UK PM rivals spar over tax, China in first head-to-head TV debate

LONDON, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain’s two prime ministerial contenders clashed fiercely over tax, China and character in their first head-to-head televised debate, as Rishi Sunak seeks to peg back the frontrunner Liz Truss. The primetime debate kicked off a crucial 12-day period featuring three such live TV duels and four…

US weighs declaring monkeypox a health emergency: Washington Post

WASHINGTON, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Biden administration is weighing whether to declare the monkeypox outbreak in the country a public health emergency, the Washington Post reported. The government is also planning to name a White House coordinator to oversee the country’s response to the outbreak, according to the report.…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Oil rises as Russian gas cut to Europe may encourage switching to crude

PARIS, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Oil rose on Monday on expectations Russia’s reduction in natural gas supply to Europe could encourage a switch to crude, though concerns over weakening fuel demand because of an expected increase in U.S. interest rates limited gains. Brent crude futures for September settlement climbed 45…

UN rights chief decries Myanmar junta’s ‘cruel’ executions of four activists

GENEVA, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN human rights chief condemned the execution of four prisoners, including a former lawmaker from Aung San Suu Kyi’s party and a prominent activist, as “cruel and regressive”. “I am dismayed that despite appeals from across the world, the military conducted these executions with…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Ukraine eyes first grain exports ‘this week’

KYIV, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ukraine said it expects to export its first grain shipments under a UN-backed deal to lift Russia’s blockade “this week”, days after missile strikes by the Kremlin threw the accord into doubt.  Kyiv and Moscow on Friday agreed the landmark plan to release millions of tonnes of grain trapped…

Pope apologizes for ‘evil’ of Indigenous abuse in Canada

EDMONTON, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Pope Francis on Monday apologized for the “evil” inflicted on the Indigenous peoples of Canada on the first day of a visit focused on addressing decades of abuse at Catholic-run residential schools. The plea for forgiveness from the leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics…

Kenya: 24 died after bus plunges into river; 20 seriously injured

NAIROBI, July 26 (NNN-Xinhua) — At least 24 people died after a bus plunged into a river along a highway in Kenya, local media reported, citing the rescue team and the Kenya Red Cross Society.  The bus, en route from the central county of Meru to Nairobi, fell off a…

17 suspected Haitian migrants die off Bahamas coast

Survivors of a migrant boat that capsized perch on the overturned vessel off the coast of New Providence island, Bahamas  PORT-AU-PRINCE, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Seventeen suspected migrants from Haiti died in a boat accident off the coast of the Bahamas, officials from the two countries said. Human smugglers are…

US authorities seize more than 20,000 pounds of narcotic khat from Kenya

Dried khat disguised as tea WASHINGTON, July 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Authorities in the US seized more than 20,000 pounds of the narcotic plant khat, Customs and Border Protection announced in a statement. More than ten tons of the dried plant disguised as tea with an estimated street value of $3.6…

Greece battles fierce wildfires amid heatwave

ATHENS, July 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Greece on Sunday battled three ferocious wildfires across the country which forced hundreds to evacuate, as higher temperatures raised concern over more blazes. The country is in the grip of a heatwave that began on Saturday and is expected to last 10 days. Temperatures were…