an increase in attacks by Israel’s military there. According to a Wednesday report by the Al Jazeera television network, assaults by Israeli settlers and soldiers are not the …

Marking the anniversary of its establishment, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Defense Force (IRIADF) wheels out two major achievements, including a state-of-the-art 3D radar. The achievements were unveiled during a ceremony on Wednesday in the presence of the force’s commander, Brigadier General Alireza Sabahi-Fard. Alborz, as the radar has …

North Korea has rejected roughly three million COVID-19 vaccine doses of China’s Sinovac Biotech, saying they should be sent to severely affected countries, the UNICEF said on Wednesday. The isolated country’s public ministry pointed to the limited global supply for vaccines and continuing virus surges elsewhere, according to the UN …

Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao said on Wednesday a severe drought could lead to energy rationing in Brazil, contradicting other officials who have said that such a step would not be necessary. Brazil, one of the world’s agricultural superpowers, is suffering from one of its worst droughts in a century. …

Armenia said Wednesday one of its soldiers had been killed by Azerbaijani troops on the border, in the latest military incident between the enemies since last year’s war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The Armenian defense ministry said that Azerbaijani forces opened fire on the Armenian military’s position in the …

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the United States achieved “zero” during 20 years of military involvement in Afghanistan, just two days after American forces fully exited the country, and “the result is sheer tragedies,” the Associated Press reported. During those years, Putin said Wednesday that U.S. forces in Afghanistan were …

Robert David Steele, a former CIA officer and a COVID-19 conspiracy theorist from the US, died after contracting the coronavirus, according to media reports. Steele died in a hospital after battling the virus for almost a month, The Independent said. He was hospitalized after having coronavirus symptoms, although he continued …

A zoo in the US state of Texas is set to vaccinate its animals against COVID-19, according to a press release. The San Antonio Zoo’s lions and tigers will be among the first animals to get their coronavirus vaccine doses in the coming weeks. “The first zoo animals to receive …

A potential shortage of medical-grade oxygen could hit parts of the US as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, according to local media reports citing US state health officials. A spike in COVID-19 cases, especially in Southern US states, has led to more demand for oxygen supply. Hospitals in the southern …

Leading scholars and lawyers are joining politicians and human rights groups in Britain Wednesday for the first large-scale conference to discuss the Chinese government’s alleged genocide against the Uyghur ethnic group in the northwest Xinjiang region. The three-day conference at Newcastle University brings together dozens of speakers, including senior British …

A Qatari aircraft landed in Kabul Wednesday carrying a technical team to discuss the resumption of airport operations after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. “A Qatari jet carrying a technical team has landed in Kabul earlier today to discuss the resumption …

After nearly 20 years of fighting against the US in Afghanistan, the victorious Taliban posed with captured American gear at the Kabul airport, held a mock funeral for NATO in Khost, and flew a Black Hawk helicopter over Kandahar. The last US troops left the Hamid Karzai International Airport on …

Heavy flooding has affected about 380,000 people in South Sudan, with overflowing rivers submerging homes and displacing families in the impoverished country, the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA said Tuesday. Nearly three-quarters of those affected are in two states — Unity and Jonglei — OCHA said in a briefing note, warning …