Lebanon's new parliament elects longtime speaker
BEIRUT, May 31: Lebanon's longtime parliament speaker who has held the post for 30 years, was reelected Tuesday for a seventh four-year term with the minimum number of votes required and despite multiple crises plaguing the nation. Still, the slim majority in favor of Nabih Berri was a reflection of a shift in public opinion in the crumbling economy on the verge of bankruptcy. His reelection was practically guaranteed - even though more than a dozen new lawmakers won seats running on a reform platform. The new legislature is being ushered in as Lebanon remains in the grip of the worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history, rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement by the ruling class, which has been running the country since the end of the civil war. — AP
Residents evacuate as fire rages at Omaha chemical company
OMAHA, May 31: Fire raged through a chemical company Monday night just southwest of downtown Omaha, forcing some nearby residents to evacuate and leaving thousands without power. Thick smoke billowed from the Nox-Crete facility, but no injuries had been reported, according to KETV. Battalion Chief Scott Fitzpatrick said the first call for help came shortly before 7 p.m. Fitzpatrick said firefighters first struggled to access the fire, then realized it was bigger than first thought and pulled back knowing there were chemicals and propane bottles on site. — AP
India records 2,338 new Covid-19 cases, 19 more deaths
NEW DELHI, May 31: India's Covid-19 tally rose to 43,158,087 on Tuesday, as 2,338 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, showed the federal health ministry's latest data. Besides, 19 deaths from the pandemic were reported across the country since Monday morning, taking the total death toll to 524,630. There are still 17,883 active Covid-19 cases in the country with an increase of 185 active cases during the past 24 hours. So far, 42,615,574 people have been successfully cured and discharged from hospitals, of whom 2,134 were discharged during the past 24 hours. — Xinhua
Agatha hits southern Mexico coast as strongest May hurricane
PUERTO ESCONDIDO, May 31: Hurricane Agatha, the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in May in the eastern Pacific, swept ashore on a stretch of tourist beaches and fishing towns Monday, then weakened moving inland over the mountains of southern Mexico. — AP
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