UK PM asks EU to look ‘seriously’ at N.Ireland proposals, but immediately rejected by the bloc

LONDON, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the European Union to look “seriously” at UK proposals to overhaul their post-Brexit trade deal for Northern Ireland, but met immediate resistance in Brussels.    Johnson told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a phone call that the…

16 killed in suspected militia attack in DR Congo: medical sources

   BENI (DR Congo), July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Suspected members of a militia shot and killed 16 people as they were returning home from a weekly market in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, local and medical sources said Friday.  The dead from the ambush on Thursday evening…

Madagascar police arrest six over alleged plot to kill president

Six people have been arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina ANTANANARIVO, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Police in Madagascar this week arrested six people, including one foreign citizen, suspected of plotting to kill the president following what officials in the Indian Ocean island nation said was a…

Belgium raises flood death toll to 37, further six missing; Germany expects heavy rain this weekend

Rescuers search for victims in a car after heavy rainfall in Trooz, Belgium BRUSSELS, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Belgian authorities raised the death toll on Thursday from last week’s burst rivers and flash floods to 37, with a further six people missing. Belgium’s crisis centre, which is coordinating the rescue…

Colombia arrests 10 over attacks on President’s helicopter, military base

A helicopter that Colombian President Ivan Duque was traveling in suffered an attack during an overflight in Cucuta BOGOTA, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Colombia has arrested 10 people accused of involvement in attacks on a helicopter carrying President Ivan Duque and a military base last month that officials said were…

Ecuador declares emergency after 22 killed in prison riots

  QUITO, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ecuador on Thursday declared a state of emergency in its penitentiary system after riots at two prisons left 22 dead and 57 wounded.   President Guillermo Lasso issued the order “to mobilize all necessary human and economic resources to re-establish order” in Ecuador’s prisons.   Lasso…

UN humanitarian worried about food insecurity due to drought in southern Madagascar

Emergency distribution of hot meals to elderly population and malnourished children in the drought-affected regions of southern Madagascar UNITED NATIONS, July 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — UN humanitarian agency warned that hundreds of thousands of people in southern Madagascar face food insecurity due to one of the worst droughts in more than…

Russia says Nord Stream 2 pipeline to start operation despite U.S. pressure

Nord Stream 2 pipe-laying operations in German territorial waters. MOSCOW, July 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline will soon become operational despite Washington’s attempt to politicize the project, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. Zakharova made the remarks during her weekly briefing after the United…

Covid-19: Italy makes Green Pass mandatory for indoor restaurants, changes pandemic parameters

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi ROME, July 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — The COVID Green Pass will be mandatory to enter restaurants, cafes and other eateries in Italy starting from Aug 6, the government announced. The decision came after Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s cabinet reviewed the key anti-pandemic rules late on Thursday,…

Covid-19: As cases surges, more US Republicans urging vaccinations

   WASHINGTON, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — With Delta variant infections spiking across the United States, growing numbers of Republican officials and lawmakers have joined the chorus of support for coronavirus vaccinations, swatting aside conspiracies that have left millions of Americans unprotected.   Covid-19 deaths and hospitalization rates are rising nationwide, with…