Worldwide

Scotland’s First Minster, Nicola Sturgeon, has called on the Scottish National Party (SNP) to unite ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary (Holyrood) election scheduled for May 2021. Sturgeon, who is also SNP leader, said the pro-independence party must “focus on what matters to people” by putting “aside internal disputes”. According to …

The Pentagon has announced a plan for a sizable reduction of American troop numbers in Afghanistan before the end of November, the month in which the US presidential election will be held. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday that the United States would lower the number of its forces …

A petition from environmentalists to reprimand Beijing for illegally trading an endangered species could ultimately bar US imports of any wildlife from China amid heightened concerns about the role animals play in pandemics. The Center for Biological Diversity and other environmental groups want the Department of the Interior to go …

US President Donald Trump has been blamed for his “reckless war” on US Social Security after an executive order to cut payroll taxes. “He is laying out his roadmap to cutting Social Security,” said Joe Biden, the president’s rival in the 2020 presidential election. “Our seniors and millions of Americans …

Venezuela’s judicial branch convicted two American soldiers who took part in Operacion Gedeon, a paramilitary operation planned to assassinate the country’s President Nicolas Maduro a few months ago. Luke Denman and Airan Berry confessed that they were hired by US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido to take the life of Maduro, …

Saudi Arabia has suspended the supply of oil to Pakistan as the latter complains about Riyadh’s foot-dragging on a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) to address India’s contentious measures in Muslim-majority Kashmir region. In 2018, Pakistan borrowed a $6.2 billion loan from Saudi Arabia that included a …

The new coronavirus has so far infected more than 19.6 million people and claimed the lives of over 727,000 others around the world, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Data shows that 19,654,273 people have contracted COVID-19 and 727,111 have died. Latin America remains the world’s hardest hit region, surpassing …

As migrant crossings across the English Channel continue to escalate, the Home Office has turned to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) for help to stem the tide. The Home Office apparently wants the Royal Navy to intervene – possibly in the form of a “passive blockade” – with a view …

Six French tourists, their local guide and driver were killed by unidentified gunmen riding motorcycles on Sunday in an area of southwestern Niger home to the last herd of West African giraffes, officials said. “There are eight dead: two Nigeriens including a guide and a driver, while the other six …

The Lebanese army said Sunday that hopes have dwindled of finding survivors at the blast site in Beirut following days of search and rescue operations supported by international experts. “After three days of search and rescue operations we can say we have finished the first phase, which involved the possibility …

One person is dead and at least 20 others were injured during shooting at a large gathering in southeast Washington. D.C. early Sunday morning, police said. The incident took place at 33rd Street and Dubois Place at around 12:30 a.m., D.C. Police said. The victims’ injuries varied but nine of …

In 2016, the libertarian magazine Reason polled a few dozen staff, contributors, and allies on who would get their votes for president. Almost all planned to cast a ballot for Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson. I was alone in stating a firm intention to vote for Hillary Clinton, for three …

The death toll from a landslide at a tea plantation in the southern Indian state of Kerala rose to 43 on Sunday with nearly two dozen people feared trapped, a senior official said. The landslide, caused by heavy rain, hit the plantation in Idduki district in the early hours of …

Some areas have seen more than 40 consecutive days of rain – as fears also grow in North Korea about damage to crops. At least 30 people are dead and a dozen are missing after more than a week of devastating torrential rain caused landslides and floods in South Korea. …

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday called for speedy international backing for disaster-struck Lebanon and urged its leaders to prevent “chaos” as he opened an emergency aid conference following Beirut’s deadly port blast. Macron hosted US President Donald Trump and other world leaders for the virtual conference to drum up …

At least five people have been killed in flooding caused by thunderstorms and torrential rains on the Greek island of Evia. Officials said victims included an eight-month-old baby and two people in their 80s. Rescuers found their bodies in houses in the village of Politika. Search efforts are continuing for …

New Zealand on Sunday marked 100 days without any newly reported cases of local transmission of the coronavirus, a major milestone as the pandemic continues to devastate countries across the world — including neighboring Australia, where recent outbreaks have led to new lockdown measures in Melbourne and broader Victoria State. …

Anxious residents of the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius have stuffed fabric sacks with sugar cane leaves to create makeshift oil spill barriers as tonnes of fuel leaking from a grounded ship put endangered wildlife in further peril. The government on Saturday declared an environmental emergency as satellite images …

Afghanistan agreed on Sunday to release 400 “hard-core” Taliban prisoners, paving the way for the beginning of peace talks aimed at ending more than 19 years of war. Under election-year pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for a deal allowing him to bring home American troops, the war-torn country’s grand …

Saudi Aramco’s net income plunged by 50% in the first half of the year, according to figures published Sunday, offering a revealing glimpse into the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on one of the world’s biggest oil producers. Profits for the first six months of the year plunged to $23.2 …