Kremlin critic Navalny airlifted to Germany; condition stable after landing

An ambulance aircraft carrying gravely ill Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny landed at Berlin’s Tegel airport on Saturday after he was evacuated from the Siberian city of Omsk and brought to Germany for treatment of a suspected poisoning. Read more

Pak targets Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar & Dawood Ibrahim to avoid FATF blacklist

Seeking to wriggle out of the FATF’s grey list, Pakistan has imposed tough financial sanctions on 88 banned terror groups and their leaders, including Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar and Dawood Ibrahim, by ordering the seizure of all of their properties and freezing of bank accounts, a media report said on Saturday. Read more

Just weeks after explosion, Lebanon in lockdown as virus cases surge

Barely weeks after the massive explosion in a warehouse, Lebanon began its two-week lockdown with the number of coronavirus cases increasing in the country. Read more

Belarus crisis: Lukashenko orders army to defend ‘territorial integrity’

Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko on Saturday ordered his defence minister to take “stringent measures” to defend the country’s territorial integrity after mass protests erupted against his claim to election victory. Read more

COVID-19: Germany, France face new surge as Europe grapples with virus

Germany, France, Spain and Italy witnessed a new wave of coronavirus as Spanish capital Madrid asked residents to stay home as it recorded 8,000 cases in 24 hours. Read more

IAEA chief Grossito to make first visit to Iran on August 24

The UN nuclear watchdog’s chief Rafael Grossi will make his first trip to Tehran in that role on Monday to pressure Iran to grant inspectors access to two suspected former atomic sites after a months-long standoff, he said on Saturday. Read more

Apple says ‘Fortnite’ maker wanted ‘side letter’ to create own game store

Apple Inc on Friday alleged that Epic Games’ chief executive had asked it for a “side letter” to create its own game store within the iPhone maker’s App Store, which Apple said would have upended the store`s commission-based business model. Read more

US postmaster promises timely election mail, ‘dramatic’ changes after

US Postmaster Louis DeJoy on Friday told lawmakers the Postal Service would deliver ballots “securely and on time” in the November presidential election, but indicated he would pursue dramatic operational changes after that date. Read more

Smell loss from COVID-19 differs from common cold: Study

The study published in the journal Rhinology is the first to compare how people with COVID-19 smell and taste disorders differ from those with other causes of upper respiratory tract infections. Read more

Coup supporters celebrate president’s downfall in Mali’s capital

Thousands marched and celebrated in the streets of Mali’s capital to celebrate the overthrow of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Friday as the West African nation’s political opposition backed the military’s junta plan. Read more