Macron admits ‘deep divisions’ in France exposed by elections

A photo of a TV screen shows French President Emmanuel Macron speaking during televised address on June 22, 2022, in Paris. (LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP) PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday night he could not ignore the deep political divisions in the country as shown by the results of the legislative elections. In a televised speech, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he …

UK proposes new trading system for developing countries

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and the EU, the Brexit trade deal, at 10 Downing Street in central London on Dec 30, 2020. (LEON NEAL / POOL / AFP) LONDON – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will praise the benefits of free trade between Commonwealth countries on a visit to Rwanda on Thursday as he proposes …

Thousands march in Quito after night of Ecuador protest violence

Indigenous people march in downtown Quito, on June 22, 2022, on the tenth consecutive day of indigenous-led protests against the Ecuadorean government. (VERONICA LOMBEIDA / AFP) QUITO – Thousands of indigenous protesters held a peaceful march through Ecuador's capital, Quito, on Wednesday to demand that President Guillermo Lasso address price rises that have ignited 10 days of demonstrations across the country. Indigenous groups are demanding …

20% adults who had COVID have lingering symptoms

A testing center worker (center) collects information from people waiting in line at a walk-up coronavirus testing location in Los Angeles, California, Aug 10, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (ROBYN BECK / AFP) ROME – Nearly 1 in 5 American adults who reported having COVID-19 in the past are still having symptoms of long COVID-19, according to survey data collected in the first two weeks …

COVID jab scheme for world’s poorest pushes for slow delivery

A pharmacist reconstitutes the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as she fills syringes with the vaccine for the incoming public at the UMass Memorial Health Care COVID-19 Vaccination Center in the Mercantile Center in Worcester, Massachusetts on April 22, 2021. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO / AFP) MEXICO CITY / LONDON / HARARE / COPENHAGEN / PARIS – Leaders of the global scheme aiming to get COVID-19 vaccines to the world's …

Google News reopens in Spain after eight-year shutdown

This Nov 1, 2018, photo, shows the Alphabet Inc's Google logo at their offices in Granary Square, London. (Alastair Grant / AP) BRUSSELS – Alphabet reopened Google News in Spain on Wednesday, eight years after it shut down the service because of a Spanish rule forcing the company and other news aggregators to pay publishers for using snippets of their news. Madrid last year transposed …

Zimbabwe lifts curfew as COVID-19 under control

A military health personnel carries an empty medical cooler box at a mobile clinic setup for COVID-19 vaccination in Emganwini township, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on 3 Aug 2021. (ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP) MEXICO CITY / LONDON / HARARE – The Zimbabwean government on Tuesday lifted a midnight-to-dawn curfew imposed as part of COVID-19 containment measures. The number of new COVID-19 cases continued to decrease over the …

Climate laws face new EU Parliament vote after failed first try

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (forth left) and European Commission Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans (second left) attend a press conference with commissioners in Brussels, Belgium, on July 14, 2021. (ZHANG CHENG / XINHUA) BRUSSELS – The European Parliament will on Wednesday try again to agree on more ambitious climate change policies, after rejecting them in a divisive first vote that threatened to delay …

Egypt, Saudi Arabia ink deals worth $7.7b on crown prince’s visit

In this photo released by the Saudi Royal Palace, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left) is greeted by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, after their talks at the presidential palace, in Cairo, Egypt on June 21, 2022. (BANDAR ALJALOUD/SAUDI ROYAL PALACE VIA AP) CAIRO – Egypt and Saudi Arabia signaled their intention to strengthen economic ties on Tuesday during a visit to Cairo by Saudi …

US Senate advances first significant gun bill in decades

People participate in the second March for Our Lives rally in support of gun control in front of the Washington Monument on June 11, 2022, in Washington. (GEMUNU AMARASINGHE / AP PHOTO) WASHINGTON – The US Senate took an initial step towards passing the country's first major gun-control legislation in decades on Tuesday, galvanized by two mass shootings in a nation that has long struggled …

Brazilian police reconstruct murder of UK reporter, tribes expert

A boy plays with a flower in front of a banner with images of British journalist Dom Phillips (left) and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and the word "Justice" written in Portuguese, during a rally demanding authorities conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to their deaths, and do more to protect indigenous lands against illegal miners, loggers, and fishermen, in Brasilia, Brazil on June …

US Senate advances first significant gun legislation in decades

People participate in the second March for Our Lives rally in support of gun control in front of the Washington Monument on June 11, 2022, in Washington. (GEMUNU AMARASINGHE / AP PHOTO) WASHINGTON – The US Senate took an initial step towards passing the country's first major gun-control legislation in decades on Tuesday, galvanized by two mass shootings in a nation that has long struggled …

Biden appoints first Native woman as US treasurer

Marilynn Malerba stands next to a photograph of late Chief Ralph Sturges at Tribal offices in Uncasville, Connecticut, on March 4, 2010. (JESSICA HILL / FILE / AP) ROSEBUD, South Dakota – US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced his intention to appoint Mohegan Indian Tribe Lifetime Chief Marilynn Malerba as US treasurer, marking the first time a Native woman's signature will appear on US …

Mexico sees rise in COVID-19 cases, says health official

A nurse from the Mexican Social Security Institute gives a dose of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to a local resident, as part of a campaign to reach out to people in low-income neighborhoods, in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, on April 24, 2022. (ULISES RUIZ / AFP) MEXICO CITY / LONDON – Mexico has seen a progressive increase in COVID-19 cases in the past nine weeks, but …

UN chief voices concern about Lithuania-Russia tension

Freight cars stand on the railroad tracks of the freight station in Kaliningrad, Russia on June 21, 2022. (PHOTO / AP) UNITED NATIONS/MOSCOW – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday expressed grave concern about the current tension between Lithuania and Russia over Kaliningrad, said his spokesman. "We are, obviously, following these developments very closely in and around Kaliningrad, including the warnings we have seen of …

Inaugural meeting of UN nuclear weapon ban treaty opens

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (on screen) speaks during The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Meeting of States Parties at the Austria Center in Vienna, Austria, on June 21, 2022. (ALEX HALADA / AFP) VIENNA – States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons started examining the accord's implementation, reviewing its status and measuring the signatories' progress toward its goals at …

Biggest rail strike in 30 years brings UK to standstill

Trains stand stationary on tracks by platforms in Waterloo railway station in London on June 21, 2022. (MATT DUNHAM / AP PHOTO) LONDON – Britain's biggest rail strike in 30 years kicked off on Tuesday as tens of thousands of staff walked out in a dispute over pay and jobs that could pave the way for widespread industrial action across the economy in coming months. …

UK PM Johnson faces prospect of bruising by-election defeats

A sign thanks visitors for visiting, outside Tiverton in south west England, on June 10, 2022, ahead of the Tiverton and Honiton by-election on June 23. (GEOFF CADDICK / AFP) TIVERTON/WAKEFIELD, England – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson could this week lose two parliamentary seats that once illustrated his broad appeal, showing his declining popularity that could spur his party to try to find a …

Canada spending $3.8 billion to upgrade continental defense

OTTAWA – Canada will spend $3.8 billion over six years to modernize its continental defense as part of its alliance with the United States through the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and "to protect Canadians from new and emerging threats," Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand announced on Monday. Canada will also establish a "Crossbow" system across the country to detect incoming threats, and acquire …

Texas Republicans declare Biden election illegal, despite evidence

President Joe Biden reacts when asked how he was feeling as he leaves St. Edmund Roman Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, after attending a Mass, on June 18, 2022. (MANUEL BALCE CENETA / AP PHOTO) WASHINGTON – Republicans in Texas formally rejected President Joe Biden's election in 2020 as illegitimate and voted in a state-wide convention that wrapped up this weekend on a party …