Pres Biden orders US strikes against ‘Iran-backed militias’ in Syria – Centcom

WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Joe Biden ordered air strikes in eastern Syria targeting facilities used by Iranian-backed militias, a US military spokesman said. The strikes in oil-rich Deir Ezzor province “targeted infrastructure facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” Central Command (Centcom) spokesman Colonel…

US: Body of hiker swept away by flash flood found in national park

 LOS ANGELES, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The body of a hiker who was swept away by flash flooding at a Utah national park has been recovered, park officials said. Arizona woman Jetal Agnihotri, 29, was one of several hikers who went missing on Friday after flash floods tore through an…

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband sentenced to 5 days jail for drink-driving crash

 LOS ANGELES, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband has been sentenced to five days in jail after pleading guilty to drink driving. Paul Pelosi, 82, admitted driving under the influence of alcohol and causing injury after crashing his Porsche in Napa County, California, in…

Kenyan clans seek to sue UK at European Court of Human Rights for alleged colonial abuses

Those involved say they have spent years trying to get the attention of the UK government, including on trips to London  NAIROBI, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A group of Kenyans have filed cases against the UK government at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for alleged colonial abuses. These…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: US says Ukraine grain exports near pre-war levels

 WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ukraine is on course to ship nearly as much grain this month as it did before the Russian invasion, in a triumph for international efforts to ease food shortages, a US official said.    Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn,…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Russia, Ukraine spar at UN over nuclear plant dangers

  UNITED NATIONS, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia and Ukraine traded accusations over who was endangering the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, as the United Nations urged both sides to insulate the Ukrainian facility from the ongoing war.    Russia called the meeting at the UN Security Council to discuss the dangers…

US extremism: Two militia members convicted of plot to kidnap Michigan governor over tough covid-19 restrictions

 WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two right-wing militia members were convicted on Tuesday of plotting to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic governor of Michigan, because of the tough Covid-19 pandemic restrictions she imposed on the northern US state. A federal jury deliberated for eight hours over two days before finding…

Argentina: VP Kirchner goes on offensive over graft trial

 BUENOS AIRES, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Argentine Vice President Cristina Kirchner launched a long and politically charged defense Tuesday against corruption charges, for which prosecutors have asked that she face 12 years in jail and a lifetime ban from politics. Kirchner, 69, is accused of fraudulently awarding public works contracts…

Anger after bear cub tortured to death in Mexico

 MEXICO CITY, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The torture and killing of a bear cub believed to have wandered near a Mexican town looking for water sparked a wave of indignation and a criminal investigation on Tuesday. Photographs released by a wildlife conservationist showed the animal being dragged by a rope…

Morocco: Rabat Festival draws bumper 450,000 African cultural fans

Hundreds of thousands gathered at the festival RABAT, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The celebration of Africa’s rich cultural diversity was a resounding success when 450,000 spectators attended the 10-day “Rab’Africa Summer Festival” in Rabat, Morocco’s capital. Organised by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication under the patronage of King…