World

  Boris Johnson delivers his victory speech in London after winning the race to become the next British PM. — AFP Photo LONDON — Boris Johnson won the race to become Britain's next prime minister on Tuesday, but will face a confrontation over Brexit with Brussels and members of his own party as well as a tense diplomatic standoff with Iran. The former London mayor easily beat his rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, in a poll conducted among members of the governing Conservative Party. He is expected to be confirmed as prime minister today, when his predecessor Theresa May formally tenders her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II. It is a triumph for a man who has always wanted the top job, but Johnson, known for his jokes and bluster, is taking over at a time of immense political upheaval. Three years after the referendum vote to leave the European Union, Britain remains a member, after twice delaying its exit amid continued wrangling in a divided parliament -- and the … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson wins race to become Britain’s next PM

  Multidrug-resistant forms of malaria-causing parasites are spreading across southeast Asia. — Photo https://www.rte.ie PARIS — Multidrug-resistant forms of malaria-causing parasites are spreading across southeast Asia leading to "alarmingly high" treatment failure rates of widely used frontline medication, researchers warned on Tuesday. In twin studies published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, they revealed that in parts of Thailand, Việt Nam and Cambodia up to 80 per cent of the most common malaria parasite were now resistant to the two most common antimalarial drugs. The Plasmodium falciparum parasites have also acquired resistance linked to the failure of treatment in half of cases to one of the newest and most potent frontline drug combinations, they said. "These worrying findings indicate that the problem of multidrug resistance in P falciparum has substantially worsened in southeast Asia since 2015," said Olivo Miotto from the Wellcome … [Read more...] about Experts sound alarm over drug-resistant malaria strain

WASHINGTON — The United States sweltered in dangerously hot weather on Sunday, with major cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington broiling in temperatures that rose into triple digits. An oppressive heat wave stretching from the Midwestern plains to the Atlantic coast had nearly 150 million people struggling to stay cool in stifling heat that set records in a handful of states. By Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service (NWS) said the high temperatures would soon be over, but the severe weather would continue. "The dangerous heat wave which enveloped much of the Midwest to the East Coast this weekend should finally break by Monday as a cold front drops southward," the agency said. However it warned that "showers and thunderstorms... with heavy to excessive rainfall and severe weather possible" were expected across a swath of the east coast, and flash floods were a risk. Around 95 million people were under a heat warning or advisory for Sunday, down from … [Read more...] about End in sight for US heat wave that set temperature records

  Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard (right) walks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo before a meeting in Mexico City that focused on slowing northward migration. — AFP Photo MEXICO CITY — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday thanked his Mexican counterpart for increased immigration enforcement by the country, which he said is leading to fewer migrants entering the United States. Pompeo later traveled to El Salvador to meet with President Nayib Bukele, with the two sides pledging to work together on the issue of immigration. The top US diplomat's meeting in Mexico confirmed that relations between Washington and Mexico City had calmed considerably since early June, when President Donald Trump had threatened stiff new trade tariffs against the United States' southern neighbour unless it acted forcefully to slow the migrant flow. Pompeo met on Sunday in Mexico City with Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard on a regional trip that began in Argentina and Ecuador. … [Read more...] about Pompeo and Mexican counterpart welcome reduced flow of migrants