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China has slammed the US for “spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation” following Washington’s latest push to wage a new probe into the origins of the coronavirus, even after a recent World Health Organization (WHO) mission to China proved inconclusive. According to Press TV, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian once …

Multiple people were killed and injured in a shooting at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) control center in San Jose, California, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. According to reports, the number of casualties was not immediately clear, but VTA employees are among the victims, sheriff’s …

More than 20,000 people are homeless and 40 are still missing in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption which killed dozens in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN humanitarian agency says. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement on Wednesday the …

More than 100 people were missing and feared dead after a boat with more than 165 passengers, including women and children, broke up and sank as it was travelling in Nigeria’s northern Kebbi state. Twenty-two people had been rescued and five bodies recovered, including a baby, according to Sani Dododo, …

French President Emmanuel Macron has made a visit to Rwanda in an attempt to reset relations between the two countries after decades of political tensions over France’s complicity in the 1994 genocide, in which some 800,000 people from the ethnic Tutsi minority were massacred. Macron arrived in the Rwandan capital …

At least three people have been killed in an artillery attack by the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen’s northwestern province of Sa’ada, as the Riyadh regime and its allies continue their aggression against the impoverished West Asian country. Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Yemen’s Arabic-language al-Masirah television …

Authorities order an evacuation as the risk of new eruptions from Mount Nyiragongo looms, people flee the city of 1.5 million. Tens of thousands of people have fled the Congolese city of Goma after officials ordered the evacuation of parts of the city due to the risk of further eruptions …

Two ‘Corona Devi’ idols set up in the southern city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu state as the country battles a new infection surge. Hindu priests at an Indian temple are saying daily prayers to two coronavirus goddesses in an effort to tame the pandemic as the country battles a …

US President Joe Biden called on Wednesday for the withdrawal of Eritrean and Amhara forces from Ethiopia’s Tigray region and said immediate humanitarian access must be granted to avoid widespread famine in the conflict-torn area. Thousands have been killed and about 2 million people forced from their homes in Tigray …

On Thursday, Sri Lanka navy spokesman Indika de Silva said the efforts to douse the blaze were continuing. Four tug boats and three Sri Lankan and Indian vessels have joined the operation. The fire erupted May 20 when the ship was anchored about 9.5 nautical miles (18 kilometers) northwest of …

Thousands of people were homeless Thursday after the latest cyclone to hit COVID-ravaged India left a trail of destruction, although timely evacuations meant the death toll was limited to single figures. Cyclones are a regular menace in the northern Indian Ocean but many scientists say they are becoming more frequent …

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Kigali on Thursday, hoping to reset ties between the two nations after decades of Rwandan accusations that France was complicit in the 1994 genocide. The visit follows the release in March of a report by a French inquiry panel that said a colonial attitude …

Six Armenian servicemen have been captured attempting to cross the Armenian-Azeri border, TASS news agency reported on Thursday citing the Azeri defence ministry. Earlier this week, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of firing at Armenian positions. Azerbaijan denied the accusation.

Australia’s second-most populous state of Victoria will enter a one-week COVID-19 lockdown forcing its near seven million residents to remain home except for essential business as authorities struggle to contain a highly infectious outbreak. “We’re dealing with a highly infectious strain of the virus, a variant of concern, which is …

Alma Barragan was shot dead during a campaign event becoming the 34th murdered candidate this election season. A mayoral candidate has been killed in Mexico, bringing to 34 the total number of candidates murdered nationwide ahead of June 6 legislative elections that will fill thousands of local seats and nearly …

Joe Biden says the US will press China to participate in a ‘full and transparent’ investigation into coronavirus origins. United States President Joe Biden has instructed US spy agencies to review classified information about the origins of the coronavirus, including whether it came from contact between humans and animals, or …

Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 22 civilians with knives and machetes in an overnight raid on villages near the town of Beni in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a local official said on Wednesday. The attack comes more than three weeks after the government declared martial law in …

One person was killed and two others were left injured after an explosion in a pipeline used by petrochemical plants in the port of Asaluyeh, located on the southwestern Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf. Local authorities in the province of Bushehr said that they had launched an investigation into …

A boat ferrying about 200 people capsized in the northwestern Nigerian state of Kebbi on Wednesday, though the number of casualties remains unclear, said a spokesman for the state’s governor. Such incidents are not uncommon in Nigeria, with track records of overloading and poor maintenance and safety, though the number …

Mali’s interim president and prime minister resigned on Wednesday, two days after they were arrested by the military, an aide to the vice president said, deepening a political crisis and potentially setting up a standoff with international powers. President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were taken to a …