Five patients have recovered from a rare type of Ebola virus, the head of the World Health Organization said Sunday during a visit to Bunia in eastern Congo, a city at the heart of an outbreak. “Four people will be discharged today and there was one that was discharged the day before yesterday,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during the opening of a new Ebola treatment center in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province. “Of course, we’re still working on vaccines and treatments but that doesn’t mean that people cannot recover from Ebola,” he added. The WHO said Friday...
Ukraine Hits Russian Energy Targets And Denies Striking Kremlin-Occupied Nuclear Plant
Kyiv on Sunday launched new strikes overnight on Russian energy sites. It has also denied Moscow’s claims that a Ukrainian drone struck the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Ukraine’s General Staff said Ukrainian drones struck the Saratov oil refinery in southwestern Russia, causing a large-scale fire. It claimed the refinery has been supplying Moscow’s war effort. The refinery belongs to Russia’s state oil enterprise, Rosneft. Local Russian Gov. Roman Busargin said Ukrainian drones had damaged civilian infrastructure, but did not give details. Astra, an independent Russian news channel, said an oil refinery was on fire in the city of Saratov. Ukraine...
Scotland’s Former Leader Rejects Blame For Estranged Husband’s Embezzlement Of Party Funds
Scotland’s former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon defiantly rejected any blame Sunday for her estranged husband’s embezzlement of Scottish National Party funds, saying she wouldn’t apologize for his crimes. Sturgeon told the BBC that she felt betrayed by the actions of her husband, Peter Murrell, who last week pleaded guilty to stealing more than 400,000 pounds ($540,000) from the SNP to fund a lavish lifestyle when he was the party’s chief executive. She consistently denied having any knowledge of his crimes. “I am not responsible for the crimes that my former husband committed,’’ she told the BBC. “I’m not going to...
Rescuers Search For Alternative Route To Reach 2 Missing In A Flooded Laos Cave
Rescue workers in Laos searched Monday for an alternative passage into a flooded cave where two people are believed to have been trapped for nearly two weeks after heavy rainfall flooded the main entrance, making it impassable. The two people remain unaccounted for since a search and rescue operation began last month in a rugged area of Xaisomboun province, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Vientiane. Five of the seven people initially trapped inside the cave have been rescued. Malaysian diver Lee Kian Lie, who is involved in the operation, said workers were pumping water out of...
Philippine Senator Charged With Plunder Says He Will Surrender
A Philippine senator said he will surrender to authorities after a special anti-graft court ordered his arrest on Monday on a non-bailable charge of plunder after he allegedly pocketed a huge kickback in a flood-control project in the latest crisis to hit the upper chamber. The special Sandiganbayan anti-graft court had initially issued a warrant for Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s arrest Friday on a graft charge that was bailable. He then surrendered and was released on bail and again denied any wrongdoing. Estrada, 63, has strongly denied allegations mainly by a former government public works engineer that he received more than...
Malaysia Enforces Ban On Social Media Accounts For Children Younger Than 16
Malaysia on Monday began enforcing rules barring millions of children younger than 16 from owning social media accounts, joining a global effort to tighten online safety protections for young users. The rules require social media platforms to implement age-verification systems and block users under 16 from creating accounts. They apply to platforms with at least 8 million users, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Companies that fail to comply could face penalties of up to 10 million ringgit ($2.5 million). But parents whose children manage to bypass the law will not be penalized. The government said the measures are aimed...
Macron Says French Navy, Backed By The UK, Intercepted A Sanctioned Tanker From Russia
The French Navy, with support from the United Kingdom, has intercepted an oil tanker under international sanctions that was traveling from Russia, the latest effort by nations that support Ukraine to target Russian oil exports helping to finance President Vladimir Putin’s war. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the interception in a post Monday on X, saying the Tagor was boarded on Sunday in the Atlantic. The post included a video showing a person rappelling from a helicopter onto a ship. “It is unacceptable that boats skirt international sanctions, violate the law of the sea and finance the war that Russia...
Lawyer Of Australian Woman Accused Of Joining Islamic State Group, Claims She Has Renounced Jihad.
An Australian woman charged with joining the Islamic State group expressed views supporting terrorist acts and killing of non-believers, attempted to indoctrinate her children and recruited others to join her in Syria, according to allegations made in court Monday. A defense lawyer for Rayann El Houli said expert evidence would be produced in court that her views had changed. “She renounces ISIS and violent jihad,” Peter Morrissey said, using an acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. “She wants nothing to do with it: not now directly or indirectly. Not in the future. Not for herself. Not for...
Judge To Decide If A Key Hearing For The Man Accused Of Killing Charlie Kirk Will Be Public
A Utah judge is set to decide Monday whether to bar reporters and the public from parts of a key upcoming hearing in the case of the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk. Tyler Robinson’s defense has asked Judge Tony Graf to restrict access to the preliminary hearing on July 6-10, when prosecutors must show they have enough evidence to warrant a trial. It will mark the most significant presentation of evidence to date in a case that has so far focused on matters of media access. Defense attorneys also have requested to seal dozens of exhibits that prosecutors plan...