Portugal said on Saturday it hoped to vaccinate a further 1.7 million people against COVID-19 over the next two weeks as authorities scramble to contain a surge in infections caused by the more contagious Delta variant. Cases in Portugal, a nation of just over 10 million, jumped by 2,605 on …
Read More »Brazilians demonstrate against Bolsonaro, slow vaccine rollout
Protesters took to the streets in Brazil on Saturday demanding the impeachment of President Jair Bolsonaro and more vaccines to fight the coronavirus pandemic, as the country faces the world’s second-deadliest outbreak after the United States. On Friday, Supreme Court Justice Rosa Weber authorized the opening of an investigation into …
Read More »Vatican indicts 10, including Cardinal, on embezzlement, extortion, fraud charges
Influential cardinal and nine others to face trial in connection with 350m euro investment in London property venture. A Vatican judge has indicted 10 people, including a once-powerful cardinal, on charges including embezzlement, abuse of office, extortion, and fraud in connection with a 350 million-euro ($415m) investment in a London …
Read More »USA | Eleven arrested in armed group stand off with police near Boston
Eleven heavily armed, self-professed militia members were arrested near Boston Saturday, ending an overnight standoff that shut down a major U.S. Interstate at the start of the Independence holiday. The group, identified by multiple media outlets including WBZ Boston, a CBS affiliate, are members of the “Rise of the Moors”, …
Read More »At least 43 migrants drown in shipwreck off Tunisia, Red Crescent says
At least 43 migrants drowned in a shipwreck off Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy, while another 84 were rescued, the Tunisian Red Crescent told Reuters on Saturday. The boat had set off from Zuwara, on Libya’s northwest coast, carrying migrants from Egypt, Sudan, …
Read More »Hundreds of US companies hit by ‘devastating’ ransomware attack, cyber experts say
A security firm said the REvil gang, allegedly a Russian-speaking ransomware syndicate appears to be responsible for the attack. A “colossal and devastating” ransomware attack is thought to have paralysed the networks of at least 200 US companies. The federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have said it is closely …
Read More »Thousands of South Korean workers rally in coronavirus-hit Seoul
Thousands of South Korean workers staged a rally in downtown Seoul to demand better conditions, video images showed on Saturday, defying a government ban and shrugging off warnings that their protest could ignite a new wave of the coronavirus. As South Korea battles a spike in infections fuelled by the …
Read More »Hurricane Elsa heads to Haiti amid fears of floods and landslides
The storm already ripped off roofs, destroyed crops, and downed trees and power lines in the eastern Caribbean on Friday. Hurricane Elsa is racing towards Haiti and the Dominican Republic, threatening to unleash flooding and landslides before taking aim at Cuba and Florida. The Category 1 storm was located about …
Read More »Over 400,000 in Tigray suffering famine now, with 1.8m on brink
Acting UN aid chief Ramesh Rajasingham says the humanitarian situation in conflict-hit northern Ethiopian region has ‘worsened dramatically in recent weeks. More than 400,000 people in Ethiopia’s Tigray are now suffering famine and 1.8 million others are on the brink, a top United Nations official has said, painting a devastating …
Read More »TikTok back in Pakistan after court reverses ban
TikTok was running again in Pakistan Saturday after a provincial court lifted the suspension of the popular social media service but ordered it to address complaints that it hosted objectionable content. The Pakistan Telecoms Authority (PTA) blocked access Thursday for the third time after a ruling by a Sindh court …
Read More »Massive ‘eye of fire’ breaks out from pipeline leak in Gulf of Mexico
A giant ring of flames erupted on the ocean’s surface in the Gulf of Mexico Friday — setting social media ablaze as stunning aerial footage of the “eye of fire” went viral. The bright orange fire west of the Yucatan Peninsula was sparked by a leak from an underwater pipeline, …
Read More »Overseas tourists finally roam free on Thai island of Phuket
Newly arrived overseas tourists on Thailand’s island of Phuket were able to roam free without quarantine on Friday for the first time in more than a year, as Thailand launched a special programme for vaccinated visitors to the island. Tourists swam in hotel pools and walked along Phuket’s postcard-perfect beaches …
Read More »Torrential rains in Japan unleash landslides, 20 missing -NHK
Japan’s military sent emergency rescuers to the central city of Atami on Saturday after landslides triggered by heavy rains left at least 20 people missing, public broadcaster NHK said. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has called together an emergency task force to tackle the crisis, NHK added, as it broadcast Twitter …
Read More »Statues of Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth toppled in Canada
Protesters have toppled statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II in the Canadian city of Winnipeg as anger grows over the discovery of the remains of hundreds of children in unmarked graves at former indigenous schools. A crowd chanted “no pride in genocide” before pulling down the statues of …
Read More »Suicide bomber kills four, wounds eight in Mogadishu
At least four people were killed and eight others wounded in a suicide attack on a café in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police, and witnesses said on Friday. The attacker, who was wearing an explosive belt, targeted a café near heavily guarded government institutions, including the headquarters of the Somali …
Read More »150 Palestinians injured in Israeli attack on West Bank protests
Fierce clashes have broken out between Israeli forces and Palestinians protesting against an illegal settlement outpost near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, leaving dozens of the Palestinians injured. The violence erupted after Friday prayers when Israeli occupation forces attacked Palestinian protesters calling for the removal of the Eviatar …
Read More »Mass evacuation underway as Philippines raises volcano danger level
Authorities in the Philippines started evacuating thousands of people on Thursday after the alert status was raised on a restive volcano that spewed a one-kilometre (0.62 miles) high plume of gas and steam. The alert for the Taal volcano, about 70 km (45 miles) south of central Manila, moved to …
Read More »Death toll rise to 20 in Florida condo collapse, 128 still missing.
The death toll from last week’s condominium collapse in Florida rose on Friday to 20 after search-and-rescue crews found two more bodies, including the 7-year-old daughter of a Miami firefighter, officials said. The grim, painstaking search for victims in the rubble, which was suspended for most of Thursday over safety …
Read More »Germany recommends combining AstraZeneca, mRNA shots
Authorities are trying to increase the speed and effectiveness of vaccinations as the highly infectious Delta variant spreads. Germany is recommending that all people who get a first shot of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine switch to a different type of vaccine for their second shot. The aim is to increase …
Read More »UK receives 6 million applications to EU settlement scheme before deadline
Britain said on Friday it had received 6 million applications to its settlement scheme for European Union nationals before a June 30 deadline passed, including a surge of more than 400,000 in the last month. After completing its exit from the EU last year, Britain has started bringing in a …
Read More »