Venezuelan officials meet US delegation, Maduro says

Handout picture released by the Venezuelan Presidency showing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaking upon his arrival at the Simon Bolivar international airport in La Guaira, Venezuela on June 18, 2022. (ZURIMAR CAMPOS / VENEZUELAN PRESIDENCY / AFP) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday that the country’s head of congress met a United States delegation […]

France asks citizens to wear masks again in public transport

French Health and Prevention Minister Brigitte Bourguignon receives a second booster vaccination dose against COVID-19 in a pharmacy in Paris, on June 23, 2022. (STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP) PARIS / LOS ANGELES / ADDIS ABABA – French people should start wearing masks again in crowded areas, especially in public transport, as France has to deal with […]

G7, NATO summits face deeper cracks despite projected unity

Police patrol outside the international media center during the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, June 26, 2022. (GUO CHEN / XINHUA) ELMAU, Germany – A series of major Western diplomatic gatherings began with the Group of Seven (G7) leaders' meeting in the German mountain resort of Schloss Elmau on Sunday, while thousands […]

G7 summit opens amid lower expectations, protests

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks next European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US President Joe Biden, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and European Council President Charles Michel during a press statement on the first day of the G7 leaders' summit held at Elmau Castle, […]

Protesters at US top court decry ruling overturning Roe v. Wade

People protest about abortion outside the Supreme Court in Washington on June 25, 2022. (STEVE HELBER / AP) WASHINGTON/JACKSON, Mississippi – Hundreds of protesters descended on the US Supreme Court on Saturday to denounce the justices' decision to overturn the half-century-old Roe v. Wade precedent that recognized women's constitutional right to abortion. The sweeping ruling […]

Russia takes full control of Severodonetsk

Smoke and dirt rise from the city of Severodonetsk in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas on June 17, 2022. (ARIS MESSINIS / AFP) BEIJING – The Russian military on Saturday announced full control of Severodonetsk, the administrative center of the Ukraine-controlled part of the eastern Lugansk region. With the support of Russian troops, the […]

G7 summit kicks off under shadow of Ukraine crisis

France's President Emmanuel Macron (left) and his wife Brigitte Macron (center) are greeted by Bavaria's State Premier Markus Soeder (right) and a Bavarian honor guard upon their arrival at the Franz Josef Strauss Airport in Munich, southern Germany on June 25, 2022, on the eve of the G7 summit. (CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP) SCHLOSS ELMAU, […]

WHO says monkeypox not yet a health emergency

In this photo provided by the Unidad de Microscopía Electrónica del ISCIII in Madrid, on May 26, 2022, an electronic microscope image shows the monkeypox virus seen by a team from the Arbovirus Laboratory and the Genomics and Bioinformatics Units of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) in Madrid. (UNIDAD DE MICROSCOPÍA ELECTRÓNICA DEL ISCIII, […]

US Congress sends gun bill to White House

A sales associate arranges guns on display at Burbank Ammo & Guns in Burbank, California, June 23, 2022. (JAE C. HONG  / AP) WASHINGTON – The US Congress sent a gun bill to the White House on Friday after the House of Representatives voted 234-193 to pass the legislation.  The bill, approved by the Senate the day […]

Two dead, 14 wounded in Norway nightclub shooting

OSLO – Two people were killed and 14 wounded on Saturday in a shooting at a nightclub and in nearby streets in Norway's capital Oslo, Norwegian police said. A suspect believed to be the sole perpetrator was apprehended, police told reporters. READ MORE: Norway mosque shooter gets 21 years for murder, anti-terrorism offence The crime scene […]

BA.5 becomes dominant COVID-19 variant in Germany

A health worker in a mobile test station takes a quick test for the COVID-19 on a man who stands outside in front of the wagon in Munich, southern Germany, on April 8, 2022, amid the pandemic. (CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP) ATHENS / BERLIN / ROME – The Omicron sub-lineage BA.5 became the dominant COVID-19 variant […]