US homeland security chief says migrant conditions improved

WASHINGTON, July 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US Homeland Security chief drew the wrath of Democrats when he said conditions for detainedmigrant children on the southern border had improved after reports of squalor and abuse. During a hearing before the House Oversight Committee, acting HomelandSecurity Secretary Kevin McAleenan said there is…

Update: Gulf tensions rise as US shoots down Iranian drone

WASHINGTON, July 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tensions in the Gulf region mounted as US President Donald Trump said an American naval vessel shot down an Iranian drone that threatened the ship as it was entering the Strait of Hormuz. It was the first US military engagement with Iran following a series…

Over 100 killed, millions displaced from floods in India, Nepal and Bangladesh

GUWAHATI- Floods have forced more than four million people from their homes across India, Nepal and Bangladesh and killed more than 100 people as torrential rains in the initial days of monsoons wreaked havoc. The poor Indian states of Assam and Bihar have been among the worst hit. Some 4.3…

UK government seeking further information on seized foreign tanker reports: spokeswoman

LONDON, July 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain is seeking further information on reports Iran has seized a foreign tanker in the Gulf, the government said, urging the Iranian authorities to de-escalate tensions. Iranian state television quoted Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as saying a tanker smuggling fuel had been seized. “We’re seeking further…

Bruised but driven, Netanyahu becomes Israel’s longest-serving PM

JERUSALEM, July 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Benjamin Netanyahu makes history this weekend by becoming the longest-serving Israeli prime minister, surpassing a record held by the country’s founding father David Ben-Gurion. The conservative leader, who will match Ben-Gurion’s 8,475 days in office on Friday, faces an election in September after an inconclusive…

Turkey says defense firms face temporary losses after F-35 removal

ANKARA, July 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Turkish defense companies may face temporary losses after a U.S. decision to remove Ankara from the F-35 fighter jet program but the industry will emerge stronger as a result, the head of Turkey’s Defense Industry Directorate said. The United States says it is removing Turkey…

World Bank contradicts Tanzania’s growth estimates

NAIROBI, July 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tanzania’s economy expanded 5.2% in 2018, the World Bank said, the second major report this year from a multilateral financial institution contradicting rosier government figures. Tanzania’s finance minister had told parliament last month that growth was 7% last year In a report, the World Bank,…

Ethiopia: Protesters take to streets but agree on referendum to declare new region in 5 months

HAWASSA/ADDIS ABABA, July 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A political party representing some of Ethiopia’s ethnic Sidama people said it would postpone plans to declare a new region in defiance of the federal government and would accept the offer of a referendum in five months’ time. The plans would be a direct…

Kenyan marathoner Biwott banned for eight years, for 2nd doping violation – AIU

NAIROBI, July 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Kenyan woman marathoner Salome Jerono Biwott has been banned for eight years after being found guilty of committing a second doping violation, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said. Biwott, 36, tested positive for the banned substance Norandrosterone in April during the Sao Paulo International Marathon.…

Congolese Ebola victim may have entered Rwanda and Uganda – WHO

GENEVA, July 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A fishmonger who died this week of Ebola may have carried the virus from Congo into Rwanda as well as Uganda, the World Health Organization said, as health workers struggled to track down people she could have infected. The woman was one of almost 1,700…