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 …
Near free public transport eases congestion on Germany’s roads
The"'9-Euro-Ticket" is advertised as travelers by tickets at the main train station in Berlin, Germany on June 1, 2022. With the launch of the 9-Euro-Ticket, travelers in Germany will be able to crisscross the country for under 10 dollars a month this summer as part of a government program intended to help combat rampant inflation, high fuel prices and climate change. (MICHAEL SOHN / AP) …
US top court declines Biden’s shift on immigration enforcement
Immigrants wait outside a shelter home in San Antonio, Texas on June 28, 2022. (CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) WASHINGTON – The US Supreme Court on Thursday declined to reinstate President Joe Biden's policy shifting the focus of America's immigration enforcement toward public safety threats, handing a victory to Texas and Louisiana as they challenge a plan they call unlawful. President Joe Biden's policy departed from …
EU imposes more sanctions on Russia
President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen delivers a speech at the start of a two-day International conference on reconstruction of Ukraine, in Lugano on July 4, 2022. (FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP) BRUSSELS/MPSCOW/KYIV/MINSK – The European Union on Thursday imposed more sanctions on Russia over its conflict with Ukraine, including a ban on gold imports and the tightening of export controls on high-technology …
Peru opens criminal probe of president after firing of minister
Peru's President Pedro Castillo and wife Lilia Paredes wave during a ceremony to receive ambulances donated by Japan at the government palace in Lima, Peru, on July 21, 2022. (MARTIN MEJIA / AP PHOTO) LIMA – Peru's attorney general has opened a new probe of President Pedro Castillo, a day after the country's former interior minister accused the leftist leader of obstructing graft investigations of …
Egypt starts reactor construction of 1st nuke power plant
CAIRO – Egypt began constructing the first reactor unit of the El-Dabaa nuclear power plant, sending a signal that the country's plan to build its first nuclear power plant is rolling smoothly, the Egyptian government announced Thursday. El-Dabaa plant, located in the Mediterranean province of Matrouh, some 300 km northwest of Cairo, is Egypt's first nuclear power station. "Having its own nuclear energy industry has …
Türkiye: Deal on Ukraine’s grain export to be inked Friday
A Russian serviceman guards a grain elevator in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region, on July 14, 2022, amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. (OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP) ANKARA – An agreement to resume grain shipment from Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea will be signed in Türkiye on Friday in a bid to resolve a global food crisis, the Turkish foreign minister said on Thursday. "Tomorrow, we will …