World

The British government faced the threat of legal action and criticism from its own lawmakers on Sunday after it sparked anger by mishandling English exam grades during the pandemic.

Two men have been sentenced to decades in prison in the shootings deaths of four people gunned down in the basement of a west Philadelphia home over a drug stash almost two years ago.

When the coronavirus emerged in the U.S. this year, public health officials and advocates for the homeless feared the virus would rip through shelters and tent encampments, ravaging vulnerable people who often have chronic health issues.

Lebanon's top Christian cleric called on Sunday for early parliamentary elections and a government formed to rescue the country rather than the ruling "political class" after the vast explosion in Beirut's port threw the nation into turmoil.

The British government was criticised by lawmakers in its own party on Sunday after a mounting row over English exam grades awarded during the pandemic intensified, in the latest hit to its reputation.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said all indications were that South Africa had reached the peak of COVID19 infections, as he announced a sweeping removal of lockdown restrictions on the economy.

About 5,500 Canada Revenue Agency accounts were targeted in this and another attack, the authorities said, adding that access to these accounts has been suspended to protect taxpayer information.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Saturday granted emergency use authorization to Yale School of Public Health's saliva test to detect COVID19, after a trial on National Basketball Association players and staff.

The US and Israel accuse Iran of being set on developing a nuclear bomb, a charge always denied by Tehran.

The chairman of Ireland's tourism authority, former Ryanair Chief Operating Officer Michael Cawley, resigned on Saturday after going on holiday to Italy, contrary to government advice to avoid nonessential travel abroad.

Almost half of Brazilians think President Jair Bolsonaro bears "no responsibility at all" for the country's more than 100,000 dead from the coronavirus pandemic, the world's second highest death toll, according to a new Datafolha poll.

The mayor of the secondlargest U.S. city has joined a growing clamor among health experts and politicians for a radical shift in the nation's coronavirus testing strategy from an emphasis on the utmost accuracy to a focus on speed and simplicity.

The United Arab Emirates has made a "huge mistake" in reaching a deal toward normalising ties with Israel, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday in a speech furiously condemning what he called a betrayal by the Gulf state.

The vaccine, called 'Sputnik V' in homage to the world’s first satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, has yet to complete its final trials and some scientists said they fear Moscow may be putting national prestige before safety.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday he wanted to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning street protests were not just a threat to Belarus.

Normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates could pave the way for more U.S. weapons sales to the Gulf Arab country, according to experts.