Worldwide

The large wildfire scorching the western US state of Oregon topped 300,000 acres Monday as it emerged a California power company linked to previous deadly fires may be responsible for a new blaze. Oregon’s giant Bootleg Fire has triggered over 2,100 evacuations and destroyed 67 homes in nearly two weeks …

The Biden administration has transferred its first detainee out of the notorious military prison at Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon said. Abdul Latif Nasir, 56, will be repatriated to his home country Morocco from the offshore detention facility. Nasir had been cleared for release in 2016 after a review board determined …

China has slammed a plan by Chinese Taipei to open an embassy in Lithuania, urging Vilnius to respect Chinese sovereignty over the self-ruled island. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office warned Lithuania on Tuesday “not to send the wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces.” It also urged the Baltic country to “abide …

Lebanon’s presidency says parliamentary consultations will begin next week to choose a new prime minister, a week after Saad al-Hariri gave up on cabinet formation as the cash-strapped Arab country has yet to overcome a persisting political standoff. On Monday, a statement from the office of President Michel Aoun said …

Beijing says Washington’s claims are incomplete and ‘hypocritical’, alleges the US is the main source of cyberattacks globally. China’s government has denied being responsible for cyberattacks against Western nations after the United States and its close allies accused it of a global cyberespionage campaign. The group of nations alleged on …

Russia on Tuesday released what is thought to be the first footage of its advanced new S-500 surface-to-air missile system in action, a weapon it hopes will beef up its own defences and one day become an export best seller. Its predecessor, the S-400 system, has become a source of …

The United States has barred former Honduran President Porfirio Lobo Sosa and his wife from entering the country due to their alleged involvement in significant acts of corruption, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on 20 July. “The United States is designating former Honduran President Porfirio “Pepe” …

The corruption trial of former South African President Jacob Zuma has been postponed until next month. A judge at the Pietermaritzburg High Court in the former president’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday adjourned Zuma’s trial until August 10. Zuma’s lawyers had requested a delay to allow him to appear …

An Israeli software company is revealed to have helped Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) take over the smartphones of high-ranking Lebanese authorities, senior figures of the Hezbollah resistance movement as well as journalists, and spy on their communications. According to the report published by the French daily newspaper …

Tapering of the second wave of COVID-19 that wreaked havoc across India has begun to show since May when the country’s daily new cases recorded a declining trend. Despite the decline, Indian health bodies and the government have raised an alarm about the impending third wave of COVID-19. THIRD-WAVE IMMINENT, …

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has expressed his confidence in successfully delivering the Tokyo Olympic Games despite the specter of COVID-19. “Because of the COVID-19 pandemic since last year, the (pandemic) situation is making progress and sometimes backward, but vaccinations have come. After a long tunnel, an exit is now …

A French Mirage 2000 jet has crashed in northern Mali due to a technical problem, a spokesman for the French army told Reuters on Tuesday. Colonel Pascal Ianni also said that the two pilots involved in the crash were safe.

Britain’s Brexit minister David Frost will make a statement to parliament on the Northern Ireland Protocol on Wednesday, parliamentary authorities said on Tuesday. The protocol was agreed by Britain and the European Union as part of a 2020 Brexit deal but has not been fully implemented yet and Britain says …

Rescuers have recovered the bodies of three workers in a flooded tunnel under construction in a southern Chinese city and are continuing to look for the 11 other workers trapped since Thursday. Crews also have been working to pump out water from the Shijingshan tunnel, which lies under a reservoir …

Sirens are set to wail before streets fall silent on Tuesday in Belgium as the country holds a day of mourning for the victims of the devastating floods that left nearly 200 dead in western Europe. Heavy rains last week sent torrents of floodwaters sweeping through towns and villages, mostly …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday peace talks on the future of ethnically divided Cyprus can take place only between “the two states” on the Mediterranean island. In a speech in the divided Cypriot capital of Nicosia, Erdogan reiterated Turkey’s position in a dispute that is damaging Turkey’s relations …

Mali’s interim President Assimi Goita was the target of an attempted stabbing attack during Eid al-Adha prayers at Bamako’s Grand Mosque, the West African nation’s presidency said in a statement on Twitter on Tuesday. “The attacker was immediately overpowered by security. Investigations are ongoing,” the presidency said. Two military sources …

Peru’s electoral authority on Monday named socialist Pedro Castillo as the country’s next president, has officially won the June 6 runoff against right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori, who accepted the result but said she had been cheated. The official result had been delayed by appeals from Fujimori aimed at annulling some …

Britain said on Tuesday it would permanently deploy two warships in Asian waters after its Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier and escort ships sail to Japan in September through seas where China is vying for influence with the United States and Japan. Plans for the high-profile visit by the carrier strike …

Restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 during the Muslim hajj in Saudi Arabia have also reduced the risk of the deadly crowd crushes that have marred the pilgrimage’s stoning of the devil in the past years, worshippers said on Tuesday. Before the pandemic, the annual haj rite typically …