http://www.laht.com Latin American Herald Tribune en-us Copyright 2005-2021 Latin American Herald Tribune http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502863&CategoryId=13002The Brazilian national soccer team romped to a 3-0 victory over Venezuela in the opening Group B match for the Copa America at the Mane Garrincha stadium in Brasilia on Sunday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502862&CategoryId=13002The Netherlands and Ukraine went head-to-head in their Group C Eurocup match on Sunday in a heart-stopping contest for all concerned, in particular the home crowd in the stands. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502861&CategoryId=13002The Austrian national soccer team notched on Sunday its first victory in a final phase of the Eurocup, downing North Macedonia 3-1 in their Group C opening match. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502860&CategoryId=36641Secretary of State Antony Blinken downplayed expectations on Sunday for the summit next week between President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, warning that the meeting will not ameliorate the multiple tensions in the US-Russian relationship overnight. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502859&CategoryId=12395The Israeli parliament approved on Sunday the new government made up of an eight-way coalition, a move that ousts Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502858&CategoryId=13002Novak Djokovic recovered on Sunday from a two-set deficit to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the French Open final, earning his second Roland Garros and 19th Grand Slam title. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502857&CategoryId=12395The G7 leaders criticized on Sunday China’s trade practices and human rights violations in the Xinjiang region in the final communique issued at their summit held in the United Kingdom. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502856&CategoryId=12395The United States will maintain its presence in Afghanistan after withdrawing its troops to help in the fight against violence and terrorism in Central Asia, US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad said on Sunday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502855&CategoryId=13002Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of the game as England won their opening Euro 2020 match against Croatia at Wembley on Sunday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502854&CategoryId=12395The world’s seven richest countries, G7, announced on Sunday an agreement to donate over a billion doses of the coronavirus vaccine to the developing countries. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502853&CategoryId=12395New Delhi will reopen restaurants, shops and malls from Monday amid declining coronavirus infection rates. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502852&CategoryId=12395Thousands of people gathered in Madrid on Sunday to protest against pardons the Spanish government is poised to grant to 12 Catalan separatist leaders serving sentences of between 9 and 13 years in prison for their roles in an independence referendum. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502851&CategoryId=12395Students clashed with security forces in Tunis on Saturday night over allegations of police brutality that has left two casualties in recent days. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502850&CategoryId=12395China warned on Sunday the leaders of the G7, a group of the world’s most developed countries, that the days when small groups of powerful nations could dictate global affairs were “long gone.” http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502849&CategoryId=12395The leaders of the G7 were tackling the climate crisis on Sunday, at the end of a three-day summit in Cornwall. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502848&CategoryId=13002Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen is stable in hospital and “has sent his greetings to his teammates,” the Danish Football Association said on Sunday morning. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502847&CategoryId=23558The Nicaraguan police said on Saturday night it had arrested opposition leader Daysi Tamara Davila Rivas under the accusation of “inciting foreign interference in internal affairs” and “requesting military interventions” against the government headed by Daniel Ortega. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502846&CategoryId=13002Kawhi Leonard and Paul George led the Los Angeles Clippers attack as they comprehensively defeat the Utah Jazz 132-106 in the third game of the Western Conference semifinal on Saturday and stay alive in the contest with a 2-1 result so far. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502845&CategoryId=14088Paraguay dropped on Saturday its COVID-19 vaccination eligibility to those 55 years and older, with thousands of citizens traveling by car and on foot to the 19 inoculation points throughout the country to receive their dose. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502844&CategoryId=14095Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori starred on Saturday in a protest rally in the historic center of Lima along with thousands of her supporters alleging fraud in last weekend’s polls, while expected winner Pedro Castillo called for people to remain calm and not to fall for “provocation.” http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502843&CategoryId=36641Vice President Kamala Harris made an unannounced appearance at Saturday’s LGBTQ+ pride event in Washington, where she advocated greater legal protections for transgender people in the United States. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502842&CategoryId=13002Romelu Lukaku scored twice to lead Belgium 3-0 over Russia on Saturday in the Euro 2020 opener for both teams. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502841&CategoryId=13002Finland made its debut in a major competition a game to remember, prevailing 1-0 on Saturday in a Euro 2020 match against a Denmark side with its collective mind on stricken teammate Christian Eriksen, whose collapse in the 41st minute forced the contest to be suspended for nearly two hours. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502840&CategoryId=13002Barbora Krejcikova clinched on Saturday her first singles Grand Slam title after defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 in the French Open women’s final in nearly three hours. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502839&CategoryId=13002Wales opened its Euro 2020 campaign with a hard fought 1-1 draw against Switzerland in Baku on Saturday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502838&CategoryId=12395Saudi Arabia will allow 60,000 vaccinated residents inside the kingdom to perform the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, deputy minister of pilgrimage Abdulfattah bin Salman Mashat announced on Saturday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502837&CategoryId=12395British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday the spread of the coronavirus Delta variant, first detected in India, was concerning, admitting that the government should be “cautious” in its final stages of reopening. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502836&CategoryId=12395At least seven people were killed and six others wounded in two explosions on minibuses in the west of the city of Kabul, a minority Shiite Hazara area. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502835&CategoryId=12395Africa exceeded 5 million coronavirus cases on Saturday amid a vaccine shortage as a third wave of infections hits the continent. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502834&CategoryId=12395Two police officers and two civilians were killed on Saturday in Indian-administered Kashmir after militants attacked a security forces convoy, police said. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502833&CategoryId=12395The leaders of the G7 were discussing on Saturday ways to prevent future epidemics, measures to strengthen the global economy and foreign policy challenges on the second day of a summit in Carbis Bay in Cornwall. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502832&CategoryId=12395Polling stations in Algeria opened their doors on Saturday for people to cast their votes in parliamentary elections amid heavy security measures. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502831&CategoryId=13002The organizers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games estimate that there will be about seven COVID-19 cases per day among people involved in the event, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Saturday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502830&CategoryId=14091A Mexican man died on Friday as he fell while trying to scale a border wall to cross into the state of Texas in the United States on Friday, according to the authorities in both countries. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502829&CategoryId=13002Sushil Kumar, the first Indian athlete to win two individual Olympic medals and to win a wrestling world championship, is a legend in India’s wrestling circles, but he has fallen from grace after being accused of murder. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502828&CategoryId=12395As an online petition grew against the making of a film focusing on the response of New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to the Christchurch terror attack, the leader said on Saturday hers was not the story to be told. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502827&CategoryId=12395North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called on the army to maintain a “high alert posture” to protect national interests in the face of the “recent fast-changing situation” on the peninsula, state media reported on Saturday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502826&CategoryId=14095Peru’s National Electoral Court (JNE) did a rapid about-face on Friday, dropping a plan to extend the deadline for challenges to last weekend’s presidential runoff after the campaign of the apparent winner denounced the move as an attempted coup. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502825&CategoryId=13002Serbian world No. 1 Novak Djokovic won a high-quality war of attrition against 13-time champion Rafael Nadal in the French Open semifinals, capturing a pivotal third-set tiebreaker before clinching a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory on Friday night by claiming the final six games of the match. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502824&CategoryId=13003Journalists’ efforts to report on the COVID-19 pandemic and the issue of police brutality in the United States – crystallized by the murder of George Floyd – garnered the top honors in the 2021 Pulitzer Prizes, announced on Friday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502823&CategoryId=13002Italy got its Euro 2020 campaign off to the best possible start with a 3-0 win on Friday against Turkey, which failed to put a single shot on target. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502822&CategoryId=14090Brazil, which boasts Latin America’s largest population and most important economy, will hold one of the non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council for the 2022-2023 term after a decade-long absence. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502821&CategoryId=13002Stefanos Tsitsipas achieved a career breakthrough on Friday at the French Open, outlasting Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3 to advance to his first Grand Slam final. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502820&CategoryId=13002Bolivian 12-year-old Gracce Flores has devoted half of her young life to the traditionally male sport of boxing, and the aspiring pugilist now is focused on becoming a professional and eventually a champion fighter. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502819&CategoryId=12395British Prime Minister Boris Johnson inaugurated on Friday the G7 summit in Cornwall, welcoming the heads of the wealthiest democracies and the European Union. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502818&CategoryId=14090Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest rose for the third consecutive month in May, government data showed on Friday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502817&CategoryId=13936Five wolverines of the endangered Mexican wolf species, until recently considered extinct in the wilderness, have increased hope in the animal’s prospect of survival. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502816&CategoryId=12395Germany will lift coronavirus travel restrictions for most countries from July 1, foreign minister Heiko Mass said on Friday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502815&CategoryId=13280The United States Embassy in Sri Lanka announced on Friday a financial aid of $100,000 for those affected by the sinking of a ship loaded with chemicals off the coast of the island country. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502814&CategoryId=12395For the first time in 20 years, the number of children in child labor has increased due to the coronavirus pandemic and its socio-economic impact, the European Commission said on Friday ahead of World Day Against Child Labor. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502813&CategoryId=12395The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, warned on Friday that Myanmar has degenerated into a humanitarian “catastrophe” with an escalation of violence in much of the country since the military coup d’etat on Feb. 1. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502812&CategoryId=12396Pakistan’s annual budget for the current fiscal year – starting July 1 – presented on Friday was $54.345 billion, which is 19 percent higher than last year, when it made an 11 percent cut due to the coronavirus crisis. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502811&CategoryId=12395Russia recorded 12,505 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, 12.5% more than the day before, and 396 new deaths, according to official figures. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502810&CategoryId=12395At least 20 people died and another 50 were injured as a speeding bus overturned in southeastern Pakistan on Friday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502809&CategoryId=12395The Virgen de Begoña church on the outskirts of Yan’an, built by Spanish Catholic Franciscans, was the unlikely headquarters of Chinese Communist Party Central Committee assemblies in 1938, a decisive moment of the war, according to Mao Zedong. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502808&CategoryId=13003A film project that extols the performance of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during the 2019 mosque attack, which killed 51 people, stirred up a controversy on Friday in the Oceanic country over a lack of sensitivity. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502807&CategoryId=13936Polynesians spotted Antarctica in the seventh century, more than 1,000 years before European explorers, a new study has found, lending credence to a known narrative on who was the first to see discover the icy continent. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502806&CategoryId=13002Spain’s national soccer team received on Friday their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine ahead of its first match at the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament on June 14. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502805&CategoryId=13002A decade after the purchase of Paris Saint-Germain by Qatari investors, the club of Neymar and Mbappe has become an economic lung for the capital and its surrounding region, breathing a €182.2-million impact into the economy in the 2018-2019 season, and helping create 2,150 jobs, according to a new study. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502804&CategoryId=12395The G7 Summit kicks off on Friday in Cornwall where G7 leaders will discuss climate change, recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and vaccines. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502803&CategoryId=12395Born as a boy in the old town of Dhaka, Ananya Banik stayed with her family until she turned 20 when she decided to live openly as transgender in the face of growing stigma and discrimination over her gender. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502802&CategoryId=13002Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points to take the Utah Jazz to a 117-111 win over the Los Angeles Clippers as well a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series at the Vivint Arena on Thursday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502801&CategoryId=13002TikTok – one of the world’s most downloaded apps – has partnered with UEFA Euro 2020 to engage young audiences in soccer and establish itself as the main platform for fans during the tournament. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502800&CategoryId=12395Japan approved a bill on Friday to revise the procedures for holding a national referendum for a speedy constitutional amendment that grants more powers to the armed forces and the government during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502799&CategoryId=12395Spanish society was shaken on Thursday evening after authorities discovered the body of a six-year-old girl in a sports bag at the bottom of the sea in Tenerife. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502798&CategoryId=14091Non-profit organization Familia Pasta de Conchos said on Thursday that the seventh and last of the bodies of the miners buried after a mine collapsed in the municipality of Muzquiz had been found. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502797&CategoryId=12395Myanmar’s military junta asked citizens on Friday to report the activities of the shadow National Unity Government (NUG), made up of opposition politicians and activists, as well as those of civilian defense forces. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502796&CategoryId=12396G7 leaders begin on Friday a three-day summit with COVID-19 and global economic recovery on the top of the agenda. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502795&CategoryId=13936A 360-degree panorama and a rover “selfie” are among color photographs taken on the surface of Mars released by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Friday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502794&CategoryId=12395Lee Jun-seok, 36, was elected on Friday as the new leader of the main opposition bloc in South Korea, the conservative People’s Power Party (PPP), becoming the youngest person to preside one of the two main political groups in the country. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502793&CategoryId=13002Forward Khris Middleton scored two shots with two seconds remaining and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets 86-83 on Thursday in the third game of the Eastern Conference semifinal tie. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502792&CategoryId=14092Private electricity company LUMA Energy, which took over power transmission and distribution in Puerto Rico on June 1, announced on Thursday that some 400,000 customers are still without electricity after a fire broke out at a substation in a town near capital San Juan. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502791&CategoryId=14091The government of the state of Puebla in central Mexico rescued on Thursday two dogs who had fallen into a huge sinkhole following a nationwide campaign that pressured the state’s governor, Miguel Barbosa, who initially ruled out saving them. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502790&CategoryId=13936A large wedge of rock that broke off a steep Himalayan ridge and took with it glacier ice that melted on its descent was the cause of the disaster that in February killed at least 45 people and left about 200 missing in the Uttarakhand region in India. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502789&CategoryId=14095In anticipation of the official confirmation of the Peruvian electoral authorities, the Latin American left celebrated on Thursday what it already considers a “triumph” for Pedro Castillo in the presidential runoff last weekend over the right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502788&CategoryId=23558Some 40 businesses on central El Salvador’s El Zonte beach have promoted a local exchange project with bitcoin as currency, consolidated by an anonymous donation and strengthened amid the COVID-19 pandemic. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502787&CategoryId=13002The Copa America will finally get under way this weekend in Brazil after the Supreme Court rejected on Thursday three lawsuits trying to prevent the South American soccer tourney due to the country’s sky-high COVID-19 infection rate. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502786&CategoryId=14095Leftist political neophyte Pedro Castillo maintains a narrow lead over Keiko Fujimori – the daughter of disgraced former President Alberto Fujimori – with just 0.7 percent of the votes from last weekend’s presidential runoff still to be counted, Peru’s ONPE electoral agency said on Thursday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502785&CategoryId=13002Barbora Krejcikova was one point away from defeat late in the third set against Maria Sakkari but managed to stay alive and then pull out an epic and highly entertaining 7-5, 4-6, 9-7 victory on Thursday to book her spot in the French Open final. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502784&CategoryId=36641Vice President Kamala Harris eased back on Thursday on the harsh message she sent to potential migrants during her trip earlier this week to Guatemala and Mexico, saying that she is “committed” to guaranteeing that the United States will be a “safe haven” for people seeking asylum. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502783&CategoryId=12395Fourteen Palestinians were arrested on Thursday when they gathered to protest a visit to East Jerusalem’s mainly Muslim Old City by the leader of Israel’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party, police said. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502782&CategoryId=14090The Brazilian Senate committee investigating the national government’s management of the coronavirus pandemic in the South American giant decided on Thursday to suspend the right to telephone and telematic privacy for two of President Jair Bolsonaro’s ex-Cabinet ministers. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502781&CategoryId=36641The hatred that motivated the mass shooting five years ago at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, also had unintended positive effects, serving to promote a deep sense of community in that city and bringing more visibility to the LGBTQ population and, in particular, its marginalized Hispanic members. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502780&CategoryId=12396Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Thursday that his government is committed to taking the steps needed to maintain the energy-rich country’s status as the largest economy in Central Asia. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502779&CategoryId=14091It’s possible that they don’t remember her, but all Mexicans at one time or another have seen Laura. Below and to the right, in a little box on their television screens, each morning she translates into sign language the remarks of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and often that is not an easy task. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502778&CategoryId=14091The wife of imprisoned Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” (Shorty) Guzman pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges of conspiring to introduce illegal drugs into the United States and engaging in money laundering. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502777&CategoryId=13002Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova advanced to her first French Open final and maiden championship match at a major tournament with a 7-5, 6-3 victory Thursday afternoon over Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502776&CategoryId=13936The first annular solar eclipse of the year only delighted the North Pole and certain areas of Canada and Russia with a view of the “ring of fire,” whereas other parts of the world had to settle for sights of a chipped sun, reminiscent of a crescent moon. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502775&CategoryId=12395United States President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed on Thursday a new version of the Atlantic Charter that cements trade, travel and technology ties between the two allies and includes a pledge to work together to tackle the world’s most pressing issues. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502774&CategoryId=12395Afghan and Pakistani clerics and political representatives condemned on Thursday extremist violence at the end of a meeting in the Saudi city of Mecca on the peace process in Afghanistan. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502773&CategoryId=12395A Latvian member of parliament and former interior minister had his parliamentary immunity lifted on Thursday shortly after he was charged with spying for Russia. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502772&CategoryId=12395Pakistani cleric Mufti Sardar Ali was arrested after the release of a video in which he threatens to kill Malala Yousafzai when the Nobel Peace laureate visits Pakistan, police officials said on Thursday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502771&CategoryId=12395Young men and women candidates running for Algeria’s upcoming legislative elections are considered an asset amid a predicted record low turnout. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502770&CategoryId=12395The Latvian government agreed on Thursday to reopen indoor service in bars and restaurants to fully vaccinated people or those who have recovered from the disease from June 15. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502769&CategoryId=12395Nine in 10 African countries are set to miss the target of vaccinating 10% of their population against COVID-19, as an aggressive third wave looms over the continent, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502768&CategoryId=13002UEFA has asked the Ukrainian national team to remove the nationalist slogan “Glory to the Heroes” from its Euro 2020 jersey due to its political nature, according to Russian news agencies. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502767&CategoryId=12395Hundreds of locals who have been employed by the NATO forces in Afghanistan urged United States President Joe Biden on Thursday to evacuate them to a third country to save from the Taliban as foreign forces prepare to pullout by September. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502766&CategoryId=13002A special operations center at Europol’s headquarters in The Hague will host some 40 liaison officers from 22 countries participating and hosting the UEFA Euro 2020 football championships that begin on Friday to coordinate public security issues surrounding the tournament, including terrorist and cyber threats. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502765&CategoryId=13936Shar Planina Mountain, which casts its shadow over the Polog valley in North Macedonia, could soon be breathing a long sigh of relief. After years of poaching, deforestation and construction in the area, it is poised to be granted the coveted “protected national park” status, which would significantly favor the country’s bid to join the EU. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502764&CategoryId=13936Sea ice in coastal regions of the Arctic may be thinning twice as fast as thought, a study by the European Space Agency warned on Thursday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502763&CategoryId=12396The government estimated on Thursday that the Pakistan economy grew by 3.9 percent in the current financial year ending June 30 after a 0.4 percent contraction due to the coronavirus pandemic. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502762&CategoryId=13002The Fundacion del Español Urgente (FundeuRAE) presented on Thursday its editing guidelines for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502761&CategoryId=12395COVID-19 vaccination rates in Europe are not enough to prevent a resurgence of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday, despite a recent drop in infections in the region. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502760&CategoryId=12396Greek unions held on Thursday the first general strike since the COVID-19 pandemic began, halting public transport and a large portion of state administration services to protest the new labor reform, which they say undermines workers’ rights. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502759&CategoryId=12395Pope Francis rejected on Thursday Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s resignation, although the Pontiff said he appreciated the Cardinal’s gesture and admitted that “the whole Church is in crisis” because of the sexual abuse of minors. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502758&CategoryId=12395Trafficking in synthetic drugs, mainly from Myanmar, increased last year in East and Southeast Asia despite the prevalence of COVID-19 restrictions, according to a report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released on Thursday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502757&CategoryId=13002Real Madrid’s new star David Alaba has opened the doors to his new restaurant in his native city Vienna. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502756&CategoryId=13003Banksy, genius or vandal? The question thrown at visitors by the new immersive exhibition on the urban artist inaugurated on Thursday in Brussels, which will guide its audience through an interactive expo to understand his craft. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502755&CategoryId=12395The National People’s Congress (NPC or the parliament) of China passed on Thursday a law to counter foreign sanctions in order to supposedly safeguard its national sovereignty, dignity and fundamental interests, according to official media reports. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502754&CategoryId=12395The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday it was necessary to know the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, joining the United States’ call for a new World Health Organization investigation. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502753&CategoryId=12395India added a record of more than 6,100 daily COVID-19 deaths on Thursday after the eastern state of Bihar revised its figures to include previous fatalities from the disease. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502752&CategoryId=12395At least 11 people died when a residential building collapsed on another in Mumbai after heavy monsoon rains lashed the financial capital of India, officials said on Thursday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502751&CategoryId=12395One of the lawyers of the ousted Myanmar leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, described on Thursday as “absurd” the latest corruption charges levelled by the military junta against the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502750&CategoryId=12395From the second semester of this year, foreign students will return to universities in Australia’s state of New South Wales, thanks to a pilot program authorities presented on Thursday to reactivate this important economic sector. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502749&CategoryId=12396China and the United States held on Thursday the third round of talks on trade issues in the last two weeks, the Chinese commerce ministry announced. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502748&CategoryId=10717Venezuela’s Maduro regime has been claiming that the reason it has no diesel is because of US sanctions. Instead, PDVSA documents and shipping bills of lading uncovered by Caracas Capital show that the real reason is that the Maduro regime ships one-third of its diesel to Cuba. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502747&CategoryId=14095Keiko Fujimori raised election tensions in Peru on Wednesday by calling for the annulment of some 200,000 votes in regions that overwhelmingly support her opponent, Pedro Castillo, with barely 1 percent of the votes from Sunday’s presidential elections left to be counted. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502746&CategoryId=13003The Tribeca Film Festival, the first major in-person film festival to be held in North America since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, began 12 days of screenings and events on Wednesday with the highly anticipated world premiere of “In The Heights” in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502745&CategoryId=12395Candidate Ukhnaa Khurelsukh won Mongolia’s presidential elections with 67.9 percent of the votes, according to preliminary results reported on Thursday by Mongolian state news agency Montsame. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502744&CategoryId=12395Myanmar’s military junta has asked Doctors Without Borders to suspend all its activities in the city of Dawei, where security forces have violently repressed dissenters, putting more than 2,000 people with HIV at risk, the humanitarian organization reported on Thursday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502743&CategoryId=12395Russia outlawed several organizations on Wednesday associated with opposition leader Alexei Navalny, including his political movement, declaring them “extremist” and preventing members and followers from holding government jobs, including presidential. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502742&CategoryId=13002Top-ranked Novak Djokovic and 13-time champion Rafael Nadal have been on a collision course for days and on Wednesday booked yet another late-round Grand Slam clash with four-set French Open quarterfinal victories. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502741&CategoryId=13936Skipper basks in the sun and Grande takes a leisurely bath while Kowalski begins to flap his wings energetically when he realizes that a keeper is bringing in a bucket full of sardines and anchovies. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502740&CategoryId=23558The Tolupan tribe’s demand that their ancestral rights be respected since 1990 has cost the lives of more than 10 of its leaders in the northern Honduran town of San Francisco Locomapa. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502739&CategoryId=13002The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) is confident that thanks to progress in taming COVID-19, authorities will allow unrestricted attendance at matches during the July 2-Aug. 1 Gold Cup tournament, Concacaf’s chief commercial officer said on Wednesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502738&CategoryId=36641US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the world is at an historic inflection point where democracies must prevail against authoritarianism. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502737&CategoryId=14093Argentine President Alberto Fernandez and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on Wednesday for COVID-19 vaccine patent protections to be waived so those life-saving jabs can be more quickly distributed to people in poorer countries. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502736&CategoryId=13002Botswana’s Ross Branch (Monster Energy Yamaha) is atop the motorcycle category after Wednesday’s first official stage of the 2021 Rally Kazakhstan, ahead of Austrian Matthias Walkner (KTM) and Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) of the United States. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502735&CategoryId=13002AmBev, the Brazilian affiliate of Belgian multinational AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, announced on Wednesday that it will not exhibit its logos or sell its products at the Copa America to be held in Brazil starting next week with the coronavirus pandemic out of control in the South American giant. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502734&CategoryId=14091Another body has been found at the coal mine in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila where seven men were trapped last week by flooding, bringing the confirmed death toll to five, a miners’ rights group said on Wednesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502733&CategoryId=13003Latina actresses Rachelle Vinberg and Ajani Russell will once again star in the second season of “Betty,” the refreshing HBO series about a group of “skater” girls who range through the streets of New York on their skateboards as they grapple with the transition to adulthood. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502732&CategoryId=13003The King of Spain International Journalism Prizes recognized on Wednesday important coverage of social movements across Latin America as well as persistent inequality and human rights issues within the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502731&CategoryId=13002Real Mallorca’s sponsorship strategy during the pandemic combined offering new opportunities via digital platforms and cultivating the image of a Champions League side, the club’s CEO of Business said on Wednesday at the Soccerex forum. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502730&CategoryId=12396President Joe Biden rescinded on Wednesday the executive orders issued last year by predecessor Donald Trump banning Chinese-owned computer apps TikTok and WeChat from operating in the United States. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502729&CategoryId=13002UEFA announced on Wednesday it will temporarily suspend the disciplinary proceedings it opened against FC Barcelona, Juventus FC and Real Madrid CF for their involvement in the Super League project. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502728&CategoryId=10717The number two man in the Nicolás Maduro regime, Diosdado Cabello, is being investigated by Venezuela’s electoral authority (CNE) for making unfair use of television time to promote candidates for upcoming elections inside the ruling party PSUV, the agency’s vice president announced on Tuesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502727&CategoryId=12395The availability of illegal drugs in the European Union is higher than it has ever been, as traffickers have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502726&CategoryId=13002Italian manager Maurizio Sarri was confirmed as the new manager of SS Lazio on Wednesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502725&CategoryId=13002From reigning in the Premier League and maximizing his potential as Belgium’s lynchpin at the 2018 World Cup, Eden Hazard has seen the dream of playing for Real Madrid turn into a nightmare plagued by injuries, relapses and a performance far from his lofty standards. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502724&CategoryId=13002Former France international Thierry Henry rejoined Belgium national team on Wednesday as an assistant to coach Roberto Martinez. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502723&CategoryId=12395The Afghan health ministry warned on Wednesday that the country could face its “worst” month ahead as COVID-19 cases and deaths were rising every day amid the third wave of the pandemic. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502722&CategoryId=10717The health minister for the Nicolás Maduro regime, Carlos Alvarado, told local health authorities that Venezuela’s patients that have received the first dose of Russian anti-COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V will have to wait 90 days for a second shot, as vaccine rollout in the humanitarian-crisis stricken nation continues to be problematic. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502721&CategoryId=12396Tensions sizzled in a row dubbed the “sausage war” by British media on Wednesday after the United Kingdom and the European Union failed to agree on solutions to ease post-Brexit trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502720&CategoryId=13002Polish defending champion Iga Swiatek became the latest upset victim in the French Open women’s singles, falling to Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday in the quarterfinal stage. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502719&CategoryId=12395France reopened its borders for tourists on Wednesday and initiated a new stage of lockdown easing, including allowing restaurants and cafes to serve customers indoors. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502718&CategoryId=13003The 71st Berlin International Film Festival summer special is due to open on Wednesday at an open-air cinema, months after Romania’s Radu Jude won the Golden Bear for Best film with Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502717&CategoryId=12396Some of the world’s richest billionaires including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Bill Gates pay almost no income tax, a report by ProPublica published on Wednesday claimed. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502716&CategoryId=13936A first-ever video showing around 30 humpback whales creating bubbles to feed in Australian waters has become an important graphic document which is being studied by scientists to develop a better understanding of the species. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502715&CategoryId=12395Ten million anti-coronavirus vaccine doses have so far been administered in Pakistan, authorities said on Wednesday, making immunization mandatory for government and private sector employees. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502714&CategoryId=13003After eight years of work, the restoration of the New Sacristy of the Medici Chapels, designed and conceived by Michelangelo and located in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence, is complete, thanks to a team of women using an innovative bio-cleaning technique with colonies of bacteria to remove accumulated dirt, shedding a new light on one of Michelangelo’s masterpieces. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502713&CategoryId=13003French writer and journalist Emmanuel Carrere, widely considered one of the masters of non-fiction, won on Wednesday Spain’s prestigious Princess of Asturias Award for Literature. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502712&CategoryId=13936A DNA testing toolkit is saving the lives of endangered species such as sharks, turtles and eels vulnerable to illegal trafficking. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502711&CategoryId=12395The European Union has proved it is possible to vaccinate its population and make COVID-19 vaccines produced in the bloc available for exports, the European Commission president said on Wednesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502710&CategoryId=12395Two police officers were shot dead on Wednesday for providing security to a polio vaccination team in Pakistan, the only country apart from Afghanistan where the disease continues to be endemic and where vaccination officials face constant threats from fundamentalist groups. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502709&CategoryId=13936Chinese tech firm Huawei opened on Wednesday a cyber security and privacy protection center in the southern city of Dongguan in an attempt to provide guarantees and transparency in the digital world. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502708&CategoryId=12396The union of street sellers of Barcelona, known as “manteros” after the blanket (manta) they set their typically counterfeit goods on top of, has launched its own brand of trainers. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502707&CategoryId=12395Japan has revised its goal to inoculate the entire population from February 2022 to November this year, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga indicated on Wednesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502706&CategoryId=12395The leader of the Belarusian opposition in exile, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, called on Wednesday for an international investigation into the alleged crimes committed by the regime of authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502705&CategoryId=13002Republic of Ireland head coach Stephen Kenny has criticized Hungary fans who booed his team as they took a knee ahead of Tuesday’s goalless friendly in Budapest. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502704&CategoryId=12395Vietnam, which is currently witnessing its worst COVID-19 outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic, is raising donation for a public fund to overcome delays in its vaccination drive, with people and companies donating over $180 million in the first two weeks of the initiative. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502703&CategoryId=12395Belgium moved closer to normality on Wednesday by lifting the obligation to wear face masks in Brussels, as well as allowing bars and restaurants to serve indoors and extend opening hours. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502702&CategoryId=12395The European Parliament approved on Wednesday the EU Digital COVID Certificate to facilitate safe free travel movement of citizens in the EU during the coronavirus pandemic. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502701&CategoryId=13002A second positive COVID-19 case among Spain’s players has added to the team’s woes just days before the Euro 2020 kicks off. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502700&CategoryId=13002Donovan Mitchell came to the rescue of the Utah Jazz, scoring 45 points against the Los Angeles Clippers to seal a 112-109 victory in the first game of the Western Conference semifinals at the Salt Lake City’s Vivint Arena on Tuesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502699&CategoryId=12395Recent clashes between the Myanmar military and rebel groups have displaced some 100,000 people from their homes in the eastern Karenni (Kayah) state, the United Nations in Myanmar said. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502698&CategoryId=12395An overnight militant attack has killed at least 10 Afghan civilians who worked for a land mine clearance project in the volatile northern province of Baghlan, an official said on Wednesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502697&CategoryId=12395Around 800 soldiers, including some of high rank, have deserted the Myanmar army since the Feb. 1 coup and most of them have joined the resistance against the military junta, according to a former captain. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502696&CategoryId=12395India crossed on Wednesday 29 million COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic, after recording fewer than 100,000 daily cases for the second consecutive day. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502695&CategoryId=12395Mongolians were voting on Wednesday in a presidential election that will mark a leadership change amid the coronavirus pandemic, which left 1,312 new infections and six more deaths on Tuesday in the country, according to state news agency Montsame. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502694&CategoryId=12395South Korea’s Defense Minister Suh Wook publicly apologized on Wednesday over the recent suicide death of a female noncommissioned officer after being sexually harassed by a colleague, a case the armed forces allegedly tried to cover up. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502693&CategoryId=12396China’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), the main indicator of inflation, grew by 1.3 percent year-on-year in May, according to data published on Wednesday by the National Statistics Office. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502692&CategoryId=12395More than 5 million residents in Melbourne, Australia’s second most populated city, will emerge at the end of the week from a two-week lockdown imposed due to a COVID-19 outbreak after only one local infection was reported on Wednesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502691&CategoryId=12396The United States Senate approved on Tuesday a bill with an expected expenditure of close to $250 billion that aims to increase national competitiveness to face China’s industrial and military power. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502690&CategoryId=12393The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights began on Tuesday its review of the situation in Colombia after a month and a half of protests marked by serious complaints against the public force, vandalism and delicate acts of violence between armed civilians and police. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502689&CategoryId=14091US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Tuesday that her country and Mexico are entering a “new era” after meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his cabinet in Mexico City. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502688&CategoryId=13002Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas have been in sublime form at this year’s French Open and on Tuesday they booked their places in the tournament’s semifinal stage. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502687&CategoryId=12393In a risky attempt to revive the economy amid the worst spike in COVID-19 infections and deaths, Bogota and Medellin – among other Colombian cities – lifted restrictions on Tuesday on sectors closed since the start of the pandemic, including evening leisure activities and certain in-person sports events. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502686&CategoryId=14095Leftist Pedro Castillo is holding a 78,737-vote lead over his rightist rival, Keiko Fujimori, in Peru’s runoff presidential election with 97.28 percent of the ballots counted. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502685&CategoryId=13002Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek and Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova have defied the odds and now are the only players left in the bottom half of the French Open women’s singles draw. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502684&CategoryId=14093The city of Buenos Aires began on Tuesday the process of vaccinating all residents over age 50 by allowing interested persons to register and request an appointment to get the first dose of the two-dose series, Buenos Aires Health Minister Fernan Quiros said. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502683&CategoryId=13002Bologna midfielder Mattias Svanberg has tested positive for coronavirus, the Swedish Football Federation said on Tuesday, hours after it had announced that Juventus forward Dejan Kulusevski had also been infected. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502682&CategoryId=13936Cuba was home to the world’s largest private primate sanctuary and research center during the first half of the 20th century due to the unconventional lifestyle of philanthropist and amateur scientist Rosalia Abreu. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502681&CategoryId=13002Congolese soccer player Silas Wamangituka has been playing for German club VFB Stuttgart under a false identity for two years, the club announced on Tuesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502680&CategoryId=12395The United Nations Security Council recommended on Tuesday the reelection of Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the international institution. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502679&CategoryId=13003In a modest parlor in one of Sao Paulo’s busiest streets is Gato Sem Rabo, a bookstore selling books written by women. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502678&CategoryId=12395A United Nations court upheld on Tuesday the life sentence for former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Bosnian War. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502677&CategoryId=12395An alleged mock drill to snap medical oxygen supply for patients at a private hospital in India at the peak of the devastating second COVID-19 wave in April triggered an online outrage and the closure of the health facility on Tuesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502676&CategoryId=13003Tokyo-based Spanish artist Carolina Ceca presented on Tuesday her new work Intangible, which explores the mysteries of life through the medium of video art and the Japanese contemporary dance style butoh. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502675&CategoryId=13936A South African woman claims to have given birth to 10 babies late Monday, breaking the world record for the most children delivered at a single birth to survive. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502674&CategoryId=13936The Sri Lankan government is probing a possible marine disaster, including deaths of some marine animals, due to a sunken cargo vessel after animal carcasses washed ashore following the shipwreck, officials said on Tuesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502673&CategoryId=13936Rising global temperatures caused by the climate crisis are turning the Mediterranean into a tropical sea, warned on Tuesday the Italian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature, who said that nearly 1,000 exotic species have adapted to live in its waters, replacing endemic species. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502672&CategoryId=12395Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan denounced on Tuesday “growing Islamophobia” in the West after four members of a Pakistani-origin Muslim family were killed in Canada. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502671&CategoryId=12395Areas of England worst hit by a recent surge of COVID-19 Delta variant infections will receive a strengthened support package, which includes boosting testing capacity, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Tuesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502670&CategoryId=12395French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face by a member of the public on Tuesday during a visit to a town in the southeast of the country. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502669&CategoryId=13003The Prado Museum in Madrid showcased on Tuesday “Goddess Juno,” a rare mythological artwork by Spanish painter Alonso Cano. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502668&CategoryId=13936The global network is back online after an outage that affected major websites including Amazon, Reddit and the UK government, cloud computing provider Fastly said on Tuesday in a statement. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502667&CategoryId=13002Kylian Mbappe exudes freshness and nostalgia alike, combining improvised bursts of his unique speed and imagination with moves that could only be contemplated by legendary players of old. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502666&CategoryId=12395Israeli lawmakers are due to vote on June 13 on a new government aiming to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time in over a decade, the Knesset speaker Yariv Levin said on Tuesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502665&CategoryId=13002The foreign minister of Myanmar’s military junta, Wunna Maung Lwin, presented a road-map of the military to restore a “true” and “disciplined” democracy as a solution for the country’s political crisis during a meeting with his Southeast Asian and Chinese counterparts, official media reported on Tuesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502664&CategoryId=13002Following one of the toughest years of his career with an underperforming Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo heads to Euro 2020 looking to burst out of his cage and defend the title Portugal claimed at the last tournament in 2016. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502663&CategoryId=12395Some 800 alleged criminals were arrested in the biggest law enforcement operation against encrypted communication after being tricked into using an FBI messaging app, Europol said on Tuesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502662&CategoryId=13003UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors including David Bekham, Billie Eilish, Fernando Alonso, Orlando Bloom and Sergio Ramos urged G7 countries on Tuesday to commit to donating doses of COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries with immediate effect. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502661&CategoryId=12395India crossed on Tuesday 350,000 coronavirus deaths, while registering less than 100,000 daily infections for the first time in more than two months. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502660&CategoryId=13002Japan said on Tuesday that it considers another postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to be impractical due to the difficulty in securing the reservation of sports venues and accommodation for participants. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502659&CategoryId=12395An apparent candid remark by Pakistani Noble Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai questioning the need to get married has triggered a storm in the country. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502658&CategoryId=13002Kevin Durant powered the Brooklyn Nets to a 125-86 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, resulting in a 2-0 advantage for the New York team in the best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference playoffs. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502657&CategoryId=12396The Japanese government revised on Tuesday the contraction of the gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter of 2021 to 1 percent, 0.3 percent less than the preliminary data published in May. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502656&CategoryId=12395The Myanmar Red Cross warned on Tuesday that there are 236,000 people who need urgent help throughout the country and the organization is to ramp up its humanitarian response to the growing crisis unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic and aggravated by the military coup. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502655&CategoryId=12395The number of deaths in the collision of two trains in southern Pakistan increased on Tuesday to 62, while 28 people remain hospitalized, six of them in a serious condition. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502654&CategoryId=12395More than 250 people were arrested in an international operation against criminal organizations engaged in drug trafficking, murder and other crimes, the Australian and New Zealand police announced on Tuesday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502653&CategoryId=12395China said on Tuesday it supports the mediating role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to end the crisis in Myanmar as the military junta seeks to gain external legitimacy and strengthen its position. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502652&CategoryId=14095Peruvian presidential candidate Pedro Castillo affirmed on Monday that he will be “the first to enforce the will of the Peruvian people” and called for calm after his rival Keiko Fujimori made claims of electoral fraud in weekend’s runoff. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502651&CategoryId=12395Cyberattacks against allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is one of the priorities to be addressed at a summit next week in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Washington on Monday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502650&CategoryId=10717US says Nicolás Maduro’s COVID-19 vaccination plan is “not transparent” and highly political. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502649&CategoryId=13303Latin American genius Carlos Alberto Montaner on how Daniel Ortega acted when he was told Cristiana Chamorro was leading the surveys for Nicaragua’s presidential elections. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502648&CategoryId=13303Former Venezuelan Minister of Ministers Beatrice Rangel on the historic agreement reached by the G7 to tax the world’s leading multinationals. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502647&CategoryId=14919Lines, crowds and complaints at the doors of health centers in the main Bolivian cities marked the continuation of mass vaccination on Monday, which is being carried out amid an escalation of third wave COVID-19 infections. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502646&CategoryId=14090The government of Brazil authorized on Monday the dispatch of officers of the National Force, an elite body of the police, to reinforce security in the state of Amazonas, which is experiencing a wave of attacks by criminal groups. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502645&CategoryId=23558A Salvadoran woman serving a 30-year prison term for allegedly aborting the fetus she was carrying was released on Monday after the Attorney General’s Office decided not to overturn the conditional release granted her by a court. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502644&CategoryId=13002Both of the 2020 French Open men’s finalists, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, won their matches on Monday to reach the quarterfinals, but the Spaniard had an easier time of it. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502643&CategoryId=23558US Vice President Kamala Harris held on Monday a series of meetings in Guatemala seeking solutions to irregular migration, which has been on the rise in recent months, in an effort to mitigate the “impact” that this illegal people flow has on the United States. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502642&CategoryId=14095Leftist candidate Pedro Castillo took a slight lead on Monday over right-winger Keiko Fujimori, daughter of jailed former President Alberto Fujimori, as ballots were tabulated from Peru’s presidential runoff. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502641&CategoryId=13936Apple unveiled on Monday its new iOS 15 operating system for iPhones for which it has updated its FaceTime videocalling service to make it accessible for Android and Windows users, like Zoom, the most popular platform of this kind since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502640&CategoryId=13936The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of Aduhelm, a new medication for the direct treatment of Alzheimer’s, the first to directly treat the underlying pathology of this disease. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502639&CategoryId=12395At least 17 people died on Monday in a fire at a chemical factory in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, officials said. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502638&CategoryId=14094Little did daycare worker Giovanna Grandon know in October 2019 when she donned her son’s old costume of a Pokémon character to join an anti-government protest in Santiago that it was the start of a journey leading to her election as a delegate to Chile’s upcoming constitutional convention. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502637&CategoryId=12395The European Parliament’s Strasbourg headquarters opened its doors for a plenary session after being closed for 15 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502636&CategoryId=13003New York City is planning a mega-concert at Central Park to celebrate the city’s post-pandemic reopening. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502635&CategoryId=13002Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro denied on Monday that he is calling for Tite to be dismissed amid reports the national soccer team coach is allegedly refusing to take part in the Copa America, which is due to kick off next week in Brazil. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502634&CategoryId=12395The leader of Israel’s centrist opposition Yair Lapid called on Monday on all Israelis, including supporters of Benjamin Netanyahu, to back his so-called government of change. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502633&CategoryId=12395Colonel Assimi Goita, who led the May 24 mutiny in Mali, was sworn in as president in Bamako on Monday, and promised to respect the 18-months transition period agreed in August. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502632&CategoryId=13936The coronavirus variant first detected in India, dubbed the Delta strain, is up to 50% more transmissible than the Alpha variant detected in the United Kingdom and could be a driving force behind the rapid second COVID-19 wave in the South Asian country, according to a preliminary government study by the Indian government. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502631&CategoryId=14091President Andres Manuel Obrador said on Monday that the outcome of mid-term elections in which his leftist Morena party lost ground while retaining its majority in the lower house of Mexico’s Congress will allow him to advance his agenda. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502630&CategoryId=12395Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) fought off a challenge from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) after winning state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, seen as a litmus test for the country’s general election in September. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502629&CategoryId=12395Hearings for the MH17 trial will commence in the coming week with the objective of shedding light on three unresolved questions concerning the Malaysia Airlines flight shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502628&CategoryId=12395China and the ASEAN members have agreed to promote political dialog in Myanmar, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday, amid a popular uprising against military rulers following the Feb. 1 coup. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502627&CategoryId=13280Iran has failed to explain the presence of uranium particles that were found by international inspectors at several locations across the country, the chief of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said on Monday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502626&CategoryId=13936Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will travel to space with his brother on the first human flight launched by his company Blue Origin. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502625&CategoryId=12396A Seoul court dismissed on Monday a lawsuit filed by 85 South Korean citizens demanding compensation for their slave labor during World War II to 16 Japanese companies. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502624&CategoryId=12395The devastating second wave of COVID-19 has snatched away the only breadwinners of various families in India, orphaning thousands of children who now stare at an uncertain future. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502623&CategoryId=13003The immersive, world renowned Vincent Van Gogh exhibitions, in which the Dutch impressionist master’s popular paintings are brought to life through enormous projections on huge walls, have landed in New York, where two different companies are battling it out to attract the wave of tourists expected to return to the Big Apple this summer. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502622&CategoryId=12395The terrorist regime led by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko must be stopped, the leader of the Lithuania-based Belarusian opposition Svetlana Tikhanovskaya urged on Monday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502621&CategoryId=12395Tens of thousands of British tourists have flocked to Portugal’s airports to return home before quarantine rules are re-imposed in the United Kingdom after the government removed the popular tourist destination from its safe travel list. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502620&CategoryId=12395At least 40 people died and 100 were injured as two trains collided in southern Pakistan, official sources said. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502619&CategoryId=12395The European Union and countries including the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Norway continued to obstruct talks at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on a possible waiver for intellectual property and patent rights on COVID-19 vaccines, an international aid group denounced on Monday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502618&CategoryId=13002The positive COVID-19 result of Spain midfielder Sergio Busquets has plunged the national team into a state of uncertainty just days before Euro 2020 is due to kick off, dredging up uncomfortable memories of the 2018 Russia World Cup and the untimely departure of then-manager Julen Lopetegui. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502617&CategoryId=12395The Taliban promised on Monday to not attack Afghan interpreters and other citizens who had offered their services to the foreign military forces once the United States and NATO complete their withdrawal from the country by Sept. 11. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502616&CategoryId=13936Magawa the live-saving giant rat is retiring after an “illustrious” five-year career in Cambodia, where he has sniffed out 71 mines and 38 unexploded bombs in one of the most explosives-littered countries in the world. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502615&CategoryId=12395Vaccinated travelers from outside the European Union’s free-travel area can enter Spain with no restrictions from Monday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502614&CategoryId=12395The Taliban captured two more districts in the last 24 hours in northwestern Afghanistan, taking the number of fallen districts to 11 in the last one month as foreign forces began their withdrawal from the country. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502613&CategoryId=12395At least 16 people have died in monsoon-triggered floods and landslides that forced thousands out of their homes in Sri Lanka, officials said on Monday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502612&CategoryId=14091Sunday’s midterm legislative and local elections in Mexico were seen as a referendum on President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whose party managed to retain its majority in the lower house, although it will have to depend much more on its allies. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502611&CategoryId=12395Thailand kicked off on Monday its mass vaccination campaign for the general population with the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine amid criticism and growing distrust of the government’s handling of the program. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502610&CategoryId=12395India recorded on Monday a little over 100,000 coronavirus infections, the lowest in 61 days, taking the total confirmed cases to 28.9 million since the start of the pandemic, according to health ministry data. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502609&CategoryId=12395Bangladesh authorities forced Rohingya refugees to relocate to a remote island without adequate facilities, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Monday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502608&CategoryId=12395Taiwan extended on Monday its Level 3 national health alert for another two weeks until June 28, since the COVID-19 outbreak that has hit the island has not yet shown any signs of improvement. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502607&CategoryId=13002Some 3,500 people registered in several Japanese cities as volunteers for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games have quit, public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502606&CategoryId=14095Peru closed out on Sunday its most polarized electoral contest in its democratic history with a result margin so narrow that a winner between Pedro Castillo (left) and Keiko Fujimori (right) cannot yet be announced, paving way for a long and stormy vote count that could last several days. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2502605&CategoryId=12395A group of 230 former world leaders, including 100 former prime ministers, presidents and foreign ministers, have urged G7 countries to finance COVID-19 vaccinations in poorer countries.