Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses a press conference during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Lemigo Hotel in Kigali on June 24, 2022. (DAN KITWOOD / POOL / AFP) KIGALI – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday he aims to remain in power until the middle of the next decade, despite calls for him to quit, which would make him …
Russia takes full control of Severodonetsk
Smoke and dirt rise from the city of Severodonetsk in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas on June 17, 2022. (ARIS MESSINIS / AFP) BEIJING – The Russian military on Saturday announced full control of Severodonetsk, the administrative center of the Ukraine-controlled part of the eastern Lugansk region. With the support of Russian troops, the forces of Lugansk launched "a successful offensive" and "completely liberated" …
Pfizer/BioNTech: Omicron-based shots’ response improves
In this file photo taken on January 10, 2022, a health worker shows a vial of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against the coronavirus disease COVID-19 at a vaccination center in Santiago. (JAVIER TORRES / AFP) NEW YORK – Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE said on Saturday that a booster dose of updated versions of their COVID-19 vaccine, modified specifically to combat the Omicron coronavirus variant, generated …
G7 summit kicks off under shadow of Ukraine crisis
France's President Emmanuel Macron (left) and his wife Brigitte Macron (center) are greeted by Bavaria's State Premier Markus Soeder (right) and a Bavarian honor guard upon their arrival at the Franz Josef Strauss Airport in Munich, southern Germany on June 25, 2022, on the eve of the G7 summit. (CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP) SCHLOSS ELMAU, Germany – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomes leaders of the …
WHO says monkeypox not yet a health emergency
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) LONDON – Monkeypox is not yet a global …
US Congress sends gun bill to White House
A sales associate arranges guns on display at Burbank Ammo & Guns in Burbank, California, June 23, 2022. (JAE C. HONG / AP) WASHINGTON – The US Congress sent a gun bill to the White House on Friday after the House of Representatives voted 234-193 to pass the legislation. The bill, approved by the Senate the day before, will enhance background checks for gun purchasers younger than 21, …
Two dead, 14 wounded in Norway nightclub shooting
OSLO – Two people were killed and 14 wounded on Saturday in a shooting at a nightclub and in nearby streets in Norway's capital Oslo, Norwegian police said. A suspect believed to be the sole perpetrator was apprehended, police told reporters. READ MORE: Norway mosque shooter gets 21 years for murder, anti-terrorism offence The crime scene extended from the London Pub via a neighboring club and …
BA.5 becomes dominant COVID-19 variant in Germany
A health worker in a mobile test station takes a quick test for the COVID-19 on a man who stands outside in front of the wagon in Munich, southern Germany, on April 8, 2022, amid the pandemic. (CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP) ATHENS / BERLIN / ROME – The Omicron sub-lineage BA.5 became the dominant COVID-19 variant in Germany, accounting for around half of infections, according to …
US Supreme Court strikes down abortion rights
Supporters of abortion rights attend a rally in Washington, DC, the United States, on May 14, 2022. (LIU JIE/XINHUA) WASHINGTON – The US Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly 50 years ago. "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start," Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion. "Its reasoning …
Commonwealth speech: Charles expresses sorrow over slavery
Britain's Prince Charles delivers his message during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), June 24, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. (DAN KITWOOD / POOL PHOTO VIA AP) KIGALI – Britain's Prince Charles expressed deep sorrow over slavery in a speech to Commonwealth leaders in Rwanda on Friday and acknowledged that the roots of the organization lay in a painful period of …
Sanofi, GSK variant-specific shot ‘effective against Omicron’
This Feb 4, 2022 picture shows in a reflection the new logo of French pharmaceutical group Sanofi which is presented on the day of the group's 2021 full year results at Sanofi headquarters in Paris. (ERIC PIERMONT / AFP) PARIS/LONDON – Late-stage data on an experimental COVID-19 vaccine from Sanofi and GSK has showed the shot confers protection against the Omicron variant of the virus, …
Pressure mounts on UK PM Johnson after crushing election defeats
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers a speech at the Business Forum in Kigali on June 23, 2022, during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. (DAN KITWOOD / POOL / AFP) LONDON – Boris Johnson's Conservatives lost two parliamentary seats on Friday, a crushing blow to the governing party that prompted the resignation of the party's chairman and intensified doubts about the future of Britain's …
EU leaders grant Ukraine, Moldova EU candidate status
President of the European Council Charles Michel (center) gestures next to France's President Emmanuel Macron (left) and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (right) during a press conference as part of an European Council in Brussels on June 23, 2022. (JOHN THYS / AFP) BRUSSELS – European Union leaders have accepted Ukraine and Moldova as candidates for membership of the bloc, European …
US Senate passes gun safety bill
Demonstrators join the "March for Our Lives" rally in Los Angeles, California, on June 11, 2022. (RINGO CHIU / AFP) WASHINGTON – A bipartisan package of modest gun safety measures passed the US Senate late on Thursday even as the Supreme Court broadly expanded gun rights by ruling Americans have a constitutional right to carry handguns in public for self-defense. The Senate bill, approved in …
Moscow ready to consult Baku, Yerevan on border controls, lines
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov looks on during a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart at the foreign ministry headquarters in Iran's capital Tehran on June 23, 2022. (ATTA KENARE / AFP) BAKU – Visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday expressed Moscow's official readiness to consult Azerbaijan and Armenia on delimitation and demarcation of borders. The Russian foreign minister also expressed Moscow's …
Rwanda hosts Commonwealth summit amid rights concerns
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson arrive for the Heads of Government Banquet, hosted by President Kagame of Rwanda, during the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Kigali, Rwanda on June 23, 2022. (DAN KITWOOD / POOL PHOTO VIA AP) KIGALI – Commonwealth leaders meet in Kigali on Friday to discuss cooperation on topics from trade to health to climate, against …
Mexico records most daily COVID-19 cases since February
Nurses wait for people to come to get AstraZeneca or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines at a vaccination center in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico on April 6, 2022. (ULISES RUIZ / AFP) BERLIN / MEXICO CITY – Mexico reported 16,133 new COVID-19 cases in the country on Thursday, the highest daily number reported since late February, according to data released by the Health Ministry. The increase is a …
S.Africa repeals COVID rules on mask-wearing, gatherings, entry
In this July 6, 2021, file photo, a patient receives a Johnson & Johnson vaccine against COVID-19 in Hammanskraal, South Africa. (ALET PRETORIUS / AP) QUITO / ROME / WASHINGTON / JOHANNESBURG – South Africa has repealed COVID-19 restrictions on mask-wearing in indoor public spaces, limits on the size of gatherings and entry requirements at its borders, a notice in the government gazette showed. South …
Monkeypox ’emergency’ decision due from WHO sparks African slams
In this file handout photo taken on June 22, 2022 made available by the UK Health Security Agency shows a collage of monkeypox rash lesions at an undisclosed date and location. (HANDOUT / UK HEALTH SECURITY AGENCY / AFP) LONDON – The World Health Organization will decide on Thursday whether to declare monkeypox a global health emergency, stirring criticism from leading African scientists who say …
Strikes cripple Britain’s railways, unions warn of more to come
Workers and members of the RMT union stand on a picket across the street from Victoria railway station in London on June 21, 2022. (MATT DUNHAM / AP PHOTO) LONDON – Strikes crippled Britain's rail network on Thursday as union bosses, train operating firms and the government faced off over demands that workers' pay increases keep pace with surging inflation. A spike in the cost …