This drone photo shows the site where the AN-12 cargo plane crashed, in Palaiochori village near the town of Kavala, in northern Greece on July 17, 2022. (GIANNIS PAPANIKOS / AP PHOTO) ATHENS – No traces of dangerous substances for public health have been found at the site of the plane crash in northern Greece, according to the test results, Fire Service spokesperson Ioannis Artopoios …
Report finds ‘systemic failures,’ poor leadership in Uvalde shooting
Tina Quintanilla-Taylor raises her and voice as she tries to ask a question of the Texas House investigative committee at a news conference after they released its full report on the shootings at Robb Elementary School on July 17, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (ERIC GAY / AP PHOTO) A Texas legislators' probe of the Uvalde school shooting that left 21 dead blamed "systemic failures" and …
Zelensky fires prosecutor general, security chief
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gestures while addressing a press conference with Netherland's prime minister (not in the picture), following their talks in Kyiv on July 11, 2022. (SERGEI SUPINSKY / AFP) KYIV/MOSCOW – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on late Sunday that he had decided to dismiss Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and head of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov, the presidential press service …
Most of US population in areas ‘with high COVID-19 levels’
A sign about COVID-19 test is displayed at a testing site as people are seen inside for testing in Morton Grove, Illinois on Jan 9, 2022. (NAM Y. HUH / AP) LOS ANGELES – More than half of the US population are now living in areas with high COVID-19 levels and people are recommended to wear masks in indoor public settings, said a report of …
Europe battles wildfires in intense heat
A firefighter tackles a forest fire around the village of Eiriz in Baiao, north of Portugal, on July 15, 2022. (PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP) JERTE, Spain – Authorities across southern Europe battled on Sunday to control huge wildfires in countries including Spain, Greece and France, with hundreds of deaths blamed on soaring temperatures that scientists say are consistent with climate change. In France, …
Sudan reopens border crossing with Ethiopia to resolve disputes
Ethiopian refugees who fled the fighting in the Tigray region transport jerrycans of water at Umm Rakuba camp in eastern Sudan's Gedaref State on Aug 11, 2021. (ASHRAF SHAZLY / AFP) KHARTOUM – Sudan decided on Sunday to open the Galabat crossing on the border with Ethiopia in an effort to build confidence and resolve disputes between the two countries. On June 26, Sudan decided …
Cargo plane with Serbian defense material crashes in Greece
Debris of an Antonov cargo plane is seen in Palaiochori village in northern Greece, July 17, 2022, after it reportedly crashed Saturday near the city of Kavala (GIANNIS PAPANIKOS/ AP) ATHENS – A Ukrainian cargo plane carrying munitions from Serbia to Bangladesh crashed near the city of Kavala in northern Greece late on Saturday, Serbian authorities said on Sunday. Drone images from the scene showed debris …
Kenya, Somalia agree to fight terrorism, resume cross-border trade
Kenya's President, Uhuru Kenyatta delivers a speech during the 39th IGAD extraordinary summit in Nairobi on July 5, 2022. (TONY KARUMBA / AFP) NAIROBI – Kenyan and Somali leaders on Friday recommitted to fighting terrorism, tackling drought, and resuming cross-border trade as the two countries revitalize their engagement in all areas of mutual interest. In a joint communique issued in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, Kenyan President …
Report: Ukrainian cargo plane crashes in Greece
AP22198160719066.jpg ATHENS – A Ukrainian cargo plane with an eight-member crew on board crashed near Kavala city in northern Greece on Saturday evening, Greek media reported. The Antonov An-12 plane was on route from Serbia to Jordan as the pilot requested permission for an emergency landing and notified Greek authorities of failure in one of the engines, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported, citing sources from …
Wildfires rage in France, Spain as heatwaves sear Europe
A firefighter tackles a forest fire around the village of Eiriz in Baiao, north of Portugal, on July 15, 2022. (PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP) PARIS/LISBON – Wildfires raged in southwestern France and Spain on Saturday, forcing thousands of people to be evacuated from their homes as blistering summer temperatures put authorities on alert in parts of Europe. About 14,000 people had been evacuated …
North Macedonia approves proposal to open EU talks
North Macedonia's Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski (center) delivers a speech during a press conference in the Government building in Skopje, on July 16, 2022. North Macedonia's Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski announced on July 16, 2022 that Skopje had reached a compromise with Bulgaria in a long-running dispute, allowing them to start European Union membership talks. (ROBERT ATANASOVSKI / AFP) SKOPJE – North Macedonia's parliament on …
Italy’s COVID-19 cases surpass 20m
Tourists, some wearing a face mask, walk by the Colosseum monument in Rome on Aug 22, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (VINCENZO PINTO / AFP) ROME / TUNIS – Italy's Ministry of Health reported nearly 90,000 new coronavirus infections Saturday, bringing the country's total number of officially diagnosed cases to 20.08 million since January 2020. Italy became the seventh country to officially surpass 20 million …
Autopsy shows Ohio police shot unarmed Black man 46 times
A group arrives to pay their respects at a memorial service in the Akron Civic Center for Jayland Walker in Akron, Ohio, July 13, 2022. (GENE J. PUSKAR / AP) An autopsy found that eight Akron, Ohio, police officers shot Jayland Walker 46 times, including five times in the back, when they opened fire and killed the unarmed Black man during a traffic stop three …
UK’s Sunak and Truss clash over tax in leadership debate
Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Liz Truss, speaks during the launch of her campaign to be Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister, in Westminster, in London on July 14, 2022. (FRANK AUGSTEIN / AP) LONDON – British Foreign Minister Liz Truss clashed over tax policy with former finance minister Rishi Sunak on Friday, as the five remaining contenders to be …
UK weekly COVID-19 cases rise, booster jab program announced
People write messages in memory of their beloved ones, on the National COVID-19 Memorial Wall, in London, on March 28, 2022. (TOLGA AKMEN / AFP) LONDON / NEW YORK / BERLIN / LOS ANGELES / PRAGUE / OTTAWA – An estimated 3.5 million people in Britain had COVID-19 in the latest week of available data, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Friday, up nearly 30 percent on the …
EU to ban Russian gold imports in new sanctions package
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference on the EU membership applications by Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels on June 17, 2022. (KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP) BRUSSELS / MOSCOW / KYIV / TEHRAN – The European Commission on Friday adopted a proposal for a seventh package of measures that will ban the importation of Russian gold. The …
Five contenders to be next UK PM to face off in TV debate
This Jan 14, 2022 photo shows a police officer on duty at 10 Downing Street in London. (KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH / AP) LONDON – The five remaining contenders to be Britain's next prime minister will go head to head in the first of three televised debates on Friday, hoping a good performance will boost their chances in a battle that so far has no clear frontrunner. …
25m kids ‘missed out on routine vaccinations due to pandemic’
A child has his thumb marked after receiving a polio vaccine during a door-to-door polio immunisation campaign in Mbezi Mwisho, Dar es Salaam on May 21, 2022. (ERICKY BONIPHACE / AFP) LONDON – Around 25 million children around the world missed out on routine vaccinations that protect against life-threatening diseases last year, as the knock-on effects of the pandemic continue to disrupt health care globally. …
France evacuates hundreds more from homes as wildfires spread
This photograph taken on July 15, 2022 shows a restaurant destroyed by flames due to a wildfire spreading in the area close to the beach of Cazaux lac, near La Teste-de-Buch, southwestern France. (THIBAUD MORITZ / AFP) PARIS – Hundreds more people were evacuated from their homes as wildfires continued to rage out of control in southwestern France, authorities said on Friday. The fires have now …
US House passes bill boosting Biden’s record defense budget
This handout photo courtesy of US Navy shows the United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, "Thunderbirds" and the US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, debut a F-16 Fighting Falcon and F/A-18 Super Hornet flight formation known as the "Super Delta" during a joint training evolution over Naval Air Facility (NAF) El Centro, California, March 2, 2021. (CODY HENDRIX / US NAVY / …