Europe heatwaves: Spain, Portugal sweltering as UK, France readies for soaring temperatures

Beachgoers gather under parasols at Sokoa Beach, southwestern France as heatwave conditions sweep across Europe MADRID, July 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Spain and Portugal were sweltering in their second heatwave in a month on Monday, with scorching temperatures also expected in France and Britain in the coming days. In Spain the…

Cuba protest crackdown created human rights crisis: HRW

People walk at the Paseo del Prado while members of the police patrol in Havana, Cuba NEW YORK, July 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cuba’s government committed “systematic human rights violations” in response to last summer’s unprecedented anti-government protests, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report Monday. The report, published on…

US to renew but not expand humanitarian protection for Venezuelans in the country

WASHINGTON, July 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States will renew but not expand Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans in the country, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said, a move that leaves tens of thousands of recently arrived Venezuelans without access to the humanitarian program. The Biden administration…

Ivory-billed woodpecker granted 6-month reprieve from US extinction list

The ivory-billed woodpecker, feared extinct for 60 years, was seen in a remote part of Arkansas, ornithologists said WASHINGTON, July 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird that few if any living bird watchers have ever seen, has been given a six-month reprieve from being placed on the US…

France’s Prime Minister survives no-confidence vote in parliament

PARIS, July 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne comfortably survived a motion of no-confidence brought against her by a broad alliance of left-wing opponents. An official vote count showed 146 lawmakers voted in support of the motion. The motion required an absolute majority of 289 votes to precipitate…

South Africa: Two bar shootings leave 19 dead – police

JOHANNESBURG, July  12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two bar shootings, one in a township close to Johannesburg, the other in eastern South Africa, left 19 dead, police said as they tried to verify if the murders were linked. In Soweto, 15 people were killed as they enjoyed a night out, police said,…

Blast kills seven in north Togo: army

LOME, July 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An explosion in northern Togo has killed seven people, the military said, without giving further details about the blast. The explosion happened in Tone prefecture near the border with Burkina Faso, where a Sahel insurgency is threatening to spill over into coastal West African nations. Togo last…

UK PM succession: Boris Johnson steers clear of endorsing successor

LONDON, July  12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Eleven hopefuls were in the race to become the next Conservative party leader and British prime minister but Boris Johnson refused to back any candidate vying to be his successor. The contest was triggered last week when Johnson, 58, was forced to step down after…

World population to hit 8 bn this year; India to surpass China by 2023: UN

UNITED NATIONS, July 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The world’s population is expected to reach eight billion on November 15, the UN forecast in a report that said India will surpass China as the most populous country on earth in 2023. That overall population milestone “is a reminder of our shared responsibility to…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Moscow politician gets 7 years for denouncing war

Gorinov held up a note in court stating: “Do you still need this war?”  MOSCOW, July 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Moscow councillor has been jailed for seven years for speaking out against Russia’s war in Ukraine – in what is said to be the first full jail term under new…