Iraqi security forces closed the roads leading to the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad, Wednesday, prevented the civilians from entering the area without an official ID. “The security forces closed the roads leading to the security-fortified Green Zone and prevented citizens from entering it,” indicating that “the forces …

Turkey welcomed 790,687 foreign visitors in April, down from a month earlier and only a quarter of the arrivals in 2019 before the pandemic hit, according to official data on Monday that suggested the tourism season may get off to a tough start. A coronavirus spike last month and a …

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 …

Amazon is betting that a nearly century-old Hollywood icon can feed an insatiable demand for streaming content. Amazon.com Inc. agreed to buy the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie company for $8.45 billion, a bet that a nearly century-old Hollywood icon can feed an insatiable demand for streaming content. The takeover is Amazon’s biggest …

Zuma accuses lawyers of working ‘to bolster a narrative’ as trial begins over $2.5bn arms deal Jacob Zuma, the former president of South Africa, accused prosecutors of seeking to malign a political leader rather than find the truth as he denied charges of corruption at the first major hearing of …

The European Commission is suing AstraZeneca in a bid to force the drug giant to deliver 90 million more doses of its coronavirus vaccine before July. EU lawyers asked Belgian judges to fine the Anglo-Swedish pharma giant AstraZeneca millions of euros on Wednesday, as a long-running row over the supply …

The European Commission warned the decision will erode EU-Swiss relations. Switzerland on Wednesday canceled talks to salvage a long-delayed cooperation agreement with the EU, saying that it could not accept Brussels’ demands on issues like citizen’s rights and wages. “Taking into account [domestic] consultations and based on the results of …

A California transit employee killed eight co-workers and wounded another before taking his own life on Wednesday, the latest in a spate of deadly U.S. mass shootings, prompting the state’s governor to ask: “What the hell is wrong with us?” Authorities did not immediately offer many details or a possible …

Heavy rain and a high tide lashed parts of eastern India and neighboring Bangladesh on Wednesday as a cyclone pushed ashore in an area where more than 1.1 million people were evacuated during a devastating coronavirus outbreak. At least six people were reported dead. Cyclone Yaas had already caused two …

The Russian state prosecutor’s office banned three German non-governmental organizations on Wednesday after labeling them “undesirable”, the TASS news agency reported. The groups were identified as the Forum Russischsprachiger Europäer, the Zentrum für die Liberale Moderne and the Deutsch-Russischer Austausch, the report said.

Unions and student groups are set to march on the capital cities of Colombia’s 32 provinces on Wednesday to demand government concessions on economic support for the poor and other issues, following almost a month of widespread protests. Demonstrations that began last month have pressured the government and lawmakers into …

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Wednesday a journalist pulled off a plane that was forced to land in Minsk had been plotting a rebellion, and he accused the West of waging a hybrid war against him. In his first public remarks since a Belarusian warplane intercepted a Ryanair flight …

More than 20,000 people are homeless and 40 still missing in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption in eastern Congo that killed dozens and continues to cause strong earthquakes in the nearby city of Goma, the United Nations said on Wednesday. Saturday’s eruption sent rivers of lava streaming down the …

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. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian once again accused Washington on …

The Afghan Taliban on Wednesday warned nearby nations against allowing the United States to use their territory for operations in the country after they withdraw from Afghanistan. As foreign forces withdraw troops by President Joe Biden’s announced deadline of Sept. 11, experts and diplomats have speculated that Washington’s future role …

The United Nations says the current search and rescue (SAR) operations in the Mediterranean Sea fail to prioritize the migrants’ lives and safety, calling on Libya and the European Union to urgently reform their practices. The comments came after the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) released a report on Wednesday on the protection of people who …

The prosecutor overseeing the criminal probe into former President Donald Trump’s business dealings has convened, a move that signals charges could be coming. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that a special grand jury had been convened to hear evidence against Trump’s close orbit and his company, the Trump Organization, and …

Oil prices moved a shade higher on Tuesday as rising demand from the approach of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer driving season and lifting of coronavirus restrictions mixed with worries that Iran’s possible return to the market will cause a supply glut. After gaining over 5% in the prior two sessions, …

George Floyd’s family members have met with President Joe Biden and US lawmakers on the one-year anniversary of his death to urge passage of police reform legislation stalled by policy disputes. According to Press TV, Floyd, a Black man, died after former policeman Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for …

Syrians vote in a presidential election as the counter-terrorism operation in the Arab country nears an end with government forces winning back control of almost all regions from foreign-backed terrorists. More than 12,100 polling centers opened across Syria at 07:00 a.m. local time (04:00 GMT) on Wednesday and will close …