The Indian government has re-imposed lockdown restrictions on several states as the number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the country nears the one million mark. A 15-day lockdown started in the northern state of Bihar on Thursday, after cases sharply increased there. The largely rural state has feeble health infrastructure. …
Read More »EU court annuls EU-US data deal over privacy concerns
Europe’s top court on Thursday rejected the validity of a mechanism used by thousands of companies to send data to the United States, backing concerns about US surveillance raised by privacy activist Max Schrems in his clash with Facebook. The EU-US Privacy Shield was set up in 2016 to protect …
Read More »Sudanese rebels, government enter final phase of talks
The Sudanese government and a coalition of rebel groups have entered into a final phase of peace talks, which will center on the creation of a unified Sudanese army. Mediators described the discussions as the “most important” component of the Sudan peace process, which aims to restore stability to the …
Read More »Trump pulling out all stops to shore up his dwindling support: Analyst
US President Donald Trump is pulling out all stops to shore up his dwindling support ahead of the November presidential election, according to Myles Hoenig, an American political analyst and activist. Hoenig, a former Green Party candidate for Congress, said in an interview with Press TV that if Trump authorized …
Read More »US weekly jobless claims hit 1.3 million
New claims for US unemployment benefits were at 1.3 million last week, barely changed from a week prior as the world’s largest economy faces a renewed assault by the coronavirus. An additional 928,488 people in 47 states also made initial claims for benefits under a special program for workers affected …
Read More »Illegal groups violently enforcing coronavirus lockdowns in Colombia: HRW
Illegal armed groups are imposing strict Covid-19 quarantines in parts of Colombia where the state has a weak presence, threatening and even killing those who don’t comply, Human Rights Watch warned on Wednesday. At least nine people have been assassinated in recent months for either refusing to abide by the …
Read More »ISIS member Shamima Begum wins right to return to the UK to appeal her loss of citizenship
Begum was 15 when she left the U.K. to join the terrorism caliphate. Shamima Begum, the British woman who joined ISIS as a teenager in 2015, is set to be allowed to return to the U.K. in order to challenge the government’s decision to strip her of citizenship. Begum, 20, …
Read More »Trump replaces campaign manager amid sinking poll numbers
US President Donald Trump shook up his campaign staff amid sinking poll numbers less than four months before the election, replacing campaign manager Brad Parscale with veteran GOP operative Bill Stepien. “I am pleased to announce that Bill Stepien has been promoted to the role of Trump Campaign Manager,” Trump …
Read More »NASCAR allows fans at race, gets biggest sports crowd since pandemic-sparked shutdowns
Clint Bowyer hopped off his pit stand at Bristol Motor Speedway to learn he’d won the fan vote to advance into NASCAR’s All-Star race – an announcement met by a roar from the grandstands. It wasn’t the raucous ovation typically heard in Thunder Valley, but after four months of near …
Read More »Spain pays tribute to victims and workers who put their lives at risk during the worst of the pandemic
Spain is paying homage to the nation’s victims of the new coronavirus and workers who put their lives at risk during the worst of the pandemic, with a solemn ceremony in Madrid. Relatives of around 100 people who died during the pandemic, representatives of medical personnel, police, and other essential …
Read More »OPINION: Libya back in turmoil with oil exports again at the mercy of renegade forces
Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) triumphantly said on 10 July that it was lifting force majeure on oil exports, heralding a new phase in a ruinous civil war that has ravaged the leading North African energy exporter. It proved embarrassingly premature as the state player was forced to reimpose the …
Read More »China’s economy roars back to growth after record coronavirus contraction
China has become the first major economy to show signs of recovery and avoid recession amid the coronavirus pandemic, with its gross domestic product (GDP) rising 3.2 percent in the second quarter. The positive economic growth, reported by China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Thursday, came after a sharp …
Read More »EU court invalidates data-sharing pact with US
The European Union’s top court ruled Thursday that an agreement that allows big tech companies to transfer data to the United States is invalid and that national regulators need to take tougher action to protect the privacy of users’ data. The ruling to invalidate Privacy Shield will complicate the transfer …
Read More »NYPD chief among officers injured at Brooklyn Bridge protest (Videos)
Several New York City police officers were attacked and injured Wednesday as pro-police and anti-police protesters clashed on the Brooklyn Bridge, police said. The confrontation happened hours before Mayor Bill de Blasio signed into law a series of police accountability measures inspired by the killings of George Floyd, Eric Garner, …
Read More »PA: 23 EU countries stand with Palestine against annexation
Nabil Shaath, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’ close aide, announced on Wednesday that 23 European Union (EU) countries stand with Palestine against the Israeli plan to annex large swathes of occupied West Bank, Al Watan Voice reported. The only two European states which have not yet announced their stance …
Read More »White House advisers tussle over virus response
Infighting over the White House’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic is spilling further into public view, with trade adviser Peter Navarro panning Dr. Anthony Fauci as President Donald Trump stands to watch. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, called the criticism “nonsense” and “a bit bizarre.” The long-simmering tiff …
Read More »Shelling between Azerbaijan and Armenia smashes brief ceasefire
Azerbaijan and Armenia accused each other of shelling military positions and villages on Thursday, breaking a day of ceasefire in border clashes between the two former Soviet republics. Eleven Azeri soldiers and a civilian, and four Armenian servicemen, have died since Sunday in renewed conflict between countries who fought a …
Read More »China says UK ban on Huawei ‘severely’ damages investment confidence
Britain’s “discriminatory” ban on Huawei has severely damaged China’s investment confidence in the country, China’s commerce ministry said on Thursday, adding it will take necessary measures to defend Chinese firms’ legal rights. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday ordered Huawei equipment to be purged completely from Britain’s 5G network by …
Read More »New ad defends Dr. Fauci as White House disavows attacks on coronavirus adviser
Anti-Trump campaign group The Lincoln Project has released an ad defending Dr. Anthony Fauci against criticism from the White House, and asking viewers whether they prefer to trust him or “Donald the dope”. The ad describes Dr. Fauci as “a natural leader” and runs through his long record of working …
Read More »250 arrested in Belarus after challengers barred from election
Belarus has opened a criminal case over protests in which more than 250 people were detained after President Alexander Lukashenko’s two main rivals were barred from running in a presidential election next month. Several hundred people took to the streets of the capital Minsk on Tuesday and social media reported …
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