Maltese Armed Forces rescue 76 African migrants

A patrol boat carrying migrants arrives at a naval base in Floriana, Malta VALLETTA, July 26 (NNN-Xinhua) — A group of 76 migrants have been rescued by the Armed Forces of Malta and disembarked at the naval base on Thursday afternoon. The boat that the migrants travelled in was in…

Ethiopia willing to boost ties, resume dam talks with Egypt

CAIRO, July 26 (NNN-Xinhua) — Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi met on Thursday with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew who expressed Ethiopia’s keenness on boosting bilateral relations with Egypt and resuming negotiations over its under-construction dam on their shared Nile River. Andargachew conveyed a message to Sisi from Ethiopian Prime Minister…

Pres Abbas says Palestinians intend not to abide by deals signed with Israel

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a meeting of the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank city of Ramallah RAMALLAH, July 26 (NNN-Xinhua) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that the Palestinian leadership is intending not to abide by the peace agreements signed with Israel, in response to demolitions of…

China landslide death toll rises to 20

BEIJING, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The death toll in a landslide thatburied a village in southwest China rose to 20 on Friday, with 25 peoplestill missing three days after the disaster, state media said. Rescuers found the bodies of two children, a mother with her baby, andanother woman on Thursday…

Pakistan aims to send first astronaut into space by 2022

ISLAMABAD, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Pakistan said it aims to send its first astronaut into space by 2022 and will begin selecting candidates next year. Neighbour and long-time rival India put its first astronaut into space in 1984 as part of a Soviet-led mission. It launched a rocket into space…

EU takes Hungary to court for criminalising help for asylum seekers

BRUSSELS, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The European Union executive took Hungary to court over a law that makes it a crime to help asylum seekers, the latest in many running battles between Brussels and Budapest on migration, human rights and democracy. The Commission filed a case against Hungary at the…

Left-wing Israeli parties unite to counter Netanyahu

TEL AVIV, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Left-wing Meretz and the new party of former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak said that they had formed an alliance to boost the bloc ahead of September’s general election. Such a union could be the catalyst for further mergers among the smaller parties splintering both the…

US sanctions Venezuela emergency food ‘corruption network’

WASHINGTON, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US Treasury Department on Thursday announced sanctions against three of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s stepsons, a Colombian businessman and six others for running a “corruption network” that profited from emergency food imports. The US has in recent months escalated sanctions against Venezuela, which is struggling…

US Senate panel backs Saudi sanctions measure

WASHINGTON, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday backed legislation that would impose some sanctions on the Saudi royal family and block some weapons sales, pushing back against President Donald Trump’s close ties to the kingdom. The vote was 13-9 for the legislation, as three Republicans…

Spain PM loses confidence vote after coalition talks fail

MADRID, July 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Spain’s caretaker socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez lost a crunch post-election vote of confidence on Thursday after coalition talks with the far-left failed, pushing the country closer to repeat polls. Sanchez faced the vote in parliament after his Socialist party won most seats in an inconclusive…