US Senate passes $740.5 bn defense bill that would rename bases

WASHINGTON, July 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US Senate passed a $740.5 billion bill setting Pentagon priorities, but which President Trump has threatened to veto over a provision that removes Confederate names from military bases. The Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act for critical defense spending passed by a…

China orders closure of US consulate in Chengdu

BEIJING, July 24, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – China said Friday it had revoked the license for the US consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu, in retaliation for the closure of China’s Houston consulate earlier this week. The tit-for-tat move is a “legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by…

Turkey: Pres Erdogan to pray in Hagia Sophia after mosque reconversion

ISTANBUL, July 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took part Friday in the first prayers at Hagia Sophia since the Istanbul landmark was reconverted to a mosque despite international condemnation. A top Turkish court revoked the sixth-century monument’s status as a museum on July 10 and Erdogan then…

Covid-19: UN calls on Arab world for more solidarity against pandemic

UNITED NATIONS, July 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Faced with deep and lasting consequences from the coronavirus pandemic, Arab countries must show more mutual support through aid, for example by creating “regional solidarity funds,” the UN said. “The Arab region, home to 436 million people, initially kept transmission and mortality rates lower…

Turkey reports 913 new COVID-19 cases, 223,315 in total

People eat at a restaurant in Ankara ANKARA, July 24 (NNN-Xinhua) — Turkey’s COVID-19 cases increased by 913 on Thursday, while the total cases climbed to 223,315, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. Meanwhile, 18 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,563, Koca tweeted.…

WHO chief dismisses Pompeo’s comments as “untrue and unacceptable

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus GENEVA, July 24 (NNN-Xinhua) — The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s latest comments on the relations between the UN health body and China is “untrue and unacceptable, without any foundation.” Speaking at a routine briefing,…

Covid-19: South Africa death toll could be ‘far higher’

 PRETORIA, July 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — South African researchers say the number of deaths from coronavirus could be far higher than the official toll. The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) report says excess natural deaths rose by 17,000, a 59% increase compared to past years. Professor Debbie Bradshaw, one of…

Covid-19: Pres Trump cancels Republican convention in Florida as US virus soars

WASHINGTON,  July 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) —President Donald Trump has cancelled the Republican party convention in Florida, citing the pandemic, as US coronavirus cases passed four million. “It’s not the right time for that,” he said, adding that he would still give a convention speech in a different form. The sheriff in Jacksonville…

Greece wildfires rage out of control

 ATHENS, July 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) —Firefighters are battling out of control forest fires in Greece. Locals and tourists have been evacuated as fires continue to rage near the city of Corinth in the eastern Peloponnese for a second day. The city’s mayor says the flames are out of control and has called…

Croatian Parliament approves new gov’t led by incumbent PM

Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic ZAGREB, July 24 (NNN-XINHUA) — The Croatian parliament, officially constituted on Wednesday, approved a new government led by incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday. In the parliamentary elections held on July 5, the center-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) led by Plenkovic won 66 out of the total of 151…