EU lawmakers approve COVID-19 certificate in time for summer travel

BRUSSELS, June 10 (NNN-Xinhua) — European Union (EU) lawmakers on Wednesday gave their seal of approval to a new travel certificate that will allow people to move freely within the bloc without having to quarantine or taking extra coronavirus tests, paving the way for the pass to start in time…

US Pres Biden drops plan to ban TikTok, WeChat: White House

WASHINGTON, June 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Joe Biden revoked executive orders from his predecessor Donald Trump seeking to ban Chinese-owned mobile apps TikTok and WeChat over national security concerns, the White House said. A White House statement said that instead of banning the popular apps, the Biden administration would carry…

Covid-19: Latest global developments

PARIS, June 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Here are some of the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: . The pandemic has killed at least 3,750,028 people worldwide since the virus first emerged in December 2019, according to a compilation of official data. The US is the worst-affected country with 598,326 deaths,…

UK urges EU ‘flexibility’ for post-Brexit Northern Ireland trade

LONDON, June 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain and the European Union hold key talks on Wednesday about implementing the Brexit deal, with London urging “flexibility” from Brussels over trading arrangements in Northern Ireland blamed for sparking violence. The EU on Tuesday warned the United Kingdom against further unilateral actions that override…

Covid-19: Brazil’s players say ‘against Copa America’ but won’t boycott

BRASILIA, June 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazil’s national footballers said they are against hosting the troubled Copa America, but will not boycott the tournament. The regional championship is being organized on Brazilian soil in a last-minute, pandemic-defying rush after organizers withdrew it from Argentina over a Covid-19 surge. “We are against…

UN Committee rules on detention of Venezuelan diplomat Saab in Africa’s Cape Verde

GENEVA, June 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United Nations Human Rights Committee ruled on the illegal detention of the Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab and requested the government of Cabo Verde to suspend his extradition process to the United States. “Pursuant to rule 94 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, the State…

UN court rejects Mladic genocide appeal

Ratko Mladic was in court to hear the verdict on Tuesday THE HAGUE, June 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic has lost his appeal against a 2017 conviction for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The UN court upheld the life sentence for his role in…

US pullout from Afghanistan more than 50 percent complete: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, June 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US pullout from Afghanistan is more than 50 percent complete, the Pentagon said, as it approaches its Sept 11 deadline to remove troops. Since President Joe Biden ordered the departure from Afghanistan in April, the Department of Defense has withdrawn the equivalent of approximately…

Canada Islamophobia: PM Trudeau calls killing of Muslim family ‘terrorist attack’

OTTAWA, June 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau labeled as a “terrorist attack” the killing of four members of a Muslim family, who were run down by a man driving a pick-up truck in London, Ontario. “This killing was no accident. This was a terrorist attack, motivated by…

Update: French Pres Macron plays down slapping incident as ‘isolated’

PARIS, June 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French President Emmanuel Macron played down an incident that saw him slapped by a man while meeting a crowd in the southeast of the country, blaming “ultra-violent” individuals. “I am doing fine. We must put this incident, which I think is an isolated event, into…