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US President Joe Biden’s administration will launch a new program to resettle certain Afghans as refugees in the US, an administration official and two knowledgeable sources said on Sunday. The US State Department was expected to announce the setting-up of the so-called Priority Two refugee program on Monday, the three …

British ministers plan to warn holidaymakers against visiting destinations such as Spain and may create a new list of countries at high risk of moving to the government’s quarantine list, The Times newspaper reported. Spain would be put on the new list under the plans, a move that would be …

A pandemic-related U.S. government ban on residential evictions expired at midnight on Saturday, putting millions of American renters at risk of being forced from their homes. The expiration was a blow to President Joe Biden, who on Thursday made a last-ditch request to Congress to extend the moratorium, citing the …

After years of absence, India began its 8th term as a non-permanent UNSC member this January India on Sunday assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the month of August, taking over from France. “India has just assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council on Aug. …

Two men strode up to a crowd outside a barbershop in the New York City borough of Queens and opened fire, wounding 10 people before fleeing on mopeds, police said Sunday morning. The shooting in the borough’s Corona neighborhood took place just before 11 p.m. Saturday. The eight men and …

The Iranian embassy in Afghanistan has issued an urgent warning calling on citizens to immediately leave cities outside the capital Kabul amid a deteriorating security situation in the country. “It is recommended to the nationals of the Islamic Republic of Iran who live or do business in Afghan districts and …

Government plans to make access to public spaces conditional on health checks have provoked more protest demonstrations in France, Switzerland, and Italy. Under the schemes, vaccination cards, or a recent negative Covid-19 test, are to be made obligatory for those wanting to visit cultural, sporting, and social events. Throughout France, …

A Belarusian sprinter refused to get on a flight from Tokyo on Sunday after being taken to the airport against her wishes by her team following her complaints about national coaches at the Olympic Games. Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, 24, was still at Tokyo’s Haneda airport in the early hours of Monday. …

The top Republican in the US House of Representatives faced calls to apologize or resign Sunday after joking about hitting Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the head with a gavel. It was the latest round in a nasty spat between the Republican minority leader Kevin McCarthy and Pelosi, the chamber’s top …

The rise in US coronavirus cases amid the spread of the Delta variant prompts renewed call for more Americans to get vaccinated. The top infectious disease expert in the United States has warned that the country will experience more “pain and suffering in the future” as coronavirus infections are surging, …

Egypt’s military says almost 90 fighters were killed in northern Sinai, where fighters loyal to ISIS operate. Eight Egyptian army soldiers have been killed in recent “anti-terrorism operations”, the armed forces said. According to a statement by the armed forces on Sunday, most of the fighting took place in the …

Protesters clashed with police in Berlin over government measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and in defiance of a ban on demonstrations. Dozens of planned protests were banned ahead of the weekend but demonstrators began gathering at set points throughout the German capital early on Sunday. #Berlin #Demo The …

Hackers have attacked and shut down the IT systems of the company that manages COVID-19 vaccination appointments for the Lazio region surrounding Rome, the regional government said on Sunday. “A powerful hacker attack on the region’s CED (database) is under way,” the region said in a Facebook posting. It said …

China on Saturday reported 55 new coronavirus cases on the mainland for July 30, compared with 64 cases a day earlier, as the Delta variant spreads across the country during the summer holiday. Thirty of the new infections were local cases, compared with 21 the previous day, the National Health …

Mexicans on Sunday began to vote on whether to investigate five of the country’s former leaders in a referendum championed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, amid criticism that the move is a political stunt and turnout could be low. Lopez Obrador has cast past administrations as deeply corrupt and …

The death toll from wildfires on Turkey’s southern coast rose to eight on Sunday as firefighters battled for a fifth day to contain blazes still raging in coastal resort towns. Two more people died on Sunday due to wildfires in the southern town of Manavgat, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said, …

Two humanitarian rescue ships pulled 394 migrants from a dangerously overcrowded wooden boat in the Mediterranean overnight on Sunday in an operation lasting about six hours, a Reuters witness said. The German and French NGO ships Sea-Watch 3 and Ocean Viking rescued the migrants in Tunisian waters 68 km (42 …

August 1 is now recognised across Canada as Emancipation Day, marking the end of slavery in the British Empire in 1834. After years of campaigning by Black legislators and community advocates, Canada on Sunday is officially marking the abolishment of slavery nearly 200 years ago in its first nationwide Emancipation …

Government forces are fighting Taliban assaults on major cities, including in Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar, whose airport was bombed by the Taliban. Afghan forces fought fierce street battles and bombed Taliban positions as the group’s fighters swarmed major cities amid an intensifying nationwide offensive. Hundreds of commandos were deployed …

Chinese cities rolled out mass testing of millions of people and imposed fresh travel restrictions as health authorities battled Sunday to contain the country’s most widespread coronavirus outbreak in months. China on Sunday reported 75 new coronavirus cases with 53 local transmissions, with a cluster linked to an eastern airport …