At least 17 dead after migrant boat sinks in The Bahamas

       

In this photo provided by the Royal Bahamas Defense Force, survivors sit on a capsized boat as they are about to be rescued near New Providence in the Bahamas, early Sunday, July 24, 2022. (ROYAL BAHAMAS DEFENSE FORCE VIA AP) NASSAU – Seventeen people died after a boat carrying dozens of Haitian migrants capsized off the coast of The Bahamas, authorities said on Sunday, as …

At least 17 dead after boat carrying Haitian migrants capsizes in The Bahamas

       

In this photo provided by the Royal Bahamas Defense Force, survivors sit on a capsized boat as they are about to be rescued near New Providence in the Bahamas, early Sunday, July 24, 2022. (ROYAL BAHAMAS DEFENSE FORCE VIA AP) NASSAU – Seventeen people died after a boat carrying dozens of Haitian migrants capsized off the coast of The Bahamas, authorities said on Sunday, as …

Pope arrives in Canada on tour of ‘penance’ for indigenous abuse

       

Pope Francis (right) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (left) take part in a welcoming ceremony for the Pope at Edmonton International Airport in Alberta Province, Canada on July 24, 2022. (PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP) EDMONTON, Alberta – Pope Francis landed in Canada on Sunday to kick off a week-long trip that will center around his apology on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church …

Brazil’s Bolsonaro launches re-election bid, says army on his side

       

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro gestures to supporters during a rally to launch his reelection bid, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 24, 2022. (BRUNA PRAD / AP PHOTO) RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro kicked off his candidacy for re-election at a party event in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday with a speech focused on God, guns and family, as the right-wing …

Biden’s COVID symptoms ‘have improved considerably’

       

US President Joe Biden speaks on COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 at the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC on June 21, 2022. (NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP) WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden's condition since contracting COVID-19 has improved considerably and his greatest symptom now is a sore throat, his physician said on Sunday. Biden's cough and body aches have diminished …

Tunisians vote on constitution expanding president’s power

       

Judges gather on the steps of the Palace of Justice during a protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied in Tunis, Tunisia, June 23, 2022. (HASSENE DRIDI / AP) TUNIS – Tunisians vote on Monday in a referendum on a new constitution that critics of President Kais Saied fear will maul the democracy that emerged from a 2011 revolution by handing him nearly total power. The …

Pope travels to Canada on ‘pilgrimage of penance’

       

Pope Francis recites the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican on July 3, 2022. (ANDREW MEDICHINI / AP PHOTO) EDMONTON, Alberta – Pope Francis is scheduled to land in Canada on Sunday on what he has called a "pilgrimage of penance" to apologize for the abuse indigenous children endured at hands of largely Catholic-run residential …

Wildfire burns coastal homes in Greek island Lesbos

       

A picture taken on July 23, 2022 shows fire burning trees near houses at Vatera coastal resort on the eastern island of Lesbos. Residents were evacuated as the wilfire threatened properties. (MANOLIS LAGOUTARIS / AFP) ATHENS – A wildfire that started in mountainous forests on the Greek island of Lesbos near Türkiye on Saturday burned properties at the beach resort of Vatera as more aircraft …

Wildfire burns coastal homes in Greek island Lesbos, resort evacuated

       

A picture taken on July 23, 2022 shows fire burning trees near houses at Vatera coastal resort on the eastern island of Lesbos. Residents were evacuated as the wilfire threatened properties. (MANOLIS LAGOUTARIS / AFP) ATHENS – A wildfire that started in mountainous forests on the Greek island of Lesbos near Türkiye on Saturday burned properties at the beach resort of Vatera as more aircraft …

COVID-19 hospital admissions on rise in Czech Republic

       

A man gets off a tram at a station in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, July 8, 2022. (DENG YAOMIN/XINHUA) PRAGUE – The Czech Republic has reported rising COVID-19 hospital admissions since the end of June due to the more contagious subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 of the Omicron variant. On July 11, the Czech Republic registered more than 2,000 new cases for the first time …

Russia denies attacks on Odesa, says Turkish minister

       

Smoke rises in the air after shelling in Odesa, Ukraine, July 16, 2022. (NINA LYASHONOK / AP) ANKARA – Russian officials had told Ankara that Russia had "nothing to do" with the attacks on Ukraine's key Black Sea port of Odesa, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday. "In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do …

Biden has sore throat, body aches, but symptoms improving

       

In this photo provided by The White House, President Joe Biden talks on the phone with his national security team from the Treaty Room in the residence of the White House in Washington, July 22, 2022. Biden's physician says the president's COVID-19 symptoms have improved after a full day of treatment with the anti-viral drug Paxlovid and Tylenol. (ADAM SCHULTZ / THE WHITE HOUSE VIA …

WHO declares monkeypox global public health emergency

       

In this file photo on Dec 20, 2021, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, talks to the media regarding the coronavirus and global health priorities in 2022, during a press conference at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (SALVATORE DI NOLFI/KEYSTONE VIA AP) GENEVA – The World Health Organization officially declared on Saturday that the current multi-country monkeypox outbreak outside of the …

Cuba approves law change to open door to gay marriage, other family rights

       

Residents attend a popular consultation to discuss the draft of a new family code, in Havana, Cuba on Feb 11, 2022. (RAMON ESPINOSA / AP) HAVANA – Cuba's National Assembly on Friday approved a sweeping update of its family law which opens the door to allowing gay marriage, greater women's rights, and increased protections for children, the elderly and other family members. The new Families …

US identifies first cases of monkeypox in children

       

In this photo provided by the Unidad de Microscopía Electrónica del ISCIII in Madrid, on May 26, 2022, an electronic microscope image shows the monkeypox virus seen by a team from the Arbovirus Laboratory and the Genomics and Bioinformatics Units of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) in Madrid. (UNIDAD DE MICROSCOPÍA ELECTRÓNICA DEL ISCIII, VIA AP) Cases of the viral disease monkeypox in the …

Ex-Trump aide Bannon found guilty of contempt of Congress

       

Former White House strategist Steve Bannon pauses as he departs federal court after a jury found him guilty on both counts in his contempt-of-Congress trial on July 22, 2022. (ALEX BRANDON / AP) WASHINGTON – Steve Bannon, a key associate of former president Donald Trump and an influential figure on the American right, was convicted on Friday of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena …

Physician: Biden’s COVID-19 symptoms ‘have improved’

       

In this file photo taken on July 15, 2022, US President Joe Biden coughs as he speaks to the traveling press after taking part in a working session with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Al Salam Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (MANDEL NGAN / AFP) WASHINGTON / PARIS / OTTAWA / LISBON – US President Joe Biden's COVID-19 symptoms "have improved" after …

Moscow, Kyiv sign deal to resume grain exports from Ukraine

       

Russia and Ukraine sign an agreement with Türkiye and the United Nations on shipping Ukrainian grain, foodstuff, and fertilizer to international markets via the Black Sea in Istanbul, on July 22, 2022. (PHOTO/XINHUA) ISTANBUL / WASHINGTON – Russia and Ukraine signed a long-awaited deal here on Friday to safely transfer Ukrainian grain, foodstuff, and fertilizer to international markets under the supervision of the United Nations. …

Militants attack Mali military base, situation ‘under control’

       

A crowd gathers around a man (not seen) suspected of taking part in thwarted "terrorist" attack after being beaten by a crowd, in front of the military base in Kati, Mali, on July 22, 2022. (AFP) KATI, Mali – Suspected Islamist militants on Friday attacked the main military base where Mali's interim president lives outside the capital Bamako, but the armed forces said they had …

WB to fund $100m in food insecurity aid to Sudan via WFP

       

A demonstrator throws a tire on a fire during a protest over economic conditions, in Khartoum, Sudan on June 30, 2021. (MARWAN ALI / AP PHOTO) While funding under agreements signed with the Government of Sudan remains paused, development partners are pleased to provide direct support to the Sudanese people during this critical time Ousmane Dione, World Bank's country director CAIRO – The World Bank …