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Street party draws curtain on Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa era

Exhausted and drained after nearly 100 days of protests, a small crowd gathered its remaining strength Thursday to celebrate the resignation of Sri Lanka's leader at the seaside headquarters of their campaign to oust him.. For more than three months, the seafront boulevard has been home to a cluster of tents used as a staging post for protesters demanding the despised leader step down for his role in driving Sri Lanka's battered economy to ruin.

Thu, Jul 14, 2022 2 mins read

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California wildfire threat to Yosemite giant sequoias 'almost gone'

The wildfire threat to the world's largest trees in California has almost passed, with the blaze now spreading away from giant sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park, a forestry official said Thursday.. Giant sequoias are the world's largest trees by volume.

Thu, Jul 14, 2022 2 mins read

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WHO to reconvene monkeypox emergency panel on July 21

The World Health Organization said Thursday it would reconvene its expert monkeypox committee on July 21 to decide whether the outbreak constitutes a global health emergency.. On June 23, the WHO convened an emergency committee of experts to decide if monkeypox constitutes a so-called Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) -- the highest alarm that the WHO can sound. 

Thu, Jul 14, 2022 2 mins read

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12 killed in Russian strikes in central Ukraine ahead of EU talks

Russian missiles struck the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine on Thursday, killing at least 12 people in what President Volodymyr Zelensky called "an open act of terrorism".. What is this, if not an open act of terrorism?"

Thu, Jul 14, 2022 3 mins read

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Kevin Spacey pleads not guilty to sexual assault in UK

Hollywood star Kevin Spacey on Thursday pleaded not guilty at London's Old Bailey court to four charges of sexual assault against three men.. He spoke to confirm his name and age before pleading not guilty to four charges of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.

Thu, Jul 14, 2022 2 mins read

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Russia's war in Ukraine 'greatest challenge' to global economy: Yellen

Russia's war in Ukraine poses the greatest threat to the global economy, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday as G20 ministers prepare to start talks in Indonesia.. "Our greatest challenge today comes from Russia's illegal and unprovoked war against Ukraine," she said on the resort island of Bali ahead of a meeting between finance ministers from the world's top economies and central bank governors on Friday and Saturday.

Thu, Jul 14, 2022 2 mins read

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Sri Lanka protesters to end occupation of official buildings

Sri Lanka's anti-government demonstrators said Thursday they were ending their occupation of official buildings, as they vowed to press on with their bid to bring down the president and prime minister in the face of a dire economic crisis.. They contrasted the opulent accommodation with the economic plight of his compatriots -- four out of five Sri Lankans skipping meals because of the country's dire economic crisis.

Thu, Jul 14, 2022 2 mins read

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Sri Lanka protesters in talks to end occupation

Sri Lanka's anti-government demonstrators were in talks Thursday to hand back official buildings they seized, protest representatives said, even as they insisted the president and prime minister both quit in the face of an economic crisis.. Protesters overran President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's palace at the weekend, forcing him to flee to the Maldives on Wednesday, when activists also stormed the office of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Thu, Jul 14, 2022 2 mins read

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Nearly 90 dead in Haiti gang violence, as country slides into chaos

A week of gang violence in Haiti's capital has left at least 89 people dead, a rights group said Wednesday, as soaring prices, fuel shortages and gang warfare accelerate a brutal downward spiral in the security situation in Port-au-Prince.. Gas stations in Port-au-Prince don't have any gas to sell, causing prices on the black market to skyrocket.

Wed, Jul 13, 2022 3 mins read

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IMF agrees to resume Pakistan loan after fuel, tax hikes

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Thursday it had agreed with Pakistan to resume a suspended loan programme that will inject $1.17 billion into the struggling economy.. "It became essential to resume the IMF programme to save the country from default," finance minister Miftah Ismail told the national assembly last month.

Wed, Jul 13, 2022 2 mins read