UK hit by second rail strike in week of industrial action

London, June 23 (AFP/APP): Travel on Britain’s railway system ground to a near halt again on Thursday, amid the second of three days of widespread strike action this week billed as the biggest in decades. Tens of thousands of rail workers staged the latest day-long […]

Nearly 300 vanish as strong earthquake jolts Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan – June 22 (ONLINE) A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Afghanistan overnight, killing as many as 280 people and injuring more than 600 others, the country’s state-run Bakhtar news agency said on Wednesday. The quake struck early Wednesday morning about 28 miles southwest […]

Iran executed more than 100 people between January and March: UN

Geneva, June 21 (AFP/APP): Iran executed more than 100 people in the first three months of 2022, continuing a worrying upward trend, according to a report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that was presented Tuesday. Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN […]

Macron meets France opposition, retains PM after poll blow

Paris, June 21 (AFP/APP): French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday held talks with opposition leaders on ending the deadlock sparked by his failure to secure a majority in parliamentary elections, after rejecting an offer by the prime minister to resign. Macron met right-wing, Socialist and […]

Effect of Ukraine war on food security ‘speeding up’, UN chief warns

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 08 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Wednesday that the effect of the war in Ukraine on food security is “speeding up,” pointing to a severe cost-of-living crisis which no country or community can escape. “Today’s report makes clear that the war’s […]

Phillips and Pereira: men missing in the Amazon

Brasília, June 8 (AFP/APP): Veteran British freelance journalist Dom Phillips and respected Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira share a passion for the farthest reaches of the Amazon rainforest, where they disappeared three days ago. The pair were last seen early Sunday traveling by boat in […]

Fears mount for British journalist missing in Amazon

Brasília, June 7 (AFP/APP): The families of a British journalist and Brazilian indigenous expert who went missing deep in the Amazon after receiving threats made distraught pleas Tuesday to authorities in Brazil to accelerate the search operation. Veteran freelance journalist Dom Phillips, 57, and respected […]

Israel mainly to blame for conflict: UN report

Geneva, June 7 (AFP/APP): Israel’s occupation and discrimination against Palestinians are the main causes of the endless cycles of violence, UN investigators said Tuesday. A high-level team of investigators, appointed last year by the United Nations Human Rights Council to probe “all underlying root causes” […]

Sri Lanka needs $5 Bln in 6 months for essentials: PM Ranil Wickremesinghe

COLOMBO – June 7 (ONLINE) Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament Tuesday that country’s cash-strapped government will need at least $5 billion in the next six months to maintain basic standards of living, including some $3.3 billion for fuel imports. “Only establishing economic […]