Covid-19: 60pc of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of pandemic – poll

WASHINGTON, July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Three in five Americans now disapprove of their president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, a new poll released Friday showed, one day after the nation shattered the previous record as over 70,000 cases were reported in a single day. The 60-percent disapproval rating, shown in…

US unrest: Federal agents ‘abuse power’ in Portland protester arrests

Federal agents have been called in by President Trump amid ongoing demonstrations PORTLAND (Oregon, US), July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Oregon Governor Kate Brown has accused federal agents in unmarked cars who apparently detained protesters in Portland of a “blatant abuse of power”. Federal officers, deployed by US President Donald Trump, have…

British-Born aid worker Tauqir Sharif faces trial by Syria jihadists

Tauqir Sharif founded an organisation to support people displaced by Syria’s civil war DAMASCUS, July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The jihadist alliance that dominates opposition-held north-western Syria has said it will put a British-born man who runs an aid organisation on trial. Tauqir Sharif, from east London, was detained last month by…

Covid-19: Most flights cut to China’s Xinjiang after outbreak

Flights from around China will now face strict controls if they are to fly to and from Urumqi URUMQI (Xinjiang, China), July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) —Almost all flights in and out of Urumqi, capital of China’s far-western Xinjiang region, have been cancelled because of a coronavirus outbreak. The city has just six confirmed…

Australia’s New South Wales erosion: Huge swells leave homes at risk of collapse

Days of high tide have eroded Wamberal Beach north of Sydney  SYDNEY, July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) —Huge waves have pummelled the Australian state of New South Wales, eroding some coastal areas and putting homes at risk of collapse. In beach suburbs to the north of Sydney, residents lost decks and fences as the…

Covid-19: India cases pass one million – health ministry

NEW DELHI, July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Coronavirus cases in India passed one million on Friday, official data showed as authorities struggle to check the spread of the deadly pandemic across the world’s second-most populous nation. Health ministry data put total cases recorded since the outbreak began at 1,003,832 with 25,602…

Covid-19: Italy death toll tops 35,000

ROME, July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Italy’s official coronavirus death toll topped 35,000, with 20 deaths registered in the past 24 hours, the country’s civil protection agency said. The death toll rose to 35,017, with by far the largest number of fatalities recorded in the northern Lombardy region, which was hit…

‘Butcher of Bosnia’ Mladic’s genocide appeal set for August

THE HAGUE, July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Judges in The Hague will hold adelayed appeals hearing in August for Bosnian Serb military chiefRatko Mladic, sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide over theSrebrenica massacre, the UN said. The hearing was initially scheduled for March and then June but wasrepeatedly delayed after Mladic,…

Russia: Pres Putin orders massive snap military drills

MOSCOW, July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Vladimir Putin has ordered snap military drills involving 150,000 personnel and hundreds of aircraft and naval vessels to ensure “security in Russia’s southwest,” the defence ministry said. “In accordance with the decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces snap exercises are being…

Covid-19 latest global developments

PARIS, July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Here are some of the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: . EU’S ‘MOMENT OF TRUTH’: Deeply divided European Union leaders begin their first face-to-face summit for months to thrash out the terms of a planned 750-billion-euro ($855 billion) post-coronavirus economic rescue plan, in what…