Pakistan train derailment kills more than a dozen (www.dw.com)
At least 15 people were killed and dozens others injured when a train derailed in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, officials said....
Zelenskiy condemns attack on blood transfusion centre as ‘war crime’ (www.theguardian.com)
Global food prices rise after Russia ends grain deal and India restricts rice exports (english.elpais.com)
Police Pursuit of U.S.-Based Activist Embroils Family in Hong Kong (www.msn.com)
HONG KONG—At dawn, officers from Hong Kong’s national-security police burst into the apartment of Derek Yuen and Eunice Yung, the son and daughter-in-law of a high-profile pro-democracy campaigner who criticizes China’s Communist Party from perches abroad....
Niger coup: Decision time for West Africa as deadline nears (www.bbc.com)
Deadline is extended One option is for the Ecowas leaders to extend the deadline....
Thousands at Scout camp move into hotels after S Korea heatwave (www.bbc.com)
The British group of 4,500, the largest in attendance, is moving from a camp site at Saemangeum to Seoul, the Scout Association confirmed....
Is Ukraine's counteroffensive failing? Kyiv and its supporters worry about losing control of the narrative (www.nbcnews.com)
Some U.S. officials are frustrated at the pace of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which has gained less than 100 square miles of territory.
Chandrayaan-3 Lunar Insertion Successful, Next Orbit Reduction Scheduled for Aug 6 - News18 (www.news18.com)
Sanctioned Russian Chemical Tanker Damaged By UAF Drones Near The Kerch Bridge In Crimea (euroweeklynews.com)
A feud between a patriarch and a militia leader adds to the woes of Iraqi Christians (apnews.com)
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi Christians have struggled since the Nineveh plains, their historic homeland of rolling hills dotted with wheat and barley fields, were wrested back from Islamic State extremists six years ago....
Myanmar poet turned rebel leader seeks new territory; worries about 'ephemeral revolutionaries' (www.reuters.com)
South Korea stabbing and car-ramming injures 13 near Seoul (www.nbcnews.com)
Joe Biden to ask Congress to fund Taiwan arms via Ukraine budget (www.ft.com)
The White House will ask Congress to fund arms for Taiwan as part of a supplemental budget request for Ukraine, in an effort to speed up the supply of weapons to the country amid the rising threat from China....
Russia targets Odesa port, angering Ukraine and nearby Romania (www.aljazeera.com)
Ukraine’s coastal region of Odesa was rattled by Russian drones which hit grain storage facilities in the south of the region, according to authorities in Kyiv....
El Salvador: Entire region 'under siege' to hem in gangs (www.bbc.com)
Thousands of soldiers in El Salvador have surrounded a rural region larger than New York City to flush out gang members who are allegedly hiding there....
Ukraine war: Drones target Odesa grain stores near Romania border (www.bbc.com)
Russian drone strike has hit Ukrainian port facilities at Izmail and a ware house and elevator for landing grain were damaged.
Niger power blackouts blamed on coup sanctions (www.bbc.com)
Major cities in Niger are facing rolling blackouts following last week’s coup in the West African country....
Russian defectors tell their stories about reaching Finland (yle.fi)
The US can't use a 110 million dollar drone base in Niger (taskandpurpose.com)
Why was it there to begin with I wonder?
Today, 2 August 2023, is Earth Overshoot Day. (www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org)
Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. In 2023, it falls on 2 August.
West African juntas warn against intervention after military takeover in Niger | CNN (edition.cnn.com)
BBC News - US limits Hungarian visa rights over security risk (www.bbc.co.uk)
‘Silenced hearts’: victims hope pope’s Portugal visit will highlight abuse (www.scmp.com)
Filipa Almeida was 17 when she was sexually abused by a priest. She stayed silent for years but eventually found the strength to speak out and hopes a visit by Pope Francis to her native Portugal this week will remind the world of thousands of similar crimes....
'First English slave fort in Africa' uncovered on Ghana's coast (www.bbc.com)
Taking care, archaeologist Christopher DeCorse spreads the rare artefacts out on a makeshift table next to the dig site....
Analysis: Buildup of American forces in Persian Gulf a new signal of worsening US-Iran conflict (apnews.com)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Thousands of Marines backed by advanced U.S. fighter jets and warships are slowly building up a presence in the Persian Gulf. It’s a sign that while America’s wars in the region may be finished, its conflict with Iran over its advancing nuclear program continues to worsen, with no...
