Your trusted source

Iran and Venezuela signed a 20-year deal on cooperation between the two allies subject to US sanctions during a visit Saturday to the Islamic republic by Venezuela's President Nicholas Maduro. The inking of the agreement "shows the determination of the high-level officials of the two countries for development of relations in different fields," Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said.

Source: france24.com

Indian police shot dead two protesters and arrested more than 130 others during street rallies sparked by a ruling party official's remarks about the Prophet Mohammed, authorities told AFP Saturday. There have been widespread protests in the Muslim world since last week, when a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party commented on the relationship between the prophet and his youngest wife on a TV debate show.

Source: france24.com

Kylian Mbappé struck a late equaliser to help the Nations League holders, France, salvage a 1-1 draw against Austria in Vienna. The Paris Saint-Germain forward, who came on as a substitute after the break, found the back of the net with seven minutes to go, cancelling out Andreas Weimann’s opener for the hosts. The world champions are bottom of Group A1 with two points from three games – four behind the leaders, Denmark, who lost 1-0 at home to Croatia.

Source: theguardian.com

North Korea has appointed veteran diplomat Choe Son-hui as its first female foreign minister, state media reported Saturday, as Pyongyang pushes ahead with a blitz of sanctions-busting weapons tests and ignores US calls for talks. Choe, who formerly served as the North's vice foreign minister, was tapped to lead the foreign ministry at a ruling party meeting overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, the state media KCNA reported.

Source: france24.com

Singer Justin Bieber has revealed he is suffering from facial paralysis after cancelling shows this week. The 28-year-old said in an Instagram video that the condition is due to a diagnosis of Ramsay Hunt syndrome. "As you can see this eye is not blinking. I can't smile on this side of my face... So there's full paralysis on this side of my face," he said. Ramsay Hunt syndrome is when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near someone's ears, say medical experts.

Source: bbc.com

Real Madrid and Barcelona will meet in an exhibition July 23 in Las Vegas in just the second edition of the El Clásico rivalry on U.S. soil. The Spanish superpowers will visit Allegiant Stadium, the 2-year-old home of the NFL’s Raiders just off the Las Vegas Strip, as part of a summer tour also featuring Juventus and Mexican powers Chivas and Club América across five U.S. cities.

Source: apnews.com

The United States on Friday announced that Covid-19 tests would no longer be demanded for international travelers arriving by air, a major step in the country's gradual lifting of pandemic restrictions. White House Assistant Press Secretary Kevin Munoz confirmed the news on Twitter, with US media saying the testing requirement would end this weekend after strong lobbying from the travel industry.

Source: france24.com

NASA is assembling a team to study unidentified aerial phenomena, popularly known as UFOs, the US space agency said Thursday. The team will gather data on "events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena -- from a scientific perspective," the agency said. NASA said it was interested in UAPs from a security and safety perspective. There was no evidence UAPs are extraterrestrial in origin, NASA added. The study will begin this fall and is expected to take nine months.

Source: cnn.com

The official launch of Digital Julfa Network – an initiative bringing together the Pan-Armenian intellectual, technological, commercial and cultural potential is planned to be announced during Orion Summit 2022. Mark Chenian, a veteran of investment banking, and a member of the board of directors of the Armenian Society of Fellows, is the keynote speaker at the Orion Summit 2022 which will address the final panel discussion on “Standing up Digital Julfa Network of the 21st Century”.

Source: Orion Worldwide Innovations Armenia 

Syria has suspended all flights at Damascus International Airport after what a pro-government newspaper said was an Israeli air attack near the facility. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Israeli raids hit arms depots belonging to the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah, as well as other Iran-backed groups near Damascus airport. The monitor, which relies on a wide network of sources across Syria, said at least three such positions were hit, leaving a number of people wounded.

Source: aljazeera.com

Two people were rescued after falling into a tank full of chocolate at the Mars M&M factory in Pennsylvania Thursday, officials said. Both patients were transported to the hospital, Assistant Supervisor Nick Schoenberger of Lancaster County 911 Dispatch told CNN. "One patient was transported by ground and one person was transported by helicopter," Schoenberger said.
 

Turkish media reports say a helicopter with seven people on board, including four Turkish citizens, has gone missing in northern Italy. NTV television said Friday the helicopter took off from the city of Lucca heading for Treviso but disappeared off the radar near Modena region. Italian authorities were searching for the helicopter.

Source: usnews.com

After jamming on stage earlier this week, Johnny Depp and guitar legend Jeff Beck confirmed that they are dropping a joint album. The 13-track collection, 18, is slated for release on July 15 and in addition to two new Depp originals (“Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade,” “This Is a Song For Miss Hedy Lamarr”), the collection will feature an eclectic selection of covers of songs by Killing Joke, the Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, The Miracles, the Velvet Underground, the Everly Brothers and Janis Ian.

Source: billboard.com

Iran said it expects oil cargo confiscated by the United States off the coast of Greece to be returned in full following a Greek court decision overturning an original ruling to allow its seizure. The case arose when Greece in April impounded the Iranian-flagged Lana with 19 Russian crew members on board near the island of Evia because of European Union sanctions.

Source: aljazeera.com

A Rolex watch worn by a British prisoner during the real-life "Great Escape" from the Nazi Stalag Luft III prisoner-of-war camp sold for $189,000 on Thursday. The final sum for the timepiece, sold to an anonymous buyer, was less than the $200,000 and $400,000 expected by Christie's. The watch was worn by Gerald Imeson on the night of March 24, 1944, when a group of Allied soldiers undertook the daring escape that inspired the 1963 movie starring Steve McQueen.

Source: france24.com

Jason Alexander, Britney Spears’ ex-husband of 55 hours, broke into the home of the singer ahead of her wedding to Sam Asghari on Thursday. Alexander was detained by security personnel at the home and arrested due to an outstanding felony warrant. Deputies responded to a call of a trespasser at Spears’ home Thursday afternoon. When deputies arrived, security personnel had already detained Alexander, who had gone on Instagram Live from inside the home of Spears.

Source: rollingstone.com

Boxer Simiso Buthelezi has died after a fight in Durban, South Africa, in which he ended the bout seemingly disoriented. Boxing South Africa (BSA) confirmed that Buthelezi, 24, collapsed towards the end of the fight on June 5 before being rushed to hospital. It was discovered the boxer suffered internal bleeding from a brain injury and subsequently died in the hospital on Tuesday, a Boxing South Africa statement said.

Source: cnn.com

Finland's government plans to amend border legislation to allow the building of barriers on its eastern frontier with Russia, it said on Thursday, in a move to strengthen preparedness against hybrid threats amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Finnish government has rushed to strengthen border security as it fears Russia could attempt to put pressure on Finland by sending asylum seekers to its borders.

Source: reuters.com