US Senate passes first gun control bill in decades
WASHINGTON, June 24 (BBC/AP): The US Senate has passed a gun control bill - the most significant firearms legislation in nearly 30 years.It imposes tougher checks on young buyers and encourages states to remove guns from people considered a threat.In a rare bipartisan breakthrough on gun control measures, 15 Republicans...
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N Korea approves new frontline army duties amid tensions
SEOUL, June 24 (AP): North Korean leader Kim Jong Un doubled down on his nuclear arms buildup to overwhelm "hostile forces" at a key meeting where military leaders approved unspecified new operational duties for frontline army units.Members of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Military Commission decided to supplement an "important...
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Boris Johnson under pressure after UK election defeats
LONDON, June 24 (Reuters): Boris Johnson's Conservatives lost two parliamentary seats on Friday, a crushing blow to the governing party that prompted the resignation of its chairman and intensified doubts about the future of Britain's prime minister.In Rwanda for a meeting of Commonwealth nations, Johnson was defiant, pledging to listen...
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Covid vaccines saved 20m lives in 1st year, scientists say
NEW YORK, June 24 (AP): Nearly 20 million lives were saved by Covid-19 vaccines during their first year, but even more deaths could have been prevented if international targets for the shots had been reached, researchers reported Thursday.On Dec. 8, 2020, a retired shop clerk in England received the first...
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UN says journalist killed by Israeli fire
GENEVA, June 24 (AFP): The United Nations (UN) said Friday that its findings showed that the shot that killed Al Jazeera TV journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11 was fired by Israeli forces.The Palestinian-American journalist, who was wearing a vest marked "Press" and a helmet, was killed on May...
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Iran rejects Israeli charges of attacks in Turkey
TEHRAN, June 24 (AFP): Iran dismissed on Friday as "ridiculous" allegations by Israel's foreign minister while on a visit to Ankara that the Islamic republic was planning anti-Israeli attacks in Turkey."The baseless allegations... are ridiculous and part of a pre-designed plot to destroy relations between the two Muslim countries," foreign...
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Six die in crash of Vietnam-era helicopter in West Virginia
LOGAN, June 24 (AP): A Vietnam-era helicopter showcased in action movies crashed on a rural West Virginia road, killing all six people on board, during an annual reunion for helicopter enthusiasts.The Federal Aviation Administration said the Bell UH-1B "Huey" helicopter crashed along Route 17 in Logan County about 5 p.m....
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Kremlin says Ukraine's EU candidacy is a 'domestic' European issue
MOSCOW, June 24 (AFP): The Kremlin said on Friday that the European Union's decision to grant official EU candidate status to Ukraine, where Russia is conducting a military campaign, and neighbouring Moldova was a "domestic" matter."These are domestic European affairs. It is very important for us that all these processes...
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